In this three-paper dissertation, I examine three seemingly unconnected historical philosophers--Locke, Cockburn, and Kant--on questions concerning moral knowledge, human nature, and moral development. In the first chapter, my focus is on Locke's peculiar claim that a demonstrative science of morality is possible, and I address an interpretive…

Grounded in the power of our interconnectedness and humanity, this kitchen-table talk explores what it means to cultivate care, dignity, love, and respect in education. We begin by sharing personal offerings and stories that center us in this conversation, and these lead us to exploring the possibilities in showing care and feeling cared for in…

In this paper, I explore how pláticas allowed for my former high school students and I to conceptualize love. This work is a response to overwhelming statistics regarding child trauma and literature that named loving relationships as a pivotal but under-conceptualized intervention. Specifically, we participated in three different iterations of…

This correlational study examined the predictive roles of decisional and emotional forgiveness on levels of relationship satisfaction among college students in committed, monogamous romantic relationships for at least 6 months. From an initial pool of 120 Biola University undergraduate students, data from a final sample of 90 participants were…

In China, parents, teachers, and society generally oppose adolescent romance, believing it impedes youth from academic success. However, research that investigates factors influencing one's involvement in adolescent romance is scarce, especially among rural Chinese youth. Drawing upon 1,262 youth and their mothers in rural Gansu province, China,…

This study examined parental romantic attachment security as a mediator of prospective associations between hostile interparental conflict and parental discipline (i.e., power-assertive, permissive, and inductive discipline) for mothers and fathers of young children. Furthermore, this study utilized a novel, automatic assessment of romantic…

Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) programs such as ChatGPT and other large language models are designed to engage in complex, responsive dialogues that feel like human interactions. The dialogic and responsive nature of GAI signals the potential for users to form relationships with GAI platforms or digital personalities created on these…

This qualitative study examined the experiences of 14 LGBTQ+ college students in healthy intimate relationships with a focus on the ways that romantic partners give and receive affection. Framed through a consideration of "love languages," this study challenges and extends what have become socially normative strategies for demonstrating…

Few studies explore the components of sexual satisfaction as specified by college students. This cross-sectional study examined sexual satisfaction at the event level for undergraduate students (n = 1,090), focusing on differences between males/females. Survey results revealed for both males and females, being comfortable with a partner,…

Background: A limited number of studies have explored religion's role in the intimate lives of adults with intellectual disabilities. This paper illustrates how religion, both of disabled people and those around them (e.g., family members, support workers), can shape the attitudes and experiences of disabled people toward sexuality. Method: This…

This colloquium discusses the intersection of love, care, and education in the field of early childhood education and care. While the name of the field reflects the belief that both care and education are seen as legitimate elements of the field's professional discourse, love is still unspoken, undefined, and taken for granted. The author argues…

Unwanted pursuit behaviours (UPBs) are behaviours that are often intended to initiate a relationship or restore romantic relationships following a break-up. Research shows relatively high prevalence rates of UPBs in college students. In the current study, we tested a conceptual mediation model, where perceived parental warmth would be indirectly…

This study investigated the role of anger expression and control in the relationships between mindfulness and romantic relationship quality. 237 emerging adults (167 females and 70 males) who had been in a relationship for at least three weeks (range = 3 weeks - 84 months) completed a set of questionnaires that assessed mindfulness, anger…

The present dissertation project investigated relationship enhancement following a brief self-disclosure task (i.e., the Fast Friends Procedure; FFP) via self-report and observational data. Thirty-three undergraduate couples dating for less than six months asked and answered questions that required increasingly higher levels of self-disclosure for…

This study investigated familial attachment-based processes in middle childhood, using 788 families (50.6% boys; 84.4% White), assessed six times from 4.5 years old to Grade 6. An adapted Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model revealed between-family associations among couple emotional intimacy, relationships with both parents, and child social…