Psychology collection
The Department of Psychology offers some of the most popular and highly-rated undergraduate courses at Otago. It provides excellent preparation of students for careers in research and the profession of Psychology. Students from the postgraduate programme have achieved national and international recognition and awards and a number have gone on to positions in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, UK and the USA.
For further information go to the Department of Psychology.
Recent Deposits
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Intra-individual variability of reaction time and subclinical psychosis
Clinical and epidemiological studies have indicated that elevated intra-individual variability (IIV) of reaction time (RT) is a trait phenomenon that indexes vulnerability for a number of clinical conditions, including ... -
Conspiracy theory beliefs: measurement and the role of perceived lack of control
Despite conspiracy theory beliefs’ potential to lead to negative outcomes, psychologists have only relatively recently taken a strong interest in their measurement and underlying mechanisms. In this thesis I test a ... -
Driving to the Conditions: Driver Behaviour in Youths
Young drivers under 25 years are overrepresented in road fatalities and serious injuries worldwide. Past studies have identified that being male and having higher levels of sensation seeking, risk-taking, and self-perceived ... -
Social Understanding in the Community: Establishing Links to Previous Family Issues as well as an Understanding of Mental States on Disadvantaged Adolescents
Objective The purpose of the present study was to assess links to previous familial issues as well as an understanding of mental states on disadvantaged adolescents while controlling for age, fluid intelligence, and verbal ... -
Photographing the therapeutic relationship between women experiencing chronic pain and their canine companions
Past research has found that exposure to structured animal-assisted interventions can be beneficial for people experiencing acute or chronic pain; however, limited research has been conducted on long-term exposure to canine ... -
Maternal Immune Activation in Rats produces a Subjective Internal State that is Analogous to Human Psychosis
A key problem with animal models of psychosis lies with the animal’s inability to self-report its own internal state. In the present study, we used the drug discrimination paradigm, an assay that can provide an objective ... -
The impact of mobile mindfulness meditation on mental health and well-being in university students
Mindfulness meditation is a common psychotherapy informed by Buddhist mindfulness that is gaining traction outside of the clinic. One area that is particularly popular is mobile mindfulness meditation, the use of applications ... -
Local field potential recordings in rat anterior cingulate cortex, anterior insula and ventral tegmental area during fatigue induced by voluntary effort exertion tasks
Fatigue is a universal experience that affects the daily lives of species. Nevertheless, there are disagreements about the definitions and measurement of fatigue. Historically, fatigue was considered a result of energy ... -
Testing the Effectiveness of a Combined Web-Based and Ecological Momentary Intervention for First-Year University Students
First year university students engage in heavy alcohol use. Concerns around adverse alcohol-related health outcomes has prompted research on methods to reduce alcohol consumption in university students. The current study ... -
Exploring the Role of Online Health Information and Social Media in the Illness Experience of Arthritis-related Fatigue: A Qualitative Study
Past research has identified that people with arthritis experience the symptom of fatigue which has a considerable impact on their daily lives and social support networks. People with arthritis seek information to cope ... -
Voices of Parents and Grandparents: Pacific Peoples’ Views on Factors Contributing to Teenagers’ Wellbeing
Families foster individuals psychologically, culturally, morally and provide an avenue to social acceptance. Strong relationships are central for advancing wellbeing. When individuals feel connected to their Pacific identity ... -
“I don’t think it’s a real word though”: Perceptions of Mindfulness as a Treatment for Arthritis-related Fatigue
Fatigue is a pervasive and debilitating symptom of arthritis that results in interference both physically and cognitively, often disrupting daily activities and thought patterns. Previous qualitative and quantitative ... -
Professional learning and development in home-based early childhood education and care : exploring the benefits for educator-child shared talk and children's social emotional and self-regulatory development
Research shows that parent-child reminiscing conversations (shared talk about past events) impart benefits for children’s development across a range of domains. To date, there is limited research investigating whether ... -
Investigating Secreted Amyloid Precursor Protein-alpha and its Functional Domains in Stimulating Hippocampal Protein Synthesis
Secreted amyloid precursor protein alpha (sAPPα) is produced by α-secretase cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP). Not only is sAPPα of interest because its production competes with amyloid beta (Aβ) production which ... -
The effect of prior knowledge on open and closed question generation
Given that eyewitness evidence is one of the most influential forms of courtroom evidence, and that eyewitness errors are a major contributor to wrongful conviction, it is paramount that investigators collect evidence from ... -
Salience and motivated behaviour in schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a long-term psychotic disorder that affects approximately 1% of the population worldwide. Schizophrenia is characterised by negative symptoms, such as anhedonia and social withdrawal, and positive symptoms, ... -
The Effects of Maternal Factors on Child Functioning Above and Beyond Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptomology
Current literature has identified that Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptom severity does not account for all of the variance in child adaptive functioning. Identifying factors that account for variance ... -
Beyond the DSM-5: Examining the effects of processing speed and working memory on ADHD symptoms and adaptive functioning
Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) not only exhibit significant variability in the impulsive and hyperactive symptoms that characterise the diagnosis, but also in the presence and severity of ... -
“It often rests on the shoulders of a passionate individual”: Exploring the discursive constructions of gender and sexuality within education settings in Aotearoa New Zealand.
In this thesis I explore the discursive constructions of gender and sexuality within secondary and tertiary education settings in Aotearoa New Zealand. Previous research has established teaching and education practices ... -
Social Functioning in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Examining the Effects of Working Memory and Perspective-Taking
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood disorder that is associated with secondary difficulties extending beyond the diagnostic criteria, including impairment in social functioning. Currently ...