Human Development & Quantitative Methodology Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2779

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    DEVELOPMENTAL AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN REWARD PROCESSING ACROSS CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE
    (2010) Kirwan, Michael Louis; Fox, Nathan A; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by maturation across multiple domains. This maturation is not without difficulties, however, as adolescents also display increased negative mood, conflict with parents, and risk-taking behaviors. Increased risk-taking is thought to be the byproduct of changes in reward circuits in the brain, and while a solid foundation of research has provided evidence for changes in reward processing during adolescence compared to adulthood, little is known about the changes that occur from childhood into adolescence. The current study addresses this gap in the literature with an investigation of changes in behavioral performance on a reward-processing task using a cross-sectional sample of children and adolescents. Three primary findings emerged from this study. First, adolescents displayed faster reaction times than 8-year-olds. Second, subjects responded faster and more accurately on trials with greater potential rewards. Finally, individual differences were related to reward sensitivity, reaction times, and response accuracies.
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    School-Related Apathy in 8th- and 10th- Grade Students: A Mixed-Method Exploration of Definitions, Construct Independence, Correlates, and Grade-Level Differences
    (2007-04-26) Riconscente, Michelle Maria; Alexander, Patricia A; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Research-based and folk conceptualizations of school-related apathy were explored in 309 8th- and 10th- grade Catholic school students and their teachers. Definitions, construct independence, and relation to select individual and group differences including grade level were examined. Findings indicated that while some independence exists among the set of five constructs assessed--adolescent apathy, amotivation, apathy syndrome, disengagement, and work avoidance--substantial overlap is present that can inform development of a more parsimonious conceptualization of students' lack of school motivation centered on perceived relevance and a general attitude of interest. Results also demonstrated only moderate levels of agreement between research-based and teacher identification of students low on school-related motivation; however, both approaches indicate that approximately 1 in 4 students manifests markedly low school-related motivation. Relations of several individual and group differences to conceptualizations of school-related apathy were documented in expected directions. Implications of the findings for educational research and practice are discussed.