Journal Articles
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Item Social psychology for social change: Foundations for and introduction to a program of action-oriented research(Cambridge University Press, 12/12/2014) Liu JH; Bernardo ABICopyright © The Author(s) 2014.The Special Issues series on social psychology of social change will provide a forum for research on the science and practice of interventions for social change that benefit individuals, organisations and society. This effort takes up Lewin's call for scientific research aimed towards solving social problems and generating new knowledge, but with a theory and practice of culture and cultural change at its centre. The effort elevates the dominant research approach in developing countries in Asia where there is more concern about opportunities for training and engaging in and publishing more applied work. The emphasis both on research excellence and on a holistic concern for society as central components for theorising about effective modes of realising social change in Asia and the Pacific is a long-term project that begins with the seven diverse articles in the special issue, which span different stages in the project - from clarifying its Asian philosophical basis, to empirical analysis of the problem and levers of change, to evaluation of the outcomes of action research.Item Constructing the drinker in talk about alcoholics(New Zealand Psychological Society, 2010) Macfarlane AD; Tuffin KAttitudes are one of the most commonly researched topics in social psychology, and attitudes toward alcoholics have been a popular interest area. The present study investigated such attitudes from within a social constructionist paradigm. Participants were interviewed about their views toward alcoholics and the transcribed recordings were analysed discursively to examine common constructions and evaluative practices. Three central discourses are discussed: a functional drinking discourse, where drinking was cast as normal social practice for functional drinkers; a dysfunctional people discourse, where alcoholics were formulated as qualitatively different from other drinkers; and a discourse of two dichotomous categories, in which alcoholics were concurrently constructed in terms of their heterogeneity. These discourses are discussed in terms of their construction and the tasks they performed, which include justifying intolerance and emphasising social differences. Particular attention is paid to how these practices were presented as 'fact' through the process of discursive construction.Item What does attachment have to do with out-of-control sexual behaviour?(New Zealand Psychological Society, 2012) Faisandier KM; Taylor JE; Salisbury RMOut-of-control sexual behaviour (OCSB) involves a continuum of sexual behaviour that results in distress or functional impairment. Several factors have been considered relevant to the etiology of OCSB, including attachment style, or the experience of intimacy-related anxiety and/or avoidance (Bowlby, 1969/1982, 1973, 1980). The present study explored OCSB and adult attachment amongst 621 New Zealanders using an online questionnaire. Using the SAST-R (Carnes, Green, & Carnes, 2010) to form groups, the OCSB group (n = 407) reported lower secure and higher insecure adult attachment than the non-OCSB group (n = 214), and this finding was strongest for women. This supports the notion that OCSB is associated with intimacy-related anxiety or avoidance, but further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms of this relationship in terms of whether attachment problems are a cause, consequence, or complex mixture of both in the development and maintenance of OCSB. Such knowledge would contribute to the development of etiological understandings of OCSB and inform future intervention approaches.Item Academic dishonesty, self-control, and general criminality: A prospective and retrospective study of academic dishonesty in a New Zealand university(Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2012) Williams MM; Williams MNAcademic dishonesty is an insidious problem that besets most tertiary institutions, where considerable resources are expended to prevent and manage students’ dishonest actions within academia. Using a mixed retrospective and prospective design this research investigated Gottfredson and Hirschi’s self-control theory as a possible explanation for academic dishonesty in 264 university students. The relationship between academic dishonesty and general criminality was also examined. A significant but small to moderate relationship between academic dishonesty and general criminality was present, including correlations with general dishonesty, violent crime and drug offending subcategories. These findings suggested that a general criminological theory may be of use in explaining academic dishonesty, but the overall ability of self-control variables to explain academic dishonesty was not strong. Controlled logistic regressions indicated that a significant positive association with academic dishonesty was only present for one of 6 self-control subscales (self-centeredness), and even this association was only present in the prospective study component. A strong relationship between past and future academic dishonesty was present. Implications of the study for institutions are discussed.Item The meaning of significance in data testing.(FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2015) Perezgonzalez JDItem Economic hardship among older people in New Zealand: The effects of low living standards on social support loneliness and mental health(New Zealand Psychological Society, 2010) Stephens C; Alpass F; Towers ABy 2026 people aged 65 and over are projected to make up approximately 20% of the population of New Zealand. A focus on the positive aspects of ageing includes consideration of the factors that promote good mental health in the population. In the present study of early old age (65-70 years) we highlight factors that are amenable to social and structural change in order to support positive ageing as people move into retirement. Analysis of cross-sectional survey data from 1761 people aged 65-70 was used to test the prediction that economic living standards are related to social support and loneliness (taking into account gender and ethnicity differences) and these factors in turn will affect mental health. Multiple regression analysis showed that lower living standards are both independently related to mental health and also contribute to diminished opportunities for social support. Social support and loneliness in turn, are related to mental health. Such observations suggest the importance of changes in social attitudes and social policy to build societies in which older people are valued and supported both economically and socially.Item Wanna drive? driving anxiety and fear in a New Zealand community sample(New Zealand Psychology Society, 2008) Taylor JE; Paki DDriving anxiety can impact everyday functioning and is common following motor vehicle crashes. However, no research has investigated its general community prevalence, despite the consistent finding that driving anxiety is not always a function of a vehicle crash. The present study explored the frequency and characteristics of driving anxiety and fear in a general community convenience sample of 100 participants who completed a questionnaire about driving anxiety, avoidance behaviour, and types of driving-related cognitions. Most of the sample described no anxiety, fear, or avoidance in relation to driving. However, 8% reported moderate to extreme anxiety about driving, and 7% described moderate to extreme driving fear. Women reported more driving anxiety, fear, and avoidance than men. These results indicate the need for more formal methods of establishing prevalence to clearly ascertain the extent of population-based driving anxiety and fear and its effects, so that research can begin to focus on developing effective treatment approaches for those whose anxiety has a psychological and functional impact.Item Could mild hypoxia impair pilot decision making in emergencies?(IOS PRESS, 2012) Legg S; Hill S; Mundel T; Gilbey A; Schlader Z; Raman AThe decreased pressure in the cabin of a pressurised aircraft (typically equivalent to ~8000 ft) reduces the oxygen level so that the blood oxygen saturation of all occupants falls from >97% (normoxia) at sea-level to below 92% (mild hypoxia). Although exposure to mild hypoxia does not affect well-learned cognitive and motor performance of aircrew, it has been proposed that it can affect the performance of some complex cognitive performance tasks involving multiple demands typical of emergency tasks that may have to be performed by pilots. In order to simulate some of these complex cognitive demands, 25 student volunteers participated in an experiment which assessed performance of complex logical reasoning and and multiple memory tasks before and after 2 hours of exposure to normoxia and mild hypoxia. Performance for the more difficult components of the complex reasoning task, especially involving conflict decisions, were marginally significantly degraded by mild hypoxia. Since the effects were only marginally significant future studies should investigate the effects of mild hypoxia on more subtle complex decision-making tasks.Item Gambling behaviour and motivation in an urban sample of older adult gamblers(NEW ZEALAND PSYCHOL SOC, 1/03/2008) Clarke D; Clarkson JDue to low rates of gambling participation among older adults (65+ years), little is known about gender differences in their gambling behaviour and reasons for gambling. Also, little is known about differences in their motives for different forms of gambling. Following motivational theory, the present study compared the behaviour and motivation of 41 male and 63 female gamblers in Hamilton, New Zealand where a casino was recently opened. Ages ranged from 66 to 87 years. Gambing for rewards was the strongest motivation for both sexes, followed by boredom. There were no significant gender differences, nor interactions between gender and skill/chance preferences on motivation. Regular continuous gamblers had stronger preferences for horse/dog races, scratch tickets or non-casino gaming machines, and had a higher expenditure rate than regular non-continuous gamblers who more strongly preferred Lotto. They also had significantly higher scores on curiosity, stimulation, escape and apathy. Longitudinal and observational studies were suggested to examine the impact of new casinos in towns with large numbers of older adults, and to monitor potential symptoms of problem gambling.Item Obsessive passion as an explanation for burnout: An alternative theoretical perspective applied to humanitarian work(Australian Academic Press, 2007) Tassell NA; Flett RABurnout is an occupationally based syndrome that develops as a result of prolonged and cumulative stress. The experience of burnout has been documented in detail in a variety of human service professions. The purpose of this article is two-fold: to provide an alternative theoretical perspective on the development of burnout, which suggests it is not stressors per se that are responsible for burnout development; and, to use this alternative perspective as an explanation for burnout in the context of another human service profession — humanitarian work. Using the passion for activities notion conceptualised by Vallerand and colleagues (2003), it is explained how a lack of self-determination and autonomy leads to the development of an obsessive passion for an activity. Obsessive passion is linked to a variety of adverse cognitive and affective outcomes. This is then applied to the domain of humanitarian work, and it is suggested individuals with an obsessive passion are more likely to suffer adverse outcomes and consequently develop burnout when working in humanitarian crises. Some suggestions for future theoretical and empirical investigations regarding the relationship between obsessive passion and burnout are provided. © 2007, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.