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CREATIVE STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH DISINFORMATION
Get PDFOn November 13, 2023, Randolph H. Pherson presented on Creative Strategies for Dealing with Disinformation for this year’s West Coast Security Conference. The key points discussed were the analytical vulnerabilities that cause readers to fall victim to disinformation, strategies for countering disinformation, and the importance of reframing public perceptions of intelligence analysis.
Received: 01-10-2024
Revised: 01-30-202
Does stillness bring wisdom? : A journey towards human-body-nature intercorporeality
Get PDFThree vignettes illustrate my journey towards human-body-nature intercorporeality. Nature as co-teacher has guided me for decades, as both teacher and student. Sense-making through re-engaging intercorporeality and eco-centric, slow pedagogical practices is the learning that endures
An Overview of the Intelligence Entreprise in Canada
Get PDFDr. Gilmour's presentation highlighted critical gaps in Canada's intelligence enterprise, particularly the disconnect between intelligence analysts and policymakers, and the inadequacy of the current framework in addressing evolving threats like hybrid warfare and non-traditional security issues. He emphasized the need for enhanced cooperation, education, and structural changes within the intelligence community to effectively tackle these challenges. Additionally, Dr. Gilmour stressed the importance of fostering stronger public-private partnerships to leverage the private sector's capabilities in countering modern threats.
Received: 08-10-2024
Revised: 08-26-202
Prosocial Spending and Well-Being: Revisiting a Recollection-Based Paradigm
Get PDFIn the present research, we attempted a replication of a finding reported by Aknin et al. (2013) wherein recalling a previous purchase made for another individual (prosocial spending) led to greater happiness than recalling a previous purchase made for oneself (personal spending). We tested this finding online with one-thousand nine-hundred fifty Americans as part of a large, preregistered replication report. Upon completing baseline measures of happiness, respondents were randomly assigned to either recall a past spending experience that was prosocial in nature or recall a past spending experience that was personal in nature. Participants then reported their current well-being. Results indicate that, at least in our current application of the recollection paradigm, the emotional benefits of recalling an instance of prosocial spending are not any greater than those of recalling an instance of personal spending, controlling for baseline happiness. Thus, the original result from Aknin et al. (2013) was not replicated
The Intersections of Terrorism and Civil War
Get PDFOn May 16, 2024, Dr. Michael Soules, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science from the University of Houston, presented The Intersections of Terrorism and Civil War. The presentation was followed by a question-and- answer period with questions from the audience and CASIS Vancouver executives. The key points discussed were the intersection of terrorism and civil war, the definition of terrorism and the empirical implications, the relationship between group strength and utilisation of terrorism, the effectiveness of terrorism, and the contested literature on terrorism and civil war.
Received: 05-25-2024
Revised: 05-27-202
Human Consumption of land snails on Curaçao
No full textCerion uva (commonly known as Peanut snails) are found in archaeological context on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. Ethnohistorical data suggests C. uva snails were consumed by Curaçao’s Indigenous peoples. However, there has been no archaeological data to confirm nor deny this claim. Past archaeological studies in Curacao are mostly restricted to settlements and rock art. The Curaçao Cultural Landscape Project is one initiative aiming to broaden our knowledge of the past, bringing together multiple disciplines in archaeological research – zooarchaeology, paleoecology, geoarchaeology. As part of this project, my honours thesis contributes to our understanding of subsistence practices in Curaçao, during the Archaic Period (ca. 5500-1400 BP). Using criteria developed from wider land snail studies (e.g. size, apex presence, burning, and location) my honours thesis tests whether C. uva snails were exploited by people or deposited naturally. By furthering research on lands snails in Curaçao, more information about the palaeo-environmental conditions can be uncovered. This can lead to more insight into the diet of Indigenous peoples of Curaçao. It is important to create a solid foundation in distinguishing dietary from non-dietary materials in the archaeological record.
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Christina Giovas, Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University
Data-Driven Perspectives on Outgroup Sentiment: Unmasking the Global Landscape with Social Data Science
Get PDFThis study seeks to understand the influence of state level factors on an individual’s sentiment towards outgroups, identity groups to which a person does not belong. To identify these dynamics, I draw on national level data on ethnic group size and location, then link that to public opinion data from the World Values Survey. From this data, I create new measures from existing variables and harness multilevel modelling to better examine how the relative size of ethnic identity groups and their geographic location in a country influences intergroup attitudes and the acceptance of ethnic differences. I hypothesize that countries where ethnic groups live in distinctly separate areas from one another will experience more negative effect, particularly when the size of ethnic groups are sufficient to compete for political power. My project will create a new data set which will include a measure for outgroup sentiment, utilizing questions from the World Values Survey. From this dataset, I have also created a measure for group size by calculating individuals’ self-reported ethnic identity and inferring the approximate size of these groups within their given country. As a rise in outgroup hatred is seen across the globe, studies such as these are crucial. Trends towards a rise in populism throughout various countries underscore the urgency of understanding how national factors impact outgroup sentiment. This research, which examines the size and location of different ethnic groups and how that affects an individual’s opinion towards outgroups, not only advances scholarly knowledge but carries significant political and policy implications
Navigating Gender Identity Disclosure: Vulnerabilities and Characteristics Among Canadian Teens - A Response to Saskatchewan's Bill 137
No full textIn August 2023, the Government of Saskatchewan revised Chapter 46 of The Education Act, 1995, stipulating that teachers must notify parents when students under 16 wish to alter their name, pronouns, or gender expression to align with their gender identity. Bill 137 exposes sexual and gender Minority (SGM) youth to various risks, including potential rejection and harm from unsupportive families, as well as involuntary disclosure to parents, disregarding their intentional choices in coming out.
Prior to this policy change, the UnACoRN Study conducted a survey in 2022, involving 9,674 participants across Canada and the US, to explore where youth receive affirmation or denial of their identities, including in school environments. The study aims to reveal correlations between support systems, risk factors, and disclosure strategies.
This paper employs descriptive analysis and Pearson's Chi-squared test to examine the viewpoints of two key stakeholders: parents and teachers. It identifies significant disparities in gender identities, cultural backgrounds, and parental origin between groups who disclosed to both teachers and parents (n=374) and those who only confided in teachers (n=97).
These findings shed light on the complexities faced by SGM youth in navigating disclosure within evolving legislative frameworks. By highlighting the vulnerabilities of SGM youth who have not disclosed to their parents, this research prompts reflection on policy implications (like Bill 137 and others in New Brunswick and Alberta) and support systems that are crucial for mitigating the mental and physical health risks SGM youth encounter in the current social climate
The Influence of Absences of Caregiver Responsiveness in Social Interactions on the Development of Infant Social Bids
No full textSocial bids are any social behaviour an infant uses to capture their caregiver’s attention to engage in a social activity. Researchers have shown that infants learn to expect caregivers to respond to their social bids and that they may re-attempt a social bid when they do not receive the expected caregiver response. However, the influence of these moments of non-caregiver responsiveness on infant social bid development has been overlooked. In this thesis, I provide a longitudinal description that traces how these moments influence the diversity and amount of the social bids of two caregiver-infant dyads. I found, in line with past research, that infants will re-attempt the same or different social bid when their caregiver is unresponsive. To add, I found that infants increase the diversity and amount of their social bidding over time due to the events of caregiver non-responsiveness. Lastly, infants demonstrated highly idiosyncratic differences in their social bid presentations and changes in relation to caregiver non-responsiveness. These findings suggest that moments of caregiver non-responsiveness may play an important role in the development of infants’ social bid development, which predates their future language and social development