<p> The empathizing-systemizing (E-S) theory states that individuals with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) can be identified by a deficit in empathy (social skills, communication skills, and theory of mind) and a propensity for systemizing (islets of ability, obsessions with systems, and repetitive behavior). This theory has been tested in various contexts, but never with adolescents between the ages of 12 and 16. The EQ-A (Empathizing Quotient for Adolescents) and the SQ-A (Systemizing Quotient for Adolescents) were administered to 47 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 16 who had been diagnosed with ASC and 97 adolescents with no reported physical or mental disorders to discover differences in empathizing and systemizing.</p><p> To test the specific elements and predictions of the E-S theory, the EQ-A was divided into a set of three subscales derived by conceptually mapping items to factors corresponding to the concepts theoretically underlying the scale. The SQ-A was divided into subscales using factor analysis.</p><p> It was found that all four subscales resulting from the factor analysis on the SQ-A were associated with obsessions with systems. A weak positive correlation was found between the SQ-A and the EQ-A. Although the EQ-A was able to differentiate significantly between individuals with an ASC and those without, the SQ-A was not. In addition, although the EQ-A and EQ-A subscales scores correlated with similar subscales scores of the GARS-2 (a well-validated existing autism screening test), the SQ-A and its subscales did not. Implications for the E-S Theory are discussed.</p>

<p> This investigation addresses five constituents&mdash;calling, social consequences, imagination, story, and the experience of being gifted. It is grounded in the fundamental human inquiry of identity and purpose and contains both personal and universal answers. Primarily, the author sought to answer one question: How did imagination and story reveal and develop my personal narrative? This led her to Hillman&rsquo;s (1997) contention that our true biography&mdash;the destiny written into our metaphoric <i>acorn</i>&mdash;has been stolen. Three questions arose from the primary question used to organize the literature review: (a) How has the use of this knowledge affected my understanding of the evolution of the human story? (b) What evidence is there to identify when our species developed imagination? and (c) Why is imagination undervalued? </p><p> There were four sub-questions answered through the personal data: (a) How is a quest or calling revealed? (b) Why is the phenomenon of Neverland essential to human well-being? (c) How did social forces impede the expression of imagination and the process of the original human story? and (d) What does it mean to be <i>gifted</i>? </p><p> The method chosen for this work was autoethnography, which, according to Bochner and Ellis (2016), exists in a space between many apparent polarities including facts and meanings,objectivity and subjectivity, and art and science in what Reed-Danahay (1997) explained was how we come to know, name, and interpret personal and cultural experiences. The author was the only participant in this study; however, the meaning emerging from the inquiry could be relevant for many. </p><p> The rationale and significance of this study was based on the assumption that the quality of human lives often suffers when people remain disconnected from experiencing their authentic self. The key finding was that through claiming the state of Neverland, as represented by the Peter Pan story, the author was able to connect with who she is and why she is here. This research allowed the author to reclaim her calling, imagination, and story, and acknowledge her giftedness. The ultimate call is for a new paradigm that welcomes and supports the unfolding human destiny.</p><p>

<p> <b>Background:</b> Previous studies have related adverse childhood experiences (ACE) to heart disease. However, more research needs to explore neural mechanisms and psychological factors that contribute to the pathway of adverse childhood experiences leading to heart disease. <b>Purpose: </b> The present study examines racial identity as a moderator of adverse childhood experiences and cardiac autonomic dysregulation as indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia. <b>Method:</b> Forty-six undergraduate students of African descent attending a Historically Black University in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States participated in this study. During the first phase, participants completed consent forms and questionnaires including the ACE Scale and the Cross Racial Identity Scale. Participants returned to the laboratory on a second occasion during which researchers employed an impedance cardiograph to record resting levels of interbeat intervals (IBI) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). <b>Results:</b> Ordinary least squares regression analyses were conducted to test the moderating role of racial identity attitudes on the relationship between ACE prevalence and RSA. The overall regression model which included ACE prevalence, Multiculturalist attitudes, gender, and all interaction terms significantly predicted resting IBI. The overall model that included ACE prevalence, Afrocentric attitudes, gender, and all interaction terms also significantly predicted resting IBI. Participants with ACE and Afrocentric attitudes were more likely to have decreased resting RSA. Furthermore, in addition to ACE prevalence and Afrocentric attitudes, considering gender added 10% more explanatory variance in predicting resting RSA. Male participants with ACE and low Afrocentricity ratings were more likely to have decreased resting RSA. Additionally, considering gender with ACE prevalence and Miseducation attitudes added 10% more explanatory variance in predicting resting RSA. <b> Discussion:</b> Results and limitations are further discussed in the context of existing literature.</p><p>

<p> The development of episodic autobiographical memory (EAM) has been well documented in those with typical development (TD), yet many questions remain about the development of EAM and its operations in those with high functioning autism (HFA). In this study, youths (9 to 18 years old) with and without HFA (<i>N</i> = 48) participated in a semi-distressing event and then 3 weeks later were interviewed using one of two forensic interview protocols (10 Step or Cognitive Interview [CI]). Accuracy was assessed via cued recall narratives and responses to direct questions. Individual differences in working memory, cognitive flexibility, and pragmatic language were assessed. Results indicated that, although HFA youths&rsquo; cued recall memory for event details was diminished, memory accuracy for people, actions, and objects depended upon interview protocol and youth age. Younger HFA youths performed comparably to younger TD youths when receiving the 10 Step protocol. Yet, older HFA benefitted more from the Cognitive Interview&rsquo;s methods. Deficits in working memory, cognitive flexibility, and pragmatic language were more readily associated with performance in the CI condition and for youths with HFA. Indirect effects of age on memory performance via individual differences were observed mainly for the HFA group; maturational changes in these abilities may be occurring during adolescence, a period when youths with HFA begin to use compensatory mechanisms to perform EAM tasks. Direct question performance did not vary diagnostically, expanding the application of the task support hypothesis to a younger age. Implications for existing theories and forensic interview methods are discussed.</p><p>

<p> The goal of the present study was to examine the development of semantic and episodic memory in middle childhood. Specifically, we sought to understand the relation between episodic and semantic memory by examining how an aspect of semantic memory&mdash;spatial semantic knowledge&mdash;may influence children&rsquo;s episodic memory for events and their spatial locations. Children ages 5, 6, and 7 participated in events in 6 exhibits representing locations in a model town in a local children&rsquo;s museum. Events were manipulated by the extent to which the event and the spatial location match. Event conditions included spatially congruent, incongruent, and independent. After a short delay, children were tested for their recognition of the events and the location in which the event occurred. In addition, a novel semantic interview task directly assessed knowledge of the locations represented in the museum exhibits. Most notably, we found older children to exhibit greater semantic knowledge of locations (as measured through the semantic interview task) and, in the experimental manipulation, we found children&rsquo;s semantic memory to influence their memory for the locations of events. Results implicate the nature of the relations of children&rsquo;s semantic and episodic memory as well as the utility of research conducted in naturalistic settings.</p><p>

<p> This applied theoretical paper explores the underlying capacity for caregivers to raise emotionally intelligent, well-adjusted children who grow up able to respond effectively to the demands of a complex world. A guiding supposition of the research is that diminished access to institutional privilege, especially when unrecognized and unprocessed by caregivers, is likely a risk factor connected to a variety of deleterious outcomes associated with the social determinants of health as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This connection resulted from asking the question, &ldquo;How does the underlying capacity for caregivers to understand and manage diverse and complex dimensions of their personal identity, especially in terms of how they relate to institutional power and privilege, serve as a protective factor in meeting the developmental needs of their children for a safe, stable, and nourishing emotional environment?&rdquo; To answer this question, two well-respected theoretical orientations were identified that each spoke to half of the question, but when brought together, could much more elegantly address many more aspects of the question in an integrated and holistic fashion. Specifically, John Bowlby&rsquo;s Attachment Theory provided important context as to what developmental needs children have for a safe, stable, and nourishing emotional environment. On the other hand, Jean Baker Miller&rsquo;s Relational-Cultural Theory was adept at offering a nuanced perspective on understanding diverse and complex dimensions of personal identity, especially as those dimensions interfaced with institutional privilege. Bringing these two perspectives together and synthesizing them into a new approach, an approach named Attachment-Informed Relational-Cultural Therapy, was the culmination of the research. One important outcome of the research was how it framed secure attachment as an unearned privilege (i.e. attachment privilege) that is affected by and simultaneously affects multiple variables in the caregiver and child dyad. These variables can themselves then become either protective factors supporting further secure attachment or risk factors threatening to damage or destroy it. Through the process of linking childhood attachment themes to the theme of access to institutional privilege it is hoped a greater capacity may be achieved for supporting caregivers in understanding and managing diverse and complex dimensions of their personal identity.</p>

<p>Echo and Narcissus is one of the most famous myths in Western culture. This thesis explores the personal and archetypal significance of the character Echo. Topics addressed are early childhood trauma, affect regulation, borderline personality disorder, the relationship between self and other, and the theory of dialectics. Texts are examined from psychoanalysis, analytical psychology, existential philosophy, interpersonal neurobiology, and behavioral psychology. Using a hermeneutic approach to compare these texts, this paper tracks the archetypal dynamic of Echo and Narcissus over time and across a variety of disciplines. By looking for traces of Echo and Narcissus in multiple contexts, this thesis offers a fresh take on a familiar story. </p>

<p> Research on the negative impact of divorce on children&rsquo;s well-being is extensive and indicates that, on average, children from divorced families suffer from more adjustment difficulties than those whose families remained intact. However, few studies have been done on the specific long-term effects on individuals who experienced parental divorce when they were particularly young. Are there maladaptive behaviors, or other implications for adult adjustment? This study explores the adaptive functioning of a college population of young adults whose parents divorced between the ages of two and seven. Participants completed questionnaires on demographic information, current level of functioning, parental marital status, and survey items taken from reliable measures. The responses of participants who were between the ages of two and seven during time of divorce were compared to the responses of two control groups: individuals whose parents divorced after the age of seven, and individuals whose families remained intact. Results indicated that marital status grouping (early divorce, later divorce, or intact family) did have a significant effect on certain aspects of adaptive functioning. Adult children of early childhood divorce indicated lower formal educational attainment, lower financial status, more reports of mental health diagnosis, higher number of transitory adult intimate relationships, less secure attachment to father, lower self-esteem, and greater learned helplessness than both later childhood divorce and intact family participants. The developmental timeframe in which divorce occurs plays a key role in young adult adaptive functioning.</p><p>

<p> This thesis seeks to explore the association between ego threat and coping in terms of cognitive strategies and behavioral tendencies. Moreover, the current study is also intended to use attachment dimensions as an underlying mechanism to understand the impact of ego threat on coping. Within the internal working models of attachment theory, the current study seeks to examine two major questions: (1) what strategies individuals use to cope with ego threatening events: and (2) how attachment associates with coping strategies during various ego-threats conditions? The results had a significant impact when individuals were presented with ego threat scenarios suggest that individuals are most likely to use state coping of emotion focused disengagement followed closely by state coping disengagement while experiencing an ego-threat condition. However, all state coping strategies (e.g., state coping engagement, state coping disengagement, state coping problem focused engagement, state coping emotion focused engagement, state coping problem focused disengagement, and state coping emotion focused disengagement) had a significant impact when individuals were presented with ego-threat scenarios. The results of association between attachment dimensions and state coping strategies across ego-threat conditions were not significant. Further this study implies ego-threat conditions make it more likely for individuals to use dysfunctional coping strategies such as state coping disengagement and emotion focused disengagement. Overall, the study has implications for enhancing our understanding of internal working models of attachment and the tendency for ego-threat to impact coping strategies, emphasizes the potency of ego-threatening events as they impact self-view and efficacy of coping solutions.</p><p>

<p> This study examined the differences in playfulness between girls and boys, ages 36 &ndash; 60 months, diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and their neurotypical peers. Previous literature had noted differences in playfulness between children with ASD and neurotypical children, but none differentiated the playfulness between girls and boys with ASD or did not include girls with ASD in the study. Caregivers completed an online version of the Children&rsquo;s Playfulness scale. Data for 50 girls diagnosed with ASD, 45 neurotypical girls, 56 boys with ASD, and 49 neurotypical boys were analyzed using a 2 x 2 factorial ANOVA. Post hoc testing was done for differences for specific questions. The study revealed that significant differences exist between the playfulness of girls and boys with ASD, similar to the gender differences that exist between neurotypical children. Significant differences were noted in the areas of physical spontaneity, social spontaneity, cognitive spontaneity, and manifest of joy. These findings suggest that much of what is known about the play behaviors of children with ASD may not be reflective of girls with ASD. The play behaviors of children are used to help identify some of the criteria for determining the presence of ASD in children. If the play behaviors in girls differ from that of boys, girls with ASD may be misdiagnosed, diagnosed later, or not be diagnosed at all. As a result, they may not receive intervention or support that could be beneficial for optimal development. Further research is needed in this area to accurately identify and quantify the play behaviors of girls with ASD. This will enable researchers to develop a diagnostic measure for girls so that the possibility that they are misdiagnosed, diagnosed later, or not be diagnosed is minimized.</p><p>