Browsing by Author "Mary Haskett, Committee Chair"

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Internal Working Models as Predictors of Social Information Processing in Maltreated Children.
(2009-01-08) Lynn, Amy Elizabeth; William Erchul, Committee Member; Shevaun Neupert, Committee Member; Mary Haskett, Committee Chair
The purpose of this study was to examine whether childrenâ€™s internal working models predict their social information processing with their peers. Specifically, the study examined if the self representations, parent representations, and attachment themes of maltreated children predicted their attributions of intent or response generation. Participants were a sample of 65 maltreated children who were in preschool, kindergarten, or first grade at the time of the assessment. The MacArthur Story Stem Battery was used to assess childrenâ€™s internal working models and the Home Interview with Children was used to assess social information processing. A number of significant correlations were found between childrenâ€™s representations of themselves, their parents and their expressed attachment themes. Findings also indicated that only childrenâ€™s positive self representations predicted their response generation, in that children who represented themselves positively had fewer aggressive responses. However, negative self representations, parent representations and attachment themes did not significantly predict attributions of intent or response generation.
Links Between Violence and Conflict in the Family of Origin and Conflict Resolution Strategies of Emerging Adults: An Examination of Gender Differences
(2006-05-08) Ahern, Lisa Senatore; Mary Haskett, Committee Chair; William Erchul, Committee Member; Patricia Collins, Committee Member; Ann Schulte, Committee Member
The purpose of the present study was to examine the relation between family violence history and conflict resolution strategies among emerging adults (ages 18-19), a group largely overlooked in the research. Undergraduates (N = 249) completed self-report questionnaires regarding conflict strategies witnessed and experienced in the home during their adolescence and regarding the likelihood of using certain conflict resolution strategies with a romantic partner in response to hypothetical vignettes. Results indicated that family violence history did not predict conflict resolution strategies for the full sample. However, for a subsample of participants who had experienced physical aggression in the home, experiencing that aggression predicted later use of hostile strategies with a romantic partner. Witnessing aggression predicted later hostile strategy use for men, but not women. For both the full and subsamples, witnessing and experiencing reasoning in the home predicted later use of prosocial strategies.
Psychometric Properties of the Parenting Stress Index - Short Form
(2005-04-09) Ahern, Lisa Senatore; Ann Schulte, Committee Member; William Erchul, Committee Member; Mary Haskett, Committee Chair
Psychometric properties of the Parenting Stress Index — Short Form were investigated using a heterogeneous sample of 185 mothers and fathers of children between the ages of 4-10 years. The Difficult Child and Parent Distress subscales, as well as Total PSI-SF, were found to be internally consistent. Confirmatory factor analysis did not reveal support for a three-factor model. Results were mixed in terms of support for convergent and discriminant validity. The PSI-SF Total and subscales were related to measures of parent psychopathology and perceptions of child adjustment, but not to observed parent and child behavior. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
The Quality of Romantic Relationships in Late Adolescence: Associations with Parental Conflict and Adolescent Attachment.
(2010-11-02) Evans, Raven; Mary Haskett, Committee Chair; Amy Halberstadt, Committee Member; William Erchul, Committee Member; Ann Schulte, Committee Member; Susan Osborne, Committee Member
Social Information Processing as a Mediator of the Relation between Harsh Parenting and Childhood Aggression
(2006-05-08) Hart, Kendrea Childers; Lynne Baker-Ward, Committee Member; Ann Schulte, Committee Member; Mary Haskett, Committee Chair
The purpose of this study was to examine the hypothesized mediating role of social information processing on the relation between harsh parenting and childhood aggression. Specifically, this study sought to gain a better understanding of the association between parenting and children's interpretations and mental representation of cues (intent attribution), their ability to generate solutions (response generation), and their solution selection process (response decision) and how these processes, in turn, relate to children's propensity to behave aggressively. The sample consisted of 166 children and their parents. Approximately half of the children had a substantiated history of physical abuse. It was hypothesized that (a) higher levels of parental harshness would predict higher levels of aggression in children, (b) hostile intent attributions, fewer types of solutions generated, and a higher number of aggressive decisions would predict higher levels of child aggression, and (c) the relationship between parental harshness and aggressive behavior would be mediated by intent attributions, response generation, and response decision. Mediation was assessed using a series of regression analyses. Results revealed that harsh parenting did not significantly predict child aggression, response generation or response decision. Harsh parenting, did however, predict children's intent attributions. Harsh parenting also predicted response decision when recoded as a dichotomous variable in a post-hoc analysis. Results further revealed that none of the social information processing operations investigated (intent attributions, response generation, and response decision) significantly predicted child aggression. Due to the lack of prediction among variables, mediation could not be assessed. Considerations for interpreting results, as well as directions for future research are discussed.