Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students.
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- All Subjects: Developmental Psychology
- Creators: DeLay, Dawn
Description
Aggression is inherently social. Evolutionary theories, for instance, suggest that the peer group within which an aggressor is embedded is of central importance to the use of aggression. However, there is disagreement in the field with regard to understanding precisely how aggression and peer relationships should relate. As such, in a series of three empirical studies, my dissertation takes a relational approach and addresses some of the inconsistencies present in the extant literature. In Study 1, I examined how qualities of youth's close friendships contributed to the use of aggression, both concurrently and over time. I found that youth with large friendship networks were more aggressive, whereas those with highly interconnected friendship network decreased in aggression over time. Using a dyadic mediation model, the second study considered the precursors to aggressors' friendships with peers. Specifically, I explored aggressive youth's interactions with unfamiliar peers and assessed how the interactions that unfold affected the quality of the relationship. I found that dyads who were highly discrepant in their tendencies toward aggression failed to collaborate well with one another, and this led to less positive perceptions of one another. Whereas the first two studies concerned aggressors' relationships with their friends (Study 1) and acquaintances (Study 2), Study 3 focused on a different type of relationship – the relationship between an aggressor and his or her victim(s). In the third study, I explored how power dynamics operate within an aggressor-victim dyad and assessed whether differences in the balance of power between the aggressor and victim affected the strength of their relationship. I found that more aggressor-victim dyads were characterized by a relative balance than imbalance in power, and that power balanced dyads had stronger and more sustained aggressor-victim relationships. By taking a relational approach to the study of aggression, this dissertation has advanced extant work in the field. That is, these findings move away from the simplification and aggregation of relational constructs (e.g., relationships, friendships), and instead consider the nuances of specific types of relationships or interactions with specific peers, allowing for a better understanding of the relational nature of aggression.
ContributorsAndrews, Naomi C. Z (Author) / Hanish, Laura D. (Thesis advisor) / Updegraff, Kimberly A (Committee member) / DeLay, Dawn (Committee member) / Martin, Carol Lynn (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
Segregation into own-gender peer groups, a common developmental pattern, has many potentially negative short- and long-term consequences. Understanding the social cognitive processes underlying intergroup processes may lead to a better understanding of, and a chance to improve, intergroup relations between boys and girls; however, until recently gender-typed cognitions have not received a lot of attention. Therefore, in two complementary studies, this dissertation examines developmental patterns and predictors of a particular type of social cognition, gender-based relationship efficacy (GBRE). The first study examines mean-level and interindividual stability patterns of GBRE longitudinally in two developmental periods: childhood and pre-adolescence. Specifically, the first study examined children’s and pre-adolescents’ GBRE toward own- (GBRE-Own) and other-gender (GBRE-Other) peers over a one-year period. Using a four factor repeated measures analysis of variance, the results indicated that GBRE-Own is significantly higher than GBRE-Other across both cohorts. GBRE-Other, however, increased from childhood to pre-adolescence. Stability and cross-lag effects were examined using a multi-group panel analysis and revealed that GBRE-Own and GBRE-Other were stable. Additionally, high levels of GBRE-Own led to lower levels of GBRE-Other one year later, but high levels of GBRE-Other led to higher levels of GBRE-Own. Implications for understanding segregation processes and suggestions for future research are discussed.
The second study examined potential affective/cognitive, behavioral, and contextual predictors of GBRE-Other in pre-adolescence. Several hypotheses were tested using panel models and regression analyses, but there was limited support. Results indicated that GBRE-Other predicted more positive attitudes toward other-gender peers and higher preferences for other-gender peer interaction and that, for boys, anxious attitudes toward other-gender peers negatively predicted GBRE-Other and, for girls, parental attitudes toward their children’s other-gender friendships negatively predicted GBRE-Other. The lack of significant findings in the second study should be interpreted cautiously. In general, GBRE is an important construct and more research is needed to fully understand the developmental progression and implications.
The second study examined potential affective/cognitive, behavioral, and contextual predictors of GBRE-Other in pre-adolescence. Several hypotheses were tested using panel models and regression analyses, but there was limited support. Results indicated that GBRE-Other predicted more positive attitudes toward other-gender peers and higher preferences for other-gender peer interaction and that, for boys, anxious attitudes toward other-gender peers negatively predicted GBRE-Other and, for girls, parental attitudes toward their children’s other-gender friendships negatively predicted GBRE-Other. The lack of significant findings in the second study should be interpreted cautiously. In general, GBRE is an important construct and more research is needed to fully understand the developmental progression and implications.
ContributorsField, Ryan David (Author) / Martin, Carol L (Thesis advisor) / DeLay, Dawn (Committee member) / Miller, Cindy F (Committee member) / Updegraff, Kimberly A (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
The theoretical basis of the proposed study is drawn from an ecological-transactional (Lynch & Cicchetti, 1998) systems approach to development, which focuses on contexts, and correspondingly, overlays the gender affirmative model’s (GAM) transactional model of support (Keomeier & Ehrensaft, 2018) to reveal protection in the school ecology. Combining these two approaches provides unique insights into protective factors in the school ecology, distinct from developmental systems approaches driven by the minority stress model (Meyer, 2003), which are designed to highlight the multidimensional quality of risk (Eisenberg et al., 2019). The dissertation had two central aims: 1) to report on the development of the Gender Affirmative School Climate (GASC) scale, a self-report survey designed to capture high school climate specific to the domain of gender, and 2) to explore how gender affirmative school climate (GASC) relates to student self-esteem and school belongingness. Unique from risk factors approaches the central aims sought out to identify protective factors within a developmental system ecology of the high school context.In two pilot studies (N=12; N=758; trans = 413, non-trans = 344) and primary study (N=813; trans = 482, non-trans = 328) results for scale development provide evidence to validate assumptions that the proposed (GASC) construct captures what was intended, that is, school climate specific to the domain of gender. However, measurement invariance procedure showed that not all items operated equivalently across trans and non-trans groups, and confirmed that the proposed scale meets criteria for “weak measurement invariance”. High school students that reported more positive school climate reported lower self-esteem scores. Only one protective moderator was consistent with hypotheses: More feelings of similarity to peer group gender (boys) emerged as a protective factor for transgender identified high schoolers attenuating the negative relationship between perceptions of school climate and self-esteem. Latent measurement models for each gender group demonstrated that the school belongingness construct is highly related to the proposed (GASC) construct. This demonstrated domain overlap with “feelings of school belongingness” signals that the proposed scale showed good convergent validity. The results provide insight about ways high schools can be pro-active to promote a healthier school climate for transgender students.
ContributorsScrofani, Stephan (Author) / Martin, Carol L. (Thesis advisor) / DeLay, Dawn (Thesis advisor) / Lindstrom-Johnson, Sarah (Committee member) / Low, Sabina (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Prosocial behavior refers to voluntary acts done to benefit another. To date, there is little work examining children’s prosocial behavior toward outgroup members. Across several multi-method multi-informant data sets, I used various statistical methods (e.g., latent change score analysis, mediation and moderation analyses) to examine the predictors, correlates, and development of children’s prosocial behavior toward various outgroup members (e.g., gender, race). In Study 1, I examined the relation between preschoolers’ other-gender friendships and their prosocial behavior toward other-gender peers. Findings showed support for the hypothesis that cross-gender friendships are positively associated with children’s prosocial behavior toward other-gender peers over time. Further, children’s prosocial behavior toward other-gender peers positively predicted children’s later gender attitudes suggesting that fostering intergroup prosocial behavior could be a potentially effective solution to reduce intergroup prejudice. To capture the multifaceted nature of social identities, in Study 2, I examined children’s prosocial behavior toward various ingroup and outgroup members with the intention of exploring the degree of ingroup-ness and testing the transfer effect of intergroup contact. Findings showed that cross-gender friendships were positively predictive of school-age children’s prosocial behavior toward diverse others. Further, cross-race friendships are related to children’s diverse prosocial behavior indirectly through children’s race-based sympathy. Study 3 extended the previous two studies by testing both Intergroup Contact Theory and Social Identity Theory and taking into consideration the social identity of oneself (versus the targets of prosocial behavior). Specifically, I examined the central component of gender identity: children’s perceived same-gender similarity and other-gender similarity, as well as children’s same- and other-gender friendships. Results showed that only intergroup friendships, but not children’s gender identity, were related to children’s prosocial behavior toward same- and other-gender peers. In sum, this basic research has potential to shed light on ways to promote equity and inclusion across various social groups early in development.
ContributorsXIAO, XINYUE (Author) / Spinrad, Tracy L (Thesis advisor) / Martin, Carol Lynn (Thesis advisor) / Eisenberg, Nancy (Committee member) / DeLay, Dawn (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
Appearance-related self-esteem is a facet of body image that encompasses the evaluative components of an individual's self-concept that pertains to their own physical appearance. Knowledge regarding how appearance-related self-esteem functions in adolescent social groups is scant in the literature and there is limited research using linear methods suggesting that adolescents can influence the appearance-related self-esteem of their peers. Given the negative consequences of negative feelings about one's appearance later in life, I examined how appearance-related self-esteem develops and relates to adolescent social processes during the transition to middle school. This dissertation investigated how appearance-related self-esteem related to the social processes of selection, similarity, and influence. I further explored the effect of gender on social processes and appearance-related self-esteem. Appearance-related self-esteem was not related to social processes of selection, similarity, or influence. Gender similarity was present in the network, such that adolescents were more likely to select same-gender peers than other-gender peers. Additionally, an effect of gender on appearance-related self-esteem was present, such that boys' appearance-related self-esteem increased over time more than girls'. Findings from the current dissertation provide foundational first steps in identifying the ways that peers impact appearance-related self-esteem during adolescence and provide insights toward understanding how different gender pathways around appearance-related self-esteem may develop over time.
ContributorsHoffer, Aubrey Linn (Author) / DeLay, Dawn (Thesis advisor) / Martin, Carol (Committee member) / Hanish, Laura (Committee member) / Markey, Charlotte (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024