Faculty Bibliography

Longitudinal shape analysis often relies on the estimation of a realistic continuous growth scenario from data sparsely distributed in time. In this paper, we propose a new type of growth model parameterized by acceleration, whereas standard methods typically control the velocity. This mimics the behavior of biological tissue as a mechanical system driven by external forces. The growth trajectories are estimated as smooth flows of deformations, which are twice differentiable. This differs from piecewise geodesic regression, for which the velocity may be discontinuous. We evaluate our approach on a set of anatomical structures of the same subject, scanned 16 times between 4 and 8 years of age. We show our acceleration based method estimates smooth growth, demonstrating improved regularity compared to piecewise geodesic regression. Leave-several-out experiments show that our method is robust to missing observations, as well as being less sensitive to noise, and is therefore more likely to capture the underlying biological growth.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the importance of adult attachment and relationship beliefs (dysfunctional expectations and implicit theories of relationships) for predicting interdependence in emerging adults' romantic relationships. College students at Fairleigh Dickinson University's Teaneck and Madison campuses were recruited from undergraduate psychology courses. Those students who consented to participate completed a battery of self-report measures. Bivariate correlations were computed among all variables of interest. None of the predictor variables were associated with overall ratings of relationship interdependence. Several multiple regression models were then conducted in order to assess whether attachment anxiety predicted interdependence, and whether the different relationship beliefs moderated this association. All models predicting relationship interdependence were non-significant, however some of the models predicting Strength of Influence, a subscale of interdependence, were significant. Older age and greater endorsement of the Mindreading is Expected and Disagreement is Dangerous beliefs were predictive of greater Strength of Influence scores. Exploratory analyses indicated that the interaction between gender and dysfunctional relationship beliefs approached significance in the model predicting Strength of Influence. The destiny and growth beliefs (i.e. implicit theories of relationships) were largely unrelated to either attachment anxiety or the outcome of interest, and no moderation effect was found for either belief. This study adds to our understanding of the phenomenology of relationship beliefs in emerging adulthood, particularly how such beliefs influence close relationships. In comparison to married adults, for whom dysfunctional beliefs are detrimental to relationship functioning, emerging adults who endorsed dysfunctional beliefs in this study simultaneously reported positive relationship functioning, as indicated by greater influence of their romantic partners. Such findings suggest that dysfunctional beliefs may be developmentally appropriate in emerging adulthood and may only become harmful to relationships later in the lifespan.

The goal of this paper is to synthesize available data to help guide policy and programmatic initiatives for families with substance abuse problems who are involved with the child welfare system, and identify gaps in the research base preventing further refinement of practices in this area. To date, Family Treatment Drug Court and newly developed home-based substance abuse treatment interventions appear the most effective at improving substance abuse treatment initiation and completion in child welfare populations. Research is needed to compare the efficacy of these two approaches, and examine cost and child well-being indicators in addition to substance abuse treatment and child welfare outcomes

The present study examined the influence of schooling during children's first and second years of preschool for children who experienced different amounts of preschool (i.e., one or two years), but who were essentially the same chronological age. Children (n = 76) were tested in the fall and spring of the school year using measures of self-regulation, decoding, letter knowledge, and vocabulary. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), preschool was not associated with children's development of self-regulation in either year. For decoding and letter knowledge, children finishing their second year of preschool had higher scores, although both groups of children grew similarly during the school year. Thus, our results suggest that the first and second years of preschool are both systematically associated with decoding and letter knowledge gains, and the effects are cumulative (two years predicted greater gains overall than did one year of preschool). Finally, children's chronological age, and not whether they experienced one versus two years of preschool, predicted children's vocabulary and self-regulation outcomes. Implications for preschool curricula and instruction are discussed, including the increasing emphasis on literacy learning prior to kindergarten entry and the need to address self-regulation development along with academic learning.

We compared neural and behavioral responses to feedback received during interpersonal interactions within the Prisoner's Dilemma game between adolescents with anxiety disorders (n = 12) and healthy peers (n = 17). Groups differed significantly in neural activation in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), precuneus, insula, and temporoparietal junction (TPJ). Anxious adolescents were also more likely than controls to cooperate after co-player betrayal. Our findings provide evidence that social behavior and related neural activity differs between anxious and healthy adolescents. These findings constitute a step toward elucidating neural correlates of social impairment in anxious youths.