UMD Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.
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Item THE ROLE OF THEORY OF MIND IN SOCIAL INTERACTION(2021) Alkire, Diana; Redcay, Elizabeth; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Theory of mind (ToM) is assumed to be instrumental to social interactions, yet it is typically studied using non-interactive laboratory tasks. Standard measures are thus limited in their ability to characterize the cognitive and neural substrates of ToM in naturalistic social interactions, as well as the mechanisms explaining social-interactive difficulties in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Across three studies, this dissertation aimed to highlight and bridge the disconnect between the study of ToM and its real-world implementation. Study 1 assessed the relative importance of a range of social-cognitive, social-perceptual, and social-affective constructs in explaining variance in the social symptoms of ASD. Three standard, non-interactive ToM measures together explained only 6% of the variance in social symptoms, reinforcing the need for interactive approaches to studying ToM. Study 2 applied such an approach using a socially interactive neuroimaging paradigm to measure brain activation associated with both ToM and social interaction. In typically developing children aged 8-12, interacting with a peer, even in the absence of explicit ToM demands, engaged many of the same regions as did non-interactive ToM reasoning, consistent with the idea that social interaction elicits spontaneous ToM-related processes. Study 3 also investigated ToM in social interaction, this time at the behavioral level, by introducing a novel observational coding system that measures the use of (or failure to use) ToM in naturalistic conversation. Among dyads of typically developing and autistic children and adolescents, conversational ToM (cToM) did not predict interaction success. However, the cToM Negative subscale—capturing ToM-related violations of conversational norms—was negatively associated with two forms of non-interactive ToM: 1) recognizing complex emotions from facial expressions, and 2) spontaneously attributing mental states when describing abstract social animations. Furthermore, exploratory analyses revealed associations between cToM and brain activation during the socially interactive neuroimaging task used in Study 2. Findings across the three studies highlight the multifaceted nature of the ToM construct, the value of socially interactive approaches to studying ToM, and the importance of considering ToM alongside other social-cognitive and affective processes when investigating social interaction.Item THE NEURAL CORRELATES OF SOCIAL MOTIVATION IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER DURING A REAL-TIME PEER INTERACTION(2018) Kirby, Laura Anderson; Redcay, Elizabeth; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by difficulties with social motivation and social interaction. However, the neural underpinnings of these processes are poorly understood, and past studies investigating this subject have significant methodological limitations. This study is the first to investigate the neural correlates of social interaction in children and adolescents diagnosed with ASD using a naturalistic “chat” paradigm that mimics real-world reciprocal conversations. Despite core weaknesses in social interaction, participants with ASD showed similar brain activation to their neurotypical counterparts while initiating conversations and receiving replies from peers. Two notable group differences emerged, however. Participants with ASD showed blunted responses in the amygdala while initiating conversations and receiving replies, and they showed hyperactive responses in the temporal parietal junction (TPJ) while initiating conversations with peers. Findings have implications for how we understand social motivational and social cognitive weaknesses in ASD.Item On the Social Consequences of the Desire for Motion(2016) Chernikova, Marina; Kruglanski, Arie; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Three studies investigated the effects of locomotion regulatory mode on individuals’ evaluations of social partners who disrupt the smooth forward motion of a social interaction. Locomotion was expected to increase individuals’ preference for smooth motion in social interactions. In turn, that preference was expected to lead to less positive evaluations of listeners who disrupted the “flow” of a social interaction. The results generally did not confirm the predictions. Theoretical and practical implications of the studies, as well as future directions for the research, are discussed.Item Three young Korean children's English language learning in two American preschool classrooms(2010) Yi, Sunkyoung; Klein, Elisa L; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to examine the process of English language learning through social interactions in a preschool. Three Korean ELLs in two American preschool classrooms were observed over the course of one school year, and their interactions were analyzed using qualitative methods to describe and explain how their learning developed over time. ELLs developed English skills using five types of actions and interactions. Non-communicative action (NCA), private speech (PS), Non-verbal communication (NVC), and Non-responses (NR) were used while ELLs became accustomed to their classroom routines and members. As the children understood routines and interactions, they employed verbal communication (VC) by access and initiation with the teachers and peers; descriptions and attention-getting were mostly used to communicate with others. Three steps of language learning were identified: 1) children actively participated through observation and listening; 2) peer involvement or teachers scaffolding provided understanding and competence through reoccurring instructions and themes; 3) English competencies developed through everyday social interactions with other children. Joint-attention (Yawkey & Miller, 1984) or mutual involvement (Camoinoni, 1979) played a central role in maintaining interactions. For mutual involvement to occur, ELLs had to find cooperative and loyal peers. To build such friendships, ELLs had to use other-centered strategies at the beginning of the school year and become avid observers and active participants. Social relationships thus were essential to facilitate social interactions and shared understanding. Play types (cooperative, parallel, and solitary), selection of friends or play partners, and attitudes toward peers influenced friendship-building and the development of English language comprehensions.Item Lively Streets: Exploring the relationship between built environment and social behavior(2006-11-27) Mehta, Vikas; Brower, Sidney N; Urban and Regional Planning and Design; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Streets constitute a significant part of open public space and are the most important symbols of the public realm. Streets that cater to the functional, social, and leisure needs of people have been positively associated with economic growth, physical health of people, and a sense of community. Increasingly, scholars suggest thinking of the street as a social space rather than just a channel for movement. Despite such suggestions, few studies have addressed the relationships between social behavior and the environmental quality of the street. Moreover, the studies that have, tend to separate the study of physical features from land uses, and hence do not deal with the interrelationships between behavioral patterns and the physical features of the street, and its sociability. This dissertation was an empirical examination of behavioral responses, perceptions, and attitudes of people to the physical characteristics, use, and management of the neighborhood commercial street in two cities and one town in the Boston metropolitan area. It used methods based in environment-behavior sciences involving extensive observations of these streets over eight months, and interviews with people using these streets to understand their behaviors and perceptions. The biggest competitive advantage of neighborhood commercial streets is their ability to support social interaction. The findings reveal that people were equally concerned with the social and physical dimensions of the street. The presence of community places and the street's landuse and physical character determined the use of the street. People preferred settings that had stores that were community-gathering places, which held special collective meanings for the people of the neighborhood and were thus destinations to meet friends and to see other people and activities; that had a variety of stores on the block, particularly those that served daily shopping needs; that had unique independently operated stores with friendly service, a distinctive character and ambience, and personalized shop-windows and entrances; that were pedestrian-friendly with ample sidewalk space with seating and other street furniture, and shade and shelter; and that had buildings with permeable and articulated street facades providing sheltered small-scale spaces.