Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Essays On Firms In International Trade, Aldo Sandoval Hernandez

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

My thesis is composed by three chapters that study the important role that firms play in mediating imports and exports between countries, and how their decisions and heterogeneity can influence the behavior of macroeconomic outcomes. The first chapter, explores the role of demand uncertainty and learning in explaining the low survival rates and sales of new exporters using a manufacturing survey for Colombian firms. In the second chapter, using a transaction-level dataset for Colombian exporters, I document novel facts about the post-entry dynamics of firm performance and prices in international markets, and study their connection with the transmission of exchange …

The Effectiveness Of The Protection Motivation Theory In Reducing Vaping Behaviour In A Student Population, Babac Salmani

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A threat appraisal model grounded in Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) determined whether providing health information regarding perceived severity (PS) and perceived vulnerability (PS) of vaping health complications, corroborates with reduced vaping-related intention and habitual behaviour. Seventy-seven regular vapers (22.21 ± 3.47 years) registered within a Canadian university were randomized into one of two groups, wherein the aforementioned threat appraisal information was present. Participants in the experimental group (n = 41) watched an 8-minute information video a week after baseline, following the threat appraisal components of PMT. Those in the attention control group (n = 36) watched an information video on …

Climate Change Vulnerability And Perceived Resilience Among Smallholder Farmers In The Upper West Region Of Ghana, Evans Sumabe Batung

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Globally, observed climate change has become a major barrier to agricultural productivity. At the same time, present and projected climate impacts are disproportionately affecting smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where smallholder agriculture constitutes the predominant source of livelihood. Due to the vast agricultural potential of SSA, climate change resilience has been central in several multi-level deliberations over the past few decades. However, existing policies aimed at improving the effects of climate change on food security have overwhelmingly focused on the climatic dimensions of vulnerability, resulting in a lack of knowledge of the role non-climatic factors also play in shaping …

A Plea To Heed The Chorus Of Afghans Urging Canadian Aid, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.

Improving The Accuracy Of References: The Effects Of Felt Accountability On Personality Ratings, Cullen W. D. Mccurrach

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

References are a useful preemployment assessment for gathering unique personality information about job applicants. However, despite the capacity for external observers to provide valid personality ratings, references tend to be less accurate than similar preemployment assessments. This problem is important to address, since almost all organizations use references of some kind when hiring. This study attempted to improve the accuracy of the personality ratings provided in references by using two novel interventions believed to improve referees’ felt accountability to the hiring organization. These interventions included (a) a more elaborative rating format that asked participants to provide the reasons underlying each …

The Role Of Top-Down Attention In Statistical Learning Of Speech, Stacey Reyes

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Statistical learning (SL) refers to the ability to extract regularities in the environment and has been well-documented to play a key role in speech segmentation and language acquisition. Whether SL is automatic or requires top-down attention is an unresolved question, with conflicting results in the literature. The current proposal tests whether SL can occur outside the focus of attention. Participants either focused towards, or diverted their attention away from an auditory speech stream made of repeating nonsense trisyllabic words. Divided-attention participants either performed a concurrent visual task or a language-related task during exposure to the nonsense speech stream, while control …

Understanding Physician Engagement With Ontario Health Teams, Atharv Joshi

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This summer, I worked on gathering existing literature on physician engagement in primary care. This literature was further developed into a research brief which is intended to be used with the Ontario Health Teams to explore ways to engage physicians in their roles especially with patients to improve patient outcomes, patient safety and provider satisfaction. Physician engagement evaluation is still limited which is why the research brief was able to provide a starting point for existing gaps that need to be further analyzed.

The Social Identity Approach To Leadership: The Case Of Alberta, Samuel Routley

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The study of political leadership within the discipline of the political science has recently grown into a large, complex, and insightful literature. However, the extensive number of concepts, theories, and frameworks developed by international leadership scholars have been underutilized when it comes to developing further understanding of political leadership in the Canadian context. This thesis attempts to address this gap by focusing on the process by which individuals are selected to be leaders. I utilizes social psychology and Identity Leadership Theory to theorize that leaders are successful to the extent that are able to cohere with broader group processes by …

A Sense Of Proportion: How Humans Process Relative Magnitudes In Space And Time, Rebekka Lagace-Cusiac

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Humans perceive ratios for different spatial magnitudes such as length, area, and numerosity, and temporal magnitudes such as duration. Previous studies have shown that spatial ratios may be processed by a common ratio processing system. The aim of the current study was to determine whether ratios across spatial and temporal domains may also be processed by a common system. Two hundred and seventy-five participants completed a series of spatial and temporal ratio estimation and magnitude discrimination tasks. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the relationship between ratio processing across domains when controlling for absolute magnitude processing ability. Results …

Towards A Poetics Of Representation In 'London, Ontario': Or, Local And Universal Passages, Alex Mcintosh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis engages a ‘poetics of representation’ of socio-culturally signifying uses of material(ized) elements within ‘London’, Ontario. My model of representational meaning combines Hall’s (1997) representational diagramming, and Hjelmslev’s glossematics, via Deleuze and Guattari (1987). I claim a theoretical primacy of intersubjectivity, using Lefebvre’s (1991) idea of trialectical space; de Certeau’s idea of ‘Concept-city’/‘operational city’ is applied to social-scientific research in ‘London’. I treat local artist Jack Chambers’s work (especially his film The Hart of London) as an ‘everyday’ representational poetics, linking the local and universal, while illustrating how one’s representational poetics may develop, viz., experience. I …

Speech And Song Classification Themes Across Childhood And Adulthood, Sarah Sequeira

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Using data collected through a previously administered music and language survey, we conducted a mixed model analysis of open-ended survey responses to questions regarding differences between music and language, and (more specifically) differences between the sound features of speech and song. We found that adult participants tended to provide responses related to the higher-level themes of function and realization, whilst children uniquely gave concrete answers. This exploratory study will guide future research in the field of speech and song classification, as well as music and language more generally.

Exploring Leisure, Social Participation In Older Adults, Zahra Fatina

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Older adults often face challenges in meaningful occupations in their neighbourhoods, often tied to place-based barriers and changes including neighbourhood decline or gentrification. The objectives of this study are to draw on findings from an ethnographic study exploring older adults’ lives in their neighbourhoods, in order to contextually situate the diverse experiences of older adults as they engage in community occupations, focusing on social participation and leisure. We employed an ethnographic methodology with 38 older adults living in two neighbourhoods in a mid-sized Canadian city. Participants engaged in narrative interviews, photo elicitation interviews, go-along interviews, and activity-space mapping with follow-up …

Optimal Denoising For Naturalistic Fmri Data, Brandon J. Yip

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

In order to surgically treat epilepsy, it is necessary to localize the epileptic lesion. Naturalistic functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can potentially be an accurate, non-invasive, and efficient tool for identifying diseased neural networks that cause epilepsy. We investigated inter-subject correlation (ISC) as a measure of neural synchronization between healthy controls (n = 24) and patients with epilepsy (n = 18) while subjects watched a stimulating movie clip. To investigate optimal denoising strategies, we analyzed ISC values with five sets of motion regressors, functions that remove unwanted motion-induced interference in fMRI signal. All ISC values were denoised using ICA-AROMA, an …

The Dorchester Site: Bone Awl Analysis, Aine E. Palmer

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

A basic summary of collected information regarding the bone tool "awl" classification of artifacts from the Dorchester Village archaeological site (AfHg-24)

Ontario Active School Travel Policy Qualitative Survey, Erika S. Romanelli-Baird

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Early in 2021, the HEALab worked with Green Communities Canada and Ontario Active School Travel (OAST) to conduct a policy scan of existing by-laws, regulations, programs and policies at school board and municipal level to better understand how they affect students ability to travel actively. The results of this policy scan were used to create a qualitative survey to ask parents, community members and other professionals their opinions on where current gaps exist and how they propose that they can be filled. The results were coded and will be used to guide interviews with key stakeholders and provide further recommendations …

General Transit Feed Specification (Gtfs) Data In Transportation Research: A Review Of Applications And Methods, Stanley Ho

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This research falls under the discipline of Urban Geography/ Geographic Information Science (GIS). The objective of this research is to sharing knowledge of a public transportation dataset named General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS). Transportation research using GTFS and other open source data can be easily reproduced in many cities and to answer many urban geography questions that involves public transportation. Readers can find that GTFS and related research are conducted globally through the selected collection of journal articles. The demonstration aims to showcase that research using GTFS is feasible and easy to learn by public with little amount of open …

Exploring Sensory Phenotypes In Autistic Children And Children With Adhd, Anahid Pourtousi

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Autistic children and children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often experience sensory processing difficulties, which are highly heterogeneous. Researchers have identified sensory phenotypes that co-occur within autistic individuals. However, sensory phenotypes have not been examined in children with ADHD. The aim of this research is to identify whether these sensory phenotypes exist in children with ADHD, and whether these phenotypes are similar to those observed in autism. A secondary aim of this study is to determine whether these sensory phenotypes are related to autism, ADHD, and obsessive-compulsive (OCD) traits. Short Sensory Profile data from 495 autistic children and 461 children with …

Gender-Based Violence Survey, Alyssa J. Madhani

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

My research output shows the theoretical and practical skills gained from this internship. It also showcases some of the key learning from the survey- recognizing critical expertise in gender-based violence work.

Adolescent Girls Physical Activity Engagement And Body Image Development, Vanessa Coulbeck

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This summer I looked more into adolescent girls’ physical activity engagement and its’ relationship to weight-based teasing. This topic intrigued me because from my own sport experiences, I saw first-hand how compared to boys, adolescent girls dis-engage from sport and exercise at a disproportionately higher rate and are at higher risk for body shame and self-objectification. This gender inequity in sport and physical activity is first observed in adolescence and tracks well into adulthood. The purpose of this summer's research activities examined how self-compassion and weight-related teasing relate to self-conscious emotions and sport and physical activity participation.

Understanding The Smoking Pipes Of The Dorchester Iroquoian Village, Victoria Martin

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

No abstract provided.

The Impact Radiological Mummy Database, Precious Adebola Adekoya

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

The IMPACT Radiological Mummy Database permits users to access X-ray and CT datasets of Egyptian mummies - thus allowing researchers to non-destructively analyze the remains and the mummification processes.

This project involved revamping and updating the IMPACT website, which serves as a landing point prior to accessing the database. The project also involved updating the Mummy information docs that are a part of a context database that give researchers background information about the mummies prior to accessing the datasets. Furthermore, screenshots of the datasets were taken and labelled accordingly to give users a preview and to facilitate ongoing research projects. …

African Immigrants' Mental Health In Canada, Jessica O. Omorodion

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

African immigrants are the fastest growing immigrant population in Canada. However, they are still extremely under-researched especially in regards to their understandings and experiences with mental health. This is important to look at due to the stark differences between Canadian African views on mental health. Current literature shows that while African immigrants are self-reporting as having above average mental health, there are still taboos and discriminatory concerns that exist as a barrier to transparency with it. This research will utilize the Stata software to analyze the Canadian Community Health Survey (2017) to further look at African mental health in order …

Mitacs Female Ngos Use Of Twitter During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Riley M. Mclaughlin

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This study analyzes how female-run NGOs have used Twitter during the COVID-19 pandemic. It assesses the themes they discuss, as well as the functions of the tweets collected. Using a framework by Lovejoy and Saxton (2012), tweets were coded based on whether or not they had the purpose of spreading information, building community, or encouraging action. Data from five different organizations was collected for analysis. Researchers pose questions about how organizations discuss women's concerns during the pandemics, which concerns they discuss most often, and how they use the three functions outlined above. Preliminary findings are discussed, however further analysis of …

Intergenerational Transmission Of Functional Connectivity Profiles In Isolated Reading And Math Networks: A Scoping Review And Study Proposal, Ashini Peiris, Ira Gupta, Lien Peters, Eric D. Wilkey

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

The scoping review surveyed the existing literature on the topic of resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and mathematical cognition. The review revealed that rsFC is indicative of distinct long-term developmental trends in mathematical processing, alluding to individual differences in math abilities. Though there have been multiple studies that investigate individual differences in functional connectivity patterns related to math development and math learning disorders, no study has directly investigated to what degree these neurobiological factors are heritable. To address this topic, the following intergenerational transmission (IT) study is proposed. IT is the transfer of personal values, abilities, behaviours, and traits, from parents …

Global Impact Of Social Determinants On Access To Childhood Hearing Healthcare: A Scoping Review, Bahar Rafinejad-Farahani

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

No abstract provided.

The Parallel Pandemic: A Systematic Review On The Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Eating Disorders And Ocd In Children And Adolescents, Nasong A. Luginaah

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

In January 2021, Covid-19 had already been diagnosed in over 100 million individuals¹. Due to the high degree of infectivity, many countries all over the globe attempted to counter the virus by instituting nation-wide lockdowns. The effects of the lockdowns resulting from the Covid-19 Pandemic on the mental health of children and adolescents have drawn a lot of public health attention with many calling for an increased in the understanding of the potential effects the youth of today may have to endure. Two specific mental health illnesses have seemingly worsened are OCD and eating disorders.

Racial Inequalities In Canadian Academia: The Case For Examining Within Discipline Variation, Sydney O. Joao Ms, Kate Choi, Patrick Denice

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

My research used data available in the public domain to establish racial/ethnic inequality in pay and rank in the Social Science faculty and the Medical School in a university in Southwestern Ontario. I specifically focused on the faculty of Social Science and Medicine and Dentistry School as they are among the biggest faculties on campus. I retrieved faculty information from information available to the public and used this to determine salary, race, gender, rank, and tenure status (if applicable). Visible minorities were paid lower in the faculty of Social Science compared to their white counterparts. However, in the Medical School, …

Using Qualitative Methods To Examine Influences On Active School Travel And Children’S Health, Sheena Ye

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Over the last year, three major tools were developed to examine key influences on AST and children’s health and well-being. These tools included two pilot surveys - one for parents and one for children from grades four to eight located in South Western Ontario. The third tool was a comprehensive travel diary for the child survey takers to fill out after completing their initial children’s pilot survey. Over the last four months, these tools were tested in order to collect feedback from volunteers recruited in South Western Ontario. The goal of the pilot testing of these tools was to determine …

Research Skills Development At Afar, Matthew Williamson

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

In the field of neuroendocrinology, there are a wide variety of skills and protocols that one needs to learn to safely

and efficiently carry out research. The purpose of my summer spent at the Advanced Facility for Avian Research (AFAR) was to develop some of these skills while working on PhD research projects, and develop my own honour's thesis research project for Fall/Winter 2021/22. This poster shows the skills that I developed in working with PhD student Claire Bottini on her work examining the toxicological effects of methylmercury poisoning on song-control areas in song-sparrows. These skills and methods include immunohistochemistry, …

Crop Type And Land Cover Mapping In Malawi Utilizing Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 And Planetscope Satellite Data, Naythan Samuda

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

No abstract provided.