Coordination Matters : Interpersonal Synchrony Influences Collaborative Problem-Solving

The authors thank Martha von Werthern and Caitlin Taylor for their assistance with data collection, Cathy Macpherson for her assistance with the preparation of the manuscript, and Mike Richardson, Alex Paxton, and Rick Dale for providing MATLAB code to assist with data analysis. The research was funded by the British Academy (SG131613).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Coordination and Collective Performance : Cooperative Goals Boost Interpersonal Synchrony and Task Outcomes

Acknowledgments The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Cathy Macpherson and Hope Fawcett-Lipscombe with data collection and coding as well as Mike Richardson for generously sharing Matlab code and providing invaluable guidance. Supplementary Material The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01462Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Does socioeconomic inequality explain ethnic differences in nicotine dependence? Evidence from a New Zealand birth cohort

Objective: The present study examined the role of socioeconomic status and cultural identity in the association between ethnicity and nicotine dependence, in a birth cohort of >1000 methods young people studied to age 30. Methods: Data were gathered on ethnicity, cultural identification, nicotine dependence, and socioeconomic factors, as part of a longitudinal study of a New Zealand birth cohort (the Christchurch Health and Development Study). Results: Those reporting Mori identity had rates of nicotine dependence that were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than rates for non-Mori. Control for socioeconomic factors reduced the associations between ethnic identity and nicotine dependence to statistical non-significance. In addition, there was no evidence of a statistically significant association between Mori cultural identity and nicotine dependence, nor was there evidence of gender differences in the association between ethnic identity and nicotine dependence, after controlling for socioeconomic factors. Conclusions: The higher rates of nicotine dependence observed among Mori appear to be attributable to differences in socioeconomic status. Efforts to improve the socioeconomic standing of Mori should therefore help to reduce rates of nicotine dependence in this population

Engaging culture and science : A scientific realist interpretation of Maori mental health

The intersection of Maori culture and psychological science is engaged by analysing the problem of the mental health of Maori. It is the articulation of what this problem might comprise in terms of historical, conceptual, methodological and ethical features, that is of most interest Scientific realism is the theory of science that I adopt in the pursuit of determining the key theoretical and empirical commitments that have characterised and continue to shape the received view of 'Maori mental health'. In developing an understanding of the features which create divergence between Maori culture and psychological science it is possible to develop a view of the more pervasive normative assumptions that maintain distance between these respective institutions. In using the vehicle of the mental health of Maori I explore the concept of cultural reification and the implications of this force to impede the interrelationship between culture and science. Complicit in the semantic project of cultural reification is the burgeoning support of postmodern theories, as they relate to cultural 'Others'. It is suggested that what emerges from this complicity is the denial that individual Maori possess mental states and that this is the essential factor which prevents the improving of relations between psychological science and Maori culture in explicit regard to 'Maori mental health'

Educational achievement in Maori: The roles of cultural identity and social disadvantage

The present study investigates the roles of Maori cultural identity and socio-economic status in educational outcomes in a New Zealand birth cohort studied from birth to the age of 25. There were statistically significant (all p values \u3c .01) associations between cultural identity and educational outcomes, with those of Maori ethnic identification having generally lower levels of edu- cational achievement outcomes when compared to non-Maori. In addition, those of Maori ethnic identification were exposed to significantly (p \u3c .05) greater levels of socio-economic disadvantage in childhood. Control for socio-economic factors largely reduced the associations between cultural identity and educational outcomes to statistical non-significance. The findings suggest that educational underachievement amongst Maori can be largely explained by disparities in socio-economic status during childhood

Ethnicity and pathways to welfare dependence in a New Zealand birth cohort

The provision of welfare has long been an issue that has attracted extensive debate.Familiar themes that perennially feature in this debate involve determining who is responsible for providing economic and social security to citizens; in what form and to what extent should provision be made available; what criteria and terms should be employed to determine welfare eligibility; and whether the provision of welfare helps or hinders an individual’s pursuit of purpose and independence (Allen and Scruggs, 2004). Although philosophies of welfare and the practical support provided vary across a range of advanced industrial societies, common to all is the attempt to find a mutually agreeable balance between recognising the responsibilities of the state and providing viable support to citizens (Bane and Elwood, 1994; Herd, 2005). An important issue to emerge, however, is the problem of welfare dependency and its long-term consequences to individuals, their families and, more broadly, to a nation’s social capital

Ethnic identity and criminal offending in a New Zealand birth cohort

There has been a great deal of debate and speculation regarding the high levels of involvement of M?ori New Zealanders in the criminal justice system. The present investigation examined the role of M?oricultural identity in predicting criminal offending in a New Zealand birth cohort studied from birth to the age of 21. There were statistically significant (p .40). However, the association between M?ori/other cultural identity and criminal offending remained statistically significant (both p values <.05) after control for confounding. The findings suggest that while sole M?ori cultural identification is not associated with increased rates of criminal offending, persons of M?ori/other cultural identification are at increased risk of violent and property offending

Investigating coaches' recognition of symptoms of eating disorders in track athletes.

To determine the extent to which athletics coaches can identify evidence of an eating disorder in track athletes and what treatment advice they would provide. Vignettes depicting athletes portraying symptoms consistent with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) were developed and used to survey 185 UK and Irish athletics coaches (and a community sample of 105 non-coaches) regarding their ability to recognise and respond to symptoms of an eating disorder. Coaches were no more likely than the community sample to correctly identify an eating disorder but were more likely to suggest professional treatment for an athlete experiencing symptoms of AN (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.02 to 3.29). For both eating disorders, higher levels of mental health literacy (AN: OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.11, BN: OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.14) and more years of coaching experience (AN: OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.24, BN: OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.16) also increased the likelihood of suggesting professional help. When considering the whole sample, participants were more likely to correctly identify an eating disorder (OR 4.67, 95% CI 2.66 to 8.20) and suggest professional treatment for AN than BN (OR 1.76, CI 1.04 to 2.97). Further, symptoms of AN were more likely to be correctly identified in female than male athletes (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.28 to 4.06). Although coaches were more likely than community members to recommend professional treatment to an athlete exhibiting symptoms of an eating disorder, they were no more likely to correctly identify an eating disorder in the first instance. Further work is required to enhance coaches' capacity to identify symptoms of eating disorders to ensure athletes receive appropriate interventions