Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center; full text release delayed at author's request until 2009 May 24

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Text in English / The small house phenomenon amongst the Shona people in contemporary Zimbabwe forms part of the relationship and household arrangements amongst certain heterosexual couples. In cases where partners engage in small house relationships, it has specific implications for existing marriage and family dynamics. The study sought to address the question: What are the perceptions on gender dynamics of the small house phenomenon as an emerging family structure in contemporary Zimbabwean society? The relative newness as well as the secretive nature and complexity of the small house relationship, render the nuances of gender dynamics in such contexts worth exploring to add value to the Sociology of Families and gender dynamics. The research was conducted in Harare metropolitan province and adopted social exchange theory and African feminism to illuminate the gender dynamics in small house households. It utilised a qualitative research paradigm and employed in-depth interviews to collect data from 30 participants who were purposively sampled. Findings of the study reveal that although the small house relationship may at times be informed by the ideals of traditional Shona polygynous marital practices, it differs in several respects with polygyny as it attempts to adapt to the socio-economic demands of the 21st century. The study uncovers that the social exchanges in small house relationships are not only gendered, but also based on inequalities relating to class, age and lineage. The small house relationship at times perpetuates gender inequalities between the partners involved. The study exposed how certain small house relationships were inundated with a myriad of problems including gender-based violence, financial constraints and increased susceptibility to HIV and AIDS and other STIs. Problems experienced in small house households are often exacerbated by the secretive nature of the relationship. Furthermore, a form of hegemonic masculinity and emphasised femininity, which are manifestations of the deeply entrenched patriarchal hegemony in the Shona culture, results in asymmetrical intimate relations. It was also revealed that small house households may inadvertently violate children’s rights, including opportunities to access and secure education and social security. Reportedly, disengaged fatherhood in the context of the small house can affect children’s welfare and socialisation negatively. / Sociology / D. Phil. (Sociology)

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Bibliography: leaves 235-261 / Queer studies have not adequately considered gay men seeking sexual exclusivity within longterm relationships. In contrast, the emphasis has been on understanding evolving queer norms. Homonormativity has been informing sexual permissiveness. In accordance, and contrasting gay men seeking sexual exclusivity, gay, male couples tended to use relationship agreements to stipulate guidelines for extradyadic sex. This study was inspired by my inability—as a counsellor of gay men seeking sexual exclusivity—to provide them with credible insights to better understand their goals. Representing an initial step in generating practical knowledge, it was anticipated that my counselling clients could benefit from an exploration of lived experiences rather than having to rely on theoretical inferences and opinions. “How” and “why” participants maintained sexual exclusivity were the main targets of discovery. Eleven gay, Canadian men aged thirty-three and older, in relationships of five years or longer, participated in semistructured interviews in-person or via video chat. Using Kleiman’s (2004) protocol for phenomenological analysis, common units of meaning were coded, from interview responses, so that distinct subthemes, contributing to six themes, were identified. These findings included content concerning “seeking positive affects,” “avoiding negative affects,” “factors supporting sexual exclusivity,” “threats to sexual exclusivity,” “rigidity in beliefs,” and “decision-making toward sexual exclusivity.” The first two themes integrated innately to form a meta-theme, “emotional optimization.” An essential insight into how participants maintained sexual exclusivity was their awareness of, and restraint in using, sexually tantalizing, visual stimuli, which was the primary risk to sexual exclusivity. Suggestions for gay men desiring sexual exclusivity included discontinued utility of pornography and cybersex. Varied implications for prospective research, clinical practice and support groups were delineated. / Psychology / D. Phil. (Psychology)

La résolution de problème est souvent utilisée comme outil de mesure des capacités cognitives individuelles chez les animaux non-humains, puisqu’elle permet d’étudier leurs capacités d’apprentissage opérant et d’innovation. Les capacités cognitives diffèrent selon les espèces et les individus, et leur permettent de maximiser leur aptitude. Par exemple, chez les oiseaux et les mammifères, les espèces avec de plus gros cerveaux relatifs possèderaient de meilleures capacités d’apprentissage sociale et d’innovation, qui leur permettent de mieux s’adapter à un environnement nouveau. Malgré l’utilisation répandue des diamants mandarins dans la recherche en écologie comportementale, l’impact du sexe sur la performance de résolution de problème et la répétabilité des performances ont souvent été négligés, et aucune étude, à notre connaissance, ne s’est intéressée à leur performance en contexte de résolution de problème coopérative. Dans le cadre de notre étude, nous avons décidé d’aborder ces différents aspects pour améliorer notre compréhension des capacités cognitives et de la coopération chez cette espèce modèle. Nous avons confronté des diamants mâles et femelles à trois tests de résolution de problème individuelle (test de la ficelle, test de la barre et test du couvercle) et un test de résolution de problème coopérative. Pour ce dernier, nous avons séparé les individus en deux groupes : couples sociaux et couples expérimentaux, afin de manipuler le lien social entre individus. Les couples sociaux étaient composés d’un mâle et d’une femelle ayant cohabité pendant 7 jours, alors que les couples expérimentaux étaient composés d’un mâle et d’une femelle ne s’étant jamais rencontrés auparavant. Bien que nous nous attendions à ce que le sexe n’ait pas d’impact sur la performance de résolution, nos résultats ont révélé que, en moyenne, les mâles étaient plus rapides pour résoudre un test de résolution de problème individuelle. Ces résultats étaient principalement attribuables à leur performance sur le deuxième test de résolution de problème individuelle (test de la barre). Nous pensons que cette différence pourrait être due à un niveau de persistance plus élevé chez les mâles et/ou à l’impact de la sélection sexuelle sur les performances cognitives, et que ces aspects devraient être davantage explorés dans de futures études. Ensuite, en accord avec nos attentes, nos résultats ont confirmé l’hypothèse de la répétabilité contextuelle, selon laquelle les performances de résolution sont constantes entre différentes tâches impliquant le même processus cognitif. Enfin, nous nous attendions à ce que les couples sociaux soient plus performants que les couples expérimentaux sur le test de résolution de problème coopérative, puisque nous les pensions davantage capables de synchronisation et de coordination comportementale. Or, nous avons trouvé des résultats suggérant le contraire, et nous avons constaté que la performance du couple au test de résolution de problème coopérative, était principalement expliquée par les performances de résolution individuelle de chaque partenaire. Des questions subsistent quant aux raisons pour lesquelles les couples expérimentaux ont mieux performé que les couples sociaux. Est-ce qu’une différence de motivation pourrait être à l’origine de ces résultats ? De futures études seront nécessaires pour nous éclairer. Malgré les questions en suspens, nos résultats contribuent à enrichir nos connaissances sur les capacités cognitives individuelles, la résolution de problème ainsi que la coopération. / Problem solving is often used as a tool for measuring individual cognitive abilities in non-human animals, since it enables us to study their operant learning and innovation capacities. Cognitive capacities differ between species and individuals, enabling them to maximize their abilities. For example, in birds and mammals, species with larger relative brains are said to have better social learning and innovation capacities, enabling them to adapt better to new environments. Despite the widespread use of zebra finches in behavioral ecology research, the impact of sex on problem-solving performance and the repeatability of performance have often been overlooked and, to our knowledge, no studies have investigated their performance in cooperative problem-solving contexts. In our study, we decided to address these different aspects to improve our understanding of cognitive abilities and cooperation in this model species. We tested male and female zebra finches in three individual problem-solving tests (string test, bar test and lid test) and one cooperative problem-solving test. For the latter, we separated the individuals into two groups: social pairs and experimental pairs, to manipulate the social bond between individuals. Social pairs were made up of a male and a female who had cohabited for 7 days, while experimental pairs were made up of a male and a female who had never met before. While we expected sex to have no impact on solving performance, our results revealed that, on average, males were faster at solving individual problem-solving tests. These results were mainly attributable to their performance on the second individual problem-solving test (bar test). We believe that this difference could be attributable to a higher level of persistence in males and/or the impact of sexual selection on cognitive performance, and that these aspects should be explored in future studies. Secondly, in line with our expectations, our results confirmed the contextual repeatability hypothesis, according to which solving performance is consistent across trials requiring the same cognitive process. Finally, we expected social pairs to perform better than experimental pairs on the cooperative problem-solving test, since we expected them to be more capable of synchronisation and behavioral coordination. . However, we found results suggesting the opposite, and the performance of the pairs on the cooperative problem-solving task was mainly explained by the ability of each partner to solve a problem. Questions remain as to why the experimental pairs performed better than the social pairs. Could a difference in motivation be behind these results? Future studies are needed to shed light on this. Despite the outstanding questions, we believe that our results contribute to our knowledge of individual cognitive abilities, problem solving and cooperation.