Project (Ed.S.)--James Madison University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-166). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-166). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1983. / Also availalbe in microfilm.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1985.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1984.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), also referred to as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs), are characterized by deficits in verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction, and repetitive or restricted interests and behaviors. To date, much of the literature on ASDs has been conducted from a western perspective, although interest in ASDs from a global perspective has dramatically increased in recent years. Over the last decade, there have been numerous conceptual papers attempting to explain how autism might be experienced in other parts of the world. However, in actuality, little research has been conducted in this area, and further exploration of the experiences of individuals diagnosed with ASDs and the families raising them across the globe is needed. The nature of qualitative methodology makes it best-suited for capturing the nuances and complexity of the psychological phenomenon underlying the experiences being studied. These experiences help to capture and reflect the ways in which culture impacts these experiences. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of mothers raising children diagnosed with an ASD in Jamaica using a qualitative, exploratory methodological approach. Jamaica is in its infancy in terms of creating a standardized diagnostic process for ASDs and is early in development of government programs designed to provide services to newly diagnosed children on the spectrum. Many children diagnosed with ASDs living in Jamaica have very limited access to educational settings, and an abundance of barriers to treatment exist. As such, there is much to be gained from studying mothers' experiences with their child's early development and their initial concerns for their child's development, their experiences with the diagnostic process, the perceived impact of raising a child on the spectrum for themselves and their family, their daily living experiences, their experiences accessing supports and services, their vision for the future, as well as any advice they would give to mothers of children who were recently diagnosed. To this end, the experiences of 13 mothers raising a child diagnosed with an ASD and living in Jamaica were captured through open-ended interviews in this study. The results of this study found a number of notable themes to emerge from interviews with mothers raising a child on the spectrum and living in Jamaica. In particular, a number of mothers reported a typical pregnancy, with a slightly higher Cesarean-section rate than would be expected, and fairly typical early development noted in the child. Mothers reported first noticing a number of different developmental concerns, most especially language delays, lack of eye contact, and unusual social interactions, although a number of mothers were not the first to notice these issues. All but one mother reported first seeking out the counsel of their child's pediatrician, many to have their concerns dismissed, with all but one mother going on for evaluation at a clinic specializing in ASD assessment where their child was later diagnosed. Most mothers reported a number of stressors, in particular difficulties finding respite care, appropriate educational settings for their child, as well as coping with the tremendous financial burden they had in raising their child. They reported their lives to be busy, especially because they were dealing with their child's challenging behaviors on a daily basis. The mothers' vision of the future for their child varied greatly including hope for independence, for them to learn a skill, for better communication, or that they be able to live a "normal" life. The mothers all varied greatly as far as the advice mothers would give to mothers of children recently diagnosed on the spectrum, with some saying to have hope or keep their faith and others noting the importance of being the advocate and "structuring" the child early. This study not only provides a better understanding of the experiences of mothers raising a child on the spectrum in Jamaica but also provides empirical support for their advocacy efforts and the need for increased supports and services for these families. It also serves to inform a number of ecological, systemic factors impacting families raising a child on the spectrum in Jamaica and a framework for other studies who seek to also understand the various types of experiences that families of children on the spectrum have.

This study compares the cultural values that manifest themselves in beer-centered television advertisements in Russia and in the United States. The study intends to give an exploratory overview of the main appeals employed in the advertisements and discusses the observed differences and similarities found within. The purpose of my research is to discover whether the more culturally congruent advertisements are more attractive to the consumers than advertisements with unique foreign values. Individual values are taken into consideration. Lists of most common advertising appeals have been identified. The findings are not generalizable to report a significant positive relationship between cultural congruency and advertising effectiveness. However, the study provides rigorous description of a few cases offering deep insight for possible advertising strategies in multicultural advertising environments. / text

Past research has indicated that controlling parenting practices may impede children’s learning motivation, while autonomy-supportive practices may facilitate learning outcomes (Grolnick, Ryan, & Deci, 1991). However, these findings may not be applicable to all cultures. Chinese mothers appear to be controlling (Chao & Tseng, 2002) but Chinese children outperform their Western counterparts in international comparisons (PISA, 2009). The present study addressed this paradox by investigating four postulations. First, given the greater emphasis of obedience and compliance in collectivistic culture as opposed to the uphold of independence and autonomy in individualistic culture (Markus & Kitayama, 1991), Chinese children were anticipated to perceive the same maternal controlling behavior as less manipulative than American children. Second, given the effect of mother-child relatedness on children’s motivation in empirical studies (e.g. Bao & Lam, 2008; Furrer & Skinner, 2003), regardless of culture, children high in relatedness with their mothers were anticipated to perceive the maternal behaviors as less manipulative than those low in relatedness. Third, in line with self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000), internalization was anticipated to mediate the association between relatedness and motivation in both cultures. Fourth, to investigate the limit of internalization, two levels of maternal controlling behaviors were presented. Chinese children were anticipated to perceive the low level of controlling behavior as less manipulative than American children. In contrast, both Chinese and American children were anticipated to perceive the high level of controlling behavior as manipulative since the behavior may be too controlling to be internalized by children. The participants were 120 Hong Kong Chinese 5th graders and 120 American 5th graders. They were asked to complete a questionnaire that included measures of children’s feelings towards low vs. high levels of maternal controlling behaviors, mother-child relatedness, children’s internalization and learning motivation. The results showed that the same maternal controlling behaviors elicited different feelings in children with different cultural backgrounds (Chinese vs. American) and different levels of mother-child relatedness (Low vs. High). Consistent with Hypothesis 1, Chinese children perceived the high level of maternal controlling behaviors as less manipulative than American children and in turn reported more motivated in learning. Consistent with Hypothesis 2, children in both cultures who reported high relatedness with mothers perceived the behaviors as less manipulative than those reported low relatedness. Consistent with Hypothesis 3, internalization was found to mediate the relation between mother-child relatedness and children’s learning motivation in both cultures. Contrary to Hypothesis 4, Chinese and American children perceived the low level of maternal controlling behavior similarly as not manipulative, whereas, American children perceived the high level of maternal controlling behavior as more manipulative than Chinese children. The limit of internalization could not be identified and further studies are needed. In short, the findings reveal cultural differences in children’s feelings towards the same maternal controlling behaviors. Chinese mothers’ behaviors that are manipulative in the eyes’ of the Westerner may not be perceived as such by the Chinese. Children’s perceptions, mother-child relatedness and the universal psychological mechanism internalization are important to understand Chinese Parenting Paradox. / published_or_final_version / Psychology / Master / Master of Philosophy

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