The Impact of Intra-group Interaction on Identity and Action

The unifying theme of the chapters presented in this thesis is that intra-group interaction impacts on in-group identity content, and this content provides a foundation for social action and social behaviour. The primary goals of this thesis are first, to demonstrate that social realities can be established and transformed through interaction; and second, to investigate why the process of intra-group interaction can spark and exacerbate social conflict. In Chapter 1, I review and attempt to theoretically integrate the disparate literatures on group discussion, identity and action. In Chapter 2, I investigate the effect of interaction on the positive-negative asymmetry effect (PNAE). In Study 2.1, participants were more likely to discriminate on rewards than fines, and find allocating rewards to be a more legitimate and pleasant act than allocating fines. Conversely, participants thought allocating fines would have a more negative effect on recipients and felt more negative about allocating fines than rewards. In Study 2.2, when in-group advancement was obstructed, no PNAE was found: obstruction was sufficient justification for out-group punishment in its own right. When in-group advancement was not obstructed, the PNAE reversed after group discussion, such that more hostility occurred when participants administered fines than when they awarded rewards. This reversal was mediated by processes of norm formation. In Chapter 3, I describe three studies which show that consensual intra-group discussions about a negatively regarded out-group increased inter-group hostility. Study 3.1 compared group discussion about immigrants with individual reflection. Results showed that group discussion informed the content of stereotypes, which led to support for anti-immigrant policies. In Study 3.2, participants discussed either an irrelevant topic, the out-group stereotype, or the out-group stereotype plus what concrete actions should be taken towards that group. Only discussion of the stereotype significantly increased hostility, suggesting that the psychological products of discussion per se (cohesion, identification, etc.) are not solely responsible for hostility. Rather, social validation of the stereotype explained why its discussion increased hostility. Study 3.3 replicated these results with a behavioural measure. In Chapter 4, I present two studies which controlled for the content of interaction by showing participants short films of similar others having a group discussion. Study 4.1 investigated the paradoxical finding that when groups discuss potential courses of action against an out-group, they are less likely to act than when they discuss simply the out-group stereotype (Chapter 3). Results suggested that when group discussions imply that there is social consensus about a course of action, even the advocacy of extreme actions can increase support for (more moderate) social action. Study 4.2 manipulated whether or not the discussants consensualised on the out-group stereotype, whilst controlling for discussion content. Only when the discussion ended in consensus did participants identify with the discussants and perceive norms for social action. In Chapter 5, I address how social identities and their associated (self-) stereotypes can disadvantage members of low status groups, but how they can also promote social change. The data demonstrates that consensualisation in small groups can transform (or reconfirm) such stereotypes, thereby eliminating (or bolstering) stereotype threat effects. In Study 5.1, female participants were asked why men are (or are not) better at maths. They generated their answers individually or through group discussion. Stereotype threat was undermined only when they collectively challenged the stereotype. Content analyses suggest that discussions redefined in-group and out-group stereotypes, providing the basis for stigma reversal or confirmation. In Study 5.2, male and female participants confirmed or challenged the stereotype in same-gender discussion groups or no discussion, baseline conditions. After a discussion that confirmed the stereotype, women displayed signs of stereotype threat and men’s performance was “lifted”. When they challenged the stereotype, the difference between men and women on the maths test was eliminated. Overall, the results reported in this thesis suggest that intra-group interaction enables group members to develop an understanding of their common ideology, which may establish the consensual basis of their identity content. If such consensualisation occurs, this provides them with a sense that their perceptions of reality are socially valid, and gives rise to (implicit or explicit) in-group norms. This provides individuals with a solid foundation upon which they may act. The implications of these conclusions are discussed in Chapter 6.Economic and Social Research Counci

Cynthia and Parodies

Includes: Cynthia , by Grace Ferguson and Parodies , by Gene Smith and Grace Ferguso

Bioavailability of soil organic carbon and Fe as influenced by forestry practices in a subtropical coastal catchment

Potential impacts of plantation forestry practices on soil organic carbon and Fe available to microorganisms were investigated in a subtropical coastal catchment. The impacts of harvesting or replanting were largely limited to the soil top layer (0–10 cm depth). The thirty-year-old Pinus plantation showed low soil moisture content (Wc) and relatively high levels of soil total organic carbon (TOC). Harvesting and replanting increased soil Wc but reduced TOC levels. Mean dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) increased in harvested or replanted soils, but such changes were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Total dithionite-citrate and aqua regia-extractable Fe did not respond to forestry practices, but acid ammonium oxalate and pyrophosphate-extractable, bioavailable Fe decreased markedly after harvesting or replanting. Numbers of heterotrophic bacteria were significantly correlated with DOC levels (P < 0.05), whereas Fe-reducing bacteria and S-bacteria detected using laboratory cultivation techniques did not show strong correlation with either soil DOC or Fe content

A dietary study of a family of four

Citation: Smith, Grace. A dietary study of a family of four. Senior thesis, Kansas State Agricultural College, 1908.Introduction: The object of this experiment was to consider the cost, caloric value, and nutritive ratio of the ordinary, every-day-diet of a family of four for one month. The materials were weighed as purchased, and a complete list kept, together with the cost of each

Identifying the Link Between Non-Coding Regulatory RNAs and Phenotypic Severity in a Zebrafish Model of gmppb Dystroglycanopathy

Muscular Dystrophy (MD) is characterized by varying severity and time-of-onset by individuals afflicted with the same forms of MD, a phenomenon that is not well understood. MD affects 250,000 individuals in the United States and is characterized by mutations in the dystroglycan complex. gmppb encodes an enzyme that glycosylates dystroglycan, making it functionally active; thus, mutations in gmppb cause dystroglycanopathic MD1 . The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a powerful vertebrate model for musculoskeletal development and disease. Like human patients, gmppb mutant zebrafish present both mild and severe phenotypes. In order to understand the molecular mechanisms involved, we performed high-throughput RNA Sequencing (RNA-Seq) and small RNA Sequencing at 4 and 7 days-post-fertilization (dpf) in mild and severe gmppb mutants and controls. We hypothesize that variable phenotypes in gmppb mutants are due to differences in gene regulation; therefore, we identified differentially expressed (DE) long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) - both potent genetic regulators. We identified “MD-relevant” DE Ensembl-annotated genes involved in cell cycle regulation, the immune response, neural development and maturation, and skeletal muscle atrophy. We identified DE miRNAs that regulate these DE genes in the 4dpf severe mutants – identifying 55 of these interactions. We utilized a novel method of visualizing gene expression networks by generating co-expression networks of miRNAs and subsequently removing miRNA nodes to identify important miRNAs. We identified 95 potential lncRNAs for further analysis. By integrating analyses of both coding and non-coding genes, we contributed towards the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of Dystroglycanopathy, highlighting potential phenotypic modulators

Recent trends in guiding and educating the gifted

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

The Perception of Prosody in English-Speaking Children with Cochlear Implants: A Systematic Review

Objective: The goal of this paper was to systematically review literature in order to investigate the perception of prosody in English-speaking children with cochlear implants. Methods: A comprehensive search utilizing various peer-reviewed databases accessible through the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center Library was conducted to identify relevant studies. Inclusion criteria included studies that examined prosody perception in pre-and post-lingually deafened children with cochlear implants. Children who utilized unilateral, bilateral, and bimodal configurations of cochlear implants were therefore included in this search. Results: 9 studies met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. The findings demonstrated both negative and positive outcomes for pediatric users of cochlear implants. Of the 9 studies included in this systematic review, 6 (66%) included an outcome measure that assessed emotion perception, and 3 (33%) included an outcome measure that examined specific domains of speech prosody perception. Additionally, 2 of the 9 (22%) included studies specifically investigated the connection between music and the perception of emotional speech prosody. Discussion: Results support the use and continued development of intensive (re)habilitation emphasizing suprasegmental and paralinguistic aspects of speech through prosody perception measures sensitive to both emotional and linguistic components. Positive effects of music training were also found in audio-only conditions for the perception of emotional prosody. Future research needs to be based on larger sample sizes, and should offer more alternative choices in the identification of emotional or prosodic cues, heightening prosody classification difficulty for prosody perception tasks. Incorporating differing levels of background noise and reverberation during prosody perception tasks is also recommended to simulate situations which are more representative of complex listening situations encountered by pediatric cochlear implant users. Conclusions: Performance on emotion recognition and other aspects of prosody perception including music perception is generally poorer in children with cochlear implants than in participants in comparison groups, such as normal-hearing children. Specifically, the findings of this systematic review support the use and validation of intensive (re)habilitation measures emphasizing suprasegmental and paralinguistic aspects of speech, as well as emotion and music prosody perception

RN Perceptions of Coworker Incivility and Collective Efficacy as Influential to Hospital Structures and Outcomes

Background: An aging population and retiring workforce might affect United States health delivery care and could threaten the quality of care in hospitals. Nurses, as the largest profession in healthcare, can buffer these effects if supported in a safe nurse work environment. The purpose of this dissertation was to understand how peer-to-peer registered nurse workplace incivility as a mediator, and collective efficacy as a moderator, influence relationships among hospital structures (i.e. nurse manager leadership and staffing) and hospital outcomes (i.e. missed nursing care and patient safety cultures). Methods: Donabedian’s (1980) structure-process-outcomes conceptual framework was the theoretical basis for this study. A cross-sectional, correlational design was employed that involved path analysis to investigate a conditional process model. Six instruments were administered online: 1) the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety; 2) the Acute Care Missed Nursing Care Subscale; 3) the Workplace Incivility Scale (WIS); 4) the Collective Efficacy Beliefs Scale; 5) the Practice Environment subscale of the Nursing Work Index; and 6) a demographic information form. In all, surveys comprised 117 items. Findings: The total sample (N) was 212. There were small to moderate inverse relationships between: 1.) nurse manager leadership and coworker incivility (r = -.38, N = 212, p \u3c0.01), 2.) staffing and coworker incivility (r = -.28, N = 212, p \u3c 0.01), and 3.) coworker incivility and patient safety culture (r = -.19, n = 212, p \u3c 0.01). There was a moderate positive relationship between nurse manager leadership and patient safety culture (r = .36, n = 212, p \u3c 0.01). There was a moderate relationship between staffing and patient safety culture (r = .30, n = 212, p \u3c 0.01). There was a small inverse correlation between the level of staffing and missed nursing care (r = -.15, n = 212, p \u3c .05). The relationship between missed nursing care and the structure and process variables was not influenced by the mediator variable, coworker incivility. Missed nursing care was not significant as an outcome variable with or without coworker incivility as a mediator. Patient safety culture was not significant as an outcome variable with coworker incivility as a mediator or with collective efficacy as a moderator. Inspection of hierarchical regression indicated that nurse manager leadership, staffing, and coworker incivility predicted 15% of the variance for patient safety culture, with nurse manager leadership explaining most of the variance. Implications: Results support the important role nurse manager leadership can play in relation to patient safety outcomes at hospital patient care units. Collective efficacy among registered nurse peers and hospital staff should be further studied through research to better understand its direct effect on improving patient safety cultures. Limitations: Results may be limited to Magnet hospitals. Response rate was low (7.8%) with a potential for sample bias. Recommendations: Further instrumental development of the Missed Nursing Care Survey is needed. More advanced methodological approaches to studying missed nursing care may improve the validity for measuring this phenomenon

Studies on Venison Quality: Flavor Studies; Effect of Methods of Thawing, Kind and Level of Fat, and Degree of Doneness

Venison represents an important resource in this area. The average number of deer killed in Utah during hunting seasons of the ten-year period, 1940 to 1950, was over 50,000 animals annually according to the Utah State Fish and Game Department. For the period from 1950 to 1960 this figure has increased to over 100,000 animals. In terms of dressed weight, 100,000 animals would yield an estimated 8,000,000 pounds of meat. Neighboring states also produce large numbers of deer. This pictures venison not only as an important resource but as one rapidly increasing in importance