Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2001. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Title from certificate page: Both sides of the coin : comparative analyses of narrative process patterns in poor and good outcome dyads engaged in brief experiential psychotherapy for depression. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 182-193). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ66392.

The purpose of this study was to determine differences in the use of mental state references by typically developing 9- and 11-year-old children. Following a priming task that emphasized distinctions between physical and mental acts, children watched an 11-minute textless video and then were asked to generate an oral and a written story that focused on the mental states of the multiple characters. Narratives were transcribed, and all mental state references were classified into motivational, experiential, and belief categories. Specific mental state references were also analyzed to determine levels of semantic complexity. The study attempted to answer: 1) whether 9- and 11-year-old typically developing children differed in their ability to use more complex mental state references and 2) whether this ability varied as a function of the oral versus the written modality.The sample consisted of 26 children, ages 9;0-9;11 (15 females, 11 males), and 24 children, ages 11;00-11;11 (14 females, 10 males). The total sample (N=50) consisted of 32 Caucasian children, 15 African-American children, 2 Hispanic children, and 1 Asian-American. All children were selected from one urban elementary school located in West Central Florida, were from monolingual, English-speaking homes, and were speakers of Standard American English. A statistical analysis was conducted via a 3-way MANOVA, specifically, 2 (age 9 vs. age 11) x 4 (mental state categories) x 2 (oral versus written modality).

This thesis delves into the issues associated with the aging workforce in the capital projects industry and proposes a methodology for mitigation of the loss of experiential knowledge. In the context of the capital projects industry the thesis examines the dynamics of the aging workforce, the nature of experiential knowledge, and the risks associated with the loss this knowledge. The thesis reviews state-of-the art literature surrounding these issues, and goes on to discuss the mitigation program developed by the Construction Industry Institute’s research team RT 292, of which the author was a key investigator. The combined industry experience of the research team was used to guide the development of the program and was supplemented by interviews and surveys with industry experts. The program proposes a methodology for effectively pairing a retiree with an effective experiential knowledge transfer strategy. A broader goal of the program is to instigate a cultural shift within organizations to a more proactive approach to experiential knowledge retention. / text

This project takes an experiential design approach to urban planning. By focusing on the public spaces of an urban area, it develops a design process based on the experiences felt by those walking down the street: both visitors and residents. Each type of user has a different experience, and a variety of building-street interface typologies have therefore been developed. This project uses the same calculations and basic framework from Dean Almy’s Texas Futures Lab studio of Spring 2013. It then looks into the various user groups and adjusted the public spaces to provide more variety, reflecting the various experiences sought after by these users. / text

published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The reaction rate of a chemical process, and the factors that affect it, is an important concept in the secondary school chemistry curriculum. A number of studies have indicated that students have different conceptions of the reaction rate phenomenon, e.g. that volume is an influential factor. The way in which the teacher structures the lesson content and the students experience the lesson is important in helping students to develop appropriate conceptions. This study explores the efficacy of using variation theory as a pedagogical tool to improve student understanding of chemical reaction rates at the Secondary 4 level through group-based scientific investigation. A design-based research approach with a pretest and posttest was chosen, and phenomenography and variation theory were adopted as the theoretical framework. Learning is defined as a change in the way of experiencing something. What is to be learnt is defined as the “object of learning”, and aspects that are crucial to appropriating the object of learning are defined as “critical aspects”. To bring out the critical aspects that are to be discerned by students, certain patterns of variation, namely, generalization, contrast, separation and fusion, must be constituted. Two Secondary 4 chemistry classes in the same school were taught by one teacher. Lessons comprised three sections: a single period for introduction, a double period for experimentation and a single period for debriefing. The two classes were taught in the same way during the introduction and experimentation, but different debriefing sequences were used after the students’ experimental work. During the introduction and experimentation, “separation” was employed to help students develop a fair test concept and design an experiment to follow the progress of a chemical reaction. During experimentation, they were guided in how to discern the factors that affect two aspects of a reaction, i.e. the reaction rate and amount of products formed. In the debriefing session of the pilot and main studies, different “sequences of factors” and “sequences of aspects” were followed, respectively. Comparison was made between the pretest and posttest to trace students’ understanding of the reaction aspects. The quantitative data were analysed and triangulated with the post-lesson interview data and verbatim lesson record. The students’ learning outcomes showed that there had been substantial improvement in understanding of the skills and concepts involved, with the gap between the low- and high-score groups narrowing. A specific debriefing sequence was found to be conducive to learning. Further, discussing the interrelated factors tested in the experimental conditions consecutively and separating the two reaction aspects while fusing the factors appeared effective in highlighting the part-part and part-whole relationships. Here, “whole” refers to a reaction consisting of the “parts” constituted by the reaction rate and amount of products which in turn depend on various factors. The findings of this study suggest that variation theory is a powerful pedagogical tool in improving the understanding of students of lower academic ability. They thus have important implications for the planning of teaching-learning sequences in practical science lessons, particularly in scientific investigations that involve different task-pool results. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

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While there is evidence to support the efficacy of mindfulness-based treatment for substance use, the mechanisms through which they lead to therapeutic outcomes have received less attention. A growing body of literature suggests that the ways in which people respond to cravings may be an important mediator of change. Individuals with substance use problems may use them to cope with or avoid negative experiences, which could include the experience of craving itself. Thought suppression in particular has been investigated as a specific form of experiential avoidance, and findings suggest that thought suppression strategies may interfere with attempts to quit using substances. While mindfulness training should be expected to reduce the tendency to suppress or avoid cravings, evidence to support this expectation is limited, largely because no measures yet exist that assess the suppression of craving. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to develop a self-report measure of the suppression of craving. Existing measures of other types of thought suppression and experiential avoidance were examined to identify items that could be adapted for use in the Craving Suppression Scale (CSS). To assist with the item development process, a focus group was also conducted at a local residential treatment facility. Participants were asked to discuss what they do when they are experiencing cravings and what thoughts go through their minds when cravings come up. Their responses were used to guide content development for the CSS items. Items were developed for two sub-scales: suppression of craving and beliefs about craving. Items were administered to a sample of inpatients in substance use treatment and an online sample of individuals reporting current or previous substance use problems (total N = 208). Factor analysis of the remaining items supported a two-factor structure for the CSS as hypothesized. Relationships were examined between the CSS and other measures of other forms of experiential avoidance/suppression, craving, and emotional distress. The CSS scales correlated well with other measures of suppression but had mixed relationships with other constructs of interest. Evidence for the validity and potential utility of the CSS are discussed along with theoretical and treatment implications.

The formation of new media society demands significant changes in the whole educational system. A teacher is the most important participant in this system. So, the development of his/her professional competence is essential in the context of volatile society. In the world of the progressing science and developing technologies the role of the work performed by man changes, which demands more and more knowledge and competence. The number of people striving for self-training is constantly increasing. This paper analyzes self-training peculiarities of young teachers and students, their abilities of learning from their experience. Self-training is a conscious self-controlled process of perception directed towards the improvement of personal intellectual, moral and professional abilities. The data of the research show that the respondents apprehend self-training differently. Some consider it as their personal improvement, the others as their professional or social one. Part of them thinks that self-training is self-education, i.e. formal learning or studying literature. This leads to the conclusion that young teachers and students lack deep and consistent comprehension of the concept of self-training. Observing and analyzing the data I came to the conclusion that the respondents together with children, colleagues, administration and mentors improve their professional competence while reflecting, generalizing and creating new insight. The reflective observation of the experience is... [to full text]

Self-compassion refers to one’s kind, mindful, and self-referential response to the perception of one’s painful experiences and has been linked to a number of positive aspects of psychological well-being (Neff, 2003a, 2003b). Despite this, thus far, there has been very little research examining how this concept relates to various aspects of social relationships. The current study investigates whether levels of reported self-compassion are related to rejection sensitivity and excessive reassurance seeking from others. Furthermore, aspects of recalled parenting are examined to determine whether those who recalled their parents as unsupportive of their negative displays of emotion also demonstrated low self-compassion, a relationship proposed to be mediated by perceived mattering and experiential avoidance. Questionnaires measuring these constructs were administered online to 241 undergraduate students. Parental validation of negative displays of emotion was found to lead to increased self-compassion, a relationship which was mediated by experiential avoidance and perceived mattering. Parental invalidation was not related to self-compassion. In turn, increased mattering and self-compassion led to lower rejection sensitivity, whereas increased experiential avoidances led to excessive reassurance seeking. Further research in this area is needed in order to experimentally assess the cause and effect relationships between parenting, self-compassion, rejection sensitivity, and reassurance seeking. / Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council: Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Master’s Scholarship