Developmental Psychology Commons^™

Secondary Mental Abilities, Kim Fitzgibbon, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Mental abilities have commonly been broken down into two main categories; primary and secondary. Primary mental abilities are thought to be large scale groups with similar abilities. Secondary mental ability builds off foundational primary mental abilities of intelligence. Research has suggested that there are six main secondary mental abilities, with the potential for additional abilities to be named or discovered as more research emerges. Expanding research on these abilities has also suggested that they can morph and evolve with age, just as primary abilities related to intelligence.

Brain Study Techniques, Rhonda Douglas Brown

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Brain study techniques are used to understand how the brain processes information and manages behavior.  They can establish which parts of the brain are responsible for different types of cognition and behavior.  One technique, called lesion studies, involves conducting case studies of patients with brain injury and associating damage in specific regions or structures with loss or impairment of specific cognitive processes and behaviors.  For example, in the mid1800s, using post-mortem autopsy, Paul Broca observed that patients who had lost the ability to speak, but could understand language, had damage in the posterior sections of the inferior frontal gyrus; whereas, …

Marriage In Old Age, Nicole M. Fornalski, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

As closely interactive cohorts throughout their adult lives, husbands and wives have been seen to become even closer confidants and partners in older age.  These changes may predominate after retirement and the loss of daily work practices and professional systems.  Older couples have frequently shared a considerable quantity of time with one another, and subsequently are able to call forth collective memories and years of intercommunications.  In addition, older adult couples usually report less conflicts, and appear to acquire more meaning out of their spousal relationships.  They also report less psychological distress and rates of illness than older singles.  These …

Role Transitions, Nicole M. Fornalski, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

A role can be defined as one’s position in a relationship or social structure, whereas a role identity consists of the behavioral expectations that are included in that role. While some individuals may view their roles through a fixed set of social standards, others rely on their own subjective perceptions and interpretations of these positions through flexible guidelines.  Through the process of a role transition, the literature identifies two types defined as a macro role transition or micro role transition.  A macro role transition consists of a psychological or physical change between consecutively held roles.  Examples can include career transitions, …

Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Fallon Flowers, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are diseases that can be passed from one person to another via sexual contact. Some STDs can be treated and cured, while others, once contracted, remain for a lifetime. Chlamydia is one of the more common STDs that both women and men are susceptible to. It is the result of exposure to a bacteria called Chlamydia Trachomatis. In women, the infection can occur in the cervix, throat, or rectum, while men who are infected experience the infection inside the penis (urethra), throat, and rectum. With regard to transmission, Chlamydia can be transmitted from one person to …

Social Exchange Theory, William Goulart, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Exchange theory originated in the field of sociology in the 1920s. However, since the late 1950s and early 1960s, social exchange theory has been a major school of thought in the field of both social psychology and sociology. This is largely due to the work of George Homans, John Thibaut, Harold Kelley, and Peter Blau. Social exchange theory describes all human interactions as a series of trades or exchanges of rewards between actors.

Lifespan Construct, Meghan Gilmore, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Susan K. Whitbourne’s (1985) lifespan construct derives from her identity theory. Lifespan construct is a combined sense of past, present, and future events that are connected by their common occurrence to the individual. Cognitive-affective schemata are part of building this construct and shape the way adults approach identity-discrepant experiences.  Cognition is the organizer of the experiences, and all events are measured against these experiences. The affective aspect is the individual’s evaluation of events that lead to positive or negative feeling-states.

Work-Life Balance Conflicts Parents Of Early Adolescents Faced During Covid-19 Lockdowns, Rodney Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Measures such as social distancing and lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic meant parents balanced their roles as educators, tech support, and employees in shared home offices. This qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate the work-life balance conflicts parents of early adolescents faced during the COVID-19 lockdowns, focusing on how parents managed the challenges of pandemic restrictions and their strategies for coping with cognitive, emotional, and physical fatigue for themselves and their families. This study was guided by the transactional theory of stress and coping. Twelve female parents were virtually interviewed, selected based on their having early adolescent children at home, …

Parent–Child Interaction Therapy Adapted For Older Children, Luke W. Badley

Dissertations, 2020-current

Externalizing behavior problems in children refer to negative outward actions directed toward others and the environment (Liu, 2004; Maughan et al., 2005). Between 2013–2019, the CDC reported a prevalence of 8.9%, with the highest rates in children aged 6–11 (Bitsko et al., 2022). If untreated, these behaviors may worsen and impact broader psychological functioning (Masten & Cicchetti, 2010). A review of the literature regarding the treatment of child behavior problems using Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) interventions highlights the critical role that parents play in the development and treatment of childhood behavior problems. BPT interventions enable parents and other important adults …

Psychological Treatment Behind The Walls:Insights From The Inside, Rogelio Serrano

Psychology Division Scholarship

Repeated eras of mass incarceration, criminalization of marginalized communities, and substance use policies have created a revolving door of justice involved populations. The ever-increasing prison population has repeatedly become the largest contingency of mental health clientele for an overburdened mental health system. Those who work with formerly incarcerated individuals in the community often don’t know the unique set of challenges faced by practitioners within the system. Increased understanding and coordination of care can offer opportunities for sustained recovery and reduced levels of recidivism. In this presentation participants will learn about the unique insights on mental health treatment that can be …

Lasting Impact Of Friendship: A Group Manual For Meaningful Connections In Adolescence, Kristen M. Hull

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Adolescence brings profound changes in physical growth, emotions, and social interactions. The friendships formed during this time of life play a crucial role in shaping a young person’s sense of self, emotional health, and ability to navigate social relationships well into the future. This group manual examines the importance of friendships in adolescence, offering a research-based approach to understanding how these relationships influence mental well-being, academic success, and personal development. Designed for school counselors and other trained professionals, it provides practical strategies to help students build and maintain meaningful, supportive friendships during this pivotal stage of life.

Keywords: adolescence, friendship, …

How Childhood Maltreatment Shapes Brain Regions: Considerations For Speech-Language Pathology, Alexa G. Sees

Honors Thesis

Childhood maltreatment is a pervasive issue that affects millions of children worldwide, leading to alterations in key structures such as the limbic system, basal ganglia, corpus callosum, visual cortex, and language areas. These changes result in significant cognitive, emotional, and neurological consequences, such as learning deficits, emotional regulation issues, memory problems, reduced vocabulary size, speech errors, etc. This thesis explores the neurological effects of childhood maltreatment and their implications for speech-language pathology, highlighting how maltreatment-induced brain changes affect areas within the scope of speech-language pathology, such as social communication, language development, and behavior management. These results underscore the importance of …

Understanding The Behavior Of Emerging Adults Through Perceptions Of Childhood Parental Rejection, Syrah Jhutti, Emily Isakulyan, Anna Agee, Bianca Welch, Jaci Ueckert, Vianita Correa, Abigail Oh

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

According to Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory (IPARTheory), feeling loved and accepted in childhood is crucial (Rohner, 2021). Cross-cultural studies show that unmet parental acceptance can lead to negative outcomes. This study examined how perceived parental rejection in childhood affects emerging adults’ romantic relationships, friendships, social interactions, and coping behaviors.

A total of 174 participants (67% women, 32% men, 1 non-binary; M age = 19.86, SD = 1.55) completed an online survey with established scales measuring perceived parental rejection, relationship dynamics, coping strategies, and social behaviors (Cronbach’s α = .76–.95).

Perceived maternal rejection was linked to more withdrawal in romantic relationships (r …

Pareidolia And Creative Potential: Exploring Individual Differences In Attention To Pareidolia, Anna Prinz

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Faces are important stimuli in our environments and elicit a greater attentional response than non-faces. This is also true for pareidolic faces, which are objects in which individuals see features of faces such as eyes and mouths. Creative potential can affect pareidolic processing. Recent studies have found that perceptions of pareidolia occur more often and quickly in individuals with higher creative potential (HCP) compared to individuals with lower creative potential (LCP), which might contribute to greater distractibility for HCP individuals. In the present study, I expected that individuals with HCP would be more distracted by less pareidolic stimuli compared to …

Inside Out 2, Bertha A. Manninen Ph.D.

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Inside Out 2 (2024), directed by Kelsey Mann.

The Silent Pandemic: Link Between Depression, Marijuana Usage And Mental Health Services After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Elias Ciudad, Lori Boies

Posters - 2025

The National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) measure substance use, mental illness, and treatment in the civilian noninstitutionalized population 12 or older. Depression is a public health epidemic that disproportionately affects young adult populations aged 18-25. At the same time, the consumption of marihuana is on the rise and more popular in this demographic group.

This statistical study aims to identify and model predictors of major depressive disorders (MDE) and marijuana abuse among populations older than 18 via standard tests, modeling, odds ratios, and epidemiological approaches for 2023 NSDUH data.

Are The Kids Alright? An Analysis Of Sex Education, The Sexual Behaviors Of Minors And Age Of Consent Laws In The United States, Monica L. Johnston

Senior Theses

This paper explores the sexual development of children, the sexual education they receive, as well as the history of sex laws in the United States, to determine whether the laws regarding education and age of consent adequately protect children. A qualitative survey is also conducted with undergraduate students at the University of South Carolina to determine what topics were discussed in their sexual education curriculum, as well as their sexual behaviors as a minor. While the push for comprehensive sexual education models has been growing, millions of dollars are still being allocated to promote Abstinence Only Until Marriage programs, which …

How Do Children Learn How To Learn? Promoting Early Development At Home Through Play: A Scoping Review, Annika J. Larson

Senior Theses

Early childhood is a critical time in human development, during which children are discovering and practicing countless skills, from basic motor and language skills to problem-solving, self-regulation, memory, and other foundational abilities like literacy and math skills. From infancy through childhood, play is thought to be the primary condition under which most early skills are developed and perfected. During this time, young children are especially vulnerable to adversity and negative environmental influences due to their brains’ high plasticity; adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) impact an individual well beyond early childhood, specifically in early skills deficits. Play is known to be a …

Between Healing And Harm: An Analysis Of Residential Treatment Centers For Youth, Virginia B. Finch

Senior Theses

Residential treatment for children and adolescents has evolved greatly. Today, a therapeutic individualized treatment approach is standard. Despite past and present improvements in care, this paper examines the persistent challenges faced by residential treatment centers (RTCs) serving youth with mental health issues. This paper argues that residential treatment, while sometimes necessary, has the potential to cause more harm than good due to systemic issues like overdiagnosis, inappropriate medication, and the troubled teen industry’s (TTI) profit-focused approach.

The Contribution Of Task Difficulty And Adult Reliability On Children's Academic Task Persistence, Ella M. Wheelbarger

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Task persistence plays a crucial role in children's academic success and achievement of long-term goals. Contextual variables may influence child persistence such as reward source reliability, task difficulty, or task arrangement. We evaluated the effects of reward source reliability on children's academic task persistence with task difficulty. The perception of the reliability of the reward source was manipulated by making a commitment to provide a reward after completion of the task, but upon completion, delivery was delayed to the next day. The study was designed to examine the extent to which experiencing prior disappointments would decrease persistence times on subsequent …