Child Psychology Commons^™

The Application Of Program Evaluation Techniques To Improve Services For Emotionally Disturbed Children And Youth In Kentucky: Discussion Of A Statewide Needs Analysis Model And A Framework For Program Development, Vicki Phillips

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

No abstract provided.

Benjamin Spock And The Spock Papers At Syracuse University, Robert S. Pickett

The Courier

This article gives a portrait of the controversial pediatrician and popular author Benjamin Spock, much of it gleaned from his personal papers located at Syracuse University's Special Collections. Among some of the insights into his life worth noting are his wife Jane's contributions to his personal attitudes and even his books.

Differences In Girls' Perceived Paternal Relationships And Their Self-Esteem, Ivora Dean Hinton

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Few studies have concentrated on the father-children relationship. Of those that have, only a small number have dealt solely with the father-daughter relationship (Biller, 1974; Musser & Fleck, 1983; Walters & Stinnett, 1971). Studies on the relationship of Black fathers and their daughters are severely lacking (McAdoo, 1981; Shulz, 1949; Staples, 1970). Those who have studied Black fathers and their families have found differences in the way Black and White fathers interact with their daught e rs (Bartz & Levine, 1978; Cazenave, 1979; Klonsky, 19 82; McAdoo, 1979; McAdoo, 1981; Reid, 1985). This study was designed to examine the difference …

The Relationship Between Creativity In Prose & Standardized Academic Achievement, Coy Callicott

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of the relationship between creativity, as measured by the Prose Quantification System (PQS), and standardized academic achievement as measured by the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS). The Prose Quantification System is a measurement of the creative quality of written prose.

PQS story-starters were administered to 89 fifth-grade students enrolled in six classes in two schools in south central Kentucky. Each student received two story-starters about the same content (box or paper), but in a different context (usual vs. unusual setting) and was instructed to complete the stories. A total …

Student Failure As Associated With Socio-Economic Status, Racial Ethnicity, And Single Parenting, B. Dan Green

Graduate Theses

Academic failure is a problem in American schools all over the nation. Many factors play a part in the academic achievement of students. The purpose of this study is to investigate student academic failure among students from lower socio-economic status families as compared with students from families with a higher socio-economic status, with sub-groupings identifying students as to racial and ethnic backgrounds as well as those from single-parent homes. The test group for this survey is a group of four-hundred and forty eighth grade students from Goddard Junior High School in Midland, Texas. All students listed as "failing" failed one …

Cultural Enhancement Programs And Attitude Change Toward Minority South Asian Children, Fred Gloade

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Individual attitudes and beliefs have a deep influence on perceptions of others in the environment. This study was concerned with the attitudes of 10 year old Euro-Canadian children toward their South Asian (East Indian) peers and with the alteration of these attitudes in a more positive direction. A within subjects design was utilized to measure participants pre/post test attitude scores toward the South Asian minority children as a function of experimental exposure to selected cultural material. Specifically, three conditions were manipulated in two contrasting settings: active, passive and control, in either high or low ethnic density schools. The three treatment …

The Development And Construct Validation Of The Children’S Academic Motivation Inventory, Kevin Hughes

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to develop and provide construct validation evidence for the Children’s Academic Motivation Inventory (CAMI). The CAMI, the junior Index of Motivation Scale (JIM Scale), and the Children’s Social Desirability Scale (CSDS) were administered to 534 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students. Additionally, teacher assigned math grades; total math and total reading scores from the Kentucky Essential skills test (KEST); and the Cognitive Skills Index (CSI) from the Test of Cognitive Skills were obtained for each participant. Principal-components factor analysis with varimax rotation performed on the CAMI items produced essentially one factor, entitled academic achievement motivation. …

Development Of The Parent - Child Situation Scale: A Measure Of Parental Attributions Toward Handicapped Children's Behavior, Lonnie Sears

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Parent - Child Situation Scale (PCSS) was developed to measure parental attributions toward handicapped children's behavior. The PCSS was administered to mothers of handicapped children. The final version of the scale possessed good reliability. Coefficient alphas for the PCSS were .74 for the internal - external attribution subscale, .70 for the stable - unstable subscale, and .72 for the global - specific subscale. Factor analysis of the PCSS revealed three factors corresponding to the three attribution types. The internal - external subscale's validity was supported. The other two subscales, however, appeared to have only moderate validity. Responses of college …

A Comparison Of Behavioral Problems Between Speech And/Or Language Impaired Children And Normal Children, Jeannie S. Botelho

Dissertations and Theses

The questions posed in this study were: 1) Is there a significant difference in the prevalence of behavioral problems between speech and/or language impaired children and normal children as reported by parents and teachers? and 2) Is there a significant difference in the types of behavioral problems between speech and/or language impaired children and normal children, as reported by parents and teachers?

A Study Of Cognitive Variables Associated With Achievement Among A Gifted Population, Sharon R. Coty-Kieta

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between specific cognitive variables and classroom achievement among a gifted population. The participants included 389 students in grades five eight enrolled in the Gifted and Talented Education program in a Southcentral Kentucky School district. An experimenter-developed teacher rating scale was used to document classroom achievement, the criterion variable. The predictor variables were (a) locus of control, as measured by the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Scale; (b) the ability to clearly express thoughts and the elaboration, fluency, flexibility, originally, and organization of those thoughts, as measured by the Prose Quantification System; (c) …

The Development Of The Self-Concept In The Young Child, Doris Mascall

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explore, based upon a literature survey of articles and books published primarily, though not limited to, the past fifteen years, the development of the self-concept in children during the first five years of life. This will include defining self-concept, the establishment of its significance throughout the life span, the role significant others play in the development, an examination of sex-role identity in relationship to self-concept formation, and a critique of available tests and measurements, followed by a conclusion which focuses upon implications for treatment providers.

Correlates Of Cognitive Skills Used By Boys And Girls On Sequencing And Construction Tasks, Sharon Teresa Jordan

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Length Of Placement And Parental Contact On Institutionalized Juvenile Offenders' Self Concepts, Michael F. Ryan

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

What's On Tv? A Demonstration Of The Utility Of Contextualism And Content Analysis In Mass Media Research, Craig P. Gaumer

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis has been to develop, test and utilize a reliable method to quantify the prevalence of pro- and anti-social behavior on children's television as assessed from a contextualist perspective. Many previous studies in the area of television have arbitrarily assigned either pro- or anti-social labels to television programs without the benefit of analyzing the content of these programs

The few studies that have attempted to analyze the pro- and anti-social content of children's television have used only physical parameters to define pro- or anti-social behavior. Through the development of a reliable method of analyzing the contextually …

Issues In The Diagnosis Of Attention Deficit Disorder: A Cautionary Note On The Gordon Diagnostic System, Richard Milich, William E. Pelham, Stephen P. Hinshaw

Psychology Faculty Publications

In a recent paper Gordon (1986) has compared the strengths and weaknesses of traditional microcomputer-based assessment of attention deficit disorder (ADD) with those offered by the Gordon Diagnostic System (GDS; Gordon & McClure 1983; 1984). Not surprisingly, although careful not to overstate the case, he finds GDS to be an improvement over the use of standard microcomputers. Nevertheless, several of his criticisms of microcomputers seem forced, and he tends to downplay some of the more serious concerns associated with the GDS. Given that the GDS is receiving widespread attention, with nationwide marketing procedures underway, it seems fitting to examine its …

A Correlational Study Of The Relationship Between Adolescent Religiosity And Adolescent Perception Of Parental Behavior In Antigua And Barbuda, Eustace Sheppard

Dissertations

Purpose. This study investigated the relationship between adolescent religiosity and (a) adolescents' perception of paternal supporting, controlling, demanding, and punishing behavior; (b) adolescents' perception of maternal supporting, controlling, demanding, and punishing behavior; (c) the ten dimensions of adolescents' religiosity and three predictor variables of age, sex, and religious affiliation.

Methodology. The population investigated comprised adolescents between the ages of fourteen and seventeen years old, in forms three and four, attending fifteen secondary schools in Antigua and Barbuda. A sample of 400 was chosen by purposive sampling from eleven of the fifteen secondary schools; of the 400 chosen 314 were included …

Adolescent And Parental Perceptions Of Adolescent Self-Disclosure Communication And Relational Satisfaction, Diane S. Lund

Dissertations and Theses

As children approach adolescence, their communication relation&hip with their mothers and fathers undergoes significant transformation. Research has hitherto been conducted on family communication as an isolated variable. This study analyzed adolescent and parental perceptions of adolescent self-disclosure and relational satisfaction by adolescents and parents.

An Evaluation Of A Program To Aid Generalization Of Social Skills Training With Grade 3 And 4 Children, Patricia M. Caron

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This research evaluated two interventions for aiding children in the generalization of social problem-solving skills training: (1) social problem-solving training with teacher-student “dialoguing”, peer pairing, and self-monitoring, and (2) social problem-solving training with teacher-student “dialoguing” only. These two experimental interventions were compared with a non-equivalent control group. It was found that both experimental and control groups improved in the performance of social skills. However, there were no significant differences between the two experimental groups and the control groups on measures of social skills performance, behavioral adjustment, self-efficacy and peer acceptance. These results were consistent with previous research in the area …

On The Nature Of Phonological Recoding In Early Readers, Thomas Yoannidis

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

A major assumption in research on basic processes in word recognition has been that the phonological code which may be utilized to access meaning from printed text is unitary in nature and is always disrupted by articulatory suppression. Recent evidence however, suggests that at least two separate phonological codes are operative in adults. Besner, Davies and Daniels (1981), and Besner and Davelaar (1982) found that while the phonological code which supports the maintenance of information in short-term memory was affected by suppression, the code which supports lexical access was not. A developmental study by Barron and Baron (1977) relied heavily …

Cultural Characteristics Of Learning And Perceptual Skills Of Southeast Alaskan Native 5-Year-Olds, Thomas J. Turkon

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the use of cognitive skills by 5-year-old Alaskan Native children on a standardized testing instrument. The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence (WPPSI) were administered to 23 boys and 17 girls of predominantly Tlingit, Tsimshean, and Haida ancestry. A standardized parent interview was used to collect bio-demographic data. Mean scores for the sample displayed significant differences between the Performance and Verbal scales, with the strongest performance in the Spatial subtests, and lowest in the Sequential subtests. Scores were significantly associated with variables representing culture-specific self identity and behavior, but were most strongly associated with family size. …

Children's Anxiety Management Program (C.A.M.P.): A Year Long Study Of A Preventive Stress & Anxiety Program For Children, Karen Witty

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Children's Anxiety Management Program (C.A.M.P.) was designed as a preventive program to be carried out over an academic year with fifth and sixth grade children. The program was designed to help teach the children different methods of coping with stress and anxiety. It was written in a curriculum format allowing for integration into a daily classroom routine. Eighty-seven children were pretested and posttested with the Children's School Questionnaire (CSQ) which measured these factors: School Anxiety, Defensiveness, and Self-Disparagement. The CSQ along with student and teacher kept logbooks aided in the final evaluation of C.A.M.P.. The statistical evaluation of the …

School Psychologists' Reports: Special Educators' Preferences, Claudia Downey

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Special educators were surveyed in order to determine which of two distinct styles of school psychologists' reports, (psychological vs. psychoeducational) was perceived to be most useful. The sample population consisted of 39 special educators employed by the Bowling Green (Ky.) Independent School District and the Warren County (Ky.) Board of Education. Teachers' rankings of the ten report sections (five per style of report) were compared by an analysis of variance. Results of the 2 (report style: psychological vs. psychoeducational) by 5 (report sections: referral vs. background and observations vs. tests/procedures vs. diagnosis or conclusions vs. recommendations) ANOVA revealed no significant …

Behavior Of Retarded Clients As A Function Of Access To Leisure Activities Oriented Toward Task Completion, David R. Keltner

Home Economics and Family Living Theses

This thesis represents an investigation of the effects of increased access to task completion activities on the behavior of institutionalized retarded clients. The hypothesis was that increased access to task completion leisure activities (non-competitive free time activities requiring the subject to attend to a constructive task during at least five free time periods over the course of the study) would result in reduced frequency of unacceptable social behaviors in a group of institutionalized retarded clients. A hobby kit designed according to the experimental definition of leisure activity was made available to each subject in the experimental group. Target behaviors (social …

A Comparison Between Children's Anxiety Management Program & Developing Understanding Of Self & Others: Effects On Children's School Anxiety, Self-Disparagement & Defensiveness, Bengt Ronnerman

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Children experience unavoidable stress and anxiety. Excessive stress, or distress, and anxiety may negatively effect children's emotional, mental, and physical functioning. Examples of distress reactions in children include fears, aggression, frustration, low self-esteem, apathy, low academic achievement, poor peer relationships, fatigue, and developmental delays. Prolonged reactions to distress in children could cause severe emotional, mental, and physical problems when children reach adulthood. It is important that children learn effective strategies to cope with distress and anxiety. There is a dearth of research data regarding children and coping skills training for dealing with stress and anxiety. Therefore, the Children's Anxiety Management …

Piaget And Parables: The Convergence Of Secular And Scriptural Views Of Learning, James D. Foster

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Jean Piaget is widely acclaimed as a developmental theorist who has contributed much to the understanding of how children learn. While many educators adhere to Piaget’s model of learning, few realize that techniques similar in structure were used by Jesus 2000 years ago. Basic components of Piaget’s theory, namely assimilation, accommodation, and disequilibration of the learner, are evidenced in the parabolic method used by Jesus. This comparison between Piaget’s theory and Christ’s parabolic method suggests that an effective teacher would cognitively activate and disequilibrate the learner. Insights from Scripture and Piaget’s theory imply that motivation through disequilibration should be effective …

Creative Play And Child Development, Marcia L. Puskas

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Possible Similarities/Differences Between Learning Disabled And Non-Learning Disabled Upper Elementary Children's Perception Of Friends And Friendship, Cheri Haarala

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Children's Use Of Power Strategies The Effect Of Situational And Individual Differences, Sandra S. Ritchie

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Sex Differences In The Recognition Of Infant Facial Expressions Of Emotion: The Primary Caretaker Hypothesis, Raymond B. Hames, Wayne A. Babchuk

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Although much research has been devoted to studying sex differences In functioning (e.g., Maccoby and Jacklin 1974), most efforts have been directed toward documenting or elucidating the proximate causes of sex differences. Few attempts have been made, however, to explain the ultimate causes of these differences or the selective pressures that have led to the development or psychological differences between males and females [for exception see Symons (1979) and Daly and Wilson (1983)]. Toward this end of blending psychology with evolutionary theory we develop what we call the " primary caretaker hypothesis," which predicts that the sex that through evolutionary …

Children's Reactions To The Residential Treatment Setting, Barbara Jane Uhl

Theses

This study explores the emotional and psychological reactions of children to residential treatment centers, focusing on themes of separation anxiety, punishment, and the role of early attachment disruptions. Barbara Jane Uhl investigates how emotionally disturbed children perceive their institutional environments compared to children from public schools. Drawing from object relations theory and existing research on institutionalization, the study hypothesizes that children in residential treatment settings often internalize feelings of guilt and punishment as a result of separation from their families and the impersonal nature of institutional structures.

Using a mixed-methods approach, the study administered projective drawing tests and written assessments—including …