Developmental Psychology Commons^™

Promoting Developmentally Informed Justice: A Developmental Assessment Referral Framework For Juvenile Transfer Decisions, Carly F. Colman

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

The transfer of youth between juvenile courts and adult courts is one of the most consequential decisions made in the American legal system, as it will influence the youth’s legal outcomes, developmental trajectories, and long-term well-being. Advances in adolescent brain science show that there are many factors associated with youthful offending, including developmental immaturity, susceptibility to external influences, and ongoing neurobiological development—all of which are related to age, rather than being fixed criminal traits. Despite this growing body of evidence, legal decision-making in juvenile transfer and sentencing does not consistently incorporate individualized developmental data. This paper examines the important role …

How Adults With Fasd Describe Spiritual Experiences And Faith Formation, Emily Hargrove

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) has been extensively studied in childhood and, more recently, in adulthood. However, little is known about how adults with FASD experience faith formation and spirituality. Spirituality has been recognized as a coping resource that promotes resilience and psychological well-being, yet these experiences remain largely unexplored among adults with FASD. The purpose of this study was to explore how adults with FASD describe their faith formation and spiritual experiences. Two research questions guided the study: How do adults with FASD describe their faith formation? and How do adults with FASD describe their spiritual experiences? James Fowler's …

Relational Reasoning Across Cultures: Consistency And Variation In South Korea, The United States, And China, Alexandra Carstensen, Minju Kim, Youngon Choi, Caren M. Walker

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Abstract reasoning in early childhood is often described as following a “relational shift,” over which children become increasingly sensitive to relations. However, recent work has challenged the generality of this account, showing that children in the US and China follow distinct trajectories in a relational match-to-sample task. This difference aligns with multiple cultural and linguistic factors implicated in relational reasoning, where the US and China appear at opposite ends of a continuum, focusing on objects (US) versus relations (CN). This raises the possibility that differences in culture and language may shape variation in the development of abstract reasoning. Here, we …

The Lived Experiences Of Intimacy And Isolation In Single Mothers During Covid-19: An Eriksonian Perspective, Chante Renee Reeves

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Single mothers were largely absent from the COVID-19 literature, despite being head of household in approximately 80% of single-parent homes. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative research study was to gain insight into the lived experiences of single mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study addressed how this group connected with family, friends, and others in meaningful ways despite government-imposed lockdowns and restrictions. This phenomenon was explored through Erik Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, with a focus on the intimacy versus isolation stage. An Eriksonian perspective on relationship building and maintenance in adulthood can help better understand and address the social …

Understanding And Responding To Childhood Trauma In The Classroom, Kara L. Ganzer

Master of Arts in Human Services

This capstone explored childhood trauma as a significant public health and educational issue because of its widespread impact on children’s development, learning, behavior, and educational experiences. A review of the current literature was conducted to examine adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), the neurobiological and developmental effects of childhood trauma, its impact within educational settings, and the trauma-informed approaches for supporting students who have experienced adversity. The literature suggested that childhood trauma can disrupt brain development, executive functioning, emotional regulation, attention, memory, and stress-response systems, contributing to academic, behavioral, and social-emotional challenges within the classroom. Findings also highlighted the important role schools …

What Makes Implicit Bias Training Effective? An Examination Of Training Program Interventions And K-12 Educator Experiences, Kyleigh K. Mcaloon

McNair Summer Research Program

Differences in disciplinary referrals based on race have led many to argue that bias may influence disciplinary decisions. Implicit bias (IB) training is designed to address such disparities by raising awareness of biases that may impact assessment of behavior and disciplinary decisions. In recent years, many have questioned the validity of IB as a construct and also the potential impact of training. Some scholars argue that these programs fail to produce meaningful behavioral change and may unintentionally reinforce or increase bias. The aim of the present study was to investigate how individuals receive and respond to such training. Sixteen K-12 …

Integrating Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions In Inclusive Classrooms To Support Autistic Students, Paige J. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current trend of an increasing prevalence rate of autism spectrum disorder creates a growing need for evidence-based interventions that can be accessed in the natural environments, such as within inclusive educational settings. Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) integrate principles of applied behavior analysis and developmental psychology, and offer effective tools for increasing social communication behaviors in autistic children that align with the neurodiversity-affirming movement. The present study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of Behavior Skills Training (BST) in teaching core NDBI skills to a preschool teacher, examine changes in teacher self-efficacy related to supporting autistic students, and assess the …

Integrating Matrescence Into Birth Worker Practice: A Practice Improvement Project, Kelsey B. Green

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) affect 20–25% of mothers worldwide and are a leading cause of maternal complications. Stigma, fragmented care, and limited provider training leave families vulnerable, while birth workers offer trusted, continuous support.

Problem: Birth workers' maternal mental health (MMH) training is minimal and often excludes matrescence, the developmental transition to motherhood, limiting their ability to distinguish normal adjustment from clinical PMADs and delaying intervention.

Methods: A single-group, pre-/post-test design evaluated a matrescence-informed workshop at Roots Community Health's 2nd Annual Symposium. Anonymous surveys measured knowledge, attitudes, and confidence, analyzed with Mann–Whitney U, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and …

A Poetic Call For And A Reflection And Commentary On Clarity, Understanding, Hope, Courage, And Compassion, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

Finding a published poem I had written as a teenager, titled “The Heavens Weep.” this article uses that poem as the basis for a commentary that reflects on the state of the world today (2026),  As a commentary, the article uses the poetic and metaphoric words in the poem as a relevant "reality check" for what is still going on today.  In essence, the commentary is about a call for Clarity, Understanding, Hope, Courage, and Compassion, or what I call Archetypal Energies, Higher Vibrational Energies that operate deep within our individual and collective psyches to creatively urge us to "see" …

Comparing Online Versus In-Person Administration Of Cognitive Tasks And Evaluating Their Predictive Utility Of Inattention Symptoms And Related Behaviors, Cameron Pothoven

Master's Theses

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with less developed working memory (WM) processes, theorized to be a core contributing factor in the development of ADHD and a predictor of ADHD symptom severity (Alderson et al., 2013; Rapport et al., 2008). Objective measures inclusive of working memory tasks, when used in conjunction with self-report measures, have been previously shown to increase the accuracy of diagnosing ADHD (Marshal et al., 2021. However, given that WM is typically assessed by a trained clinician, it is unclear how accurate and comparable online administration of adapted WM tasks are to their in-person counterparts. …

Beyond The Binary: The Intersection Of Substance Use And Lgbtq+ Identity, Allyana Musa

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Substance use among LGBTQ+ youth remains a significant public health concern, with rates of alcohol, marijuana, and other substance use consistently exceeding those of their heterosexual peers. This systematized review examines the literature on substance use interventions for LGBTQ+ youth, with a focus on identifying the program components and theoretical orientations associated with effective and affirming outcomes. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search of ERIC and PsycINFO was conducted to identify peer-reviewed studies published between 2016 and 2026 that addressed substance use among LGBTQ+ youth. Eligible studies included quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, and conceptual research examining substance use, risk and …

Juvenile Lifers: Adapting To Life While Doing Life, Tristin Faust

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative study examined psychosocial maturation among individuals sentenced to life imprisonment for offenses committed during adolescence. Archival interview and survey data were analyzed for 30 men who had been resentenced and released after serving an average of 31 years in prison. Findings revealed a developmental progression across four stages: pre-incarceration, initial incarceration, catalysts for change, and later incarceration. Participants described entering prison with developmental immaturity compounded by trauma, unstable home environments, educational disruption, and antisocial peer influence. Their early years of incarceration were marked by anger, fear, misconduct, and survival-oriented behavior. Over time, participants identified discrete events and ongoing …

Investigation Of A Novel Behavioral Assessment Of Challenging Behavior In The Context Of Medical Necessity And Disability Theory, Madison S. Walker

All NMU Master's Theses

Individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities often engage in challenging behaviors that interfere with daily functioning and community participation. Many standardized assessments focus on indirect, descriptive measurements that emphasize frequency, while providing limited information about medical severity, ongoing management strategies, and functional outcomes. This misalignment may limit the clinical utility of assessments, as scores may not consistently align with medical necessity criteria or arguments supporting the maintenance of current treatments. The first study extends on Reyes-Martín et al. (2022), which reviewed 24 assessments of challenging behaviors, by further evaluating assessment characteristics relevant to clinical decision-making and treatment justification. Findings highlight variability across …

Pathways To The Streets: A Proposed Model Examining The Factors Influencing Gang Affiliation And Involvement Among Young Black Men In The United States, Ceauna L. Juarez

Dissertations

This literature review examined gang involvement among young Black men in the United States and explored the factors that contribute to joining gangs and the consequences that may follow. The first chapter provides a brief history of gang involvement in Black communities and introduces Erikson’s development model, self-determination theory, and the minorities’ diminished returns as the three theoretical frameworks. The second chapter discusses common challenges faced by young Black men who are currently involved in gangs or are at risk of joining. The chapter explores issues such as life expectancy after gang involvement, adverse childhood experiences, mental health concerns, and …

Black Protection: Black Social Media Competency And Urban, Black Adolescents On Social Media, Taylor A. Williams

Dissertations

While urban, Black adolescents interact with racial identity content on social media, their identity is primarily shaped through offline experiences and later reflected or reinforced online. Through the concept of Black social media competency (B-SMC), this study examined the relationships between Black urban adolescents’ social media use, exposure to race-related content, and experiences navigating the digital environment. The study used a qualitative design, grounded in the phenomenological and ecological frameworks, with 21 adolescents recruited from two urban, Midwestern schools and programs to participate in semi-structured interviews, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns in how the participants …

The Role Of Social Emotional Learning In Utah’S Implementation Of Essa, Sharon Walles

Transforming Communities

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), as a policy, offers an additional tool to address the escalating adolescent mental health crisis. By acknowledging the critical link between student well-being, academic success, and evidence-based practices, this policy analysis explores how funding from ESSA can be leveraged to integrate Social Emotional Learning (SEL) within Utah’s schools. Experts, educators, and parents can be voices to combat misinformation surrounding the recent politicization of SEL and its implementation. This analysis connects Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory, which highlights the interconnectedness of the environment, with the importance of prioritizing mental health within schools to help adolescents with issues …

Who Is A Good Kid: Perceived Parenting Styles And Altruism, Brianna Guinigundo

Undergraduate Scholarship and Creative Works

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the correlation, if any, between perceived parenting styles and altruism scores among students at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The quasi–independent variable, perceived parenting styles, refers to how an individual personally believes their relationship with their parent to be. The four types of parenting styles include negligent, permissive, authoritarian, and authoritative. The classification of one’s perceived parenting style was based on their scores for parental control (i.e. how overbearing they believed their parent to be) and parental responsiveness (i.e. how warm and engaged they felt their parent was). The quasi-dependent variable …

Infant Hippocampal And Amygdala Volume In An Observational Follow-Up From A Randomized Clinical Trial For Maternal Prenatal Depression, Catherine H. Demers, Benjamin L. Hankin, Lillybelle K. Deer, Robert J. Gallop, Mercedes Hoeflich Haase, M. Camille Hoffman, Martin A. Styner, Nancy K. Grote, Elysia Poggi Davis

Psychology: Data Sets

Prenatal maternal depression may have intergenerational effects on offspring brain development, with potential socioemotional consequences. In an observational follow-up of a randomized clinical trial of a prenatal depression intervention (the CARE Project; ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03011801), brain development and subsequent negative emotionality were examined among 109 infants born to mothers randomized during pregnancy to brief interpersonal psychotherapy or enhanced usual care. These data include MRI-derived hippocampal and amygdala volumes at approximately 6 weeks of age and a laboratory-based assessment of infant negative emotionality at 6 months.

Resulting Publication: Infant hippocampal and amygdala volume in an observational follow-up from a randomized clinical trial …

The Role Of Rhyme In Children’S Word Learning, Tengwen Fan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Rhyme increases the phonological similarity of phrases individuals hear and enhances recall from working memory. The present study explores whether rhyme aids word learning in children and examines the underlying neural mechanisms through which rhyme facilitates word learning. Thirty-four children between 6 and 8 years old completed a word learning task where they were exposed to 15 nonwords (NWs), four times each, in the sentence-final position as their EEG was recorded. Participants were randomly assigned to either a Rhyme or No-Rhyme group, where the NWs rhymed or did not rhyme with a prime real word in the sentence, respectively, during …

Peer Attachment And Popularity Among Adolescents: The Mediating Role Of Relational Aggression, Katherine S. Fosco, Bailee Hill, Yan Li, Michelle F. Wright

DePaul Discoveries

Popularity during adolescence may pose a challenging social barrier, involving the desire for exclusivity and the need for broader peer connections. This study investigated the longitudinal effects of peer attachment on popularity among adolescents and the mediation process of relational aggression, expecting that peer attachment would be linked to reduced relational aggression, in turn relating to lower popularity at a later time point. The research participants (N = 569) included adolescents between the ages of 11 and 15 in the United States with data collection occurring at three time points. The path from Time 1 peer attachment to Time 2 …