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The Influence Of A Child's Learning Disability On A Parent's Psychological Experience: A Comparison Of Parents With And Without Learning Disabilities, Alice Varley Mangan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation examined the psychological experience of parents whose children have been diagnosed with moderate to severe learning disabilities (LD) and compared the impact of a child's learning disability across two groups of parents: one with LD and one without LD. In-depth semi-structured interviews were administered to eleven parents of children with LD, four of whom had LD themselves, and seven of whom did not have LD. Three levels of qualitative data analysis were employed to code the interviews resulting in four theoretical constructs: (1) Diagnosis as a Threat to Parental Narcissism; (2) Parents Engage Containing and Stabilizing Strategies; (3) …

The Relationship Between A Norm Referenced Measure Of Theory Of Mind And Preschoolers' Social Skills In The Classroom, Sarah Ellen Birch

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study sought to examine the effect of Theory of Mind (ToM) performance as measured by a norm-referenced assessment on the social skills of a multicultural group of preschool students. This study extends the current research in this area. Most previous studies examined the relationship among ToM, other social cognitive skills and social skills using participants from predominately Caucasian middle class families (Slaughter et al., 2015). Additionally, earlier research relied primarily on homemade measures of such skills (Cassidy et al., 2003; Disendruck & Ben-Eliyahu, 2006; McAlister & Peterson, 2013; Watson et al., 1999; Walker, 2005).

Participants included 67 children between …

Wh-Question Processing In Children With Cochlear Implants, Zarabeth Waldman Deluca

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Children with cochlear implants (CIs) have exhibited difficulty accurately answering and producing wh-questions. The syntactic construction of wh-questions include syntactic movement, whereby the wh-question phrase that replaces the subject or object noun is fronted to the beginning of the sentence. This leaves a syntactic gap at the subject or object's original location, to be filled by the listener during immediate language processing. One view is that this syntactic gap is resolved by retaining that filler concept in working memory (WM), until it can be reintegrated into the wh-question. However, the CI population is also notable for WM deficits, which may …

Singing Motherhood: First Time Mothers' Experiences Singing To Their Infants, Margaret Mia Pixley

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Mothers have sung to their children for centuries. Because singing provides an opportunity for self-expression and connection with others, understanding how first time mothers experience this age old practice might help us understand how singing facilitates a woman's developing relationship with herself as a mother and with her new infant. To date, little research exists on this particular function and experience of first time maternal singing. In this qualitative phenomenological study, 16 first time mothers with infants one year and under were interviewed about their experiences singing to their babies and were also asked to write a one-time diary entry …

The Immigration Experience Among Elderly Egyptian Immigrants In The United States, Ihab Girgis

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

An increasing mosaic of immigrants comes to the United States' shores every year for different reasons. An invisible part of those immigrants are the elderly who join their families in the United States. The story of the Egyptian elderly immigrants among them, as one representative group of Arabs, is significant and its investigation is timely. This study explores the context of exit from Egypt, the risk factors for health and mental health distress induced by this transition and how they impede the adjustment process, and the protective factors and processes that buffer the risk factors, foster resilience, and facilitate the …

Interleukin-1 (Il-1) As A Potential Contributor To The Pathophysiology Of Alzheimer's Disease, Sara Nicole Resch

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Elevations of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) have been reported as part of the inflammatory response to injury and neurodegenerative disorders. The observation of increased IL-1 levels in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) triggered over two decades of research implicating IL-1 in the disease pathogenesis. IL-1 has been suggested to modulate a variety of actions related to AD pathology, including the processing of the Aβ precursor protein and deposition of amyloid plaques. IL-1 also activates glial cells and induces recruitment of leukocytes and peripheral macrophages to the CNS across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). When exposed to IL-1, …

Chinese-American Young Adult Children's Perception Of Parental Psychological And Behavioral Control And Its Impact On Their Emotional And Social Well-Being, Wan-Hai Tseng

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The primary aim of this qualitative study was to describe the ways in which Chinese-American young adult children perceive their parent(s) and/or primary caregiver(s)' expressions of psychological and behavioral control. It also explored how they believed these types of control affected their emotional and social well-being over time. Given that it is documented that their parents are demanding, and that this may be the reason their mental health outcomes are poorer than non-Asians, this exploration was needed. This research sought to provide a better understanding of the emotional and social development of Chinese-American young adult children as it relates to …

Development Of A Naturalistic Observational Parenting Practice Assessment Tool For Externalizing Behavior Research, Thailyn L. Alonso

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Externalizing behavior problems have severe clinical implications. In fact, they have been found to be the primary basis for mental health referrals in early childhood. Findings from research on the etiology and development of externalizing behavior problems indicate these in addition to having significant effects throughout the life span effects also extend across multiple generations. Family and child development research consistently finds that one of the most significant modifiable factors in the prevention and treatment of externalizing behavior problems in early childhood is parenting practices. Unfortunately, much of the extant literature is limited by parenting measures that are prone to …

The Role Of The Vta Nmda Receptors, Vta Da Cells And Vta Terminal Regions In Reward-Related Learning, Karen Kest

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Reward-related learning occurs when an initially neutral stimulus acquires the capacity to elicit responses similar to an unconditioned stimulus (US) with which it is associated, in which case the stimulus now functions as a conditioned stimulus (CS). The mechanisms whereby stimuli come to function as CSs are not fully understood and comprise the theme of this dissertation. We have previously proposed that coincident signals from an unconditioned and the eventual conditioned stimulus (US and CS) signals on dopamine (DA) cells of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) leads to strengthening of CS synapses, allowing the CS to acquire the ability to …

Rethinking Internal Working Models From A Developmental Perspective: Clarifying The Concept And Making A Case For A Sensitive Period Of Attachment, Leah Bothe Manning

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Chapter 1 attempts to clarify the internal working model (IWM) by offering a revised and more precise definition of the concept. Chapter 2 discusses the existing IWM research and asserts what aims should be applied to future research to further clarify the IWM concept. Chapters 3 and 4 describe the current three studies that sought to test the validity of the proposed IWM definition by determining if: (1) attachment status during the first three years fluctuates as a function of changes in maternal sensitivity, (2) IWM status in middle childhood and adolescence remains stable independent of changes in maternal sensitivity, …

The 'In-Group Advantage' For Perceiving Emotion Across Demographic Groups And Communication Channels, Thomas Myers

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The ability to perceive emotions in others is critical to successful social interaction. While much research has been conducted on some of the factors affecting emotion perception, other areas have received relatively little attention and, thus, are not well understood. There is growing evidence to suggest that various demographic factors, as well as their interactions, impact the accuracy of emotion perception. The impact of these factors seems to vary as a function of the particular channel (e.g., facial, prosodic, and lexical) through which emotions are perceived and may even be influenced by the presence of an 'in-group advantage' (IGA; Elfenbein …

Investigating The Effects Of Intervention Intensity On Skill Acquisition And Task Persistence In Children With Down Syndrome, Nicole Marie Neil

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Maximizing outcomes for learners with Down syndrome requires an approach which is both effective and efficient. Modifying the intensity of intervention has the potential to affect the rate of skill acquisition as well as other learner behavior, such as task persistence, which alters the efficiency of intervention. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of varying intensity levels of a behavior-analytic on acquisition and task persistence for young children with Down syndrome. Three children with Down syndrome were taught expressive language targets using three manipulations of intervention intensity (dose): the number of opportunities, the spacing of opportunities, …

Parentification And Separation-Individuation In Siblings Of Individuals With A Chronic Illness Or Disability, Danielle Benveniste Stevens

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Well siblings of children with an illness or disability constitute a population of growing interest in psychological research. Past research suggests that these individuals may be likely to adopt increased caretaking responsibilities, or a parentified role, within the family. However, to date, few studies have examined the experiences of well siblings as they relate to late adolescent development. This study extends the well sibling research to the period of emerging adulthood and examines the degree to which 18 to 25 year-old well sibling and control groups report different levels of parentification and endorse different patterns of adolescent separation-individuation. In addition, …

The Insanity Defense, Public Anger, And The Potential Impact On Attributions Of Responsibility And Punishment, Chioma Ajoku

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Research indicates that the general public perceives the insanity defense negatively and inaccurately despite the infrequency with which it is pled and the realities often surrounding those who plead the defense. The negative and inaccurate perception of the insanity defense, combined with the potentially increased punitive judgments the defense elicits, suggests that emotion may play a role in perception of the insanity defense. In particular, the psychological literature on anger may contain answers to reactions toward the insanity defense. The current research explored the role of anger on punitive judgments toward a defendant pleading not guilty by reason of insanity …

A Long-Term Follow-Up Of Crossover Youth: Young Adult Outcomes For Maltreated Youth In The Juvenile Justice System, Carly Lyn Baetz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Crossover youth, those with histories of childhood maltreatment and delinquency, may be at high risk for negative outcomes compared to other youth. However, very little is known about the long-term outcomes for this population. This dissertation compared four groups: youth with histories of child maltreatment and juvenile arrest (n = 180), youth with a history of maltreatment only (n = 428), youth with a history of juvenile arrest only (n = 91), and youth with no history of maltreatment or juvenile arrest (n = 496), on a range of outcomes, including mental health, education, employment, and criminal behavior. Data from …

The Sensitive Psychopath: Assessing Construct Overlap Between Secondary Psychopathy And Borderline Personality Disorder, Trevor H. Barese

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The literature suggests substantial overlap between secondary psychopathy and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The current study evaluates the degree of construct overlap between BPD and secondary psychopathy within a sample of offenders mandated to treatment in the community. Diagnostic overlap and associations with clinically relevant correlates were assessed to estimate the degree of convergence between the two disorders and divergence from primary psychopathy. The goal of this study was to evaluate the pragmatic utility of maintaining discrete diagnostic categories for secondary psychopathy and BPD rather than identifying secondary psychopaths as offenders with BPD. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis …

Developmental Coordination Disorder: The Relationship Between Gait And Attention With Possible Implications For Early Identification And Intervention, Yocheved Bensinger-Brody

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The aim of this research was to evaluate how increased levels of challenge to attentional capacity would affect the motor planning and coordination in the gait of children at risk of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) across developmental ages. The study incorporated a dual task paradigm requiring both motor and attention performance, with the primary hypothesis that children who are at risk of DCD across different ages (3- to 8 yrs.-of-age) would demonstrate an alteration in their motor strategies if they were simultaneously engaging in an attention task. A secondary hypothesis of this study was that there is an underlying deficit …

The Relationship Between Maternal Depression And Negative Outcomes In Children: Parenting Deficits' Impact On Children's Emotional Regulation And Behavioral Expression, Gabrielle Francesca Cione

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The present study examined the relationships between maternal depression, parenting practices and children's emotional and behavioral expressions. The study was a secondary analysis of a previous cross-sectional and cross-generational study (Maternal aggression, self-regulation and adverse child outcomes, DA 08963) funded by the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) that examined the pathways between maternal impairments (crack/cocaine use disorder, general psychopathology, and self-regulation deficits), child-rearing deficits (parenting deficits, child neglect, child physical/ sexual abuse), and adverse child outcomes (substance abuse, aggressive/ delinquent behaviors, and child self-regulation deficits).

The population for the current study was chosen because children of depressed mothers in …

Improving Investigative Interviews: Facilitating Disclosure Of Information Through Implicit Means, Evan Crawford Dawson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Investigative interviews are essential to intelligence collection. However, eliciting information from subjects is challenging when they are not motivated to cooperate. Psychological research has examined social influence tactics that may influence an interviewee's forthcomingness, however, there has been no focus on implicit methods despite their prominence in the basic social cognitive literature. Research on implicit cognition has found that activating mental concepts can lead people to behave in ways that are semantically related to or metaphorically consistent with the activated concept. In the present research, I sought to examine the concept of disclosure and test the effects of its activation …

Art As Communication: Employing Gricean Principles Of Communication As A Model For Art Appreciation, Melissa June Dolese

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Abstract

How and why artworks elicit varied preferences and judgments among different individuals remains a topic with many unresolved issues. For instance, individuals with little artistic experience tend to show little appreciation for abstract art, even though such works often show a highly skilled organization of visual elements. A key aspect of a positive aesthetic experience concerns the ability of viewers to construct meaning. I propose that viewers attempt to make meaning of artworks due to a sense that art is a communicative process. Here I attempt an application of one intentionalist model of communication, the Gricean framework, to visual …

The Reciprocal Relationship Among Object Relations, Attention, And Language In A Sample Of School-Aged Children, Katherine Ann Eiges

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Object relations (OR) disturbances are implicated in a broad range of socio-emotional problems and psychopathology in childhood, which are also common among children diagnosed with attention and language impairments. Though attachment-based factors are shown to play a role in the socio-emotional adjustment of children with learning disabilities, the specific influences of attention and language deficits on OR development is unknown. The present study aims to investigate the reciprocal influences of attention and language functioning on OR development. An empirically established OR measure for the Rorschach was systematically adapted to the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and examined for convergent validity …

Maternal Substance Use Disorder, Difficult Temperament And Child Psychopathology: Examining A Biopsychosocial Model For The Intergenerational Transmission Of Vulnerability, Wendy Carolina Franco

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Substance abuse is a significant issue that affects the lives of adults and children in our society. Children of substance abusing parents are at greater risk for poor psychosocial adjustment and psychopathology. The present study drew on biopsychosocial and epigenetic approaches to study vulnerability and resilience in children. The aim was to advance the understanding of child psychopathology and of intergenerational effects of maternal substance use disorder (SUD) by examining the independent and combined contributions of risk factors for child psychopathology in children of mothers with SUD. Employing a "goodness of fit model," which posits that adverse child outcomes …

Three Potential Mediators Of The Effects Of Child Abuse And Neglect On Smoking In Middle Adulthood, Miriam Ghirmay

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The purpose of the current study was fourfold: (1) to determine whether individuals with histories of child abuse and neglect have higher rates of current cigarette smoking in middle adulthood compared with matched controls; (2) to examine whether individuals with histories of abuse and/or neglect are at increased risk for higher rates of current psychopathology (anxiety or depression), negative coping, and past year traumas and victimization experiences in adulthood compared with matched controls; (3) to determine whether current psychopathology, negative coping, and past year traumas and victimization experiences mediate the relationship between child maltreatment and current smoking; and (4) to …

Sex-Dependent Role Of Interleukin-1 Signaling In Emotional And Cognitive Behaviors In Mice: Phenotyping Male And Female Il1-R1 Null Mutant Mice, Jennifer Anne Johnson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

IL1-R1 null mutant mice (IL1-R1 KO) have reduced signaling in the interleukin-1 (IL-1) pathway, making them a convenient model for testing the importance of IL-1 in either the development or maintenance of mouse behaviors. Prior research has revealed impaired cognitive and emotional processes in adult male IL1-R1 KO mice, including impaired spatial learning and memory and decreased anxiety with associated impairments in hippocampal cell proliferation and signal transmission. The current studies explored the neuroanatomy and behavioral phenotype of both male and female IL1-R1 KO mice. An array of behavioral tests was administered, including retesting at an older age for cognitive …

Whistles Of Sympatric Species Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) And Spotted Dolphins (Stenella Frontalis) In The Bahamas: Acoustic Characteristics And Contextual Use, Jennifer Daisy Kaplan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Bottlenose and spotted dolphins in the Bahamas frequently interact in social, socio-sexual, and aggressive encounters, and whistles are thought to play a key role in their communication. Concurrent vocal and behavioral recordings of wild sympatric species of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) and Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) were collected from three Bahamas populations, and the acoustic parameters, structure, and contextual use of their whistles were analyzed. The mean acoustic parameters of spotted dolphins in the Bimini and White Sand Ridge Bahamas populations were higher in frequency than those of bottlenose dolphins, but bottlenose dolphins produced whistles that had higher …

Pragmatics And Semantics In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Karece Lopez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examined scalar implicature to investigate semantic bases of pragmatic language impairment in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Scalar implicatures are inferences made by listeners, whereby they strengthen the weaker meaning of a term that can be represented on a scale (Grice, 1975; Horn, 1992). Scalar terms include: some/all; or/and; numerals. These inferences depend on understanding a speaker's intent and having the cognitive skills necessary to process such information in real time. Informativeness is the value a listener places on having to derive an implicature and assumes that the listener perceives the speakers intentions. Cognitive effort includes the …

Deception As Forgery: The Role Of Reference Information In Honesty And Deceit, Timothy John Luke

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Using concepts derived from cybernetics, self-presentation theory, and research on human self-regulation, I develop a cybernetic perspective of deception and self-presentation. In this perspective, human communication, both honest and deceptive, is controlled by feedback mechanisms. I report two studies designed to test the basic prediction derived from the cybernetic framework that deceivers are able to better emulate truth-tellers when they have access to relevant reference information about the way truth-tellers behave. Each study manipulated liars' and truth-tellers' access to reference information in a different manner. In Study 1, some participants viewed video recordings of people being interviewed in a manner …

Roles Of Shifting Attention, Alternating Attention And Inhibition On Temporary Syntactic Ambiguity Resolution And Use Of Context In Younger And Older Adults, Youngmi Park

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Twenty-four younger adults (20-35 years, mean: 25.88) and thirty-four older adults (65-79 years, mean: 71.82) read sentences via a word-by-word self-paced reading paradigm. Study 1 examined how older and young adults resolve sentences containing Noun Phrase (NP) and Verb Phrase (VP)-attached Prepositional Phrases (PPs) yielding temporary syntactic ambiguity, and which cognitive factors (working memory capacity, inhibition, shifting attention, alternating attention, and cognitive processing speed) contribute to temporary syntactic ambiguity resolution.

Study 2 was designed to investigate how both age groups utilize contextual information while resolving PP-attachment, and which cognitive functions play a role in the use of referential context during …

The Role Of Posterior Parietal Cortex In Episodic Memory Retrieval: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Studies (Tdcs), Denise Pergolizzi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Neuroimaging studies of recognition memory have shown that greater activity in the lateral posterior parietal cortex (PPC) correlates with successful recognition in a variety of paradigms, but experimental techniques that manipulate brain activity are necessary to determine the specific contribution of the PPC in episodic memory retrieval. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive technique that can be used to manipulate cortical excitability. The collection of experiments that comprise this dissertation use tDCS to determine: 1) whether or not the lateral PPC is causally involved in episodic retrieval, and 2) whether the lateral PPC has a direct role in …

Self-Esteem As A Predictor Of Posttraumatic Growth And Adaptation Among Maltreated Early Adolescents, Hadar Schwartz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Child maltreatment, including neglect and physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, affects 12% of American children each year (Wildeman, Emanal, Leventhal, Putnam-Hornstein, Waldfogel, & Lee, 2014). Maltreatment can be devastating to an individual's development and is associated with considerable negative psychological sequelae, including high rates of depression and problem behaviors, impaired peer relationships, and low self-esteem (e.g., Bolger, Patterson, & Kupersmidt, 1998; Cicchetti & Carlson, 1989; Kim & Cicchetti, 2006; Swanston, Tebbutt, O'Toole, & Oates, 1997; Toth, Manly, & Cicchetti, 1992). However, despite a historic emphasis on the negative effects of trauma, not all children experience traumatic reactions (Cicchetti & Rogosch, …