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Research in neuropsychology has found depression to be related to impaired right hemisphere (RH) functioning. How clinical depression affects brain lateralized functioning for each sex, however, is not clear. The main aim of this thesis was to investigate how clinical depression impacts brain lateralized functioning for each sex. Additionally, this thesis investigates brain lateralization for emotional processing in a non-depressed group, as well as sex differences in brain lateralization for spatial, verbal, and emotional processing in a non-depressed group. In order to examine each of these research areas, sixty non-depressed participants, and thirty-nine dilnically depressed patients were recnjited to complete a set of neuropsychological tasks that measure brain lateralized spatial, verbal, and emotional functioning. The neuropsychological tasks that were selected also measure the brain regions known to be involved with depression (frontal lobe and right parietal lobe). The tasks were: the mental rotation task (MRT) to measure RH spatial functioning; the verbal fluency task (phonemic and semantic) to measure left hemisphere (LH) verbal functioning; and the chimeric faces task to measure frontal lobe emotional functioning. The data from these tasks were reported as two separate experiments. Experiment One examined sex differences in brain lateralization for spatial and verbal processing in a non-depressed group. Experiment One also investigates brain lateralization for emotional processing in a non-depressed group, in particular to determine whether there is a sex difference in brain lateralization for emotional processing. The aim of Experiment One was to replicate the male advantage in spatial processing and the female advantage in verbal processing, which have previously been interpreted as reflecting sex differences in brain lateralization for these functions. It was also the aim to differentiate between the competing RH and valence hypotheses of brain lateralization for emotional processing and further investigate sex differences in brain lateralization for emotional processing. Sex differences in brain lateralization for spatial, verbal, and emotional processing were examined by comparing the performance of thirty non-depressed males and thirty non-depressed females on the MRT, verbal fluency task, and chimeric faces task respectively. The hypothesis that males would mentally rotate the stimuli of the MRT faster than the females was not supported, as no significant sex differences in performance were observed on the MRT. Failure to replicate the male advantage in spatial functioning was attributed to a possible sex difference in level of spatial ability, which has been found to mediate hemispheric functioning. The hypothesis that the females would generate significantly more words than the males on the verbal fluency task was supported, thus replicating the female advantage in verbal processing. For the chimeric faces task, the group findings supported the RH hypothesis for brain lateralization for emotional processing, with responses being significanfly faster and more accurate to happy and sad expressions shown in the LVF than in the RVF. No consistent sex differences in performance were observed between the RT and accuracy rate analyses of the chimeric faces task. Reaction times to the chimeric faces showed a LVF advantage in emotional processing for the males, and no hemispheric bias for emotional processing for the females. In contrast, recognition accuracy of the chimeric faces showed a LVF advantage for emotional processing for both the males and the females. The inconsistent sex differences on the chimeric faces task suggests that there is not a strong sex difference in brain lateralization for emotional processing. Expertment Two investigated brain lateralization for spatial, verbal, and emotional functioning in a clinically depressed group. It was the aim of Experiment Two to determine whether clinical depression is associated with impaired RH functioning, as suggested by the literature. It was also the aim of Experiment Two to examine more specifically, how clinical depression affects brain lateralized functioning for each sex separately. To examine the effect of clinical depression on brain lateralized functioning, the performance of thirty-six (fifteen males, twenty-one females) clinically depressed patients (three excluded from the recruited thirty-nine) and thirty-six (eighteen males, eighteen females) non-depressed control participants was compared on the MRT, verbal fluency task, and chimeric faces task. The hypothesis that clinical depression would be associated with impaired RH functioning was partially supported by the results of Experiment Two. The depressed group performed signiflcantiy poorer than the control group on both the RH task (the MRT intercept and overall R and the LH task (semantic verbal fluency). Therefore, impaired RH and LH functioning on the spatial and verbal task was evidenced for the clinically depressed group in Experiment Two. A RH impairment in emotional functioning with clinical depression could not be clearly ascertained from the results of the chimeric faces task. The RT analyses of the chimeric faces task showed a LVF advantage for emotional processing for both the control and depressed groups. In contrast to the RT analyses, the accuracy rate analyses of the chimeric faces task showed a LVF advantage in emotional processing for the control group, and no hemispheric bias for emotional processing for the depressed group, As the depressed group were significantly impaired for both RH and LH functioning in Experiment Two, it is possible that the findings of Experiment Two are reflective of a generalised performance deficit associated with clinical depression, rather than to a disturbance in brain lateralized functioning. The depressed group was also found to respond significantly slower than the control group in overall RT on the MRT and chimeric faces task. The significant group difference on the intercept of the FART implicates impaired information encoding for the clinically depressed group. The slowed Ris of the depressed group may also reflect impaired pre-motor organization with clinical depression, thus resulting in delayed motor responses. In relation to the affect of clinical depression on brain lateralizaflon for each sex, it was hypothesised that the depressed males would perform significantly poorer than the depressed females on tasks measuring functions lateralized to the cerebral hemisphere impaired due to clinical depression. The premise for this hypothesis lies in the evidence from past unilateral brain lesion research, which suggests that the stronger brain ateralization of males restricts assistance from the unimpaired hemisphere to perform the task of the impalred hemisphere. The bilateralization of females however, allows greater assistance of the unimpaired hemisphere to perform the task at hand. In contrast to the hypothesis however, there was no evidence from the results of Experiment Two that clinical depression had a greater impact on the brain lateralized functioning of males than females. No significant sex differences in performance on the FART were observed for either the non-depressed control group or clinical depressed group. For the verbal fluency task, a female advantage in word generation was observed for both phonemic and semantic fluency, regardless of group. Also regardless of group, the RT analyses of the chimeric faces task showed that the males responded significantly faster to emotional expressions shown in the LVF than in the RVF. For the females however, there was no hemispheric bias in RT for emotional processing. The accuracy rate analyses from the chimeric faces task also showed no sex differences for either group. The similar findings of sex differences between the control and depressed groups across each task suggests that clinical depression had a similar impact on both the males and the females, regardless of brain late ralization. The results of Experiment Two could be indicative of impaired LH and RH functioning with clinical depression, or of a generalised performance deficit with clinical depression. A generalised performance deficit for the clinically depressed group in Experiment Two may explain why a sex difference in the effects of clinical depression on brain lateralized functioning was not observed. Future research observing a RH impairment with clinical depression is encouraged to further examine the affect of clinical depression on brain lateralization for each sex separately. Further understanding of the affect of clinical depression on brain lateralization for each sex could provide addiional information on sex difference in the prevalence of clinical depression.

In this thesis, a folio comprising a major dissertation and three elective tasks, issues including masculinity(ies), identities, leadership and academics’ work practices are considered against a backdrop of change in the higher education sector. Narrative research methods are applied throughout the folio. The first elective, a discussion and commentary arising from an interview with an experienced practitioner in gender education, amounts to a feasibility study for the dissertation, whereas the second elective experiments with the use of computer mediated communication as a means of interviewing a small number of male academics about their inclusive teaching practices. Primarily curiosity-driven research, the conclusion is drawn that computer mediated communication, if used at all, ought provide a complementary, not primary means of data collection. The third elective conveys the life story of an Asian-Australian academic who expresses different masculinities according to the social settings in which he finds himself. The conclusion is made that there is neither a single colored masculinity nor a single working class masculinity. The milieux of race and class need to be considered together. The research described in the major dissertation was undertaken with a group of eleven male academics from a number of rural and metropolitan universities – men who were thought by their colleagues and peers to practice collaborative approaches to leadership. Whereas the majority of the men practised what could be described as transformational approaches to leadership, a small number exploited the process of collaboration mainly for their own protection. Very few of the men engaged in discourses of gender. One of the principal conclusions reached in the paper is that there are ramifications for future leadership training that universities offer so that it becomes more relevant and socially inclusive. Another main conclusion relates to the intimidation reported by some of the men in the study, and that there are implications for universities in the way they protect their employees from such incidents. A third significant conclusion is that there is some way to go before gender is integrated into the discourse of male academics. Until this can occur, limited opportunities exist for alliances to be formed between most male academics and feminist academics for the advancement of socially just workplaces.

This study examines sex-differences in expressed attitudes of parents and students towards primary school mathematics before and after involvement in a Family Maths Program. The study involved the families of Year 3 and 4 students at a Catholic primary school in the ACT, and used an illuminative evaluation methodology. Results suggest that: the effects of running a Family Maths Program were not confined to the parents and children who attended the formal sessions; at this primary school, mothers have a more active involvement than fathers in the development of attitudes to maths; and there is need for a more integrated approach to the use of calculators and computers in the mathematics curriculum at this school.

No description available.

Magnetoencephalography was used to investigate the effect of directed attention on changes in sensorimotor mu (8-12Hz) response (mu reactivity) to non-painful electrical stimulation of the median nerve in healthy adults. Results indicated attention-related sex differences in mu reactivity, with females showing i) prolonged mu suppression when attending to somatosensory stimuli indicating active processing of the sensory stimuli; ii) task-dependent attentional modulation of the mu response, which was absent in males, and iii) a trend for greater neuronal excitability of the primary somatosensory region suggesting greater physiological responsiveness to stimulation overall. Sex-related differences in attentional modulation of sensorimotor rhythms suggest that females and males use different top-down control strategies when processing somatosensory information. These sex differences in attention may underlie well-documented sex-related biases in pain processing wherein females typically report greater sensitivity to experimental and clinical pain.

Magnetoencephalography was used to investigate the effect of directed attention on changes in sensorimotor mu (8-12Hz) response (mu reactivity) to non-painful electrical stimulation of the median nerve in healthy adults. Results indicated attention-related sex differences in mu reactivity, with females showing i) prolonged mu suppression when attending to somatosensory stimuli indicating active processing of the sensory stimuli; ii) task-dependent attentional modulation of the mu response, which was absent in males, and iii) a trend for greater neuronal excitability of the primary somatosensory region suggesting greater physiological responsiveness to stimulation overall. Sex-related differences in attentional modulation of sensorimotor rhythms suggest that females and males use different top-down control strategies when processing somatosensory information. These sex differences in attention may underlie well-documented sex-related biases in pain processing wherein females typically report greater sensitivity to experimental and clinical pain.

Intrinsic motivation has been shown to contribute to participation and adherence in sport (Biddle & Mutrie, 2001). The importance of social and task cohesion within teams has also been studied in an attempt to create and maintain a bonded group (Loughead & Hardy, 2006). However, these two factors have yet to be looked at in relation to one another, especially when exploring gender as a contributing variable. The purpose of this study was to determine if gender and motivation type are related to perceptions of team cohesion. It was hypothesized that athletes’ who are more internally motivated would view the group as more cohesive. It was also hypothesized that female athletes would perceive high levels of team social cohesion regardless of motivation type where male athletes would perceive higher levels of team social cohesion when they are more intrinsically motivated. In order to answer these questions, 253 male and female collegiate athletes were asked to complete a demographics questionnaire, the Sport Motivation Scale (SMS; Pelletier, Fortier, Vallerand, Tuson, Briere, & Blais, 1995) assessing individual motivation type, as well as the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ; Carron, Widmeyer, & Brawley, 1985) that examined group social and task cohesion issues within sport. The results revealed that there are significant positive correlations between intrinsic motivation types and perceptions of task and social cohesion. However, gender was not a significant predictor of perceived cohesion when moderated with motivation type. These outcomes indicate that promoting intrinsic motivation, despite gender, in sport teams contributes to more positive social and task cohesion in the group. / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science

Abstract The main aim of this study was to investigate if four humour styles, affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive, and self-defeating humour can be related to all five dimensions of the Big Five Factor Model of personality and study if gender has any influence on those relation-ships. A survey questionnaire was distributed among 72 individuals from Kalmar County, in the South-east of Sweden. There were 42 women and 30 men. A humour test questionnaire, Humour Scale Questionnaire (HSQ), with 32 items was used and the Big Five Factor test with 40 items was used for personality test. The results showed that men have a more aggressive humour than women and that the older we get the less affiliative and self-enhancing humour we have. There was no correlation between age and defeat humour style. When it comes to personality it turned out that women are more goal oriented and more open as well as nicer than men. Women are also more extrovert and they have a tendency to feel unpleasant emo-tions more easily than men.