http://hdl.handle.net/1803/210 2013-05-18T16:11:11Z 2013-05-18T16:11:11Z Germansky, Sara E. http://hdl.handle.net/1803/5094 2012-05-08T21:03:26Z 2012-01-01T06:00:00Z

Title: The Influence of Prior Reading Instruction and IEP Goals on the Reading Skills of Children with Down Syndrome Authors: Germansky, Sara E. Abstract: The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a relationship between IEP goals and prior reading instruction for children with Down Syndrome, and whether both of those variables had an impact on the children’s reading abilities and potential to learn. 24 children with Down Syndrome between the ages of 7 and 16 participated in a study conducted by Lemons and Fuchs (2010). The raw data was extracted to create kappa coefficients showing the agreement between IEP goals and prior reading instruction. Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficients were also created to determine the relations between IEP goals, reading instruction, reading abilities and gain scores on posttest scores. The results showed no significant agreement between IEP goals and reading instruction. There were also significant relations between reading instruction and pre-test scores but not gain scores. There was no relationship between IEP goals and either set of scores. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

2012-01-01T06:00:00Z Borten, Ariel http://hdl.handle.net/1803/4824 2011-07-17T19:40:14Z 2011-04-01T05:00:00Z

Title: The effect of weight distribution and previous experience on tool use training in infancy Authors: Borten, Ariel Abstract: Many different factors play a role in the development of an infant’s ability to use tools. A previous version of the current study examined active versus observational learning on an infant’s ability to be trained to use a novel tool to succeed in a test task. The results showed that both types of learning appeared to be equally effective. This follow-up study added a second factor to examine the effects of training when there is a characteristic about the tool that cannot be determined through visual observation. This time the novel tool had an unexpected weight distribution making the straight handle of the tool much heavier than the round handle. This study showed that the uneven weight distribution of the tool actually resulted in infants having a higher overall success rates during test than in the previous version of the study. This suggests that the uneven weight distribution may have focused infant’s attention on how they were holding the tool therefore increasing their ability to success on the test task.

2011-04-01T05:00:00Z Menges, Kathryn http://hdl.handle.net/1803/4818 2011-06-18T19:41:49Z 2011-04-12T05:00:00Z

Title: A mind of its own: How a puppet’s reliability affects children’s beliefs about the puppeteer’s knowledge Authors: Menges, Kathryn Abstract: This study assessed whether 4-year-old children think a puppet has a mind separate from that of the puppeteer. 64 children, 48-60 months, watched a puppet (operated by a visible person) and another person label 3 familiar objects. One person consistently labeled correctly and the other, incorrectly. Across children, we counterbalanced which of the labelers operated the puppet and whether the puppet was correct or incorrect. In the experimental (but not the control) group, the puppet then was passed to the other person (e.g., from the mis-labeler to the correct labeler, or vice versa). Then the puppeteer/puppet and the other person labeled a novel object with two different novel names. We asked children for the name of the novel object, examining whether the children used the puppet's or the person's label. We also asked follow-up questions to probe children's reasoning. The results illuminate preschoolers' understanding of puppets and how a puppet’s prior behavior may influence children’s beliefs about a puppeteer. Description: This paper culminates the PSY 2990 Honors Research Seminar, which lasted a total of 4 semesters. The author worked under the mentorship of Georgene Troseth, a professor in the Peabody Department of Psychology and Human Development. The paper describes research exploring whether 4-year-old children think a puppet has a mind separate from that of the puppeteer. The results illuminate preschoolers' understanding of puppets and how a puppet’s prior behavior may influence children’s beliefs about a puppeteer.

2011-04-12T05:00:00Z Krensky, Lauren http://hdl.handle.net/1803/4817 2011-06-19T00:02:21Z 2011-04-06T05:00:00Z

Title: Preschoolers use nonverbal cues to identify reliable informants in word learning Authors: Krensky, Lauren Abstract: The present study investigates 4-year-old children’s ability to use speakers’ pragmatic competence as an indicator of whom to learn from. In this study, pragmatic competence is measured as the speaker’s ability to adhere to the Gricean maxim of relation. The children were divided into three conditions with different levels of nonverbal feedback about the quality of a speaker’s contribution to a conversation: no feedback, feedback from the experimenter, and feedback from a conversation participant. Children in the experimenter feedback and participant feedback conditions were more successful at identifying the maxim adherer than the children in the no feedback condition. Only children in the participant feedback condition were above chance in choosing the labels offered by the maxim adherer.

2011-04-06T05:00:00Z