A longitudinal mediation analysis of the effect of Aboriginal Australian mothers’ experiences of racism on children’s socio-emotional well-being

This item is only available electronically.Objectives: It is known that parental experiences of racism are associated with poorer mental health in children. However, little is known about how racism is intergenerationally transmitted in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereafter referred to as Aboriginal) persons. The present study aimed to explore the effect of Aboriginal mothers’ experiences of racism on children’s socio-emotional well-being mediated by parenting sense of competence. Method: Pregnant Aboriginal Australian women (N = 160, mean age = 24.6, SD = 5.4) reported their experiences of racism using the Measure of Indigenous Racism Experiences instrument, and completed a follow-up survey five years later, reporting their sense of parenting competence using the Parenting Sense of Competence scale and their child’s socio-emotional well-being using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. A single causal mediation analysis was used to examine the effects while accounting for confounding variables (mother’s age, education, and socioeconomic status). Results: Mothers who experienced racism were at a 28% increased odds of their five-year-old child experiencing socio-emotional problems, 95% CI [0.55, 2.98]. This effect was not mediated by sense of parenting competence, despite an effect between parenting competence and children’s socio-emotional well-being (OR = 0.44, 95% CI [0.19, 1.06]). Conclusions: The findings suggest that maternal experiences of racism have a longitudinal effect on their children’s socio-emotional well-being, and this effect is not mediated through the mothers’ sense of parenting competence. These findings highlight the importance of reducing experiences of racism as these have far-reaching effects across generations on socioemotional well-being.Thesis (M.Psych(Clinical)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 202

Vicarious experiences and detection accuracy while observing pain and touch: the effect of perspective taking

In this study, we investigated the effects of observing pain and touch in others on vicarious somatosensory experiences and the detection of subtle somatosensory stimuli. Furthermore, the effect of taking a first- versus a third-person perspective was investigated. Undergraduates (N = 57) viewed videos depicting hands being pricked (pain), hands being touched by a cotton swab (touch), and control scenes (same approaching movement of a hand as in the other video categories, but without the painful/touching object) while experiencing vibrotactile stimuli themselves on the left, on the right, or on both hands. Participants reported the location at which they felt a somatosensory stimulus. The vibrotactile stimuli and visual scenes were applied in a spatially congruent or incongruent way, and other trials were presented without vibrotactile stimuli. The videos were depicted in first-person perspective and third-person perspective (i.e., the videos were shown upside down). We calculated the proportions of correct responses and false alarms (i.e., numbers of trials on which a vicarious somatosensory experience was reported congruent or incongruent to the site of the visual information). Pain-related scenes facilitated the detection of tactile stimuli and augmented the number of vicarious somatosensory experiences, as compared with observing the touch or control videos. Detection accuracy was higher for videos depicted in first-person perspective than for those in third-person perspective. Perspective had no effect on the number of vicarious somatosensory experiences. This study indicates that somatosensory detection is particularly enhanced during the observation of pain-related scenes, as compared to the observation of touch or control videos. These research findings further demonstrate that perspective taking impacts somatosensory detection, but not the report of vicarious experiences

In Pursuit of the Functional Definition of a Mind: The Pivotal Role of a Discourse

This article is devoted to describing results of conceptualization of the idea of mind at the stage of maturity. Delineated the acquisition by the energy system (mind) of stable morphological characteristics, which associated with such a pivotal formation as the discourse. A qualitative structural and ontological sign of the system transition to this stage is the transformation of the verbal morphology of the mind into a discursive one. The analysis of the poststructuralist understanding of discourse in the context of the dispersion of meanings (Foucault) made it possible to formulate a notion of it as a meaning that is constituted by the relation between the discursive practice and the worldview, regarded as a meta-discourse or a global discursive formation. In consequence of this relationship, a discrete and simultaneous scattering of meanings arises, the procedural side of which is a concrete discourse, and its productive aspect is linked with the creation of a local discursive formation. Based on this view it is proposed a logical formula of discourse, which takes into account the entropy of the language and the entropy of the worldview, as a particular manifestation of the mind entropy. Using this formula and considering the reactive nature of discourse, it was developed a classification, which included such types of discourses as reactive, suggestive, synthetic and creative. In turn, the proposed types of discourses are correlated with the specific characteristics of certain activities, as a psychological category. Also, it was considered the translation of the structure of discourse dissipation from the cognitive plan into the affective sphere because of which it is formed a hierarchy of significances, which performs the sense-forming function. It was analyzed the inverse influence of the hierarchy of significances on the structure of meanings dispersion and for respective account it was introduced a conditional coefficient of the value deviation of the significance of the meanings. This parameter reflects the sense correction of the meaning that occurs in the process of the emergence of discourse from discursive practice. Thus, the discourse is presented as a complex dynamic formation of the mind arising at the maturity stage of the system as a result of the combined effect of entropic dispersion of meanings and the value deviation of their significances

THE CORRELATION BETWEEN STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY MASTERY AND ABILITY IN ARRANGING NARRATIVE PARAGRAPHS AT SMA SWASTA SANTO PETRUS MEDAN

This study attempts to investigate the correlation between students‟ vocabulary mastery and ability in arranging narrative paragraphs. The research approach was quantitative. The research method was descriptive. The research design of this study was a correlational design. The population of this study was second grade students of SMA Swasta Santo Petrus Medan totaling to 118 of three parallel classes. The sample of this research was the class XI MIA totaling to 38 students. The instrument of collecting the data were vocabulary test and arranging narrative paragraphs test and split half formula was used to obtain the reliability of the test. The data was analyzed by using Pearson Product Moment formula. From this study it was found that robserved is higher than rtable (0.881>0.413). It means that null hypothesis is rejected and Alternative hypothesis is accepted. As the conclusion, there is very strong correlation between students‟ vocabulary mastery and ability in  arranging  narrative  paragraphs  at  SMA  Swasta  Santo  Petrus  Medan  in Academic Year of 2016/2017

Conspiracy Theory

Over one-quarter of all federal criminal prosecutions and a large number of state cases involve prosecutions for conspiracy. Yet, the major scholarly articles and the bulk of prominent jurists have roundly condemned the doctrine. This Article offers a functional justification for the legal prohibition against conspiracy, centering on psychological and economic accounts. Advances in psychology over the past thirty years have demonstrated that groups cultivate a special social identity. This identity often encourages risky behavior, leads individuals to behave against their self-interest, solidifies loyalty, and facilitates harm against non-members. So, too, economists have developed sophisticated explanations for why firms promote efficiency, leading to new theories in corporate law. These insights can be reverse-engineered to make conspiracies operate less efficiently. In reverse-engineering corporate-law principles and introducing lessons from psychology, a rich account of how government should approach conspiracy begins to unfold. In particular, law enforcement strives to prevent conspiracies from forming by imposing high up-front penalties for joiners but uses mechanisms to harvest information from those who have joined and decide to cooperate with the government. Traditional conspiracy doctrines such as Pinkerton liability and the exclusion from merger not only further cooperation agreements, they also make conspiracies more difficult to create and maintain by forcing them to adopt bundles of inefficient practices. The possibility of defection forces the syndicate to use expensive monitoring of its employees for evidence of possible collusion with the government. Mechanisms for defection also break down trust within the group and prime members to think that others are acting out of self-interest. The Article concludes by offering a variety of refinements to conspiracy law that will help destabilize trust within the conspiracy, cue the defection of conspirators, and permit law enforcement to extract more information from them

Embracing Vulnerability: Exploring the Need for Strength-Based Interventions to Support the Mental Health of Sign Language Interpreters

This action research project focuses on one American Sign Language (ASL)/English interpreter’s mental health journey in the first two years of her professional career over two six-month periods. The aim of this study is to present strength-based interventions that may help support interpreters’ mental health and professional development. A secondary purpose is to reduce stigma by educating the ASL/English interpreting profession and opening a discussion about mental health. Burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma are discussed as some of the complexities of mental health strain that ASL/English interpreters face in the field. Strength-Based Theory and Self-Efficacy Theory are used as the theoretical frameworks. The methods used in this project included journaling and grounded theory analysis. Strength-based interventions such as workplace accommodations, personal therapy, and coaching were utilized and implemented for the stabilization of the mental and emotional health for this interpreter. However, the results showed a lack of strength-based interventions accessible to this interpreter during the six-month periods. Such interventions may have been beneficial in the prevention of and recovery from mental health strain experienced on the job. Results show this interpreter achieved mental health stability, yet lacked support when returning to work after a mental health leave of absence. Strength-based interventions, including supervision, extended internships, and the Mental Health First Aid training course are suggested for further research for the ASL/English interpreting field to reduce mental health strain. Mental health resources are listed at the end of the paper

Safe/unsafe: the impact of horizontal violence, microaggressions, and decision making control on ASL/English interpreters

The purpose of this study was to start collecting the narratives and definitions for the word “safety” as it is used within the American Sign Language/ English interpreting community. I had both heard in spoken English and seen signed in American Sign Language the term “safety” being used by interpreters when they discussed different settings in which they had worked. The way “safety” was described indicated that these interpreters were not referring to their physical safety but, rather, to their emotional or psychological safety. There are no formal recorded narratives that are explicitly focused on the concept of emotional “safety” and what it means to interpreters in the sign language interpreting community. In this study, interviews were conducted to record the narratives of six interpreters who work as American Sign Language/English interpreters. The six participants interviewed have diverse backgrounds and identity demographics. Face-to-face interviews, conducted in person or through video conferencing, with six experienced American Sign Language/ English interpreters from diverse backgrounds, were used to collect the narrative data. [JSO1] Analysis of the data leads to the conclusion that the interpreters interviewed have had experiences of working in a setting where they felt they were not “safe.” While each participant’s reasoning for not feeling safe differed in detail, all had common themes that aligned with the initial literature review. Three themes were found in the data: psychological safety, microaggressions, and limited control in decision making. For all themes, the interpreters reported resulting feelings of shame and unworthiness. This was expressed in negative self-talk regarding the interpreter’s worth as a professional. Several of the interpreters questioned their ability to do this work and questioned whether or not they should leave the profession. Several of the interpreters reported they had a hard time separating the identity they hold as a professional from themselves as a person; therefore, if they were unworthy as an interpreter, they were also unworthy as a person. Findings from this study can help professionals in the field move toward finding remedies for these occurrences. Hopefully, this research will help others reflect on how interpreters work with one another in a supportive and successful way, rather than emotionally threatening those who do this work and, potentially, degrading the work that interpreters do