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Parenting Dimensions, Pamela C. Sheffler, Ceclia S. Cheung

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Parenting is the process of supporting the development of a child from infancy through adulthood. This support encompasses not only the child’s physical development, but his or her social, emotional, and financial development as well. Although children are most often raised by their biological parents, parenting refers to a process that is separate from its biological definition. Thus, siblings, grandparents, and legal guardians may also parent. For example, in the Kipsigis community of Kenya, after a child reaches the age of two it is common practice for older siblings to take on the role of parent while the mother is …

Temperament, Aya Shigeto

Essays in Developmental Psychology

John Locke, an English philosopher, stated that all babies come to the world with a blank slate or tabula rasa, ready to absorb everything that their outside world has to offer. Behaviorists like John B. Watson similarly advocated the power of nurture (i.e., learning) and disregarded the contribution of nature (i.e., biology, genetics) to human development. Researchers today agree that babies are born with unique characteristics called temperament and that these individual differences in behavior, affect, and attention are believed to have genetic and biological bases. However, researchers also agree that temperament is not immune to environmental influences. In other …

Nervous System, Ashley R. Strong, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

There are two major subdivisions of the nervous system: the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS). The CNS consists of the brain and the spinal cord. Whereas the PNS consists of the nerves outside the CNS. These nerves bring sensory information to the CNS and transmit commands (i.e. motor information) from the CNS to the body. The PNS has three components, the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), somatic nervous system (spinal nerves), and the cranial nerves.

Early Stages Of Sociocultural Development, Lisa L. Persinger, Joey D. Persinger

Essays in Developmental Psychology

We often think about the development of a person’s interpersonal skills, relationships, and identity as something that happens after birth, and certainly, it does. However, in practice, prenatal (before birth) interactions between caregivers and the fetus start the sociocultural developmental process that continues after a baby is born. Personality development, interpersonal style, and identity begin before birth and extend far into the life span. Caregivers provide interactions as well as physical care during pregnancy, and after birth, that influence these developments. This chapter will provide an overview of how interactions from conception through age two influence trust and attachment, emotional …

Ibn Al-Haytham (Alhazen), Mithra H. Pirooz, Jonathan B. Santo

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-Haytham was an Arab Muslim born around 965 CE and died circa 1040 CE in current-day Iraq.  A scientist, astronomer, philosopher, and mathematician, he is particularly known for his work in astronomy, mathematics, visual perception, and optics.  In medieval Europe, he was referred to as the “Second Ptolemy”.  As the first to determine that vision results from light being reflected from an object to the eye, he is often referred to as “the father of optics”.  He is also praised for being among the first theoretical physicists.  He was one of the first scientists …

Jean Piaget, Kelsey Pegg, Amanda Kracen

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Jean Piaget (1896-1980) is a well-known leader in the field of psychology with a focus on child development and cognition. Piaget was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. As an adolescent, he had interests in the natural sciences including a fascination with mollusks. While studying zoology and receiving a doctoral degree in the natural sciences at the University of Neuchâtel, Piaget attended psychology courses  at the University of Zürich with Carl Jung, an important figure in the field of psychoanalysis. In learning information about psychoanalysis, Piaget became interested in psychology and the complex operations of the human mind.

Memory Development, Suzanna L. Penningroth, Angel Munoz Gomez Andrade, Tesalee K. Sensibaugh

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Human memory shows amazing changes across infancy, childhood, and even through adulthood. But there are many different kinds of memory—each performing a specific function—and these different types show different patterns of change across the lifespan. Both age of onset and improvement rate can differ across memory systems. However, most types of memory show an “inverted U” pattern of development, with individuals showing low performance levels in the early years, increasing levels through young adulthood, and then lower levels again in middle age and old age

Memory Change In Old Age, Suzanna L. Penningroth, Tesalee K. Sensibaugh, Angel Munoz Gomez Andrade

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Scientists who study aging usually define older adulthood as beginning at around age 65. Older adults show many differences in memory functioning compared to young adults, and these differences get progressively larger throughout older adulthood. Although many older adults are afraid of developing Alzheimer’s disease, the vast majority will not; only 7% of people age 90 or older develop this disease. With normal aging, memory systems show a complex pattern of changes: many types of memory decline, but a few show stability and even improvements.

Egocentrism, Sarah M. Pringer, Eric A. Goedereis

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Building upon Sigmund Freud’s concept of ego, defined as the “I” component of an individual and the mediator between oneself and the external world, Jean Piaget developed the concept of egocentrism. Thus, egocentrism refers to an inward-looking cognitive phenomenon defined as having or regarding the self as the center of all things.

Life Story Model Approach To Understanding Personality, Nile Stanley

Essays in Developmental Psychology

McAdams’s life story model of identity is a narrative approach to understanding personality which draws on the psychoanalytic writings of Eric Erikson and the personology theory of Henry A. Murray. Other influences include Jerome Bruner and Theodore R. Sarbin who introduced and popularized the term narrative psychology. McAdams, a professor from Northwestern University, believed understanding human behavior should be grounded in the knowledge that people make sense of their lives by constructing and internalizing stories. According to this model, individuals begin to organize their lives in terms of self-stories in late adolescence and young adulthood. People reconstruct their past and …

Cellular Theories Of Aging, Ashley R. Strong, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

There are multiple theories of aging, which include evolutionary, molecular, cellular, and systemic theories. The focus of this entry will be on the cellular theories of aging. There are two main categories of theories of cellular aging, error theories and programming theories. The error theories suggest that aging is a result of an accumulation of errors as an outcome of environmental insults that leads to damage at various levels of the cell. Error theories also propose that imperfect repair mechanisms are a factor that leads to cellular aging. The second category, programming theories, suggest that aging is a genetically programmed …

Behavioral Genetics, Ashley R. Strong, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Behavioral genetics is a field of scientific research that aims to understand how much genetic and environmental factors contribute to variability in behavior. From a genetics standpoint, numerous genes are influenced by the environment, which results in complex behaviors. Additionally, the physiology and developmental history of an individual, along with its environment, can modify genes and neuronal circuits of the brain. Furthermore, evolution and natural selection shape behaviors to optimize survival of the individual. Behavioral genetics is an evolving field that involves a combination of experimental psychology, genetics, neuroscience, and ethology.

Environmental Teratogens, Ashley R. Strong, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Environmental teratogens are external agents that can increase the risk for carcinogenesis, malformations, mutagenesis, or deficient growth in an embryo or fetus. There are two general categories of teratogenic agents, which include errors in genetic processing, and environmental agents or factors. Both genetic and environmental teratogens can lead to embryopathology, but they have different pathologic processes. Errors in genetic processing can lead to abnormal development via gene abnormalities, chromosome deletion, chromosome excess, or chromosome rearrangement. Environmental teratogens, on the other hand, interact with the embryo during development, which can lead to congenital malformations and a multitude of other deficits. Environmental …

Demographics Of Aging, Lisa Stebbins, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

The experience of growing older in the 21st century is vastly different from the past. The advancement in technology, medicine, and lower rates of death at birth has allowed for the population to shift in size. The shift is specifically from the baby boomers generation, which refers to the increase in birth rate from 1940’s to the early 1960’s. This generation is aging and in recent years the first baby boomers began reaching retirement age.  This segment of the U.S. is the fastest growing, so it is essential to understand the growth of the aging population. This aging group is …

Self-Esteem From A Developmental Perspective, Jonathan B. Santo

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Self-esteem is among one of the most well understood components of identity development. It refers to a person’s overall positive or negative assessment of their worth. It’s needs to be noted that self-esteem is not to be confused with self-concept which encompasses the characteristics that a person ascribes to themselves [see self-concept, same volume]. Specifically, self-esteem reflects the degree to which a person feels competent and of worth. Self-esteem has been of interest to psychologists and other social scientists because it is often related to other measures positive development such as satisfaction with life and academic engagement.

Piaget's Conservation Experiments, Motolani Shenbanjo, Heidi Kloos

Essays in Developmental Psychology

When it comes to assessing the magnitude of a quantity, the mind has several options. For example, to determine the amount of juice in a glass, one could merely look at the height of the juice in the glass; or one could incorporate both the height and the width of the glass. The latter would be the correct approach: The height alone can be misleading, for example when the glass is very narrow. Thus, in order to behave rationally, one has to look past the salient dimension of height and instead focus on integrating several dimensions. According to Jean Piaget, …

Job Satisfaction (Motivation / Work / Employee / Satisfaction), Veronica Stelzer, Jonathan Proctor

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Satisfaction is a multifaceted emotional state of being that is derived from the fulfillment of expectations, wants, and needs. Reaching a level of satisfactory creates contentment, pleasure and even pride, but in order to achieve this state of well-being the task must be reasonably challenging, purposeful and appreciated. Today, job satisfaction is a topic that interests many. Satisfaction surveys are completed yearly, if not quarterly, to assure employees are feeling heard and understood. Some businesses such as Facebook and American Express have employee satisfaction ratings that top the charts, other places of work, suffer from high turnover rates and lack …

Stereotype Thinking, Lisa Stebbins, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Stereotypes are widely held fixed thoughts and beliefs adopted by common members of a group, that represent a particular group of individuals or behaviors as a whole. Attitudes people hold reflect in-group beliefs, values, and everyday life choices that are transgressed throughout multiple generations.  Stereotypes are intertwined into society, and although many people would like to deny these attitudes, they are implanted on individuals when we are young and occur without conscious awareness. Stereotype thinking is adaptive in nature, which serves the purpose to help people make sense of the world around them, by explaining social events, justifying one’s actions, …

Harry Harlow’S Nature Of Love (1958), Jonathan B. Santo

Essays in Developmental Psychology

In Harold Harlow’s 1958 address of the American Psychological Association, he hoped to tackle a concept he felt was too often avoided by the psychologists of his time, the nature of love. His work on the behavior of macaques when reared without their mothers makes a compelling argument about the limits of viewing psychology (and by extension development) as simply the reduction of “primary drives” like hunger, thirst and avoidance of pain.

Zine-Making As Site Of Research Brave Space: From Ethical Challenges To Transformative Opportunities In The Study Of Digital Sexual Intimacies, Rachele Reschiglian, Cosimo Marco Scarcelli

The Qualitative Report

This paper presents zine-making workshops as sites of Research Brave Spaces (RBS), a methodological posture for scholars within transformative worldviews. Positioned within queer research methodologies, the paper argues that zine-making offers a creative and multimodal method that enhances participant engagement and reflexivity, challenging some limitations of traditional research methods. By framing research as a “brave space,” the paper shifts from the notion of “safe spaces,” emphasising the importance of embracing discomfort, vulnerability, and critical reflection throughout the research process in all the subjects involved. The methodology incorporates elements of care, collaboration, and adaptability, addressing the specific needs of marginalised participants, …

The Ethics Of Drawing Illness: Interdisciplinary Negotiations In A Participatory Graphic Narrative Project, Veronica Moretti, Annalisa Plava, Stefano Ratti

The Qualitative Report

This paper illustrates how the design of health-related comics contributes to reflecting on the methodological and ethical challenges of qualitative research. In line with Comics-Based Research (CBR), we demonstrate how creating a comic on medical topics emerges from continuous and iterative dialogue among multiple voices: patients, sociologists, artists, and physicians. On an ethical and methodological level, our study explores the creation of a comic book about pancreatic diseases with varying stages of severity and possibilities for cure and recovery. Constructing a comic in such contexts provides a new way of visualizing and understanding the illness experience. Representing traumatic memory in …

From Sketches To Stereotypes: Understanding Criminality Through Student Illustrations, Sandra Sicurella, Simone Tuzza

The Qualitative Report

This study investigates the use of comics to challenge stereotypes about criminals, acknowledging the partial and sensationalized nature of cultural production. It examines how TV series, films, and news influence students’ perceptions. Using Art-Based Research (ABR), a creative and uncommon approach in criminology, the research adopts comics as a pedagogical and investigative tool. The study aims to empirically validate this method, contributing to the academic debate on creative techniques in social research. It tests the hypothesis that visual storytelling can reveal beliefs related to the criminal imaginary and stimulate critical reflection. Three workshops were conducted with university students (aged 20–25) …

The Impact Of An Iron-Rich Diet On Fatigue In Menstruating Women With Non-Anemic Iron Deficiency, Meagan Seraydar, Lauren Latimer, Sam Miragliatto

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Fatigue without diagnosed anemia is prevalent in menstruating women, with iron deficiency being a potential contributor. While iron supplementation is a standard intervention, dietary sources of iron may offer a sustainable alternative. This study aims to assess the impact of an iron-rich diet on fatigue levels in menstruating women. A 12-week randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted, assigning participants to either an iron-rich diet group or a control group following their usual diet without specific iron recommendations. Fatigue will be measured using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) at baseline, six weeks, and twelve weeks, alongside iron status biomarkers, including …

The Impact Of Aspartame On Mood Regulation: Examining Neurophysiological Effects In Individuals With Anxiety, Kyra Triepke, Valentina Guzman Cortes, Mateus Ismael Ribeiro

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Despite being widely used as sugar alternatives, artificial sweeteners (AS), especially aspartame, remains debated regarding their potential effects on mental health. While some studies suggest aspartame has no discernible impact on stress, anxiety, or cognitive performance, others indicate that it may affect serotonin pathways and contribute to mood disorders. Given these contradictory findings, further research is needed to clarify aspartame’s effect on mood regulation. This study aims to evaluate the impact of aspartame on stress-related biomarkers and mood modulation, focusing on individuals with anxiety. A controlled experimental design will be used, in which participants with anxiety will be randomly assigned …

Impact Of Targeted Oral Health Education Intervention On Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Salena Patra, Noor Hachem, Diya Sodha, Imani Allen

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that impairs motor neuron function, leading to difficulties in movement, speech, eating, and even breathing. As the disease advances, patients with ALS struggle with activities of daily living (ADLs), including maintaining oral hygiene due to reduced muscular control. This study aims to evaluate the impact of an oral hygiene education intervention on oral hygiene practices, oral health outcomes, and quality of life in middle-stage patients with ALS. The study will compare the effects of a specified educational intervention to those of no targeted education, using quality of life assessments as a …

Development Of A Scale To Evaluate Key Attributes Of Academic Advisors Essential To Physical Therapy Students, Robin M. Baker, Jamie L. Greco

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Acknowledging the crucial role of academic advising in enhancing student success, professionalism, and personal growth, this paper advocates for a shift from traditional reactive methods to proactive, personalized advising strategies that have been shown to improve retention and satisfaction rates in higher education. Our study highlights the development of a comprehensive scale through rigorous validity assessments to measure key attributes of academic advisors essential to physical therapy students (PTS). This scale, refined through extensive feedback from faculty and PTS over two development phases, consists of 18 items on a 4-point Likert scale, which together map the complex landscape of effective …

Self Perception Of Leadership Styles And Behavior In Secondary School Athletic Trainers, Kelly A. Coleman, Stephanie M. Singe

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Leadership has been considered an important part of advancing the profession, but investigations into leadership styles of clinically practicing athletic trainers (ATs) are scant, with none in the secondary school setting. The purpose of this study was to explore the leadership styles of secondary school ATs and to determine if differences in leadership style practices exist across demographic characteristics. Methods: We used a cross-sectional web-based survey (Qualtrics, Provo, UT). Leadership style was assessed via the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ)-5x where transformational, transactional, and passive/avoidant leadership behaviors were measured on a five-point Likert scale (0=not at all; 1=once in a …

Expanded Cross-Sectional Testing Of Psychometric Properties Of The Kiersma Chen Empathy Scale In Health Professions Students, David B. Gillette, Todd E. Davenport, Tracey Delnero, Deepti Vyas, Jeannene Ward-Lonergan, Rupa Balachandran

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Empathy is important in providing healthcare and should be formed and evaluated during healthcare education. The purpose of these studies was to assess reliability and validity of a no-cost empathy scale and its cognitive and affective subscales in health professions students. Method: For reliability, students in six programs received two administrations of the Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale (KCES). A blind researcher analyzed data, using Cronbach’s α to assess homogeneity for total and subscale scores, and Pearson correlation to assess association between subscales and total scores. Two-way intraclass correlation coefficients with random effects were used to determine total and subscale …

Assessment Of Interprofessional Education Competencies: Evaluation Of A New Tool To Assess Sensitivity To Changes Across Training, Anthony J. Goreczny Ph.D., Jodi Schreiber, Melissa L. Bednarek, Mary Dee Fisher, Susan Hawkins, Susan Sterrett, Mark Hertweck

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The Interprofessional Education Collaborative introduced specific competencies for interprofessional education to meet the growing need for interprofessional care. These four competencies include teams and teamwork, communication, roles and responsibilities, and values and ethics. With this introduction, a need has emerged for the development of a tool to assess interprofessional proficiency among students in health professions training programs and to evaluate whether such a tool is sensitive to changes in competency as students participate in specific training initiatives. Method: A tool was developed (Interprofessional Education Competency Scale - IPECS) based on the Interprofessional Education Collaborative Competencies and administered to students …

Preceptors Perceptions Of Clinical Reasoning: An Investigation Of Athletic Training Practice, Gary W. Cohen, Bonnie L. Van Lunen, Julie M. Cavallario, Luzita I. Vela, Bailey C. Jones

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Clinical reasoning is critical for healthcare professionals to accurately diagnose and treat injury and illness. The development of this skill starts to form during a student’s clinical education where preceptors serve as the primary clinical role model. Preceptors in athletic training have expressed a desire to learn how to develop and teach clinical reasoning concepts to students. The first step in this process is to understand how preceptors clinically reason. Little investigation has gone into exploring preceptors understanding of their clinical reasoning in practice. The aim of this study was to explore athletic training preceptors' perceptions of their clinical …