Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1983. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 44-51).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1983. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-152).

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Thesis (M.A. in human development)--Washington State University, May 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Apr. 2, 2009). "Department of Human Development." Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-82).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Mary Dozier, Dept. of Psychology. Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis describes a series of experiments which investigate preschool children's spatial abilities. To overcome the problems of extrapolating from traditional laboratory task to abilities in the real world, the children were tested in 'natural' environments, such as buildings and streets, and which were large-scale, that is, they could not be viewed in their entirety from one position but instead had to be constructed from successive views. The measure of spatial knowledge chosen was direction estimation, a task which has been successfully used by other authors with older subjects, and which avoids the problems of interpretation and comprehension inherent in more traditional methods of investigating spatial representation such as map drawing and model building. The findings are discussed in relation to Piaget's distinction between topological and Euclidean spatial knowledge (Piaget et al. 1960; Piaget and Inhelder 1967; Piaget 1977), but traditionally used interpretations of his theory are avoided (e.g. Siegel and White 1975) as being based upon methodologically problematical experimentation. The results are interpreted in terms of Byrne's (1979, 1982) network-map/vector-map theory of spatial knowledge, which has only previously been applied to adults. It was found that preschool children can show both network-map knowledge (topological), and vector-map knowledge (Euclidean). Piaget's stage theory of development is inappropriate as within the age and ability range tested here, the type of spatial knowledge shown was more dependent upon qualities of the environment than of the child. Preschool children are most likely to show vector-map knowledge in small, over-learned, and actively explored environments than in larger passively explored but familiar environments, and lastly in novel large environments. Preschool children's network-map knowledge, built up by walking in natural environments, is coded in one direction only; and two separately learned but overlapping routes are encoded as an integrated network.

Early life stress (ELS) leads to alterations in anatomy and function of the adult hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG), but the mechanisms by which these lasting changes occur have not been fully elucidated. We tested the hypothesis that the immediate decrease in cell proliferation and neurogenesis induced by stress is the key mediator of the negative long-term outcomes of ELS. First, we tested whether inhibition of cell proliferation during early life is sufficient to reproduce the ELS-induced reduction in adult DG neurogenesis. We demonstrate that targeting dividing stem cells for elimination during the first or third postnatal weeks leads to diminished adult neurogenesis and reduction of the stem cell pool. Also, we hypothesized that ELS leads to more persistent effects on DG function than stress later in life because of the stress-induced elimination of specific birth cohorts of DG granule cells (GCs) that have distinct functions. We tested whether different birth cohorts of DG GCs differ in function by assessing behavioral and stress response outcomes of pharmacogenetic elimination or optogenetic activation of adult GCs born during the first or third postnatal week. We demonstrate that dorsal GCs born during the first or third postnatal week may be involved in modulating exploratory and anxiety behavior, but that only third postnatal week born GCs stimulate HPA activity. These results suggest that mature DG GCs may differ in specific functions with birth date determining their functional role. Third, we directly assessed the effect of ELS on DG development to better understand the immediate effects of ELS on the DG and to identify other potential mediators of the long-term effects. We demonstrate that ELS using the limited bedding/nesting paradigm leads to developmental delay of the DG. The work presented in this dissertation contributes to our understanding of the mechanisms by which ELS produces lasting impairments in DG function and also to our knowledge of how DG GC function is specified.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Texas at Arlington, 2009.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 141-169). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.