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The UC Research Repository collects, stores and makes available original research from postgraduate students, researchers and academics based at the University of Canterbury.
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Happiness Maximization Is a WEIRD Way of Living.
(SAGE Publications, 2024) Krys , Kuba; Kostoula , Olga; van Tilburg , Wijnand A.P.; Mosca , Oriana; Lee , J. Hannah; Maricchiolo , Fridanna; Kosiarczyk , Aleksandra; Kocimska-Bortnowska , Agata; Torres , Claudio; Hitokoto , Hidefumi; Liew, Kongmeng; Bond , Michael H.; Lun , Vivian Miu-Chi; Vignoles , Vivian L.; Zelenski , John M.; Haas , Brian W.; Park , Joonha; Vauclair , Christin-Melanie; Kwiatkowska , Anna; Roczniewska , Marta; Witoszek , Nina; Işık , Idil; Kosakowska-Berezecka , Natasza; Domínguez-Espinosa , Alejandra; Yeung , June Chun; Górski , Maciej; Adamovic , Mladen; Albert , Isabelle; Pavlopoulos , Vassilis; Fülöp , Márta; Sirlopu , David; Okvitawanli , Ayu; Boer , Diana; Teyssier , Julien; Malyonova , Arina; Gavreliuc , Alin; Serdarevich , Ursla; Akotia , Charity S.; Appoh , Lily; Mira , D. M. Arévalo; Baltin , Arno; Denoux , Patrick; Esteves , Carla Sofia; Gamsakhurdia , Vladimer; Garðarsdóttir , Ragna B.; Igbokwe , David O.; Igou , Eric R.; Kascakova , Natalia; Klůzová Kracˇmárová , Lucie; Kronberger , Nicole; Barrientos , Pablo Eduardo; Mohoricć , Tamara; Murdock , Elke; Mustaffa , Nur Fariza; Nader , Martin; Nadi , Azar; van Osch , Yvette; Pavlović , Zoran; Polácˇková Šolcová, Iva; Rizwan , Muhammad; Romashov , Vladyslav; Røysamb , Espen; Sargautyte , Ruta; Schwarz , Beate; Selecká , Lenka; Selim , Heyla A.; Stogianni , Maria; Sun , Chien-Ru; Wojtczuk-Turek , Agnieszka; Xing , Cai; Uchida , Yukiko
Psychological science tends to treat subjective well-being and happiness synonymously. We start from the assumption that subjective well-being is more than being happy to ask the fundamental question: What is the ideal level of happiness? From a cross-cultural perspective, we propose that the idealization of attaining maximum levels of happiness may be especially characteristic of Western, educated, industrial, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) societies but less so for others. Searching for an explanation for why "happiness maximization" might have emerged in these societies, we turn to studies linking cultures to their eco-environmental habitat. We discuss the premise that WEIRD cultures emerged in an exceptionally benign ecological habitat (i.e., faced relatively light existential pressures compared with other regions). We review the influence of the Gulf Stream on the Northwestern European climate as a source of these comparatively benign geographical conditions. We propose that the ecological conditions in which WEIRD societies emerged afforded them a basis to endorse happiness as a value and to idealize attaining its maximum level. To provide a nomological network for happiness maximization, we also studied some of its potential side effects, namely alcohol and drug consumption and abuse and the prevalence of mania. To evaluate our hypothesis, we reanalyze data from two large-scale studies on ideal levels of personal life satisfaction-the most common operationalization of happiness in psychology-involving respondents from 61 countries. We conclude that societies whose members seek to maximize happiness tend to be characterized as WEIRD, and generalizing this across societies can prove problematic if adopted at the ideological and policy level.
Effectiveness of Video-based Training for Face-to-face Communication Skills of Software Engineers: Evidence from a Three-year Study.
(2023) Mitrovic, Antonija; Galster , Matthias; Malinen , Sanna; Holland , Jay; Musa , Ja’afaru; Mohammadhassan , Negar; Lumapas, Raul Vincent
Communication skills are crucial for effective software development teams, but those skills are difficult to teach. The
goal of our project is to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching face-to-face communication skills using AVW-Space, a platform for
video-based learning which provides personalized nudges to support student’s engagement during video watching.
The application of metacommunity theory to the management of riverine ecosystems
(Wiley, 2021) Patrick , Christopher J.; Anderson , Kurt E.; Brown , Brown L.; Hawkins , Charles P.; Metcalfe , Anya; Saffarinia , Parsa; Siqueira, Tadeu; Swan , Christopher M.; Tonkin, Jonathan; Yuan , Lester L.
River managers strive to use the best available science to sustain biodiversity and ecosystem function. To achieve this goal requires consideration of processes at different scales. Metacommunity theory describes how multiple species from different communities potentially interact with local-scale environmental drivers to influence population dynamics and community structure. However, this body of knowledge has only rarely been used to inform management practices for river ecosystems. In this article, we present a conceptual model outlining how the metacommunity processes of local niche sorting and dispersal can influence the outcomes of management interventions and provide a series of specific recommendations for applying these ideas as well as research needs. In all cases, we identify situations where traditional approaches to riverine management could be enhanced by incorporating an understanding of metacommunity dynamics. A common theme is developing guidelines for assessing the metacommunity context of a site or region, evaluating how that context may affect the desired outcome, and incorporating that understanding into the planning process and methods used. To maximize the effectiveness of management activities, scientists, and resource managers should update the toolbox of approaches to riverine management to reflect theoretical advances in metacommunity ecology.
Reference equivalent threshold vibratory force levels for short-duration Stimuli by a B81 bone vibrator.
(2024) Zhong, Julie Hanke
Short-duration stimuli, like tonebursts and clicks, play a crucial role in auditory evoked potential tests, particularly in relation to the Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABR). ABR tests are essential for evaluating hearing sensitivity and neurological pathologies, especially in populations like newborns and children who cannot undergo traditional behavioural audiometry.
Calibration reference values for short-duration stimuli used with ABRs, including reference equivalent threshold sound pressure levels (RETSPLs) for stimuli delivered via air conduction (AC) and reference equivalent threshold vibratory force levels (RETVFLs) for stimuli delivered via bone conduction (BC), differ from those applicable to long-duration pure tones used in behavioural audiometry. The ISO 389 series provides standardised RETSPLs and RETVFLs for pure tones but lacks a comprehensive suite of values for short-duration stimuli; in particular, it lacks RETVFLs. This inevitably will lead to inconsistencies in hearing test results between regions, as without standardisation, the ABR devices may be calibrated differently in different regions e.g. via locally derived RETVFLs.
To address this gap, our study aims to establish RETVFLs for short-duration stimuli, specifically, tonebursts at four major audiometric frequencies (0.5 kHz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz, and 4 kHz), and clicks, delivered via a RadioEar B81 bone vibrator. Data were derived following the procedures and test conditions specified in ISO 389-9 (2009).
Our final RETVFL values, specified in dB peak-to-peak equivalent referenced to re: 1μN, for tonebursts, are suggested as follows: 68 dB (0.5 kHz), 60.5 dB (1 kHz), 47.5 dB (2 kHz), and 44.5 dB (4 kHz). The click reference is 58 dB re: 1μN. These data could serve as a basis upon which to address the absence of reference hearing threshold values for bone-conducted tonebursts and clicks in ISO 389-6 (2007).
Application of an approach to Terrain Stability Assessment in the context of New Zealand Forestry Operations.
(2024) Smith, Simon
Terrain Stability Assessment (TSA) as it relates to forest harvesting operations is a process wherein an upcoming harvest area is evaluated on its hazards pertaining to land sliding/mass movement. While the process for TSA has undergone multiple changes with the advances in knowledge and technology over time, it is necessary to continue to evaluate them with regard to forestry operations to allow for optimal management decisions. This is relevant to current New Zealand conditions, where increasing frequency of weather events such as cyclone Gabrielle continue to put pressure on the forest industry to improve its practise, in order to maintain its social license to operate.
The Pacific Northwest (PNW) region (British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California) shares several similarities with New Zealand forestry in terms of landscape, harvesting methods, and growing crop. As such, they share many of the same issues - one being landform instability. Several of these PNW states have developed and tested TSA processes for new harvest plans. Within the scope of this project, these processes were reviewed. They generally involve input from a third party such as a geologist or geotechnical engineer, with prescriptions that include ‘leave areas’ of standing timber, buffer zones around waterways and alternate methods of road construction (such as minimising side-cast). New technology and methods are also affecting the way this region conducts TSAs. For example, Oregon now utilises modelling derived from LiDAR and ground information to prescribe their ‘leave areas’. Although having slightly different environment management goals/requirements to New Zealand, this study helps show that this process can be learned from.
To understand contemporary practise, interviews with nine different management companies in New Zealand highlighted an experience driven approach to the identification and management of unstable terrain. While there may not exist a definitive ‘written approach’ to assessing terrain stability in New Zealand, many processes were similar across companies in terms of resources used and steps taken. Generally, this involves the utilisation of available LiDAR data (or contour) to generate maps in GIS showing slope, hill shade, as well as aerial imagery. Sites are then visited and ‘walked’, which involves looking for ‘problem’ features which may have been identified by previous mapping. Ambiguity remains once unstable areas are identified, with respondents making the case for site specific evaluation and recommendations over blanket, nationwide prescriptions.
Various assessment techniques were considered, with a goal of assessing the efficacy of implementing them under NZ steep slope plantation forestry conditions. Relevant techniques pertaining to the landslide issues faced in NZ forestry were compiled into one TSA process and are demonstrated via six case studies across New Zealand. This method involves three stages. Data collection and validation (LiDAR, geological information), modelling (susceptibility via empirical regression, ‘Spiekermann Model’; morphometric ratios, ‘Melton Ratio’), and field assessment (structured similarly to an approach from the British Columbia Ministry of Forests and Environment). The process illustrates an approach that a forest management company within New Zealand would be able to replicate to help inform operational decision making. Overall, the TSA methodology demonstrated in the case studies did a fair job of capturing the landslide hazards specific to each site. Combining initial modelling and a subsequent field visit allowed for the identification and recording of shallow slip and debris flow behaviour – however, some sites presented different erosion considerations. Finally, these limitations are discussed as well as any assumptions made throughout the process, with areas of future study identified.