Developmental Psychology Commons^™

Keys To Unlocking Creative Potential: The Expressive Path To Personal Growth, Marta D. Ockuly

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

An experiential journey into personal growth and creative expression is, by nature, transformational.  Undertaken in a public platform using social media (Twitter and blogging) it reveals powerful potential as a teaching and mentoring tool for inspiring creative action around the world.  This project was designed to blend my joys and passions for tweeting positive inspiration and encouragement, sharing my readings and research related to creativity, exploring expressive art, activating creative potential with joy, collecting and sharing quotes, coaching positive change and creative action, and raising awareness of everyday creativity into a learning pathway which could be accessed by anyone using …

Temperament-Language Relationships During The First Formal Year Of School., Natasha Benfield Gouge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to investigate temperament-language relationships among school-age children and across a wider variety of SES. Head Start, Pre-K, and Kindergarten classes of 10 elementary schools located in rural Appalachia were sent information about the study and 35 children were consented to participate. Parents completed a short demographic survey and the Child Behavior Questionnaire Very Short Form (CBQ-VSF). Children were administered the Preschool Language Scale-4 (PLS-4). Participants were split into low and high SES groups so associations between the CBQ and PLS-4 scores could be compared at each SES strata. Both reactivity and self-regulation were …

Self-Verification As A Mediator Of Mothers’ Self-Fulfilling Effects On Adolescents' Educational Attainment, Kyle C. Scherr, Stephanie Madon, Max Guyll, Jennifer Willard, Richard Spoth

Faculty Articles

This research examined whether self-verification acts as a general mediational process of self-fulfilling prophecies. The authors tested this hypothesis by examining whether self-verification processes mediated self-fulfilling prophecy effects within a different context and with a different belief and a different outcome than has been used in prior research. Results of longitudinal data obtained from mothers and their adolescents (N = 332) indicated that mothers’ beliefs about their adolescents’ educational outcomes had a significant indirect effect on adolescents’ academic attainment through adolescents’ educational aspirations. This effect, observed over a 6-year span, provided evidence that mothers’ self-fulfilling effects occurred, in part, …

Playing With Fire Or Arson? Identifying Predictors Of Juvenile Firesetting Behavior, Mary Ellen Britt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Firesetting is a complex behavior that spans a wide range of developmental stages in childhood and adolescence and involves varying motivations and intents. A better understanding of this destructive behavior is critical to developing strategies to control its devastating effects. The purpose of this research project was to identify potential predictors of juvenile firesetting behavior by studying youth who were enrolled in a regional firesetting intervention program. Data collected from firesetting assessment instruments completed by parents or guardians of program participants were examined. In the analyses, special emphasis was placed on evaluating associations between juvenile firesetting behavior and the socioeconomic …

Examining Child Sexual Abuse And Future Parenting: An Application Of Latent Class Modeling, Kimberly W. D'Zatko

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was designed to empirically derive latent classes of mothers who were sexually abused during childhood and to assess the association between depression, alcohol/drug use, supportive intimate partner, and specific classes.

One hundred six women between the ages of 20 and 44 years (M = 27) who reported having been sexually abused during childhood (CSA) and 158 non-CSA mothers between the ages of 20 and 43 years (M = 23) were interviewed and assessed along six parenting dimensions. Logistic regression models evaluated the association between psychoemotional variables and specific classes.

The final model consisted of three classes—53.2%, …

A Retrospective And Prospective Comparison Of Hungarian Children Who Have One Or Two Episodes Of Depression, Vanessa Panaite

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Early onset depression is associated with high recurrence rates later in life. Recurrent depressive episodes during childhood may be particularly problematic, if additional episodes have a scarring effect that hinders healthy development. Distinguishing between first onsets and recurrences has been useful in understanding adult depression. This distinction has seldom been examined in pediatric depression, in part because it is difficult to enroll adequate samples of children with recurrent depression. We conducted archival analyses of carefully-diagnosed pediatric probands with depression first onset between ages of 4 and 12. Probands who reported one depressive episode (N = 435) were compared with probands …

How Experience Influences Infants’ Recognition Of Male And Female Faces, Jennifer L. Rennels, Veronica A. Glover, Andrew J. Cummings, Andrea J. Kayl, Mateusz Orlewicz, Roanne J. Tiongson, Brooke Ditzler

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

Young infants with female primary caregivers are able to differentiate familiar female faces from novel female faces but not male faces. Experience processing faces may be important for being able to discriminate among similar-looking faces. Subsequently, increasing infants’ experience with less familiar faces should improve their ability to differentiate those types of faces. This study examined if infants’ experience with faces affected their recognition of new faces. Prior to testing, 2-3 month old infants were assigned to one of three conditions: a male video, a female video, and no video condition. Infants were familiarized to both male and female faces …

Understanding Developmental Processes Underlying Mother-Child Conversations About Emotions, Celia Hsiao, Greg Moran

Psychology Presentations

No abstract provided.

Examining Associations Between Mothers' Early Adversity, Depression And Maternal Sensitivity, Rossana Bisceglia, Greg Moran, Jennifer Jenkins

Psychology Presentations

This study tested two models for the indirect influence of mothers’ early adversity on maternal sensitivity:

Model A:

• Mothers’ appraisal of infant temperament was hypothesized to mediate the influence of mothers’ early adversity and depression on maternal sensitivity
• There would be no direct influence of maternal depression

Model B:

• Mothers’ depression was hypothesized to have a direct influence on maternal sensitivity
• Mothers’ perception of infant temperament would not mediate the influence of maternal depression on maternal sensitivity

The Continuity Of Attachment Development From Infancy To Toddlerhood: The Birth Of A Sibling, Ya F. Xue, Kathleen A. O'Connor, Greg Moran

Psychology Presentations

This study investigates the impact of the arrival of a new infant on firstborn attachment. The patterns of attachment continuity and discontinuity are compared between children who transitioned to siblinghood for the first time and children who did not experience this transition.

Exploring The Development Of Adolescent Mother-Infant Attachment Relationships: The Contribution Of Ecological Factors, Tara Morley, Heidi Bailey, David Pederson, Greg Moran

Psychology Presentations

The current study set out to identify specific factors associated with adolescent motherhood that may reduce sensitivity and subsequently contribute to the development of non-secure mother-infant attachment relationships.

The Puzzle Of Sibling Attachment Non-Concordance: Implications Of Categorical Versus Continuous Approaches To Attachment, Kathleen A. O'Connor, Ya F. Xue, David R. Pederson, Sandi Bento, Heidi N. Bailey, Greg Moran

Psychology Presentations

PURPOSE OF THE CURRENT STUDY:

• To determine whether characterizing the quality of attachment as a continuous measure impacts the extent to which siblings’ attachment relationships are judged concordant.
• To investigate whether continuous measures of attachment provide additional information regarding the similarity of more specific aspects of siblings attachment relationships.

Does Motor Development Influence Language Development?, Melissa Behrens, Jaimie Hauch

Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology Research Exchange Conference

The emergence of language in infants is one of biggest achievements in their first two years of life. At the present, there is a great deal of information available regarding the precursors that influence the onset of language in both typically and atypically developing children. It is commonly acknowledged that achievements in cognitive development during these stages of life widely influence the emerging language system. However, one of the other precursors that require additional attention is motor development. The implications that this system has on future language development is something that needs further consideration in the study of both typically …

Adolescent Use Of Social Networking Sites And Internet Safety, Mary Kate Whitcomb

Psychology and Child Development

The use of computers and the Internet continue to increase, especially by children and adolescents. Approximately 40% of adolescents access social networking sites in a typical day and spend on average 54 minutes on the sites (Rideout, Foehr, & Roberts, 2010). Social networking sites, such as Facebook, allow users to provide personal information, continually update information, post images, and communicate with friends. Due to an increase in availability, media has become greatly related to the socialization of adolescents. Identity formation is a major component of adolescence and social networking sites are a realm in which adolescents can explore and express …

Introduction, Mika Ishino, Gale Stam

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

University-Community Engagement: The Fresno Story Of Targeted Neighborhood Revitalization, D. Schecter, Ellen N. Junn, K. Coles

Office of the Provost Scholarship

In this article we take a closer look at a developing university-community engagement project being undertaken between California State University, Fresno, and the City of Fresno. A history of the project is provided, along with a review of the relevant literature and a summary of what pieces of the puzzle we feel should be in place for a successful collaboration of this sort. These include what structures should be institutionalized for successful collaboration at the university, in the partnering organizations, and in the community.

Positively Versus Negatively Charged Moral Emotion Expectancies In Adolescence: The Role Of Situational Context And The Developing Moral Self, Tobias Krettenauer, Megan Johnston

Psychology Faculty Publications

The study analyses adolescents' positively charged versus negatively charged moral emotion expectancies. Two hundred and five students (M = 14.83 years, SD = 2.21) participated in an interview depicting various situations in which a moral norm was either regarded or transgressed. Emotion expectancies were assessed for specific emotions (pride, guilt) as well as for overall strength and valence. In addition, self-importance of moral values was measured by a questionnaire. Results revealed that positively charged emotion expectancies were more pronounced in contexts of prosocial action than in the context of moral transgressions, whereas the opposite was true for negatively charged …

A Qualitative Study On Online Social Networks And Language Mistakes, Buket Akkoyunlu, Meryem Yılmaz Soylu

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to put the suggestions of the students for the solutions towards caring Turkish by examining their projects carried out by Primary School 7th and 8th grade students in the online social networks (Facebook, Youtube, Myspace, Twitter, Blogs) in order to detect the wrong use of Turkish. The case study among the qualitative research methods was used. In the study, 7th and 8th grade students examined how Turkish (language) is used in the correspondences in the online social networks (Facebook, Youtube, Myspace, Twitter, Blogs), detected the mistakes and presented solution suggestions towards the correct use …

Chinese Parents’ Perspectives On Adolescent Sexuality Education, Wenli Liu, Kali S. Van Campen, Carolyn P. Edwards, Stephen T. Russell

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

There is growing interest in China to understand how young people learn about sexuality, but there are few existing studies about the role of parents as sex educators of their children. This study surveyed 694 Chinese parents of adolescents in three cities about their knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding sexuality education for their children. The majority supported sexuality education, yet few parents had provided it. High-income parents had more favorable sexual attitudes and, in turn, were more likely to educate children about sexuality. The findings provide insight into parents’ role in adolescents’ sexual behavior and can be useful to sexuality …

Is Touch Beyond Infancy Important For Children’S Mental Health?, Melody Whiddon, Marilyn J. Montgomery

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

Numerous studies from various fields have established that touch is vital to healthy adjustment during infancy and also during old age. Physiological research emphasizes the importance of touch to physical and psychological systems (Field, 2003). Attachment research emphasizes the importance of touch in the sensitive responsiveness and availability characteristic of the secure attachment style (Kassow & Dunst, 2004). Behavioral research emphasize the importance of contingent touch in reinforcement of infant behavior (Gewirtz & Pelaez- Nogueras, 2000). Recently, attention has been given to research examining touch in medical situations for elderly populations.

Theoretically, touch should remain important throughout the lifespan, but …

An Excel Worksheet For Proportion-Judgment Analyses On Number-Line Data, Emily Slusser, Hilary Barth

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Effectiveness Of A Research-Based Reading Development Intervention In 2nd Grade Children, Kinsi Dawn Franzwa

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to develop a reading program for second grade children that is based on research. Reading development is a complex process impacted by a wide array of neurobiological, cognitive, social, and other related factors.

An Applied Behavior Analysis-Based Intervention To Teach Age-Appropriate Sport Skills To Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Junko Uehara Moran

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that an effective behavioral intervention program can teach children with ASD to engage in age-appropriate lifetime sport activities (i.e., bike ride, scooter ride, skateboard, rollerblade, soccer, and baseball) and the ultimate goal of current intervention is for children with ASD to maintain the skills over time and generalize them to community activities.

Collective Identification In Arab American Emerging Adults: Does Affirmation To Ethnic, National, Family And Religious Groups Predict Positive Adjustment?, Mona K. Poinsett

Wayne State University Dissertations

There has been little work investigating multiple social identities, though an individual can identify with several groups (Kiang, Yip, & Fuligni, 2008). The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships among theoretically significant ingroup identifications and their contributions to adjustment in Arab American emerging adults. The Inclusion of the Ingroup in Self (IIS) measure and the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure - Revised (MEIM-R) were adapted to measure affirmation to ethnic, national (American), family, and religious groups. The results indicate that a pure model of pure affirmation could not be supported - it may be important to consider exploration …

A Content Analysis Of Indirect, Verbal, And Physical Aggression In Television Programs Popular Among School-Aged Girls, Jennifer Ruh Linder, Kelsey Ann Lyle

Faculty Publications

A content analysis of indirect, verbal, and physical aggression was conducted of 77 hours of television programming popular among fifth grade girls. Eighty-eight percent of programs contained aggression. Physical aggression occurred at a rate of 9.6 acts per hour, whereas indirect and verbal aggression occurred at a rate of 3.7 and 2.8 acts per hour, respectively. Rates of aggression varied by gender, age, and attractiveness of perpetrators, as well as by relationship between perpetrator and victim. Additionally, motivation and consequences of aggressive acts varied by form of aggression. Implications of the findings are discussed in light of current research and …

The Effects Of School Home Communication And Reading Fluency In Kindergarten Children, Farjana Khan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many researchers have documented that reading fluency scores continue to be a national concern for the United States and have suggested that early reading failure has long-term detrimental effects on society. However, much less is known regarding specific interventions that could reduce this concern. Investigators in other studies have suggested the development of early school-home partnerships to improve reading scores. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a systematic school-home intervention to improve reading fluency scores. Following the theoretical foundation of emergent literacy theory and Joyce Epstein's framework, the research question focuses on the association …

Attachment, Parentally Bereaved Adolescents, And High School Outcomes In A Large Inner-City High School, Silvana Amar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

U.S. and world communities face the challenges of understanding how children grieve and of giving them sufficient social and educational support. Inner-city minority adolescents have not been represented well in the bereavement and attachment literature. The purpose of the quantitative study was to use the attachment theory to understand the impact of parental bereavement on these adolescents. Data were collected using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), the Piers-Harris Children's Self- Concept Scale (2nd ed.), and school records. MANOVAs were used to analyze the influence of attachment organization, bereavement status, and gender on self-concept and academic and behavioral functioning in school. …

Connection Between Early Childhood Teachers' Beliefs And Practices Regarding Play, Robin L. Ploof

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research indicates play contributes to children's learning and development. The passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) changed early care and education by limiting time for play in early childhood classrooms. There is a gap in the literature concerning early childhood teachers' current beliefs about play and how those beliefs are connected to their practices. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the connections between early childhood teachers' beliefs regarding play and their practices in the early childhood classroom. Lave's situated learning theory formed the conceptual framework for this study recognizing the early childhood classroom …

A Bioecological Approach To Empathy, Altruism, And Intent To Help: Developmental, Dispositional And Contextual Factors Influence Prosocial Motivations And Intentions, Michelle Provenzano Beechler

Wayne State University Dissertations

Whether one helps due to altruistic empathy or egoistic motivators has been debated in the social psychological literature most recently with the Felt-Oneness (Cialdini et al., 1997) and the Empathy-Altruism (Batson 1991) hypotheses. For strangers, it appears that helping intentions are predicted by felt-oneness, except in circumstances in which a bystander feels nurturance toward a target, in which case empathy is found to predict helping. For close relationships, however, empathy predicts helping, particularly in high need situations. Antipathy has been presented as a possible confound as well (Batson et al., 1997), but has not been tested. The present study took …

Moving To The Level Of Representation To Explain Variations In Family Child Care Provider Sensitivity And The Effectiveness Of Child-Related Training, Diana Davidson Schaack

Dissertations

Many young children in the United States spend a substantial amount of time in the care of family child care providers. Previous research has found that when providers are sensitive and responsive to children's needs, children are more likely to develop secure attachment relationships with their providers, which, in turn, have been linked to many developmental benefits for young children. Unfortunately, it appears that many children do not experience the levels of caregiving sensitivity that are necessary to develop secure attachment relationships with their providers and that increased child-related training is not always effective at improving provider caregiving behaviors.

Attachment …