Date of Award

4-2005

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. Richard W. Malott

Second Advisor

Dr. John Austin

Third Advisor

Dr. Alan Poling

Fourth Advisor

Dr. Maria M. Malott

Abstract

The goal of this dissertation is to evaluate people's needs for self-management and the effectiveness of their use of the three-contingency model of self-management. This model prescribes a set of self-management procedures that can be applied to self-manage virtually any behavior. College students used these procedures to manage their own behavior as part of an extended psychology-course assignment.

This evaluation began with the Procrastination Survey, the results of which assessed the frequency of the students' self-management problems. The self-management interventions of up to 168 students were then evaluated using their self-reported performance data and an anonymous survey. The performance data showed that nearly all of the students improved the management of their behavior from baseline to intervention. The anonymous survey was used to summarize details of the students' interventions, such as the target behavior, performance manager, honesty of their data reporting, honesty of their implementation of the procedures, and importance of their accomplishing the goal of the intervention.

In addition, the results of the Transfer Survey showed that use of self-management interventions transferred to other settings and other behaviors for 19% of the 107 students who completed the survey. Students also completed the Maintenance Survey after the course was over. The results of that survey showed that use of self-management interventions maintained for 33% of the 72 students who completed the survey.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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Psychology Commons

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