The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the correlation between students’ literacy skills in grade three, and their home literacy environment, as well as parents’ socioeconomic and socio-cultural status. I intend to discuss the correlation between literacy skills and students’ home literacy environment, including multimodal text and electronic resources such as tablets and computers. I also intend to discuss students’ literacy skills in relation to their parents’ country of birth, level of education and profession. My method consists of a parent questionnaire and student results from the National Test in Swedish as a Native Language in grade three. Two classes from two different schools participate in the study. I am using Cronbachs alpha to calculate the internal consistency, in other words how well my questions measure the same thing. I utilize the chi-square method to calculate the probability for a certain correlation. To analyze the results, I am using Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and cultural capital. My results show no significant connection between literacy and home literacy environment, socioeconomic background or parents’ country of birth. However, I am able to detect a tendency which argues that children with well educated parents achieve higher scores on the National Test than students with low educated parents. The tendency indicates that children with well educated parents have more developed literacy skills than children with low educated parents.

Drawing from Pierre Bourdieu’s socio-cultural approach, this qualitative research project aimed to: (a) understand the responses to current body norms and expectations tied to health and physical appearances amongst underprivileged young women; and; (b) understand to what extent the dominant obesity discourse is inscribed in these women’s bodily habits. Results highlight that participants were aware of the dominant obesity discourse through their perceptions, sentiments, and dispositions towards bodily norms and expectations. Despite their awareness, underprivileged living conditions generated other sets of priorities, such as motherhood, achieving economic stability, completing education, and gaining physical independence which were far greater preoccupations. Underprivileged young women’s ‘choice of the necessary’ is based on optimizing resources and prioritizing needs and responsibilities. Findings support the use of Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts which consider the effects of various aspects of underprivileged living conditions on lifestyles.

abstract: Integrating research from life history theory with investigations of construal-level theory, the researcher proposes a novel relationship between life history strategy and construal-level. Slow life history strategies arise in safe, predictable environments where individuals give up current reproductive effort in favor of future reproductive effort. Correspondingly, high-level construals allow individuals to transcend the current context and act according to global concerns, such as the type of future planning necessary to enact slow life history strategies. Meanwhile, fast life history strategies arise in harsh, unpredictable environments where the future is uncertain and individuals need to pay close attention to the current context to survive. Correspondingly, low-level construals immerse individuals in the immediate situation, enabling them the flexibility needed to respond to local concerns. Given the correspondence between aspects of life history and construal-level, it seems possible that individuals adopting slow life history strategies should more frequently use high-level construals to assist in transcending the current situation to plan for the future, while individuals adopting fast life history strategies should more frequently use low-level construals to assist in monitoring the details of their harsh, unpredictable environment. To test the relationship between life history and construal, the researcher investigated whether or not a childhood cue of environmental harshness and unpredictability, childhood SES, and a current cue of environmental harshness and unpredictability, local mortality rate, influenced construal-level. In line with past research, the researcher predicted that childhood SES would interact with current cues of local mortality rate to influence construal-level. For individuals growing up in high SES households, a high local mortality rate will lead to an increase in high-level construals. For individuals growing up in low SES households, a high local mortality rate will lead to an increase in low-level construals. Overall, results did not support the hypotheses. Childhood SES did not interact with prime condition to influence either categorization or trend predictions. Examining how the prime interacted with another measure of life history strategy, the Mini-K, yielded mixed results. However, there are several ways in which the current study could be altered to reexamine the relationship between life history strategy and construal. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Psychology 2011

Overweight and obesity are serious health concerns facing American children today. The number of children (2 to 19 year olds) who are overweight has increased from 13.9% in 1999-2000, to 15.4% in 2001-2002, and 17.1% in 2003-2004. The prevalence in overweight and obesity rates is increasing. Since it is well documented that physical activity attenuates the overweight and obesity crises, physical activity has been deemed as a leading health indicator for improving our nation's health, and is an effective approach to preventing and/or reducing overweight and obesity. In a 2003 study, it was discovered that 72.3% of middle school children participated in vigorous intensity physical activity at least three days of the previous week and 33.6% participated in moderate intensity physical activity at least five days the previous week. Yet, it is recommended that middle school age children participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity every day. The primary purpose of this study was to determine if differences in after-school physical activity participation existed among middle school children from different socioeconomic statuses (SES). The secondary purpose was to identify which predisposing, reinforcing, and enabling factors predicted after-school physical activity participation among middle school children. The PRECEDE-PROCEED planning model was utilized in a cross-sectional, descriptive, survey research design. The study sample consisted of 158 middle school children (24.9% participation rate). The gender breakdown of the sample was almost even, 81 females (51.3%) and 76 males (48.1%). The socioeconomic status of the sample were 39.2% low SES and 58.9% were not-low SES. Almost two-thirds of the children (60.8%) were physically activity for one hour or more after-school each day. Somers' d tests revealed that there was a significant difference (p = .035) in children's after-school physical activity level and their socioeconomic status. Low SES children were more active than not-low SES children. Ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that of the fourteen predisposing, reinforcing, and enabling factors that were tested, physical activity self-efficacy (p = .03), attraction to physical activity (p = .01) (predisposing factors), and access to sports equipment (p = .01) (enabling factor) were statistically significant predictors of middle school children's after-school physical activity level. Children who held a higher level of physical activity self-efficacy were 3.4 times more likely to be physically active after school that children with a lower level. Children who were attracted to physically active games, sports, and activities were 3.48 times more likely to be physically active after school that children with lower levels of physical activity attraction. Children who felt that they had active toys, games, equipment, and supplies at home were 2.46 times more likely to be physically active after school than children who did not perceive adequate access to equipment. Middle school children have approximately 6 ½ hours of time after school each day to devote to a variety of pursuits. Although almost two-thirds of children in this study met the daily physical activity recommendation, research shows that as children grow older, their physical activity levels decrease. Furthermore, most research also shows that low socioeconomic status adults engage in less physical activity that their not-low counterparts. Consequently, the area in which this study was conducted was rural and poor Eastern Kentucky; health educators must continually strive to cultivate children's physical activity behavior. This study also found that the average time children devoted to watching television and playing computer/video games was 3 hours and 43 minutes per day. Communities will see long-term health benefits when strong foundations for physically active lifestyles are established and sedentary activities are minimized.

This study examined socioeconomic status (SES) and perceived social class as predictors of career adaptability and educational aspirations in a sample of American high school students. SES was measured using caregivers' occupation and education, and the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status--Youth Version (Goodman et al., 2001) assessed subjective social class. Career adaptability was be measured using the Career Futures Inventory-Revised (CFI-R; Rottinghaus, Buelow, Matyja, & Schneider, 2012) and the Career Maturity Inventory (CMI) Form C (Savickas & Porfeli, 2011). Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regressions. SES and perceived social class independently predicted educational aspirations and expectations, while SES independently predicted occupational aspirations and expectations. Expected correlations between CFI-R and CMI Form C scales were found, providing convergent validity evidence and supporting the use of the CFI-R with adolescents. This study represents a step toward developing empirically informed vocational interventions that take SES and social class into account.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between college students' social class and their academic outcomes. A structural equation model was proposed, hypothesizing that a student's socioeconomic status (SES) is related to their motives for attending college, thus influencing their perception of fit at the university, their satisfaction with the university, their academic self-efficacy, and their grades, attendance, and likelihood for retention.. The results from a sample of 500 undergraduate students show that overall, the hypothesized model was a borderline good fit of the data. While SES was negatively related to interdependent motives for attending college, it was not related to independent motives for college. Independent motives for attending college were positively related to perceptions of fit at the university, while interdependent motives were not. Finally, fit at the university was positively related to satisfaction, which was related to intention for retention, class attendance, and academic self-efficacy. Academic self-efficacy was significantly related to students' grade point average. These results suggest that students from low SES backgrounds are more interdependent. Further, those who are more independent feel a greater sense of fit with the university and are more likely to be satisfied, express commitment to continuing at the university, and attend their classes. These results provide support for a proposition that higher education institutions should value students who have different types of motives and to consider what is communicated to students through programs and expectations that are focused on independent values.

Creating an educational program that results in positive post-secondary and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)-oriented outcomes for all students is a national goal and federal policy directive. Recent research has shown that in addition to measures of academic proficiency, intra- and interpersonal skills are important factors in college and career readiness. Likewise, mathematics proficiency is an important skill for successful STEM outcomes and post-secondary success, but these achievements and outcomes frequently vary based on demographic characteristics. This study utilized data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 to examine the relationships between mathematics achievement growth in Grades K-1 and Grades 3-8, mathematics self-efficacy development in Grades 3-8, and demographic factors including sex, socioeconomic status (SES), and race/ethnicity. Various models of mathematics achievement growth were tested, and the relationships between both early and middle grades mathematics achievement growth and self-efficacy development were also explored. Sex, SES, and race/ethnicity differences in both mathematics achievement growth and self-efficacy development were discovered, and findings were consistent with familiar achievement gaps favoring white and Asian males from above median SES households. In particular, SES was found to be a ubiquitous factor in both mathematics achievement and self-efficacy development, and sex moderated some of the relationships between mathematics achievement and self-efficacy. Implications for future research, instructional design, and intervention development are discussed.

Selective attention refers to the ability to enhance the processing of relevant stimuli, while suppressing the processing of irrelevant distractors. The neural mechanisms of selective attention are vulnerable in children from lower socioeconomic status families, yet these neural mechanisms can also be enhanced with evidence-based, targeted training. The series of studies presented in this dissertation investigated the individual differences in development and neuroplasticity of selective auditory attention in association with nonverbal cognitive abilities, in relation to genetic influences, and in the context of gene x intervention interactions. To this end, a multi-method approach was adopted, combining several methodologies such as event-related potentials (ERPs), behavioral measures, molecular genetics, and a randomized, controlled intervention design. In the first study, individual differences in neural mechanisms of selective auditory attention were studied, in association with nonverbal cognitive abilities. More robust ERP selective attention effects were associated with superior nonverbal IQ performance. These results indicated a noteworthy relationship between neural mechanisms of selective attention and nonverbal IQ performance in lower socioeconomic status (SES) preschoolers. In the second study, the relationship between 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and neural mechanisms of selective auditory attention was assessed. ERPs of selective attention effect were larger in children who carried at least one short allele of 5-HTTLPR, in comparison to long-homozygotes. These results associated being homozygous for the long allele with weaker neural mechanisms of selective attention in lower SES children. In the third study, these genetic influences were investigated in the context of an effective family-based training program previously shown to improve neural mechanisms of selective attention in lower SES preschoolers. The long-homozygote children, who initially displayed more attenuated ERPs of selective auditory attention than their short-carrier peers, showed robust ERPs of selective attention at posttest, but only if they were randomly assigned to the training program. These findings demonstrated that an effective family-based training could moderate the genetic influences of 5-HTTLPR on the neural mechanisms of selective attention. Taken together, the studies presented in this dissertation contribute to elucidating individual differences in development and neuroplasticity of selective auditory attention in lower SES preschoolers. This dissertation includes unpublished co-authored material.

Researchers and lay people alike have long held an interest in understanding the antecedents, mechanisms, and consequences of prosocial behaviours: Acts people behave in ways that benefit others, such as cooperation, altruism, care-giving, empathy, sympathy, and compassion. Numerous lines of inquiry have now documented that acting prosocially carries many benefits for not only the recipient, but also the actor. For instance, acting prosocially attracts social capital, social support, and boosts interpersonal relationships; prosociality also increases one’s well-being, happiness, and has long-term physical and mental health benefits. While much of the past work has focused on the main effects of prosociality on various positive outcomes, one area that has received limited attention is understanding the contextual factors and individual differences that moderate these relationships. In the present thesis, I focus on understanding how socioeconomic status (SES) acts as a moderator of the link between prosociality and numerous positive outcomes. In particular, I examined how prosociality is related to building social networks through weak ties, coping with daily stress, and building interpersonal skills. Across these relationships, I examined how SES moderates the link between prosociality and each outcome. My research was guided by the SES-prosociality paradox: That while the rich have access to far greater resources – and thus the ability to act prosocially – it is the poor that tend to act most generously. I theorized that one reason for this paradox is that people across different SES strata benefit differently from acting prosocially. In particular, I reasoned that the people from lower SES backgrounds will tend to have stronger relationship between prosociality and various positive outcomes than people from higher SES backgrounds. To test this hypothesis, I conducted numerous empirical studies using multiple methods – analysing data from subjective reports via surveys and existing data from social media, running natural experiments, and conducting lab experiments using genetic and pharmacological challenge methods. In Chapters 2 and 3, I found that people who act prosocially tend to attract more weak social ties – this is only true for the relatively poor. In Chapter 4, I tested how empathic traits relate to better coping strategies for both lower and higher SES individuals, and found a complex pattern of differing benefits. Finally, in Chapter 5, I found that intranasal oxytocin improves emotional theory of mind, but only for the low SES individuals.

Introdução: Vários fatores podem interferir na adesão ao tratamento dos hipertensos e conseqüentemente no controle da doença. Dentre estes se destaca o contexto socioeconômico em que vivem os hipertensos. Objetivos: Caracterizar hipertensos atendidos em unidades básicas de saúde de acordo com o nível socioeconômico em relação às variáveis biossociais, econômicas, crenças, atitudes, conhecimento sobre a doença e tratamento, falta e interrupção do tratamento; e associar o nível socioeconômico com essas variáveis. Casuística e método: O estudo foi realizado em três unidades básicas de saúde na região oeste da cidade de São Paulo. Para avaliação econômica foi feito o cálculo do índice de bens acumulados, por meio da somatória de preços de eletrodomésticos constantes na residência do paciente, dividido este por doze e posteriormente pelo valor do salário mínimo para equivalência do poder aquisitivo mensal. Os dados foram processados no sistema SPSS v.7.5. O nível de significância adotado foi de 0,05. Resultados: Foram estudados 440 hipertensos. A maioria era do sexo feminino (66%), cor branca (51%), casados (56,8%), com ensino fundamental (52%), índice de massa corporal 29,99±6,0 kg/m², idade de 57±12 anos e renda mensal familiar de 1 a 3 salários mínimos (43,6%). Do total de hipertensos estudados que interromperam o tratamento (34,8%), verificou-se que interrompeu menos de forma significativa (p<0,05) quem possuía mais televisão a cores. Em relação a faltar às consultas médicas houve associação significante (p<0,05) com geladeira duplex, verificou-se que aqueles com maior posse desse eletrodoméstico faltavam menos às consultas. Os hipertensos que não concordaram com a crença de que “não há nada que se possa fazer para evitar a pressão alta“ apresentaram índice de bens acumulados com valores significativamente mais elevados (1,25± 0,36 vs 1,17±0,35, p<0,05). Em relação às atitudes frente ao tratamento, os hipertensos que afirmaram nunca chegarem atrasados às suas consultas apresentaram índice de bens acumulados com valores significativamente mais baixos (1,20±0,3 vs 1,31± 0,32, p<0,05). Na avaliação de como os pacientes “se sentiam em relação a sua vida como um todo”, a referência de tristeza se associou com índice de bens acumulados com valor significativamente mais baixo (0,98 ± 0,35 vs 1,28 ± 0,36 e 1,25±0,32, p< 0,05). Conclusão: A condição econômica dos hipertensos se associou com alguns aspectos relativos à adesão ao tratamento. / Introduction: A lot of factors can interfere at the adherence in the treatment and consequently control of the disease and detached among them the socioeconomic context where the hypertension people living. Objectives: To make up the people with the hypertension attending in the health basic units in agree with the socioeconomic level and the biosocial economics variables such as believes, attitudes, knowledge about the disease and treatment, lack and interruption of the treatment; and associating the socioeconomic level with these variables. Casuistic and Methods: The study was realized on three health basic units in the west region of Sao Paulo city. To economic survey was done a calculating of the accumulated capital assets from the sum up of the domestics appliances prizes in the patient residence divided for twelve and on the minimum salary value for equivalence of the monthly acquisitive power. The data were processed in the system of significance adopted were 0.05. Results: Were studied 440 hypertensive patients. The great majority were females (66%), white colour (51%), married (56,8%), with fundamental degree (52%), body mass index 29,99±6,0 kg/ m², 57±12 years of age and familiar income of 1 to 3 minimum salary monthly (43,6%). From the total of studied hypertensive patients with the interrupted the treatment (34,8%) was verified whom less significant way (p<0.05) those with the coloured television. In relationship no attendance to the medical appointment have significant association (p<0.05) with duplex freezer, those who have major posses of theses domestic appliances were less absent the medical consults. The hypertensive patients that have not agreed with the belief that ”they can not do anything about the high blood pressure” showed the accumulated capital assets index with the values significantly more elevated (1.25± 0.36 vs 1.17±0.35, p<0.05). About the attitudes to the treatment, the hypertensive patients to referred never were late to a medical appointment showed accumulated capital assets index with lower values (1.20±0.3 vs 1.31± 0.32, p<0.05). In the evaluation of the patients with “How to feel with the life” the reference with sadness have a association with accumulated capital assets index with lower values (0.98 ± 0.35 vs 1.28 ± 0.36 e 1.25±0.32, p< 0.05). Conclusion: The economic situation of the hypertensive patients is linked with some aspects related to the adherence of treatment.