Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating The Use Of Mental-State Talk In Parent-Child Joint Reminiscing And Storytelling On Children’S Source Monitoring, Holly Autumn Nelson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Source monitoring is the process of identifying and analyzing sources of information (Johnson et al., 1993). The ability to monitor source improves with age which places children at a greater risk for blending and misattributing information from different sources. Experiencing source confusions has academic, legal, and social implications, and thus understanding how source monitoring develops is important. Research exploring factors that impact source monitoring have predominantly focused on maturational aspects such as at which ages children learn to monitor source and neurological factors such as executive functioning. However, the impact of age and executive functioning may vary across the type …

A Tale Of Two Tweets: What Factors Predict Forgiveness Of Past Transgressions On Social Media?, Andrew Dawson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

As more and more of our lives take place online, we are developing a very public and permanent record of our past views and actions. It is increasingly common for public figures to have their current image tarnished by their mistakes and transgressions in what is often the distant past. Although factors such as the passage of time and age of the actor are typically given consideration in moral judgement, they may be swept away by identity and politics when the transgressions are viewed along partisan lines. Three experiments (N = 2,018) found that judgements of a public figure …

Bicultural Identity And Academic Achievement: The Second-Generation Immigrant Student Experience, Karimeh Haddad

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

By comparing the academic success and internal processes of immigrant groups, this study aimed to explore the impact of immigration status (first, second, and third-generation) and cultural backgrounds on academic achievement on a holistic level. By measuring acculturation, parental expectations, self-efficacy, goal adjustment, motivation, control beliefs, and vocabulary knowledge of university students, the combination of constructs best correlated to academic achievement was studied with determinants of demographics playing a key role. In addition to quantitative analyses, in-depth interviews supplemented the analyses and further gave insight to the backgrounds of the target population, second-generation immigrant students. The results indicated that there …

Mother-Child Shared Story Telling Of Wordless And Worded Picture Books: A Within-Subject Design Study Of Preschool Children, Katherine Reid, Alexandra Gottardo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Issues pertinent to developmental psychology and education often intersect. For example, both literatures can inform the assessment of differences in early literacy and school readiness, as well as how to bridge the literacy gap for children coming from different backgrounds. In times of COVID-19, it is especially important that we research the impact of strategies that are accessible to all, and can be utilized both in the home, and in more formal learning environments. This study assessed how the use of wordless picture books impacted the quality and quantity of language output, and engagement in dialogue between mother and child. …

The Perceived Deservingness Of Narcissistic Individuals, Danielle Lynch

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Previous research has explored how narcissism relates to empathy and deservingness. It has been suggested that not only do narcissistic individuals lack empathy for others, but also that others lack empathy for narcissists when they experience misfortunes. It is not clear if this is because the narcissists’ own behaviour is believed to have contributed to the misfortune or because of their over-arching personality. The present research aimed to explore how narcissism affects empathy and perceptions of deservingness. Study 1 (N=962) investigated whether the target person’s amount of control over the negative outcome influenced how deserving they were perceived …

Investigating The Inhibition Of The Return Of Attention In The Tactile Domain, Robert Plax

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Purpose: The time-course needed to elicit tactile inhibition of return (IOR) has not been well-defined due to the paucity of research in this area especially studies investigating spatial discrimination. Reportedly tactile IOR uses higher-order mental representations to orient attention spatially yet the properties of low-level dermatomal maps may better account for how IOR orients tactile attention in space although its contribution is unclear. The present study sought to establish a time-course that evokes IOR in a unimodal tactile spatial discrimination task and decouples the contribution of the dermatome from higher-order representations. Methods: Two conditions containing distinct tactile cue-target paradigms designed …

Spatial Memory And Executive Functioning In The Goto-Kakizaki Rat Model Of Diabetes, Lorielle Dietze

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a disease that adversely affects cognitive function in areas extending to memory and executive functioning. The Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat provides a model of type 2 diabetes that can illustrate the mechanisms by which this disease works. The present study compared hyperglycaemic GK rats and age-matched Wistar rats in the Morris water maze to assess spatial memory, and in a perceptual attentional set-shifting task to assess putative prefrontal-dependent executive functioning. Results showed there was no difference in path length during training trials, however, GK and Wistar rats differed in the path length travelled in the target …

Narcissistic Worldview: How Narcissism Relates To Perceptions Of Conflict And Exploitative Behaviour, Nicola Urquhart

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Narcissism is associated with highly competitive and exploitative behaviour. This thesis examines the possibility that these behaviours may be, in part, due to a bias to perceive a high amount of social conflict, thus promoting exploitative behaviour through greed or to avoid being taken advantage of. Two studies tested this possibility through a game format – one a novel anagram task, and the other a Commons Dilemma task. Results across both studies suggest that individuals high in grandiose narcissism perceive a higher amount of conflict than individuals low in grandiose narcissism, regardless of the degree of conflict inherently present. Study …

A Program Implementation Fidelity Assessment Of A Housing First Program In Ontario, Steven Bigioni

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This research sought to assess the degree of fidelity to the Housing First model achieved by a new Housing First program in a mid-sized Canadian municipal region, and the factors that promoted or hindered fidelity therein. The program was delivering an adaptation to the Housing First model that prioritized home-based support, which was assessed simultaneously. Fidelity ratings were gathered by a team of researchers during a site visit that included observation of a staff meeting, seven interviews with program leaders and staff, two focus groups with program participants, and 10 chart reviews. Overall, the findings show a high degree of …

An Evaluation Of The Timeline As A Memory Retrieval Aid For Children’S Recall Of Specific Details From A Repeated Event, Huan Huan Zhang

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Investigators and prosecutors are heavily dependent on children’s testimony in abuse cases where physical evidence is often lacking, making children the sole source of information. Decades of research have shown that young children are indeed capable of accurately recalling events from the past. Findings from research on interview techniques suggest that interview aids such as dolls and human diagrams are often not helpful and pose risks of eliciting inaccurate reports unless they are used cautiously and non-suggestively at the end of the interview.

The timeline, which is a visual depiction of time, is another type of interview aid that is …

Narrating A Conscientization Journey On Crime Prevention Through Social Development, Carlos Luis Zatarain

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

There is an increasing interest among municipalities to address crime through prevention as social development (CPSD) that acknowledges the underlying social conditions that influence the occurrence of crime. This requires a critical consciousness among community members and decision-makers of the root causes of crime and critical action that reflect that understanding. This, in turn, implies both a significant mental and cultural shift requiring personal transformation. Only then can the appropriate actions towards a preventative approach to crime be effectively fostered. For this purpose, the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council developed a community course titled Reframing Crime, Justice, and Prevention that …

Fall Reading Week: Exploring The Effects On Student Well-Being, Roobina Medhizadah

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Mental health is a concerning issue in post-secondary institutions across Ontario. Post-secondary students are challenged with many stressors such as time management and living independently for the first time (Wagner & Rhee, 2013). In an attempt to help students, maintain or improve their mental health, universities across Ontario have implemented fall reading week, a mid-semester break (Poole et al., 2017). Previous studies (Cramer & Pschibul, 2017; Poole et al., 2017) provided mixed results in whether fall reading week positively influences student mental health and well-being. To date, few studies have explored the influence of fall reading week on student health …

Examining Gender Differences In Perceptions Of Pay Negotiation And Remuneration Among Late-Adolescents, Meghan Borg

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Documented gender differences exist between males and females in terms of preparedness for the workforce in financial knowledge obtained from both family and educational sources (e.g., Danes & Haberman, 2007; Saari, Wood, & Wood, 2017), and the ways in which they negotiate (or fail to negotiate) for higher pay (e.g., Babcock, Gelfand, Small, & Stayn, 2006; Kugler et al., 2018). The current study extends this literature by investigating factors associated with Canadian late-adolescents’ preparedness for work by documenting work experiences (both casual and formal), remuneration experiences, and negotiation experiences as a function of gender. In total, 268 participants (137 females) …

Transforming Relations: Anishnawbe Natural Law In The “Ring Of Fire”, Darren Thomas

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This multiple manuscript dissertation project contributes to a larger case study research project examining Matawa First Nation experiences of negotiating a proposed mining project known as the “Ring of Fire.” Nine independent First Nations located in the Treaty 9 territory in Northern Ontario, comprise a collective regional organization called Matawa First Nations. These First Nations have a long history of living their Ancestral ways of trapping, fishing, and gathering from the lands. During the early 20^th century, the southern Matawa communities began to have contacts with forestry development, but a chromite deposit with an estimated value of 65 billion …

The Role Of Life Events In Older Women's Psychosocial Development And Well-Being, Taylor Hill

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Research on well-being and aging has suggested the trajectory of well-being through adulthood is U-shaped, with the lowest point typically occurring in midlife (Stone, Schwartz, Broderick, & Deaton, 2010). Toward the end of life, well-being (and in particular, life satisfaction) may surpass earlier levels and individuals tend to engage in a life review process wherein they evaluate how their life has turned out. Those who are satisfied with how their life events fit together to form their life story have been shown to have achieved ego integrity (i.e., accepting of their life to date and the limited time they have …

(Subjective) Time Heals All Wounds: The Competing Roles Of Objective And Subjective Time In Reactions To Past Events, Sarah L. Williams

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Although folk wisdom states that “time heals all wounds,” the truth of this claim is questionable and may be contingent on the nature of time in question. People think about and represent time in different ways: they consider how far away events (objectively) are, as well as how close or far away they (subjectively) feel. How close or distant a temporal event feels from the present is quite malleable and can be affected by a host of psychological factors independent of chronological time. However, little research has explicitly investigated the extent to which objective, calendar time, and one’s subjective sense …

Cultural Diversity In Interdependent Sport Teams, Michael J. Godfrey

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Group member characteristics are key factors that underpin a team’s structure (e.g., roles), emergent states (e.g., cohesion), processes (e.g., goals), and subsequently both individual (e.g., retention) and group (e.g., performance) outcomes (Carron & Eys 2012). Furthermore, the importance of considering individuals’ cultural backgrounds (as specific member characteristics) contributing to individual and group outcomes has recently been expressed within sport psychology (Schinke et al., 2014). Although sporadic attempts have examined cultural diversity in professional sport contexts in relation to performance and revenue (e.g., Maderer et al., 2014), the majority of empirical research examining the effects of cultural diversity on small groups …

A Qualitative Exploration Into The Subjective Experiences Of Healthcare Serial Killers, Florence Tang

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The prototypical serial killer is widely perceived as extremely violent offender who murders out of sexual gratification (Hodgkinson et al., 2017). The perception of serial killers primarily being sexual sadists may be greatly affected by an overfocus of research on sexually violent serial killers and a lack of attention on their non-sexually motivated counterparts such as healthcare serial killers (HCSK) (Lubaszka et al., 2014). In addition, a lack of qualitative inquiry into the experiences of serial homicide may be an impediment to understanding the deeper psychological reasons of why serial killers commit homicide (Kerr & Beech, 2016; Skrapec, 2001a). The …

Reducing Meat Consumption: Drawing On Participatory Action Research To Explore Ways Of Engaging In A Process Of Meat Consumption Reduction, Brittany Spadafore

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

With growing attention to climate change and human impacts on the environment, an emerging body of literature is exploring the impacts of global reliance on meat consumption. Research is increasingly supporting the feasibility of reducing meat consumption to address the environmental pressures of the global food system. However, recommended strategies to promote a reduction in meat consumption have been limited due to narrowly focusing on individual rational decision-making models. Centralizing a Social Practice theoretical lens, the present study utilized an approach to participatory action research to explore the experiences of seven (N = 7) green-building tenants reducing their meat consumption …

The Nature Of Informal Roles In Interdependent Sport Teams, Jeemin Kim

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The degree to which athletes understand and execute their formal role responsibilities (i.e., prescribed by coaches) is important for individual and group functioning (Eys, Schinke, Surya, & Benson, 2014). Recent literature suggested that informal roles can emerge within sport teams more naturally without coaches’ explicit assignments (e.g., team comedians, distracters), and have significant influences on team functioning (Cope, Eys, Beauchamp, Schinke, & Bosselut, 2011). This doctoral dissertation examined the nature of informal roles within interdependent sport teams, focusing on their antecedents and outcomes. Three separate projects were conducted. Project One examined athletes’ personality in the big five dimensions (McCrae & …

Using Our Past To Predict Our Future: Applying Reference Class Forecasting To Debias Individual Project Completion Predictions, Rebecca Friesdorf

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

People often predict that they will finish projects sooner than they actually do, i.e., exhibit the planning fallacy (e.g., Buehler et al., 2010). This bias has important consequences for everyday life, including failure to meet deadlines, taking on too many projects, and increased stress. Several solutions have been proposed, including interventions which ask individuals to take an “outside view” (e.g., Kahneman & Lovallo, 1993), such as using information from past completion times to make predictions for a current project (e.g., Buehler et al., 1994). In this work, we take a novel approach to helping individuals use past project information: recalling …

A Housing First Model For Youth And Its Relation To Social Integration, Alexandra Amiri

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The present study explored how a Housing First for Youth intervention, working from an empowerment theory approach, influences the social integration of youth experiencing homelessness. This was done by contrasting between groups of individuals who either did or did not receive the intervention. The sample consisted of 86 youth in the city of Ottawa between the ages of 17-24 who were randomized into the intervention (n=44) or treatment as usual group (n=42). Quantitative data from baseline and 6-month follow-up were analyzed using the Community Integration Scale (CIS) and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Repeated measures ANOVA revealed an …

There Is No Free: An Indigenous Informed Perspective On Free, Prior And Informed Consent, Nicole Burns

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Many Indigenous nations in Canada are faced with complex issues surrounding proposed development on their lands. There are numerous rights frameworks that support Indigenous Peoples’ inherent rights, which includes their right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) in relation to any development that would impact their lands. This case study examined the various perspectives of Matawa First Nations in regard to their experiences of consultation with government and industry. This study was conducted by performing document review and analysis of three focus groups (n=20), a video analysis of the APTN documentary series Ring of Fire and survey distribution and …

What Makes An Image Memorable? Effects Of Encoding On The Mechanism Of Recognition, Asiya Gul

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Memory is undoubtedly one of the most important processes of human cognition. A long line of research suggests that recognition relies on the assessment of two explicit memory phenomena: familiarity and recollection. Researchers who support the Dual Process Signal Detection (DPSD) model of recognition memory link the FN400 component (a negative ERP deflection peaking around 400 ms at frontal electrodes) with familiarity; however, it is currently unclear whether the FN400 reflects familiarity or implicit memory. Three event-related potentials (ERP) studies were conducted to determine whether implicit memory plays a role in setting up encoding strategies, and how these encoding strategies …

“This Is My Little World…”: Navigating The Group Exercise Experience Of Stay-Fit Members, Olivia Jones

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Objective

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada, with one in two Canadians expected to develop cancer over their lifetime (Canadian Cancer Society, 2019). Exercise is reportedly a safe therapy to help ease the common side effects of cancer and its treatments (Schmitz et al., 2010). Past research has shown the benefits of group exercise while in treatment for cancer, but there is a dearth of research regarding the impact of long-term group exercise programming for cancer survivors. This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of group exercise participation for individuals who previously had cancer and were enrolled …

Be Kind To Your Mind: A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing The Benefits Of Mindfulness And Self-Compassion Vs. Social Skills Training Among Children And Adolescents, Lindsey Feltis

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Childhood and adolescence can be difficult for young people as they navigate a variety of significant transitions. Thus, it is imperative that researchers focus on programs that support children and adolescents during this time. Mindfulness and self-compassion are two such programs that may promote positive youth development. Mindfulness and self-compassion have been explored in the adolescent context, and mindfulness has been explored with young children, however research on self-compassion for children is currently lacking. The present studies were designed to examine the feasibility, acceptability and potential benefits of a combined mindfulness + self-compassion program for children and adolescents in the …

Well-Being, Discrimination, And Self-Management Among Racialized Lgbq+ Newcomers Living In Waterloo Region, Ontario, Emily Cox

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Racism and homo/biphobia may negatively impact the well-being of racialized LGBTQ+ newcomers. While current research focuses predominantly on negative aspects of well-being (e.g., distress, exclusion), research on resilience and positive aspects of well-being (e.g., positive affect) is limited. Although self-management strategies (i.e., activities and attitudes to improve one’s well-being) could be a key factor in promoting well-being, previous research has not addressed how racialized LGBTQ+ newcomers use self-management strategies. Further, there is limited research about the role service providers (e.g., settlement services, mental and physical health services) play in supporting these strategies. In this study, eight racialized LGBQ+ newcomers and …

Picture This: The Effect Of Imagery Perspective On Affective Forecasting, Giselle Durand

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis examines whether or not the perspective that one takes when visualizing a future event influences one’s affective forecasts about that target event. When imagining a future event, people can adopt a first person perspective (as they would see it through their own eyes as it was actually occurring) or a third person perspective (as an observer would see it). I ran five studies to test the hypothesis that the perspective adopted while visualizing a future event has a differential effect on the forecasts of self-conscious vs. hedonic emotions. Specifically, I hypothesized that people forecast stronger self-conscious emotions when …

Temporal Observations Of Role Clarity And Cohesion Perceptions, Erica Mclean

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Two important aspects of sport group functioning that influence both individual and group outcomes (e.g., athlete satisfaction, team performance; Eys et al., in press) are cohesion and role clarity. Despite evidence surrounding the role clarity-cohesion relationship (e.g., Bosselut, McLaren, Eys, et al., 2012), the dynamism of these variables over time remains unclear. The purpose of this thesis was to explore cohesion and role clarity perceptions over the course of a youth ringette season through a longitudinal study design. Female ringette athletes (N = 86, Mage = 15.3, SD = 1.6) were surveyed every three weeks throughout the ringette sport season, …

The Days, Months, And Years After The Last Game: Retirement In Canadian Student-Athletes, Melissa Pare

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), 98% of student-athletes will retire from sport during and/or after their collegiate career (NCAA, 2015) from one of four causes (e.g., eligibility, deselection, injury, or choice) and this number is even higher in Canadian student-athletes. Athlete retirement has been widely studied across professional and elite athletes using multiple theoretical models (Schlossberg, 1981; Stambulova, 1997; Taylor & Ogilvie, 1994); however, student-athletes’ experiences are not widely studied. Furthermore, Canadian university sport (U SPORTS) does not currently have programs or services dedicated to support student-athletes through retirement. The purpose of this cross-sectional qualitative study was …