Psychology Commons^™

Visual Scanning Of Males And Females In Infancy, Hannah B. White, Alyson J. Hock, Rachel L. Jubran, Alison Heck, Ramesh S. Bhatt

Psychology Faculty Publications

This study addressed the development of attention to information that is socially relevant to adults by examining infants' (n = 64) scanning patterns of male and female bodies. Infants exhibited systematic attention to regions associated with sex-related scanning by adults, with 3.5-and 6.5-month-olds looking longer at the torso of females than males and longer at the legs of males than females. However, this pattern of looking was not found when infants were tested on headless bodies in Experiment 2, which suggests that infants' differential gaze pattern in Experiment 1 was not due to low-level stimulus features, such as clothing, and …

Development Of Body Emotion Perception In Infancy: From Discrimination To Recognition, Alison Heck, Alyson Chroust, Hannah B. White, Rachel Lynn Jubran, Ramesh S. Bhatt

Psychology Faculty Publications

Research suggests that infants progress from discrimination to recognition of emotions in faces during the first half year of life. It is unknown whether the perception of emotions from bodies develops in a similar manner. In the current study, when presented with happy and angry body videos and voices, 5-month-olds looked longer at the matching video when they were presented upright but not when they were inverted. In contrast, 3.5-month-olds failed to match even with upright videos. Thus, 5-month-olds but not 3.5-month-olds exhibited evidence of recognition of emotions from bodies by demonstrating intermodal matching. In a subsequent experiment, younger infants …

The Development Of Affect And Defense In Childhood And Adolescence, Kari Gray

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study is to further determine the nature of the relationship between how defense mechanisms affect and are affected by the ways in which feelings are modulated and regulated in children and adolescents. This study has been built upon an IRB-approved research project conducted under primary investigator Steven Tuber, Ph.D. at the Psychological Center and the City College of New York (From Child Assessment to Child Treatment; A Preliminary Investigation). The study data are pre-existing, collected from 5 – 16 year old children and adolescents presenting for treatment and/or assessment at the Psychological Center, a …

Empathy Institutionalized: Sociocultural Dialogue As A Strategic Peacebuilding Initiative, Emily Owens

Bridge/Work

A common adage used in psychological exploration tells us that “If you want to know the end, look at the beginning.” While typically employed to emphasize the importance of upbringing and environment on personal outcomes, this phrase can be equally applicable in examining the ways in which society has developed over time to produce our polarized sociopolitical culture of today. This work explores from an integrative psychosocial perspective the potential that exists in working to define a new “end” by shaping a new “beginning,” through going directly to the institutions that comprise our own beginnings— schools. Through a combined research …

Emotion Regulation And Positive Affect In The Context Of Salivary Alpha-Amylase Response To Pain In Children With Cancer, Brooke N. Jenkins, Douglas A. Granger, Ryan J. Roemer, Ariana Martinez, Tara K. Torres, Michelle A. Fortier

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Children with cancer routinely undergo painful medical procedures invoking strong physiological stress responses. Resilience to this pain may be conferred through resources such as emotion regulation strategies and positive affect.

Procedure

This study measured dispositional positive affect in children with cancer (N = 73) and randomly assigned participants to one of three emotion regulation strategy conditions (distraction, reappraisal, or reassurance). Children applied their assigned strategy during an experimental pain procedure (the cold pressor task [CPT]) and provided saliva samples before, immediately after, and 15 min after the CPT. Saliva samples were later assayed for salivary alpha amylase (sAA)—a surrogate …

Mexican-Origin Parents’ Stress And Satisfaction: The Role Of Emotional Support, Tierney K. Popp, Melissa Y. Delgado, Lorey Wheeler

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Guided by a process model of parenting and the integrative model, this study examined sources of emotional support (i.e., partner, maternal, paternal) as related to stress and satisfaction resulting from the parenting role in a sample of Mexican-origin young adult parents who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) during Wave IV. Participants were male and female parents (26–35 years of age; 59% female; N = 737) who had children and a partner. Results from structural equation modeling revealed support from mothers as salient; high levels of maternal support were associated with high levels …

Health-Related Quality Of Life In Patients With Arthritis: A Cross-Sectional Survey Among Middle-Aged Adults In Chongqing, China, Yunshuang Rao, Xianglong Xu, Dengyuan Liu, Cesar Reis, Ian M. Newman, Liqiang Qin, Manoj Sharma, Jun Shen, Yong Zhao

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background: Arthritis is a common disease in China, but few studies have been conducted to explore the associated health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and its influencing factors in Chongqing, China. This study aimed to explore the association of arthritis and HRQoL and probe factors affecting HRQoL among arthritis patients. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Chongqing, China. A total of 1224 adults were included in the analysis. Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) was used to measure HRQoL. Multiple linear regression models (stepwise) and covariance analysis models were used to examine the association of arthritis with …

Under-Researched And Underrepresented: Community Members’ Perceptions Of International Volunteering And International Volunteers In Swaziland, Laura Anne Henderson

Psychology Honors Papers

This thesis consisted of two separate studies that explored the perceptions and opinions of local community members in Swaziland on international volunteering and international volunteers. The first study included 27 participants, 18 years and older, 14 of whom were males and 13 who were females, from various subgroups of the population. The subgroups were members of international volunteering organizations, students from Waterford Kamhlaba (a local international high school), members of the professional and working population and host community members who receive international volunteers. All participants answered 20 questions in a semi-structured interview. Qualitative analysis of the responses yielded five overarching …

Identification And Replication Of Rna-Seq Gene Network Modules Associated With Depression Severity, Trang T. Le, Jonathan Savitz, Hideo Suzuki, Masaya Misaki, T. Kent Teague, Bill C. White, Julie H. Marino, Graham Wiley, Patrick M. Gaffney, Wayne C. Drevets, Brett A. Mckinney, Jerzy Bodurka

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Genomic variation underlying major depressive disorder (MDD) likely involves the interaction and regulation of multiple genes in a network. Data-driven co-expression network module inference has the potential to account for variation within regulatory networks, reduce the dimensionality of RNA-Seq data, and detect significant geneexpression modules associated with depression severity. We performed an RNA-Seq gene co-expression network analysis of mRNA data obtained from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of unmedicated MDD (n = 78) and healthy control (n = 79) subjects. Across the combined MDD and HC groups, we assigned genes into modules using hierarchical clustering with a dynamic …

Examining The Roles Of Child Temperament And Teacher-Child Relationships As Predictors Of Turkish Children’S Social Competence And Antisocial Behavior, Ibrahim H. Acar, Traci Kutaka, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Julia C. Torquati, Robert J. Coplan, Süleyman Yıldız

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The present study examined the concurrent contribution of Turkish children’s temperament and teacher-child relationship quality to their social competence and antisocial behavior, with a specific focus on the moderating role of teacher-child relationships (closeness and conflict) on children’s temperament (inhibitory control and shyness) when predicting social competence and antisocial behavior. Participants were 94 children (56 boys) with mean age of 7.05 years (SD = .88) enrolled in 24 classrooms from five elementary schools in a suburban school district in Turkey. Mothers reported on children’s temperament and teachers reported on their relationships with children as well as children’s social competence …

A Multi-State Comparison Of Nasp Domains Of Practice And School Psychologist Evaluation Rubrics, Courtney E. Hutchinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study compares rubrics used to evaluate school psychologists to the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) 10 Domains of Practice. Using a content analysis of state evaluation rubrics, the researcher determined the extent to which various state evaluation rubrics align with the NASP domains and selected terminology from the NASP domains. Results indicate a need for a comprehensive and NASP-endorsed rubric, to be used by certified and experienced school psychologists for evaluation purposes. This research study will inform efforts at school psychology training programs, local and state education agencies, the United States Department of Education, and the NASP.

Psychotropic Medications And Children: Perceptions Of Mental Health Professionals, Elinor Jane Brereton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project explores mental health professionals' perspectives on the prescription of psychotropic medications to children. It emphasizes the placement of biomedicine within its larger social, economic, and political context, and the influence these structures have on the way mental illness is conceptualized and treated in children. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted in Denver, Colorado with psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and a pharmaceutical board member to capture multiple perspectives from different positionalities within the field. Participants discussed factors that they believe influence prescribing practices including: professional role changes, issues of access, limited evidence, cost, and institutional pressures to practice within a …

Early Contributions To Infants’ Mental Rotation Abilities, Mihaela Constantinescu, David S. Moore, Scott P. Johnson, Melissa Hines

Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research

Some cognitive abilities exhibit reliable gender differences, with females outperforming males in specific aspects of verbal ability, and males showing an advantage on certain spatial tasks. Among these cognitive gender differences, differences in mental rotation are the most robust, and appear to be present even in infants. A large body of animal research suggests that gonadal hormones, particularly testosterone, during early development could contribute to this gender difference in mental rotation. Also, substantial evidence supports an influence of socialization on mental rotation performance. The present study investigated the relationship of two types of factors, early postnatal testosterone exposure and parental …

Implications Of Parents’ Work Travel On Youth Adjustment, Lorey Wheeler, Anisa M. Zvonkovic, Andrea R. Swenson, Caitlin Faas, Shelby Borowski, Ruth Nutting

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Guided by ecological, work–family spillover and crossover frameworks, this study examined mechanisms linking parental work travel (i.e. nights per year) to youth adjustment (i.e. externalizing and internalizing behaviors) through youth’s perceptions of parenting (i.e. knowledge, solicitation) with traveler and youth gender as moderators in a sample of 78 children in 44 two-parent families residing in the United States. The findings from multilevel analyses suggested that mothers’ travel nights predicted lower levels of maternal knowledge, with variation by traveler and youth gender. Mothers’ and fathers’ work travel and perceived parenting were predictors of youth’s externalizing behaviors, whereas only fathers’ work travel …

Anxiety And Depression During Childhood And Adolescence: Testing Theoretical Models Of Continuity And Discontinuity, Joseph R. Cohen, Arthur R. Andrews, Megan M. Davis, Karen D. Rudolph

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The present study sought to clarify the trajectory (i.e., continuous vs. discontinuous) and expression (i.e., homotypic vs. heterotypic) of anxiety and depressive symptoms across childhood and adolescence. We utilized a state-of-the-science analytic approach to simultaneously test theoretical models that describe the development of internalizing symptoms in youth. In a sample of 636 children (53% female; M age = 7.04; SD age = 0.35) self-report measures of anxiety and depression were completed annually by youth through their freshman year of high school. For both anxiety and depression, a piecewise growth curve model provided the best fit for the data, with symptoms …

Shift Work, Father Engagement, And The Cognitive Development Of Young Children, Matthew Weinshenker

Sociology Faculty Publications

The present study investigates whether the effect of fathers’ positive engagement on young children’s cognitive development is accentuated when one or both dual-earner parents is employed during non-standard hours. Longitudinal regression models are fitted to three waves of nationally-representative data from the Early Child Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort. Father engagement when children are nine months old has an especially positive effect on children’s cognitive ability at age two when the father works during the day and the mother has a fixed evening or night shift. There are no interactions between shift work and engagement at age two in the whole sample, …

Widening The Disparity Gap: Differences In Outcomes For Racial And Ethnic Groups In Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Programming, Changsoo Song, Jennifer N. Rutt, Mindy Anderson-Knott

UNL Office of Research and Innovation, Social/Behavioral Sciences Research Consortium

This study examined racial and ethnic differences in the outcomes of a universal evidence-based program targeted to children and adolescents. Using data collected in 2015 and 2016 from the Alcohol: True Stories Hosted by Matt Damon program (N = 925), the study found the outcome of perceptions on risk of harm from alcohol use significantly different between the group of White respondents and the group of non-White respondents, and between the group of Hispanic respondents and the group of non-Hispanic respondents. Program effectiveness was found only among White and non-Hispanic respondents, widening the already existing gap between these populations.

Nsu Master Of Human Services In Child Protection (M.H.S.) In Child Protection 2018, Nova Southeastern University

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice College Archive

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Relationship Between Parenting Styles And Dietary Behaviors Among Young Adults, Breanna Tofteland

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Food continues to be the focus of lifelong dietary and social habits. Past studies have shown the importance of creating healthy habits in childhood to increase the probability of healthy dietary behaviors as adults. A concern nationwide is that unhealthy dietary habits formed as a child translates to habits practiced as an adult, resulting in obesity (CDC, 2016). Past studies have shown that parenting styles are one of the contributing factors that influence how young adults view and interact with food. Branen & Fletcher's study concluded that there are significant correlations between habits formed in childhood that are still happening …

Contesting Early Childhood Professional Identities: A Cross-National Discussion, Sonja Arndt, Mathias Urban, Colette Murray, Kylie Smith, Beth Swadener, Tomas Ellegaard

Articles

In this collective article, the authors explore constructions of early childhood practitioners and how they disconnect and reconnect in a global neo-liberal education policy context. The contributions to the conversation provide windows into shifting professional identities across five national contexts: New Zealand, the USA, Ireland, Australia and Denmark. The authors ask who benefits from the notion of distinct professional identities, linked to early childhood education as locally and culturally embedded practice. They conceptualize teachers’ shifting subjectivities, drawing on Kristeva’s philosophical conception of identity as constantly in construction, open and evolving. Arguments for the urgency to counter the global uniformity machine, …

Utilizing Animal Metaphors In Child Psychotherapy: An Integrative Approach For Therapists, Tricia J. Gordon

The Graduate Review

Despite a plethora of therapeutic approaches utilized when working with children, there is still a need for empirically based, child-centered, developmentally appropriate methodologies. This research aims to provide a greater understanding of the use of action-based metaphors when working with clients in early to middle childhood, while integrating various treatment modalities. While there are a countless number of metaphorical possibilities, there is a lack of research with a focus on the specific use of animal metaphors in child therapy. This child-friendly integrative approach proposes that therapists adjust their current working model to see the client as a whole, while integrating …

University Students’Willingness To Assist Fellow Students Who Experience Alcohol-Related Facial Flushing To Reduce Their Drinking, Lanyan Ding, Lok-Wa Yuen, Ian M. Newman, Duane F. Shell

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study explored bystanders’ willingness to help a friend who flushes when drinking to reduce his/her drinking. Alcohol-related facial flushing is an indicator of an inherited variant enzyme, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), that impairs alcohol metabolism and increases drinkers’ lifetime risk of certain aerodigestive cancers. Individuals who flush should reduce their alcohol exposure, but they may continue to drink if social pressures and rules of etiquette make not drinking socially risky. The analysis used data from 2912 undergraduate students from 13 universities in southwestern, central and northeastern China from a survey asking how they respond to someone’s flushing in various scenarios. …

The Efficacy And Mechanisms Of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation, Susan M. Sheridan, Amanda Witte, Gina Kunz, Lorey A. Wheeler, Samantha R. Angell

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The efficacy of conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC), a family-school partnership intervention, for teachers’ prac- tices and process skills was evaluated. Participants were 152 teachers of grades K–3 in 45 Midwest rural schools randomly assigned to treatment or control conditions. Treat- ment group teachers participated in an 8- to 10-week CBC intervention. Outcome measures were (a) self-reports of classroom practices and collaborative process skills and (b) direct observations of teachers’ use of effective behav- ioral strategies. Relative to control group participants, there was a significant positive intervention effect on CBC teachers’ self-report of appropriate behavioral strategies (b p .47, p ! …

Video-Based Approach To Engaging Parents Into A Preventive Parenting Intervention For Divorcing Families: Results Of A Randomized Controlled Trial, Emily B. Winslow, Sanford Braver, Robert Cialdini, Irwin Sandler, Jennifer Betkowski, Jenn-Yun Tein, Lisa Hita, Mona Bapat, Lorey Wheeler, Monique Lopez

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

The public health impact of evidence-based, preventive parenting interventions has been severely constrained by low rates of participation when interventions are delivered under natural conditions. It is critical that prevention scientists develop effective and feasible parent engagement methods. This study tested video-based methods for engaging parents into an evidence-based program for divorcing parents. Three alternative versions of a video were created to test the incremental effectiveness of different theory-based engagement strategies based on social influence and health behavior models. A randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare the three experimental videos versus two control conditions, an information-only brochure and an …

Attachment, Stress, And Self-Efficacy While Parenting Children On The Autism Spectrum, Angela Maire Galioto

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The current study explored the relationship between parental perceptions of stress, self-efficacy, attachment, and child functioning level. Participants were parents of children with ASD enrolled in The Special Beginnings Program (SBP, N = 44) or receiving treatment as usual (TAU, N = 39). Hypotheses included that parental perceptions of child functioning level will be negatively correlated with stress and positively correlated with self-efficacy and attachment. In addition, that parental perceptions of stress will decrease and perceptions of attachment and self-efficacy would increase after Project ImPACT training and at follow-up more so for the parents in the SBP group compared to …

Social And Emotional Adjustment Across Aggressor/Victim Subgroups: Do Aggressive-Victims Possess Unique Risk?, Kelly E. Oconnor

Theses and Dissertations

Both theory and empirical evidence support the existence of “aggressive-victims,” a subgroup of youth who have been found to experience the negative outcomes associated with being an aggressor and being a victim. It remains unclear, however, if aggressive-victims possess risk factors that are unique from youth who are either aggressive or victimized. The present study sought to: (a) identify subgroups of seventh grade adolescents who differ in their patterns of aggression and victimization, (b) determine the number and structure of subgroups differ by school or sex, and (c) investigate whether aggressive-victims differ from all other subgroups in their social and …

A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Gender Differences In Symptom Progression And Trauma Narratives During Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Sarah A. Ascienzo

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

An alarming portion of youth experience traumatic events during childhood, and there is a robust body of literature documenting the adverse consequences of trauma exposure on the developing child. Fortunately, numerous empirically-supported phase-based interventions have been developed for youth that target the deleterious effects of trauma. While several of these interventions have demonstrated symptom reduction from the baseline to completion of treatment, much less is known regarding the trajectory of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) during the course of treatment. Information in this regard may have important implications for service delivery and help to illuminate the mechanisms of change responsible for …

Helping Young Adults With Depression, Yuvinny Delmar Serrano

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Depression is situational sadness that lasts throughout the day, every day, for at least two weeks. The symptoms are distressing, and usually depression is caused by a negative impact on one's life. According to the Depression Hotline, many people with depression have one or more other mental disorders present. Depression can affect one’s ability to function at school, at work, or even at home. This discourages young adults from socializing, which is a major problem. One in four adolescents suffer from depression, which is why everyone should try to help young adults who suffer from this disorder.

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Towards Better Outcomes For Families With Transition-Age Youth Or Young Adults With Asd: A Mixed Methods Study From A Parent’S Perspective, Wing Hang Wong

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

The after-high-school outcomes for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families are less than desirable. The current study employed an exploratory sequential mixed methods design in order to enhance understanding of the family adaptation process during transition. First, a qualitative study was conducted in order to understand the stressors, external and internal support, coping strategies, and family adaptation outcomes during transition, from a parent’s perspective, using the ABCX model. Thirteen parents of adolescents and young adults with ASD were interviewed. These parents reported a continually high level of stress due to normative strains and ASD-related demands. They clearly …

“Dad, Do You Want To Play With Me?” The Impact Of Fathers Who Make Time For Play, Michael S. Sitton

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

With an increase in the pace of life in the United States, there comes a recognition of the importance of prioritizing time, especially for fathers. Of the two-thirds of children who live with their father, only a percentage of them have fathers who report regular play time with their children. However, literature in the field does not explain specifically whether or not this play between father and child influences the child’s later risk taking behaviors in high school. Using data from the 2003 Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), waves 3, 4, and 6, this quantitative study sought to …