Group Decision-Making

The present work explores improvements in group decision-making. It begins with a practical example using state-of-the-art techniques for a complex, high-risk decision. We show how these techniques can reveal a better alternative. Although we created an improved decision process, decision-makers were apt to protect their own organizations instead of the project. This tendency was reduced over the course of the decision-making process but inspired the first conceptual component of this work. The first concept describes the “Cost of Conflict” that can arise in a group decision, using game theory to represent the non-cooperative approach and comparing the outcome to the cooperative approach. We demonstrate that it is possible for the group to settle on a non-Paretto Nash equilibrium. The sensitivity of the decision-maker weights is revealed which led to the second conceptual portion of this work. The second concept applies social network theory to study the influence between decision-makers in a group decision. By examining the number and strength of connections between decision-makers, we build from intrinsically derived weights to extrinsically derived weights by adding the network influences from other decision-makers. The two conceptual approaches provide a descriptive view of non-cooperative decisions where decision-makers still influence each other. These concepts suggest a prescriptive approach to achieving a higher group utility

The Relationship between Social Media Usage, Loneliness, and Mindfulness in College Students

In recent years, both social media usage and loneliness have been increasing for young adults. While previous work has revealed a relationship between social media usage and loneliness among young adults, the purpose of the current study is to examine if mindfulness mediates this relationship and if different types of social media engagement moderate this relationship. We hypothesize that higher social media usage will be related to higher loneliness, which will be mediated by lower mindfulness, and that specific types of social media engagement will moderate the relationship between higher social media usage and higher loneliness. Participants will complete a survey on the Social Connectedness Instrument, UCLA 3-item Loneliness Scale, Social Media Engagement Survey, and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale. Additionally, participants will provide screenshots of their phone screen time and app usage for the past two weeks. Their survey results and phone screen time will be analyzed to see how social media affects loneliness and how mindfulness mediates loneliness. The study is currently collecting data; therefore, results and conclusions are pending. Possible implications of the research are creating mindfulness techniques to combat loneliness and increase awareness of the effects of social media usage, specifically concerning loneliness. Future research will examine the effectiveness of different mindfulness techniques

The Relationship between Social Media Usage, Loneliness, and Mindfulness in College Students

In recent years, both social media usage and loneliness have been increasing for young adults. While previous work has revealed a relationship between social media usage and loneliness among young adults, the purpose of the current study is to examine if mindfulness mediates this relationship and if different types of social media engagement moderate this relationship. We hypothesize that higher social media usage will be related to higher loneliness, which will be mediated by lower mindfulness, and that specific types of social media engagement will moderate the relationship between higher social media usage and higher loneliness. Participants will complete a survey on the Social Connectedness Instrument, UCLA 3-item Loneliness Scale, Social Media Engagement Survey, and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale. Additionally, participants will provide screenshots of their phone screen time and app usage for the past two weeks. Their survey results and phone screen time will be analyzed to see how social media affects loneliness and how mindfulness mediates loneliness. The study is currently collecting data; therefore, results and conclusions are pending. Possible implications of the research are creating mindfulness techniques to combat loneliness and increase awareness of the effects of social media usage, specifically concerning loneliness. Future research will examine the effectiveness of different mindfulness techniques

Effect of cooperative learning (student teams -achievement divisions) on African American and Caucasian students\u27 interracial friendships

The purpose of this study was to gauge the impact of cooperative learning teams on interracial friendships. The participants were 256 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students in English classes (20% African American and 80% Caucasian) at a rural middle school in Louisiana. After delivery of instruction, the experimental group studied worksheets in teams, received rewards based upon the team\u27s performance, and received individual grades based upon individual exam scores. The control group studied worksheets individually and received individual grades. This eight week study utilized the sociometric question, “Who are your friends in this class?” as the pretest and posttest instrument. The data were analyzed using dependent and independent samples t-tests. Cooperative learning did increase close cross-race friendships, although not significantly. However, results indicated that cooperative learning significantly (p=.001) increased the number of strong cross-race friendships. It was also determined that there was no significant difference in the impact of cooperative learning on African American and Caucasian students\u27 interracial friendships

Paul Bishop and the longue durée of human–environmental relations in SE Asia

Paul Bishop’s contribution to the earth sciences is profound. His work on large spatial and temporal scale landscape evolution is well known, but he also (and coevally) directed his attention to the complexities of human–environmental interactions, with all their site-based and short-term cultural idiosyncrasies. His focus on mainland SE Asia, and Thailand in particular, reflects a long-standing fascination in and affection for the region and its people. His natural inquisitiveness stimulated work in historic climate change, the emergence of complex states, Quaternary landscape evolution and the geochronology of anthropogenically modified sediments, among many other areas. His work on human–environment interactions drew on and strengthened links with many people and institutions, and between Geographical and Earth Sciences and the Scottish Universities Research Centre at the University of Glasgow, in particular. Just as important as his contribution to the earth sciences was his contribution to the development of his students and other mentees, and his role in shaping our careers was enormous