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.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4
Filtering by
- All Subjects: Developmental Psychology
- Creators: Ebbert, Ashley Marie
- Creators: Ladd, Gary W.
Description
The primary goals of this study were to empirically identify subgroups of socially withdrawn youth in late childhood using latent profile analysis and to examine profiles of students' scholastic adjustment. Further, comparisons of the academic functioning for different subtypes of withdrawn children, with particular emphasis on socially disinterested and socially avoidant youth, were made. Participants were 358 fifth grade children. Results indicated that theoretical subtypes of socially withdrawn youth emerge among fifth grade students (i.e., shy, socially disinterested, socially avoidant, and nonwithdrawn). Additionally, associations among subtype membership and various indices of academic engagement and achievement demonstrated unique academic profiles depending on subgroup classification. In particular, youth who were identified as socially avoidant were at greatest risk for academic difficulties compared to their peers. Findings also emerged for socially disinterested youth indicating some degree of academic maladjustment associated with a preference for solitude. These findings have implications for students exhibiting different forms of social withdrawal for their academic functioning in later childhood.
ContributorsSechler, Casey M (Author) / Ladd, Gary W. (Thesis advisor) / Kochel, Karen P. (Committee member) / Kochenderfer-Ladd, Becky (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
The current study examined the unique influence of emotional childhood abuse on positive and negative aspects of different types of social relationships (e.g., family, spouse/partner, and friends) in midlife and whether genetic variations of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) moderated these associations. Genetic variations in OXTR are measured by single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which have been the most substantially studied prospects for explaining individual differences in socio-behavioral phenotypes. Specifically, an SNP, rs53576, involving a guanine (G) to adenine (A) substitution located in the third intron of the OXTR has been associated with fundamental aspects of social processes and behaviors. Compared to A carriers, individuals homozygous for the G allele have enhanced social competencies and tend to elicit more positive responses from social partners, consequently increasing the overall quality of social relationships across the lifespan. However, the G allele of the OXTR has also been associated with greater social sensitivity. In the current study, conducted among a sample of 614 adults in midlife, it was shown that emotional childhood abuse was significantly associated with having less supportive and more strained relationships in midlife. Regarding supportive family relationships, the effect of emotional childhood abuse was moderated by the OXTR rs53576 polymorphism. Specifically, under conditions of more emotional abuse in childhood, individuals homozygous for the G allele had more supportive family relationships in midlife compared to A carriers. Overall, the findings suggest that genetic variations of OXTR rs53576 may be an important candidate in understanding the development of social relationship functioning within the context of negative early life experiences.
ContributorsEbbert, Ashley Marie (Author) / Infurna, Frank (Thesis advisor) / Corbin, William (Committee member) / Lemery, Kathryn (Committee member) / Luthar, Suniya (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Drawing upon the theoretical framework of Cooley’s (1902) “looking-glass self” model, the current study examined how affective dimensions of parenting in adolescence contribute to psychopathology in early adulthood through the mediating mechanism of authenticity – one’s level of comfort with being oneself. Using latent profile analysis (LPA), a three-class solution was identified, classifying inadequate, adequate, and optimal profiles of parenting in adolescence. Class membership was used in a multilevel mediation structural equation model to examine longitudinal links with authenticity and psychopathology (e.g., internalizing, externalizing, and substance abuse disorders) in early adulthood. Results demonstrated that optimal compared to inadequate parent-adolescent relationship quality was directly linked to higher levels of authenticity, which in turn, was directly linked to lower levels of all forms of psychopathology in early adulthood. Results also indicated that authenticity fully mediated the link between profiles of parent-adolescent relationship quality (e.g., grade 12) and internalizing, externalizing, and substance abuse disorders in early adulthood (e.g., four years post-college). In conclusion, the current study demonstrated the influence of affective dimensions of parenting profiles in adolescence on the development of psychopathology in early adulthood via the mediating mechanism of authenticity. Moreover, findings from the current study suggest that authenticity is a critical feature shared in common among various forms of psychopathology. Finally, clinical implications are discussed regarding the potential effectiveness of evidence-based psychotherapies aimed at the promotion of authenticity as a mechanism for improving mental health and well-being.
ContributorsEbbert, Ashley Marie (Author) / Infurna, Frank J (Thesis advisor) / Luthar, Suniya S (Committee member) / Grimm, Kevin J (Committee member) / Krasnow, Aaron D (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
The current study expands prior work on early adolescents’ impression management in the classroom by developing a self-report measure that was used to explore students’ endorsement of four academic self-presentation strategies (i.e., exaggerate, downplay, honest, and avoid) depending on peer type (i.e., best friend and most popular classmate), academic performance condition (i.e., strong and poor performance), and whether gender differences emerged, when discussing one’s level of effort on a class project. Specifically, data were collected from 475 eighth-grade students (253 boys, 222 girls) within a high-performing educational context. Preliminary psychometric evidence is provided indicating that the measurement tool developed for the present study shows promise. Additionally, findings from the current study extend existing work in which eighth-grade students perceive that high-status youth are less academically engaged than one’s close friends, and students are reluctant to appear industrious to one’s peers; however, given the novelty of the measure and educational context in which data were collected, alternative interpretations and corresponding implications of study results are discussed. The current study also extends theoretical conceptualizations of how transactional processes among early adolescents’ perceptions of academic norms among classmates, concerns over one’s public image, and students’ use of academic self-presentation strategies with peers may have lasting effects on students’ educational identity and commitment.
ContributorsSechler, Casey M. (Author) / Ladd, Gary W. (Thesis advisor) / Updegraff, Kimberly (Thesis advisor) / White, Rebecca M.B. (Committee member) / Jager, Justin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017