Claiming Spaces: Proceedings of the 2007 National Maori and Pacific Psychologies Symposium 23rd-24th November 2007

This is the full conference proceedings of Claiming Spaces: Proceedings of the 2007 National Maori and Pacific Psychologies Symposium 23rd-24th November 2007

Evidence of swarm intelligence in collective cultures: Identifying the use of the swarm goal directive of productivity in Pacific organisation systems as well as getween genders

Intrigued by the existence of societies outside that of the human population, scientists have ventured to study social aggregations within insects to seek insights on effective colonizing. The most popular of these social aggregations are colonies of ants and bees. In studying these groups of social insects researchers have developed algorithms loosely termed swarm intelligence that increase work efficiency within businesses and other social organizations (Bonabeau & Meyer, 2001). A subsequent proliferation of research in surrounding fields has allowed for investigation of key variables that improve work on a global scale (Bonabeau & Meyer, 2001). James Kennedy (1999), an initiator of swarm research, has suggested that there is a high correlation between systems that rely on each other for information and greater task accomplishment

Compromises Between Cardinality and Ordinality in Preference Theory and Social Choice

By taking sets of utility functions as a primitive description of agents, we define an ordering over assumptions on utility functions that gauges their implicit measurement requirements. Cardinal and ordinal assumptions constitute two types of measurement requirements, but several standard assumptions in economics lie between these extremes. We first apply the ordering to different theories for why consumer preferences should be convex and show that diminishing marginal utility, which for complete preferences implies convexity, is an example of a compromise between cardinality and ordinality. In contrast, the Arrow-Koopmans theory of convexity, although proposed as an ordinal theory, relies on utility functions that lie in the cardinal measurement class. In a second application, we show that diminishing marginal utility, rather than the standard stronger assumption of cardinality, also justifies utilitarian recommendations on redistribution and axiomatizes the Pigou-Dalton principle. We also show that transitivity and order-density (but not completeness) characterize the ordinal preferences that can be induced from sets of utility functions, present a general cardinality theorem for additively separable preferences, and provide sufficient conditions for orderings of assumptions on utility functions to be acyclic and transitive.Cardinal utility, ordinal utility, measurement theory, utilitarianism

Visualizing experience: using creative research methods with members of sexual and gender communities

This chapter argues that visual methods may be particularly appropriate for the study of non- heteronormative sexualities and genders, particularly the more marginal identities and practices which have tended to be pathologised in, and excluded from, past research. We focus here on three of these: bisexuality (attraction to more than one gender, or regardless of gender), trans (moving away from the gender which was assigned at birth), and polyamory (having multiple sexual and/or intimate relationships). Of course trans people may be heterosexual, or indeed of any sexuality, but have tended to be marginalised in many of the same ways as people from non-heterosexual sexualities, and are consequently included in this chapter for that reason. First we briefly overview the history of qualitative research on non-heterosexual sexualities and trans, arguing that qualitative methods, per se, do not prevent researchers from forming limiting understandings and problematic generalisations about such groups. Then we present an alternative to conventional interview/focus group discussion research involving the use of visual methods. We summarise key reasons why this may be particularly appropriate to the exploration of those in marginalised sexualities, genders and relationship forms, and then present three examples, based in our own research, of the ways in which such research provided data which confounded simple celebratory or critical conclusions about people in these communities. Finally, we summarise some methodological considerations which are of value to those considering the use of visual methods in their own research

The Proceedings of the National Māori Graduates of Psychology Symposium 2002: Making a difference

This document contains the full conference proceedings.This is the full proceedings of the National Māori Graduates of Psychology Symposium 2002. The proceeding include the following themes: Kia matāra - negotiating the challenges in Māori development, kia mau – recruitment and retention, Tuhia mai, whiua atu – research and methodology, tinia mai – interventions and treatment, taitaia i te ahi manuka – pride upon the skin

Changing self in the digital age: The impact of digital technology on the self and person

This article integrates William James’ (1890) theoretical model of Self with contemporary theoretical discourse and recent research on the impact of digital technology upon the Self. An overview of James’ self-theory is presented and followed by a detailed review of contemporary publications on self in our increasingly digital world; organized around the Spiritual, Social and Material realms of James’ “Me”. This is followed by this author’s extension of James’ concept of “I” into contemporary discourse on the person in terms of authenticity, agency and power. It is shown that the “Spiritual Self” is reflected in technology as fragmented, decentred and dislocated while the “Social Self” has expanded into virtual communities; continuing to seek recognition from others, but in a magnified and accelerated fashion. A cultural shift has been identified towards one of simulation and surveillance. Transformations of the “Material Self” in terms of physical bodies, interaction with the material world, and with material others, are presently observed. This author’s conceptual and theoretical exploration has also shown a corresponding loss of control and fracturing of the status of the person through the rise of surveillance and loss of personal rights that challenges the theoretical construct and everyday experience of persons

Being in the Era of Acceleration

This paper explores “being” from an experiential and a physical/material perspective in the context of the era of acceleration. A focal point is the human relationship to technology and the environment, more specifically, this paper expands Ander’s concepts of Herstellungskraft (productive powers) and Vorstellungskraft (imaginative powers) of nuclear weapons and then applies this framework to our current crisis of environmental destruction. The paper also explores defining technologies as they relate to the dilemmas above, analogies of traveller and tourist, and the Danish concept of hygge (as both a tradition and as a response to acceleration)

The Logical Space of Social Trinitarianism

I try to lay bare some of the conceptual space in which one may be a Social Trinitarian. I organize the paper around answers to five questions. These are: How do the three Persons of the Trinity relate to the Godhead? How many divine beings or gods are there? How many distinct centers of consciousness are there in the Godhead? How many omnicompetent beings are there? How are the Persons of the Trinity individuated? I try to make clear costs and benefits of various answers to these questions