Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Semester of Degree Completion
1993
Thesis Director
Charlotte A. Wasson
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of printed information and four physical positions in space on attitudes of individuals who are nondisabled toward a person who is nonspeaking with severe physical disabilities. Employing a 4 (positions in space) X 2 (presence/absence of information) factorial design, subjects were presented with four photographs depicting a male who is both physically disabled and nonspeaking having a communicative interaction with a male who is nondisabled. Subjects in Condition 1 viewed 4 photographs depicting the individual who is nonspeaking sitting in a chair; Condition 2 subjects viewed photographs of the individual sitting in a wheelchair; Condition 3 subjects viewed the individual standing; and finally subjects in Condition 4 viewed the individual standing with a walker. The Attitude Toward Nonspeaking Persons Scale (ATNP) was employed as the dependent measure. Results revealed no significant main effects for position or information, nor was there an effect for position by information interaction. However, further analyses of subject demographic information revealed that female subjects had a significantly more favorable attitude than males, and that subjects with previous exposure to disabilities had a more favorable attitude. The study's weaknesses and implications are detailed.
Recommended Citation
Lepak, Paige M., "Effects of Information and Physical Positioning on Attitudes Toward an Individual Who Is Nonspeaking and Physically Disabled" (1993). Masters Theses. 2078.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/2078
