Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Think Your Way To Happiness? Investigating The Role Of Need For Cognition In Well-Being Through A Three-Level Meta-Analytic Approach, Verity Y. Q. Lua, Wei Ming Ooi, Siti A'Isyah Binte Mohd Najib, Christine Yin Ting Tan, Nadyanna M. Majeed, Angela K. Y. Leung, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

While the extent to which individuals engage in and enjoy cognitive abilities, commonly known as need for cognition (NFC), has been suggested to promote adaptive behaviors associated with well-being, there has not been a systematic examination of the strength of the relationship between NFC and well-being. This meta-analysis sought to examine the association between NFC and well-being. Based on 108 effect sizes extracted from 52 samples (50 records), a small to medium positive relationship (r = .20, 95% CI [.16, .23], p r|s = [.07, .45]). Exploratory moderation analyses showed that age moderated the relationship between NFC and well-being, whereby …

Demonstrating Law Library Value Through Mission-Centered Assessment, Amanda Watson, Amanda Karel, Amanda Runyon, Leslie Street

Library Staff Publications

This article presents a history of evaluation in U.S. academic law libraries, shares survey results about our collective professional mindset, and offers practical steps for law libraries that are ready to abandon a pervasive culture of evaluation.

Climate Entrenchment In Unstable Legal Regimes, Martin Lockman

Faculty Publications

American climate law is the subject of serious and ongoing debate, and policy change is part of the ordinary process of democratic governance. However, in recent years some policymakers have deliberately undermined climate action by injecting legal instability into American climate law. This Essay addresses a simple question: how can Americans build necessary climate infrastructure in the face of an unstable political and legal regime?

Some readers may be shocked by this question. Indeed, this framing is intentionally provocative. However, this Essay recognizes a simple fact: not all American polities, and not all American policymakers, are trustworthy and predictable partners …

Are Ride-Hailing Services Safer Than Taxis? A Multivariate Spatial Approach With Accomodation Of Exposure Uncertainty, Guocong Zhai, Kun Xie, Hong Yang, Di Yang

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Despite many research efforts on ride-hailing services and taxis, limited studies have compared the safety performance of the two modes. A major challenge is the need for reliable mode-specific exposure data to model their safety outcomes. Moreover, crash frequencies of the two modes by injury severities tend to be spatially and inherently correlated. To fully address these issues, this study proposes a novel multivariate conditional autoregressive model considering measurement errors in mode-specific exposures (MVCARME). More specially, a classical measurement error structure is used to accommodate the uncertainty of mode-specific exposures estimated, and a multivariate spatial specification is adopted to capture …

Editorial: Insights In Neurocognitive Aging And Behavior: 2021, Kristy A. Nielson, Ian M. Mcdonough, Anja Soldan

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

In recent years, exceptional scientific achievements have led to major advancements in the fast-growing field of neurocognitive aging and behavior. In this inaugural collection, Insights in Neurocognitive Aging and Behavior: 2021, we sought to highlight the latest advancements and challenges for the current state of knowledge and future directions in aging neuroscience in the neurocognitive arena. Here we outline the contributions and implications for future research of the 15 papers in this topic collection across four important research areas: (1) novel approaches to identifying and tracking brain aging and impending cognitive decline; (2) neurocognitive markers of risks for Alzheimer’s disease …

Editorial: Perspectives On Ptsd And Its Treatment, Jacklynn M. Fitzgerald, Ashley A. Huggins

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Large-Scale Network Connectivity And Cognitive Function Changes After Exercise Training In Older Adults With Intact Cognition And Mild Cognitive Impairment, Junyeon Won, Kristy A. Nielson, J. Carson Smith

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Background:

Despite growing evidence regarding the association between exercise training (ET) and functional brain network connectivity, little is known about the effects of ET on large-scale within- and between-network functional connectivity (FC) of core brain networks.

Objective:

We investigated the effects of ET on within- and between-network functional connectivity of the default mode network (DMN), frontoparietal network (FPN), and salience network (SAL) in older adults with intact cognition (CN) and older adults diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The association between ET-induced changes in FC and cognitive performance was examined.

Methods:

33 older adults (78.0±7.0 years; 16 MCI and 17 …

Examining The Lived Experiences Of Families With Children With Developmental Disabilities Participating In Recreational Dance Programs, Isabella Seguin

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Objective

Families with children with developmental disabilities (DDs) experience effects on family functioning and will often turn to physical activity (e.g., dance) to mitigate these effects. This research examines the lived experiences of families with children with DDs participating in recreational dance programs to understand the myriad of effects on all participants: children with DDs, families, and dance instructors.

Methods

In order to fully understand the lived experiences of participants, phenomenology was used as the theoretical orientation to guide this research. Each case (5 cases, N=19) consisted of a primary parent, a child with a developmental disability, sibling(s) (if applicable), …

Utilizing Ground-Penetrating Radar To Estimate The Spatial Distribution Of Snow Depth Over Lake Ice In Canada’S Sub-Arctic, Alicia Pouw

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

With the expected rise in air temperature, it becomes important to understand how snow will respond in different climate scenarios. The presence of snow over lake ice largely influences the ice thickness, and as Canada’s Arctic and sub-arctic regions are experiencing warming at twice the global rate, concerns rise as changes in the snowpack will significantly impact northern communities that rely on lake ice as a means of transportation, source for drinking water, and feeding their families. The distribution of snow depth is highly sensitive to changes in climate over time, as such a slight increase in air temperature or …

Deep In The Shadows Of Loss: An Exploration Of Grief, Mourning, And Intellectual Disability, Cara Grosset

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This qualitative research project explores grief and mourning experiences of people labelled/with intellectual disabilities subsequent to the death of someone important in their lives. The primary research question was: in what ways do people labelled/with intellectual disabilities experience grief after the death of a significant person in their lives? The need for a project of this kind is grounded in the lack of research and social work practice literature related to better understanding grief, mourning, and support experiences after a death from the perspective of people labelled/with intellectual disabilities. The dual purpose of this research is to better understand (and …

I Am Queer And Asian: The Crossroad Of Race And Lgbtqia+ Identity Among Queer Asian Canadian Youth And The Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kenny Chee

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

LGBTQIA+ Asian youth face unique challenges due to their intersecting identities. Utilizing Asian Critical Race Theory and the Integration Model of Stress and Trauma in LGBTQIA+ Asians, LGBTQIA+ Asian youth are likely to experience detrimental mental health outcomes due to the stigmatization within their Asian culture and racial discrimination from the LGBTQIA+ communities. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing challenges because of the closure of community spaces and increased hate crimes against Asians. Nonetheless, research on the intersectional experiences of LGBTQIA+ Asians in Canada, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic is sparse. Thus, to address this gap, I …

Transformations Towards Just Urban Sustainabilities: A Community Psychology Approach To Analyzing And Fostering Urban Changes, Bianca C. Dreyer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Cities are uniquely positioned to drive social change towards more just and sustainable futures. However, while discourses of ‘transformations towards sustainability’ have gained prominence, their focus on integrating equity and justice and tackling the root causes of current unsustainabilities is lacking. This document outlines a research endeavor aimed at analyzing and fostering urban sustainable transformations from a community psychology perspective. This research is based on the assertion that without radical change based in equity and justice considerations, transformative efforts fail. First, a theory of just urban sustainable transformations (JUST) is suggested that draws on urban transformations and just sustainabilities scholarship. …

Wildlife Value Orientations And Recreation Conflict: A Focus On Hunters And Non-Hunters In Alberta, Canada, Yuvana Sequeira

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Parks and other forms of protected areas are considered a vital tool in the effective conservation of biodiversity. These areas also provide important spaces for nature-based tourism and recreation (NBTR), where activities such as hiking, swimming, canoeing, and socializing with friends and family often occur. In some cases, hunting may also occur within a protected area, but there is little understanding of how such activities affect the experience and overall satisfaction of other recreationists (and vise-versa). While NBTR is a popular and growing industry, there is limited research in Canada about the values of tourists and recreationists and the …

Psychological Readiness In Injured Student-Athletes When Returning To Sport, Samantha J. Burelle

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The physical component of recovery is pertinent to success in sport performance, yet there has been an increase in awareness of psychological symptoms and psychological distress experienced by injured athletes. Thus, the psychological aspect of injuries and return to sport (RTS) process cannot be ignored. Psychological readiness (PR) is described by Podlog et al. (2015), Donald (2019), and Podlog et al. (2022) as a dynamic psychological process including factors of realistic expectation, confidence, motivation, and focus. PR addresses the psychological component necessary for a successful RTS. Measurement tools have been developed to assess PR, yet not all factors of PR …

“To Be Involved In A Meaningful Way”: Mobilizing Indigenous Knowledge In Environmental Monitoring Practices In Northern Ontario, Alanna Robbins

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

A steady shift in the environmental management literature encourages greater inclusion of traditional knowledge (TK) alongside Western science, much of it seeking to directly support Indigenous communities develop their own frameworks for environmental monitoring and stewardship. To date, little attention has been placed on research practices themselves as sites where interdisciplinary and intercultural work takes place to bridge between different knowledge systems and develop best practices for effective collaboration. Matawa Water Futures (MWF), the object of study for this thesis project, is a three-year water stewardship project involving Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers, environmental managers, and community interns, working with the …

“Anything From The Land Is Good”: Understanding How Community Gardening In Kakisa, Northwest Territories, Can Contribute To Indigenous Food Sovereignty, Michelle Malandra

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Rates of food insecurity in Canada’s northern Indigenous communities are at levels that should constitute an emergency. Dominant explanations for these high rates of food insecurity often ignore the ongoing impacts of colonization and over-emphasize individual choices and nutritional guidelines developed by outsiders. The importance of holistic community health is ignored, along with the cultural and social values and practices that support community health and well-being, including traditional food systems. As the acute impact of climate change in the North threatens traditional food access, a shift toward an Indigenous food sovereignty approach in health and food policy is needed. With …

The Vital Role Of Dehcho Dene Knowledges In Climate Change & Permafrost Thaw Adaptation In Jean Marie River First Nation Nwt, Mackenzie Bell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Across the globe climate change has become an issue of growing concern for both Indigenous and non – Indigenous peoples alike. In Northern Canada this narrative is no different. For Indigenous groups such as the Jean Marie River First Nation (JMRFN) anthropogenic climate change is not only a reality but is visible through their daily interactions with the environment around them. Additional insight pertaining to these climatic changes and their impacts can be found through analyzing the traditional knowledge systems of the JMRFN and how these before mentioned interactions have changed over time. This two-year participatory research project has investigated …

Vapourized Cannabis Extract Administration Impairs Memory And Alters Neural Activity In Laboratory Rats, Megan Chladny

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Although people have smoked cannabis for millennia, administration of cannabis by heating the dried plant material or distilled extracts to a temperature just below the combustion point (i.e., vapourization or "vaping") has rapidly increased over the past few years (Javadi-Payder, Cole, and Taffe, 2018; Manwell, Charchoglyan, Brewer, Matthews, Heipel, and Mallet, 2014). Conversely, most of the cannabinoid research using rodent models has used parenteral routes of administration to examine the effects of purified cannabis extracts such as ∆⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), making it difficult to directly compare laboratory research to human drug use. Building on previous studies showing that THC …

Towards Ending Incarceration Of Indigenous Peoples In Canada: A Critical, Narrative Inquiry Of Hegemonic Power In The Gladue Report Process, Judah Oudshoorn

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract

This study is concerned with the possibility that Gladue perpetuates the hegemonic powers of settler colonialism, white supremacy, patriarchy, and neoliberalism. Gladue is intended to remediate systemic anti-Indigenous racism by requiring judges to consider all alternatives to incarceration when sentencing Indigenous peoples, yet Indigenous incarceration rates continue to rise precipitously. On the surface, Gladue does not appear to disrupt the hegemonic status quo. How is it that the Canadian state, even when ‘remediating,’ keeps producing the same – colonial, oppressive, and tyrannical – result?

This qualitative study used a critical, narrative methodology, interviewing Gladue report writers (n=9) and judges …

Inspirational Bullshit: The Good, The Bad, And The Vacuous, Esther Abel

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

There are myriad methods offered in the “self-help industry” and on social media promising to improve happiness. Some messages are evidence-based, often drawn from positive psychology research, and suggest actions requiring time and effort, while other messages may offer feel-good platitudes that are devoid of meaningful guidance; we label this latter type of content “inspirational bullshit.” Across two manuscripts, we investigate the predictors of liking different kinds of positive self-help content, from meaningless randomly-generated phrases to vacuous positivity to evidence-based advice. In the first manuscript, across three studies, bullshit receptivity (a tendency to judge pseudo-profound statements as profound) and people’s …

Adding Women To The Conversation On Safe Consumption Sites: A Qualitative Interview Study With Poor And Marginalized Women Who Use Illicit Substances, Kaitlin Waechter

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Women’s erasure from discourses pertaining to substance use and safe consumption sites (SCSs) means harm reduction efforts are developed through the male lens. This research seeks to discover why women do (or do not) access SCSs so as to determine if and how SCSs address the unique gendered needs of women who use illicit substances. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 14 women-identified individuals who use illicit substances. Participants were recruited from a non-profit organization that offers harm reduction, but is not itself a SCS in order to capture a full range of perspectives on the SCS in their community. …

Navigating Waters: Experiences Of Filipino Canadian Identity Making In The Diaspora, John Felix Tolentino

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Research states that while Filipino Canadians are the largest growing migrant population in Canada, they are the least represented and understudied subjects in the academy. The primary purpose of this qualitative study is to better understand the experiences of Filipino Canadians and how they create their identities in the diaspora. Since few studies take on a social work lens to explore these important stories, I attempt to unearth these experiences using these guiding questions: (1) How do Filipino Canadians integrate their cultural identity in the diaspora? (2) What are the sociopolitical and historical conditions that inform these identities? Following Charmaz’s …

Exploring Graduated Court Diversion Clients' Experience Of Psychotherapy In Their Community Reintegration, Daniel Oduro Sem

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Court Diversion Program (CDP) seeks to reduce the criminalization and reoffending among people living with mental illness to ensure their community reintegration (Schneider, 2010). The complex nature of achieving this goal calls for a comprehensive strategy, which requires a collaborative effort of legal, health care, and allied professionals including psychotherapists. However, because most CDP clients frequently receive medication treatment, not much is known about how CDP clients find psychotherapy services even though psychotherapy is effective for addressing mental illnesses and offending behaviors (Feingold & Fox, 2018; Feucht & Holt, 2016), To gain more insight into the issue, this study applied …

Empathy In Police Officers Undergoing De-Escalation Simulation Training: A Comparison Between Virtual Reality And Live Action Modalities, Jacqueline Kohl

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study compared empathy among police officers undergoing mental health crisis de-escalation training in virtual reality and live action training modalities. The study included police officers across different police services in Ontario (N=63) and evaluated the efficacy of the Mental Health Crisis Response Training (MHCRT, Lavoie et al., 2020) program delivered across virtual reality and live action modalities against a control group that did not receive the training program. After collection of participants’ demographics, empathy scores, and de-escalation competency scores, a series of correlations, ANOVAs and ANCOVAs were conducted. Results showed that participants receiving MHCRT virtual reality and …

Distinctiveness And Similarity: How The Sub-Trait Facets Of The Big Five Self-Organize To Create Personality Types, Jonathan Thiessen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The belief that people can be placed within a personality typology has persisted for millennia. At least as far back as Hippocrates (ca. 460 BCE–370 BCE) people were believed to be of a kind based on the four humors—blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. Since then, there have been many conceptions of personality typologies. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Enneagram of Personality are likely the most well-known personality typologies among the general public. Despite their wide public usage, neither typology boasts strong empirical support. However, psychology continues to investigate personality for evidence of a typology of personality. In …

The Power Of Dissent: Mitigating False Polarization And Cross-Party Dislike In Online Interactions, Victoria Parker

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

While actual polarization is on the rise in the United States, perceived polarization (i.e., false polarization) is growing at an even faster rate, contributing to increased cross-party hostility. A meaningful amount of out-party dislike may be produced by partisans’ dramatic overestimates of the prevalence of extreme, undesirable views among political opponents. In the current research, we examine whether exposing people to out-party dissenters who challenge their copartisans’ extreme views might help reduce people’s misperceptions of their opponents’ extreme views, and possibly mitigate animosity. Across five studies (N = 3789), we explore how seeing public ingroup dissent (in the form of …

The Contribution Of Phonological Overlap To The Cognate Effect: An Event-Related Potential Study Of Persian-English Bilinguals, Zahra Fotovatnia

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the contribution of phonological overlap to visual word recognition. More specifically, this study aimed at testing the phonological account of the cognate effect (i.e., faster and more accurate mental processing of cognates than noncognates) in visual word recognition in Persian and English, which are languages with different scripts. The phonological account attributes the cognate effect to the phonological similarity of cognates (form and semantically related words) in addition to the conceptual similarity that cognates and noncognates (semantically related words) have and to the degree of phonological similarity between cognates in two languages. …

Best Practices For Social Workers Engaging With Spiritual/Religious Clients, Stewart J. Smith Mr.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This research examined what Canadian social workers should consider when engaging therapeutically with clients for whom spirituality/religion is of central importance. There are several challenges in examining this issue in Canada (the north section of Turtle Island). One is the oppression of Indigenous peoples’ spirituality by colonizers imposing various Christian denominational spiritual/religious views. There has also been a trend of Christian practice declining in church worship among settler people, although Christianity remains part of the dominant cultural norms. Like many of the helping professions, social work has little to no education/training related to spirituality/religion and clinical work. This move away …

Examining The Effects Of Noise And Task Dependent Performance In Prosody Perception In Autistic Individuals, Zehranur Sasal

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

ABSTRACT

Objective: It is known that autistic individuals have enhanced abilities in pitch discrimination and tend to excel in low-level tasks requiring lower cognitive processing. On the other hand, noise is a distracting factor in many areas of life, including prosody perception. The studies presented in this thesis aimed to understand prosody perception through different levels of cognitive tasks and under the influence of speech background noise.

Methods: In total, 256 non-autistic and 39 high-functioning autistic adults participated in these studies. In the first study, participants were asked to listen to brief utterances conveying one of six universally accepted emotions …

Intermittent Sucrose Access: Sweetness Versus Calories, Jarret Folmer, Rudy Eikelboom

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Nondeprived rats receiving every 3^rd day access (E3DA) to 4% sucrose solution consume more sucrose on access days compared to rats with everyday access (EDA). Rats receiving EDA or E3DA to 16% sucrose do not consume different amounts, but if placed on every 2^nd day access (E2DA) to 4% sucrose E3DA-group rats consume more than EDA rats (Eikelboom, Hewitt, & Adams, 2022). E3DA affects rats’ value of sucrose but effects appear hidden with high sucrose concentrations. Valyear and Eikelboom (2021) suggested that calorie ceilings limit E3DA-induced consumption with high sucrose, but this ceiling could also be caused by …