Overgeneral Memory in Depression

This work is a phenomenological exploration of overgeneral memory in depressed patients. It reviews the current philosophical literature on the first-person experience of depression, which has so far omitted the phenomenon of overgeneral memory. However, this phenomenon is well documented within psychology; and this essay will show that its symptomatic appearance in depression and subsequent disturbance of self- experience justifies attention to the phenomenon within the phenomenology of depression. Both the theory of embodiment and the extended mind thesis work extensively with the nature of memory in other conditions such as Alzheimer's and dementia. Thus, these philosophical approaches will be utilised in an analysis of overgeneral memory; this will enrich the philosophy of depression, memory and self and highlight the value of the concepts of embodiment and the extended mind. Moreover, this philosophical interrogation suggests a route toward therapeutic interventions to help patients suffering from overgeneral memory applying techniques from extended mind and cognition studies

The development of Maori art in education : case study of a New Zealand secondary school : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University

Various theoretical approaches have accompanied the history of art development, with certain cultural products selected to represent 'art' most popularly defined in the Classical and Romantic periods of European art production. The rise of mass culture, and the changing relations of production, in the new industrial world have served to highlight the unequal access to power, status and rewards accorded to cultural products deemed 'art' as opposed to 'culture' under these definitions. The ideologies of what constitutes art seem to disadvantage certain ethnic groups such as the Maori. This highlights fundamental conflicts between the definition of 'art' according to an imported European culture and an indigenous Maori culture. The case of 'Te Maori' exhibition 1984 - 1985 raises the issue as to whether the selection of cultural products in New Zealand according to a European art aesthetic has been congenial to the development of Maori art. Alternatively, has it merely served as 'potent defence' of the current social structure of art. Cultural definitions have increasingly become an issue in education at a broader level, as educational attainment of secondary school leavers has continued to be disproportionately lower for Maori than Pakeha as our nation fails to fulfil its development aims to promote equity for all social groups in New Zealand. Particular theories on the cultural 'mismatch' between Maori culture and the dominant 'habitus' of the secondary school have had some support from research into Maori career expectations, and point to the education system perpetuating social inequalities rather than addressing them. The selection of art as a worthy cultural product, as formalised in secondary school art studies, may similarly act to support the subversion of Maori art forms in their function as communicator, transmitter and recorder of Maori identity and culture. Art is defined in secondary schools according to the prevailing Pakeha dominant ideology. Firstly the recognition of traditional Maori art is considered in terms of correct rendering of basic elements, and for a range of traditional Maori art. The importance of traditional Maori art contexts is discussed in light of the formal elements of Maori art and the wholeness of Maori culture and the school art syllabus is examined for its attention to these factors. Pupil knowledge and attitudes are surveyed in art classes of a particular East Coast secondary school and the results are compared according to ethnic groupings and gender differences, with a small group of Maori students from another East Coast school who have not had formal secondary school art education. Maori art has a history and tradition that has evolved to encompass and embrace new elements, while still holding true to many traditional cultural contexts. It demonstrates continued growth and development in new contexts. Particular contexts are examined; art production and art significance inside the traditional meeting house. Methods and concepts are explored in the test schools to hypothesise on the level and requirements of contextualisation of Maori art in secondary schools. The contemporary presence of Maori art, the viability and nature of this presence, is then examined in the light of judgements made by secondary school students towards certain contemporary Maori art works by Maori and non-Maori artists. This serves to highlight the criteria students are using to judge Maori art as 'Maori' and whether Maori art forms are being accorded a development and continuity - an inherent value - of their own. Explanation of the tendency for education to ignore the needs of Maori and society towards Maori art cultural products is explored in the light of theories of the reproductive nature of education, and the findings in this particular research

An exploration of teacher and educational psychologists’ support for student test-anxiety in the context of a global pandemic.

Background: Mental health difficulties in children and adolescents are on the rise, with the most common difficulties starting in adolescence, for example, generalised anxiety. Examinations cause a significant amount of stress in adolescents within high-pressured academic environments. Test-anxiety is experienced by 15-22% of students and can cause several difficulties in the build up to high-stake examinations, including poor examination performance and maladaptive cognition. Therefore, understanding the role of educational professionals in supporting students with test-anxiety is essential to improving children and young people’s wellbeing in schools. Aims: The aims of this thesis were firstly, to explore how teachers support student test-anxiety based on the literature available prior to the covid-19 pandemic. Secondly, to explore teacher and educational psychologists’ experiences of supporting test-anxiety in the context of a global pandemic. Phase 1: A systematic literature review was carried out to explore how teachers support students with test-anxiety in schools. 12 studies were included and analysed using framework synthesis. Findings suggest that teacher support for test-anxiety can be cognitive, behavioural, emotional, social, motivational, and environmental. It was recognised that teachers have a role in supporting students across multiple levels, for example, practical supports, motivational supports, study skills, and emotional support. The most common role identified was at a social level which included how teachers develop relationships with students and communicate effectively. Phase 2: Interviews were carried out with seven teachers and seven educational psychologists. Interview data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings suggest that, firstly, teachers provided support during covid-19 that included identifying student need, and academic and emotional support. In addition to this, teachers adapted to a new way of working and experienced a lack of control during covid-19. Reference was also made to the role of parents, peers, and tutors in supporting test-anxiety. Secondly, teachers suggested that support for test-anxiety could be improved in the classroom following covid-19 by increasing teacher knowledge, increasing teacher time and capacity, and considering change within school environments, and the political and educational contexts. Multiple barriers were identified in the context of the pandemic which must be accounted for to improve support in the future. Thirdly, prior to covid-19, educational psychologists used approaches to support schools with test-anxiety using systemic approaches and approaches specific to the EP role. Fourthly, there are multiple challenges that educational psychologists have experienced when working with schools, such as time and capacity issues, that existed prior to covid-19, as well as a lack of experience, and adjustments to remote working and uncertainty in the covid-19 context. Additionally, there are new priorities in schools currently due to gaps in children and young people’s learning, the necessity to plan ahead, and increased levels of generalised anxiety during covid-19. Conclusion: The findings from this research add to the knowledge base of test-anxiety and improve our understanding of the role of educational professionals in supporting test-anxiety in the United Kingdom. The current research extends our knowledge of test-anxiety to a unique context and highlights the challenges faced in schools during covid-19 for a specific cohort of children and young people, teachers, and educational psychologists. The implications of this research and educational psychology practice are considered, and suggestions for future research are discussed

Environmentally sensitive printmaking: a framework for safe practice.

This research is concerned with establishing a rationale which will link safe printmaking practices with artists' individual and sustainable creative practices, by investigating the preconception that printmaking practices may be limited by adopting such an environmentally sensitive approach. This has been investigated through a practice-led approach, which implicitly involves the researchers' professional practice as a visual artist printmaker. The cross disciplinary nature of this practice-led research has established that diverse and non-text based sources be included in the literature review. The resulting contextual review established the evolutionary nature of printmaking practices, the role played by individual artists perceptions of risk, and the limited ability of available literature to adequately link evolving and didactic creative practices to emergent boundaries established by environmental and occupational health and safety legislative criteria. There was evidently no theoretical framework for linking these apparently divergent criteria. The multi-disciplinary and practice-led context i. e. the research was generated by practice and carried out through practice, determined the range of methods employed: questionnaire, quantitative tests of materials; participation in, and initiation of collaborative case studies; documenting workshop practice and visual development of printed art works; and exhibition for peer review. These multiple methods and their complex interrelationships were visualised as a system of consequential actions, in order to externalise possible alternative actions and choices made by the researcher in response to this research. Analysis of these methods revealed that: the collaborative case studies and the researcher's own visual and practical response, established that a systematic revaluation of practice could link the idiosyncratic and individual creative practices to the use and selection of nonhazardous practices, which did respond to objective occupational health and safety rationale. This revealed the extent to which a systematic re-evaluation of 'established practices' may be synthesised into the working practice of the researcher and lead to the diversification of that practice - visually and practically. This process has resulted in the generation of a body of printed art works which implicitly embodied the hypothesis developed in this research; the development of a electronic database or 'morphological framework', which initiates a sequential examination of process at a structural level, collating, comparing and promoting previously un-considered alternatives based on a heterarchical model of risk. This process has offered tangible means of visualising the generative processes involved in making prints. The 'morphological framework' has implicitly linked the researcher's printmaking to a sustainable and environmentally sensitive creative practice, which is methodologically transparent and procedurally transferable

The “status” of giving in South Africa: an empirical investigation into the behaviour and attitudes of South Africans towards redistribution

A dictator game experiment and a questionnaire were used to gather information on redistributive preferences among a sample of South African university students. The questionnaire was used to gather data on the attitudes of individuals regarding redistribution, as well as their demographic details. The experiment used is known as the dictator game and it measures the altruistic motivations of the subjects involved. The complementary use of the dictator game and questionnaire provided incentive compatible information on the true preferences of the students for redistribution. The results indicate that only the status of the giver and the perceived worthiness of the recipient of redistribution significantly alter the giving behaviour of the "dictator". Furthermore there is no correlation between those subjects who express a desire for redistribution and their experimental earnings