Developmental Psychology Commons^™

Examining The Effectiveness And Efficiency Of Two Delivery Models To Teach Children Abduction Prevention Skills, Kimberly E. Seckinger-Bancroft

Dissertations

Nearly all children receive abduction prevention training. Most traditional education programs increase the learner's knowledge, but often fail to produce concomitant behavior change. Behavioral Skills Training (BST) is a multicomponent, behavior-based training strategy with empirical support demonstrating its effectiveness in teaching children safety skills, behavioral generalization and maintenance over time. BST, however, is restricted by financial, human and time costs and limited resources to implement the training protocol. These factors likely limit widespread adoption of the training model. This study examined the use of computer-based instruction that emphasized active responding and mastery level performance requirements to teach school-aged children abduction …

Factors Of Body Image Dissatisfaction Among High School Female Athletes, Trisha Margaret Karr

Dissertations

The relation between sport type and body image dissatisfaction was investigated with a sample of high school female athletes living in the Chicago area. In order to assess sport type, gymnastics, cross country, and softball were designated for the comparison of aesthetic, endurance, and ball sports. Low family cohesion and high independence were predictive of body image concerns among gymnasts, whereas high cohesion and infrequent conversations about sport participation with mothers were associated with body dissatisfaction among runners. Although body mass index was a risk factor for body image concerns across all sports, athletic self-efficacy was protective against body dissatisfaction …

Recognition Of Emotions From Facial Expression And Situational Cues In Children With Autism, Dina Tell

Dissertations

The present study investigated two areas of emotion recognition in school-aged high-functioning children with autism and typically developing children, matched on chronological age and gender: (1) recognition of facially expressed emotions that were presented in still photographs of adult faces and (2) emotion recognition from situational and facial cues, presented in line drawings of emotionally-laden situations. For the photograph task, children's accuracy in recognizing facial expressions of happy, sad, angry, and fear emotions along with neutral expressions was investigated. All emotional expressions were presented with computer-generated direct and averted eye-gaze at 100% and 50% emotion strength. Of particular interest were …

An Examination Of Napping And Psychosocial Functioning In Preschool Children, Brian Kenneth Crosby

Dissertations

The objectives of this study were to examine racial differences in the sleep distribution of 4- to 5-year-old children, to assess the relationship between napping and psychosocial functioning, and to determine if there are racial differences in the relationship between napping and psychosocial functioning. The sleep behavior of 67 children (52.2% non-Hispanic White; 55.2% male) 4 to 5 years old from a community sample was assessed through caregiver-report and actigraphy. Psychosocial functioning was examined through caregiver-report and laboratory tasks designed to assess aspects of behavioral and emotional functioning. Results indicate that, compared to White children, Black children nap significantly more …

The Role Of Automatic Reinforcement In Early Speech Acquisition, Barbara E. Esch

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Nicotine And Anatoxin-A Exposures On The Operant Performance Of Rats, Kimberly Ann Jarema

Dissertations

Tolerance has previously been shown to develop to nicotine's effects on operant behavior. This experiment explored whether tolerance would still develop when nicotine administrations were separated by three weeks. Anatoxin-a, a nicotinic-receptor agonist, was also tested and the results were compared to nicotine. Male Long Evans rats performed under a multiple VR30 VI30-sec food-reinforcement schedule. Phase I rats were divided into 6 groups of 8 that received four weekly subcutaneous injections of nicotine (0.0-1.8 mg/kg) and anatoxin-a (0-250 mcg/kg) prior to testing sessions. An ED50 was derived, for each compound, from the VR dose-response curve. Phase II rats were divided …

A Comparison Of Kinetic Family Drawings Of Firstborn And Second-Born Siblings, Lynn Anderson

Dissertations

Problem. While the Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD) is a popular assessment tool for clinicians, research on developmental issues and how siblings draw their families is lacking. The purpose of this study was to (a) describe the way siblings perceive themselves and their family interpersonal relationships as expressed in the KFD; and (b) to describe possible developmental age differences in the KFD.

Method. The KFD and a Family Dynamics Interview Schedule were administered to 50 pairs of first- and second-born children from Southwestern Michigan, ages 5-14. The data were analyzed quantitatively by the Wilcoxon Sign Test and Chi-Square, using …

Impact Of A Short-Term Shelter Program On Selected Outcome Indicators Among Youths And Their Parents, Gale Sandra Hackworth

Dissertations

Problem. Innovative services have been developed over the last 10 years to assist families in coping with the increased demands associated with child rearing. One burgeoning area of resource development has been that of"respite" for parents. A variety of programs and methods have been utilized in providing these services. While families frequently proffer the benefit of these programs, there is a relative paucity of data to substantiate these claims. This study has attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of respite programming using outcome indicators which include both objective and subjective measures. This study focused upon families utilizing a short-term respite …

Object Relations And Identity Disturbances In Bulimic Women, Kathy Appledorn

Dissertations

Problem. Although diagnostic criteria of bulimia center on weight- and food-related issues, eating disorders may be viewed as a response to deficits in self-regulatory functions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the severity of bulimia, object relations, and identity. This study tested the hypotheses that women with a more severe eating pathology have high scores on object-relations disturbance as well as identity disturbance. It was postulated that women who have been assessed as having a more cohesive ego might respond to cognitive behavioral therapy while those who are assessed as having less intact ego …

Reactions To Childhood Sibling Death: A Qualitative Investigation, Mary A. Paulson

Dissertations

Problem

In looking at the importance of sibling relationships, we see that the death of a sibling can cause considerable disruption to the surviving child's development. A review of the childhood sibling loss literature indicated that no study was found that investigated the effects of sibling loss on depression and psychosocial development and studied reactions to sibling loss and its effects on cognition, emotions, behaviors, interpersonal relations, and spirituality.

Method

Thirty subjects participated in this research and composed three developmental groups. Erik Erikson's psychosocial developmental stages were utilized in this investigation. The subjects were grouped according to their age at …

A Revisitation Of The Wisc-R Factor Structure With Adequate Sample Size, Systematic Control Of Both Iq And Age Ranges, And The Use Of Procedures To Limit Overfactorization, Rudolph D. Bailey

Dissertations

Problem statement. This study addressed the problem of inconsistency in the results of factor-analytic studies of the WISC-R by performing analyses where age and size of Full Scale IQ ranges were held constant, and by using adequate sample sizes.

Methodology. Factor analyses were performed on the WISC-R scale scores. Principal Axes Factor method with squared multiple Rs in the diagonals was used. Oblimin was the rotation of choice. Sample size varied for each analysis, the largest being 3,493; and the smallest, 225.

Results. At the broad IQ ranges a general factor was found. At narrower IQ ranges, evidence of the …

A Theoretical Integration Of Robert Kegan's Developmental Psychology And Heinz Kohut's Self Psychology, Wilmar Vanderpol

Dissertations

Theory and research about psychological development tends to be dichotomized into two broad approaches that have never been integrated. The one is Piagetian-based cognitive-developmentalism, and the other is Freudian-based psychoanalytic developmentalism. The first predominates in academic research and application and the second in clinical research and therapy. This dissertation is a theoretical integration of the Piagetian-based theory of Robert Kegan with the Freudian-based theory of Heinz Kohut known as self psychology. A rationale for the integration of these two theories is given, along with an overview of each theory with respect to their developmental aspects. Analysis of their respective basic …

A Developmental Study On The Kinetic Family Drawing For A Nonclinic, Black-Child Population In The Midwestern Region Of The United States, Jannette Shaw

Dissertations

Problem. Valid psychological instruments for use with Black children are scarce. This study sought to validate the Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD) as a useful tool for gathering information about Black children and their families, and to obtain normative and developmental data for this population.

Method. A correlational research design was used to ascertain the validity of the KFD by comparing results on 40 variables (Burns, 1982; Cho, 1987) with the criterion measure, Semantic Differential Family Scale (SDFS), including family concepts: "Me," "Mother and Me," "Father and M e ” and "My Whole Family." The study utilized a stratified random sample …

Relationship Between Child Temperament, Parental Knowledge Of Child Development, And Parental Stress, Nancy J. Carbonell

Dissertations

Problem. Despite current awareness that temperament of children has been related to parental frustration and lack of child developmental knowledge has led to unrealistic expectations and parental stress, definitive information is needed regarding the relationship between (1) child temperament, (2) parental knowledge of child development, and (3) parental stress.

Method. One hundred and forty mothers with 3-year-old children were studied using the Thomas and Chess' Parent Questionnaire to measure parental perception of child temperament, the Knowledge of Child Development Inventory (Larsen & Juhasz) to assess maternal knowledge of child development, and Abidin's Parenting Stress Index to measure maternal stress. Demographic …

Stimulus Overselectivity: An Investigation Of Determinants, Margaret T. Mcglinchey

Dissertations

Stimulus overselectivity refers to a phenomenon in which, after discrimination training with a multiple component stimulus, behavior fails to come under the control of all of the components of the stimulus. After a screening process based on past research, a group of children with specific learning disabilities was categorized into one of two groups: overselective and non-overselective. Both groups were exposed to training and testing for generalization. All children in both groups evidenced "stimulus overselectivity" during these tests for generalization. Generalization training subsequently reduced stimulus overselectivity for all students. There were few differences between the two groups. The results suggest …

Feminine Values, Interpersonal Orientation, And The Evolution Of The Female Identity In College Students, Barbara Jones Robinson

Dissertations

Problem. The importance of interpersonal issues to female identity achievement has been noted by a number of researchers (e.g., Gilligan, 1982; Bardwick, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1979; Thorbecke & Grotevant, 1982). This study attempted to determine what degree of compatibility existed between higher degrees of identity resolution in females, and an interpersonal and values orientation reflecting a balance between self-achievement and mutually rewarding interpersonal achievements. It was hypothesized that the ideal balance represented by the concept of interdependence would be more closely related to higher identity scores than would autonomous self-achievement or traditional achievement-through-others.

Method. The study was based on data …

The Female Adolescent Incest Victim : Personality, Self-Esteem, And Family Orientation, Don-Nee E. German

Dissertations

Problem. There is a current need to understand and help the female adolescent victim of intrafamilial sexual abuse. The purpose of the study was to identify her personality profile, gain information about her self-esteem, and discover her view of self within her family.

Method. The High School Personality Questionnaire, the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, and the Kinetic Family Drawing were administered to 40 female adolescent incest victims from Michigan to identify a personality profile, level, and factors of self-esteem, and a description of the self within the family. The data were analyzed by univariate, multivariate, and discriminant analysis.

Results. (1) …

The Psychological Aspects Of Loneliness Experienced By College Students, Jerie Kull Wood

Dissertations

Loneliness is a common problem that occurs at various life stages, but is most intense for college students. To clarify and operationalize the concepts of loneliness, several current sociological and psychological approaches to loneliness were critically examined.

The major purposes of this study were to identify the lonely among the student population, the types of loneliness they experience, the behavioral manifestations of that loneliness, and the effectiveness of an intervention method. The Belcher Extended Loneliness Scale as administered to 126 students in a pretest and 203 students in a posttest. The students also answered questions about grade point average and …

The Development And Validation Of A Sentence-Completion Method: A Semi-Structured Projective Technique Designed For Personality Study, Esdon N. Bacchus

Dissertations

Problem. There are very few objective instruments available for use in the psychological diagnosis of emotional impairment at the elementary-school level. The determination of emotional impairment has often been based on clinical judgment and subjectivity. In addition, psychological instruments have been attacked from the standpoint of reliability and validity. Major concerns relate to the seriousness of misclassification and the limited success-rate of rehabilitation efforts. The sentence-completion method is popularly used by clinicians. However, the available incomplete-sentence blanks used at the elementary-school level rely almost entirely on face validity. Public Legislation 94-142 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 specifically require that …