Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of Cannabinoids In Neuroanatomic Alterations In Cannabis Users, Valentina Lorenzetti, Nadia Solowij, Murat Yuecel

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The past few decades have seen a marked change in the composition of commonly smoked cannabis. These changes primarily involve an increase of the psychoactive compound Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and a decrease of the potentially therapeutic compound cannabidiol (CBD). This altered composition of cannabis may be linked to persistent neuroanatomic alterations typically seen in regular cannabis users. In this review, we summarize recent findings from human structural neuroimaging investigations. We examine whether neuroanatomic alterations are 1) consistently observed in samples of regular cannabis users, particularly in cannabinoid receptor-high areas, which are vulnerable to the effects of high circulating levels of THC, …

Shifting The Blame In Higher Education - Social Inclusion And Deficit Discourses, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Pauline Lysaght, Jen Roberts, Valerie Harwood

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The principles of social inclusion have been embraced by institutions across the higher education sector but their translation into practice through pedagogy is not readily apparent. This paper examines perceptions of social inclusion and inclusive pedagogies held by academic staff at an Australian university. Of specific interest were the perceptions of teaching staff with regard to diverse student populations, particularly students from low socio-economic (LSES) backgrounds, given the institution's reasonably high proportion of LSES student enrolment (14%). A mixed-method approach was utilised: (i) in-depth interviews with a representative sample of academic staff and (ii) an online survey targeting all academic …

Practicalities And Research Considerations For Conducting Childhood Obesity Prevention Interventions With Families, Philip J. Morgan, Rachel A. Jones, Clare E. Collins, Kylie Hesketh, Myles D. Young, Tracy L. Burrows, Anthea Magarey, Helen L. Brown, Trina Hinkley, Rebecca A. Perry, Leah Brennan, Alison C. Spence, Karen Campbell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Internationally, childhood obesity is a major public health concern. Given the established difficulties in treating obesity, designing and evaluating effective obesity prevention interventions are research priorities. As parents play a crucial role in establishing positive health behaviours in children, they are a key target for child obesity prevention programs. However, recruiting and engaging parents in such interventions can be a considerable challenge for researchers and practitioners. Members of the 'Parenting, Child Behaviour and Well-being' stream of the Australasian Child and Adolescent Obesity Research Network (ACAORN) have considerable and varied expertise in conducting such interventions and can provide insights into addressing …

Evaluation And Comparison Of Job Stress Among Security Workers With Fixed And Shift Work Schedules In Municipality Of Tehran, A Chaichi, Shahnaz Bakand, R Yarahmadi

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Municipality of Tehran with huge number of employees and with the aim to reduce stress and promote the work efficiency, seriously wants to achieve suitable and utilizable studies. Osipow's job stress test is one of the best tools to reach this aim. Data population includes securities building of municipality of Tehran (88 persons from region 18 and 72 persons from region 20), who were randomly chosen to be participated in the current survey. For this purpose three types of working hours schedule such as full time shift ( 24 hrs work, 24 hrs rest ), day-shift and night-shift workers, were …

World Social Work Day Celebrations In Zimbabwe: An Opportunity To Promote Social Justice, Jacob Mugumbate

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Social Work Day was instituted by social workers at the United Nations (UN) in 1983 and is celebrated in March each year to recognise social work's achievements, share its vision for a just society and foster international solidarity. Subsequently embraced as World Social Work Day (WSWD) by the profession's international organisations and their affiliates worldwide, Zimbabwe celebrated its first WSWD in 2012 at Bindura, a small rural university near Harare, to raise social work's profile in Zimbabwe. This article describes these events.

Perceptions Of Consent In Adult Male Rape: Evidence-Based And Inclusive Policy Making, Natalia K. Hanley, Philip Rumney

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Interest in evidence-based policy making in the UK and elsewhere has been documented over many years. There has also been much attention given to the issue of sexual violence from policy makers. Virtually all of this attention has been gendered in the sense that it has focused on female victims and male perpetrators. Given the gendered nature of rape, this is hardly surprising; however, to say that sexual violence and victimisation is a gendered phenomenon is not to suggest that males are invulnerable to sexual violation. Indeed, the empirical data makes clear that 'each and every body is permeable and …

A Comparison Of Chinese And Australian University Students' Attitudes Towards Plagiarism, John Ehrich, Steven J. Howard, Congjun Mu, Sahar Bokosmaty

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Student plagiarism is a growing problem within Australian universities and abroad. Potentially exacerbating this situation, research indicates that students' attitudes toward plagiarism are typically more permissive and lenient than the policies of their tertiary institutions. There has been suggestion that this is especially so in Asian countries relative to Western countries; however, very little research has sought to empirically validate this suggestion. Moreover, existing research in this area has typically compared international and domestic students studying in Western countries. As yet, no studies have directly compared Chinese and Australian university students' attitudes toward plagiarism, as they exist within their native …

Infusing Physical Activities Into The Classroom: Effects On Preschool Children's Geography Learning, Myrto F. Mavilidi, Anthony D. Okely, Paul A. Chandler, Fred Paas

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In this intervention study, we investigated the effects of physical activities that were integrated into a geography task on preschool children's learning performance and enjoyment. Eight childcare centers with 87 four-to-five-year-old children were randomly assigned across an integrated physical activity condition, an unintegrated physical activity condition, and a control condition without physical activity. Children learned the names and a typical animal from each of the six continents using a floor-mounted world map with soft toy animals. Both learning conditions with physical activities showed higher performance than the learning condition without physical activities on an immediate retention test, and on a …

Genetic Imaging Consortium For Addiction Medicine: From Neuroimaging To Genes, Scott Mackey, Kees-Jan Kan, Bader Chaarani, Nelly Alia-Klein, Albert Batalla, Samantha Brooks, Janna Cousijn, Alain Dagher, Michiel De Ruiter, Sylvane Desrivieres, Sarah W. Feldstein Ewing, Rita Goldstein, Anna Goudriaan, Mary M. Heitzeg, Kent Hutchison, Chiang-Shan R. Li, Edythe D. London, Valentina Lorenzetti, Maartje Luijten, Rocio Martin-Santos, Angelica M. Morales, Martin P. Paulus, Tomas Paus, Godfrey Pearlson, Renee Schluter, Reza Momenan, Lianne Schmaal, Gunter Schumann, Rajita Sinha, Zsuzsika Sjoerds, Dan J. Stein, Elliot A. Stein, Nadia Solowij, Susan Tapert, Anne Uhlmann, Dick Veltman, Ruth Van Holst, Hendrik Walter, Margaret J. Wright, Murat Yucel, Murat Yucel, Deborah Yurgelun-Todd, Derrek P. Hibar, Neda Jahanshad, Paul M. Thompson, David Glahn, Hugh Garavan, Patricia Conrod

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Since the sample size of a typical neuroimaging study lacks sufficient statistical power to explore unknown genomic associations with brain phenotypes, several international genetic imaging consortia have been organized in recent years to pool data across sites. The challenges and achievements of these consortia are considered here with the goal of leveraging these resources to study addiction. The authors of this review have joined together to form an Addiction working group within the framework of the ENIGMA project, a meta-analytic approach to multisite genetic imaging data. Collectively, the Addiction working group possesses neuroimaging and genomic data obtained from over 10,000 …

Bioelectromagnetics Research Within An Australian Context: The Australian Centre For Electromagnetic Bioeffects Research (Acebr), Sarah P. Loughran, Md Shahriar Hossain, Alan Bentvelzen, Mark Elwood, John Finnie, Josip Horvat, Steve Iskra, Elena Ivanova, Jim Manavis, Alireza Lajevardipour, Boris Martinac, Robert L. Mcintosh, Raymond J. Mckenzie, Mislav Mustapic, Yoshitaka Nakayama, Elena Pirogova, M. Harunur Rashid, Nigel A.S. Taylor, Nevena Todorova, Peter M. Wiedemann, Robert Vink, Andrew J. Wood, Irene Yarovsky, Rodney J. Croft

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

‘Students That Just Hate School Wouldn’T Go’: Educationally Disengaged And Disadvantaged Young People’S Talk About University, Samantha Mcmahon, Valerie Harwood, Anna Hickey-Moody

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper contributes to a growing body of literature on widening university participation and brings a focus on the classed and embodied nature of young people’s imagination to existing discussions. We interviewed 250 young people living in disadvantaged communities across five Australian states who had experienced disengagement from compulsory primary and secondary schooling. We asked them about their education and their educational futures, specifically how they imagined universities and university participation. For these young people, universities were imagined as ‘big’, ‘massive’ alienating schools. The paper explores how the elements of schooling from which these young people disengaged became tangible barriers …

How Schools Avoid Enrolling Children With Disabilities, Linda J. Graham, Helen Proctor, Roselyn M. Dixon

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Children with disabilities are frequently discriminated against in Australian schools. It's an issue that has been ongoing for years, with reports showing that little has improved since 2002. Exclusion practices - dubbed as "gatekeeping" - include advising parents to send their child to another school that could better support them; only allowing a child to attend a school on the days that funding is available; and asking parents to pay extra money so the school can employ support staff or purchase equipment. Although this happens across all school types, it tends to be more prominent in, and easier for, non-government …

Evaluation Report 2015: Investigating The Effectiveness Of The In2uni Year 12 University Preparation Program, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Valerie Harwood, Steven J. Howard, Ken Cliff, Janine Delahunty

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In2Uni's Year 12 University Preparation Program (UPP), which commenced in 2014, is an innovative program for students in their HSC year working towards an ATAR. It targets schools in UOW catchment areas, and particularly those identified as being from the 39 low-ICSEA (Index of Community and Socio-Educational Advantage) areas. Students must meet eligibility criteria, one being that their academic performance is not currently on the trajectory to meet university entry requirements (In2Uni, My Way, 2016). Once accepted into UPP, students attend on-campus study sessions for two hours per week over a 20- week period from April to September. The general …

Support For Assessment Practice: Developing The Assessment Design Decisions Framework, Margaret Bearman, Phillip Dawson, David J. Boud, Sue Bennett, Matt Hall, Elizabeth K. Molloy

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There are many excellent publications outlining features of assessment and feedback design in higher education. However, university educators often find these ideas challenging to realise in practice, as much of the literature focuses on institutional change rather than supporting academics. This paper describes the conceptual development of a practical framework designed to stimulate educators' thinking when creating or modifying assessments. We explain the concepts that underpin this practical support, including the notions of 'assessment decisions' and 'assessment design phases', as informed by relevant literature and empirical data. We also present the outcome of this work. The Assessment Design Decisions Framework. …

Geography And The New Social Contract For Global Change Research, Noel Castree

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Anxious about the failure of decisionmakers to significantly reduce 'the human impact' on Earth, many global change researchers are looking for ways and means to influence public policy, business strategy and civil society more strongly. As part of this, there is a greater emphasis on understanding and altering the 'human dimensions' of global environmental change. A number of physical and society-environment geographers are involved in this endeavour, building on some valuable past achievements. But what lies ahead? I address this question by examining the rich idea of a 'social contract' - one little used in disciplinary debates about Geography's past, …

Cultures And Disasters: Understanding Cultural Framings In Disaster Risk Reduction By F. Kruger, G. Bankoff, T. Cannon, B. Orlowski And E.L.F. Shipper, Christine Eriksen

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Book review of: Cultures and Disasters: Understanding Cultural Framings in Disaster Risk Reduction F. Krüger, G. Bankoff, T. Cannon, B. Orlowski and E.L.F. Shipper. Routledge, London and New York, 2015, xv + 282 pp, ISBN 978 0 415 74560 4 (paperback).

Relative Visual Oscillation Can Facilitate Visually Induced Self-Motion Perception, Shinji Nakamura, Stephen Palmisano, Juno Kim

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Adding simulated viewpoint jitter or oscillation to displays enhances visually induced illusions of self-motion (vection). The cause of this enhancement is yet to be fully understood. Here, we conducted psychophysical experiments to investigate the effects of different types of simulated oscillation on vertical vection. Observers viewed horizontally oscillating and nonoscillating optic flow fields simulating downward self-motion through an aperture. The aperture was visually simulated to be nearer to the observer and was stationary or oscillating in-phase or counter-phase to the direction of background horizontal oscillations of optic flow. Results showed that vection strength was modulated by the oscillation of the …

Vection Depends On Perceived Surface Properties, Juno Kim, Sieu Khuu, Stephen Palmisano

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Optic flow provides important information for the perception of self-motion and can be generated by both diffuse and specular reflectance. Previous self-motion research using virtual environments has primarily considered the properties of diffuse optic flow, but not of specular flow. We used graphical simulations to examine the extent to which visually induced self-motion (vection) is robust against the variations in optic flow generated by different surface optics. We found that specular flow alone was capable of generating vection that was equivalent in strength to that generated by diffuse flow (Exp. 1). To test whether this specularly induced vection depends on …

Sequential Processing In Young And Older Adults In The Equiprobable Auditory Go/Nogo Task, Robert J. Barry, Frances M. De Blasio, Adele E. Cave

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: We recently proposed a sequential processing schema for the equiprobable auditory Go/NoGo task, based on a principal components analysis (PCA) of event-related potentials (ERPs) from a university student sample. Here we sought to replicate the schema, and use it to explore processing in well-functioning older adults. Methods: We compared behavioural responding and ERPs of 20 independent-living older adults (M_age = 68.2 years) to data from a sex- and handedness-matched group of university students (M_age = 20.4 years). ERPs had substantial latency differences between the groups, and hence were subjected to separate group temporal PCAs. Results: Component latencies …

Opportunity Through Online Learning: Experiences Of First-In-Family Students In Online Open-Entry Higher Education, Cathy Stone, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Josephine May, Janine Delahunty, Zoe Partington

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Online learning has an important place in widening access and participation in higher education for diverse student cohorts. One cohort taking up online study in increasing numbers is that of mature-age, first-in-family students. First-in-family is defined as those who are the first in their immediate family, including parents, siblings, partners and children, to undertake university studies. This paper looks at the experience of 87 first-in-family students, for whom the opportunity to study open-entry, online undergraduate units through Open Universities Australia made it possible for them to embark on a university education. Using a qualitative methodology, in-depth interviews and surveys were …

Personality And Body-Mass-Index In School-Age Children: An Exploration Of Mediating And Moderating Variables, Mark S. Allen, Stewart A. Vella

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study explored longitudinal associations between personality and body-mass-index (BMI) in school-age children, including the potential mediating role of screen time and physical activity, and the potential moderating roles of child demographics and neighbourhood socioeconomic position. Participants were the parents (and teachers) of 3857 ten-year-old children, who completed questionnaires at baseline with a two-year follow-up. After controlling for child demographics (e.g., sex, pubertal status), we found that personality was unimportant for concurrent BMI, but was important for subsequent BMI and change in BMI over two years. Low levels of introversion and persistence at baseline, and decreases in persistence over time, …

Recovery From Borderline Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review Of The Perspectives Of Consumers, Clinicians, Family And Carers, Fiona Y. Ng, Marianne E. Bourke, Brin F. S Grenyer

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Purpose Longitudinal studies support that symptomatic remission from Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is common, but recovery from the disorder probably involves a broader set of changes in psychosocial function over and above symptom relief. A systematic review of literature on both symptomatic and personal recovery from BPD was conducted including the views of consumers, clinicians, family and carers. Materials and Methods A PRISMA guided systematic search identified research examining the process of recovery from BPD. Longitudinal studies with a follow-up period of five or more years were included to avoid treatment effects. Results There were 19 studies, representing 11 unique …

Is Belief In God Related To Differences In Adolescents' Psychological Functioning?, Lee Huuskes, Patrick C. L Heaven, Joseph Ciarrochi, Philip Parker, Nerina Caltabiano

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Many studies have documented links between positive psychological functioning and religiousness during the adolescent years, but very few have contrasted religious and nonreligious youth. The purpose of the present study was to examine differences in psychological functioning among adolescent atheists, agnostics, and believers using a profile analysis approach. The authors conducted a survey of Grade 8 students (N = 1,925) enrolled in Catholic schools in two Australian states. The survey included 10 measures of psychological functioning, broadly divided into three categories (positive adjustment, social well-being, and negative outcomes). Results indicated that belief in God was related to distinct profiles of …

Modulation Of The N170 With Classical Conditioning: The Use Of Emotional Imagery And Acoustic Startle In Healthy And Depressed Participants, David A. Camfield, Jessica Mills, Emma Kornfeld, Rodney J. Croft

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Recent studies have suggested that classical conditioning may be capable of modulating early sensory processing in the human brain, and that there may be differences in the magnitude of the conditioned changes for individuals with major depressive disorder. The effect of conditioning on the N170 event-related potential was investigated using neutral faces as conditioned stimuli (CS+) and emotional imagery and acoustic startle as unconditioned stimuli (UCS). In the first experiment, electroencephalogram was recorded from 24 undergraduate students (M = 21.07 years, SD = 3.38 years) under the following conditions: (i) CS+/aversive imagery, (ii) CS+/aversive imagery and acoustic startle, (iii) …

Social Climate Profiles In Adolescent Sports: Associations With Enjoyment And Intention To Continue, Lauren Gardner, Christopher A. Magee, Stewart A. Vella

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study explored whether adolescent sports participants' perceptions of the social climate fall into distinct profiles, and whether these profiles are related to enjoyment and intention to continue. A Latent Profile Analysis using 313 Australian sports participants (M_age = 13.03 years) revealed four distinct profiles: positive social climate (45.1%), diminished social climate (19.8%), positive coach relationship quality (19.8%), and positive friendship quality (15.3%). Individuals within the positive social climate and the positive coach relationship quality profiles reported relatively higher levels of enjoyment and intention to continue than individuals in the diminished social climate and the positive friendship quality …

Feedback On Second Language Pronunciation: A Case Study Of Eap Teachers' Beliefs And Practices, Amanda Ann Baker, Michael Burri

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In the modern English language classroom, teachers are often faced with the challenging task of supporting students to achieve comprehensible pronunciation, but many teachers limit or neglect giving students feedback on their pronunciation for a variety of reasons. This paper examines the case of five experienced English for Academic Purposes (EAP) instructors who strive to provide feedback on specific features of pronunciation that negatively affect students' comprehensibility. Results derived from semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and stimulated recall interviews reveal that the teachers use similar approaches to select and provide feedback on problematic features of pronunciation. Naturally, these approaches sometimes differed …

The Lessons To Be Learned Now The Abc's Pulled Its 'Inaccurate' Wi-Fried Program, Rodney J. Croft

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The ABC has this week announced that an episode of its Catalyst television program "breached the ABC's impartiality standards" when it raised concerns about the safety of wireless devices such as mobile phones.

The episode, titled Wi-Fried? and broadcast on February 16 this year, claimed that the radiofrequency (RF) emissions from Wi-Fi was causing health effects ranging from DNA damage to cancer.

Such statements are not mainstream scientific positions, but rather are views that leading health authorities have considered when concluding that there is no evidence that low-level RF, such as that from Wi-Fi, mobile phones or base stations, impairs …

A Quantitative Research On Self-Management Of Type 2 Diabetes In Middle-Aged Population Of Rural Area Of Pakistan, Rashid M. Ansari, Hassan Hosseinzadeh, Nicholas Arnold Zwar

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: In Pakistan, the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes is high ranging from 7.6 % (5.2 million populations) to 11 % as compared to the prevalence rate of 8.3% in the world. The high prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the country has been attributed to high-risk factors such as lack of physical activity, unhealthy food and eating habits among the Pakistani population. Aims: The main aim of this study is to use the quantitative method to explore the association between illness and cultural beliefs, family and healthcare provider support and self-management behaviours of patients of type 2 diabetes in …

Evaluation Of A Sexually Transmissible Infections Education Program: Lessons For General Practice Learning, Jenny Reath, Penny Abbott, Ann Dadich, Hassan Hosseinzadeh, Wendy Hu, Melissa Kang, Tim Usherwood, Carolyn Murray, Chris Bourne

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: The New South Wales (NSW) Sexually Transmissible Infections Program Unit (STIPU) produced nine resources to support the diagnosis and management of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) in general practice. Objective: In this study, we explored the processes of developing the resources and outcomes achieved. Methods: We analysed project documents and undertook a focus group interview with the STIPU Working Group to evaluate resource development and dissemination. Interviews with general practitioners (GPs) and practice nurses (PNs), combined with previously reported survey findings, provided an outcomes evaluation. Results: STIPU used a rigorous, multimodal approach to develop evidence-based clinical resources. GPs and PNs …

Modeling Hierarchical Relationships In Hinkle's Implications Grid Data, Richard Bell, Peter Caputi, Leonie M. Miller

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There have been few attempts to devise suitable methods of analysis for the implications grid devised by Hinkle (1965). As Hinkle noted (Hinkle, 1965, p. 63), there are three implications needed to define a hierarchical relationship (A → B, B → C, and A → C). Hinkle did not attempt to test this requirement, as neither did the only other published use of the technique (Fransella, 1972). Subsequently, Caputi, Breiger, and Pattison (1990) published a technique that explicitly sought to model implications data with respect to this requirement. In this study we use this technique to both (a) evaluate some …