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Reading is a fascinating cognitive process through which individuals perceive arbitrary symbols on a page and turn them into vivid mental representations of text. Most available evidence supports an embodied explanation for how readers are capable of such representations--they recruit supralinguistic brain regions in order to mentally simulate the visual (e.g. Kosslyn, Ganis, & Thompson, 2001; Ganis et al., 2004;), auditory (e.g. Brunye et al., 2010; Gunraj, Drumm-Hewitt, and Klin, 2014), and motor (e.g. Glenberg & Kaschak, 2002; Hauk, Johnsrude, & Pulvermuller, 2004; Zwaan and Taylor, 2006) aspects of text. Readers activate the mental faculties used to experience the physical world and use them to mentally simulate the imagery presented in text. It is more difficult to conceive of how this embodied process can be used to comprehend abstract information that is not rooted in any sensory modality. Lakoff and Johnson (1980a, 1980b, 2008) and others (Gentner & Bowdle, 2008; Jamrozik et al., 2016; Sadoski, 2018) hold that abstract information is represented metaphorically. Readers map abstract concepts onto concrete ones with the same underlying relational structures, effectively borrowing existing representations in order to represent abstract text. While Lakoff and Johnson's (1980) Conceptual Metaphor Theory garnered considerable respect in the areas of philosophy and linguistics, not many empirical investigations have investigated the psychological reality of conceptual metaphorical representations. Thibodeau and Boroditsky (2011; 2013) and Katz and Reid (2018; 2020; 2022) are among the few who have attempted to perform empirical experiments investigating Conceptual Metaphor Theory. Thibodeau and Boroditsky's experiments revealed that conceptual metaphorical language influences readers' reasoning about problems; Katz and Reid's experiments found that conceptual metaphorical language activates underlying conceptual metaphors in memory. Both bodies of work suggest that readers activate conceptual metaphorical structures in their representations, but questions remain about the nature of this representation and how it is used when reading. The current project replicates and extends these findings in an attempt to further understand how abstract information is embodied and represented. Indeed, readers incorporated conceptual metaphorical information in their representations, borrowing the structures of concrete source concepts to organize information. Such structures then shaped readers' representations of information, influencing the way they experienced what they read and reasoned about problems. These findings have important implications for the way information about complex, abstract topics is conveyed to the public. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

A practicum was developed to increase self-esteem, to lower anxiety, and to improve social skills in 13 emotionally handicapped (EH) middle school boys. An additional objective was to provide parenting classes which focused on increasing parents' knowledge and skills in improving their children's self esteem. The 8-month multifaceted program consisted of social skills training, Budzynski's Relaxation Training Program, a self-esteem improvement program, and parenting education classes. The program was evaluated by means of pre-tests, post-tests, and questionnaires (Coopersmith's Self-Esteem Inventory (CSI), the Coopersmith/Gilbert Behavioral Academic Self-Esteem (BASE), the Spielberger et al. Children's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAIC), the Gresham and Elliott Social Skills Questionnaire, and the Van Nagel Parent-Child Influence Questionnaire). The evaluation indicated improved student social skills and parent-child interaction. Improved self-esteem was demonstrated on one of two measures. The goal of reducing anxiety was modestly achieved. Appendixes include: a listing of desired social skill outcomes; the manual and guide to accompany the relaxation program; the "Learning 90" Activity Book for Building Self-Esteem; and lesson plans for the parent program. Includes 57 references. (Author/DB)