The purpose of this study was to investigate the way in which regular users of Tarot cards employ the cards and the focus was on the participants', or co-researchers', use of Tarot for self-reflection rather than for divination. Although Tarot cards have been in existence for at least 700 years (Beal, 1975; Cavendish, 1975) and there are over 1000 different Tarot decks, and the related oracle decks, in existence (Aeclectic Tarot, 2009) there is a paucity of academic research on Tarot use (Crocker, 2004). Studies that have been done on Tarot have focused on its effectiveness as a divination tool (Blackmore, 1983) and the susceptibility of individuals to the Barnum effect (Glick, 1989; Ivtzan, 2007). A few studies have looked at psychological correlates of Tarot use (Crocker, 2004; Sjoberg, 2002) and have offered general descriptions of its use in a therapeutic setting (Coulter, 2004; Kopp, 1984). Research has not investigated the way in which Tarot is being used, nor has it given detailed descriptions of its potential usage in therapy sessions. This study sought to investigate the way in which Tarot is being used and based on the results, outline clear and concrete ways in which Tarot can be employed in therapeutic sessions. This study adopted a postmodern approach to the pursuit of knowledge, such that knowledge was viewed as a social and linguistic construction. The methodology employed was qualitative in nature and the general research design was heuristic (Moustakas, 1990). Interviews were conducted with four female co-researchers who used Tarot cards regularly and in a self-reflective manner. The interviews were transcribed and common qualities and themes that existed between them were extracted. The results indicated that the co-researchers use Tarot as a way to gain insight into current situations and possible action plans. The cards were used most often in difficult times, at which point, they offered comfort. This comfort involved confirmation that things were ok and that life was not without order. Tarot was also used as positive reinforcement for what the co-researchers were seeking in life and cards were drawn both intentionally, such as in positive reinforcement activities, and at random, in instances when novel insights were sought. The co-researchers sometimes pulled one card, a few cards, and sometimes used an entire spread. Just as different Tarot decks were used for different purposes, so different Tarot spreads were used in different circumstances. The nature of the co-researchers’ use of Tarot supports the utilization of Tarot in a therapeutic context and this study explored various ways in which this can be done, including as a means of acquiring new perspectives and of identifying wishes or goals.

This thesis argues, through two immanent critiques, that Michel Foucault’s work is constrained by the use of a ‘flat’ ontology, which limits the effectiveness of his politics. This thesis also argues, through transcendental critique, that Foucault’s analysis of power relations appears to presuppose Roy Bhaskar’s ‘depth’ ontology, which entails that Foucault’s individual and subjective form of politics must be complemented with a social dimension.

The Functional Outcome Profile (FOP, Joschko & Skelton, 2003) was developed to be a broad measure of functional outcome following brain injury, unique from existing outcome measures. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the underlying assumptions and psychometric properties of aspects of the FOP. Data from 107 brain injury survivors and 20 matched significant others were utilized. Exploratory investigations of the items, the scoring and the subscales were undertaken first, followed by investigations of the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the outcome scores and the survivor-proxy agreement of the frequency ratings. Finally, multiple lines of evidence for the validity of the FOP were put forth based on the content, its relation to external, demographic variables and its sensitivity to change over time. In general, the FOP was found to be a reliable measure of outcome following brain injury with the subscale scores providing the most useful information. The implications for these findings are discussed.

This study examines the meaning of environmental involvement for early adolescents based on research with children from around the world. It arises from an interest in understanding the role children play in bringing about change in society given the increase interest in children's rights. Literature on environmental education pointed to action as a focus of analysis for researching the activities of "environmentally-involved" children. In gathering the study data, agency emerged as a more appropriate organizing concept given the depth and contextual nature of children's environmental involvement. Agency places the emphasis on defining how children interact with the various structures that affect their lives. Through the lens of agency, light is shed on children's creativity and pragmatism, with children's actions, critical thinking and imagination being of equal importance. The ability of children to maneuver through significant life experiences, beliefs towards nature, and age-defined barriers stands out. The study also shows how the unfolding of agency is intimately linked to learning and identity-building in early adolescence. Environmental involvement becomes a medium for children to explore and define themselves in relation to others, including the social and physical environment, as they transition from childhood to adulthood. The 2002 International Children's Environment Conference held in Victoria, Canada, which brought together 400 environmentally involved 10-to-12 year olds from 66 countries, provided the site for the research. Diverse methods served to explore the research questions: 42 open-ended interviews, using both literal and metaphorical questions, mind-mapping activities. 116 visual surveys, and field notes. Elements of grounded theory and narrative inquiry were used to analyze and present the data. The shape of a rainbow served as a unifying metaphor to present the environmental agency model. Although the children came from different parts of the globe, I identified a collective view of the world -- attributed to their shared development process and a favourable international agenda. Six dimensions of agency are identified. In connectedness, children relate to nature as well as to other people. It deals with the sense of wonder, often evoked in descriptions of special place. In engaging with the environment, children integrate and process the knowledge gained from direct or indirect contact with nature. In questioning, children respond to the world awakening to its contradictions and complexities. In belief in capacity, children see themselves as affecting change and are hopeful for the planet's future. In taking a stance, children overcome the lack of adult and peer support. Then comes strategic action, where children select an approach to addressing environmental problems. The shape of the rainbow arc and blending of its bands reflect the interlinkages between all the dimensions. Annotated vignettes bring to life how the six dimensions of environmental agency play out in the life of each child. Although they unfold differently, the dimensions have relevance to each environmental story. Four profiles of involvement have been recognized: initiator, creative, member, and grounded. The typology represents the variety and complexity in children's environmental activism. There is a need to value the range of environmental experiences children engage in, of the role of process and the subtleties involved in building relationships with nature and society. Adults need to partner with children multiplying the opportunities for children to express their agency. As warriors of the rainbow, children's most intriguing contribution may lie in the way that they convey to others, with frankness and lucidity, their concern for the environment, our planet.

A sample of 55 female and 41 male university students (N = 96) enrolled in introductory psychology courses participated in a 2 by 2 (uncertainty by communication) factorial between-subjects ANCOVA design investigating the independent and joint effects of uncertainty and communication on cooperation rates in a simulated commons dilemma. Participants' self-efficacy and risk perceptions (pertaining to resource management) were also examined as covariates to investigate each of their relations to cooperation rates. Participants were randomly divided into groups of three and "fished" in a computer simulation of ocean fishing (FISH 3.1), and completed a short questionnaire. As predicted, the presence of group communication was associated with higher rates of cooperation; the presence of uncertainty was associated with lower cooperation rates; and higher levels of resource management self-efficacy were associated with higher cooperation rates. The prediction that the detrimental effect of uncertainty would be more pronounced when there is no communication present received partial support: a marginally significant interaction was found between communication and uncertainty. Contrary to expectations, higher levels of resource management risk perception were associated with lower cooperation rates. Limitations of the current investigation are outlined and possible directions for future research are discussed.

Study of visual representations of the first human colonisations of new territories offers evidence of archaeology's continued complicity in the production of ideologically-loaded imagery. Despite years of theorising about the slippery and powerful nature of visualisation, the practice of colouring scholarly and popular archaeological texts with supposedly objective pictures (e.g., maps, photographs, tables, illustrations and drawings) has yet to be disrupted. This thesis uses depictions of the first peopling of North America, Australia and Oceania to show that even our most scientific renderings of the past are often little more than reflections of the status quo. As archaeological images move between scientific and popular culture (through academic journals, texts, encyclopedias, popular magazines, websites and children's books), it is argued that they feed back on one another in such a way as to turn present-day socio-political circumstances into the prehistoric "realities" of first peoples. Using a mixed methodology of semiological, discourse, content and compositional analysis, this thesis speaks critically about archaeological engagements with imagery in an attempt to encourage closer looks at how contemporary visual artefacts have enabled us to find ourselves in the record of prehistory.

Around the globe recent initiatives to implement new identity card schemes have proved contentious. In some countries governments have dropped these initiatives because of the fear of popular backlash, in others governments have gone ahead and implemented the new systems but have dealt with substantial popular opposition. Yet in Spain, in 2006 a new national identity card was introduced putting the country at the forefront of Europe in the implementation of new generation identity cards and there was barely any opposition. To date more than 12.5 million Spanish citizens have received this new document and the cost of the project already exceeds 314 million Euros. So what explains these developments? Why has a new national identity card been introduced? Why has there been comparatively little opposition? To address these questions this thesis presents a qualitative-historical case study of Spain’s national identity card. This study will permit analysis into how global forces promoting new forms of identification (administrative, technological and corporate) are interacting with distinctive Spanish institutions, attitudes and legacies. Because there is a shortage of secondary literature regarding the topic, the study reviews policy documentation, legislative debate, media sources and survey data, and analyses the findings from a set of key informant interviews with individuals from the government, private sector, academia, NGO’s and the Spanish Data Protection Agency.

This dissertation addresses issues in non-market valuation related to preference uncertainty and to the divergence between willingness to accept (WTA) and willingness to pay (WTP) in contingent valuation method. The contributions are two fold. First, the dissertation contributes to development in non-market valuation by comparing emerging approaches addressing preference uncertainty in the standard contingent valuation framework and by introducing a promising approach, the fuzzy random utility maximization model. Further, the study provides empirical support for the observed divergence between WTA and WTP using a simultaneous equation regression model. Second, the dissertation provides policy implications. The non-market valuation model was calibrated with a survey of western Canadian landowners in 2000 to determine their willingness to accept compensation for planting trees to mitigate climate change. WTA values were then used to analyze the cost effectiveness of sequestering carbon by converting agricultural land to forestry. While estimates of WTA are less than foregone agricultural values, average costs of creating carbon credits still exceed their projected value under a C02-emissions trading scheme. Another results from the survey of Nevada ranchers that asked about WTP for public forage and WTA compensation to part with grazing rights indicate that ranch size, public grazing allotment, financial distress, and long term commitment to ranching are all significant influences on the disparity between WTA and WTP, which gives valuable information to ranch policy.

Object recognition was studied by combining a continuous presentation paradigm and event related potentials (ERPs). Using the Random Image Structure Evolution program (RISE), the phase spectrum of object images was parametrically altered to produce a set of continuous noise-to-object sequences. The RISE technique controlled for the low level visual properties of the object image (i.e., luminance, contrast, spatial frequency). Although the stimulus transformation proceeded continuously and smoothly, perceptually, participants reported the abrupt onset of object recognition, distinct from noise, at a critical frame in the sequence. During electrophysiological recording, the critical onset frame was marked by increased activity in posterior-occipital and central-parietal components between 152 and 324 ms post stimulus onset of the critical frame. More broadly, this study also highlights the strength of the continuous presentation paradigm for investigating object adaptation effects with ERPs.

When do stereotypes and biases affect judgments of alibis and crime suspects? Two studies addressed this question. Undergraduates (N- 192 in Study 1, N= 339 in Study 2) listened to an audio-taped police interview with a suspect concerning his/her alibi. Participants then rated the believability of the alibi and the likelihood that the suspect was guilty. The impact of: (1) the strength of the evidence that supported the alibi; (2) characteristics of the suspect (e.g., gender, attractiveness, and prior convictions); (3) judge's instructions on prior conviction evidence; and (4) perceivers' motivation to process the alibi (using scores on the Need for Cognition Scale) on alibi believability and likelihood of suspect guilt ratings was studied. Other dependent measures were assessments of the suspect's character and participant-jurors' understanding of judicial instructions. It was found that the suspect's gender and level of physical attractiveness did not affect alibi believability and guilt ratings, but were important when it came to assessing the suspect's character. Participants took the defendant's prior record into consideration when assessing guilt: Defendants previously convicted of the same crime as the current charge were seen as more likely to be guilty than defendants previously convicted of a different crime. Judge's instructions did not affect guilt ratings, which suggests that participants did not use the prior conviction evidence as they had been instructed. In contrast to predictions, need for cognition played less of a role in terms of alibi believability ratings and guilt judgments. However, NFC did affect participants' understanding of judicial instructions and their recall of those instructions. The two studies suggest that alibi strength consistently influences believability and guilt ratings. Strong alibis were seen as more believable and led to lower guilt ratings than weak alibis. Limitations of this dissertation, legal implications, and future directions are discussed.