Selected Publications and Presentations

Saetermoe, C. L., Gomez, J., Bamaca, M., & Gallardo, C. (in press). A qualitative enquiry of caregivers of adolescents with severe disabilities in Guatemala City. Disability and Rehabilitation.

A sample of 15 caregivers of adolescents with disabilities in Guatemala City were studied using Grounded Theory. By juxtaposing family economic resources with preparation for adulthood, we found that individuals who had significantly fewer economic resources were most likely to have prepared their child with a disability for adult roles. In higher income families, some adolescent’s parents geared them toward professional careers by encouraging them to attend university, but others had few expectations of their child, did not make maturity demands, and was planning for the dependence of their child upon their demise.

Cordon, I. M., Saetermoe, C. L., & Goodman, G. S. (in press). Facilitating Children’s Accurate Responses: Conversational Rules and Interview Style. Applied Cognitive Psychology.

Children are asked regularly to serve as eyewitnesses in criminal cases, yet, more than adults, they are swayed by conversational nuances that influence what they report. This is a detailed study of preschooler’s responses to questions after having completed a series of actions with an unfamiliar adult. Children are swayed by an adult asking questions multiple times, asking leading questions, and even by giving subtly different instructions to the child. These matters are crucial in ensuring that the justice system is both humane and just.

Saetermoe, C. L. (2004). Ages and stages: Mastering good hygiene. Parenting, Dec/Jan.

Parents should have high expectations of their children yet monitor them carefully.

Saetermoe, C. L., Scattone, D., & Kim, K. H. (2001). Ethnicity and the Stigma of Disabilities. Psychology and Health, 16, 699-714.

This study used a college student sample to make general ethnic comparisons between Asian/Asian American, Black, Latino, and White students on a 19-item measure that lists disabilities such as blindness or being in a wheelchair. Mental illness was seen by all groups as the most stigmatized (no group differences), but using cluster analysis, we noted that physical disabilities were significantly more stigmatized for Asian Americans than their counterparts. A community sample of Asian and Asian American adults supported this claim by finding that foreign-born Asians stigmatized physical disabilities than did US-born Asian Americans.

Saetermoe, C. L., Beneli, I., & Busch, R. M. (1999). Perceptions of adulthood among Anglo and Latino parents. Current Psychology: Developmental, Learning, Personality, Social, 18(2), 171-184.

Investigated parent-generated indicators of adulthood, including the beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes that are either common or specific to Anglo and Latino parents. College students at an urban university in the Los Angeles area were recruited to enlist their parents to complete a questionnaire. 45 Ss (aged 35-62 yrs) from each ethnic group were surveyed on adulthood characteristics (independence, interdependence, and cognitive and event markers). Results indicate that Anglo Ss defined adulthood in terms of independence significantly more often than Latino Ss. Latino Ss defined adulthood in terms of event-related markers, such as marriage, significantly more often than Anglo Ss. This research points to the need to define adulthood in ways that reflect the ethnic diversity of the US.

Saetermoe, C. L., Farruggia, S. P., & Lopez, C. (1999). Differential parental communication with adolescents who are disabled and their healthy siblings. Journal of Adolescent Health, 24(6), 427-432.

Examined the levels of parental communication and differential conversational styles with their adolescents who are disabled and their healthy siblings, to better understand why the adolescent who is disabled has a higher risk of psychosocial problems during the transition into adulthood. 20 families with a disabled adolescent (aged 11-19 yrs) and at least one other adolescent who was not disabled were videorecorded during dinner at home. Analyses were conducted on 392 interactions. Results showed that not only did the healthy adolescents participate in family interactions at higher frequencies than the adolescents who were disabled, but the interactions were also more meaningful with healthy adolescents. Furthermore, healthy siblings had significantly greater conversational control than did their siblings with disabilities. Parents responded more negatively when adolescents who were disabled initiated a topic in comparison with their response to the healthy siblings. Finally, adolescents with disabilities were ignored more often than their healthy siblings, and they did not monopolize the conversation as often as did their healthy siblings.

Widaman, K. F., Saetermoe, C. L., & Borthwick-Duffy, S. (1995). Educational Testing Service. Parenting Style Survey. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.

A test of parenting styles for parents who have a child with mental retardation.

Widaman, K. F., Carlson, J. S., Saetermoe, C. L., & Galbraith, G. C. (1993). The relationship of auditory evoked potentials to fluid and crystallized intelligence. Personality and Individual Differences, 15(2), 205-217.

48 undergraduates completed a psychometric test battery and a standard series of auditory click stimuli. The test battery consisted of the Progressive Matrices and 7 subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and was based on research that yielded factors of fluid (FLI) and crystallized intelligence (CRI). The FLI and CRI factors represented moderately correlated but empirically distinct latent variables. Auditory evoked potentials (EPs) were recorded from temporal and vertex electrode placements under 3 conditions of stimulus intensity. EP latency showed inconsistent and low order correlations with FLI, CRI, and general intelligence factor scores. EP amplitudes and measures of EP complexity/reliability for components with latencies less than approximately 180 msec correlated consistently and negatively with CRI factor scores and at somewhat lower levels with general intelligence factor scores; correlations with FLI were lower and poorly defined.

Saetermoe, C. L., Widaman, K. F., & Borthwick-Duffy, S. (1991). Validation of the Parenting Style Survey for parents of children with mental retardation. Mental Retardation, 29(3), 149-157.

Performed a validation study in order to assess the content, and construct criterion-related validities of the Parenting Style Survey, an instrument assessing parental behavior in families with a child who has mental retardation. Ss were the primary care providers of 29 individuals (16-22 yrs old) with moderate mental retardation. Data corroborating the validity of the Parenting Style Survey were derived from home visits, individuals experienced in developmental psychology, care providers for individuals with mental retardation, and the Family Environment Scale. The Parenting Style Survey was found to be an internally consistent, valid instrument for the measurement of parenting attitudes and practices.