Youth who receive comparatively poorer parental treatment than a sibling are at risk for maladapt... more Youth who receive comparatively poorer parental treatment than a sibling are at risk for maladaptive behaviors in a variety of domains, but research has yet to examine links with adolescents' health-related behaviors nor consider how those links may vary based on adolescents' personality traits, namely conscientiousness and agreeableness. Two siblings (n = 590 adolescents; 53% female; M age = 15.86, SD = 1.73) from 295 families reported on their differential conflict and closeness with their fathers and mothers as well as on their personality, sleep habits, exercise habits, and general health habits. Multilevel modeling revealed that, generally, the less conscientious adolescents had better health habits when they had comparatively warmer relationships with their mothers. Less conscientiousness adolescents may be less distressed by inequality in the family, and thus may experience positive effects of relatively better treatment.
This study was carried out in partnership with Akwesasne Mohawks whose environment has been pollu... more This study was carried out in partnership with Akwesasne Mohawks whose environment has been polluted with PCBs from industrial effluent. Using three cognitive tests (Woodcock Johnson Revised, Test of Memory and Learning, and Ravens Progressive Matrices), we investigated the cognitive functioning of 269 adolescents and related their scores to PCBs in their blood. Although the group of adolescents performed as the standardization sample of other adolescents of the same age in North America, we found that scores on three of their subtests (all involving memory) were negatively related to PCB body burden. There was an especially robust association of PCBs with the memory measures of Delayed Recall and Long Term Retrieval. There was some evidence that both PCB congener structure and persistence had an influence on cognitive functioning. The fact that PCBs of low persistence were related to some cognitive subtests suggests that the PCB exposure of Akwesasne adolescents has been recent and...
<b>Copyright information:</b>Taken from "Health Disparities and Toxicant Exposur... more <b>Copyright information:</b>Taken from "Health Disparities and Toxicant Exposure of Akwesasne Mohawk Young Adults: A Partnership Approach to Research"Environmental Health Perspectives 2005;113(12):1826-1832.Published online 18 Jul 2005PMCID:PMC1314929.This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original DOI.
The present study examines the relationship between current body burden of persistent PCBs and at... more The present study examines the relationship between current body burden of persistent PCBs and attention and impulsivity in 140 Akwesasne Mohawk young adults aged 17 to 21 whose environment has been contaminated by industrial effluent. Attention and impulsivity were measured by errors of omission, errors of commission, and patterns of reaction time responses on the Conners Continuous Performance Test. The PCB measure was the sum of those persistent PCB congeners detected in 50% of the participants. After adjusting for multiple covariates, regression analyses showed a significant positive relationship between PCB levels and omission scores, but only for males.
Problematic Internet use (PIU) creates psychological, social, school and/or work difficulties in ... more Problematic Internet use (PIU) creates psychological, social, school and/or work difficulties in a person's life. This study examined the unique roles of four dimensions of temperament (effortful control, sensation seeking, anger/frustration, and shyness) on adolescent PIU, as well as the mediating role of deviant peer affiliation (DPA) on these pathways. Participants were 2758 Chinese adolescents (46% male; mean age ¼ 13.53 years, SD ¼ 1.06) selected by stratified and random cluster sampling from 10 middle schools in southern China. After covariates were controlled, structural equation modeling (SEM) demonstrated that effortful control negatively predicted PIU, while sensation seeking, anger/frustration and shyness positively predicted PIU. SEM also identified that DPA partially mediated the pathway from all four temperament dimensions to PIU. These findings provide evidence for the relationship between specific temperament dimensions and adolescent PIU, and highlight DPA as one explanation for the prevalence of PIU.
The partnership described focuses on a severe problem with environmental pollution at Akwesasne, ... more The partnership described focuses on a severe problem with environmental pollution at Akwesasne, the Mohawk reservation situated along the St. Lawrence River, at the juncture of New York, Quebec, and Ontario. Industries are located along the river and its tributaries and in past years have discharged PCBs (and other toxins) into the waterways in and near the reservation. The community residents are very concerned about the effects of the toxic intrusion into their previously harmonious relationship with the natural environment. Community members worry that Akwesasne children may have been exposed in utero from accumulated maternal PCBs, from being breast fed, or from their own diet or contact with the water or adjacent air. The study described concerns the effects of PCBs on the physical, sexual, cognitive, and social development of adolescents at Akwesasne. The research questions address the relationship between the adolescents' exposure to PCBs (assessed by diet history), body burden of particular congeners (types) of PCBs (assessed by blood analysis), and their physical, sexual, cognitive, and social/behavioral functioning. The collaborative process between the community members and the researchers is detailed, focusing on the three principles of respect, equity, and empowerment. (Contains 13 references.) (GCP) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. (1) 0 This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating .1. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality.
Reviews research concerning the way siblings (SIBs) get along in different developmental periods,... more Reviews research concerning the way siblings (SIBs) get along in different developmental periods, with particular emphasis on SIB conflict and SIBs as playmates and helpers. Findings indicate that overt conflict between SIBs in childhood is so common that it is often taken for granted; nevertheless, conflict apparently coexists with positive inter-SIB feelings and periods of calm. Parental reports tend to stress overt stress; direct observations by researchers reveal that peaceful coexistence characterizes most of the time SIBs are together. Studies of SIB attitudes toward each other show predominantly positive feelings together with intermittent rivalry. The review shows there is a need for continued research into SIB relationships, especially regarding longitudinal stability and change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This study investigates gender similarity in the effects of birth order upon political leadership... more This study investigates gender similarity in the effects of birth order upon political leadership. Town supervisors were the leaders studied as there are a considerable number of women who attain this level of leadership. Questionnaires about birth order and family size were gained from 66 women who were town supervisors in New York State in 1992, and compared to a
This paper describes examples of adolescent behavior which parents and school personnel find obno... more This paper describes examples of adolescent behavior which parents and school personnel find obnoxious. It attempts to explain why intelligent, reasonable and well-adjusted teenagers periodically behave in this way, as something that is developmentally inevitable given the uneven development of competencies in several important areas. Adolescent incompetencies in four areas (cognitive, social cognition, moral judgment, and knowledge of the world) are discussed and exemplified by resulting behavior (including the current Cabbage Patch doll fad). Suggestions for dealing positively with the sometimes difficult and exasperating behavior of adolescents are offered.
The current policy of raising the drinking age seems likely to have psychological costs for adole... more The current policy of raising the drinking age seems likely to have psychological costs for adolescents, including deterioration of their relationship with adult society. Colleges are likely to be the sites of heightened adolescent discontent because so many undergraduates are affected by the change in law. College administrators have the opportunity to reduce some of the psychological effects and ensure that adolescent discontent is channeled into developmentally enhancing activities.
Research and theory concerning the value of play for children's development as well as current fa... more Research and theory concerning the value of play for children's development as well as current factors reducing the amount of play time that children experience are discussed. To ascertain play opportunities occurring in the schools, teachers' attitudes
In a small geographical area a study was undertaken to determine the ethical conflicts experience... more In a small geographical area a study was undertaken to determine the ethical conflicts experienced by mental health workers related to their clinical interventions. An Ethical Conflict Questionnaire, a 20-item, self-report attitude measure, was sent to all mental health workers in a tri-city area. A multivariate analysis of variance of the 164 returned questionnaires indicated that sex, years of clinical experience, and occupation (psychologist, psychiatrist, psychiatric social worker, psychiatric nurse, and a combined group of mostly vocational rehabilitation counselors and mental health therapy aides) significantly affect reported ethical conflict.
This experiment was designed as a test of the 1993 findings of Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky who reporte... more This experiment was designed as a test of the 1993 findings of Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky who reported a positive effect of listening to classical music on spatial reasoning. Present results do not demonstrate the “Mozart effect.” In our study, 114 students were pretested on items from the Raven's Progressive Matrices-Advanced Form, then instructed to listen to either 8 min. of Mozart's music, relaxation instructions, or silence. Then subjects were posttested on an equivalent set of Raven's items. The subjects were also asked to provide information about their musical background and preferences. All instructions and treatments were audiotaped and played to individual subjects through earphones in the university language laboratory, ensuring standardization of procedures. Subjects in all 3 treatment groups showed a practice effect, but this improvement in Raven's scores was not dependent on the type of treatment received. There were no differences in Raven's scores am...
Youth who receive comparatively poorer parental treatment than a sibling are at risk for maladapt... more Youth who receive comparatively poorer parental treatment than a sibling are at risk for maladaptive behaviors in a variety of domains, but research has yet to examine links with adolescents' health-related behaviors nor consider how those links may vary based on adolescents' personality traits, namely conscientiousness and agreeableness. Two siblings (n = 590 adolescents; 53% female; M age = 15.86, SD = 1.73) from 295 families reported on their differential conflict and closeness with their fathers and mothers as well as on their personality, sleep habits, exercise habits, and general health habits. Multilevel modeling revealed that, generally, the less conscientious adolescents had better health habits when they had comparatively warmer relationships with their mothers. Less conscientiousness adolescents may be less distressed by inequality in the family, and thus may experience positive effects of relatively better treatment.
This study was carried out in partnership with Akwesasne Mohawks whose environment has been pollu... more This study was carried out in partnership with Akwesasne Mohawks whose environment has been polluted with PCBs from industrial effluent. Using three cognitive tests (Woodcock Johnson Revised, Test of Memory and Learning, and Ravens Progressive Matrices), we investigated the cognitive functioning of 269 adolescents and related their scores to PCBs in their blood. Although the group of adolescents performed as the standardization sample of other adolescents of the same age in North America, we found that scores on three of their subtests (all involving memory) were negatively related to PCB body burden. There was an especially robust association of PCBs with the memory measures of Delayed Recall and Long Term Retrieval. There was some evidence that both PCB congener structure and persistence had an influence on cognitive functioning. The fact that PCBs of low persistence were related to some cognitive subtests suggests that the PCB exposure of Akwesasne adolescents has been recent and...
<b>Copyright information:</b>Taken from "Health Disparities and Toxicant Exposur... more <b>Copyright information:</b>Taken from "Health Disparities and Toxicant Exposure of Akwesasne Mohawk Young Adults: A Partnership Approach to Research"Environmental Health Perspectives 2005;113(12):1826-1832.Published online 18 Jul 2005PMCID:PMC1314929.This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original DOI.
The present study examines the relationship between current body burden of persistent PCBs and at... more The present study examines the relationship between current body burden of persistent PCBs and attention and impulsivity in 140 Akwesasne Mohawk young adults aged 17 to 21 whose environment has been contaminated by industrial effluent. Attention and impulsivity were measured by errors of omission, errors of commission, and patterns of reaction time responses on the Conners Continuous Performance Test. The PCB measure was the sum of those persistent PCB congeners detected in 50% of the participants. After adjusting for multiple covariates, regression analyses showed a significant positive relationship between PCB levels and omission scores, but only for males.
Problematic Internet use (PIU) creates psychological, social, school and/or work difficulties in ... more Problematic Internet use (PIU) creates psychological, social, school and/or work difficulties in a person's life. This study examined the unique roles of four dimensions of temperament (effortful control, sensation seeking, anger/frustration, and shyness) on adolescent PIU, as well as the mediating role of deviant peer affiliation (DPA) on these pathways. Participants were 2758 Chinese adolescents (46% male; mean age ¼ 13.53 years, SD ¼ 1.06) selected by stratified and random cluster sampling from 10 middle schools in southern China. After covariates were controlled, structural equation modeling (SEM) demonstrated that effortful control negatively predicted PIU, while sensation seeking, anger/frustration and shyness positively predicted PIU. SEM also identified that DPA partially mediated the pathway from all four temperament dimensions to PIU. These findings provide evidence for the relationship between specific temperament dimensions and adolescent PIU, and highlight DPA as one explanation for the prevalence of PIU.
The partnership described focuses on a severe problem with environmental pollution at Akwesasne, ... more The partnership described focuses on a severe problem with environmental pollution at Akwesasne, the Mohawk reservation situated along the St. Lawrence River, at the juncture of New York, Quebec, and Ontario. Industries are located along the river and its tributaries and in past years have discharged PCBs (and other toxins) into the waterways in and near the reservation. The community residents are very concerned about the effects of the toxic intrusion into their previously harmonious relationship with the natural environment. Community members worry that Akwesasne children may have been exposed in utero from accumulated maternal PCBs, from being breast fed, or from their own diet or contact with the water or adjacent air. The study described concerns the effects of PCBs on the physical, sexual, cognitive, and social development of adolescents at Akwesasne. The research questions address the relationship between the adolescents' exposure to PCBs (assessed by diet history), body burden of particular congeners (types) of PCBs (assessed by blood analysis), and their physical, sexual, cognitive, and social/behavioral functioning. The collaborative process between the community members and the researchers is detailed, focusing on the three principles of respect, equity, and empowerment. (Contains 13 references.) (GCP) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. (1) 0 This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating .1. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality.
Reviews research concerning the way siblings (SIBs) get along in different developmental periods,... more Reviews research concerning the way siblings (SIBs) get along in different developmental periods, with particular emphasis on SIB conflict and SIBs as playmates and helpers. Findings indicate that overt conflict between SIBs in childhood is so common that it is often taken for granted; nevertheless, conflict apparently coexists with positive inter-SIB feelings and periods of calm. Parental reports tend to stress overt stress; direct observations by researchers reveal that peaceful coexistence characterizes most of the time SIBs are together. Studies of SIB attitudes toward each other show predominantly positive feelings together with intermittent rivalry. The review shows there is a need for continued research into SIB relationships, especially regarding longitudinal stability and change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This study investigates gender similarity in the effects of birth order upon political leadership... more This study investigates gender similarity in the effects of birth order upon political leadership. Town supervisors were the leaders studied as there are a considerable number of women who attain this level of leadership. Questionnaires about birth order and family size were gained from 66 women who were town supervisors in New York State in 1992, and compared to a
This paper describes examples of adolescent behavior which parents and school personnel find obno... more This paper describes examples of adolescent behavior which parents and school personnel find obnoxious. It attempts to explain why intelligent, reasonable and well-adjusted teenagers periodically behave in this way, as something that is developmentally inevitable given the uneven development of competencies in several important areas. Adolescent incompetencies in four areas (cognitive, social cognition, moral judgment, and knowledge of the world) are discussed and exemplified by resulting behavior (including the current Cabbage Patch doll fad). Suggestions for dealing positively with the sometimes difficult and exasperating behavior of adolescents are offered.
The current policy of raising the drinking age seems likely to have psychological costs for adole... more The current policy of raising the drinking age seems likely to have psychological costs for adolescents, including deterioration of their relationship with adult society. Colleges are likely to be the sites of heightened adolescent discontent because so many undergraduates are affected by the change in law. College administrators have the opportunity to reduce some of the psychological effects and ensure that adolescent discontent is channeled into developmentally enhancing activities.
Research and theory concerning the value of play for children's development as well as current fa... more Research and theory concerning the value of play for children's development as well as current factors reducing the amount of play time that children experience are discussed. To ascertain play opportunities occurring in the schools, teachers' attitudes
In a small geographical area a study was undertaken to determine the ethical conflicts experience... more In a small geographical area a study was undertaken to determine the ethical conflicts experienced by mental health workers related to their clinical interventions. An Ethical Conflict Questionnaire, a 20-item, self-report attitude measure, was sent to all mental health workers in a tri-city area. A multivariate analysis of variance of the 164 returned questionnaires indicated that sex, years of clinical experience, and occupation (psychologist, psychiatrist, psychiatric social worker, psychiatric nurse, and a combined group of mostly vocational rehabilitation counselors and mental health therapy aides) significantly affect reported ethical conflict.
This experiment was designed as a test of the 1993 findings of Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky who reporte... more This experiment was designed as a test of the 1993 findings of Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky who reported a positive effect of listening to classical music on spatial reasoning. Present results do not demonstrate the “Mozart effect.” In our study, 114 students were pretested on items from the Raven's Progressive Matrices-Advanced Form, then instructed to listen to either 8 min. of Mozart's music, relaxation instructions, or silence. Then subjects were posttested on an equivalent set of Raven's items. The subjects were also asked to provide information about their musical background and preferences. All instructions and treatments were audiotaped and played to individual subjects through earphones in the university language laboratory, ensuring standardization of procedures. Subjects in all 3 treatment groups showed a practice effect, but this improvement in Raven's scores was not dependent on the type of treatment received. There were no differences in Raven's scores am...
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