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Title: Alpha Coherence in Infants of Depressed Mothers.
Creator: Chassin, Victoria, Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description: Prior research on neurophysiology of infants of depressed mothers commonly has focused on EEG power and asymmetry. Whether infants of depressed mothers show differences in coherence is undetermined. This study examined the development of EEG alpha coherence in infants of mothers with various degrees of depression. Also investigated was the normative development of alpha coherence in infancy. The relationship between maternal depression and infant coherence was analyzed at different infant...
Show morePrior research on neurophysiology of infants of depressed mothers commonly has focused on EEG power and asymmetry. Whether infants of depressed mothers show differences in coherence is undetermined. This study examined the development of EEG alpha coherence in infants of mothers with various degrees of depression. Also investigated was the normative development of alpha coherence in infancy. The relationship between maternal depression and infant coherence was analyzed at different infant ages, from 1-12-months-old. There were significant effects of maternal depression on infant coherence between frontal-occipital regions, frontal-parietal regions, and central-parietal regions, in 1-month-olds. There were also significant maternal depression effects in central-parietal coherence in 1-3-month-olds and 3-6-month-olds. Differences were in the right hemisphere and were generally characterized by lower coherence in infants whose mothers had higher depression. Infants whose mothers had lower depression demonstrated age-related decreases in coherence, but infants of more highly depressed mothers did not show age-related differences.
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Date Issued: 2023
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014224
Subject Headings: Electroencephalography, Mother and infant, Children of depressed persons, Alpha coherence
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: An Exploration of Testosterone Mediated Effects on Auditory Learning in Northern Bobwhite Quail.
Creator: Bellinger, Seanceray A., Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Elevated yolk progesterone has been shown to impair prenatal, but facilitate postnatal auditory learning in bobwhite quail chicks. Elevated yolk testosterone has facilitated prenatal learning, but its effects on postnatal auditory learning in quail are unknown. Either testosterone or an oil vehicle was injected into bobwhite quail eggs prior to incubation. Control eggs were unmanipulated. Following hatching, chicks were exposed to a conspecific maternal call (A or B) for 240 min. At 48 hr,...
Show moreElevated yolk progesterone has been shown to impair prenatal, but facilitate postnatal auditory learning in bobwhite quail chicks. Elevated yolk testosterone has facilitated prenatal learning, but its effects on postnatal auditory learning in quail are unknown. Either testosterone or an oil vehicle was injected into bobwhite quail eggs prior to incubation. Control eggs were unmanipulated. Following hatching, chicks were exposed to a conspecific maternal call (A or B) for 240 min. At 48 hr, chicks were tested for their preference for the familiarized vs. novel call. All groups demonstrated a preference for the familiar call (p < .05), but minimal between group difference were found. Contrary to previous research, elevated yolk testosterone neither facilitated nor impaired postnatal auditory learning in bobwhite quail chicks. Further research will examine underlying mechanisms responsible for differential effects and explore if similar systems are involved in other species-typical processes such as social motivation.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005944
Subject Headings: Dissertations, Academic -- Florida Atlantic University, Bobwhite quail, Northern bobwhite., Chicks., Testosterone., Egg yolk.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Assessing Children’s Performance on the Facial Emotion Recognition Task with Familiar and Unfamiliar Faces: An Autism Study.
Creator: Shanok, Nathaniel, Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Studies exploring facial emotion recognition (FER) abilities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) samples have yielded inconsistent results despite the widely-accepted finding that an impairment in emotion recognition is a core component of ASD. The current study aimed to determine if an FER task featuring both unfamiliar and familiar faces would highlight additional group differences between ASD children and typically developing (TD) children. We tested the two groups of 4- to 8-year-olds on...
Show moreStudies exploring facial emotion recognition (FER) abilities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) samples have yielded inconsistent results despite the widely-accepted finding that an impairment in emotion recognition is a core component of ASD. The current study aimed to determine if an FER task featuring both unfamiliar and familiar faces would highlight additional group differences between ASD children and typically developing (TD) children. We tested the two groups of 4- to 8-year-olds on this revised task, and also compared their resting-state brain activity using electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements. As hypothesized, the TD group had significantly higher overall emotion recognition percent scores. In addition, there was a significant interaction effect of group by familiarity, with the ASD group recognizing emotional expressions significantly better in familiar faces than in unfamiliar ones. This finding may be related to the preference of children with autism for people and situations which they are accustomed to. TD children did not demonstrate this pattern, as their recognition scores were approximately the same for familiar faces and unfamiliar ones. No significant group differences existed for EEG alpha power or EEG alpha asymmetry in frontal, central, temporal, parietal, or occipital brain regions. Also, neither of these EEG measurements were strongly correlated with the group FER performances. Further evidence is needed to assess the association between neurophysiological measurements and behavioral symptoms of ASD. The behavioral results of this study provide preliminary evidence that an FER task featuring both familiar and unfamiliar expressions produces a more optimal assessment of emotion recognition ability.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004908, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004908
Subject Headings: Emotions in children., Social skills in children., Nonverbal communication., Pattern recognition systems., Face perception.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Behavioral and Physiological Manifestations of Jealousy During the First Year of Life: Implications for Cortisol Reactivity, EEG Asymmetry, and Mother-Infant Attachment.
Creator: Bernardo, Angela, Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description: Infants have an innate desire to form social bonds and jealousy protests are observed when an infant is trying to regain attention lost by a caregiver to a social competitor. The current study examined jealousy responses during the first year of life, between 6- to 9-months of age and 12- to 18-months of age, in response to loss of exclusive maternal attention, in addition to exploring implications for mother-infant attachment, EEG asymmetry, and cortisol reactivity and regulation. At both...
Show moreInfants have an innate desire to form social bonds and jealousy protests are observed when an infant is trying to regain attention lost by a caregiver to a social competitor. The current study examined jealousy responses during the first year of life, between 6- to 9-months of age and 12- to 18-months of age, in response to loss of exclusive maternal attention, in addition to exploring implications for mother-infant attachment, EEG asymmetry, and cortisol reactivity and regulation. At both age groups, infants demonstrated increased approach behaviors when infants are faced with a social rival, in addition, left-frontal EEG asymmetry was associated with maternal-directed approach behaviors during the social rival condition. In the 6- to 9-month sample, left-frontal EEG asymmetry also demonstrated an association with infants regulatory abilities, measured by salivary cortisol. This study provides further evidence for the emerging links between social and emotional responses in infancy due to loss of exclusive maternal attention.
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Date Issued: 2020
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013518
Subject Headings: Mother and infant, Jealousy, Cortisol, Electroencephalography, Infants--Behavior, Infants--Physiology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Behavioral Expressions of Jealousy Across the First Two Years of Life: Associations with EEG Asymmetry, Cortisol Reactivity and Attachment Security.
Creator: Platt, Melannie, Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Jealousy is understood as a system of physiological, behavioral, and emotional responses, yet few studies have examined these aspects of jealousy simultaneously in infants. Further, jealousy paradigms have not been examined as a potential stressor in infancy and thus typical cortisol reactivity and regulation patterns in response to jealousy paradigms have not been observed. In addition, the contribution of attachment security to infant expressions of jealousy has been vastly understudied....
Show moreJealousy is understood as a system of physiological, behavioral, and emotional responses, yet few studies have examined these aspects of jealousy simultaneously in infants. Further, jealousy paradigms have not been examined as a potential stressor in infancy and thus typical cortisol reactivity and regulation patterns in response to jealousy paradigms have not been observed. In addition, the contribution of attachment security to infant expressions of jealousy has been vastly understudied. The present study seeks to fill the current gaps in the infant jealousy literature by investigating quantitative and qualitative changes in infant jealousy across the first two years of life. Data was collected longitudinally and mother- infant dyads were asked to participate when infants were 12- months and 24-months of age. Associations between behavioral jealousy responses, baseline EEG activity, stress reactivity and attachment security were examined. Differences in approach behaviors and behavioral arousal were found across conditions and were consistent with previous studies (Hart & Carrington, 2002; Mize & Jones, 2012). Findings relating to EEG activity pointed to a relationship between left EEG asymmetry and global approach behaviors across time. Cortisol reactivity was found to be associated with attachment security but reactive cortisol concentrations compared to baseline cortisol concentrations do not indicate that the paradigm was an effective stressor. Attachment security was found to be associated with proximity behaviors in 12- month olds but not 24-month olds. Finally, a linear regression revealed that attachment security, EEG asymmetry, and cortisol reactivity at 12-months are significant predictors of behavioral jealousy responses at 24-months. Changes in behavioral and physiological measures across time indicate that jealousy continues to develop during the second year of life but may have different underlying processes than the processes that contribute to jealousy expression in 12-month-olds.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004889, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004889
Subject Headings: Mood (Psychology)--Physiological aspects., Emotions--Physiological aspects., Emotions in infants., Attachment behavior in infants., Attachment behavior in children., Jealousy in children., Child psychology., Child rearing., Sibling rivalry.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Breastfeeding and kangaroo care: biobehavioral measures of dyadic bonding, infant cortical maturation, and infant HPA reactivity.
Creator: Hardin, Jillian, Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: The current study examined the effects of kangaroo care on breastfeeding practices, infant stress reactivity, and biobehavioral measures of mother-infant bonding across the first 3 months postpartum. Additionally, the role of breastfeeding in infant cortical maturation in the frontal lobe was examined. Thirty two mother-infant dyads participated in the current study; 16 mother-infant dyads were randomly assigned to the kangaroo care group and 17 mother-infant dyads were assigned to the...
Show moreThe current study examined the effects of kangaroo care on breastfeeding practices, infant stress reactivity, and biobehavioral measures of mother-infant bonding across the first 3 months postpartum. Additionally, the role of breastfeeding in infant cortical maturation in the frontal lobe was examined. Thirty two mother-infant dyads participated in the current study; 16 mother-infant dyads were randomly assigned to the kangaroo care group and 17 mother-infant dyads were assigned to the control group. Mothers in the kangaroo care group received training on proper kangaroo care procedures by a trained administrator during the first 1-2 weeks postpartum. Mothers in the kangaroo care group were asked to use the kangaroo care procedure for 1 hour per day for 6 weeks. Maternal perceptions of fetal attachment, mood, feeding intentions, and urinary oxytocin measurements were assessed prenatally. At a newborn visit, infant neurobehavioral functioning and urinary oxytocin measurements were assessed. Maternal mood and feeding practices were also assessed at the newborn visit. At 3 months postpartum, mother-infant dyads were assessed on urinary oxytocin measurements. Mother-infant dyads were recorded during a play session and feeding session. Infant baseline EEG recordings were taken over a 5 minute period. Infant cortisol measurements were collected from infant saliva before and after a mild behavioral stressor, an infant arm restraint procedure. Maternal perceptions of postpartum bonding, mood, infant temperament, and feeding practices were also assessed. Results indicate that kangaroo care produced medium to large effects on cortisol reactivity, dyadic bonding, and breastfeeding practices if kangaroo care was practiced for the recommended amount of time. Kangaroo care produced medium to large effects on oxytocin levels in motherinfant dyads regardless of use. Cortical measures of infant frontal activity indicated that all infants in the samples displayed functional maturity of the frontal lobe. Kangaroo care can be used a viable, low-cost tactile procedure that can be implemented after birth to aid in breastfeeding practices, mother-infant bonding, and lower infant stress reactivity. Infants in the study who received at least one breastfeeding session displayed advanced patterns of frontal activation. Further study is needed to determine if peripheral oxytocin measurements are 1) reliable and 2) are indicative of dyadic bonding behaviors.
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004119, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004119
Subject Headings: Animal behavior, Attachment behavior in children, Breastfeeding -- Psychological aspects, Developmental psychobiology, Mother and infant -- Psychological aspects, Nature and nurture
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: CHILDREN’S EMOTIONAL RESPONSIVENESS AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF PARENTS’ EXPRESSIVE TENDENCIES DURING EMOTIONALLY POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE INTERACTIONS.
Creator: Smatrakaleva, Kristina G., Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description: This study examines how children learn emotional information and management from their primary caretakers during interactions with positive and negative narratives. Fifty-six preschoolers and their parents participated in a storytelling and discussion task, where each parent presented a happy and a sad story. Preschoolers were coded for their involvement, emotional comprehension, and concern, while parents were rated on their support, scaffolding, and expressiveness. Findings reveal that warm...
Show moreThis study examines how children learn emotional information and management from their primary caretakers during interactions with positive and negative narratives. Fifty-six preschoolers and their parents participated in a storytelling and discussion task, where each parent presented a happy and a sad story. Preschoolers were coded for their involvement, emotional comprehension, and concern, while parents were rated on their support, scaffolding, and expressiveness. Findings reveal that warm responsive and expressive parental behaviors contribute significantly to children’s cognitive and emotional skills during both positive and negative narrative interactions. Parents high in support and expressiveness (both during the task and within the home) had children who showed higher total expression, in addition to being more positively expressive, more involved, and more understanding of emotional concepts. These results reinforce previously established beliefs on the importance of emotionally open, positively expressive, and cognitively stimulating parent-child interactions on emotional, social, and regulatory competence.
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Date Issued: 2022
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014011
Subject Headings: Parent and child, Emotion, Developmental psychology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS & EXPRESSING EMOTIONS: EMOTIONAL EXPRESSIVENESS IN CHILDREN WITH PARENTS WHO EXPERIENCE DEPRESSIVE SYMTPOMS.
Creator: Salley, Jenna, Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description: Children learn from their parents’ emotional expressions because one’s parents are the main source of social information, especially on an emotional level. Depression hinders the parents’ ability to express these emotions, in turn, hindering the child’s ability to identify and express emotions as they get older. Parents self-reported their everyday depressive symptoms and were placed into two depressive categories: high and low. By means of a story-telling paradigm, each parent read 2 stories...
Show moreChildren learn from their parents’ emotional expressions because one’s parents are the main source of social information, especially on an emotional level. Depression hinders the parents’ ability to express these emotions, in turn, hindering the child’s ability to identify and express emotions as they get older. Parents self-reported their everyday depressive symptoms and were placed into two depressive categories: high and low. By means of a story-telling paradigm, each parent read 2 stories to their child, one positively and one negatively valanced. This study looked at the parent-child dyadic interaction, as well as behavioral patterns of interactions in both children and parents. Parents’ depressive symptoms affected their ability to be expressive during emotionally valenced situations. Parent-child pairs also had less dyadic unity when depressive symptoms were prevalent. Depressive symptoms in the parent also led to the child expressing fewer relevant emotions and having lower comprehension of emotions. The findings suggest that depressive symptoms in the parents, even at a subclinical level, not only affect the parents’ emotional expressivity but also leads to weaker emotional processing skills in their preschoolers.
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Date Issued: 2022
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014113
Subject Headings: Depression, Emotions, Parent and child, Emotions in children
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: DEVELOPMENT OF INFANT AGENCY.
Creator: Sloan, Aliza T., Jones, Nancy Aaron, Kelso, J. A. Scott, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description: The mobile conjugate reinforcement (MCR) paradigm, made famous by Carolyn Rovee-Collier and her colleagues (Rovee & Rovee, 1969), has long been used to study infant learning and memory. In MCR studies, the infant's foot is tethered to a mobile hanging overhead, and the mobile responds directly to the infant's kicking. Infant kicking rate triples within a few minutes of interacting with the mobile. This result was classically interpreted as evidence of reinforcement learning. Kelso and Fuchs ...
Show moreThe mobile conjugate reinforcement (MCR) paradigm, made famous by Carolyn Rovee-Collier and her colleagues (Rovee & Rovee, 1969), has long been used to study infant learning and memory. In MCR studies, the infant's foot is tethered to a mobile hanging overhead, and the mobile responds directly to the infant's kicking. Infant kicking rate triples within a few minutes of interacting with the mobile. This result was classically interpreted as evidence of reinforcement learning. Kelso and Fuchs (2016) reinterpreted it as evidence that a coordinative structure, or functional synergy, forms between infant and mobile, triggering a positive feedback loop between the two. Positive feedback is proposed to give rise to an `Aha!' moment as the (prelinguistic) infant suddenly realizes it is an agent in control of the mobile's motion. While some have theorized the realization of self as causal agent emerges from organism-environment interactions, Kelso and Fuchs (2016) developed a mathematical model of the coordination dynamics between the infant and mobile, providing mechanistic explanations for the formation of agency. The current study was the first to measure movement of the mobile and analyze how dynamics of coordination between infant and mobile relate to possible transitions from spontaneous to intentional action. Novel measures of infant and mobile dynamics were used to test model predictions. Infant activity dropped drastically in response to non-contingent mobile movement and remained suppressed at the start of infant~mobile contingency, suggesting that mobile movement triggers a qualitatively different context for infants. This finding challenges the widely held assumption that mobile movement rewards and stimulates infant movement and calls into question the sufficiency of standard contingency detection cut-offs and explanations of conjugate reinforcement learning. Assessing coordination dynamics on a fine time scale using new analytical techniques made it possible to identify moments of agentive realization. Approaching agency as a relational phenomenon allowed for detailed characterization of the infant~mobile relationship and its role in the emergence of causal agency. In addition, the results revealed a number of surprising insights into agency formation such as the critical role of inactivity for agentive discovery and the possibility of intermediary stages or quasi-agentive states.
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Date Issued: 2022
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013967
Subject Headings: Infants, Infants--Development, Developmental psychology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Electroencephalography in children with autism.
Creator: Lucas, Nikola N., Jones, Nancy Aaron, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by deficits involving social interaction, communication, and perception. Although there is much research that has examined functional neural connectivity in individuals with autism, few have conducted these studies in very young children while awake across EEG power and coherence measures. Anomalies in EEG coherence and power have been associated with deficits in executive function and mental activity. The present study examined...
Show moreAutism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by deficits involving social interaction, communication, and perception. Although there is much research that has examined functional neural connectivity in individuals with autism, few have conducted these studies in very young children while awake across EEG power and coherence measures. Anomalies in EEG coherence and power have been associated with deficits in executive function and mental activity. The present study examined neural activation and functional connectivity with an EEG, in children ages 3 -5, during an eyesclosed baseline period. Discrete Fourier Transform was performed on artifact-free segments of EEG data to produce power density values. In addition, coherence measurements were examined to assess functional connectivity in the alpha bandwidth during the baseline recording. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrated reduced alpha coherence in fronto-temporal regions and between right temporal sites when compared to typically developing (TD) children. In addition, the reduction in coherence was based on ASD severity, such that high-functioning children with ASD showed greater coherence than low-functioning children with ASD. Children with ASD also displayed reduced power in the alpha, beta, and theta frequency bandwidths in frontal, temporal, central, and occipital regions compared to TD children. Interestingly, delta power differentiated children based on developmental status such that high-functioning children with ASD demonstrated the greatest delta power, followed by TD children, and then low-functioning children with ASD. Finally, TD children demonstrated left anterior temporal EEG asymmetry in the alpha bandwidth, whereas children with high-functioning ASD exhibited left posterior temporal EEG asymmetry and right frontal EEG asymmetry. Thus, the results suggest that children with ASD exhibit atypical patterns of brain activity and functional connectivity compared to their typically developing counterparts.
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Date Issued: 2013
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA0004034
Subject Headings: Autism in children -- Research, Autism spectrum disorders, Cognition disorders in children, Cognitive neuroscience, Electroencephalography -- Therapeutic use
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Emotional and Behavioral Effects within the Triadic Family System: Actor-Partner Interdependence between Parents and Preschoolers.
Creator: Montena, Alexandra L., Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: The purpose of the current study is to examine emotional and behavioral interdependence within the triadic family system. Interdependence was assessed over time between 17 participant groups of mothers, fathers and preschoolers. Responses of each parent and preschooler were observed during story recitations that were chosen to elicit positive or negative responses; observations included measures of attention, external affect, and affective congruency. Parental self-report ratings of...
Show moreThe purpose of the current study is to examine emotional and behavioral interdependence within the triadic family system. Interdependence was assessed over time between 17 participant groups of mothers, fathers and preschoolers. Responses of each parent and preschooler were observed during story recitations that were chosen to elicit positive or negative responses; observations included measures of attention, external affect, and affective congruency. Parental self-report ratings of expressivity, negative emotions, and child temperament were compared to observations during story recitations, as well. Some father-child interactions appeared to be affected by story condition. However, parent gender had little effect on parent-child interactions overall in regards to child consistency. The findings suggest that children drive the interactions more so than parents. Further research with a larger sample size is needed to fully examine the emotional and behavioral interdependence between parents and preschoolers.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004912, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004912
Subject Headings: Parent and child., Child rearing., Attachment behavior., Developmental psychology., Education, Preschool--Parent participation., Personality assessment.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION ABILITY IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS.
Creator: Brooks, Katy, Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description: The present study aimed to gain a better understanding of the emotion processing abilities of children between the ages of 4 and 8 with ASD by examining their ability to correctly recognize dynamic displays of emotion. Additionally, we examined whether children with ASD showed emotion specific differences in their ability to accurately identify anger, happiness, sadness, and fear. Participants viewed a continuous display of neutral faces morphing into expressions of emotion. We aimed to...
Show moreThe present study aimed to gain a better understanding of the emotion processing abilities of children between the ages of 4 and 8 with ASD by examining their ability to correctly recognize dynamic displays of emotion. Additionally, we examined whether children with ASD showed emotion specific differences in their ability to accurately identify anger, happiness, sadness, and fear. Participants viewed a continuous display of neutral faces morphing into expressions of emotion. We aimed to measure observed power and asymmetry using EEG data in order to understand the neural activity that underlies the social aspects of ASD. Participants with ASD showed slower processing speed and decreased emotion sensitivity. On tasks that involved the recognition of expressions on the participants’ mothers’ faces, differences were less apparent. These results suggest that children with ASD are capable of recognizing facial displays of emotion after repeated exposure, this should be explored further in future research.
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Date Issued: 2020
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013463
Subject Headings: Children with autism spectrum disorders, Emotion recognition in children, Facial expression
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: GENDER AND ANALYSIS OF GARS-2 IN TYPICALLY DEVELOPING CHILDREN AND CHILDREN ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM.
Creator: Gaudrée, Aerdin Amanda T., Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description: The overall goal of the present study was to examine the data from several research studies to aid in understanding sex, ASD, and its subcomponents using the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale or GARS-2, an ASD diagnostics questionnaire, and to explore the relation between facial emotional recognition, sex, and ASD. We did not find a significant difference in the GARS-2 overall scores, nor was there a difference in the GARS-2 subscale scores when examining the scores of boys and girls (both ASD and...
Show moreThe overall goal of the present study was to examine the data from several research studies to aid in understanding sex, ASD, and its subcomponents using the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale or GARS-2, an ASD diagnostics questionnaire, and to explore the relation between facial emotional recognition, sex, and ASD. We did not find a significant difference in the GARS-2 overall scores, nor was there a difference in the GARS-2 subscale scores when examining the scores of boys and girls (both ASD and TD). Our findings suggest the GARS-2 is an excellent choice in diagnostic measures and does not appear to have a sex bias. That being said, research into ASD measures is much needed. This is a significant issue as such research does not consider the potential different symptomology of girls with ASD. The issue at the heart of this study is that for so long research on ASD has been limited to studying samples of boys with the disorder (Lundstrom et al., 2019).
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Date Issued: 2022
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014118
Subject Headings: Autism, Children, Gender
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Infant Jealousy Responses: Temperament and EEG.
Creator: Mize, Krystal D., Florida Atlantic University, Jones, Nancy Aaron, Bjorklund, David F., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Jealousy results from the fear of loss of an important relationship partner or his/her exclusive attention (Neu, 1980; Tov-Ruach, 1980). Infants are dependant on their caregivers for basic needs and emotional support. Therefore, if an infant perceives that a rival threatens the parent-child dyad relationship, it is possible that the infant will respond in a jealous manner just as adults do when their important relationships are threatened . Although infants have limited emotional...
Show moreJealousy results from the fear of loss of an important relationship partner or his/her exclusive attention (Neu, 1980; Tov-Ruach, 1980). Infants are dependant on their caregivers for basic needs and emotional support. Therefore, if an infant perceives that a rival threatens the parent-child dyad relationship, it is possible that the infant will respond in a jealous manner just as adults do when their important relationships are threatened . Although infants have limited emotional understanding, Palmer and Palmer (2002) suggest that jealousy evolved out of other resource-protecting drives. Because parental care is a valuable resource, supporting survival, infants may have at least precursory jealousy capabilities. Research on infant jealousy is minimal however, Hart and Carrington (2002) characterized approach responses to the loss of maternal attention to a life-like doll as jealousy. The purpose ofthe current repeated-measures research design is to provide a conceptual replication of previous infant jealousy research. Whether infant jealousy responses are moderated by individuals approach or withdrawal tendencies, is still to be determined and is another focus of the current research. Temperamental characteristics may influence emotional responses and asymmetrical frontal brain activity is associated with individual differences in emotional responding (see Coan & Allen, 2004 for a review). Therefore baseline electroencephalography (EEG) is collected in the current research followed by subjecting 15 infants (mean age = 12.87 months) to two maternal ignoring conditions, one involving the mother attending to a social object (lifelike doll) and a control condition in which the mother attends to a non-social object (book). Results show that infants respond differentially to the two conditions with increased approach behaviors, arousal, and negative affect in the doll condition. The infants' responses in the social-object condition are identified as jealousy, suggesting that infants are capable of at least some complex emotional experiences. v
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Date Issued: 2008
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000870
Subject Headings: Parent and infant, Social perception in children, Child psychology, Behavioral assessment of infants
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Infant Socioemotional Responses When Faced with Social Threat: Implications For Neurophysiological and Bio-hormonal Processing.
Creator: Bernardo, Angela Maria, Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description: Infants have an innate desire to form social bonds and jealousy protests are an attempt to regain exclusive maternal attention from a social usurper. The current study examined neurophysiological and bio-hormonal processes related to jealousy responses during the first year and a half of life. Prior to and after the first year of life, infants express jealousy protest behavior when faced with a social threat. Resting-state frontal EEG coherence indicated a developmental shift from bilateral...
Show moreInfants have an innate desire to form social bonds and jealousy protests are an attempt to regain exclusive maternal attention from a social usurper. The current study examined neurophysiological and bio-hormonal processes related to jealousy responses during the first year and a half of life. Prior to and after the first year of life, infants express jealousy protest behavior when faced with a social threat. Resting-state frontal EEG coherence indicated a developmental shift from bilateral connectivity in younger infants to increased frontal specialization in older infants in relation to jealousy responses. Furthermore, 6- to 9-month-old infants exhibited more frontal neuroconnectivity in the right hemisphere (i.e., an area related to negative emotions) of the brain compared to left when faced with social threat. Lastly, social threat activated HPA reactivity in infants higher in temperamental distress. This study provides further evidence for the emerging links between physiological and socioemotional responses in infancy due to loss of exclusive maternal attention.
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Date Issued: 2023
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014230
Subject Headings: Infant psychology, Jealousy, Infants--Development, Electroencephalography
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: INHIBITORY CONTROL PERFORMANCE AS A FUNCTION OF PREADOLESCENT ANXIETY AND RESTING-STATE NEUROPHYSIOLOGY.
Creator: Shanok, Nathaniel A., Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description: The aim of this study was to further examine the relationship between anxiety, inhibitory control (IC), and brain functioning (electroencephalogram) in a critical age-range for social and emotional development (8-12-year-olds). Depression was a secondary focus but was included in the analyses given the common anxiety/depression overlap. Additionally, the participants (N = 42) were assigned to 4 weeks of either an emotional training program (Emotional gFocus), a neutral training program ...
Show moreThe aim of this study was to further examine the relationship between anxiety, inhibitory control (IC), and brain functioning (electroencephalogram) in a critical age-range for social and emotional development (8-12-year-olds). Depression was a secondary focus but was included in the analyses given the common anxiety/depression overlap. Additionally, the participants (N = 42) were assigned to 4 weeks of either an emotional training program (Emotional gFocus), a neutral training program (Neutral gFocus), or a waitlisted control and were tested using cognitive, neurophysiological, and mood measures. Hierarchical regression models revealed that IC accuracy scores were significantly and negatively related to anxiety levels as indicated by the Screening For Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED), as well as depression levels (using the Child Depression Inventory (CDI)), controlling for age and gender. Additionally, increased resting-state right lateral frontal alpha asymmetry was predictive of increased anxiety as well as depression levels. To evaluate the intervention effects, a series of Multivariate Analyses of Covariance (MANCOVA) and contrast tests were conducted to determine if group differences existed from pre-to-post for any of the measures of interest. Overall, the emotional and neutral training conditions showed similar reductions in anxiety and depression compared to the waitlist condition. Both the emotional and neutral conditions also facilitated significant improvements in IC accuracy compared to the control. Minimal pre-to-post power and asymmetry changes occurred in frontal and parietal regions; however, a lateral frontal leftward activity shift was found in the emotional training group. These findings further demonstrated a relationship between IC and anxiety and showed preliminary evidence that training IC has the potential to mitigate negative emotional functioning in adolescents. Future research is necessary to determine the importance of emotional training versus neutral as well as whether longer training intervals will be needed to facilitate a long-term impact.
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Date Issued: 2020
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013486
Subject Headings: Preadolescents, Preteens, Anxiety, Neurophysiology, Inhibitory control
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Kangaroo care with full-term infants: maternal behaviors and mother-infant bonding.
Creator: Pineda, Melannie, Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Kangaroo care (KC), has been shown to promote healthy development for both pre-term and full-term infants, and to improve mother-infant bonding (Ludington-Hoe, 2011; Charpak et al., 2005). Current research on the maternal benefits of kangaroo care is scarce, primarily focuses on early KC, and is mostly qualitative in nature (Fegran, Helseth, & Fagermoan, 2008; Matos et al., 2010). The present study examined the effect of late KC on maternal behaviors, sensitivity, and mother-infant...
Show moreKangaroo care (KC), has been shown to promote healthy development for both pre-term and full-term infants, and to improve mother-infant bonding (Ludington-Hoe, 2011; Charpak et al., 2005). Current research on the maternal benefits of kangaroo care is scarce, primarily focuses on early KC, and is mostly qualitative in nature (Fegran, Helseth, & Fagermoan, 2008; Matos et al., 2010). The present study examined the effect of late KC on maternal behaviors, sensitivity, and mother-infant interactive mutuality when infants were 3 months of age. Mothers who used kangaroo care as directed were found to have greater bonding scores and less anxiety about caring for their infants as measured through the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire. Kangaroo care was also found to have an effect on mothers’ ability to effectively calm their infants after an arm restraint task. Further research on the usefulness of late intermittent KC with full-term infants is needed.
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004148, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004148
Subject Headings: Animal behavior, Attachment behavior, Developmental psychobiology, Infants (Newborn) -- Family relationships, Mother and infant -- Psychological aspects, Nature and nuture
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Maternal influence on early infant emotional regulation: A study of 3-month infant behavior, cortisol and frontal EEG.
Creator: Sloan, Aliza T., Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Prenatal maternal stress and mood, and early postnatal mother-infant interactions set the stage for the child’s psychobiological, neurological and social development. While a large body of research connecting maternal depression to infant EEG asymmetry exists, the current study sought to add to the sparse literature on maternal anxiety and infant EEG. Mother-infant dyads were assessed prenatally during the third trimester, soon after birth, at 6 weeks and 3 months postnatal. Association...
Show morePrenatal maternal stress and mood, and early postnatal mother-infant interactions set the stage for the child’s psychobiological, neurological and social development. While a large body of research connecting maternal depression to infant EEG asymmetry exists, the current study sought to add to the sparse literature on maternal anxiety and infant EEG. Mother-infant dyads were assessed prenatally during the third trimester, soon after birth, at 6 weeks and 3 months postnatal. Association between maternal depression and later development of right mid-frontal alpha asymmetry was confirmed, while trends suggested maternal anxiety may be associated with lateral frontal alpha asymmetry. Greater maternal sensitivity and anxiety were each associated with lower post-stressor cortisol in infants with right frontal asymmetry. Greater time spent in mutual gaze was associated with positive infant affect. Finally, quality mother-infant dynamics encourage positive infant affect and healthy physiological stress regulation even when brain patterns associated with dysregulation have been established.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005929
Subject Headings: Dissertations, Academic -- Florida Atlantic University, Mother and infant., Infant Behavior., Cortisol., Emotion., Frontal Lobe--physiology., Electroencephalography--Psychological aspects.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Neuroplasticity and the developing brain: the psychophysiological effects of mindfulness meditation on school-aged children.
Creator: Worch, Sarah M., Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Many studies have supported the overall health benefits of mindfulness meditation practices for adults, but research exploring such benefits for children is sparse. The present study explored the psychophysiological effects of mindfulness meditation over a 10 week-period on a sample of 2nd-and 4th-grade children. Electroencephalograph (EEG) asymmetry and coherence were recorded at baseline and immediately after the meditation intervention for the experimental group, and at baseline and after...
Show moreMany studies have supported the overall health benefits of mindfulness meditation practices for adults, but research exploring such benefits for children is sparse. The present study explored the psychophysiological effects of mindfulness meditation over a 10 week-period on a sample of 2nd-and 4th-grade children. Electroencephalograph (EEG) asymmetry and coherence were recorded at baseline and immediately after the meditation intervention for the experimental group, and at baseline and after 10 weeks for the control group. Measures of affect, behavioral motivation, creativity, and depression were also administered. The primary findings indicated that when improvement in depressive symptoms occurred for 4th-grade students who were somewhat engaged in meditation practice, left-sided frontal EEG activity was also more prominent. Additionally, 4th-grade students who actively participated in meditation practice experienced decreases in self-reported levels of negative affect. Results suggest that mindfulness meditation is beneficial for improving 4th-grade students’ mood and brain regions associated with mood.
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004238, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004238
Subject Headings: Brain -- Physiological aspects, Cognition in children, Mind and body, Mindfulness based cognitive therapy, Psychophysiology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Stress Reactivity in Children Following an Academic Stressor: Associations and Interactions with Intrapersonal Characteristics.
Creator: Corbett, Maria L., Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Previous research has shown that the intrapersonal characteristics (e.g., temperament) of children are associated closely with alterations in the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary–adrenal (HPA) stress axis. However, consistently capturing direct associations between these characteristics and stress reactivity of the HPA axis has, at times, yielded disparate findings. Thus, using the Rothbart model of temperament (Rothbart & Derryberry, 1981) as a guide, the main goal of this project...
Show morePrevious research has shown that the intrapersonal characteristics (e.g., temperament) of children are associated closely with alterations in the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary–adrenal (HPA) stress axis. However, consistently capturing direct associations between these characteristics and stress reactivity of the HPA axis has, at times, yielded disparate findings. Thus, using the Rothbart model of temperament (Rothbart & Derryberry, 1981) as a guide, the main goal of this project was to investigate and identify intrapersonal characteristics that moderate associations between other intrapersonal characteristics of the child and stress reactivity during development (e.g., trait by trait interactions). Additionally, study variables were assessed for meaningful associations and, on average differences between those who responded to the stressor paradigm and those who did not. A sample of 45 male and 37 female students (n=82, M= 9.66 yrs.) from six, fourth and fifth grade classes partook in a mathematically based stressor paradigm administered in the classroom. Salivary cortisol and behavior measures were collected in two waves over a 7-week period. Several significant results emerged. Overall, children who responded to the stressor paradigm had significantly higher levels of traits associated with a more inhibited behavioral style. Further, several meaningful interactions surfaced in which intrapersonal characteristics of various categories, including reactive, regulatory, and ambiguous, interacted with one another to predict stress reactivity. Of note, the majority of the interactions involved self-regulation and surgency. These two intrapersonal characteristics interacted with several others, helping to elucidate the unique influences of these intrapersonal characteristics on each other and, subsequently, stress reactivity of the HPA axis. These results illustrate that interactions between multiple intrapersonal characteristics should be taken into consideration in the future when studying the relationships between intrapersonal characteristics and stress reactivity of the HPA axis.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004824, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004824
Subject Headings: Stress (Psychology), Stress management., Temperament in children., Emotions--Psychological aspects., Mood (Psychology)--Physiological aspects.
Format: Document (PDF)

Electroencephalography (3)	+ -
Animal behavior (2)	+ -
Child psychology (2)	+ -
Child rearing. (2)	+ -
Developmental psychobiology (2)	+ -

Developmental psychology (2)	+ -
Dissertations, Academic -- Florida Atlantic University (2)	+ -
Infants--Development (2)	+ -
Jealousy (2)	+ -
Mood (Psychology)--Physiological aspects. (2)	+ -
Mother and infant (2)	+ -
Mother and infant -- Psychological aspects (2)	+ -
Parent and child (2)	+ -
Alpha coherence (1)	+ -
Anxiety (1)	+ -
Attachment behavior (1)	+ -
Attachment behavior in children (1)	+ -
Attachment behavior in children. (1)	+ -
Attachment behavior in infants. (1)	+ -
Attachment behavior. (1)	+ -
Autism (1)	+ -
Autism in children -- Research (1)	+ -
Autism spectrum disorders (1)	+ -
Behavioral assessment of infants (1)	+ -
Bobwhite quail (1)	+ -
Brain -- Physiological aspects (1)	+ -
Breastfeeding -- Psychological aspects (1)	+ -
Chicks. (1)	+ -
Child development (1)	+ -
Child psychology. (1)	+ -

Charles E. Schmidt College of Science (21)	+ -
Florida Atlantic University (20)	+ -
Sloan, Aliza T. (2)	+ -
Bellinger, Seanceray A. (1)	+ -
Bernardo, Angela (1)	+ -

Bernardo, Angela Maria (1)	+ -
Bjorklund, David F. (1)	+ -
Brooks, Katy (1)	+ -
Chassin, Victoria (1)	+ -
Corbett, Maria L. (1)	+ -
Gaudrée, Aerdin Amanda T. (1)	+ -
Hardin, Jillian (1)	+ -
Kelso, J. A. Scott (1)	+ -
Lucas, Nikola N. (1)	+ -
Marchesani, Alexandra (1)	+ -
Mize, Krystal D. (1)	+ -
Montena, Alexandra L. (1)	+ -
Pineda, Melannie (1)	+ -
Platt, Melannie (1)	+ -
Salley, Jenna (1)	+ -
Shanok, Nathaniel (1)	+ -
Shanok, Nathaniel A. (1)	+ -
Smatrakaleva, Kristina G. (1)	+ -
Worch, Sarah M. (1)	+ -

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