Biomedical subjects

A S Dreyer

Publications and source records attributed to A S Dreyer.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1987

Individuality and mutuality in the language of families of field-dependent and field-independent children.

The use of singular and plural first-person pronouns provided a measure of individuality and mutuality in families of 18 field-dependent and 20 field-independent children (19 boys and 19 girls). The families were observed in home and laboratory settings. Consistent with notions of a more differentiated sense of self, field-independent boys and girls used more I words; the greater social orientation of the field-dependent children was reflected in their more frequent use of we terms. Family members in the field-independent group were more varied in their use of these linguistic measures, especially in the lab. Fathers of field-independent children used more we words. These usages were discussed in terms of social control mechanisms. personal pronoun usage as indicators of separateness/connectedness in families was also discussed.

Child↗

PubMed1981

A methodological study of a measure of family cohesion.

Olson, Bell, and Portner (11) have recently developed a measure of family adaptability and cohesion (The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales). This study is a critical evaluation of the construction of the cohesion subscale of this instrument. Included is a partial replication of the original work of Olson et al. (11). Some problems with this subscale and its construction are pointed out, and a subset of the original items is presented and discussed. Some implications of these results for the conceptualization of the nature of family cohesion are also discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1981

Preschool children's field independence: prediction from antecedent and concurrent maternal and child behavior.

This study was designed to explore the stability of early precursors of field independence. Field independence at preschool age (3 1/2 yr.) was measured by the Preschool Embedded-figures Test and was regressed on measures of 24 children's social and exploratory behaviors at infancy (1 yr.) and at preschool and on measures of maternal interaction behaviors at infancy and at preschool. The children's exploratory behaviors and the mothers' behaviors at infancy and preschool were not predictive of cognitive style. The children's social behaviors at both ages were highly related to their cognitive styles. Examination of the regression equations suggested the field-dependent children seek more emotional reassurance from their mothers at both times of observation than field-independent children. The data did not provide support for the idea that mothers' proximal and distal behaviors towards their children influenced the early development of field independence.

Child Development↗

PubMed1973