Developmental Psychology Commons^™

Bridging The Gap Between Data And Instruction To Promote School Readiness, Lucki M. Ratsavong, Maureen J. Myrtil, Mihaiela R. Guglu, Rachel E. Schachter

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

States are increasingly endorsing collecting data in the early childhood classroom to measure instructional quality, as well as to enhance classroom- and school-based improvement efforts (Meisels, 2006; National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2009). While an increase in available data has the potential to inform decisions in the classroom, many educators report a need for clearer guidance in analyzing, interpreting, and using the data they collect (Sandall, Schwartz, & Lacroix, 2004; U.S. Department of Education, 2009). Thus, efforts must be made to improve resources and training to provide early childhood educators the opportunity to build their capacity for …

‘Why I Sent My Child Away’: Culturally Structured Motivations For Long-Distance Parenting, Deepa Srivastava, Maria Rosario De Guzman

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

Although long-distance parenting is often depicted as a response to crisis (e.g., economic) or other stressful life events, it is sometimes undertaken in various culturally normative situations. This current study explores the motivations of South Asian Indian immigrant parents for sending their young children to India to live temporarily with their grandparents. This qualitative study involves in-depth interviews with first generation immigrant parents about their experiences and motivations for sending their children to India. Analysis of the data revealed five themes, namely, (a) contextual and daily challenges in caring for their children in the United States, (b) parents’ concern around …

He’S Just Content To Sit: A Qualitative Study Of Mothers’ Perceptions Of Infant Obesity And Physical Activity, Danae Dinkel, Kailey Snyder, Anastasia Kyvelidou, Victoria Molfese

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

Background: Rates of obesity among children ages zero to five are rapidly increasing. Greater efforts are needed to promote healthy behaviors of young children. Mothers are especially important targets for promoting health as mothers’ views play a vital role in helping their children foster healthy habits from an early age. Research has found parents’ views of infants’ weight may influence their feeding practices; however, limited research has explored mothers’ view of infants’ weight in relation to the promotion of physical activity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of mothers of normal weight infants and overweight …

Examining The Role Of Teacher Presence And Scaffolding In Preschoolers’ Peer Interactions, Ibrahim H. Acar, Soo-Young Hong, Chaorong Wu

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

The current study aimed to examine the associations between teacher presence and social scaffolding and preschool children’s peer interactions. Using a time sampling method, peer interactions of 22 four- and five-year-old preschoolers (12 girls; M_age = 52.95 months) and teacher behavior were observed on two different days during various classroom activities in seven public preschool classrooms. Eco-behavioral analyses revealed that (a) teacher presence was negatively associated with positive peer interactions; (b) teacher absence was positively associated with negative peer interactions; (c) positive change of peer interactions was more likely to occur when the teacher was present; (d) children showed …

Let’S Know! Proximal Impacts On Prekindergarten Through Grade 3 Students’ Comprehension- Related Skills, Hui Jiang, Dawn Davis

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

Let’s Know! is a language-focused curriculum supplement developed through the Institute of Education Sciences’ Reading for Understanding initiative aimed at supporting prekindergarten through grade 3 students’ listening and reading comprehension. The current study reports results concerning the impacts of 2 instantiations of Let’s Know! on students’ comprehension-related skills (comprehension monitoring; understanding narrative and expository text, as supported by inference making and knowledge of text structure; and vocabulary) as proximal measures of efficacy. Results from the first cohort of a large, field-based, randomized controlled trial (N p 766 students across grades) indicate large, con- sistent, and statistically significant effects on curriculum- …

Ecological Invalidity Of Existing Gaydar Research: In-Lab Accuracy Translates To Real-World Inaccuracy: Response To Rule, Johnson, & Freeman (2016), William T.L. Cox, Patricia G. Devine, Alyssa A. Bischmann, Janet S. Hyde

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

In recent years, several empirical studies have claimed to provide evidence in support of the popular folk notion that people possess “gaydar” that enables them to accurately identify who is gay or lesbian (Rule, Johnson, & Freeman, 2016). This conclusion is limited to artificial lab settings, however, and when translated to real-world settings this work itself provides evidence that people’s judgments about who is gay/lesbian are not pragmatically accurate. We also briefly review evidence related to the consequences of perpetuating the idea of gaydar (i.e., “the gaydar myth”). Although past claims about accurate orientation perception are misleading, the work that …

Young Children With Down Syndrome Show Normal Development Of Circadian Rhythms, But Poor Sleep Efficiency: A Cross-Sectional Study Across The First 60 Months Of Life, Fabian Fernandez, Casandra C. Nyhuis, Payal Anand, Bianca I. Demara, Norman F. Ruby, Goffredina Spano, Caron Clark, Jamie O. Edgin

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objectives: To evaluate sleep consolidation and circadian activity rhythms in infants and toddlers with Down syndrome (DS) under light and socially entrained conditions within a familiar setting. Given previous human and animal data suggesting intact circadian regulation of melatonin across the day and night, it was hypothesized that behavioral indices of circadian rhythmicity would likewise be intact in the sample with DS.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 66 infants and young children with DS, aged 5e67 months, and 43 typically developing age-matched controls. Sleep and measures of circadian robustness or timing were quantified using continuous in-home actigraphy recordings performed over …

Comparison Of Patterns Of Use Of Unrecorded And Recorded Spirits: Survey Of Adult Drinkers In Rural Central China, Shiqing Wei, Ping Yin, Ian M. Newman, Ling Qian, Duane F. Shell, Lok-Wa Yuen

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

About 70% of the beverage alcohol consumed in China annually is spirits. Recorded spirits make up most spirit consumption, but about 25% of total alcohol consumption (1.7 L pure alcohol per capita annually) is unrecorded spirits (bai jiu), either homemade or made in unregulated distilleries. In some parts of China, the consumption of unrecorded spirits is higher than average. This paper compares the patterns of use of unrecorded distilled spirits and recorded distilled spirits among rural residents in Central China. Interviews were conducted with 3298 individuals in 21 towns/villages in 10 counties in the Hubei, Anhui, and Hebei provinces in …

Composition Of Unrecorded Distilled Alcohol (Bai Jiu) Produced In Small Rural Factories In Central China, Ian Newman, Ling Qian, Niran Tamrakar, Yonghua Feng, Ganrong Xu

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background: Unrecorded traditional distilled spirits (bai jiu, 白酒) are made and used throughout rural China for everyday use and special occasions. Nearly every town or village has a distiller to supply the demand. In rural China, distilling bai jiu is legal and regulated lightly or not at all. The World Health Organization estimates that as much as 25% of all alcohol consumed in China is unrecorded alcohol, of which an unknown portion is unrecorded bai jiu. Little is known about the composition of unrecorded Chinese spirits from rural parts of the country. This study focused on white spirits because the …

Calling In Retirement: A Mixed Methods Study, Ryan D. Duffy, Carrie L. Torrey, Jessica England, Elliot A. Tebbe

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This mixed methods study aimed to examine the experiences of a calling in retirement with a sample of 196 retired adults. First, a qualitative analysis explored the types of activities participants experienced as a calling as well as the types of barriers that participants perceived as keeping them from living their calling. ‘Helping Others’ emerged as the largest category of calling that participants endorsed and ‘No Resources to Live Calling’ emerged as the most frequently endorsed barrier. Building on our qualitative findings, we conducted a quantitative analysis to examine the relation of perceiving a calling with well-being. Consistent with prior …

Voter Worldview And Presidential Candidate Choice., Thomas Allen Kulbickas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has shown a relationship between having a strict father upbringing, defined by rules reinforcement and self-discipline beliefs, and the presence of high levels of social dominance orientation (SDO) and right-wing authoritarianism (RWA). The relationship between these variables and issue choice has been established, but no study has explored the connection between parental upbringing and moral foundations. Furthermore, the connection to political candidate choice has not been shown. This study investigated the relationship between people's parental upbringing beliefs, their adult morality, and their rating of ideal presidential candidate characteristics. Based on the moral foundation theory, a mixed methods study was …

The Giving Tree Academy, David A. Hurdle

CMC Senior Theses

A proposal for a new preschool based in Pomona, California, targeted towards children from low-income backgrounds. Includes extensive research on preschool nationwide, the state of California, and in Pomona. Within the paper a new preschool curriculum and specific teacher practices are discussed. Intended as a model for a new school. or to be adapted for use in educational policy.

Just World Beliefs, Identity Development, And Social Justice Advocacy Of Counselor Trainees, Sara Rundlett

All Master's Theses

This was the first study exploring the relationship between the belief in a just world, identity development, and social justice advocacy (SJA). A mixed methods design was conducted using a nationwide sample of ninety-seven counselor-in-training participants. Hypotheses included positive correlation between identity development and SJA, negative correlation between belief in a just world and SJA, and negative correlation between belief in a just world and identity development. Results were not significant but provided implications for future research and counselor training programs.

Associated Factors Of Posttraumatic Growth: A Meta-Analysis, Rong Xia

Masters Theses

During the past 20 years, posttraumatic growth has been recognized and emphasized to promote physical and psychological health after life-threatening events. There has also been an increasing number of individual studies on posttraumatic growth and its associated factors. However, it still remains unclear whether and how these relationships are facilitated. Therefore, the current meta-analysis aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding on the important associated factors of posttraumatic growth. Posttraumatic stress, event centrality, emotion regulation, and religious or spiritual coping and their actual relationships with posttraumatic growth were examined along with some potential moderators. Results from 56 studies (N = 20,132) …

Sentence Recall In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Brett Wallace

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is an age-shift in neurotypical children: younger children tend to remember information in a verbatim manner so they store item-specific surface characteristics; between nine and ten children engage in gist recall where they store meanings of presented information. The aim of the present study was to explore false memory in children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as some research suggests that they develop gist recall at a later age than neurotypical children. We are also interested in the role of working memory.

One approach to understanding false memory creation is activation-monitoring (AM) theory. Working memory can play a role …

Sexy, Thin, And White: The Intersection Of Sexualization, Body Type, And Race On Stereotypes About Women And Women's Body Dissatisfaction, Ellen A. Stone

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The vast majority of media images present one idealized type of woman: she is thin, sexualized, and White. While research has shown that there are stereotypes associated with sexualized women, research has not addressed whether these stereotypes vary based on other characteristics such as body type and race. The current study aimed to examine the stereotypes associated with women who varied in body size, sexualization, and race. Additionally, the current study examined whether exposure to differing portrayals of women was related to endorsement of gender stereotypes and body dissatisfaction. College-aged students (n = 226, 161 women) rated four traits …

Too Pretty For Homework: The Academic Correlates Of Sexualized Gender Stereotypes Among Adolescent Girls, Andrew A. Nelson

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Girls grow up in a culture of ubiquitous female sexualization, and this culture propagates stereotypes that could interfere with their academic outcomes. The current study examined the academic correlates of these sexualized gender stereotypes (SGS) among early adolescent girls. Girls (N = 99) aged 11 to 14 (M_age = 12.4 years, SD = .57 years) completed a survey assessing their academic performance, attitudes, and beliefs. The survey also assessed the degree to which girls believed that boys and girls should act in accordance with these sexualized gender stereotypes. Results indicated that higher endorsement of sexualized gender stereotypes …

Risk Factors For Abuse Of Prescription Stimulants In College Students: A Dissertation, Eric A. Haak

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The abuse of prescription stimulants among college students is a growing public health concern. While these substances are often viewed as safe, “smart drugs”, they are associated with a number of maladaptive outcomes, ranging from poorer academic performance to cardiovascular incidents and even death. To date, the majority of research on the abuse of these substances have focused on demographic factors which are not amenable to intervention, such as race, Greek organization status, and class rank. The current study examined family factors, academic stress, and impulsivity as potential risk factors which are amenable to intervention. In a sample of 335 …

Effects Of A Growth Mindset Intervention On First-Year College Student Academic Performance, Sarah North Wolfe

All Master's Theses

Student success is influenced by a complex array of factors, including implicit theories of intelligence, or mindset. Previous research has shown that students’ mindset, whether they view intelligence as a fixed quantity or something that can be incrementally increased, can predict academic achievement. Students who hold a fixed mindset believe that intelligence is a static trait that cannot be changed and often internalize failure, exert less effort when faced with difficulty, and avoid challenging work in order to preserve their self-image. Conversely, students who hold a growth mindset believe that intelligence can be cultivated by engaging in challenging experiences. These …

Culture And Parenting Among Teen Fathers, Cecilia Macedo, Cara Maffini

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.