Parental Depressive Symptoms and Attunement to Preschoolers’ Mental Processes

Mothers with depression tend to engage in insensitive styles of interaction, which have been associated with delays or deficits in early socioemotional and cognitive development. Furthermore, decreased levels of sensitivity have been found, not only in clinically depressed mothers, but also in mothers with elevated symptoms of depression (e.g., Bettes, 1988; Donovan, Leavitt, \u26 Walsh, 1998). While research has established that maternal interactional sensitivity is an important contributor in development, little research has been conducted concerning contributions from the father. This is important because in the United States, fathers are present in 72% of households, making them a large factor concerning nonmaternal care and interactions with children (Forbes, Cohn, Allen, \u26 Lewinsohn, 2004). In the present research, depressive symptoms are expected to be negatively correlated with parental mind-mindedness (i.e., parents’ tendency to treat their children as individuals with independent minds; Meins, 1997), and parents’ sensitive attunement, or responsiveness, to their preschoolers’ mental processes during collaborative problem-solving. Parents completed a set of questionnaires, participated in a mind-mindedness interview, and collaborated with their child on a puzzle construction task. Parent-child interactions are coded for interactional attunement. We found that both mothers and fathers who showed depressive symptoms used more control comments and fewer autonomy comments. In other words, both mothers and fathers who exhibited depressive symptoms were more likely to give directions and engage in control comments (eg., “Put that there.”) when interacting with their child, and encourage less independent thinking. The present findings may contribute to the understanding of the relation between parental depression and interaction styles. Self-focused tendencies associated with depression and depressive symptoms may hinder parents’ ability to represent their children’s mental processes. The representation of mental processes is viewed as a precursor to the ability to respond appropriately and sensitively to children’s mental processes (Meins, 1999). Perhaps with additional research, intervention techniques could be developed to promote higher levels of mind-mindedness in those with a tendency to be self-focused, to promote more optimal developmental outcomes.http://opus.ipfw.edu/stu_symp2017/1011/thumbnail.jp

Thrips Choice Tests on Uninfected/Infected Soybean Plants Demonstrate Mechanism of SVNV Transmittance

From its original discovery in 2008, the Soybean vein necrosis virus (SVNV), first prevalent in Tennessee, has since spread to fifteen states in the Northern region. Typically vectored by thrips, the Tospovirus genus virus’ effects are gaining attention even as SVNV’s agricultural importance has yet to be fully assessed. Currently, soybean thrips is considered the primary vector or most efficient transmitter of the virus, whereas tobacco thrips and eastern flower thrips are secondary vectors. The purpose of this study was the following: Investigate the mechanism by which thrips spread the virus from plant to plant by conducting choice tests. Choice tests were conducted in enclosed structures to isolate an individual leaf connected to two distinct living plants. Six SVNV-infected thrips were released inside the enclosure. This allowed for random choice of the thrips. The choice-test can explain whether infected thrips (1) prefer to feed on uninfected plants rather than infected plants or (2) thrips show no feeding preference at all. A series of twenty non-choice tests were completed using two uninfected plants to reveal thrips preference in a control setting. The results showed an approximately 1:1 preference for the two leaves, which laid the groundwork to support the non-random preference of virus transmittance. A second set of twenty choice tests were completed using one infected and one non-infected plant to reveal thrips preference. The choice-test showed all of the infected thrips preferred to feed on the uninfected plant. This suggests that as SVNV-infected thrips feed and infect a healthy plant their offspring will become infected which could lead to increased virus transmission as a result of increased population of viruliferous thrips.http://opus.ipfw.edu/stu_symp2017/1017/thumbnail.jp

Convection induced by thermal gradients on thin reaction fronts

We present a thin front model for the propagation of chemical reaction fronts in liquids inside a Hele-Shaw cell or porous media. In this model we take into account density gradients due to thermal and compositional changes across a thin interface. The front separating reacted from unreacted fluids evolves following an eikonal relation between the normal speed and the curvature. We carry out a linear stability analysis of convectionless flat fronts confined in a two-dimensional rectangular domain. We find that all fronts are stable to perturbations of short wavelength, but they become unstable for some wavelengths depending on the values of compositional and thermal gradients. If the effects of these gradients oppose each other, we observe a range of wavelengths that make the flat front unstable. Numerical solutions of the nonlinear model show curved fronts of steady shape with convection propagating faster than flat fronts. Exothermic fronts increase the temperature of the fluid as they propagate through the domain. This increment in temperature decreases with increasing speed

Walter Ruttmann Inspired Film

“Revisiting/Recreate Walter Ruttmann animating technique” I am presenting a Creative project of a short film using the technique of abstracted animation based on the work of Walter Ruttmann. The main purpose of this creative project proposal is to get a better understanding of the animation technique used by Walter Ruttmann and how he used abstract shapes to tell multiple stories. The goals of my project are: 1. Develop a few different types of shape sequences similar to Ruttmann’s Opus 1. 2. Study and apply the color technique used in Walter Ruttmann’s films. 3. Study and apply Ruttmann’s various shape movements. 4. Understand how Walter Ruttmann converts one shape into the next in a way that is pleasing to the eye. 5. Show how Rittman’s work contributes to today’s animation. The conclusion of this creative project will help give me a better understanding on how to integrate different animation techniques into my work. Exploring the style of Walter Guttmann will further give me the knowledge to become a better animator and graphic designer.http://opus.ipfw.edu/stu_symp2017/1008/thumbnail.jp

Do you have anything to hide? Infidelity-related behaviors on social media sites and marital satisfaction

Social media provides one route to behaviors that may be potentially harmful to romantic relationships, such as communicating with alternative partners, which can sometimes create relationship conflict, breakups, or divorce. Limited empirical evidence exists concerning social media infidelity-related behaviors and marital relationships. This study examined whether married/cohabiting individuals are using social media sites to engage in online infidelity-related behaviors and to what extent this related to relationship satisfaction, ambivalence, and relational attachment characteristics as reported by 338 married/cohabiting individuals from 176 families. Only a small percentage of married/cohabiting couples reported engaging in social media infidelity-related behaviors; however, more engagement in infidelity-related behaviors on social media was significantly related to lower relationship satisfaction, higher relationship ambivalence, and greater attachment avoidance and anxiety in both women and men. Additionally, attachment anxiety and gender interacted with relationship satisfaction in predicting online infidelity-related behaviors when controlling for other variables. Implications are discussed

Adults\u27 Theory of Mind: Links to Emphatic Concern or Manipulation?

Adults\u27 Theory of Mind (ToM) was examined in relation to positive (empathy and interpersonal attachment) and negative (e.g., manipulation) socialpersonality characteristics. Higher levels of ToM were associated with more empathic concern. By contrast, adults\u27 ToM scores were inversely related to negative social-personality characteristics, such as those related to manipulatio

Who Engages in Risky Online Sexual Activity?

Internet addiction predicts risky sexual behavior; however, pornography and sex site usage are sequential mediators in this relationship. Progressing from passive (pornography viewing) to active (sex site usage) Internet sexual behavior, relates to higher rates of risky offline sexual activities (i.e., sexting nude pictures and meeting for offline sex)

The Abstinence Exercise: Impact on Empathy for Clients with Addictive Disorders

“Why can’t they just quit!?” Many individuals, including counselors-in-training, have difficulty experiencing empathy for clients struggling with addiction. The purpose of this poster session is to discuss the use of an abstinence exercise in counselor education addictions courses and the present data regarding the impact of such an exercise on student counselor empathy for people with addictive disorders