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Department of Psychology

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 62
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    Master ThesisPublication
    Links between executive functions and school readiness
    (2016) Çelik, Hazal; Tahiroğlu, Deniz; Kumru, Asiye; Karakelle, Şerife Sema; Tahiroğlu, Deniz; Kumru, Asiye; Karakelle, Şerife Sema; Department of Psychology
    In this study, links between executive functions and school readiness in 4- and 5-year-old Turkish children (N = 69) were examined. Both individual assessments (executive functions, and school readiness) and parent reports (executive functions, school readiness) were used to assess the variables of interest. Executive functions were assessed through hot and cool dimensions. It was hypothesized that hot executive functions would be related to social aspects of school readiness whereas cool executive functions would be related to cognitive aspects of school readiness (i.e., math and literacy). There was partial support for the hypotheses; cognitive and social aspects of school readiness were both predicted by cool and hot executive functions. In addition, parent reports were in the same line with behavioral assessments; school readiness was predicted by both cool and hot executive functions. Possible implications, limitations, and future directions were discussed in the light of the findings. Keywords: Hot and cool executive functions, school readiness, learning related behaviors.
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    Master ThesisPublication
    Longitudinal relations of maternal socialization and temperament with internalizing and externalizing behavior problems during middle childhood
    (2016-08) Korkmaz, Duygu; Kumru, Asiye; Gözkan, Ayfer Dost; Çorapçı, F.; Kumru, Asiye; Gözkan, Ayfer Dost; Çorapçı, F.; Department of Psychology; Korkmaz, Duygu
    Interest in identifying the precursors of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems has been increasing. Studies have shown that both parental socialization and children's temperamental characteristics trigger the chronicity and permanence of children's internalizing and externalizing problems. However, there is less research investigating the influences of parental socialization on children's internalizing and externalizing problems through children's temperament during middle childhood in non-Western contexts. Thus, this study aimed to examine the longitudinal relations between parental socialization of children's negative emotions, children's temperament and internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as the mediational effect of temperament on the relations between parental socialization and these problem behaviors with Turkish children. Total of 340 mothers and their children were recruited from Bolu, Istanbul, and Ankara. Coping with Negative Emotions scale at age 7, Children's Behavior Questionnaire at age 8, and CBCL/6-18 at age 9 were used in the study. Results showed that maternal punitive and minimization reactions were positively related to children's internalizing and externalizing problems. Attentional focusing and shifting were negatively associated with internalizing problems, and impulsivity was positively correlated with externalizing problems, but inhibitory control was negatively linked to externalizing problems. Moreover, maternal punitive reactions were negatively correlated with attentional focusing and shifting. Furthermore, maternal punitive reactions were directly and indirectly related to externalizing problems, and they indirectly influenced externalizing problems via inhibitory control. These findings suggest that maternal reactions to children's negative emotions and children's temperament contribute to better understanding of children's internalizing and externalizing problems.
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    Master ThesisPublication
    The contributions of intolerance of uncertainty, resilience, and coping strategies on emerging adults’ future career anxiety and test anxiety
    İngeç, Duygu; Gözkan, Ayfer Dost; Gözkan, Ayfer Dost; Acar, İbrahim Hakkı; Acartürk, C.; Department of Psychology; İngeç, Duygu
    The purpose of the current study was to examine the indirect effect of resilience and certain coping strategies (seeking social problem-solving solving coping, avoidance) on associations between emerging adults’ intolerance of uncertainty, future career anxiety, and test anxiety in the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample consisted of 481 (357 female, 121 male, and 3 non-binary) emerging adults aged between 18 and 30 (Mage = 22.03, SD= 2.62). Participants completed the study questionnaire online. The indirect effects of resilience and coping strategies on association between intolerance of uncertainty, future career anxiety, and test anxiety were tested. Findings showed that intolerance of uncertainty was positively, resilience was negatively associated with future career anxiety and test anxiety. Moreover, problem-focused coping was positively associated with future career anxiety. Additionally, results showed that intolerance of uncertainty was indirectly linked with future career anxiety and test anxiety via resilience. Also, intolerance of uncertainty was indirectly linked with future career anxiety via problem-focused coping. Findings of the current study are discussed considering limitations and future directions.
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    Master ThesisPublication
    Encoding inferential evidence for events in language: evidence from Turkish speaking children and adults
    Avcılar, Gökçen; Ünal, Ercenur; Ünal, Ercenur; Açık, Alper; Uzundağ, B. A.; Department of Psychology; Avcılar, Gökçen
    Learning and communicating about events are fundamental aspects of an individual’s life. Yet, how people learn about events often vary with some events perceived in their entirety and others are inferred based on available evidence. Here we investigate how children and adults linguistically encode the sources of their event knowledge. We focus on Turkish – a language that obligatorily encodes sources of information for past events using two evidentiality markers. Children (4- to 5-year-olds and 6- to 7-year-olds) and adults watched and described events that they directly saw or inferred based on visual cues. The indirectness of the visual evidence giving rise to an inference was also manipulated. The results revealed that participants modified the evidential marking in their descriptions depending on (a) whether they saw or inferred the event and (b) the indirectness of the visual cues giving rise to an inference. There were no differences across age groups. These findings suggest that Turkishspeaking children and adults’ use of evidentiality markers in language are sensitive to the indirectness of the inferential evidence.
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    Master ThesisPublication
    The experiences of parents, whose children have a diagnosis of leukemia, in the treatment process
    (2019-07) Güney, Merve; Saydam, Fehime Senem Zeytinoğlu; Saydam, Fehime Senem Zeytinoğlu; Şen, Celia Naivar; Söylemez, Y.; Department of Psychology; Güney, Merve
    This qualitative study was designed to describe the experiences of parents whose children have leukemia. The participants were recruited from the child hematology units of two private and one state hospitals located in Istanbul through purposive sampling. One parent from each family participated in an in-depth interview. Nine mothers and one father participated in the study. The age range of parents was 28 to 40 years. Seven main themes emerged at the end of the study: (1) Fragmentation of the family, (2) Siblings: “Forgotten children”, (3) Changes in the children, (4) Changes in parenting, (5) Parents’ coping, (6) We are not alone vs Resentment, (7) Outsider view “finding the situation bizarre”. Further studies should try to get the fathers’ experiences in the treatment process, longitudinal and mixed research designs should be formed. Moreover, the foundations should be established to support the siblings of leukemia patients. Lastly, the government should prepare a systemic leukemia treatment program to support the families who have children with leukemia physically, psychologically and socially.
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    Master ThesisPublication
    Development of multimodal expressions of space in speech and gesture: the case of sagittal and topological spatial relations
    Kırbaşoğlu, Mukaddes Kevser; Ünal, Ercenur; Ünal, Ercenur; Kumkale, Tarcan; Sümer, B.; Department of Psychology; Kırbaşoğlu, Mukaddes Kevser
    Previous literature has shown that learning to communicate about space follows a lengthy timetable. However, prior work has shown that children can express some concepts, including spatial relations, in gestures prior to expressing them in speech. Do children use gestures with under-informative descriptions for spatial relations that are acquired earlier in development such as topological and viewpoint dependent sagittal spatial relations? Furthermore, within those spatial relations that are acquired earlier, are there differences in the use of under-informative speech plus gesture combinations? Finally, when speech and gesture are both considered, do developmental differences between adults and children diminish or disappear completely? The present study addresses these questions by looking at children's spatial expressions in speech only, gestures, and speech plus gesture. We contrasted descriptions of two spatial descriptions that vary in their complexity. Participants (24 children and 23 adults) were monolingual Turkish speakers who described a target picture (indicated by an arrow) to an addressee. Target pictures depicted either topological relations (in-on) or viewpoint-dependent relations in the sagittal axis (front-behind). Our results showed that children and adults produced informative spatial expressions equally frequently for topological spatial relations in their speech. However, children produced informative spatial expressions less frequently than adults for viewpoint dependent sagittal spatial relations in their speech. Children produced spatial expressions that informative when gesture were considered more for viewpoint dependent sagittal spatial relations. Children produced spatial expressions that informative when gesture were considered less for topological spatial relations because they were already informative in their speech. Lastly, children’s frequency of informative spatial expressions reached the adults’ level in speech plus gestures. Gestures revealed earlier expression of viewpoint dependent sagittal spatial relations. However, the total speech plus gesture frequency of informative spatial expression did not add new information for topological spatial relations. This study demonstrated the interactions between multimodal expressions of spatial relations and their complexity as seen in their order of acquisition.
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    Master ThesisPublication
    The links between use of mental state verbs, theory of mind and social skills in middle childhood
    (2019-12) Gökbalkan, Cansu; Ünal, Ercenur; Ünal, Ercenur; Acar, İbrahim Hakkı; Tahiroğlu, D.; Department of Psychology; Gökbalkan, Cansu
    Understanding mental states and using terms to express this understanding are considered to be important for social interaction. However, only a few studies examined mental state language, ToM and social skills together. The present study aimed to assess the nature of the association between mental state language and ToM and whether it extends to social skills in terms of two dimensions which were social competence and antisocial behaviors in school-age children. Participants were 80 Turkish elementary school children between the ages of 6 to 10 (Mage = 8.48, SD = 1.00, 43 girls). Mental state language, ToM, linguistic competence and general cognitive ability were assessed through behavioral tasks, and social skills were measured through teachers’ reports. A hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that even though mental state language continued to be associated with ToM in elementary school, there were also other cognitive abilities such as linguistic complexity and general cognitive ability that accounted for the association between mental state language and ToM. In addition, ToM mediated the association between mental state language and social competence. Antisocial behaviors, on the other hand, were negatively correlated with mental state language but not with ToM. These results provided important contributions to understand the nature of the link between mental state language and ToM and its extent to social skills.
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    Master ThesisPublication
    A dyadic analysis of the link between couples' perfectionism and attachment behaviors
    Aktün, Çağla; Kafesçioğlu, Nilüfer; Kafesçioğlu, Nilüfer; Saydam, Fehime Senem Zeytinoğlu; Harma, M.; Department of Psychology; Aktün, Çağla
    Recently, perfectionism has been a more important construct due to its links with adverse individual as well as relational outcomes. In this regard, perfectionism's association with people's actions, particularly with the attachment behaviors predicting secure feelings in a romantic relationship, was focused on in this work. Further, attributions were considered as an essential factor in the way how people behave in their relationships. Following the relation between perfectionism and the way people interpret events, attributions were examined as a mediator in the link between perfectionism and attachment behaviors. Consecutively, the present work aimed exploring the direct actor and partner effects between perfectionism and attachment behaviors, as well as, indirect effects between perfectionism and attachment behaviors through attributions with a sample of heterosexual married couples in Turkey. Particularly, 91 heterosexual couples (91 women and 91 men) who were married for at least 2 years (M = 164.9, SD = 135.5 in months) participated in the study. Thanks to snowball sampling, individuals from various geographical, educational, and economic background were reached. As for online data collection process, the couples filled out Demographic Information Form, Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (Hewitt & Flett, 1991), Brief Accessibility, Responsiveness, and Engagement Scale (Sandberg, Busby, Johnson, & Yoshida, 2012), and Relationship Attribution Measure (Fincham & Bradbury, 1992) via Qualtrics. To test hypotheses, Actor Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) and Actor Partner Interdependence Model of Mediation (APIMeM) analyses were carried on. Results demonstrated that men's own perfectionism and their wives' attachment behaviors were negatively related (direct partner effect, men to women). Moreover, the adverse association between men's perfectionism and women's attachment behaviors through men's attributions was appeared to be significant (indirect men to women actor-partner effect). These findings were interpreted in terms of their implications on the basis of the existing literature and the relative theoretical framework. Lastly, the present work's contributions to the field were argued, together with limitations and future research recommendations.
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    Master ThesisPublication
    Adult children's experiences with parental infidelity in childhood
    Kökçü, Beyza; Gürmen, Münevver Selenga; Gürmen, Münevver Selenga; Saydam, Fehime Senem Zeytinoğlu; Üstünel, A. Ö.; Department of Psychology; Kökçü, Beyza
    This qualitative study aims to investigate children's experiences with parental infidelity in their childhood by using the interpersonal trauma perspective as a framework. The sample consisted of ten participants, 3 men, and 7 women. A semi-structured interview was held and it took approximately 60 minutes to complete. The ten participants’ ages ranged from 25 to 30 years. The analysis revealed four main themes and 13 subthemes on two levels: intrapersonal and interpersonal. Three intrapersonal themes and related subthemes were identified, namely 1) growing up before their time, 1a) child as a bridge between parents 1b) emotional parentification 1c) knowledge about parental sexual experience; 2) emotional rollercoaster around parental infidelity 2a) repressed anger 2b) disgust about third-party 2c) fear of resembling parent(s) 3) coping with parental infidelity 3a) social support as a coping strategy 3b) hard to remember details of parental infidelity 3c) normalization of infidelity 3d) try to emotional cut off from offending parent and one interpersonal theme was 4) challenges in romantic relationship 4a) hardship in trusting others 4b) multigenerational transmission of infidelity 4c) selectivity in a romantic partner. These intrapersonal themes specified the individual's own process in terms of a new adult like position in the family system, emotional ambivalence around parental infidelity, and the mechanisms they used for dealing with the incidence. Additionally, the interpersonal theme indicated the romantic relationship level for adult children's experiences. The findings of this study provide valuable information for clinical practitioners who work with individuals and couples and families by using a trauma perspective. Future studies can focus more on gender-specific parental infidelity experiences. It can also be investigated by crystalizing parental relationship status after revealed infidelity.
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    Master ThesisPublication
    The role of differentation of self and attachment anxiety in the association between family of origin functioning and couple relationship quality
    (2019-07) Akar, Kübra; Kafescioğlu, Nilüfer; Kafescioğlu, Nilüfer; Saydam, Senem Zeytinoğlu; Çarkoğlu, A.; Department of Psychology; Akar, Kübra
    The aim of this study is to investigate the association between family of origin (FOO) functioning and couple relationship quality based on the concepts of Bowen’s family systems theory. The indirect effects of differentiation of self and attachment anxiety on this link were examined. In order to do so, one hundred seventy-three individuals (100 females and 73 males, ages 22-52) who were married for a minimum of 6 months to maximum of 15 years were recruited for the study. Participants completed the demographic form, Family of Origin Scale, Differentiation of Self Inventory-Revised, Dyadic Adjustment Scale and the anxiety subscale of Experiences in Close Relationships Scale. Indirect effects were assessed via bootstrapping sampling method in order to test the underlying mechanisms for the link between FOO functioning and couple relationship quality. Results provided considerable support for the relationships among the study variables and hypotheses. FOO functioning was found to be positively associated with couple relationship quality and differentiation of self, and negatively with attachment anxiety. In addition, couple relationship quality was positively associated with differentiation of self and negatively with attachment anxiety. Differentiation of self and attachment anxiety were found to have significant indirect effects on the link between FOO functioning and couple relationship quality. The findings are discussed in line with relevant literature as well as implications for clinical practices and future research.