‘Super disabilities’ vs ‘Disabilities’?:Theorizing the role of ableism in (mis)representational mythology of disability in the marketplace

People with disabilities (PWD) constitute one of the largest minority groups with one in five people worldwide having a disability. While recognition and inclusion of this group in the marketplace has seen improvement, the effects of (mis)representation of PWD in shaping the discourse on fostering marketplace inclusion of socially marginalized consumers remain little understood. Although effects of misrepresentation (e.g., idealized, exoticized or selective representation) on inclusion/exclusion perceptions and cognitions has received attention in the context of ethnic/racial groups, the world of disability has been largely neglected. By extending the theory of ableism into the context of PWD representation and applying it to the analysis of the We’re the Superhumans advertisement developed for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, this paper examines the relationship between the (mis)representation and the inclusion/exclusion discourse. By uncovering that PWD misrepresentations can partially mask and/or redress the root causes of exclusion experienced by PWD in their lived realities, it contributes to the research agenda on the transformative role of consumption cultures perpetuating harmful, exclusionary social perceptions of marginalized groups versus contributing to advancement of their inclusion

Post-treatment drug use, recidivism, analogous behaviors, and perceptions of fairness: Examining whether parolees with low self-control will benefit from the Collaborative Behavioral Management intervention

This dissertation tested Gottfredson and Hirschi\u27s (1990) low self-control theory and its relationship with post-treatment outcomes by conducting a secondary-data analysis of a randomized controlled trial on parolees (n=569) called the Step\u27n Out study (2005). The Step\u27n Out study (2005) compared the results of a control group (standard parole) with an experimental treatment for parolees called the Collaborative Behavioral Management (CBM) intervention which was designed to improve substance-use treatment outcomes, reduce drug use, and reduce recidivism for parolees participating in the study. Low self-control theory states that individuals with character traits that are impulsive, risk-seeking, self-centered, and display volatile temper have a high likelihood of engaging in criminal and analogous (i.e. risky sexual practices) behaviors. Gottfredson and Hirschi\u27s (1990) theory makes the assumption that these traits are the result of parental socialization practices, are not able to be changed after the age of 8 or 10, and are stable across time. In order to measure low self-control for the present study, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted on 20 self-report items collected at intake from the parolees in the study and a unidimensional measure of low self-control was constructed. Based on low self-control theory, this study hypothesizes that parolees who self-report engaging in substance use, recidivism, and analogous behaviors after the end of the treatment intervention at the 3 and 9 month follow-up periods will have low self-control traits (measured at intake). Also based on the theory, this study hypothesizes that the treatment condition (control group vs. CBM group) will not moderate the relationship between low self-control traits and post-treatment outcomes even when controlling for demographic, risk-factors, peer-associations, and treatment dosage. The exploratory results from this study were reported using univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistics. Also a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to measure the direct and indirect effects of low self-control, peer-associations, and perceptions of fairness on post-treatment outcomes. The results from this dissertation study largely indicate that parolees across the self-control spectrum (low to high levels of self-control) are engaging in post-treatment outcomes (substance use, recidivism, and analogous behaviors) at the 3 and 9 month follow-up periods even when controlling for age, gender, race, age at first arrest, education status, dosage levels, and treatment condition. Therefore, based on the findings from this study, low self-control theory does not allow researchers to understand the causal mechanisms by which post-treatment outcomes occur for parolees. More theoretical refinement of the theory or alternative theories are needed in order to explain the post-treatment outcomes of parolees participating in the Step\u27n Out study. However, a particularly interesting finding that also has strong public policy implications indicates that parolees that self-reported physically or verbally threatening someone at both the 3 and 9 month follow-up periods had statistically significant lower mean levels of self-control compared to parolees who did not physically or verbally threaten someone

Evaluating the psychometric properties of the multigroup ethnic identity measure (MEIM) within the United Kingdom

In the present study, we examined the psychometric properties of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) (Phinney, 1992; Phinney & Alipuria, 1990) among an ethnically diverse sample within the United Kingdom. In initial analyses, we evaluated the goodness-of-fit of a one-factor model (i.e., global ethnic identity) and the goodness-of-fit of a two-factor model (i.e., correlated but distinct Exploration and Commitment components). Results of initial confirmatory factor analyses led us to reject both the one-factor and two-factor models. Results of subsequent exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a three-factor structure (i.e., correlated but distinct Behavioral, Cognitive, and Affective components of ethnic identity) among the sample as a whole (n = 234) and among Asian Indian persons (n = 88) in particular, though resulst were mixed among White U.K./Irish persons (n = 54) in particular. Implications for the study of ethnicity-related concepts in the incerasibgly multi-cultural U.K. are discussed

Lone star or team player?:The interrelationship of different identification foci and the role of self-presentation concerns

Work identity is important in the attraction and retention of staff, yet how the facets of such identity relate remains convoluted and unclear despite this being of interest to both scholars and practitioners. We use structural equation modeling to analyze empirical data from 144 employees in the United Kingdom's oil and gas industry, analyzing the nature and interrelationship of identification as individual-level (career advancement) and social-level (work group and organization) foci, as well as considering the two psychological self-presentation factors (value expression and social adjustment) that direct and drive identification processes. A dichotomy between individual and social components of work identity is found, revealing a strong association between both social-level foci of identification. Moreover, both components of work identity are found to be premised on different psychological factors, furthering our knowledge of the enmeshed nature of identity at work

Society Inhaled. Social Epidemiology of COPD

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common disease that in its advanced stages is a life-limiting condition and a leading cause of death globally. This thesis aims at increasing the understanding of the socioeconomic disparities that exist both for COPD and its major risk factor, tobacco smoking. A related aim is to advance the theory and epidemiological methods used to evaluate equity in health and health care. In concrete terms, the thesis discusses absolute versus relative measures of income and applies Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy (AIHDA) within an intersectional framework.In three prospective national studies, register data including socioeconomic information, hospital diagnoses (I–III) and prescriptions (III) was used. Investigating incident COPD, study I evaluates absolute versus relative income and study II adopts an intersectional Multilevel AIHDA (MAIHDA). Study III is a MAIHDA which disentangles the effect of geographical (i.e. counties) and sociodemographic contexts on discontinuation to maintenance therapy among COPD patients. Study IV is a cross-sectional intersectional AIHDA, analysing smoking risk in the Swedish National Health Surveys. Discriminatory Accuracy (DA) is assessed through Area Under the ROC Curve (AUC) in study I, III and IV and the Variance Partition Coefficient (VPC) in study II and III.Absolute income had a higher DA than relative income and seems more relevant for predicting incident COPD. Intersectional information on age, gender, education, income, civil status and country of birth had a good DA, as 20% of total variance in propensity to develop COPD was found between intersectional strata. The stratum with older native females with low income and low education who live alone presented 49 times higher COPD risk than the stratum defined by young, native males with high income and high education who cohabit (0.98% versus 0.02%). Sociodemographic differences were more relevant than geographic (i.e. counties) differences for explaining patient variance in discontinuation to maintenance therapy (VPC 5.0% versus 0.4%). Intersectional information provided a moderate DA (AUC=0.66) for predicting smoking status. Although complex to disentangle from one another, our results suggest that material conditions matter more than psychosocial status for incidence of COPD. The intersectional MAIHDA and AIHDA approaches improve our understanding of heterogeneities in risk of COPD and smoking in the population. This approach can also disentangle geographical from sociodemographic contextual effects and provides an innovative instrument for planning interventions according to the idea of proportionate universalism

The Causes of Conflict in Public and Private Sector Organizations in South Africa

The uncertainty that accompanies organizational change heightens prospects for intra organizational conflict. Notwithstanding this, the knowledge base on the sources (or causes) of organizational conflict is underdeveloped – largely as a result of a low incidence of empirical research, and in particular in South Africa. The current study explored the perceived sources of conflict in two South African organizations operating in different economic sectors. An experimental survey focusing on both the causes and the impact of conflict was administered to a sample of 203 employees, representing both companies. Comparative analysis revealed significant differences between the two organizations’ views with regard to the causes and consequences of conflict. The implications of these findings for future research and conflict management are discussed.organizational conflict, conflict management, human resource management, management

Disentangling the Fairness & Discrimination and Synergy Perspectives on Diversity Climate: Moving the Field Forward

We provide a theory-driven review of empirical research in diversity climate to identify a number of problems with the current state of the science as well as a research agenda to move the field forward. The core issues we identify include (a) the fact that diversity climate is typically treated as unidimensional, whereas diversity research would suggest that there are two major perspectives that could be reflected in diversity climate—efforts to ensure equal employment opportunity and the absence of discrimination versus efforts to create synergy from diversity; (b) a tendency to let the level of analysis (individual psychological climate or shared team or organizational climate) be dictated by convenience rather than by careful theoretical consideration, thus sidestepping key issues for research concerning the causes and consequences of the sharedness, or lack thereof, of diversity climate perceptions; and (c) the tendency to include diversity attitudes and other nonclimate elements in climate measures even though they are different from climate both conceptually and in their antecedents and consequences. The research agenda we advance suggests a need both for different operationalizations and for new research questions in diversity climate, diversity, and relational demography research

Children with Autism do not Show Sequence Effects with Auditory Stimuli

Categorization decisions that reflect constantly changing memory representations may be an important adaptive response to dynamic environments. We assessed one such influence from memory, sequence effects, on categorization decisions made by individuals with autism. A model of categorization (i.e. Memory and Contrast model, Stewart, Brown, & Chater, 2002) assumes that contextual influences in the form of sequence effects drive categorization performance in individuals with typical development. Difficulties with contextual processing in autism, described by the weak central coherence account (Frith, 1989; Frith & Happé, 1994) imply reduced sequence effects for this participant group. The experiment reported here tested this implication. High functioning children and adolescents with autism (aged 10 to 15 years), matched on age and IQ with typically developing children, completed a test that measures sequence effects (i.e. category contrast effect task, Stewart et al., 2002) using auditory tones. Participants also completed a pitch discrimination task to measure any potential confound arising from possible enhanced discrimination sensitivity within the ASD group. The typically developing group alone demonstrated a category contrast effect. The data suggest that this finding cannot be attributed readily to participant group differences in discrimination sensitivity, perseveration, difficulties on the associated binary categorization task, or greater reliance upon long term memory. We discuss the broad methodological implication that comparison between autism and control group responses to sequential perceptual stimuli may be confounded by the influence of preceding trials. We also discuss implications for the weak central coherence account and models of typical cognition

Dimensionality in Congressional Voting: The Role of Issues and Agendas

Congressional preferences are frequently categorized by a liberal to conservative dimension that splits the two-party system in the modern period. However, recent studies of voting in Congress have challenged that conception (Roberts et al. 2007, Crespin and Rohde 2010, Dougherty et al. 2010). Scholarship that relies exclusively on the roll call record to explain congressional preferences may not account for other dimensions that exist in the legislative process. Partisan agenda control may further lower the dimensionality suggested by roll call voting. In this paper, the strength of the unidimensional model is tested. First, issue areas that should theoretically be poorly accounted for by the unidimensional model are examined. These issues are based on Aage Clausen's "law of categorization" which argues that members of Congress have consistent issue preferences that vary based on the policy considered (Clausen 1974). Policy areas that vary by region are examined, as the economic benefit of a constituency (Fenno 1978) or the political culture of a district should affect voting preferences in Congress (Elazar 1994). The results of this analysis suggest that the unidimensional model performs poorly on many of these issue areas. Second, this paper demonstrates how the changing nature of the congressional agenda affects the importance of extra-dimensional preferences. By creating models using a subset of each Congress, this study shows that issues like abortion have risen on the agenda while a civil rights issue dimension is no longer active. Finally, using the evidence gathered in the previous sections, this paper examines the importance of issue areas on procedural votes as compared with roll calls which change the ideological content of a bill. The results suggest that parties during the Clinton years have overcome these issue dimensions during procedural votes, but votes that affect policy legislators may revert to issue based preferences. Overall, the results of this paper suggest that within specific issue areas, meetings of Congress, and types of roll calls, there is a systematic under-performance of the unidimensional model of preferences

A New Perspective on Perspective Taking: A Multidimensional Approach to Conceptualizing an Aptitude

Social perspective taking (SPT) is thought to be important in its own right and is often associated with other important skills, such as interpersonal conflict resolution. Thus, it is critical for researchers to systematically understand SPT and how it relates to other valued educational outcomes. In particular, a complete understanding of SPT might assist educational psychologists to apply this knowledge in school settings to improve the effectiveness of students’ social interactions. Previous research on SPT, however, has conceptualized it as a unidimensional construct leaving scholars with an insufficient understanding of this aptitude. To best understand SPT, a multidimensional approach should include assessments of personal characteristics (including the propensity and the ability to engage in SPT) and features of the situation (including features of the SPT task and the larger context). Using Snow’s conceptualization of aptitudes as a framework, this article illustrates the problems with treating SPT as a unidimensional construct, defines SPT as a complex aptitude, and provides a taxonomy to develop our understanding of SPT and to guide future research in this area. The taxonomy organizes and reviews the existing literature that relates personal and situational characteristics to SPT aptitude. Where research has not yet been conducted, this article hypothesizes how these characteristics will relate to SPT aptitude