This study was designed to examine the effect teaching five and one-half to six-year-old children analytical and conceptual thinking strategies would have on their subsequent performance on the Bender-Gestalt Test. The sample was composed of 34 kindergarten children in this age range from the Providence Elementary School. They were randomly divided into two groups of equal size; one group was then given three 10-minute training sessions over three days which were designed to teach them analytical and conceptual thinking strategies. The other group was also given three 10-minute sessions with the investigator; however, they were only involved in looking at and identifying pictures./p> The hypothesis that the group receiving this training would have lower error scores on the Bender-Gestalt Test was not substantiated by this research. One possible explanation for these results is that the training given was not extensive enough to effectively teach the use of these concepts as measured by their test performance.

No description available.

Type I diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is the most common metabolic disorder among children and adolescents (Wysocki, Greco, & Buckloh, 2003) and research has indicated that children with T1DM are more likely to develop clinical depression and anxiety relative to children without T1DM. Building on this literature, the present study utilized a multi-method assessment strategy of self- and parent-reported depression, anxiety, behavioral regulation (i.e. internalizing and externalizing behaviors), social competence, personality, and family dynamics to identify whether preadolescents with T1DM were distinguishable from children without T1DM, and also whether psychosocial differences were evident in the T1DM group as a function of treatment (i.e., insulin injection vs. insulin pump). The findings demonstrated that there were significant differences between the Diabetes and Non-Diabetes groups among parent-report measures of social deficits (i.e., CBCL Social Problems and Aggressive behaviors subscales, PIC-2 Dyscontrol subscale, and FES Independence subscale), cognitive difficulties (i.e., CBCL Thought Problems subscale and PIC-2 Cognitive Problems subscale), somatic complaints (ex. PIC-2 Somatic Complaints and Psychosomatic Preoccupations subscales), and mood problems (ex. PIC-2 Psychological Distress and Depression subscales). The data indicated differences between T1DM children in good versus poor metabolic control on a measure of personality (i.e. Withdrawal and Isolation subscales of the PIC-2). The findings also revealed differences between the insulin pump and insulin injection users among self and parent-reported measures of mood difficulties and behavior problems (i.e., CDI Anhedonia subscale and PIC-2 Withdrawal and Isolation subscales).

This cross-cultural study investigates identity and wisdom in people with Asperger syndrome (AS). The diagnostic characteristics of Asperger syndrome are universal, as they are manifest in particular outward behaviours (DSM-4). One of the aims of this study is to explore whether or not identity and wisdom are also universal in people with AS. Interviews were conducted that asked participants about their own lives, as well as about the acquaintances and historical figures to whom they look to for wisdom. Some self-report measures of identity, values, wisdom, and well-being were also administered to the participants. Forty-six male participants (half diagnosed with Asperger syndrome) were recruited from Karachi, Pakistan, and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Canada. People with AS were matched with non-autistics according to age. The results of this study showed that the Canadian Asperger group was significantly higher in social identity, and lower in personal integrity, as compared to the Pakistani Asperger group. The value of conservation was significantly higher in the Asperger groups than in the control groups. Mean scores on the 3-dimensional wisdom scale differed significantly between the Asperger and control groups, but remained the same between the two Asperger groups. People with AS were equally satisfied with their lives as compared to non-autistics. There was a greater emphasis on the theme of communion for the Pakistani Asperger group than for the Canadian Asperger group. Results also found a greater emphasis on the theme of personal agency in both the Asperger groups, as compared to the control groups. The Pakistani Asperger group mainly considered religious figures to be the wisest in history, whereas the Canadian Asperger group primarily nominated scientists as the wisest figures in history. Both the Asperger groups considered family members to be the wisest among their acquaintances. The concept of wisdom centered on the theme of cognition for both Asperger groups. The study was limited to male participants only, and future research should study both genders.

<p>Decision-making under risk has been of interest to philosophers for centuries. in Only in recent years through interdisciplinary approaches has knowledge concerning the descriptive nature of decision-making under risk increased. Although we know that risk-preference proceeds from a risk-seeking trend in childhood to risk-aversion in adulthood, little is known about the factors that contribute this development. The studies presented here take an interdisciplinary approach to identifying the factors that contribute to age-related changes in risk preference, where in the decision-making process these factors have influence, and changes in neural circuitry that could be responsible. The work presented herein finds that risk-preference is differentially modulated across development by risk level, the values of choice options, and the domain (gains or loss) in which options are presented. During valuation, many brain regions that have previously been associated with decision-making and risk were found to increase in activation with age, suggesting the maturation of a decision-making network. Activation in a few key areas were associated with greater risk-aversion in children, suggesting that maturation of the decision-making network leads to more adult-like behavior. The cognitive component of children's greater risk-seeking was not found to be a deficiency in probabilistic reasoning, the ability to learn from negative feedback, or a general optimism for winning. Rather, children's valuation of a gamble may be exaggerated by a disproportionate amount of attention given to the winning outcome of a gamble. It is further speculated that a lack of regret during outcome evaluation may also contribute to differences in children's risk preference compared to adults.</p> / Dissertation

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Syracuse University, 2009. / "Publication number: AAT 3384578."

<p> Over recent decades, adolescent athletic participation has grown in the United States. The rise in participation means that mental health clinicians who work with adolescents are likely increasingly coming in contact with young athletes facing issues directly related to sports. The issues facing adolescent athletes create additional challenges that should be addressed in treatment to improve overall psychological well-being and to promote healthy development. In order to best meet the general mental health needs of these clients, clinicians need to be aware of the unique stressors and issues they frequently face. A resource manual was created to guide clinicians working with elite male athletes between the ages of 12 and 18 years in order to help them realize the benefits and avoid the adverse consequences that may be associated with elite-level sports participation. The manual was developed to be a resource for mental health clinicians seeking help in understanding the challenges faced by elite-level adolescent male athletes, guidance in identifying therapeutic interventions likely to be effective in addressing those challenges, and clarification of the mental skills training typically conducted by sport psychologists. The manual&rsquo;s content was informed by both a review of the relevant scholarly literature and by interviews conducted with a former elite adolescent athlete, a sports psychologist, and a mental health clinician who has worked with male adolescent athletes. Following a discussion of some strengths, limitations, and potential modifications to the current manual, plans for evaluating and disseminating it are described.</p>

<p> This qualitative case study of a meditation group known as the Process Group examines the group's collaboration on practices that foster spiritual maturation following spiritual opening into the first phase of enlightenment. Twenty-one participant accounts provide an intimate portrait of stabilizing and integrating Unity consciousness, maintaining a co-creative relationship with the Divine, and actively expressing this in the world, especially through creative altruism. Using the hermeneutical research method known as intuitive inquiry, analysis of the data employed traditional and non-traditional approaches that were supported with member validity checks. Findings generated a clear picture of optimal group functioning in higher stages of consciousness, practices that lead to and sustain nondual awareness in day-to-day interaction, and conditions that generate creative altruism. Findings are distilled into lenses that can be operationalized into training programs for teams interested in altruistic activity. The Process Group demonstrates that peak spiritual experiences can be supported with group practices that deepen the spiritual opening process and the mutually affecting relationship with the Divine over time, increasing relational intelligence and creative expression. Findings also demonstrated that spiritual maturation can increase individuation and communion simultaneously and interactively. This is a portrait of spiritual practice that facilitates fully embodied enlightenment, active incarnation in the world, presenting the healed versions of what is possible in the clearest human interaction, and maturation that proceeds in cooperation with the Divine. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine the cognitive development in music of first- to third-grade children, with particular interest in the mean level of development for each age and the role that gender may play. Participants included 224 students (115 girls and 109 boys) from grades 1-3. Using a developed research protocol, a trained committee of music educators rated children's drawings for cognitive development with respect to melodic line. The study found significant difference among grade levels with <i>F</i> = 6.9702, <i>df</i> = 2, 222, p = .0012 at the .01 level using a three-group ANOVA. However, there were no significant difference between genders, with <i>F</i> = 0.0487, <i>df</i> = 1, 222, p =.9008 at the .05 level using a two-group ANOVA.</p>

No description available.