Child Psychology Commons^™

Assessing The Differential Outcomes Procedure With Children Diagnosed With Autism, Ivy M. Chong

Dissertations

The differential outcomes effect (DOE) refers to the phenomenon whereby discrimination learning is enhanced when a correct response to a specific sample stimulus is followed by its own unique reward (Savage, 2001). According to some researchers, the DOE is a consistent and powerful effect that enhances the acquisition and retention of conditional discriminations (e.g., Urcuioli, 1990). This series of experiments sought to extend research on the DOE. In Experiment 1, we examined the differential outcomes procedure (DOP) with four children diagnosed with autism across various task types commonly used in early intervention. In Experiment 2, we examined the DOP with …

Evaluating Progress In Behavioral Programs For Children With Pervasive Developmental Disorders: Continuous Versus Intermittent Data Collection, Anne Rena Cummings

Dissertations

It is well documented that intensive behavioral treatment of early childhood autism can result in significant improvements in adaptive behavior. The typical teaching format in such programs is based on the restricted operant (i.e., discrete trial) in which the performance of an exemplar skill follows a clear instruction and precedes programmed reinforcement or error correction. Because of the often-intensive nature of behavioral treatment, it is not unusual for thousands of learning opportunities to be presented each week. There currently exists a professional debate regarding the frequency of data collection necessary in autism treatment programs. One side of the argument favors …

Common Sense Parenting (Csp) Learn At Home Kit: A Clinical Effectiveness Evaluation Of A Commercially Available Video Training Program For Parents, Sean T. Smitham

Dissertations

Much has been made of the gap between psychotherapy research and clinical practice. Most current psychotherapy research is focused on what could be viewed as macro-level efficacy type issues, while practicing clinicians are often most concerned with micro-level effectiveness questions. The current study-an evaluation of a parent training (PT) program provides an example of how scientist-practitioners can contribute meaningfully to psychotherapy research by conducting small scale clinical effectiveness studies. Parent Training (PT) is a well established efficacious treatment approach for child disruptive behaviors and non-compliance. Recent research has also established that self-administered videotape PT programs may also be efficacious. A …

External Influences Of Children's Socialization To Gender Roles, Sarah A. Chartschlaa

Senior Honors Theses

It is evident in North American society that there are certain roles placed on boys and girls in accordance with their gender. These gender roles are imposed on children from birth and are taught until eventually they are accepted as absolute truth. Newborn babies are carried out of the hospital in either a pink blanket or a blue blanket depending on gender. Gifts of trucks or dolls are given to toddlers depending on the child's sex. Stories about princesses are read to little girls, while stories of dragons and swords are read to little boys. This socialization of gender roles …

Examining Multisystem Coordination In Response To Stressors In Early Childhood, Tiffany Phu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a set of two studies that investigate linkages between the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis and Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) in response to a stressor paradigm among young children experiencing low-income. Contextual/child factors that shape multisystem physiologic coordination were also examined. A novel application of structural equation modeling was used to model sample-by-sample linkages between salivary analytes that indexed HPA axis and SNS functioning (respectively, salivary cortisol and salivary alpha amylase [sAA]). The preschoolers in Study 1 showed linkages between salivary cortisol and sAA across a novel research visit at their childcare center that included a stressor paradigm. Child …

Role Of Naming In Stimulus Categorization By Preschool Children, Caio Flavio Miguel

Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to assess whether children would categorize pictures when taught the relevant listener and speaker behaviors separately. A category-sort test was used to assess emergent conditional relations. Category-sort trials consisted of looking at (Test 1) or tacting/labeling (Test 2) a samplestimulus and selecting the appropriate comparison stimuli. In Experiment 1, 4 children (3- 5 years) were taught to tact pictures of six U.S. state maps as either north or south. An assessment was conducted to determine whether they would (1) correctly categorize or sort when presented with a visual sample and (2) select the …

The Effects Of Parent's Religious Coping On Children's Functioning After Loss, Beatrice A. Tauber

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study explored how parent's religious coping styles influence their child's behavioral reactions following spousal bereavement. Fifteen participants were recruited from churches, bereavement groups, hospices, palliative care programs and from victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Individuals who lost a spouse within the past 3 years and who had a child between the ages of 7 and 14 years participated. Parents described the religious coping strategies they employed after the loss of their spouse on Pargament's Brief Religious Coping Scale as well as the symptoms of their child on the Child Behavior Checklist. Pearson correlations demonstrated a significant …

Functional Status In Children Diagnosed With All: Age And Gender Effects, Sean Eugene Evans

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Age and gender have been purported as important variables in predicting the outcome of children diagnosed with leukemia. This study examines the relationship between age and gender as predictors of functional status in children following the completion of the induction phase of their treatment (i.e., approximately 5-weeks following their diagnosis) for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Prior to analyses, it was asserted that boys and girls would indicate unique experiences of perceived pain intensity and would yield significant differences in functional status scores as measured by the children’s parents. A sample of 50 boys (N=33) and girls (N=17) between the ages …

Controversial Maternal Roles Of Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse Cases, Rhonda Elliott Mcgee

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine Child Sexual Abuse case files, to determine which "maternal role": (a) protector, (b) co-victim, (c) co-perpetrator/conspirator, or (d) perpetrator was the most common in court cases studied in this research. The researcher also sought to find: (1) The most dominant maternal role in reference to percentage; (2) The effect, if any, of certain "role types"; (3) And the consequences and/or effects of selected variables (e.g. age, race, and gender) had in family court decisions and adjudications.

The target population consisted of forty-one cases of Child Sexual Abuse cases, adjudicated by the Family …

Monitoring The Effects Of Psychotropic Drugs In Students With Emotional Impairments: Home And School Data, Lynne E. Turner

Dissertations

Research has shown that schools do not typically participate in the systematic monitoring of psychotropic medications prescribed to school-aged children with emotional disorders. Conversely, research indicates that the information that is relayed to the prescribing physician from the schools consists, in general, of informal global reports regarding the student's overall behavior. Additionally, research evaluating systematic monitoring systems within schools has lacked input from the prescribing physician regarding relevant data to be collected. These findings provided impetus for the present project, which was an attempt to develop a practical system for schools to monitor possible desired and adverse effects of psychotropic …

Using Social Stories To Teach Social And Behavioral Skills To Preschool Children With Autism, Melissa Jean Herrin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

There is limited research support for the use of Social Stories with elementary and secondary-aged students. However, there is even less research support for the effectiveness of Social Stories with preschool-aged children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Social Stories with three preschool-aged children diagnosed with autism. Using a multiple baseline design across subjects, Social Stories were implemented in the home setting. The children’s parents were responsible for daily implementation of the Social Story, as well as recording data daily. Direct observations were conducted once a week during the identified times the target behavior occurred. …

The Relationship Of Parenting With Adolescent Problem Behaviors And Healthy Development: An Application Of A Motivational Model Of Development, Sharon Ann Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores the relationship between parenting and adolescent outcomes within the context of healthy adolescent development. A motivational model of development provides a framework for understanding adolescent and parent behaviors.

Participants in the study were 4,090 students in grade 8-12. Students' self-reported behaviors and perceptions of their parents' behaviors were collected as part of a statewide school survey.

The study contributes to the understanding of parenting dimensions that underlie parenting styles through the identification of six parenting dimensions (warmth, structure, autonomy support, rejection, chaos, and coercion) that correspond to the motivational model. In addition, monitoring is identified as a …

Adult And Juvenile Sexual Offenders: The Use Of Violence And Fantasies, Megan N. Carter

Dissertations and Theses

Child sexual abuse (CSA) has been recognized as a widespread and devastating problem in our society. Definitional challenges result in a broad range of prevalence rates for CSA varying from 60/0 to 62% for females and 30/0 to 31 % for males (Finkelhor, Araji, Baron, Browne, Peters, & Wyatt, 1986). Although CSA affects our nation's children in epidemic proportions, researchers have found little conclusive evidence regarding CSA precursors.

One promising area for exploring the etiology of CSA may be the differential patterns of sexual fantasies in juvenile and adult sex offenders. Abel, Becker, Mittleman, Cunningham-Rathner, Rouleau and Murphy (1987) found …

The Impact Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) On Families: The Perceptions Of Families With An Adhd Child, Patrick Whaley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study extended the research to include a more complete description o f parents’ perceptions and the impact had on their family functioning. The researcher selected the participants with two categories in mind: (A) Parents must live or not live with an ADHD diagnosed child; (B) Parents will provide their consent for this study. The researcher used the Parenting Stress Index (PSI). The PSI is used to identify stress levels in parent-child systems. By using a t-test for independent samples, the treatment group responded with more stress than the control group (T= 10.143, 28). The researcher found a statistically significant …

Identifying At Risk Youth For Delinquency In Southern West Virginia, Roderick Q. Neal

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Juvenile delinquency has been an important area of study. Academics, practitioners, politicians, and legal scholars have devoted their attention to basic questions about the nature of youth crime. This report was designed to identify which psychological and social variables are statistically reliable predictors of significant juvenile delinquency in southern West Virginia. In an effort to identify at risk youth, 200 subjects were administered a 16-question survey. This survey had a mixture of continuous and categorical psychological and social variables and the data was analyzed using Logistic Regression strategies. One hundred of the subjects had been referred to a juvenile probation …

Behavioral Intervention And Prevention Of Feeding Difficulties In Infants And Toddlers, Mary Louise Kerwin, P. S. Eicher

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

Although eating is considered an automatic physiologic process, many children experience feeding difficulties. The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for assessment, treatment and prevention of feeding difficulties in children. Identification and treatment of any factors actively interfering with feeding success is a critical cornerstone for effective behavioral interventions for feeding. Using variables that comprise the structure of a meal, this paper discusses how these variables might be manipulated in behavioral interventions for feeding problems. Recommendations for prevention of feeding problems are also presented.

The Impact Of Early Familial Experiences On Emotional Intelligence, Stephanie Lynne Lattimer-List

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of early familial influences on the development of young adults' emotional intelligence. It was hypothesized that attachment security would be positively and significantly related to emotional intelligence, and conversely, that insecure attachment would be inversely related to emotional intelligence.

School Psychology Practitioners' Perspectives On Consultation Training And Practice, Kimberly A. Unseld

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

School psychologists have increased their practice of consultation within the schools due to mandates by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and positive outcomes associated with the service. Previous research has examined how training directors at school psychology graduate programs viewed consultation training. The current study investigated how school psychologists view their training in consultation and how they view the practice of consultation in school systems.

A random sample of 510 school psychologists from across the country was sent a survey to obtain their perspectives on consultation. A 46% return rate was achieved. The respondents were divided into two …

Concurrent Validity Study Of The Clinical Assessment Of Depression With The Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition, Shanna Leigh Bowers

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Depression in adolescents if unrecognized, can interfere with every aspect of the individual’s life, increasing the risk for illness and interpersonal difficulties in the future. Therefore, it is imperative that significant levels of depressive symptoms be recognized, assessed, and treated. The usefulness and psychometric properties of new measures of depression are determined, in part, through comparison with existing measures. The current study investigated the concurrent validity of the Clinical Assessment of Depression (CAD; Bracken & Howell, 2004) with the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II; Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996) for an adolescent population. The sample for this investigation consisted of …

The Guidance Counselor's Role In Helping Children And Adolescents Deal With Grief And Loss, Brandie Erickson

Graduate Research Papers

Death is a natural part of life. This is a difficult lesson to learn and can be especially confusing for children and adolescents. It is natural for adults to want to protect children for negative emotions and shelter them from the loss. Also, many adults feel uncomfortable or incapable of talking with children and adolescents about death. It is the guidance counselor's role to educate teachers regarding the grief and loss process and to provide support to the student, and well as information and resources to the parents or guardians of the student.

The purpose of this paper is to …

Concurrent Validity Study Of The Clinical Assessment Of Depression With The Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale, Brooke Wootton Tinsley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

It is critical for the depressive symptoms of adolescents to be recognized, evaluated, and treated. Depression can increase the risk for illness and interpersonal difficulties in the future and affect almost every aspect of an individual’s life. Self-report measures are often utilized to assess depression, and when these measures are able to effectively detect depression, diagnosis and treatment are expedited. In order to validate the usefulness and psychometric properties of a new self-report measure, existing measures are often used as one criterion by which to judge them. The present study explored concurrent and discriminant validity of a new self-report depression …

The Relationship Between Juvenile Delinquency And Family Unit Structure, Angela D. Mullens

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between parental absence and juvenile delinquency and to determine if a link exists between the two variables. Data was collected from male juveniles who were alleged to have committed status or delinquent offenses between 1996 and 2004. Each offense was categorized according to the family unit (e.g., intact, father only, mother only, etc.), offense type (e.g., underage consumption, petit larceny, breaking and entering, etc.), offense level (e.g., status misdemeanor, and felony), the victim (e.g., crimes against the person, crimes against property, etc.) and the juvenile’s age at the time the …

Virus And The Whale: Exploring Evolution In A Museum Collaboration, Judy Diamond, Amy Spiegel, Debra Meier, Sarah Disbrow

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

A major new collaboration of museums in the U.S. will teach the public about current research in evolutionary biology. This project, entitled Explore Evolution, combines the strength of interactive exhibits, Web activities and outreach programs for youth to feature seven influential research projects on organisms ranging in size from the smallest, HIV to the largest, a whale. Launched in 2003 and funded by the Informal Science Education Program of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Explore Evolution is one of the most comprehensive informal education projects in the U.S. to focus on teaching about evolution research.

Conjoint Behavioral Consultation: Involving Parents And Teachers In The Treatment Of A Child With Selective Mutism, Valerie J. Gortmaker, Emily D. Warnes, Susan M. Sheridan

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This paper provides a case example of the effects of a behavioral intervention implemented i.n the context. of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC; Sheridan, Kratochwill & Bergan, 1996) for a five-year-old child with selective mutism. Programming common stimuli was combined with positive reinforcement and ·then implemented by a parent and teacher to improve a child's verbal interactions. Overall, the number of words spoken by the child client per day increased from 0 during baseline to a treatment mean of 7.7 words per day. An effect size of 1.60 was yielded, with 100% non-overlapping data between baseline and treatment phases. Additionally, treatment …

The Effects Of Parental Burden, Teacher Burden And The Student's Request For Counseling On School Psychologists' Decisions To Recommend Counseling, Brian L. Burgess

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Social Competence : An Exploration Of Children's Experiences Within The Home Environment, Mandie B. Shean

Theses : Honours

The acquisition of social competence is an important developmental task for children. This review examines how child effects and environmental effects contribute to children's achievement of social competence. Environmental factors are addressed through Bronfenbrenner's (1999) ecological systems model of the microsystem, mesosystem and exosystem, The microsystem includes the home environment with parent-parent, parent-child and sibling relationships. The mesosystem includes the school environment with peer and teacher relationships. Finally, the exosystem incorporates indirect environments such as parent work, economic status and the media. Issues of reciprocal effects are addressed and the suggestion is made that social competence is the result of …

Reconfiguring Childhood Boys And Girls Growing Up Global, Cindi Katz

Publications and Research

Children are a spur, a commitment, a way of imaging the future—but all too often these sorts of phrases just rattle around a vacuum, their utterance the beginning and end of the commitment. We emphasize “the best interests of the child,”but this gloss provides a moral imperative to all manner of uncompleted projects and unfulfilled policies. Likewise, the use of children’s images or presence in public forums of all types gives a patina of honorableness to practices and plans that never actually make good on the promissory note of childhood. The 1992 Rio Earth Summit is a notable example. Such …

Early Adolescent Through Young Adult Alcohol And Marijuana Use Trajectories: Early Predictors, Young Adult Outcomes, And Predictive Utility, Kate Flory, Donald Lynam, Richard Milich, Carl Leukefeld, Richard Clayton

Psychology Faculty Publications

The present study takes a developmental approach to subgrouping and examines the trajectories of substance use from early adolescence through young adulthood among a community sample of 481 individuals. The patterns of use were examined, subgroups were identified separately for men and women and for alcohol and marijuana, and psychosocial predictors and psychopathology outcomes that differentiated the groups were identified. The results revealed three substantially overlapping subgroups for both alcohol and marijuana: early onset, late onset, and nonuser. Although the general patterns of which dependent variables were related to group were similar for alcohol and marijuana, a closer examination revealed …

Designing A Mixed Methods Study In Primary Care, John W. Crewell, Michael D. Fetters, Nataliya V. Ivankova

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND Mixed methods or multimethod research holds potential for rigorous, methodologically sound investigations in primary care. The objective of this study was to use criteria from the literature to evaluate 5 mixed methods studies in primary care and to advance 3 models useful for designing such investigations.

METHODS We first identified criteria from the social and behavioral sciences to analyze mixed methods studies in primary care research. We then used the criteria to evaluate 5 mixed methods investigations published in primary care research journals.

RESULTS Of the 5 studies analyzed, 3 included a rationale for mixing based on the need …

Using Transcendental Phenomenology To Explore The “Ripple Effect” In A Leadership Mentoring Program, Tammy Moerer-Urdahl, John W. Creswell

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Several approaches exist for organizing and analyzing data in a phenomenological qualitative study. Transcendental phenomenology, based on principles identified by Husserl (1931) and translated into a qualitative method by Moustakas (1994), holds promise as a viable procedure for phenomenological research. However, to best understand the approach to transcendental phenomenology, the procedures need to be illustrated by a qualitative study that employs this approach. This article first discusses the procedures for organizing and analyzing data according to Moustakas (1994). Then it illustrates each step in the data analysis procedure of transcendental phenomenology using a study of reinvestment or the “ripple effect” …