Noah T. Byars : a study in Baptist missionary effort on the frontier

One hundred and thirty-five years have elapsed since Noah T. Byars was born in South Carolina. Likewise, more than a half-century has passed since his death. Byars was an obscure man, and, narrowly interpreted, his biography need fill only a few pages. The fact, however, that, obscure though he was, he had a place in a great historical period and that he helped to mould that period makes his life and activity worthy of a serious study. It is from this point of view that this work has been written. The sources on some phases of Byars' life have been meager. In fact, so meager have been some of them that certain phases are not clear. The source materials have been widely scattered. By far the greater portion was found in the library of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of the more illuminating were found in the State Library. Intimate family sources were accessible through the generosity of the descendants of Byars.Histor

The Effects Of A Role Model Intervention Program On The Attitudes Of Junior High School Students Towards Mathematics And Sex-Role Orientation

Bureau of Labor Statistics information indicated 55 percent of all women in the labor force in 1980 were employed in traditional clerical and service occupations. The limited participation of women in certain sectors of the labor force represented a great loss of human potential, particularly in the case of academically talented women. This exploratory study focused on two potential barriers that may keep capable women from realizing their full potential: sex-role orientation and attitudes toward mathematics course-taKing Another area of focus determined what effect stability factors had on the population under study and how stability might affect future studies. A sample of 63 ninth grade Algebra I students were exposed to both live and taped role model presentations. The six female and two male presentors emphasized the importance of high school mathematics course-taking for keeping career options open and the feasibility of continuing a career with family life. The instruments, The Sex-Role Survey and The Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scale, administered on a pre, post and postpost basis, yielded no significant differences in attitude. It was recommended that in order to take a more thorough and revealing look at attitudes as they may be affected by an intervention, the size and representativeness of the sample should be increased. Stability factors from three school districts suggested a wide range of student stability regardless of the size of the district. Losses in student population during one school year ranged from 12% to nearly 30%. It was recommended a school district\u27s research and development department be consulted regarding stability factors to ensure adequate sample size

Apathy, Depression, and Emotional Lability in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

The presence of cognitive and behavioral impairment in some patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is now well-known. However, the prevalence of behavioral impairment and the relationship between behavioral and cognitive impairment in ALS is not fully understood. This study is the first to examine systematically cognitive profiles associated with apathy, depression, and emotional lability (EL) in patients with ALS. Participants were 161 consecutive referrals to the Neurology service of the Houston Methodist Hospital MDA-ALS clinic. All patients met El Escorial World Federation of Neurology diagnostic criteria for probable or definite ALS. All participants underwent comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation, including measures of cognition, mood, and behavior. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses were used to predict performance on neuropsychological measures from apathy, depression, and emotional lability. Of the 161 patients, 24.8% were diagnosed with EL and 18.6% met criteria for DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of a mood disorder (including 9.9% with a Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) or Dysthymia and 8.7% with an adjustment disorder). Of the 117 with complete apathy data, 32.5% met criteria for clinically significant apathy. Approximately 22% of patients were experiencing two or more of these neuropsychiatric disorders. After controlling for disease severity, apathy accounted for significant variance in predicting performance on a measure of mental flexibility, over and above depression and emotional lability. Neither MDD nor EL significantly predicted performance on any neuropsychological measure. Results suggested that apathy, depression, and emotional lability co-occur, but are dissociable in ALS. After controlling for disease severity, only apathy was associated with executive functioning.Psychology, Department o

Factor Structure of the Geriatric Depression Scale and its Relationship to Cognition in Alzheimer's Disease

Evidence suggests that patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) experience more frequent and severe apathy and depression than their healthy age counterparts. Moreover, some studies have shown that apathy and depression are associated with greater cognitive and functional decline in these patients. Previous research has shown the Geriatric Depression Scale to be capable of identifying symptoms of both apathy and dysphoria in older adults. However, no study to date has systematically explored whether the Geriatric Depression Scale measures symptoms of apathy and dysphoria in patients with AD and related these constructs to performance on neuropsychological measures. This study employed exploratory factor analysis to identify factors of the Geriatric Depression Scale in a sample of 569 patients with pure probable AD. A four-factor solution was obtained, yielding factors associated with apathy, dysphoria, social withdrawal, and cognitive impairment. It was hypothesized that symptoms of apathy would be associated with cognitive and functional impairment, even after controlling for dysphoria. Two-way ANOVAs showed that endorsement of Apathy factor items was associated with greater impairment in verbal memory and motor speed, as well as functional impairment. Dysphoria was not associated with any cognitive or functional variables. Findings suggest that the GDS may be used as a screening measure for symptoms of apathy in AD, hopefully aiding early identification and intervention to reduce patient and caregiver burden.Psychology, Department o

Diabetes management and personal interests

Problems in the management of Type I Diabetes Mellitus have been addressed in previous literature using models of psychopathology. It is suggested that the use of models of psychopathology in investigations of diabetes management problems is inappropriate since the use of such models is predicated on the assumption that poor diabetes management is indicative of psychopathology. The present study sought to determine if a model of normal behavior, developed by John L. Holland (1973), could better explain problems in diabetes management. The present study attempted to gather data from 240 male and 240 female diabetes patients by seeking the participation of 143 physicians in five states. Twenty-seven physicians agreed to participate in the study, offering to gather data from a total 4651 patients (1065 patients per month). Seven physicians actually returned completed data (N = 99; male = 50, female = 49). Data gathered from each subject included a single glycosylated hemoglobin measure, a blood test that gives an estimate of individuals' levels of diabetes management for the previous 90-120 days, done on the same day that patients completed copies of Holland's "Self-Directed Search" (1977), a paper-and-pencil type interest inventory that assesses individuals' interests and self-estimates of skills and abilities in each of the six areas included in Holland's theory of personality (1973). Because of the small amount of data received from physicians, present data were analyzed and compared to data from a pilot study (Havins, Winer, Wysocki, Bourgeois & Varma, 1982) to determine if relationships between glycosylated hemoglobin measures and patients' scores on the "Self-Directed Search" were consistent. These relationships were not found to be consistent between samples. On the basis of the present comparisons there is no support for the idea that Holland's theory of normal behavior can explain problems in Type I diabetes mellitus management. Reasons for failure to find such a relationship are discussed