Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Achieving Diversity (Sciences, Relativism, Compassion), Erich John Knerr

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis is about achieving diversity in our society and in our world. In it I examine attributes of relativism as well as understandings of our existence in order to develop a model for achieving diversity. I examine our present model of science and the approach of romanticism and conclude that our sciences today are really about control and domination. I propose that the goals of our sciences should not be about domination, and therefore neither should our methods of science. Further, I propose that attributes of relativism represent a necessary beginning in achieving diversity and in bringing compassion into …

A Case Study Of Partnerships In Practice, Heather Lorraine Macgillivary

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Despite calls for partnership from government, human service organizations, researchers, consumers and providers, there is very little literature about partnership. This research attempts to better understand the concept of partnership through a case study of Waterloo Regional Homes for Mental Health Inc., an organization which is implementing partnership oriented practices. Data collected included 11 key informant interviews, a review of documents, and process notes. Findings were organized around definition, facilitative and impeding factors, and outcomes of partnership. Defining values of partnership which emerged were collaborative interaction, power-sharing, shared decision-making, stakeholder involvement, resource sharing, shared responsibility, and equality. Facilitative and impeding …

Breaking The Silence: New Immigrant Children Affected By War Trauma. Community Needs And Resources Assessment, Danijela Seskar-Hencic

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The main purpose of this study was to provide a basis for and facilitate the development of strategies and programs based on actual life experiences of the refugee families and their children and on present needs and resources in the Kitchener-Waterloo community. The participants in the study included three refugee families and their children from Somalia, Kurdistan and Bosnia, English as a Second Language teachers, cultural assistants (settlement counsellors), and a local community group. Qualitative data obtained from the participants were complemented with demographic characteristics relevant to the phenomenon of war trauma among children in the K-W Region The qualitative …

A Case Study Approach To Examining The Social Functioning Of Learning Disabled Children With A Nonverbal Impairment, Laura Kate Donelan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study is concerned with exploring the hypothesis that the deficits associated with the nonverbal learning disability syndrome (NLD) have a direct impact on the interpretation of nonverbal social cues and that this contributes to lower social functioning and as a result, higher rates of internalized pathology in those so diagnosed. Children with NLD have significant visual, organizational and perceptual deficits. In the literature it is suggested that these impairments lead to difficulty in interpreting the nonverbal social cues of others, which in turn leads to impairments in social functioning. To examine this hypothesis a case study of two individuals …

Being There: A Qualitative Study Of How Fathers Overcome Obstacles To Intimacy With Their Children, Bradley Thomas Morrison

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The researcher uses a qualitative research methodology to answer the question: “What helps and hinders a man’s relationship with his children?” Men, their partners, and their children are interviewed using a semistandardized interview. Transcribed interviews are coded and data are divided into general categories. The theme “being there” emerges as the descriptive phrase used by men, women and children to describe the task of fathering. “Being there” is contrasted to the parental “otherness” that characterizes unhealthy fathering practices. The researcher presents an understanding of reconciliation as “Downing the Otherness,” the process necessary to nurture intimacy between fathers and their children. …

Social Support, Campus Involvement, And The Adjustment To University, Krista Martin

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis sought to assess the relationships between students’ involvement in campus life and their adjustment to university. Additionally, the study examined some of the possible determinants of involvement in campus activities (i.e., living in residence, past involvement in school activities, and parental community involvement). Ninety-eight introductory psychology students completed a questionnaire containing measures of campus involvement, social support, residential status, students’ past involvement in school activities and their parents’ involvement in community organizations. Results indicated that students who were involved in campus organizations and activities were better adjusted to university social life. In addition, there was some evidence that …

Value Dilemmas In Striving For Social Justice: A Case Study Of The Working Centre (Ontario), Stephen Orr

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study examines the Working Centre, a self-help resource centre for the unemployed in Kitchener, and how it has responded to the changing nature of work. It explores the growth of global capitalism and the impact of new technologies on the workplace. The study also examines how economic restructuring leads to high levels of unemployment and part-time work. The thesis reviews the Working Centre’s mission, goals and objectives, and how these have been translated into action in the Centre’s early years and today. Finally, this study discusses the Centre’s efforts to pursue a social justice agenda in a rapidly changing …

Application Of The Remember/Know Judgement Paradigm To Eyewitness Stimuli, P. Michael Appavoo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The ability to gauge the accuracy of eyewitnesses’ recall of a crime scene is of great investigative importance. Previous research has shown that outright confidence judgements may not be a very reliable method of assessing witnesses’ recall accuracy. The purpose of the present research was to apply the Remember/Know judgement paradigm to eyewitnesses’ recall in the hopes of finding a more effective technique for judging accuracy. In this paradigm individuals are asked to make judgements about each recalled item in terms of whether they specifically Remember the item (including context and time of presentation), as opposed to simply having a …

Conforming To The Will Of The Church: The Role Of Religious Orientation, Religious Proscription, And Right-Wing Authoritarianism In The Religion-Prejudice Relationship, Robert James Duck

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Study 1 was designed to determine the relationships between three religious orientations and three measures of prejudice. Contrary to previous findings, religious Quest (Q) was not negatively correlated with 2 measures of ethnocentrism. However, the associations among dependent measures of religiously proscribed and nonproscribed prejudices, and Intrinsic (I) and Extrinsic (E) religious orientations, supported previous findings. Study 1 also was intended to examine the role of “right-wing authoritarianism” (RWA) and “social desirability’ (SD) in the religion-prejudice relationship. Contrary to Batson, Schoenrade, and Ventis (1993), no correlational evidence was found to support the hypothesis that highly intrinsic believers are prone to …

Pentobarbital-Induced Place Aversion Learning, Gilbert Lew

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Pentobarbital is self-administered by rats, but has also been reported to produce a conditioned place aversion. Since the self-administration and place preference paradigms both are considered to assess drug reward, we further examined the hedonic properties of pentobarbital using place conditioning. In Experiment 1, a dose of 15 mg/kg (ip) of pentobarbital produced a conditioned place aversion following 4 conditioning trials of various durations (5, 15, 30 or 60 min). Since rats are typically drug-experienced in the self-administration paradigm. Experiments 2 and 3 examined the effect of drug history on pentobarbital-induced place conditioning. Although preexposure to pentobarbital attenuated the place …

Organizational Change And Inclusive Practices: Promoting Access For Diverse Populations In The Canadian Mental Health Association (Waterloo Region Branch) (Ontario), James W. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This research began a process and generated information that would help guide the Canadian Mental Health Association/Waterloo Region Branch (CMHA/WRB) in developing services that meet the needs of all residents in the area it serves. This project was comprised of two phases. The phases were conceptualized as being intervention cycles consisting of information, awareness and action-building components. The first phase consisted of work done within the agency itself, to help articulate the goals, attitudes, and possible barriers seen by the paid/non-paid staff towards the new multicultural emphasis. This work involved three focus groups with paid and non-paid staff. As well, …

Specific Dopaminergic Manipulation Of The Internal Clock Mechanism, Lianne Elizabeth Stanford

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Using non-specific dopaminergic agents, Meck (1983, 1986) and his colleagues have repeatedly demonstrated manipulations of the internal clock mechanism, while showing no other changes to the psychophysical function (DL & WF). The current study used analyses and procedures similar to those of Meck (1983) and investigated the internal clock mechanism with the specific D2 agonist, quinpirole. Two groups were trained with saline and tested with quinpirole (0.08 mg/kg). One group was naive to the drug prior to testing (DN), while the other had previous drug exposure (DE). A third group (DT) was trained with quinpirole, and tested with saline. The …

Level Of Adaptive Behaviour According To The Occupational Status Of Foster Adolescents In Independent Living, Marissa Dionne Amoroso

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This is a quantitative study that describes the profile of adolescents in independent living in Halton Region by their occupational status. Occupational status is a variable that ranges along a continuum, from adolescents who are in school fulltime & working part-time, in school fulltime, working fulltime, in school part-time & working part-time, in school part-time, working part-time, and not in school or working. Information for adolescent profiles was obtained from case files, as well as from the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scale which was completed by adolescents’ social workers. It is expected that these profiles will assist social workers in identifying …

An Evaluation Of A Socio-Sexuality Education Program For Individuals With A Developmental Handicap, David Nelson Morrow

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis is an evaluation of eight week socio-sexuality education group for seven individuals with a developmental handicap who live in a twenty-four hour supervised group home. Pre and post-test data collection measured the socio-sexual knowledge of the participants. Attitudes of their primary counsellors toward the sexuality of individuals with developmental handicaps were also measured pre and post-test. A qualitative analysis of the facilitators’ process notes and a post participation focus group with the counsellors provided an understanding of why changes in knowledge and attitude had, or had not, occurred There was a significant increase in the client groups overall …

The Dance Of Many Partners: A Case Study Of Interorganizational Collaboration In The Social Services Sector, Elizabeth G. Brown

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis is a case study of interorganizational collaboration Qualitative methods facilitated reports of 25 participants’ experiences of a collaborative planning process to restructure children's social services in London, Ontario (Canada). The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the process dynamics of collaboration. Factors that impeded and/or facilitated collaboration were discussed. The influence of asymmetrical social relations of power on collaboration was observed in examples participants cited. However, much of the literature reviewed on factors that influence interorganizational collaboration did not include a critical analysis of social relations of power in collaboration. Social relations of power must …

Client And Therapist Experiences With A Narrative Therapeutic Summary Format, Peter Duncan Whyte

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This qualitative research study explored the use of a narrative therapeutic summary letter format as an adjunctive intervention with clients engaged in individual therapy. The study’s sample consisted of six client subjects who received summary letters from six therapist subjects. Client subjects were furnished with written summaries of four consecutive counselling sessions. The summaries were based on pre-established narrative summary guidelines supplied to each respective therapist. After client subjects had received four consecutive summary letters, in-depth individual interviews were conducted with each client. The aim of these interviews was to explore and document clients’ experiences with the narrative therapeutic summary …

As If Born To: The Social Construction Of A Deficit Identity Position For Adopted Persons, Lise M. Beauchesne

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Many adopted persons report experiencing ongoing problems with identity, often resulting in feelings of personal deficiency to imprison their sense of self. The dominant position of the literature eon adoption individualizes and problematizes “identity” issues by locating the source of difficulties to individual traits of the adopted person and his/her adoptive family. Consequently, the struggle associated with the identity “adopted” is typically constructed as an individual struggle.

Drawing on my own lived experience as an adopted women, I have been engaged in a critical inquiry of the traditional view of adoption in order to understand the problem of identity not …

Barely A Whisper In The System: Parents' Perspectives On The Prevention Of Foster Care Placement, Tammie O. Belliveau

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Despite an abundance of literature stressing the need to prevent child maltreatment and foster care placement, information related to the prevention of foster care placement and child maltreatment from a parent's perspective is virtually nonexistent. This research utilized qualitative research techniques to elicit parental perspectives on the prevention of foster care placement and child maltreatment. Results were analyzed utilizing Belsky's (1980) ecological framework for child maltreatment and a risk and protective framework. Results are discussed in terms of theoretical, research, practical and personal implications. Practical implications stress the importance of creating interventions which (a) strive to build self-esteem, (b) provide …

Animal Memory Processes For Number And Time: Pigeons, Methamphetamine, And The Internal Clock Model, James W. Coyle

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The mode-control model of counting and timing (Meek & Church, 1983) suggests that discriminations based on number and time may be controlled by the same internal clock mechanism. In Experiment 1, two groups of pigeons were initially trained to perform delayed symbolic matching-to-sample (DSMTS) at a 5s fixed baseline delay, with sample stimuli that consisted of sequences of flashing light. Testing was conducted with a range of delays (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10s). In the Number Group, control by number was established by varying the number of flashes while holding time constant. In the Time Group, control by time, …

The Comprehensive Organizational Social Support Tool: Cosst Assessment, Amanda Kroger

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis describes the development of an instrument (the Comprehensive Organizational Social Support Tool (COSST)) designed to assess the extent to which organizations foster socially supportive interactions amongst their employees. Research indicates that the support that individuals receive from their co-workers in the workplace can have a significant impact on their physical and emotional health, and their commitment to, and performance within, an organization. Organizations can do much to foster these kinds of supportive interactions. However, in order for an organization to determine the strategies it should employ in enhancing support, it is necessary to assess what it is currently …

Cross-Cultural Differences In Parenting And Moral Development In Late Adolescence: A Narrative Approach, Wanna E. Mar

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study investigated differences in parenting and late adolescents’ moral development in two cultural groups: Chinese-Canadian and European-Canadian Measures of parental authoritativeness and degree of parental influence on moral values were administered to a sample of 62 European-Canadian and 40 Chinese-Canadian university students, aged 17-26 years. The participants were then compared with respect to two outcome measures, one assessing the degree to which they internalized and represented parents’ viewpoints (“voice”) in narratives about moral socialization, and the other assessing level of moral reasoning development. Results indicated that reported parental authoritativeness was positively related to the degree of parent “voice” displayed …

A Qualitative, Participatory Study Of The Process Of Becoming An Advocate For Nonhuman Animals, Angela Kathleen Raithby

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis begins with an overview of some published works concerning oppression, its alleviation and the interconnectedness of its various forms, as they relate to the diverse area which is loosely referred to as ‘animal rights’. In general terms, the ultimate goal of choosing to do this thesis in the area of animal rights is to further the defence of nonhuman animals. The purpose of this specific project is to document, compare, and contrast a range of examples of the process of changing relationships and becoming an advocate for other animals. These examples, the experiences and life stories of five …

Mk-801 Interferes With The Acquisition Of Amphetamine- And Lithium-Induced Place Conditioning, Jonathan Francis Toth

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The place conditioning paradigm was used to assess the ability of the noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist, M- 801 to interfere with drug-place associations. MK-801 (0.1 mg/kg, ip) attenuated a place preference produced by 10 mg/kg, but not by 3 or 5 mg/kg of amphetamine. MK-801 alone produced neither a place preference nor a place aversion. Interference with amphetamine place preference learning was not the result of state-dependent learning produced by MK-801. Furthermore, MK-801 did not interfere with the expression of a previously established amphetamine place preference. Pretreatment with MK-801 also interfered with lithium-induced conditioned place aversion learning. These results suggest …

The Need For Social Validation, Robert S. Graham

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis describes the psychometric evaluation and validation of a scale assessing people's tendency to use others’ opinions in order to assess the correctness of their own opinion. In study 1, 320 introductory psychology students completed the 12-item Need for Social Validation scale (N SV), as well as the Need to Evaluate and Self-Monitoring scales. The NSV scale was demonstrated to possess good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha=.85), a two factor structure, and high test-retest reliability after 22-weeks (r = .76). The NSV was found to be negatively related to the Need to Evaluate scale (r = -.49) and unrelated to …

Age Differences In Implicit Memory Tests, Penny Kathleen Poisson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Evidence concerning age differences on perceptual implicit memory tests has been inconsistent, with some studies showing no age effects and others showing reduced priming in older adults. Recently, research on implicit tests that focus more on the semantic features of words has typically shown no reliable age effect on priming scores. In the present study we examined the pattern of age effects on a conceptual (general knowledge) and a perceptual (word stem completion) implicit test Explicit memory performance was measured using cued word recall and fact recall tests. The nature of the encoding task used for each test was also …

Assessing Process Dissociation Procedure And Implicit Memory Estimates Of Automatic Retrieval For A Retention Interval Manipulation, Daryl E. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Results from standard implicit memory tests suggest that automatic retrieval decreases or remains relatively stable over time, whereas results from the process dissociation procedure (PDP) suggest that automatic retrieval may actually increase over time. Advocates of the PDP view, have suggested that this incongruity results from contamination of the implicit tests by intentional retrieval, whereas the PDP provides a valid index of automatic retrieval. In contrast, new results from a speeded implicit memory test suggest that the standard implicit memory tests provide reasonable estimates of automatic retrieval, but that the PDP underestimates automatic retrieval at a short retention interval when …

Industrial Trade Shows: Their Role And Spatial Dimension In Industrial Restructuring, Andras Gosztonyi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The fundamental changes in the economic environment since the 1970s put firms under immense pressure to adjust their strategies to the increasingly dynamic and flexible global economy. The simultaneous upsurge in industrial trade show activity suggests that these events hold a central position in the process of restructuring. Therefore this study aims at theoretically examining the economic functions of trade shows and thus their role in economic restructuring. Yet, if trade shows are significant in industrial restructuring, it is important to learn about their spatial structure and thus their accessibility to firms in different countries and regions. This is carried …

Teaching Secondary School Geography With The Use Of A Geographical Information System (Gis), Angela Louise Crechiolo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Until quite recently, geographical information systems have been limited to the resources and students of post-secondary institutions. This situation is now changing in Ontario. In the early 1990's the Ministry of Education adopted mandates to develop curriculum guidelines for the integration of computers into all areas of the curriculum. Although the process is well underway in Ontario, limited access to hardware and software, insufficient pre-service and in-service training, and a paucity of teaching resources has lead to mounting teacher frustration. Although the literature base on teaching GIS at the pre-collegiate level is increasing, it lacks clearly defined examples of how …

Cognitive Assimilation-Contrast Effects Among Partisan Identifiers: An Analysis Of The 1993 Canadian National Election, Jordan Colby

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The electoral debut of the Reform Party and Bloc Quebecois allows for an examination of the character and role of party identification in political cognition in a manner not previously available to researchers. Campbell and colleagues (1960) American Voter presented a psychological basis for understanding individual-level voting behaviour, where party identification affects the vote choice directly and acts as a perceptual screen where the screening function distorts perceptions of political objects that are inconsistent with the citizen's existing political attitudes. The findings of this study are largely consistent with the notion that, among those who acknowledge an association with a …

An Inquiry Into The Psychological, Social And Work-Related Outcomes Of An Innovative Labor Adjustment Program, E. Jean Kellogg

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study describes and analyzes the psychological, social and work-related outcomes of unemployed steelworkers who participated in a labor adjustment program designed and delivered by personnel in Canada’s steel industry. The adjustment program, the Canadian Steel Trade and Employment Congress (CSTEC) Worker Adjustment Program, is a co-operative labor-management venture that is considered as a model upon which to base future labor adjustment programs in sectors beyond steel. A qualitative case study approach was utilized. Data were collected primarily in depth interviews and participant observations with twenty-four program participants, program staff and government labor adjustment officials. CSTEC’s Worker Adjustment Program emphasizes …