The Current Study. In the current study, we examined 9- to 12-year-old children’s comprehension of temporal relations in sentences with two successive events and temporal connec- tives. We designed a computerized self-paced reading task based on the paradigm used by Xxxxxxxxx and Xxxxxxxxx (2012) in which children read two-clause sen- tences containing the temporal connective before or after, in sentence initial or sentence medial position. This manipulation caused events to be presented either in chronological or non-chronological order (see Table 4.1). Following each sen- tence children were shown pictures of both events and were asked to indicate which of these events occurred first (Experiment 1), or last (Experiment 2) (see Figure 4.1). It should be noted that our study differed from the Xxxxxxxxx and Xxxxxxxxx study in that the current computerized task did not allow for rereading: on each trial the sentence appeared on the first screen and was then replaced by a second screen with the comprehension question. As a consequence, our task likely puts greater demands on the participants’ WM. The present task’s demands on WM are more similar to the listening task used by Xxxxxxxx and colleagues (2015) with preschool children. Our first hypothesis, in line with previous studies was that 9- to 12-year-old children would perform above chance for all sentence types, reflecting a general understanding of the temporal connectives (Blything & Xxxx, 2016; Xxxx & Xxxx, 2011; Xxxxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxxx, 2012). However, in line with previous studies we predicted that non-chronological sentences would be more difficult to process compared to chronological sentences because these sentences place greater de- mands on the reader’s limited WM resources. These difficulties should be re- flected in lower accuracy scores and longer reading times. In addition, the current study is the first that aims to explore the differential roles of WM capacity and WM updating in comprehension of complex sentences with temporal connectives by directly examining individual differences in both types of WM ability. Therefore, we included a measure of WM capacity, a Sen- tence Span task (Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, & Xxxxx, 1989), which measures partici- pants’ capacity to keep words in WM while performing a second task (i.e. answering a question), and a measure of WM updating, the Mental Counters task (Xxxxxxxx et al., 2006), which measures participants’ ability to continuously up- date and monitor numerical information kep...
The Current Study. The current study characterizes the longitudinal association of sleep dysfunction and positive prodromal symptoms in a large CHR sample. Studying this association in a CHR sample, which is enriched for individuals in the prodromal period preceding psychosis, will allow a better understanding of how sleep problems may contribute to worsening prodromal symptoms and/or psychotic illness. Further, utilizing data from three time points allows the opportunity to explore nuances of the longitudinal change process. Finally, the uniquely large sample size of this study also allows for more statistical power to test for bidirectional relationships between sleep and positive prodromal symptoms over time. As noted above, this has not been examined to date, and the present study will apply a rigorous test of the directionality of the relationships across time. Based on past findings, as well as theories of the adverse effects of sleep disturbance, it is predicted that problems with sleep will contribute to an increase in positive symptom severity.
The Current Study. The current study is innovative in three ways. First, we empirically test the theoretical notions of how maternal (symptoms of depression and anxiety, perceived stress, social support, sleep, and mood) and infant (temperament) characteristics are associated with perceptions of PSE cross-sectionally. Second, we take a novel approach to studying PSE by examining it as a dynamic construct. Third, we examine how changes in a subset of maternal characteristics (symptoms of depression and anxiety, positive and negative mood, and perceived stress) are related to PSE in the moment and over time, using an intensive longitudinal design. The overall aim of these latter two aspects of the study was to develop a more nuanced understanding of how maternal affective states may be associated with parenting beliefs by examining their associations in the moment and over time. As such, the current study expands on published findings in several ways. First, the majority of the reviewed studies relied on observational (lab- or home-based) measurements of parenting that involved discrete, brief amounts of time and were typically in one context (play). We add to the typical approach by taking an ecologically valid approach, using novel, mobile phone-based methodology to sample mothers’ reports of their affective states and their parenting beliefs in the moment, as they go about their everyday lives. Second, reviewed studies typically relied on correlations between (a) summary scores capturing observed parenting qualities over a discrete period of observation and (b) depression symptom levels typically measured just prior to the observations, and typically having asked women to reflect on their symptom severity levels over past week or past two-weeks. Although we attempt to expand on findings from such studies, using their same approach, in contrast to these two design features, we add to the literature by also investigating how (a) depressive and anxiety symptom levels, (b) maternal positive mood (c) maternal negative mood, and (d) maternal perceived stress in the moment are associated with PSE in the moment. Specific Aim One Examine associations between parenting self-efficacy and symptoms of depression in first time mothers of infants. Although this is a well-replicated finding, as reviewed above, we thought it was essential to test whether we would replicate this finding at baseline among women whom we further studied in terms of the dynamics of PSE and its correlates. Extend...
The Current Study
