Depression in adolescents is a ubiquitous mental health problem presenting ambiguities, uncertainties, and diverse challenges in its conceptualization, presentation, detection, and treatment. Despite the plethora of research on adolescent depression, there exists a paucity of research in regards to obtaining information from the adolescents themselves. In a mixed method, cross-sectional study, adolescents (N= 332) in grades 8 and 11 provided their conceptions of depression. Adolescents' self-recognition of depression was examined in association with depressive symptomatology and reported pathways to talking to someone. Adolescents' social and emotional competence was also examined in association with severity of their depressive symptomatology. Developed categories and subcategories of adolescent depression were guided by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) criteria for Major Depressive Episode (MDE) (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). Adolescents' definitions of depression were dominated by subjective, holistic interpretations and add new information and depth to the previous research on adolescent depression. Depressed Mood and Social Impairment were the core categories, both contained intricate subcategories. The frequencies of these constructs provide a map of the themes and subthemes that pervade adolescents' personal philosophies regarding adolescent depression. About half of the adolescents who self-recognized depression within two weeks (45%),qualify into screened depression (Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale -2" version [RADS-2];Reynolds, 2002) criteria based on the DSM-IV-TR for MDE (APA, 2000). However, this study's findings showed that the mean for screened Depression Total Score (RADS-2; Reynolds, 2002)was significantly higher in those adolescents who self-recognized versus those who did not self-recognize depression. The majority of lifetime self-recognizers of depression thought that they needed to talk to someone and reported that they talked to someone when feeling depressed. Poor Emotion Awareness was a strong contributor to increasing vulnerability to depressive symptomatology. This study provides new theoretical insights regarding the concept and detection of adolescent depression, and links between social and emotional competence and depressive symptomatology. These findings extend previous research (APA, 2000), provide new understanding to guide future research, and have direct implications for research, policy, and practice strategies aimed to better communicate with and help young people with and without depression.

Depression in adolescents is a ubiquitous mental health problem presenting ambiguities, uncertainties, and diverse challenges in its conceptualization, presentation, detection, and treatment. Despite the plethora of research on adolescent depression, there exists a paucity of research in regards to obtaining information from the adolescents themselves. In a mixed method, cross-sectional study, adolescents (N= 332) in grades 8 and 11 provided their conceptions of depression. Adolescents' self-recognition of depression was examined in association with depressive symptomatology and reported pathways to talking to someone. Adolescents' social and emotional competence was also examined in association with severity of their depressive symptomatology. Developed categories and subcategories of adolescent depression were guided by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) criteria for Major Depressive Episode (MDE) (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). Adolescents' definitions of depression were dominated by subjective, holistic interpretations and add new information and depth to the previous research on adolescent depression. Depressed Mood and Social Impairment were the core categories, both contained intricate subcategories. The frequencies of these constructs provide a map of the themes and subthemes that pervade adolescents' personal philosophies regarding adolescent depression. About half of the adolescents who self-recognized depression within two weeks (45%),qualify into screened depression (Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale -2" version [RADS-2];Reynolds, 2002) criteria based on the DSM-IV-TR for MDE (APA, 2000). However, this study's findings showed that the mean for screened Depression Total Score (RADS-2; Reynolds, 2002)was significantly higher in those adolescents who self-recognized versus those who did not self-recognize depression. The majority of lifetime self-recognizers of depression thought that they needed to talk to someone and reported that they talked to someone when feeling depressed. Poor Emotion Awareness was a strong contributor to increasing vulnerability to depressive symptomatology. This study provides new theoretical insights regarding the concept and detection of adolescent depression, and links between social and emotional competence and depressive symptomatology. These findings extend previous research (APA, 2000), provide new understanding to guide future research, and have direct implications for research, policy, and practice strategies aimed to better communicate with and help young people with and without depression.

Depression in adolescents is a ubiquitous mental health problem presenting ambiguities, uncertainties, and diverse challenges in its conceptualization, presentation, detection, and treatment. Despite the plethora of research on adolescent depression, there exists a paucity of research in regards to obtaining information from the adolescents themselves. In a mixed method, cross-sectional study, adolescents (N= 332) in grades 8 and 11 provided their conceptions of depression. Adolescents' self-recognition of depression was examined in association with depressive symptomatology and reported pathways to talking to someone. Adolescents' social and emotional competence was also examined in association with severity of their depressive symptomatology. Developed categories and subcategories of adolescent depression were guided by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) criteria for Major Depressive Episode (MDE) (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). Adolescents' definitions of depression were dominated by subjective, holistic interpretations and add new information and depth to the previous research on adolescent depression. Depressed Mood and Social Impairment were the core categories, both contained intricate subcategories. The frequencies of these constructs provide a map of the themes and subthemes that pervade adolescents' personal philosophies regarding adolescent depression. About half of the adolescents who self-recognized depression within two weeks (45%),qualify into screened depression (Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale -2" version [RADS-2];Reynolds, 2002) criteria based on the DSM-IV-TR for MDE (APA, 2000). However, this study's findings showed that the mean for screened Depression Total Score (RADS-2; Reynolds, 2002)was significantly higher in those adolescents who self-recognized versus those who did not self-recognize depression. The majority of lifetime self-recognizers of depression thought that they needed to talk to someone and reported that they talked to someone when feeling depressed. Poor Emotion Awareness was a strong contributor to increasing vulnerability to depressive symptomatology. This study provides new theoretical insights regarding the concept and detection of adolescent depression, and links between social and emotional competence and depressive symptomatology. These findings extend previous research (APA, 2000), provide new understanding to guide future research, and have direct implications for research, policy, and practice strategies aimed to better communicate with and help young people with and without depression. / Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies / Graduate

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The current research explored the thesis that cognitive self-recognition might have an executive function in 3- and 4-year-olds. Although it is well established that children recognise themselves in mirrors by the end of infancy, the cognitive and behavioural impact of this capacity has yet to be elucidated. Experiments 1 to 6 showed that preschool children could form and maintain a cognitive link between the self and external stimuli, as a result of which, self-referent stimuli were given mnemonic priority. Experiments 4 to 8 indicated that in tasks involving self-recognition, 3- and 4-year-olds’ ability to process other-referent stimuli was compromised by self-focus. Finally, Experiments 9 and 10 demonstrated that mirror self-recognition increased preschoolers’ tendency to self-regulate, leading them to behave in line with socially accepted standards. Together, these experiments provide novel evidence to confirm that cognitive self-recognition has a role in preschoolers’ performance on tasks requiring memory, attention, inhibition, and planning. This implies that when salient, the self may become the ultimate executer of behaviour. By observing 3- and 4-year-olds’ differential processing of self- and other-referent stimuli we infer the existence of a functionally active, self-reflective agent. Moreover, the role of the self is temporally extended, influencing children’s cognition and behaviour in the past (Experiment 1 to 3), present (Experiments 4 to 8) and future (Experiments 9 to 10). This implies that preschool children may have developed the foundations necessary to build the experience of personal identity.

This dissertation explored the social cognitive abilities of the Clark’s nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana), a relatively non-social, food-caching corvid. Corvids are a family of large-brained birds, which are capable of remarkable cognitive feats (e.g., future planning, tool use). These cognitive abilities have been revealed predominantly by testing social species, supporting popular theories that living in social groups drove the evolution of complex cognition. However, few studies have investigated the social cognitive abilities of corvid species that do not live in large groups. Here, I developed novel procedures using the food-caching behaviour of Clark’s nutcrackers as a tool to explore two cognitive abilities predicted to be limited to social species: mirror self-recognition (Chapter 2) and cooperation (Chapter 4). In Chapter 2, birds cached food when alone, with a conspecific present, and with a regular or blurry mirror. The nutcrackers suppressed caching with a regular mirror (as done with a conspecific), but not with the blurry mirror. When integrated with the traditional ‘mark test’, the birds also showed evidence of self-recognition with the blurry mirror by attempting to remove a coloured mark placed on their body with the blurry mirror, but not with an opaque barrier. In Chapter 3, I discuss the importance of self-recognition as a precursor for complex and flexible social cognitive abilities such as cooperation. To investigate cooperation, in Chapter 4 the birds experienced having their caches exchanged with another bird over multiple trials. This procedure assessed whether the normal response of cache suppression with a conspecific could be over-ridden if the experimental contingencies made cache sharing beneficial. The nutcrackers continued to cache in this context, and male birds increased caching when cooperation from the conspecific was exaggerated artificially by the experimenter. Combined, the results indicate the non- social Clark’s nutcracker is capable of mirror self-recognition, and the ability to distinguish one’s ‘self’ from others may facilitate flexible caching decisions, contrary to the predictions of the social living hypotheses. The findings indicate social living alone does not strongly predict complex cognitive abilities and, instead, that multiple evolutionary paths exist for the development of complex cognition. / October 2016

To be able to develop their reading skills, pupils need not only to practise but also to be willing to practise. Being enticed to read is therefore an important factor for the development of reading. Research has shown that part of the attraction of reading is that readers can recognize themselves in the different constituents of a book, for example being able to identify with characters and finding the setting plausible. The books about Harry Potter have enticed many young people all over the world to read, and the question of what this attraction consists of is an interesting one, especially with regard to the fact that the books have many elements of magic and seemingly alien elements. The aim of this study is to investigate and reveal potential opportunities for self-recognition offered to the reader by the Harry Potter books. The study consists of a textual analysis focusing on Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The study shows that both books offer the reader multiple opportunities for self-recognition, which can be linked to factors such as the reader’s emotional participation and the motifs in the books.

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Ce mémoire s’inscrit les réflexions concernant la relation entre les peuples autochtones et allochtones au Canada. Plus précisément, il s’intéresse à la possibilité qu’ont les peuples d’entrer en dialogue afin de mener à l’autodétermination et à l’émancipation des peuples autochtones. L’objectif est de déterminer si un dialogue peut avoir lieu et quelles sont les conditions de possibilité de sa réussite. Premièrement, il s’agit de soutenir que le dialogue est la voie la plus intéressante pour mener à l’autodétermination. Il s’agit également de présenter une conception du dialogue qui convient à la fois aux peuples autochtones et allochtones. Cette conception sera celle de l’auteur James Tully. Dans un second temps, il sera question d’identifier les limites de cette conception, principalement autour de la notion de reconnaissance mutuelle entre les peuples. L’autoreconnaissance sera présentée comme alternative à la reconnaissance afin d’éviter les limites de celle-ci. Troisièmement, le concept de paradigmes de Shawn Wilson sera mobilisé afin de réorienter les perspectives et les attentes du dialogue. Il sera défendu que le dialogue ne peut pas être la seule façon pour les peuples autochtones de s’autodéterminer puisqu’ils ne peuvent y être contraints. Une reformulation des conditions du dialogue à partir notamment des travaux de Glen Couthard, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson et Taiaiake Alfred sera proposée afin de mieux rendre compte de la distance qui peut exister entre les positions des peuples autochtones et allochtones. Les principes du dialogue qui s’en dégagent orienteront les actions qui doivent être posées pour sortir de la relation coloniale de domination qui maintient actuellement les peuples dans un rapport déséquilibré. / This thesis takes part in the reflections on the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. More specifically, it investigates the possibility for peoples to enter a dialogue that would lead to the self-determination and emancipation of Indigenous peoples. The objective is to determine whether a dialogue can take place and what are the conditions for its success. First, it will be argued that dialogue is the most interesting way to to self-determination, only if the conception of this dialogue suits both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. This conception will be inspired by the works of scholar James Tully. Second, the thesis will identify the limits of this specific conception of dialogue, mainly around the notion of mutual recognition between peoples. Self-recognition will be presented as an alternative to recognition to avoid its limits. Third, the concept of paradigms presented by Shawn Wilson will be mobilized to reorient the perspectives and expectations of the dialogue. It will be argued that a dialogue cannot be the only way for indigenous peoples to self-determine since they cannot be coerced into it. Based on the works of authors such as Glen Couthard, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson and Taiaiake Alfred, a reformulation of the conditions of the dialogue will be proposed to better reflect the distance that may exist between the positions of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. The principles of dialogue that emerge will guide the actions that must be taken to get out of the colonial relationship of domination that currently keeps peoples in an unbalanced relationship.