Growing bodies of research suggests associations between regular physical activity (PA) and emotional health. One promising mechanism of this association is a cognitive process called cognitive control. Emerging evidence links regular PA to better cognitive control in young adult populations (e.g., Themanson, Pontifex & Hillman, 2008; Winneke et al., 2011). However, almost no research has examined associations between regular PA and cognitive control task performance with emotionally-charged stimuli. Such tasks have the potential to help detect cognitive benefits of regular PA and may more effectively elicit cognitive processes related to emotional functioning than do emotionally-neutral tasks. The current study investigated whether cognitive control is a mechanism that links regular PA and emotional functioning in young adults, particularly when emotional processing in incorporated. In other words, cognitive control, particularly in the face of emotional distractors, was expected to mediate the association between regular PA and emotional health. Participants in this study comprised 115 young adults from an undergraduate population who responded to self-report measures of PA level and emotional functioning, completed neutral and emotional cognitive control tasks, and participated in a fitness assessment. Bootstrapping to assess indirect effects revealed that contrary to hypotheses, performance on neutral and emotional cognitive control tasks did not mediate the association between PA level and emotional functioning. Regular PA was not associated with better neutral or emotional cognitive control, nor did it relate significantly to emotional functioning. Further, neither neutral nor emotional cognitive control showed a relationship with emotional functioning. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Research has shown that theory of mind tends to develop in typically-developing children at about the age of 4 years. However, language appears to play a great role in this, particularly as deaf children, particularly those born to hearing parents, display extreme delays in theory of mind development, while bilinguals have been found to develop at a somewhat faster rate than monolinguals. Additionally, effects of culture on theory of mind development remain somewhat unclear, as there have been mixed results in past research. Theory of mind has also been correlated with metalinguistic ability and executive functioning skills, leading to multiple hypotheses regarding what drives theory of mind development. The aim of this doctoral thesis was to examine the relationships between theory of mind, metalinguistic awareness, and executive functioning, as well as to evaluate how language and culture play a role in these relationships. Four studies were conducted in an attempt to seek answers to six research questions surrounding this aim. Study1 evaluated theory of mind, metalinguistic awareness, and executive functioning among hearing nursery children in Central Scotland. Study 2 was aimed at evaluating these same skills among deaf children in the U.S. and U.K., as well as developing a scaling of theory of mind abilities among deaf children. Study 3 assessed these skills among deaf Ghanaian children, as well as evaluating theory of mind abilities among a group of hearing Ghanaian children. Finally, Study 4 compared monolingual and bilingual children on theory of mind, metalinguistic awareness, and executive functioning. Results show that there is a strong link between theory of mind and metalinguistic awareness among hearing children that is not explained by executive functioning skills. This relationship was not apparent among deaf children, who struggle more with theory of mind than metalinguistic awareness. The deaf children in Ghana were delayed compared to their Western peers; hearing Ghanaian children were delayed compared to their Western peers as well, but only slightly. Bilingual children and monolingual children performed similarly on false belief and set-shifting tasks; however, monolingual children outperformed bilinguals on metalinguistic awareness and inhibition tasks, possibly due to low verbal mental age among the monolinguals. Results of the four studies suggest that language does play a part in the relationship between theory of mind and metalinguistic awareness. Due to limited data, cultural effects remain unclear. It is proposed that deaf children’s struggle with theory of mind stems from their difficulty with abstract concepts.

Assessment of executive functioning in neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism) is a crucial aspect of neuropsychological evaluations. The executive functions are accomplished by the supervisory attentional system (SAS) and include such processes as inhibition, switching, and planning. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tends to present similarly to other neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., ADHD). For example, ASD and ADHD may share similar etiological underpinnings in the frontostriatal system of the frontal lobe. Research on executive functioning in ASD has been mixed, thus the precise nature of executive functioning deficits in ASD remains equivocal. In recent years, simulation technologies have emerged as an avenue to assess neurocognitive functioning in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders impacting frontostriatal function. Simulation technology enables neuropsychologists to assess neurocognitive functioning within a testing environment that replicates environments in which the subject is likely to be in everyday life, as well as present controlled, real-world distractions, which may be better able to tap “hot” executive functions. A Virtual Classroom Continuous Performance Test (CPT) has been used successfully to assess attention in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders impacting frontostriatal function. The current study aimed to investigate executive functioning in individuals with high functioning ASD using a new construct driven Stroop assessment embedded into the Virtual Classroom. Group differences were found in the Virtual Classroom with distractions condition, indicating individuals with ASD may be more vulnerable to external interference control than neurotypical individuals.

This study examined the relationship between perceptions of intellectual functioning and measures of cognitive abilities, personality variables and sociodemographic information. One hundred and fifty-two older community residing adults were asked to define their perception of intelligence by completing a questionnaire that asked the extent to which a variety of tasks are: functionally important, contribute to feelings of intellectual vitality and are the object of worry or concern. They also estimated their skill at performing each task. The hypothesis that cognitive abilities would best predict perceptions of cognitive functioning was moderately supported. Personality variables, specifically anxiety, were more predictive of the meaning variables than abilities.

A sample of 203 grandparents, 103 of whom were surrogate parents for their grandchildren, were assessed to construct a model of their psychological functioning. Four measures of psychological functioning (i.e., well-being, satisfaction with grandparenting, meaning of grandparenthood, and perceived relationships with grandchildren) were evaluated. Path analysis of data suggested that the resumption of the parental role negatively impacted all measures except the meaning of grandparenthood. Data also suggested a sense of isolation among those raising grandchildren, as well as a sense of role confusion. These factors may have been exacerbated by behavior difficulties of many grandchildren as a result of family conflict preceding the loss of their parents, and by a lack of parenting skills of grandparents who assumed parental responsibilities. These results reinforce other work that found a preference for fulfilling voluntary, nonparental relationships with grandchildren among grandparents.

The eyes are a valuable source of information for a range of social processes. The stare-in-the-crowd effect describes the ability to detect self-directed gaze. Impairment in gaze detection mechanisms, such as the stare-in-the-crowd effect, has implications for social interactions and development of social relationships. Given the frequency with which humans utilize gaze detection in interactions, there is a need to better characterize the stare-in-the-crowd effect. This study utilized a previously validated dynamic visual paradigm to capture the stare-in-the-crowd effect. We compared typically-developing (TD) young adults and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) on multiple measures of psychophysiology, including eye tracking and heart rate monitoring. Four conditions of visual stimuli were presented: averted gaze, mutual gaze, catching another staring, and getting caught staring. Eye tracking outcomes and arousal (pupil size and heart rate variability) were compared by diagnosis (TD or ASD) and condition (averted, mutual, catching another staring, getting caught staring) using repeated measure ANOVA. Significant interaction of diagnosis and condition was found for IA dwell time, IA fixation count, and IA second fixation duration. Hierarchical regression was used to assess how dimensional behavioral measures predicted eye tracking outcomes and arousal; only two models with advanced theory of mind as a predictor were significant. Overall, we demonstrated that individuals with ASD do respond differently to various gaze conditions in similar patterns to TD individuals, but to a lesser extent. This offers potential targets to social interventions to capitalize on this present but underdeveloped response to gaze. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Children experience changes in multiple levels of their social ecologies when they transition into middle school (Eccles, 1999; Jozefowicz-Simbeni, 2008). These biological, psychological, social, and environmental changes create increased risk for dropout and other factors related to academic adjustment (Cataldi, Laird & KewalRamani, 2009). For low- income minority children these risks can be magnified by environmental and social factors (Ge et al., 2002). Healthy family functioning, including balanced levels of cohesion and flexibility, has been shown to buffer these risks (Burchinal, Roberts, Zeisel & Rowley, 2008; Olson, 2010; Wampler, Munsch, & Adams, 2002) and was targeted by a Multiple Family Group (MFG) intervention. The Multiple Family Group Weekend Retreat intervention, adapted from a previous version to address the family support needs of children transitioning to middle school, was tested in a feasibility study as a method for increasing family functioning. 14 families of rising 6th grade students from public schools on the South side of Richmond, VA participated in one of three MFG retreats. The intervention consisted of a series of group components focused on building knowledge and skills in areas of trust, communication, stress and coping, family organization, and family unity. Key evaluation objectives included measuring changes in children’s family functioning and academic adjustment and collecting fidelity data to assess feasibility and further clarify the intervention. No significant outcomes were found between pretest and follow-up.

Binge eating is a pervasive disordered eating behavior associated with numerous psychological and physical comorbidities. Preliminary research indicates that emotion regulation difficulties, behavioral impulsivity, and executive dysfunction may contribute to the onset and/or maintenance of these behaviors. However, few studies have utilized neuropsychological measures to examine this link, and the assessment of behavioral and cognitive emotion regulation strategies are limited in scope. The purpose of the current study was to gain a deeper understanding of the emotional, behavioral and cognitive processes associated with binge eating behavior. Greater clarity regarding how these factors relate to binge eating is critical to the development of effective treatment and prevention efforts. To address these aims, the current study examined the executive functioning, depression, behavioral impulsivity, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation strategies of 50 women engaging in weekly binge eating in the absence of compensatory behaviors; their outcomes were compared to 66 women with no history of binge eating. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that groups did not significantly differ in executive functioning after controlling for depression, state anxiety, body mass, psychopharmaceutical use, and general intelligence; nonetheless, correlation analyses suggest that, among the binge eating group, individuals endorsing more frequent binge eating might have greater difficulties thinking flexibly or shifting attention. Secondary analyses indicated that individuals who binge eat are more depressed, are more likely to engage in impulsive behavior (but only when distressed), have more difficulties tolerating distress, are more likely to engage in rumination, self-blame, and catastrophizing, and less likely to focus on the positive. Although the current study is unable to determine whether these cognitive, emotional, and behavioral factors precede or follow binge eating episodes, outcomes have clinical implications. Specifically, programs focused on the prevention and treatment of binge eating should help individuals learn to better identify and tolerate difficult affective states and to utilize more adaptive means of coping. Outcomes also provide important directions for future research, including longitudinal designs to better understand the temporal associations of the current study’s variables, as well as suggestions to broaden and standardize neuropsychological assessment and scoring procedures to facilitate comparisons across studies.

n often ignored aspect of parenting and family work is the responsibility-related caregiving (i.e. the monitoring, arranging, and planning) that is done to ensure that a child is cared for. Among fathers and mothers who have a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the intensity of meeting these needs is greater than for a typically developing child (e.g. additional coordination of schooling, interventions, healthcare, recreation, respite, and after-school services). As is the case for all parents, they must also attend to the demands of household labor (e.g. car maintenance, groceries, laundry, yard care), nurture their relationships (e.g. partner, friends, other family members) and find time to pursue interests outside of the home. The aim of this study was to examine parents’ management of and satisfaction with the division of responsibility-related caregiving and household labor, parenting stress, the couple’s relationship quality, and family functioning among parents of children with an ASD. Fathers (n = 66) and mothers (n = 104) of school-age children with an ASD responded to an online questionnaire. Most parents (mean 41.4 y.) were white (95%) and well-educated (98% had at least some college). All lived in the United States with the child and the child’s other parent. Parents provided information about their child (82% boys, mean 8.8 y.), including level of functioning. Fathers managed less responsibility-related caregiving than mothers, but they did not differ in their management of household labor. Parents were most satisfied with how the family work was shared when they managed less of it; however, when one parent always managed the work, satisfaction with the couple’s relationship was lowest and parenting stress was highest. Satisfaction with how the family work was shared was positively associated with overall family functioning. In general, parents, couples, and families fare better when the management of family work is shared between parents. Findings will further our understanding of the experience of fathers and mothers who have a child with an ASD, and may aid in our efforts to best support families affected by the autism spectrum disorders.

Objective: Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common pediatric chronic illnesses. Adolescents are at risk for poorer adherence and in turn, poorer glycemic control; however, youth whose parents remain involved in diabetes care are in better control. A parent’s level of involvement is dependent in part upon his or her own social and emotional functioning. Much is known about the link between separate aspects of parent psychosocial functioning (e.g., depressive symptoms, parental stress) and parent involvement in diabetes care, adherence, and glycemic control. However, no study to our knowledge has examined these constructs simultaneously as they interrelate to one another and to youth diabetes status. Given the complexity of human behavior, use of multiple indicators of parent psychosocial status should provide a comprehensive portrayal of precursors to parental monitoring. Methods: The current study used structural equation modeling (SEM) in a sample of 257 parent-youth (aged 11-14) dyads (91% mothers) to examine comprehensive parent psychosocial functioning including parental distress, authoritative parenting, and parental self-efficacy for diabetes management as related to parental monitoring, youth adherence and glycemic control. Results: The SEM model fit the data well [χ2 (121) = 209.24, p < .001, CFI = .93, TLI = .91, RMSEA = .06, SRMR = .08]. Overall, the model accounted for 30% of the variance in parental monitoring, 27% of the variance in adherence, and 22% of the variance in glycemic control. Specifically, lower levels of parental distress (i.e., depressive symptoms, parenting stress, and hypoglycemic fear) related to higher parental self-efficacy for diabetes management and more authoritative parenting, each of which in turn related to more parental monitoring. Further, higher parental self-efficacy related directly to better youth adherence. Conclusions: The current study shows interrelated paths of parent psychosocial functioning associated with parental monitoring of youth diabetes care and ultimately, youth adherence and glycemic control. Interventions that target diabetes adherence in adolescents with T1D should consider screening for and treatment of parental distress.