The family as a social unit is the earliest and most fundamental socialization influence and is an important contributor to children's development. Studies of family communication patterns (FCP) have emphasized two particular dimensions--a family's conversation orientation and their conformity orientation. However, many studies of FCP and its related outcomes have...
The bulk of resilience research has focused on developmental outcomes in a single domain of functioning (e.g., academic achievement), overlooking the complex interplay of positive and negative developmental outcomes that may co-occur within an individual (Luthar, Cicchetti, & Becker, 2000). Resilience may strengthen over time and across domains (e.g., psychological...
A sample of 1,003 women, age 22 in 1983-84 and age 27 in 1988-89, were
selected from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Personal, familial, and
geopolitical predictors of alcohol consumption were evaluated at each time period and
longitudinally. The study integrated macro- and micro-level influences to determine
their influence...
This exploratory study posited that being in an insecure marriage would increase marital conflict and perceived relational aggression when the couple is experiencing economic constraints. The cross-sectional design assessed two groups of marriages: secure and insecure. A structural equation model using multiple group comparison tested the effect of each type...
As program participants integrate new knowledge and understanding into previous standards regarding attitudes or perceptions, these altered standards violate the assumption of consistency inherent to the pretest-posttest method for measuring change over time. If this violation, or response-shift bias, is not controlled results can be misleading, which carries serious implications...
Psychological theory of social cognition and Buddhist philosophy of cognition suggest that people's actions should determine their impressions of future events. In psychology, several studies have shown that behavior can activate constructs and thereby influence one's perception. However, they do not address prosocial behavior, a specific concern of Buddhist philosophy...
The effects of a school-based social-emotional and character development program, Positive Action, on the developmental trajectory of character development was evaluated using data from three randomized trials. Results come from 1) 4-years of data from elementary children in 20 Hawai`i schools, 2) 3-years of data from elementary children in 14...
Measurement is at the heart of any good research project. Although Classical test theory is the most widely used measurement theory, many alternative theories have emerged in the last hundred years. Rasch modeling is one such theory and by taking a different approach to measurement holds the possibility of enhancing...
Although child maltreatment has been studied for several decades, there
are still substantial gaps of understanding essential areas such as the
consequences of child maltreatment and the variability in the impact of
different types of maltreatment. This study examined whether externalization
and internalization are two valid and distinctive dimensions in...
The current project investigated the influence of three life transitions on the intimacy and contact siblings share in early adulthood. Using a web-based survey, 260 young adults from two large state universities and community members from the Portland, Oregon area were surveyed about their relationships with a single biological sibling....
