Journals @ KPU (Kwantlen Polytechnic University)
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Does Mindfulness Meditation Really Impact Memory?
No full textMindfulness—accepting the present moment, whether it is positive or negative, without judgment, bias, or commentary—has become an increased area of interest in psychology in recent years. Previous research has shown that even brief mindfulness sessions on novices can lead to better memory performance; the present study tried to confirm this. In our study, 40 participants from a university population were randomly assigned in-person to listen to a brief guided mindfulness meditation or a relaxation music session. After the audio session, participants were then asked to complete a false memory task in which a list of words was presented. Next, participants were asked to recall the original items that were shown and to not select related and unrelated lure items. Results of the 2 (male, female) x 2 (mindfulness, relaxation) between-subjects factorial ANOVA found that there was a main effect for original item recall, but opposite to our prediction: the relaxation group recalled a higher percentage of items than the mindfulness group. One possible explanation is that classical relaxation music can have a calming effect on the mind
The Persuasion of Positive Contributions
Get PDFThis paper aims to highlight important theories found in the field of persuasion, and how those key assumptions are used in real-world settings to enhance behaviours such as donating. Furthermore, the paper demonstrates how a poster was created, integrating research findings from the investigation of both the Reasoned Action Approach and the Elaboration Likelihood Model, to promote donating to a local not-for-profit organization, "The Phoenix Society," which battles substance abuse and homelessness in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Further strategies were also applied to induce persuasion and gain compliance, with additional considerations made to attitude functions, associations of thoughts and feelings, and the language used in persuasive messages
Effects of Priming on Self-Reported COVID-19 Vaccination Intention
Get PDFThis study was designed to examine the effects of priming on vaccination intention. Participants were first primed with global COVID-19 data and then with specifically tailored vaccination information: “No information,” “benefit only,” “balanced benefits and risks,” or “risks only.” We hypothesized that participants in the benefit vaccine information group, (n = 16) and the balanced vaccine information group (n = 16) would show increased intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine compared to the vaccine risk information group (n = 17) and the control, no vaccine information group (n = 16). Further, that the risk information group would have a decreased intention to receive the vaccine compared with the control group. A general COVID-19 knowledge and experience survey was completed after presentation of the vaccination information and vaccination intention measure. The results from the one-way ANOVA did not show any statistically significant differences (p = .136). However, a medium effect size was detected (η2 = .08). Tukey’s test results show no statistically significant differences between the groups. Medium effects sizes were detected which may indicate that something was happening between the groups, but our study did not have enough power to detect it
The Impact of Coloured Alphanumeric Characters on Short-term Memory
Get PDFColour has become an important part of our lives as it affects our attitudes, and it impacts what we view as ‘attractive.’ Although our ability to see in colour was initially for survival purposes, it has since then been used to organize cognitive and perceptual aspects of our environment. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of coloured alphanumeric characters on short-term memory. It was hypothesized that participants exposed to red characters will recall those characters more often than those who did not have coloured characters. This hypothesis was not supported: Colour had no impact ont he retention and recall of the characters. 
Validating a Modified Version of the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (MSDLR) for use Among Undergraduate Students
Get PDFSelf-directed learning readiness (SDLR) refers to the degree to which learners are ready to be accountable for their own learning and learning needs and is a skill that students can develop. Understanding student levels of SDLR can help optimize the learning environment for more effective teaching and learning strategies. The purpose of this study was to provide additional validity evidence for a modified version of the SDLR scale. Evidence of internal structure and relations with other variables was examined in a sample of 203 undergraduate students. A confirmatory factor analysis did not support the three-factor structure of the modified SLDR scale; however, a follow-up exploratory factor analysis suggested that there were three factors, with some items not loading onto their intended factors. Evidence was provided for convergent validity, and mixed evidence was found for discriminant validity. Overall, these results suggest that some modifications may be needed for this scale, but there is potential for this measure to be suitable for assessing readiness for self-directed learning
The Effectiveness of 3-D Compared to 2-D Signage on Recycling Behaviour
No full textUsing 3-D objects as examples, rather than 2-D icons on signs, to help people learn recycling categories has shown mixed results in observational studies, so an online experimental study was conducted to attempt to clarify the findings. The main hypothesis was that participants would perform faster and more accurately if they learned the recycling categories through images of 3-D objects rather than by 2-D icons. Furthermore, several exploratory hypotheses were suggested: Participants given both types of signage—3-D + 2-D—would perform better than the 3-D and 2-D conditions on their own, and subjective workload and user engagement would predict differences in performance between conditions. An ANOVA found no differences between any of the three conditions in terms of accuracy of sorting performance, subjective workload, or user engagement. However, the 3-D + 2-D condition demonstrated a significant, small-to-medium sized increase in sorting speed when compared to the other two conditions, suggesting that combined 3-D + 2-D signage speeds up decision making without negatively impacting accuracy. One possible explanation is that redundancy of information in the combined condition reduced uncertainty and led to increased speed. However, replication of this result is required because of some limitations inherent to the current study
How COVID-19 Precautionary Measures Affect Mental Health, Irritability, and Burnout: Evaluation of Customer Service Employees in British Columbia
Get PDFDue to COVID-19, the use of masks and other precautionary measures have been strictly implemented in all indoor, public spaces in British Columbia (BC). The largest employment sector in Canada, the service sector, is considerably impacted by the precautionary measures and employs a psychologically vulnerable population. This study considered whether an individuals’ perception of the precautionary measures creates psychological distress and whether this impact is over and above their fear of contracting COVID-19. In BC, customer service employees were recruited to participate in an online survey. The results show that this population is experiencing psychological distress, burnout, and high irritability. Fear of COVID-19 is a significant contributor to these outcomes. The degree to which the participants found precautionary measures to be annoying and their beliefs about the necessity of these measures did not significantly contribute to irritability, poor mental health, or burnout over and above the fear of COVID-19. Instead, interpersonal conflict due to the enforcement of the restrictions was a notable element in the challenges that this population currently faces. Given the degree to which the COVID-19 disease has impacted individuals, both physically and mentally, more research is needed to understand and mitigate the escalating public mental health crisis
RateMyProfessors.com™: The Impact of Negative Online Professor Reviews on Student Judgement
Get PDFNegatively-valenced emotional expressions (NVEE) are identified by the use of extreme language, emoticons, bold lettering, capitalization, and exclamation marks. When used in online review forums, NVEE are indicative of the severity of negative reviews, which may be perceived as less valid than negative reviews without NVEE. We sought to examine the effects of NVEE on student likelihood to take a professor’s class. We presented 51 university students with reviews based on RateMyProfessors.comTM. Students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: positive reviews, negative reviews with NVEE, or negative reviews without NVEE. We found that students who viewed the positive reviews were significantly more likely to take the course than those who viewed negative reviews. Contrary to our prediction, the negative reviews with NVEE condition did not indicate greater likelihood of taking the course to the negative review condition without NVEE. However, qualitative analysis of student response to reviews showed that students were skeptical of reviews with NVEE, indicating that this research is relevant and useful for understanding what makes online reviews helpful
Racism and Life-Changing Events: An Exploration of Discrimination Against the Asian Community in Relation to the Coronavirus Pandemic
Get PDFThere has been a surge of hate crimes and discrimination against the Asian community in relation to the coronavirus pandemic in the past year. These are similar to hate crimes that occurred against Sikh and Arab communities after 9/11. Some research attributes the rise in hate crimes to the othering theory, where fear of outgroups invokes individuals to marginalize other groups. This study used the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) and the Assessment of Cultural Stereotypes Test to examine perceptions of society’s beliefs of the Asian community during the Coronavirus pandemic. It was hypothesized that—given the Coronavirus Pandemic—non-Asian participants would perceive society’s views of the Asian community as less warm and less competent compared to Asian participants, and that non-Asian participants would attribute more negative stereotypes to the Asian community than Asian participants. A total of 68 undergraduate students from Kwantlen Polytechnic University were recruited for this study. Asian and non-Asian participants did not differ significantly in their ratings of society’s beliefs about the warmth and competence of Asians. The only significant adjective selected in assessing the Asian communities’ cultural stereotypes was “bad drivers.
The Handmaid's Tale: Utopia or Dystopia?
Get PDFThis paper discusses the critically acclaimed fiction, The Handmaid's Tale. It evaluates whether the freedoms that the citizens of Gilead have lost are worth the freedoms they have purportedly gained. It argues that the women of Gilead have lost more than they gained, that the supposed freedoms gained in this world do not actually exist within Gilead, and that, based on this, Gilead is truly a dystopia