Psychology Commons^™

Cortisol Relates To Executive Functioning For Children Attending Head Start Preschool, Eleanor D. Brown, Zachary Weaver, Mallory L. Garnett, M. Streich, Geeta Shivde

Psychology Student Work

Background: Approximately 15 million children in the United States grow up in poverty circumstances (National Center for Children in Poverty, 2018), as 24% of all children under the age of 6 live in households with income levels classified as below the federal poverty guideline (Jiang et al., 2016). Recent research has highlighted the impact of early childhood poverty circumstances on physiological systems that respond to stress (Lupien et al., 2001), with implications for typical development in the prefrontal cortex (Hair et al., 2015) and related executive functioning (Blair & Raver, 2016). Method: The present study investigated relations among various components …

Afterschool Music Education Program Linked To Social-Emotional Advantages For Children Facing Economic Hardship, Eleanor D. Brown, Mallory Garnett, Blanca Velazquez-Martin, Suzanne Varnell

Psychology Student Work

Background: The start of the 21st century has hosted decreased access to music education, particularly for children facing economic hardship and children who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) (McMurrer, 2007). This is problematic in terms of arts equity and social-emotional benefits children may gain via music participation. The present study examines the impact of an afterschool music education program on social-emotional functioning for elementary school children facing risks related to poverty and racism. Method: Participants were 503 students who attended public elementary schools: 345 students received the Music Education Program (MEP), whereas 158 students enrolled for comparison …

Playtime And Bedtime Relate To Stress Levels For Children Facing Economic Hardship, Fola Shokunbi, Molly Murphy, Mallory Garnet

Psychology Student Work

Background: Poverty circumstances tax physiological systems that respond to stress. Yet research suggests that supportive parenting may offer some protection. The present study uses daily interview methodology to probe how parents might structure children’s days to promote lower stress levels in the context of poverty risks. Method: Participants were 139 children who attended a Head Start preschool. Mean age was 4 years, 2 months, and 48.9% were identified as female, and 51.1% as male. Approximately 52.6% were identified as Black/African American, 16.6% as Latino/Hispanic American, 8.6% as Asian American and 22.3% as White/European American. Nearly 100% faced economic hardship. Ethical …

Stress Hormone Cortisol Relates To Emotion Expression For Young Children Facing Economic Hardship, Corinne Yost, Jessa Malatesta, Alyssa Allen, Zachary Weaver, Keara Hennesey, Kaytlin Landis-Rotondi, Mallory Garnett

Psychology Student Work

Background: Around 40% of children in the US face economic hardship. Related stressors influence physiological functioning and brain development, with implications for cognitive and social-emotional functioning. The hormone cortisol indicates stress levels, yet because cortisol responses to current stressors are imposed on baseline levels, the meaning of cortisol as measured on a particular occasion often is unclear: both elevated and depressed cortisol levels can indicate problematic dysregulation. The present study aims to elucidate how cortisol levels relate to expressed emotion for children attending Head Start preschool. Participants: Participants included 70 children attending a Head Start preschool in Philadelphia, PA. Mean …

Music Education Program Linked To Social-Emotional Advantage For Students Facing Economic Hardship, Amelia Oberholtzer, Jessica Dowdell, Dominique Mcquade, Keriann Mosley, Eleanor D. Brown

Psychology Student Work

Purpose

School success depends on the ability to regulate emotions, behavior, and attention in the service of learning. This study examines the impact of MacPhail’s Learning with Music Program on the development of self-regulatory skills for young children at risk via economic hardship.

Design

In Learning with Music, MacPhail music teachers visit partner preschool classrooms and model music integration for early childhood educators. We used a two-year, quasi-experimental waitlist control design to examine the impact of Learning with Music on children’s development of self-regulatory skills. In Year 1, both participating preschool programs received their preschool programming as usual, and in …

Learning With Music: Early Childhood Program Associated With Advantage In Self-Regulation, Zachary Weaver, Mary Ann Blumenthal, Keriann Mosley, Alyssa Allen, Amelia Oberholtzer, Jessica Dowdell, Dominique Mcquade, Tessa Richard, Eleanor D. Brown

Psychology Student Work

Purpose

School success depends on the ability to regulate emotions, behavior, and attention in the service of learning. This study examines the impact of MacPhail’s Learning with Music Program on the development of self-regulatory skills for young children at risk via economic hardship.

Design

In Learning with Music, MacPhail music teachers visit partner preschool classrooms and model music integration for early childhood educators. We used a two-year, quasi-experimental waitlist control design to examine the impact of Learning with Music on children’s development of self-regulatory skills. In Year 1, both participating preschool programs received their preschool programming as usual, and in …

Stereotypes About Boys Of Color: Information About Race/Ethnicity And Socioeconomic Status Biases Ratings Of Boys’ Behavior, Eleanor D. Brown, Mallory L. Garnett, Lauren Burlew, Peter Ippolito, Julie Belling, Masataka Mitsuzuka, Anna Di Stefano

Psychology Student Work

No abstract provided.

Learning With Music: Macphail’S Innovative Early Childhood Program Associated With Social-Emotional Advantage, Eleanor D. Brown, Mallory Garnett, Ashley Labrador, Lydia Faro, Amelia Hallenbeck, Breona Jackson, Sophia Pazmino

Psychology Student Work

No abstract provided.