Matching Items (28)
Description
Several decades of research have concluded that child social functioning is a critical predictor of wellbeing across various developmental domains. Most scientists agree that both genetic and environmental influences play defining roles in social behavior; the processes by which they concurrently affect child development, however, has been the subject of less research. This work examines distinct mechanisms that shape child prosociality by examining genetic and environmental influences on development, via two empirical studies. The first study analyzed the evocative-reactive and the evocative-socially-mediated hypotheses as gene-environment correlation (rGE) mechanisms connecting the arginine vasopressin receptor 1a (AVPR1a) and dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) genes, child prosocial behavior, and parent differential treatment (PDT). Findings present modest evidence for the evocative-reactive rGE hypothesis; specifically, AVPR1a marginally influenced child prosociality, which subsequently predicted mother preference in adolescence. The second study examined several gene-environment interactions (GxEs) in exploring how social environmental variables- positive and negative parenting- predicted child prosociality, as moderated by socially-implicated child genes, DRD2 and dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4). Findings indicated that while positive parenting was predictive of child prosociality regardless of genetic variants, the effects of negative parenting on child prosociality were dependent on child genetic variants. Together, findings from these studies suggest modest genetic and environmental influences on child behavior in middle childhood and adolescence, consistent with previous research and theory. Directions for future research are offered, and intervention and policy implications are discussed.
ContributorsMeek, Shantel E (Author) / Jahromi, Laudan B (Thesis advisor) / Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn (Thesis advisor) / Valiente, Carlos (Committee member) / Iida, Masumi (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Previous research has suggested that the social interactions parents engage in with their typically developing children are critical to the relationships children form with peers later in development. Fewer studies, however, have investigated the relation between parent and child interactions and peer relations in children with autism. The current study aimed to investigate the relation between parent-child joint attention skills, social competence and friendship quality in children with autism and in typically developing children. A matched sample of 20 preschool-aged children with autism and 20 preschool-aged typically developing children were observed interacting with their parents in a laboratory setting. Approximately one year later, parents filled out a questionnaire assessing their child's social competency and quality of friendships with peers. Results indicated significant group differences between children with autism and typically developing children in all study variables, with children with autism displaying less initiation of joint attention, lower social competence and low quality friendships. Additionally, child initiated joint attention was positively related to social competence for both groups; effects were not moderated by diagnosis status. It is concluded that parent and child interactions during the preschool years are important to the development of social competence with peers. Intervention and policy implications are discussed.
ContributorsMeek, Shantel Elizabeth (Author) / Jahromi, Laudan (Thesis advisor) / Valiente, Carlos (Committee member) / Guimond, Amy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2010
Description
College and university students are heavily influenced by their exposure to opportunities, individuals, and belief-systems during their time in school. More specifically, countless students are impacted by campus Christian ministries. There are 67 registered religious clubs and organizations across Arizona State University's four campuses, and 46 of them identify as Christian. Similar to most faith-based organizations, Christian campus ministries seek to impact the lives of students. This study will take a look at the influence of these ministries at ASU by researching their intersection with another key component of university life: wellness.
The primary research question is, “How does involvement in Christian ministries at ASU relate to the wellness of students?” The study will examine multiple dimensions of wellness: occupational, physical, social, intellectual, spiritual, and emotional. Each component is essential to understanding the health and well-being of an individual, which is why this study will measure wellness levels in each dimension among samples of students at ASU.
The methodology chosen was a short, anonymous survey that 148 ASU students participated in—73 involved in Christian ministries at ASU and 75 not involved. The quantitative component included a wellness assessment using questions from The National Wellness Institute. These wellness scale questions were broken up into 5 randomized sections, each with one question per dimension, for 30 questions total. Each question response was assigned a rating on a 1 to 5 scale, 1 associated with low wellness and 5 high wellness. The qualitative component, comprised of short answer questions, only applied to students who were involved in a Christian ministry. This portion allowed respondents to explain if and how the ministry impacts each dimension of wellness uniquely.
The quantitative results showed some evident differences between students involved in Christian ministries and students not involved. The social and spiritual dimensions concluded much higher levels of wellness for involved students, both statistically significant with p-values of 0.028 and 0.004. Although some of the wellness differences between involved and not involved participants were not statistically significant, there is also notable variation among questions within each dimension. For the qualitative data, most students in Christian ministries said they believe their involvement increases their wellness in all six dimensions. For each dimension, over 75% of participants said that the ministry impacted their well-being. For the social, spiritual, and emotional dimensions, at least 97% of respondents said their ministry involvement impacted their wellness.
In examining the conclusions of the study, one recommendations is to strengthen the partnership between the greater ASU community and Christian ministries by collaborating and combining resources for programming that relates to their common goals and shared values. Additionally, other faith-based organizations at ASU may benefit from replicating this study to observe their unique wellness impact.
The primary research question is, “How does involvement in Christian ministries at ASU relate to the wellness of students?” The study will examine multiple dimensions of wellness: occupational, physical, social, intellectual, spiritual, and emotional. Each component is essential to understanding the health and well-being of an individual, which is why this study will measure wellness levels in each dimension among samples of students at ASU.
The methodology chosen was a short, anonymous survey that 148 ASU students participated in—73 involved in Christian ministries at ASU and 75 not involved. The quantitative component included a wellness assessment using questions from The National Wellness Institute. These wellness scale questions were broken up into 5 randomized sections, each with one question per dimension, for 30 questions total. Each question response was assigned a rating on a 1 to 5 scale, 1 associated with low wellness and 5 high wellness. The qualitative component, comprised of short answer questions, only applied to students who were involved in a Christian ministry. This portion allowed respondents to explain if and how the ministry impacts each dimension of wellness uniquely.
The quantitative results showed some evident differences between students involved in Christian ministries and students not involved. The social and spiritual dimensions concluded much higher levels of wellness for involved students, both statistically significant with p-values of 0.028 and 0.004. Although some of the wellness differences between involved and not involved participants were not statistically significant, there is also notable variation among questions within each dimension. For the qualitative data, most students in Christian ministries said they believe their involvement increases their wellness in all six dimensions. For each dimension, over 75% of participants said that the ministry impacted their well-being. For the social, spiritual, and emotional dimensions, at least 97% of respondents said their ministry involvement impacted their wellness.
In examining the conclusions of the study, one recommendations is to strengthen the partnership between the greater ASU community and Christian ministries by collaborating and combining resources for programming that relates to their common goals and shared values. Additionally, other faith-based organizations at ASU may benefit from replicating this study to observe their unique wellness impact.
ContributorsSouza, Ann Christina (Author) / Golden, Amy (Thesis director) / Valiente, Carlos (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Understanding the development of healthy lifestyle behaviors as well as its early predictors and associated outcomes is paramount, given the importance of healthy lifestyle behaviors in academic success, health, and well-being. In this dissertation, I conducted two studies to investigate the development of three modifiable lifestyle behaviors (i.e., physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep duration) in middle childhood, using a nationally representative sample of US children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11. Study 1 was designed to unpack the developmental associations among the three lifestyle behaviors by examining the transactional within-person associations and co-development. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), video game use (as a measure of mentally active sedentary behavior), and sleep duration were reported by parents in 3rd through 5th grades. Results from the random intercept cross-lagged panel model showed that MVPA, video game use, and sleep duration were not transactionally related over time at the within-person level. Analysis with the multivariate latent growth curve model showed that changes in these lifestyle behaviors over time were not correlated either. These main findings were replicated across social contexts of socioeconomic status, gender, and race/ethnicity groups. Study 2 focused on investigating predictors and outcomes associated with developmental trajectories of the three lifestyle behaviors. Specifically, kindergarten self-regulation (rated by teachers) that reflects individual agency was examined as a predictor. Fifth grade externalizing and internalizing problems (rated by teachers), body mass index (assessed with weight and height), and academic achievement (assessed by reading, math, and science achievement) were included as mental health, physical health, and academic outcomes, respectively. Results showed that kindergarten self-regulation predicted initial levels (i.e., 3rd grade) of video game use and sleep duration. After controlling for the stability and other lifestyle behaviors, 5th grade externalizing problems and academic achievement were predicted by initial levels of sleep duration, and body mass index was predicted by initial levels of sleep duration and MVPA and changes in MVPA. Most of these findings were replicated in subsamples across social contexts. Overall, this dissertation provides important insight into the development of healthy lifestyle behaviors in US children.
ContributorsLi, Longfeng (Author) / Valiente, Carlos (Thesis advisor) / Sheehan, Connor M. (Committee member) / Thompson, Marilyn S. (Committee member) / Buman, Matthew P. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
As screen time (ST) constitutes an integral part of the daily lives of young children today, parents, educators, and researchers have started to explore the associations of ST with children’s cognitive, behavioral, and social outcomes. The majority of existing studies have primarily focused on the duration of ST in relation to these outcomes despite the importance of other aspects such as content and type of device in the context of an evolving digital landscape marked by high mobility, ubiquity, and diversity. Addressing this gap, the current study aimed to explore the intricate relations between multiple aspects of ST (i.e., duration and content), executive function (EF) difficulties, and school adjustment in school-aged children, with a particular focus on the mediating role of EF difficulties linking the relations between ST and school adjustment. The current study employed data from the Panel Study on Korean Children, tracking 1,484 South Korean children from third to fourth grade. The duration of ST was measured by the average daily hours spent on smart devices and computers. Parent reports of the levels of engagement in recreational and educational ST and EF difficulties were assessed on Likert scales. School adjustment was reported on by teachers. The results from a half-longitudinal mediation model demonstrated that more frequent engagement in educational ST was related to fewer EF difficulties, which was in turn associated with better school adjustment. The current findings suggest that multiple approaches are needed to effectively guide children’s ST use in their everyday lives and interventions that target EF might be an effective way to promote children's behavioral and social adjustment in school settings.
ContributorsKim, Juyoung (Author) / Tsethlikai, Monica (Thesis advisor) / Buman, Matthew (Committee member) / Eggum, Natalie (Committee member) / Valiente, Carlos (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
For some children, peer victimization stops rather quickly, whereas for others it marks the beginning of a long trajectory of peer abuse (Kochenderfer-Ladd & Wardrop, 2001). Unfortunately, we know little about these trajectories and what factors may influence membership in increasing or decreasing victimization over time. To address this question, I identified children's developmental patterns of victimization in early elementary school and examined which child-level factors influenced children's membership in victimization trajectories using latent growth mixture modeling. Results showed that boys and girls demonstrated differential victimization patterns over time that also varied by victimization type. For example, boys experienced more physical victimization than girls and increased victimization over time was predicted by boys who display high levels of negative emotion (e.g., anger) towards peers and low levels of effortful control (e.g., gets frustrated easily). Conversely, girls exhibited multiple trajectories of increasing relational victimization (i.e., talking about others behind their back) over time, whereas most boys experienced low levels or only slightly increasing relational victimization over time. For girls, withdrawn behavior lack of positive emotion, and displaying of negative emotions was predictive of experiencing high levels of victimization over time.
ContributorsClary, Laura K (Author) / Ladd, Becky (Thesis advisor) / Updegraff, Kimberly (Committee member) / Valiente, Carlos (Committee member) / Ladd, Gary (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
The present study examined the relations of children's effortful control (EC), emotion understanding, maladjustment, social competence, and relationship quality with nonparental caregivers in a sample of 30-, 42-, and 54-month olds. EC was measured with mothers' and caregivers' reports, as well as observed behavioral tasks. Emotion understanding was assessed by asking children to identify emotions during a puppet task. Mothers and caregivers also reported on children's problem behaviors and social competence. Caregivers provided reports of the quality of their relationship with children. Results from longitudinal structural equation models indicated that even after controlling for sex, SES, language ability, and previous levels of constructs, emotion understanding predicted EC one year later at 42 and 54 months. In addition, children with higher EC had more positive relationships with caregivers at 42 and 54 months. Although EC and EU were not significantly related to maladjustment and social competence after accounting for within time covariation among constructs and longitudinal stability, marginal findings were in expected directions and suggested that more regulated children with better emotion understanding skills had fewer behavioral problems and were more socially skilled. Findings are discussed in terms of the strengths and limitations of the present study.
ContributorsSilva, Kassondra M (Author) / Spinrad, Tracy L. (Thesis advisor) / Eisenberg, Nancy (Committee member) / Valiente, Carlos (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
This article looks closely at two types of errors children have been shown to make with universal quantification—Exhaustive Pairing (EP) errors and Underexhaustive errors—and asks whether they reflect the same underlying phenomenon. In a large-scale, longitudinal study, 140 children were tested 4 times from ages 4 to 7 on sentences involving the universal quantifier every. We find an interesting inverse relationship between EP errors and Underexhaustive errors over development: the point at which children stop making Underexhaustive errors is also when they begin making EP errors. Underexhaustive errors, common at early stages in our study, may be indicative of a non-adult, non-exhaustive semantics for every. EP errors, which emerge later, and remain frequent even at age 7, are progressive in nature and were also found with adults in a control study. Following recent developmental work (Drozd and van Loosbroek 2006; Smits 2010), we suggest that these errors do not signal lack of knowledge, but may stem from independent difficulties appropriately restricting the quantifier domain in the presence of a salient, but irrelevant, extra object.
ContributorsAravind, Athulya (Author) / de Villiers, Jill (Author) / de Villiers, Peter (Author) / Lonigan, Christopher J. (Author) / Phillips, Beth M. (Author) / Clancy, Jeanine (Author) / Landry, Susan H. (Author) / Swank, Paul R. (Author) / Assel, Michael (Author) / Taylor, Heather B. (Author) / Eisenberg, Nancy (Author) / Spinrad, Tracy (Author) / Valiente, Carlos (Author) / College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor)
Created2017-05-09