REPORTS
PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPERIMENTS & STUDIES
Self Modification Report
Self-Modification of Exercise Behavior (1994)
  • Classical behavior modification experiment with data collection and analysis.
summary:
  • This paper describes the use of a self-modification behaviour program to successfully increase exercise behaviour.
abstract:
  • Regular exercise resulting from involvement in various sports activities used to be self-reinforcing. My goal in this self-modification project, was to return to a level of fitness so that sports activities would be reinforcing, and hence regular exercise would be maintained in the natural environment. Instead of participating in an overall fitness program which requires a lot of time out of the day, a specific exercise program for a chronic problem of mine, patellar tendinitis, was designed. Positive results in overall fitness level of the knee would be reinforcing because my knee is keeping me from performing some sport activities.
tools:
  • Principle of Reinforcement | Principle of Extinction | Shaping Procedure

Social Dominance Report
Formation of Social Dominance Structures in Young Children (1994)
  • Observational study design.
abstract:
  • Regular exercise resulting from involvement in various sports activities used to be self-reinforcing. My goal in this self-modification project, was to return to a level of fitness so that sports activities would be reinforcing, and hence regular exercise would be maintained in the natural environment. Instead of participating in an overall fitness program which requires a lot of time out of the day, a specific exercise program for a chronic problem of mine, patellar tendinitis, was designed. Positive results in overall fitness level of the knee would be reinforcing because my knee is keeping me from performing some sport activities.
method:
  • Data is collected by checking frequencies of certain predefined behavior sequences, and then analyzed. The study tries to replicate a previous study of preschool children interacting, and observing social dominance behaviours.

Job Satisfaction Report
Job Satisfaction for Self-Employed versus Non-Self_Employed Individuals (1993)
  • Social psychology research paper
abstract:
  • The purpose of this study will be to explore if there are differences in job satisfaction experienced by self-employed professionals versus hires professionals. Job satisfaction was measured with a mail survey containing “Jog Involvement Scale”. Job involvement is a form of work autonomy which leads to intrinsic job satisfaction. It was predicted that self-employed professionals have greater job satisfaction.
PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH & ANALYSIS
Burnout Report
Burnout in Elite Athletes (1993)
  • Sport psychology paper on burnout
abstract:
  • As a grounding framework for this paper, I will draw a continuum with burnout at one end of the spectrum and actualization at the other. Burnout should be viewed in a continuum of low to high, because it is not an all or nothing concept (Perlman and Hartman, 1981). Both retroactive and proactive measures can be taken to improve ones standing along the continuum. In this paper, I will start at the “burnout” end of the spectrum. I will define some current models of burnout, and some retroactive treatment strategies for burnout. Then I will suggest some proactive measures for burnout which involve both increasing protective factors and decreasing risk factors of burnout. I will conclude this paper with an argument for more weighted use of proactive coaching methods for elite athletes.

Computer Aided Learning Report
Overview of Computer Aided Learning (1994)
  • Educational psychology research paper
summary:
  • CAL has great potential which has yet to be discovered and exploited. CAL complements the infrastructure of today’s society, provides learning opportunities for everyone, and has the potential for motivating people in discovery and learning. Technological advances, along with correspondence between educational psychologists and authors of courseware, is slowly changing the browse and retrieve mode of CAL into a network of activities, providing a more effective way of learning. A change in attitudes in higher education could promote computer aided education to the levels that computers have been integrated in the rest of society.
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