A Study of the Relationships Between Hemispheric Asymmetries and Intellectual Abilities

This study investigated the functional significance of cerebral asymmetries. Width measurements of the human brain were derived from computerized tomographic (CT) films and related to intellectual variables as determined by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Revised (WAIS-R). Subjects were adults of both sexes who had been referred for neurologic examination and were diagnosed as having no abnormalities (N=28). Reasons for referral included headache, dizziness, or to rule out central nervous system damage following various types of trauma. The asymmetry of hemispheric widths (left minus right) in the frontal, temporoparietal, and occipital areas was correlated with Verbal IQ minus Performance IQ scores within subjects. The difference between verbal and performance IQ scores was used because it reflected an IQ imbalance (IQ-I). Correlations obtained were -.30, -.26, and .06 (respectively). None of these correlations were significant by means of a two-tailed test. There were relationships between particular width asymmetries and individual subtest scores (p≤.05). The Verbal 1 (V1) subtest (Information) was correlated -.50, -.39 and -.47 with brain width asymmetries at 25%, 33% and 50% of the AP distance respectively. V1 correlated .39 with width asymmetry at 80%. Verbal 3 (Vocabulary), verbal 4 (Arithmetic) and verbal 5 (Comprehension) correlated .53 .38, and .39 with width asymmetry at 60% of the AP distance. Performance 1 (Picture Completion) correlated .46 with the width asymmetry at 20% of the AP length. In summary, there does appear to be some specific correlation between individual variation in brain asymmetry and cognitive processing. Relative size of the area of the brain that is involved in a key aspect of a particular cognitive processing may be a factor in the effectiveness of that processing. Further research appears warranted to confirm and clarify a possible relation between anatomical asymmetry and patterns of intellectual ability

Talking the Talk and Walking the Walk: Do a Federal Agency\u27s Women-Centered Services Match a Women-Centered Organizational Culture?

Federal government agencies that provide services for women would presumably have an internal women-friendly organizational culture. In this study, organizational culture is measured by financial benefits - annual salary and federal General Schedule grade - provided to women. Regression analyses were used to examine whether gender, grade, and type of agency have an effect on salary and grade. Also bonuses to women are examined, as well as whether men or women are the heads of individual agencies or umbrella departments. Women were awarded fewer bonuses and lesser amounts as compared to men. Also women often are leaders of individual women-centered agencies, but are not typically leaders of gender-neutral agencies or umbrella departments. When compared to federal government organizations that provide gender-neutral services, women-centered agencies pay more. However, all women in the federal civil service make less than men. Even in women-centered agencies, the female employees make less money than male employees

Farming struggles and triumphs: recommendations from Australian farming families

The farming and grazing industry is an industry where there is a constant evolution of stressors, impacting on the farming families ability to remain resilient to these challenges, which is evident through the steady decline in the number of farming families in the past twenty years. Yet despite the growing number of adversities within the industry (i.e. climate change), some farming families still continue to persevere on the farm. However, due to limited research, little is known about the influence that the farming working lifestyle has upon farming families' well-being. It is important to identify factors that affect farming family well-being as this industry is a vital industry for the Australian economy and needs to be supported. Therefore, the determinants of farming families well-being and the identification of factors which buffer stress and assist in the perseverance of farming families was investigated. Interviews across Queensland and New South Wales were conducted with 53 members of farming families (M=28, F=25). As an outcome, themes were identified in relation to what skills and values farming families perceived farmers needed in order to be a successful farmer (Men = managing for the future, respect for land; Women = adaptability). Furthermore, informants reported how they identified with farming (Men & Women = it's who I am) and why they continued to farm (Men = lifestyle, pride in product; Women = lifestyle). As a result, it was proposed that those who had higher levels of commitment to farming and identified more closely with farming were more likely to be satisfied with their life and work and would be able to buffer stress more effectively

How does perceived severity and susceptibility influence individual cognition? Investigating the theoretical basis of the 'threat' construct in alternative contexts

Contemporary research has focused on cognitive factors' influence on behaviour change. Health Psychology models such as the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), comprised of threat, self- and response-efficacy constructs, have been successful in predicting health behaviours. Little research has been conducted on how this model can be applied to the environmental context. The project focused on water sustainability practices within the Townsville region (North Queensland, Australia) whose water supply was under threat at the time of research. A survey was formulated based on the EPPM constructs and a sample of 363 participants were recruited. A hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to examine if the constructs within the EPPM as well as demographic variables were predictors of water conservation behaviour. Results found gender, age and the three EPPM constructs were significant predictors of higher levels of water saving behaviour. This research demonstrates the applicability of the EPPM in the environmental context, however the conceptual differences between health and environmental threats should be considered. There is currently no clarity around the theoretical composition of 'threat' and how it plays to one's intentions to act in this context. The second part of this research considered this issue. The research focused on exploring proximal, social, temporal and hypothetical distance to measure threat severity and what is susceptible to the negative outcomes of the threat, in terms of individual, community and global effects. This research thus provides further understanding of the construct of 'threat' and its relationship to behaviour

One size fits none: tailoring messages to communicate environmental threats

This research aimed to understand peoples' perceptions of environmental threats to inform threat message construction and branch away from the previous 'one size fits all' approach to environmental campaigns. The study used a health decision making model (Extended Parallel Process Model) to cluster individuals based on common cognitive characteristics. The research focused on the context of water security in the drought declared region of Townsville, North Queensland (Australia), where water use was monitored and restricted. A sample of 363 participants were recruited from this region. Participants completed an online survey which asked questions relating to water usage behaviours, perceptions relating to how the water restrictions were communicated, as well as the concerns regarding water security at the time and in the future. Three cluster groups were constructed based on EPPM variables (perceived self-efficacy, perceived response-efficacy and perceived threat). Each group was significantly different in terms of levels of water saving behaviour. This research informs a more targeted approach to the communication of environmental threats, such a drought, with the aim of increasing the sustainability of the natural resource

Influencing sustainability behaviours from a social marketing perspective

Educating the public about sustainable living poses major challenges to scientists and policy makers alike. Environmental issues can be considered complex and contain uncertainty, making decisions around mitigating behaviour more difficult. In response to these challenges, adopting a social marketing perspective and segmenting a target audience to develop more effective communication strategies, is proposed to increase sustainability behaviours. The project focused on water sustainability behaviour within the Townsville region (North Queensland, Australia) whose water supply was under threat at the time of research. A survey was formulated based on the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), a well-established and successful health behaviour change model. A sample of 363 participants were recruited. Three clusters representing different standings on EPPM factors (threat and efficacy), demographic variables and water related behaviours were generated from the data. Cluster 1 (32%) had low threat and efficacy perceptions and were least likely to participate in sustainability behaviours. Cluster 2 (25%) had high threat perceptions but low efficacy perceptions. This group were long-term residents of the region. Cluster 3 (43%) had high threat and efficacy perceptions and were the most environmentally proactive. Additional analyses were conducted to explore how these clusters differed in their standing on other variables. The approach could be used for all types of environmental threat communication and also assist campaign developers target specific messages to specific audiences

Perceived Affective and Behavioral Characteristics of Mother-Daughter Relationships and Subsequent Mentoring Relationships

Mentoring has been recognized as an important relationship in a variety of circumstances. This study was conducted for the purpose of determining the perceived benefits or disadvantages of a mentor relationship and identifying characteristics of the relationship. Another objective was to explore to what extent the nature of the mother/daughter relationship functions as a factor that makes the choice of a mentoring pattern more likely. The study sample consisted of 47 females, 12 graduate students and 35 assistant or associate professors on the faculty at Utah State University. The subjects completed several mother/daughter inventories, a mentoring inventory, and a personality inventory. Twenty subjects were interviewed for a more in-depth exploration of both their mentoring experience and mother/daughter relationship. Subjects were divided into groups based on gender of the person most facilitative of their professional objectives. The male-Mentored, female-mentored, and non-mentored groups were comparable on measures of perceived mother.daughter relationship characteristics and personality variables. The relationship between the score on a mother/daughter attention measure and total mentor score was .29. The Pearson correlations between perceived mother rejection and father love was -.61. Subjects were categorized as to whether they et the criteria for having had a mentor based on scores on a mentor inventory. Seventy-eight percent of subjects who specified females as most significant to their career met the criteria for having been mentored. Fifty percent of subjects who indicated a male was most facilitative scored high enough to meet the criteria. A multiple regression model used to predict total mentor score based on perceived mother attention and gender of mentor accounted for 20% of the total variability. An interaction was present between gender of the individual specified to be most significant tot he protege and perceived mother attention. Separate multiple regression equations resulted in a correlation of .53 between mother attention and mentor score when the specified individual was male and .16 when the individual named was female

Bringing the revolution to the women of the East. The Zhenotdel experience in Soviet Central Asia through the lens of Kommunistka

This thesis considers the role of the Zhenotdel (Woman’s Bureau) of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) in Soviet Central Asia through a close reading of its activist journal Kommunistka from 1920-1930. This research seeks to address conflicting narratives within academic literature concerning the Zhenotdel’s status within the CPSU, and in particular between accounts of its role in Central Asia rather than in European parts of the Soviet Union. Historians who have written on a campaign, known as the Hujum, launched by the CPSU in a direct attack on indigenous society in Central Asia in 1927, have tended to view the Zhenotdel as a compliant part of the Party apparatus. This interpretation contrasts with accounts of the Zhenotdel’s far more problematic relationship with the Party outside of Central Asia during the same period. A close reading of Kommunistka throughout the entire period of the Zhenotdel’s work in Central Asia has not previously been undertaken, although the journal has been relied on along with other source materials by various historians. Therefore, this study brings new and original material and analysis to further our understanding of the Zhenotdel’s activities in Central Asia. It provides a close examination of the views of activists and leaders, and a better understanding of the Zhenotdel project on its own terms, as opposed to the goals of the CPSU. The shifts within Zhenotdel policy over the decade can also be situated within the changing conditions of the 1920s within Soviet Central Asia, and the discussions within its ranks. This thesis analyses the opinions expressed by Zhenotdel activists about indigenous women, along with the methods employed to interact with these women. It gives a detailed account of the Zhenotdel’s social, economic and legal strategy and contrasts it with that of the CPSU. This thesis also considers the relationship of the Zhenotdel to the CPSU in the context of Central Asia. It shows how the tensions and conflicts within that relationship, already discussed through research focusing on the experience in the RSFSR and other European Republics, expressed themselves in the specific conditions of Central Asia. This research throws new light on many of the assumptions made about the Zhenotdel’s programme in Central Asia and shows how this programme actually diverged very significantly from that of the Party leadership. A revaluation of the role of the Zhenotdel in the Hujum has been possible, based on this study. It shows that the involvement of the Zhenotdel in the Hujum and all other aspects of its activity in Central Asia has to be understood on the terms of an organisation which was committed to a woman-centred socialism. Ultimately this research shows the Zhenotdel in a struggle to make progress for its own programme while at the same time seeking to establish itself as a core part of the Soviet strategy in Central Asia

Active versus passive: evaluating the effectiveness of inoculation techniques in relation to misinformation about climate change

Objective: The current study evaluated whether an active inoculation (interactive skill development) or a passive inoculation message (provision of information) were effective tools for conferring resistance to misinformation about climate science in the context of extreme weather events. Method: Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions: a control condition (no training); a passive inoculation condition; or an active inoculation condition. Participants completed demographic questions followed by training or no training and then evaluated a misinformation and factual article for reliability and persuasiveness. Results: Participants in the active inoculation condition rated the reliability and persuasiveness of the misinformation article and the reliability of the factual article lower than participants in the control condition. Participants in the passive inoculation training did not rate the reliability and persuasiveness of a misinformation and factual article significantly differently to those in the control condition. When factors such as ideological worldview and climate change beliefs were controlled for however, the inoculation interventions had no significant effect on ratings of reliability and persuasiveness for a misinformation or factual article. Conclusion: Inoculation seems to be a promising method of preventing the acceptance of misinformation on climate science. However, this analysis highlights that more investigation is required in order to determine the most effective inoculation training design

Promoting resilience in regional Australian industries: a case study of the North Queensland commercial fishing industry

Background: Promoting the sustainability of key existing industries is crucial to the continued development of regional Australia. In doing so, it is important to consider the role of industry workers responsible for engaging with and adhering to sustainability guidelines and practices within these key industries. This is particularly important for industries such as commercial fishing due to the ongoing challenges they face. For example, challenges such as increasing operating costs, complex regulatory systems and the impacts of extreme weather, contribute to downsizing of the industry. Method: The findings from the case study discussed have been drawn from an ongoing PhD project investigating the role of commercial fishers in the sustainability of the North Queensland commercial fishing industry. Results: Interviews with commercial fishers highlight the perceived lack of genuine involvement of commercial fishers in the development and implementation of industry regulations. From these interviews it was identified that commercial fishers did not feel included in the process of regulation development and implementation or that if they were involved, their input was not genuinely incorporated. Perceived lack of consultation has implications for how regulations are received, adhered to and endorsed by stakeholders. Discussion: Based upon the findings of this case study, it is suggested that stakeholders be genuinely involved in the development and implementation of regulations. Genuine consultation processes may enhance the sustainability of key industries such as commercial fishing. For example, it is expected that those who engage in the development and implementation process are more likely to adhere to and engage in sustainability measures and practices leading to improved resilience of the industry