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Friendship Quality Of Early Adolescent Girls In Relation To Maternal And Paternal Parenting, Social Anxiety, And Interpersonal Skill, Joanna T. Prout
Friendship Quality Of Early Adolescent Girls In Relation To Maternal And Paternal Parenting, Social Anxiety, And Interpersonal Skill, Joanna T. Prout
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Social anxiety has been shown to negatively impact friendship quality across the lifespan, leading to relationships that are less intimate and emotionally supportive. In turn, lower friendship quality and lack of social support have been linked to increased risk for isolation and depression. Early adolescence is a period of transition when the basis of friendship shifts from the ability to be a good play partner to the ability to engage in more complex interpersonal skills such as self-disclosure, provision of emotional support, and assertiveness. The early adolescent period is also a time when levels of social anxiety increase as children …
Experimentally-Induced Savoring And Its Impact On Positive Emotions, Cognitions, And Behaviors: Investigating Individual Differences In Effectiveness, Cara A. Palmer
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By broadening cognitions and actions, positive affect increases our ability to engage in novel behaviors and build resources, which can lead to better social relationships, better health, more success, and increased resilience (Fredrickson, 2001). Thus, finding ways to increase and maintain positive affect and its broadening effects is essential. One way to up-regulate positive affect is by savoring, or actively trying to prolong or intensify a positive feeling. Although savoring is associated with a number of positive outcomes, the nature of the relationship between savoring, positive affect, and the resulting cognitive effects is not well explored. Furthermore, while some preliminary …
Parents' Value Of Play In Early Childhood: A Comparative Study Of Spousal Play Beliefs, Meghan C. Devito
Parents' Value Of Play In Early Childhood: A Comparative Study Of Spousal Play Beliefs, Meghan C. Devito
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Play is a vital tool for developmental growth and learning in early childhood. However, with the current focus on academics, there is less emphasis placed on encouraging children to play. The current study investigated parental beliefs on play. The sample consisted of 34 middle-class couples (34 mothers, 34 fathers) co-parenting a preschool-aged child (3-5 years) attending the laboratory school of a large mid-Atlantic university. Participants were surveyed about their beliefs on play. Results revealed mothers' value of play to be higher than fathers'. Although significantly different, both mothers and fathers perceived play positively. The findings suggest that early childhood professionals …
The Germs Inside Me: Pediatric Patients' Conceptualization Of Illness And Regulation Of Emotions During Hospitalization, Sarah E. Buck
The Germs Inside Me: Pediatric Patients' Conceptualization Of Illness And Regulation Of Emotions During Hospitalization, Sarah E. Buck
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The transition into a medical setting can be difficult for children under the age of 18. Previous research has identified a child's capacity to construct accurate representations of illness, in addition to the construction and application of adaptive strategies to modify emotional arousal, as significant predictors of successful adjustment to a medical environment. Preexisting research has neglected to investigate the constructs of illness conceptualization and regulatory systems of emotions. Using a sample of 26 pediatric patients and 26 adult informants, the current study explored the complex relationship between emotional regulation and the conceptualization of illness among children, from the ages …
Parenting Style And Emotion Socialization Strategies As Predictors Of Children's Emotion Regulation, Nicole Nightengale
Parenting Style And Emotion Socialization Strategies As Predictors Of Children's Emotion Regulation, Nicole Nightengale
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The purpose of this study was to examine the way that parenting styles (e.g., authoritative and authoritarian parenting) and parents' emotion socialization strategies (e.g., supportive and non-supportive reactions to emotions) collectively impact children's emotion regulation. Data was collected from 51 mothers (mean age = 34.4 years) and their preschool-aged children (mean age = 3.76 years). The majority of the mothers (93.8%) and children (89.6%) were Caucasian. Mothers completed a demographic questionnaire composed of demographic questions about the mother, the father, and the preschool-aged child. Mothers also completed the Parenting Practices Questionnaire (PPQ; Robinson, Mandleco, Frost Olsen, & Hart, 2005) as …
A Developmental Perspective: Early Childhood Externalizing Behaviors Pathway To Delinquency In Adolescence, Tandra Nicole Sias
A Developmental Perspective: Early Childhood Externalizing Behaviors Pathway To Delinquency In Adolescence, Tandra Nicole Sias
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Early childhood externalizing behaviors are a known risk factor for future problem behaviors (e.g., poor achievement, delinquency). The present study seeks to illuminate the pathway of early childhood externalizing behaviors to five adolescent delinquency types (i.e., violent offenses, property offenses, illicit drug use, licit drug use, and minor offenses), in addition to overall delinquency. Study data came from two waves of the Children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-1979 (CNLSY-79; N = 855, 52.4% male, 24.1% Hispanic, 36.6% Black, and 39.1% white). Boys engaged in higher levels of violent and property crimes, and black youth were less likely to …
The Role Of Physical Appearance In The Peer Acceptance Of Emerging Adults Undergoing Chemotherapy, Megan E. Samples
The Role Of Physical Appearance In The Peer Acceptance Of Emerging Adults Undergoing Chemotherapy, Megan E. Samples
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Peer acceptance has been shown to influence the overall social development of an individual and physical appearance has been shown to be heavily influential in the overall peer acceptance of an individual. This study considered how appearing as if undergoing treatment for cancer impacted peer acceptance. A sample of 182 emerging adults (79% female; 21% male) evaluated four types of hypothetical emerging adult peers (a healthy male, a healthy female, a male who appears to be undergoing chemotherapy, and a female who appears to be undergoing chemotherapy. Results showed that the healthy female model had significantly higher peer acceptance scores …
Evaluation Of Emotion Regulation And Associated Characteristics In Foster Children Using The Dyadic Parent-Child Coding System And Caregiver-Report Measures, Meredith A. Norman
Evaluation Of Emotion Regulation And Associated Characteristics In Foster Children Using The Dyadic Parent-Child Coding System And Caregiver-Report Measures, Meredith A. Norman
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The main purposes of this study were to: (a) explore the validity of a relatively new behavioral observation coding system in young children referred for treatment of disruptive behavior, (b) explore which specific foster parent behaviors are most associated with child emotion regulation, and (c) explore whether internalizing or externalizing foster child behavior problems are most associated with child emotion regulation. The sample consisted of 40 foster parent-child dyads who participated in a larger study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Assessments included behavioral observation of child emotion regulation using the Global Dysregulation Scale and a calculation of the …
Differences In Interpersonal Problems Among Bereaved Vs. Non-Bereaved College Students: The Impact Of Loneliness And Social Inhibition, Adam M. Moller
Differences In Interpersonal Problems Among Bereaved Vs. Non-Bereaved College Students: The Impact Of Loneliness And Social Inhibition, Adam M. Moller
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This study explored the differences in loneliness and social inhibition between parentally bereaved and non-bereaved college students. Participants from West Virginia and Montana State universities were recruited through flyers, newspaper advertisements, and Craigslist.com. Those who volunteered were directed to a website to complete an online survey that included basic demographic information, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the Socially Inhibited subscale of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-64. Bereavement status (bereaved vs. non-bereaved) and gender of participant (male vs. female) were the independent variables in the study. Loneliness and social inhibition were the dependent variables. A MANOVA was conducted to explore the …
Crisis As Opportunity: Personality Constructs And Erikson Identity Development, Christopher E. Ruth
Crisis As Opportunity: Personality Constructs And Erikson Identity Development, Christopher E. Ruth
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Identity development theory suggests that the developmental trajectory from childhood through young adulthood involves a movement from exploration towards eventual tentative commitment to adult values, beliefs, and career goals. Currently little research has focused on the impact of personality traits commonly studied in personal counseling and career work with collegeattending emerging adults on the process of identity development. This study examined the predictive quality of personality preferences on Erickson's and Marcia's operationalization of identity status. More specifically, do particular personality preferences derived from the Myers- Briggs Typology Indicator more often result in particular Eriksonian identity statuses (i.e., foreclosed, diffused, moratorium …
A Multidimensional Investigation Of Sexuality In Older Adults Within A Successful Aging Model, Allyson S. Graf
A Multidimensional Investigation Of Sexuality In Older Adults Within A Successful Aging Model, Allyson S. Graf
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Sexual well-being in later life has traditionally been evaluated in relation to age-related physical limitations and sexual dysfunction. This study developed a multidimensional model of sexual well-being by investigating sexual interest, sexual attitudes (general and age-specific), and age-specific sexual knowledge in relation to more commonly-used indicators of sexual well-being (e.g., frequency and sexual satisfaction). Using a racially-diverse, U.S. sample of adults (N = 367, Mage = 54.40), structural equation modeling was used to test these associations (AGFI = .967; TLI = .994; and RMSEA = .031). Sexual interest (beta = .53), attitudes (beta = -.11 and .17), and knowledge (beta …
Reactivity, Coping, And Adjustment After Bereavement, James A. Henrie
Reactivity, Coping, And Adjustment After Bereavement, James A. Henrie
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Despite the relatively common occurrence of bereavement, or experiencing the death of a loved one, there is considerable variability in individuals' responses to that experience. In the present study, individuals' responses to bereavement were investigated using the Stress and Coping Model (Lazarus, 1966; Lazarus & Cohen, 1977; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) as a framework. Data from 436 individuals who were bereaved for 24 or fewer months prior to participation in the study were used to investigate associations between age, gender, emotion reactivity, coping, history of depression, grief, and adjustment (in terms of both positive and negative well-being) using a structural …
The Effect Of Mood On The Perception Of Facial Expressions And Social Interaction In Adults, Chit Yuen Yi
The Effect Of Mood On The Perception Of Facial Expressions And Social Interaction In Adults, Chit Yuen Yi
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The present study examined how mood influences perception of facial expressions, and how emotion perception predicts differences in social interactions, in a sample of 75 young adults (49 females and 26 males, 18--37 years of age). Participants were assigned to one of the two experimental conditions in which they recalled a personally meaningful emotional event (positive vs. negative). They then completed an emotion perception task that assessed their recognition accuracy and perceived intensity of emotions. At the end of the study, they also engaged in a social interaction with a same-sex confederate while being unobtrusively observed. The results did not …
Adult Characteristics Associated With Gender-Typed Toy Ratings, Rachel R. Stoiko
Adult Characteristics Associated With Gender-Typed Toy Ratings, Rachel R. Stoiko
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The toys with which children play shape their development in several domains (Trawick-Smith, Russell, & Swaminathan, 2011). Exclusive or primary play with gender-typed toys may limit children's development, because toys considered appropriate for boys, girls, or both have different characteristics (Blakemore & Centers, 2005; Serbin & Connor, 1979). Especially in infancy and early childhood, children's toy play is affected by adults (parent and nonparent), who may differentially provide access to and/or reinforce play with different toys (Kane, 2006). The variability in adults' attitudes regarding the gender-appropriateness of toys is not well-understood.;The purpose of this study was to examine the relations …
Identification Of Early Behavioral Markers Of Anxiety And Social Withdrawal In Preschool Children, Chelsea M. Ale
Identification Of Early Behavioral Markers Of Anxiety And Social Withdrawal In Preschool Children, Chelsea M. Ale
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This study examined an observational method for identifying specific behaviors to indicate social anxiety and social withdrawal in preschool children. During an interaction task with a novel adult, 28 children (ages 4 and 5) were observed for specific verbal and non-verbal behaviors (i.e., total utterances, commands, questions, unsolicited conversation, direct responses, eye gaze aversion, non-verbal response, physical distancing, freezing, smiling ) and global behaviors (i.e., shyness, volume or speech, and postural rigidity), theoretically relevant to early childhood social anxiety. Behaviors observed during the interaction task were examined in relation to the parent-reported Spence Preschool Anxiety Scale's social anxiety subscale (Spence, …
Vocal Variability In Autism Spectrum Disorders: Assessment And Intervention To Increase Novel Vocalizations In Non-Verbal Children, Allison Serra Tetreault
Vocal Variability In Autism Spectrum Disorders: Assessment And Intervention To Increase Novel Vocalizations In Non-Verbal Children, Allison Serra Tetreault
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Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are disorders characterized by repetitive and stereotyped behavior. Research shows that these behaviors interfere with typical development and with the acquisition of new skills, including vocal communication. For many children with ASD who are unable to imitate others and who have limited vocal repertoires, few vocal training interventions are available. Research on operant variability, however, indicates that the direct reinforcement of varied sounds may create a larger set of vocal responses. This enlarged response class could then be used to shape functional vocal communication. In the first of three studies, the existing vocal repertoires of 10 …
Dating Anxiety And Paternal Dating Rules, Chad S. Brice
Dating Anxiety And Paternal Dating Rules, Chad S. Brice
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Dating anxiety is a specific type of social anxiety individuals experience in the presence of dating partners or potential dating partners that disrupts typical romantic development during adolescence. The etiological factors that contribute to dating anxiety have been less researched than other presentations of anxiety so the present research aimed to further explore potential contributors based on etiological factors related to other anxiety disorders. Many parent variables have been associated with anxiety disorders including parental anxiety, overcontrol, and fear-conditioning. In regard to dating, fathers have been shown to be more controlling and restrictive than mothers in their rule use. The …
Age, Expertise, And The Sunk-Cost Fallacy, Tara E. Karns
Age, Expertise, And The Sunk-Cost Fallacy, Tara E. Karns
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The present study is an investigation of age and expertise differences in the sunk-cost fallacy (SCF), the phenomenon of basing one's decision on past investments rather than the future consequences and/or benefits. The current study used a procedure which required participants to answer sunk-cost vignettes and to justify their answers to the vignettes. Results revealed that demonstration of the SCF decreased with age: young adults demonstrated the fallacy the most frequently and older adults demonstrated it the least frequently. An age by expertise interaction was identified for normatively correct decisions: expert young adults made more normatively correct decisions than naive …
Health Literacy And Self-Efficacy As Correlates Of Self-Management Of Type 2 Diabetes In Middle-Aged And Older Adults, Tomorrow D. Wilson
Health Literacy And Self-Efficacy As Correlates Of Self-Management Of Type 2 Diabetes In Middle-Aged And Older Adults, Tomorrow D. Wilson
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The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing with middle-aged and older adults being those at highest risk for developing this disease. Additionally, the demands of type 2 diabetes self-management can become difficult with age, which can result in poorer glycemic control. The current study examined the relations of health literacy, diabetes-related distress, and diabetes self-efficacy on diabetes self-management among 65 adults aged 40-66 with type 2 diabetes. Age was found to be positively associated with health literacy, but negatively associated with diabetes self-care activities. Additionally, only diabetes self-efficacy was found to be a unique contributor to diabetes self-care activities …
Adolescent Autonomy Development And Problematic Eating Patterns, Kaitlyn A. Ferris
Adolescent Autonomy Development And Problematic Eating Patterns, Kaitlyn A. Ferris
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Adolescence is a developmental time period associated with increased autonomy from parents and more independent decision-making. Adolescents strive to control areas of their life once solely controlled by parents, and food and eating decisions are two areas over which adolescents may want to have sole control. In addition, there may be heterogeneity in adolescents' beliefs about food-related behavior as well as adolescents' actual eating patterns. The current study examined parents' and adolescents' domain beliefs about food and whether adolescents' domain beliefs about such behaviors were associated with problematic eating patterns. Participants included 102 female caregiver-adolescent dyads with children between the …
Parental Support And Pressure In Sports And Children's Anger, Sadness, And Worry Regulation, Cara A. Palmer
Parental Support And Pressure In Sports And Children's Anger, Sadness, And Worry Regulation, Cara A. Palmer
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Despite large amounts of child sport participation, research suggests that this activity is not always associated with positive outcomes for youth. This study examined factors that might contribute to discrepant findings associated with youth sports participation. Specifically, parental pressure and support in competitive soccer families and its relation to their children's general emotion regulation were examined. Participants were 91 parent-child dyads (49 males, 42 female, 67 moms, 23 dads) with children between the ages of 8-12 years (M = 10.24, SD = 1.19). Children completed several self-report measures on their parent's pressure and support behaviors in general and in soccer, …
Mothers' Accuracy And Bias In Predicting Their Toddlers Performance On The Bayley Scales Of Infant Development, Darcey N. Powell
Mothers' Accuracy And Bias In Predicting Their Toddlers Performance On The Bayley Scales Of Infant Development, Darcey N. Powell
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This study evaluated mothers' specific knowledge of their own toddlers' development. Mothers' predictions of their toddlers' performance on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition (BSID-II) were compared to their toddlers' performance on each task. In addition, mothers' accuracy in their predictions and toddlers' performance was compared to the toddlers' display of emotional behaviors during the assessment. Mothers (N = 68, Mage = 31.31 years) with toddlers between the ages of 19 and 26 months (M age = 21.76 months) completed demographic questionnaires, measures assessing their perceived parenting self-efficacy, their knowledge of developmental norms, and their expectation for their …
Relationships Among The Personal Fable, Drug Use And Parental Monitoring In Adolescents And Young Adults, Xin Liu
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Relationships among the personal fable, drug use and parental monitoring in adolescents and young adults were tested in this study. Participants were 56 students, with 25 from a small, suburban area in southern Michigan, and 32 from West Virginia University (87.5 % female, 94.6% Caucasian). Participants completed questionnaires about demographics, the personal fable, parental monitoring and drug use in an online survey. Results showed that there was a negative correlation between parental monitoring and youth drug use, but no correlation between the personal fable and drug use. There was some evidence that the personal fable had a moderated effect on …
Perceptions Of Parent-Initiated And Coach-Created Motivational Climate And Their Influence On Youth Athlete Achievement Goal Orientation, Peter Kadushin
Perceptions Of Parent-Initiated And Coach-Created Motivational Climate And Their Influence On Youth Athlete Achievement Goal Orientation, Peter Kadushin
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Researchers have investigated the relationship between motivational climate and achievement goal orientation in an effort to understand how to positively impact sport participants. However, little research has been done looking at the relationship between parents, coaches, and youth athletes with regards to these two constructs. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between parent-initiated motivational climate, coach-created motivational climate, and youth athletes' achievement goal orientation. A secondary purpose was to determine which construct, parent-initiated or coach-created motivational climate, had a greater influence on youth athletes' achievement goal orientation. The sample consisted of male and female basketball …
Psychological Impact Of Cyberbully Victimization Among College Students, Allison M. Schenk
Psychological Impact Of Cyberbully Victimization Among College Students, Allison M. Schenk
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With the growth of technology, bullying has expanded into the technological realm. Labeled cyberbullying, individuals are utilizing technology, such as cell phones and the Internet, to bully and harass others with the intention of causing harm. Most cyberbullying research has been conducted with elementary, middle, and high school-aged students in countries such as Finland, Canada, Taiwan, and Australia. The purpose of this study was to expand prevalence, psychological impact, and coping strategy research with college-student victims of cyberbullying in the United States. 799 college students from a mid-Atlantic university were surveyed via the Internet. It was found that 8.6% of …
Following Advice Because It's Been Paid For: Age, The Sunk-Cost Fallacy, And Loss Aversion, Leo Schlosnagle
Following Advice Because It's Been Paid For: Age, The Sunk-Cost Fallacy, And Loss Aversion, Leo Schlosnagle
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The sunk-cost fallacy occurs when a person invests more of a resource because they have made an irrecoverable initial investment (i.e., a sunk cost) compared to scenarios in which they did not make an initial investment, or made a smaller initial investment. The normatively correct decision is to invest exactly the same amount regardless of whether or not an initial investment has been made. An aversion to "wasting" or "losing" the initial investment has been cited as a potential reason for why people commit the sunk-cost fallacy (Arkes & Blumer, 1985; Soman, 2004). Additionally, younger adults commit the sunk-cost fallacy …
Religiousness, Future Time Perspective, And Death Anxiety Among Adults, James A. Henrie
Religiousness, Future Time Perspective, And Death Anxiety Among Adults, James A. Henrie
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The present study examined relations of death anxiety to age, gender, trait anxiety, future time perspective, religiousness, spirituality, and religious doubt. The primary goals of the investigation were to test for a curvilinear relation between religious meaning and death anxiety and to test whether the relations of age and gender with death anxiety were mediated by trait anxiety, future time perspective, religiousness, spirituality, and religious doubt. Participants were adults (18 to 89 years of age, M = 38.28 years, SD = 19.30, 79.1% female, 93.8% Caucasian) who completed the pertinent questionnaires online. Results indicated that there was indeed a curvilinear …
General And Emotion-Specific Parenting Styles As Predictors Of Children's Internalizing And Externalizing Behavior, Jessica W. Rupenthal
General And Emotion-Specific Parenting Styles As Predictors Of Children's Internalizing And Externalizing Behavior, Jessica W. Rupenthal
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The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between general parenting practices (e.g., authoritative and authoritarian) and emotion-specific parenting practices (supportive and non-supportive). In addition, a second goal of this study was to examine the manner which general parenting practices and emotion-specific parenting practices collectively contribute to children's displays of fear/anxiety and hostility/aggression. Data were gathered from 27 mothers (mean age = 34 years) and their preschool-aged children (14 boys, 13 girls; mean age = 3.5 years) in Morgantown, West Virginia. The majority (92%) of mothers were White (4% Black, 4% Bi-racial). Mothers completed a series of questionnaires. …
Sleep And Sleepiness Among First-Time Postpartum Parents, Salvatore Insana
Sleep And Sleepiness Among First-Time Postpartum Parents, Salvatore Insana
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Objectives. Postpartum maternal sleep disturbance is common. However, little research has examined postpartum fathers' sleep. Additionally, the magnitude of postpartum mothers' and fathers' daytime sleepiness has not been objectively indexed. The aims of this dissertation study were to: (1) objectively examine the difference in sleep and sleepiness levels among first-time mothers and fathers during their early postpartum period; (2) examine parents' perceptions of their own and their partner's mood, sleep, and sleepiness.;Method. Twenty one first-time postpartum mother-father dyads (N = 42; 27.38 +/- 4.92 years; 91.67% white; 15.40 +/- 3.53 years of education; annual household income {dollar}56,091 +/- {dollar}34,320), completed …
Boys' And Girls' Strategies For Managing Peer Conflict In Adolescence, Emily Keener
Boys' And Girls' Strategies For Managing Peer Conflict In Adolescence, Emily Keener
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The purpose of the present study was to examine boys' and girls' endorsement of communal and agentic conflict-management strategies in three types of relationships: same-sex friends, other-sex friends, and romantic relationships. Relationship type was examined as a moderator of gender differences and similarities in strategies. Also, the role of gender-typed personality traits (expressive, instrumental) was examined as a covariate to investigate whether gender differences in conflict-management strategies reflect personality traits.;Participants (N = 108; 49 boys; 59 girls) were adolescents aged 14-17 years (M age = 15.79 years, SD = 1.07). Participants were asked to complete the Peer Conflict Questionnaire to …