Developmental Psychology Commons^™

The Fantastic Manifesto: Monstrosity Of Memory And Epiphany Of Selfhood In The Spirit Of The Beehive (1973), Layla Blodgett Carrillo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Spanish culture of storytelling suffered under the nearly forty-year dictatorship of Francisco Franco. The government-regulated cinema welcomed propaganda and melodrama, and denied the fantastic, the legendary, and the magical. These carefully manipulated histories, which served to romanticize the ideologies of the regime, also served to eulogize the delinquent and the depraved. In the early 1970s, at the heels of the collapse of Franco’s reign, the people of Spain bore witness to a new national cinema. The Spirit of the Beehive (1973), the feature debut from Victor Erice, exists at the threshold between a storied history of Spanish dictatorship and …

Adhd And Theory Of Mind In School-Age Children: Exploring The Cognitive Nature Of Social Interactions In Children With Adhd, Rachel Feigenbaum

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience significant difficulties with social skills (Barkley, 2006; DuPaul & Stoner, 2003; Stormont, 2001). The inhibitory deficit associated with ADHD is typically identified as the cause of these impaired social skills (Barkley, 2006). Additionally, some researchers have suggested that theory of mind (ToM), which is the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and to others, may be involved, but the research on ToM deficits in children with ADHD is limited and the findings are mixed. A key methodological issue in this literature is the use of traditional but problematic measures of advanced …

Stress As A Cultural Tool In Higher Education, Nadia Ramjit

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study focuses on how two groups of college freshmen, the traditional age and nontraditional age students use the word stress as a cultural tool in their college adjustment process. This topic is explored through Vygotsky’s concept of language understood as a cultural tool, enacting meaning as developed through socio-cultural relations (1978). Three research questions explore how students articulate stress in diverse ways: How do traditional and nontraditional college freshmen use the word stress as a cultural tool to mediate their experiences in the college environment: academically, socially, personally, regarding goal commitments, etc.? What are the factors that traditional and …

Development Of Authoring And Agency In Early Childhood Through Play, Pi-Chun Grace Ho

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The recent national focus on universal early childhood education programs has drawn attention to the challenges of organizing learning contexts and practices in which children can thrive as learners and community members. Preparing children for school and improving the quality of early childhood education face limits, however, when the role of play is dismissed or reduced to merely instrumental activity. Framed in Vygotsky’s cultural-historical theory, Bakhtin’s dialogic approach, and Stetsenko’s transformative activist stance, I reframe play as a process of authoring that fuels children’s passion for being agentive actors in the world and their own lives. This approach addresses how …

Words Of Change: How Linguistic Shifts Over The Course Of A Short-Term Exposure Therapy Represent Movement Towards Psychological Health, Zachary A. Kahn

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Exposure therapy is currently considered the “gold standard” in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Though exposure therapy has been increasingly used and studied as an intervention for PTSD in recent years, little is known about the mechanisms of change in this type of treatment. The Trauma and Addiction Project at the City College of New York ran a clinical research trial for individuals with co-morbid PTSD and Substance Use Disorders (SUDs). Participants randomized into the experimental group, Concurrent Treatment with Prolonged Exposure (COPE), participated in a twelve-session therapeutic intervention that combined exposure therapy focused on the participant’s primary trauma with …

Evaluation Of A Community-Based Positive Youth Development Program For Adolescents With Greater Psychosocial Needs: Views Of The Program Participants, Daniel T. L. Shek, Cecilia M. S. Ma, Moon Y. M. Law, Zoe Zhao

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

The present study attempted to investigate the perceptions of Chinese secondary school students with greater psychosocial needs of the Tier 2 Program in the community-based phase of P.A.T.H.S. Project in Hong Kong (n=4245). Using a subjective outcome evaluation tool (Form C), the results revealed that a great majority of the students held positive attitudes toward the program, implementers and the effectiveness of the program. Also, the three domains of the program (“program quality”, “implementer quality” and “program effectiveness”) were significantly associated with each other. In line with previous findings, both program content and program implementer quality were significant predictors of …

Evaluation Of A Community-Based Positive Youth Development Program In Hong Kong: Views Of Program Implementers, Daniel T. L. Shek, Cecilia M. S. Ma, Xiaoqin Zhu

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Using a subjective outcome evaluation method, the current study investigated program implementers’ perceptions of the Tier 1 Program of the community-based P.A.T.H.S. Project in Hong Kong. After completion of the program, 599 program implementers completed a valid and reliable scale (i.e. Form B) to give their ratings on program content, their own performance, and perceived program effectiveness. As expected, most program implementers perceived the program in a favorable way by giving very positive ratings on the three aspects measured in Form B. Grade differences on the ratings were observed, with implementers teaching the senior curriculum held more positive views on …

Subjective Outcome Evaluation Of The Community-Based P.A.T.H.S. Project: Views Of Program Implementers, Daniel T. L. Shek, Janet T. Y. Leung, Cecilia M. S. Ma, Jing Wu

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

The present study adopted subjective outcome evaluation to examine program effectiveness from the views of implementers (N=375) who implemented the community-based Tier 2 Program of the Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong. The results revealed that most of the program implementers were satisfied with the program content, their own performance, and program benefits. In agreement with previous studies, the satisfaction ratings of both program content and implementer performance positively predicted perceived program benefits. Regarding the influences of different program delivery approaches, programs with the “interest-enhancement” (INT) element received a more positive evaluation from implementers than did the programs without that element. …

Impulsive-Antisocial Psychopathic Traits Linked To Increased Volume And Functional Connectivity Within Prefrontal Cortex, Cole Korponay, Maia Pujara, Philip Deming, Carissa Philippi, Jean Decety, David Kosson, Kent Kiehl, Michael Koenigs

Psychology Faculty Works

Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by callous lack of empathy, impulsive antisocial behavior, and criminal recidivism. Studies of brain structure and function in psychopathy have frequently identified abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex. However, findings have not yet converged to yield a clear relationship between specific subregions of prefrontal cortex and particular psychopathic traits. We performed a multimodal neuroimaging study of prefrontal cortex volume and functional connectivity in psychopathy, using a sample of adult male prison inmates (N = 124). We conducted volumetric analyses in prefrontal subregions, and subsequently assessed resting-state functional connectivity in areas where volume was related to …

Familial Attitudes And Behaviors As Predictors Of Transgenderism, Angela Dawn Cockrell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Anonymous, retrospective data from 32 transgender and 3,337 cis-gender control participants were analyzed via logistic regression to examine the potential roles of parental attitudes and behaviors as well as familial status in the etiological chain leading to transgenderism. It was hypothesized that transgenderism may be predicted by negative parental attitudes toward sex and a lack of reciprocal parent-child nudity. Results indicated that transgenderism may be predicted by negative paternal attitudes toward sex, decreased maternal-child nudity, and absent fathers.

A Dialectical Approach To Theoretical Integration In Developmental-Contextual Identity Research, Jayson O. Seaman, Erin H. Sharp, Andrew D. Coppens

Kinesiology

Future advances in identity research will depend on integration across major theoretical traditions. Developmental-contextualism has established essential criteria to guide this effort, including specifying the context of identity development, its timing over the life course, and its content. This article assesses four major traditions of identity research - identify status, eudaimonic identity, sociocultural theory, and narrative identity - in light of these criteria, and describes the contribution of each tradition to the broader enterprise of developmental-contextual research. This article proposes dialectical integration of the four traditions, for the purpose of generating new questions when the tensions and contradictions among …

Narrative Skills Predict Peer Adjustment Across Elementary School Years, Alice J. Davidson, Marsha D. Walton, Bhavna Kansal, Robert Cohen

Faculty Publications

The importance of peer adjustment in middle childhood coincides with developing social cognitive and discursive skills that include the ability to make personal narrative accounts. Authoring personal stories promotes attention to the sequence of events, the causal connections between events, the moral significance of what has happened, and the motives that drive human action: these skills may be critical for the establishment and maintenance of satisfying peer relationships during elementary school. The present study extended previous research by considering whether narrative skills in written stories about peer interactions predicted peer adjustment. As part of an ongoing longitudinal study, 92 children …

Preschool Children’S Biophilia And Attitudes Toward Nature: The Effect Of Personal Experiences, Ruddy E. Yanez, Bronwyn S. Fees, Julia C. Torquati

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

Regular engagement outside may promote healthy physical and psychological development as well as a respect and appreciation for nature. This exploratory study compared biophilia and attitudes toward nature between young children living in an urban area to those in a rural area. Urban and rural areas may offer different opportunities for exposure and engagement with elements such as water, plants, and animals. A comparison between young children in these settings may determine if experience in these different environments affects their attitudes and biophilia. Thirty-six children (urban n = 27; rural n = 9) participated in one-on-one structured interviews about their …

Effectiveness Of Large-Scale, State-Sponsored Language And Literacy Professional Development On Early Childhood Educator Outcomes, Shayne B. Piasta, Laura M. Justice, Ann A. O'Connell, Susan A. Mauck, Melissa M. Weber-Mayrer, Rachel E. Schachter, Kristin S. Farley, Caitlin F. Spear

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

The current study investigated the effectiveness of large-scale, state-sponsored language and literacy professional development (PD) intended to improve early childhood educators’ knowledge, beliefs, and practices. PD was offered in a real-world context and delivered at scale across the state, implemented by an independent contractor. Educators (n = 535) were randomly assigned to participate in one of three types of PD: 30 hrs of language and literacy PD presented in a workshop format, 30 hrs of language and literacy PD plus monthly coaching, or PD on alternative topics (comparison). Baseline and outcome measures were collected by an independent research team to …

The Potential Of Epigenetics Research To Transform Conceptions Of Phenotype Development, David S. Moore

Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research

Epigenetics remains an exciting subdiscipline of biology, generating discoveries and insights about development. Because epigenetic phenomena can draw attention to the dynamic, interactional, and probabilistic nature of phenotype development, epigenetics research could hasten the demise of both nature-nurture debates and reductionist, genetically determinist perspectives on phenotype development. However, new data alone will not inevitably transform conceptualizations of phenotype origins, because it remains possible to assimilate epigenetic phenomena into traditional conceptual frameworks; epigenetic discoveries could even strengthen biologically determinist conclusions if traditional conceptualizations are retained. Although epigenetics will not force conceptual transformation, epigenetics research encourages the dismissal of the nature-nurture dichotomy …

Sibling Relationship Quality And Mexican-Origin Adolescents' And Young Adults' Familism Values And Adjustment, Sarah E. Killoren, Sue A. Rodriguez De Jesus, Kimberly A. Updegraff, Lorey A. Wheeler

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

We examined profiles of sibling relationship qualities in 246 Mexican-origin families living in the United States using latent profile analyses. Three profiles were identified: Positive, Negative and Affect-Intense. Links between profiles and youths’ familism values and adjustment were assessed using longitudinal data. Siblings in the Positive profile reported the highest familism values, followed by siblings in the Affect-Intense profile and, finally, siblings in the Negative profile. Older siblings in the Positive and Affect-Intense profiles reported fewer depressive symptoms than siblings in the Negative profile. Further, in the Positive and Negative profiles, older siblings reported less involvement in risky behaviors …

Babies And Math: A Meta-Analysis Of Infants’ Simple Arithmetic Competence, Joan Christodoulou, Andrew Lac, David S. Moore

Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research

Wynn’s (1992) seminal research reported that infants looked longer at stimuli representing “incorrect” versus “correct” solutions of basic addition and subtraction problems and concluded that infants have innate arithmetical abilities. Since then, infancy researchers have attempted to replicate this effect, yielding mixed findings. The present meta-analysis aimed to systematically compile and synthesize all of the primary replications and extensions of Wynn (1992) that have been conducted to date. The synthesis included 12 studies consisting of 26 independent samples and 550 unique infants. The summary effect, computed using a random-effects model, was statistically significant, d = +0.34, p < .001, suggesting that the phenomenon Wynn originally reported is reliable. Five different tests of publication bias yielded mixed results, suggesting that while a moderate level of publication bias is probable, the summary effect would be positive even after accounting for this issue. Out of the 10 metamoderators tested, none were found to be significant, but most of the moderator subgroups were significantly different from a null effect. Although this meta-analysis provides support for Wynn’s original findings, further research is warranted to understand the underlying mechanisms responsible for infants’ visual preferences for “mathematically incorrect” test stimuli.

Reports Of The Relation Between Cultural Identification, Family Socialization And Adolescent Alcohol Use Among Native American Families, Jildyz Urbaeva, Jaime Booth, Kai Wei

Social Welfare Faculty Scholarship

The enculturation or teaching of Native American traditions to Native American adolescents has been incorporated into substance-use prevention interventions in recent decades; yet, little is known about how enculturation may impact substance use through family socialization. The current study aimed to test the relationship between family identification with Native American culture and alcohol use among Native American families residing on or near a reservation, and determine if this relationship was mediated by family socialization practices. To achieve this aim, data (n = 2,368) collected as part of the NIDA-funded Drug Use among Young American Indians was used. No direct …

Neural Correlates Of Response Inhibition In Early Childhood: Evidence From A Go/No-Go Task, Aishah Abdul Rahman, Daniel J. Carroll, Kimberly Espy, Sandra A. Wiebe

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory: Faculty Publications

We examined the neural correlates underlying response inhibition in early childhood. Five-year-old children completed a Go/No-go task with or without time pressure (Fast vs. Slow condition) while scalp EEG was recorded. On No-go trials where inhibition was required, the left frontal N2 and posterior P3 were enhanced relative to Go trials. Time pressure was detrimental to behavioral performance and modulated the early-occurring P1 component. The topography of ERPs related to response inhibition differed from patterns typically seen in adults, and may indicate a compensatory mechanism to make up for immature inhibition networks in children.

Identifying Sex-Specific Cognitive And Diagnostic Profiles Of Children On The Autism Spectrum, Jessica Lee Irwin

Wayne State University Dissertations

Although there has been great interest in identifying sex differences in diseases or disorders that differentially affect males versus females, relatively less effort has been devoted to research on the differences between males and females with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), despite the known male preponderance in ASD. The identification of separate male and female phenotypes within ASD would help parents, teachers, and clinicians better identify girls who may need ASD-related intervention services, inform the targets and goals of such interventions, and lead to the refinement of diagnostic criteria and instruments designed to diagnose ASD in children.

The current study sought …

Parent-Child Interaction Style And Adjustment To Pediatric Cancer Treatment, Benjamin D. Goodlett

Wayne State University Dissertations

Substantial gains in the survival rate of children diagnosed with cancer have been achieved; however, a large body of evidence exists that children and their families are at increased psychosocial risk. Missing from our understanding is how real-time, moment-to-moment interactions build to long-term, developmental changes in child functioning. This project expands our understanding of the variation in child distress during procedures as well as long-term adjustment. Real-time coding and global ratings of parent and child behaviors were used to describe parent-child interactions in terms of dyadic flexibility and dyadic mutuality.

To carry out this project, a new system of collecting …

Child Temperamental Regulation And Classroom Quality In Head Start: Considering The Role Of Cumulative Economic Risk, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Leslie R. Hawley, Jennifer Locasale-Crouch, Eric S. Buhs

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

There is growing recognition that cumulative economic risk places children at higher risk for depressed academic competencies (Crosnoe & Cooper, 2010; NCCP, 2008; Sameroff, 2000). Yet, children’s temperamental regulation and the quality of the early childhood classroom environment have been associated with better academic skills. This study is an examination of prekindergarten classroom quality (instructional support, emotional support, organization) as a moderator between temperamental regulation and early math and literacy skills for children at varying levels of cumulative economic risk. The sample includes children enrolled in Head Start programs drawn from the FACES 2009 study. Three main findings emerged. First, …

Nebraska Early Childhood Workforce Survey: A Focus On Providers And Teachers, Amy M. Roberts, Iheoma U. Iruka, Susan L. Sarver

Buffet Early Childhood Institute Reports and Publications

The Nebraska Early Childhood Workforce Survey was undertaken by the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska to better understand the current status, working conditions, and attitudes of caregivers and teachers working with children from birth through Grade 3. Representing the largest and most comprehensive survey ever completed of the state’s early childhood workforce, it provides important insight into the everyday challenges of the professionals who care for and educate our youngest citizens. Research has long made clear the important role adults play in young children’s lives. Children who form strong relationships with adults feel safe to explore …

A Randomized Trial Examining The Effects Of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation In Rural Schools: Student Outcomes And The Mediating Role Of The Teacher–Parent Relationship, Susan M. Sheridan, Amanda Witte, Shannon R. Holmes, Michael J. Coutts, Amy L. Dent, Gina Kunz, Chaorong Wu

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

The results of a large-scale randomized controlled trial of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC) on student outcomes and teacher–parent relationships in rural schools are presented. CBC is an indirect service delivery model that addresses concerns shared by teachers and parents about students. In the present study, the intervention was aimed at promoting positive school-related social-behavioral skills and strengthening teacher–parent relationships in rural schools. Participants were 267 students in grades K-3, their parents, and 152 teachers in 45 Midwest rural schools. Results revealed that, on average, improvement among students whose parents and teachers experienced CBC significantly outpaced that of control students in …

Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Attitudes And Pedagogical Strategies Toward Hypothetical Shy, Exuberant, And Average Children, Qizhen Deng, Guy Trainin, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Irina Kalutskaya, Stephanie Wessels, Julia C. Torquati, Robert J. Coplan

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

Children’s learning and development are directly and indirectly influenced by teachers’ beliefs and pedagogical strategies toward child behaviors. This cross-sectional study explored elementary preservice teachers’ attitudes and pedagogical strategies for working with hypothetical children demonstrating temperament-based shy, exuberant, and average behaviors in the classroom. A secondary goal was to compare attitudes and pedagogical strategies at the beginning and end of teacher training program. A total of 354 participants responded to three vignettes describing children frequently displaying these behaviors. Results indicated preservice teachers were more likely to use social-learning strategies with shy children and high-powered strategies with exuberant children. Participants were …

Parental Empathy, Aggressive Parenting And Child Adjustment In A High Risk Sample, Shuang Bi

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The current study examined the relation between parental empathy, parenting aggression and child maladjustment in a group of parents who perpetrated child abuse and neglect. Twenty parents who were court mandated to receive a parenting intervention program at the Nest Center for Women, Children, and Families participated in this research study. Information about parental dispositional empathy, parent-child specific empathy, parenting aggression and child internalizing and externalizing symptoms were collected through an interview with the parents. Parents in this study reported high levels of dispositional empathy, but exhibited low to moderate levels of empathy in a parent-child relationship rated by coders. …

Consumers, Clergy, And Clinicians In Collaboration: Ongoing Implementation And Evaluation Of A Mental Wellness Program, Glen Milstein, Dennis Middel, Adriana Espinosa

Publications and Research

As a foundation of most cultures, with roots in persons’ early development, religion can be a source of hope as well as denigration. Some religious institutions have made attempts to help persons with mental health problems, and some mental health professionals have sought to engage religion resources. These programs have rarely been sustained. In 2008, the Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) developed a program to assess the utility of religion resources within mental health care. In response to positive feedback, MHCD appointed a director of Faith and Spiritual Wellness who facilitates community outreach to faith communities and spiritual integration …

Estimate Of Undergraduate University Student Alcohol Use In China: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Ian Newman, Lanyan Ding, Yonghua Feng

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: To develop an estimate of self-reported last 30 day alcohol use by university students in China.

Methods: A search of papers published in English and Chinese between 2006 and 2015, following pre-established selection criteria, identified 30 papers that were included in this meta-analysis. Nine moderator variables were preselected for this analysis.

Results: A total of 749 papers were identified in the keyword search, and 30 studies (28 in Chinese, 2 in English) met all selection criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. The self-reported last-30-day alcohol use for undergraduate university students was 66.8% for males and 31.7% …

Debunking The 'Gaydar' Myth, William Cox, Alyssa Bischmann, Janet Hyde, Patricia Devine

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Kids are often told that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Even so, people often believe they can rely on their gut to intuit things about other people. Stereotypes often influence these impressions, whether it’s that a black man is dangerous, a woman won’t be a good leader or a fashionable man is gay.

Mexican-Origin Youth's Risk Behavior From Adolescence To Young Adulthood: The Role Of Familism Values, Lorey A. Wheeler, Katharine H. Zeiders, Kimberly A. Updegraff, Sue A. Rodriguez De Jesus, Norma J. Perez-Brena

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

Engagement in risk behavior has implications for individuals' academic achievement, health, and well-being, yet there is a paucity of developmental research on the role of culturally-relevant strengths in individual and family differences in risk behavior involvement among ethnic minority youth. In this study, we used a longitudinal cohort-sequential design to chart intraindividual trajectories of risk behavior and test variation by gender and familism values in 492 youth from 12 to 22 years of age. Participants were older and younger siblings from 246 Mexican-origin families who reported on their risk behaviors in interviews spaced over eight years. Multilevel cohort-sequential growth models …