M.A. - Psychology

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10125/2144

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Multisensory information processing in military and non-military contexts
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2025) Anjum, Alian; Sinnett, Scott; Psychology
The effect of military-related emotional words on information processing was investigated in unisensory (visual and auditory) and multisensory (audiovisual) contexts. Specifically, the research conducted for this thesis focused on how the emotional valence of words that are presented in both unisensory and multisensory formats can modulate information processing in both civilian and military participants. Due to the emotional connection with stimuli of a military nature, it was hypothesized that military words would significantly distract the military participants from the core experimental Stroop task, and consequently, they would take more time to respond and have a lower accuracy. The effect was expected to be greater in auditory and multisensory conditions given the emphasis on auditory communication in the military. Military and nonmilitary participants completed a modified affective Stroop task in visual, audio, and audiovisual modalities. As hypothesized, military words resulted in greater interference in the military sample, particularly for auditory and multisensory presentations. Accordingly, it appears that attention is captured to a greater extent for those with military experience when presented with stimuli associated with the military, especially in auditory or multisensory formats.
The living classroom: Exploring the impacts of ʻāina-based education on adolescents in Hawaiʻi
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2025) Rivera, Caleb; Baker, Charlene; Psychology
Abstract This qualitative case study examined the impacts of ʻāina-based education on Native Hawaiian adolescents’ well-being, cultural connectedness, and identity development through a partnership with Hoʻāla ʻĀina Kūpono’s Kapu Ka Hāloa program. Using focus groups with adolescents (n=9) and parents (n=7), curriculum review, and program observations, the study explored how cultural values and generational knowledge are embedded through ʻāina-based education, how the curriculum aligns with Positive Youth Development (PYD) principles, and how participation impacts youth development. The Kapu Ka Hāloa curriculum demonstrated strong alignment with PYD principles across five learning outcomes: proficiency in traditional practices, strengthening cultural identity, fostering environmental stewardship, enhancing leadership skills, and improving understanding of language and protocols. Thematic analysis initially identified four themes from both adolescent focus groups (connection to land as a source of learning, cultural continuity and holistic well-being, intergenerational and community bonds, empowerment and sustainability), with a fifth theme emerging specifically among the older adolescent group (emerging kuleana), and four from parents (cultural growth and identity, holistic development and well-being, community and family integration, and environmental and ʻāina-based learning). These findings suggest that ʻāina-based education can effectively foster positive youth development and holistic well-being in Native Hawaiian adolescents, with impacts extending beyond individual participants to strengthen family and community relationships. This thesis study contributes to growing evidence supporting Indigenous-led approaches to education and well-being while highlighting the importance of understanding development as inherently connected to ʻāina, culture, and community rather than as an individual journey.
From Roots to Recreation: Unveiling Sakau Perceptions
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2024) Willyander, Macmillan; Maynard, Ashley E.; Psychology
Sakau en Pohnpei or sakau, the name for kava in Pohnpei and other parts of Micronesia, is an integral and a ubiquitous part of Pohnpeian culture or tiahk en Pohnpei. This ethnographic study considered the ways that modern influences, especially the marketing of the sakau plant, have affected the Pohnpeian identity. Despite the ongoing effects of modernity and marketing, the traditional preparation and consumption of sakau is still a communal activity, with people coming together to share the drink and socialize. The primary objective of this ethnographic study is to assess how sakau en Pohnpei is an important part of Pohnpeians’ cultural identity and why it survived generations of colonial rule. To validate this perception, 31 individuals were interviewed. Eleven recorded interviews with male participants were transcribed and coded for themes. The analysis was guided by both the Cultural Resilience Theory and Greenfield’s Social Theory of Change and Human Development. With these lenses, the researcher analyzed each transcript and field notes to determine the resilience of cultural practices of sakau to help maintain the Pohnpeian identity. Notes from 11 interviews with women (not recorded) were analyzed as a comparison on the themes. Although existing literature suggests that traditional practices and customs related to sakau have significantly shaped Pohnpeian cultural identity, the results from local interviews painted a more complex picture. The interviews included in this study revealed a diverse range of perceptions regarding sakau traditions and rituals among Pohnpeians. As a result, these shifts in sakau traditions and rituals have contributed to a transformation in Pohnpeian identity itself, highlighting the dynamic nature of culture and the influence of contemporary factors on traditional practices.
Perspectives on Recovering from Homelessness Within a Transitional Housing Shelter: Utilizing a Trauma Focused Framework
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2024) Minami, Marissa H.; Baker, Charlene; Psychology
Experiences of trauma and its widespread effects are deeply embedded within the homeless population. While current initiatives to reduce homelessness, such as shelters, primarily address the logistical challenges of securing housing, they often overlook the critical role of trauma in the healing and recovery process essential to achieve and maintain housing. This phenomenological study explores how healing and recovery are conceptualized by individuals receiving services at a transitional housing shelter in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, and examines how it aligns with Judith Herman’s trauma recovery framework (safety and stability, remembrance and mourning, and reconnecting to others and daily life). Findings indicate that healing and recovery are viewed as multifaceted processes requiring interventions across the individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels of the ecological model. Participants identified five key themes in their conceptualizations of healing: time and safe spaces, values-based motivations, social support, spirituality and cultural coping mechanisms, and personal development. Additionally, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Trauma-Informed Care guidelines were applied during the qualitative data analysis to understand healing and recovery at the organizational level. Three implications for program development surfaced: advocating for increased staffing and incentivizing retention to better support shelter staff, integrating trauma-informed care into service provision and program curriculums, and tailoring lengths of stay to align with individual needs and circumstances. These components align closely with existing models of trauma recovery and trauma-informed care and provide programmatic and policy-level interventions for organizations aiming to support individuals in achieving and maintaining stable housing.
Broadening Construct Validity of the Strengths and Difficulties Hyperactivity-Inattention Subscale among Diverse Ethnic Children
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2024) Wong, Ashlyn Wai Wun Akiyo; Xu, Yiyuan; Psychology
The current study aimed to further explore the construct validity of a broad-band, screening measure—Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Hyperactivity Inattention Subscale (SDQ-HI)—by first analyzing its factor structure and subsequently assessing for measurement invariance and latent mean differences. The study sample consisted of 6,673 children, aged 4-17, from the 2019 National Health Interview Survey Sample Child Files, inclusive of White, Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Asian children. A series of confirmatory factor analyses were used to confirm the factor structure of the SDQ-HI and determine configural invariance across ethnic groups. Furthermore, the alignment optimization approach was employed to examine subsequent measurement invariance of the SDQ-HI and compare latent means between the groups. Results from this study indicated that 1) the SDQ-HI best fit a two-factor structure, 2) the SDQ-HI was deemed invariant across White, Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Asian groups, except for scalar invariance, and 3) no significant differences were found in latent means between White and ethnically minoritized groups. The findings from this study help to support the use of the SDQ-HI as a screening tool across ethnic groups and provide important implications for considering the cultural impact toward behavior perceptions and endorsements. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.
Investigating the Role of Mental Effort in Social and Self Perceptions of Visitors in Hawaiʻi
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2024) Weitz, Elizabeth; Sasaki, Joni; Psychology
In Hawaiʻi, residents have a need for local culture, ʻāina (environment), and traditions to be respected by visitors; this represents one component of sustainable tourism as the relationship between visitors’ behavior and residents’ feelings. The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority plans to educate visitors to increase respectful behavior, however this may be difficult if visitors would also like to mentally “check out” during vacation. Across two studies, I investigate the amount visitors ideally vs. actually think on an average day as “Mental Effort”. In Study 1 (N = 298), I find that students in Hawaiʻi hold more negative perceptions of visitors than fellow residents, and that decreases in perceived mental effort mediate more negative evaluations (such as extent of perceived respect) of both visitors and residents in Hawaiʻi. In Study 2 (N = 111), I sample visitors and find that friction between ideal vs. actual mental effort predicts reported time and financial investment towards sustainable tourism activities. I also find evidence that feeling attached to the culture in Hawaiʻi positively correlates with reported time and financial investment towards sustainable tourism activities.
Minoritized Identity and Social Perception Anxiety: The Impact of Potential Prejudice on Theory of Mind Utilization
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2024) Soares Miehlstein, Maximillian; Maynard, Ashley; Psychology
A theoretical framework relating having a minoritized identity to theory of mind utilization, conceptualized as Social Perception Anxiety (SPA) for the present study, was used to explore the effects that identity has on social cognition. Previous research in cultural psychology illustrates how collectivist cultural values place importance on other group members’ mental states, through frequent consideration of others’ mental states (see Markus & Kitayama, 1991; Wu & Keysar, 2008). Subclinical levels of social anxiety experienced by minority group members, specifically about self-perception through others’ eyes, are functionally similar to collectivist cultural values of maintaining group harmony. Adult participants (N = 221) with any self-identified minoritized identity participated in this online questionnaire. Through multiple regression analyses, there was a negative moderation effect of collectivist Culture Self-Construal (CSC) weakening the relationship between Awareness of stereotypes and SPA. Additionally, when exploring differences in where an individual grew up, there was a main effect for location of childhood home (Hawaiʻi vs. other) on Experiences of Discrimination as well as in different levels of Awareness of stereotypes. Taken with considering no differences in SPA between perceived visibility of one’s identity, contextual factors that could influence SPA and necessity to utilize theory of mind are discussed.
Targeting Trauma in Treatment for Youth with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Predictors and Outcomes
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2023) Matro, Austen Taylor K. M.; Mueller, Charles W.; Psychology
Youth in public mental health care (PMHC) settings often have been exposed to a disproportionate amount of trauma, and some such youth carry a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite research supporting the use of traumatic stress focused treatment, studies show that the implementation of such interventions is not as common as expected. This study examined whether a comorbid externalizing diagnosis or concerns about suicidality during treatment might account for low targeting of trauma in treatment for youth with PTSD. Based on clinical records of a sample of youth (N = 594) diagnosed with PTSD and provided intensive in-home services within a statewide PMHC system, the current study investigated whether and to what extent the presence of one or more comorbid externalizing disorders or the targeting of suicidality at any point in treatment was associated with a lower likelihood of traumatic stress targeting. Additionally, this study compared youth clients for whom traumatic stress was and was not targeted to examine whether treatment that included at least some focus on traumatic stress for youth with PTSD was associated with youth functioning status at the end of treatment after controlling for initial functioning.Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that the presence of a comorbid externalizing disorder was not significantly related to whether traumatic stress was targeted during treatment. Additionally, even when accounting for initial impairment, endorsement of suicidality as a treatment focus predicted higher, not lower, likelihood of traumatic stress targeting. Other significant predictors of traumatic stress targeting included youth clients being female, younger at the start of treatment, and having longer treatment durations. Regarding treatment outcomes, linear regression analyses indicated that targeting traumatic stress in treatment was unrelated to final functional impairment (bivariately or after controlling for initial impairment). Furthermore, the overall variance accounted for by the final linear regression model was limited, suggesting that there might be other factors outside the scope of this study that contribute to treatment outcomes for PTSD youth receiving PMHC treatment. Future research, including the investigation of sex-based treatment differences among youth with PTSD, would advance our understanding of how treatment decisions are made for youth diagnosed with PTSD, and how these decisions relate to clinical outcomes.
Parent Perception of Teacher Quality and Teacher Cultural Sensitivity and Responsiveness as Mediators of Growth in Mathematics Understanding in Racially Minoritized and Non-Racially Minoritized Head Start Preschoolers
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Mann, Melody; Daubert, Emily N.; Xu, Yiyuan; Psychology
The U.S. educational system fails to provide equitable educational experiences for racially minoritized students, also called racially minoritized learners (RMLs), who are from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds, including African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Indigenous backgrounds. Compared to their White peers, RMLs face sociocultural disparities as early as the preschool years that can lead to early gaps in learning opportunities and achievement in fundamental academic domains, such as mathematics, which are crucial for academic and career success. In early childhood education, parent perceptions of 1) Teacher Quality and 2) Teacher Cultural Sensitivity and Responsiveness (CSR) are positively related to the mathematics understanding of RMLs. Using a large-scale data set of diverse young learners, this study evaluated the effect of parents’ perception of Head Start Teacher Quality and CSR in the early childhood Head Start centers on RMLs’ growth in mathematics understanding over the course of one preschool year. Analyses were conducted using the base year data of the 2014-2017 Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), a nationally representative dataset of children enrolled in Head Start programs across the U.S. The goal of the current study was to evaluate whether or not RML status impacts mathematics understanding in Head Start preschoolers, and if so, to test whether Teacher Quality and Teacher Cultural Sensitivity Responsiveness mediate this relation. Children’s RML status was related to their growth in mathematics understanding in Head Start Preschool. Contrary to hypotheses, Teacher Quality and Teacher CSR were not mediators of the relation between RML Status and growth in Mathematics Understanding. Thus, the current findings do not support the hypothesis that Teacher Quality and Teacher CSR influence RMLs Mathematics Understanding over the course of the preschool year. Investigations into the current topic are timely and important as classrooms across the United States are growing to represent the cultural and linguistic diversity of the nation, but schools are failing to keep up with the changing needs of the evolving demographic of young students in the U.S.
The Role Of Contextual Variables In Intra- And Inter-individual Cognitive Flexibility
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Preiser, Brianna J.; Papa, Anthony; Psychology
Background: Emotion regulation and coping theorists propose dynamic process models, which highlight the interaction of person and situation to inform adaption. The empirical research on self-regulation supports the idea that adaptive functioning is dependent on the ability to flexibly switch strategies to match the context of the situation. While flexibility has long been discussed as a hallmark of effective adaption, assessing coping response as adaptive or maladaptive by the degree of flexibility in responding is relatively new and has largely been studied by asking participants to self-report how flexible they are in approaching stressful situations. The current study examined the utility of operationalizing cognitive flexibility in terms of cognitive variability, i.e., the ability to generate multiple coping/emotion regulation strategies in response to a stressor and flexibly implement strategies based on individual assessment of situation-strategy fit. Methods: Participants were presented with hypothetical stressors across two life domains (financial, relational) and asked to generate all the possible ways they could respond. Free responses were coded into one of 11 strategy types and composite scores were calculated across the stressors to produce individual-level scores for repertoire of responses generated and situation-strategy fit. These proxies for cognitive flexibility were used in hierarchical linear regression models to determine their predictive value for subjective satisfaction with life and psychological distress outcomes. Other measures of flexibility were included to demonstrate additional predictive value of the current conceptualizations of cognitive flexibility over and above existing measures. Results: Results support predictions that individuals would respond in varied ways as situational demands placed on the participant change and point to greater demand for social support, planful problem-solving, and emotional expression in response to stress in the financial domain and greater demand for confrontation, distancing, accepting responsibility, escape-avoidance, mindfulness-acceptance, and resignation in response to stress in the relational domain. Findings support hypotheses that there is a significant predictive value of the measured ability to be flexible over existing self-report measures across outcomes. Findings indicated that increases in situation-strategy fit were predictive of increases in subjective satisfaction with life and decreases in psychological distress; increases in the repertoire of strategies generated predicted decreases in subjective satisfaction with life and increases in psychological distress. Discussion: The current study was among the first to attempt operationalization of cognitive flexibility in a contextualized and meaningful way and was successful as a proof-of-concept demonstrating individuals do select varying strategies as situational demands change. This study demonstrated fit matters and provided support for the theory and past research claiming that strategies are differentially adaptive in different contexts. More importantly, we provided a starting point to continue to build on and refine more precise ways of defining and calculating the facets of flexibility we know to be important. Future research should continue to refine measurement of cognitive flexibility, increase the number of stressors participants respond to and span measurement across other life domains, and increase measurement to multiple time points to better approximate the dynamic process of self-regulatory flexibility.
An Examination of the Ohio Scales, Short Form, Hopefulness Domain, Youth- and Caregiver-Report Versions in a Community Care Setting
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Ng, Andrea C.; Nakamura, Brad J.; Psychology
Hope theorists posit that the construct of “Hopefulness” can be a positive indicator of overall wellness. Research suggests that higher levels of hopefulness have been associated with positive treatment outcomes (e.g., lower behavioral difficulties). However, few studies have examined the role of hopefulness with multiethnic youth, and it is unclear whether extant findings are generalizable to these populations. Further, despite the growing literature on the potential clinical value brought by assessing caregiver perspectives on youth treatment, there is a lack of psychometric investigations on hopefulness measures capturing both caregiver and youth perspectives. As the only measure assessing hopefulness from a multi-stakeholder perspective, the Ohio Scales, Hopefulness Scale (OS Hopefulness Scale), provides a unique opportunity to contribute to the literature by examining the role of youth- and caregiver-reported hopefulness in treatment. Along these lines, the current study centered on examining the utility of this free four-item measure of hopefulness (i.e., OS Hopefulness Scale) within a large statewide public mental health care system. Collectively, the six aims of this study (done for both youth- and caregiver-report versions) examined the measure’s (a) factor structure and (b) internal consistency, along with (c) the relationship between youth- and caregiver-reported hopefulness. Additionally, we explored the measure’s relationships with (d) numerous domains of psychopathology (e.g., depression, anxiety, delinquency), and (e) youth functioning. Lastly, (f) change over time in response to treatment delivery was also investigated. Participants included a total of 1,036 youth receiving services through the Hawai'i Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division’s system of care from 2014 to 2020, who were ethnically diverse (30.6% multiethnic, n = 317), 60.4% male (n = 626), with an average age of 12.8 (SD = 3.5). As a whole, the study found good factor structure, acceptable internal consistency, and a significant positive association between youth-reported and caregiver-hopefulness. Additionally, significant inverse relationships were found between caregiver-reported hopefulness with youth mental health problems and youth functioning (more hopefulness related to less problems and functional impairment); while youth-reported hopefulness was found to be significantly inversely related to youth mental health problems but not youth functioning. Finally, significant positive changes in hopefulness and significant relationships with youth functioning were also evident at three-month follow up for both youth- and caregiver-reported hopefulness. The constellation of my findings demonstrates potential for this four-item measure of hopefulness to be a useful, efficient, and cost-effective tool with ethnically diverse samples, which are substantially different from samples included in previous studies of hopefulness. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Community Membership among Samoans raised in Hawaiʻi
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Suʻesuʻe, Anamalia Anusaga; Maynard, Ashley E.; Psychology
Humans are social beings with a fundamental need to connect and belong with others (Baumeister & Leary, 1995), further actualizing this need for belonging in the development of communities. McMillan & Chavis (1986) identify membership or how much an individual feels a part of their respective community as a fundamental element in maintaining a sense of community. Membership may be complex, for example, for those a part of communities with extensive histories of migration and with upbringings in ethnically diverse environments, like Samoans raised in Hawaiʻi. To better understand this experience, this qualitative study explores meanings of membership for Samoans raised in Hawaiʻi as well as how meanings are manifested in their daily lives. Semi-structured interviews with a talk story approach were conducted via Zoom with 17 individuals. Thematic analysis and activity settings analysis were conducted on interview data. Results revealed seven themes within three superordinate categories including defining community, experiences of belonging, and investment in community. Three exemplar activity settings reflecting how meanings of the three categories are manifested in daily lives are also provided. As the Samoan community continues to grow in Hawaiʻi and throughout the diaspora, it is important to not only acknowledge the distinct experiences among members, but to support the momentum of cultural maintenance through wider systemic approaches that promote positive relationships within the community.
Lay Perceptions of Animal Culture
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Pearson, Hannah Irene; Sasaki, Joni Y.; Psychology
In our society, animals are a frequent part of our everyday lives. From entertainment, such as TV shows and zoos, hobbies such as bird watching and fishing, and everyday uses such as service animals and family pets, animals are undeniably intertwined with human life. Humans have a tendency to categorize and compare things in the world around them, and the way humans think about animals is no exception. Individuals have a tendency to compare animals to humans, butdoes this comparison extend to thinking about the potential for animal cognition and culture? I conducted two studies to explore the lay perception of animal’s cognitive abilities and capacity for culture, focusing on cultural beliefs (e.g., religious identification, belief in reincarnation, belief in evolution) that may impact this lay perception. The first study uses a focus group interview design, and the second study is a quasi-experiment that looks at the role of religious beliefs and putting oneself into a science versus religious mindset play in our categorization and perception of animals.
Social Opacity: Comparing Maya and National Mexican People in Chiapas, Mexico with a US Sample
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Bowen, Kristy Elizabeth Jo; Maynard, Ashley E.; Psychology
The purpose of this study was to compare the social opacity doctrines of Maya and National Mexican people living in Chiapas, Mexico with people living in the U.S. Social opacity refers to the degree to which persons believe that others’ thoughts, feelings and inner states can or should be known to persons other than themselves. Social opacity was assessed through a scenario-based questionnaire. The scenarios assessed participants’ endorsement of opacity doctrines relating to the inner qualities of people, intentions and positive politeness. Maya participants were found to be less likely to endorse scenarios concerning attribution of intention to a target actor than participants in the U.S and non-indigenous Mexican participants. Overall, all cultural groups responded more similarly than not to scenarios centering on the themes of inner qualities and positive politeness.
Oddity discrimination of category in the honeybee
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Schally, NIcholas Patrick; Couvillon, Patricia A.; Psychology
Studies of associative learning in bees demonstrate remarkably similar findings to those obtained with vertebrates. More recent work has begun to examine more complex relational learning phenomena. Giurfa (2001) found same/different learning in honeybees using a Y- maze procedure, and Muszynski and Couvillon (2015) obtained the first evidence of oddity learning in honeybees. Further research by Muszynski and Couvillon (2020) found that category difference facilitated trial-unique oddity learning in honeybees. Vertebrates struggle with oddity learning problems, with even the best-performing species (apes and monkeys) taking hundreds or thousands of trials to solve the problems, and other species (cats, rats, raccoons) failing to solve the problems altogether. Therefore, it is very impressive that an invertebrate like the honeybee demonstrates oddity learning. Following Muszynski and Couvillon (2020), the present experiment is a further exploration of category difference in oddity problems. Honeybees (Apis mellifera) were trained using the free-flying method, in which individuals were recruited from sugar water feeders and brought to an experimental chamber. The chamber contained a stimulus with high-concentration sucrose; the bee drank that sucrose and then returned to the hive to deposit it. Due to the high concentration of sucrose, the bee was then motivated to return to the chamber for more. Each trial consisted of one visit to the chamber. The design of Experiment 1 was a three-stimulus oddity problem in which choice of the odd stimulus was rewarded. Two categories of stimuli were used: circles of a single color (solid) and circles composed of two differently colored semicircles (split). The colors used were green (G), orange (O), yellow (Y), and blue (B). Thus, there were 4 unique solid stimuli and 6 unique split stimuli. The training was trial-unique, such that each trial had a new configuration of stimuli. On half the trials a solid stimulus was odd, and on the rest a split stimulus was odd. The two trial types were intermixed over the training trials. For Group Identical, the nonodd stimuli were exactly the same (e.g., O-/O-/YB+, BG-/Y+/BG-). For Group Nonidentical, the nonodd stimuli were different from each other (e.g., O-/B-/YB+, BG- /Y+/BO-). The expectation was that Group Identical bees would find the problem easier; they could choose the odd stimulus on the basis of color, category, or both. Group Nonidentical bees could choose the odd stimulus only on the basis of category. Both groups solved the problem, with no difference in either rate of learning or asymptote. The results indicate that honeybees can learn to choose the odd stimulus on the basis of category, which is a novel finding; in previous work category had been confounded with other dimensions such as color. Experiment 2 was designed to examine bees’ ability to discriminate solid and split stimuli outside of an oddity context. The design featured four stimuli separated into two pairs by a wooden partition. One pair consisted of solid stimuli while the other consisted of split stimuli, and each bee was consistently rewarded for choosing the pair from one of the two categories. For bees in Group Identical, the two stimuli within a pair were exactly the same (e.g., YO YO | G G). For bees in Group Nonidentical, the two stimuli within a pair were different (e.g., BY GY | B O). As in Experiment 1, the training was trial-unique such that bees could not solve the problem by learning about specific stimuli. Bees in both groups solved the category discrimination, and there was no difference between the groups in rate of learning or asymptote. Therefore, it appears that honeybees can discriminate solid and split stimuli and use this category discrimination as a tool for solving oddity problems. Future work might examine the use of category in a different type of relational learning problem, e.g. a same/different discrimination. Overall, this research shows evidence of simple category discrimination as well as category discrimination in an oddity problem. Discrimination is unaffected by additional variation in the stimuli (i.e. whether pairs of stimuli are identical or not). These findings are remarkable given that vertebrates have relative difficulty with oddity problems. Further studies of the relational learning of honeybees are needed to determine the generality of these conceptual capabilities.
A Translation and Validation Study of the Korean Self-Compassion Scale
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Chae, Si Woo; Vitousek, Kelly M.; Psychology
Self-compassion, derived from Buddhist principles, refers to a positive self-attitude focused on recognizing and accepting one’s failures with a balanced awareness and kindness. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the putative benefits of self-compassion for enhancing psychological well-being in many countries. A Korean version of the widely used Self-Compassion Scale (SCS; Neff, 2003b) was published by Kim and colleagues in 2008 (Korean Self-Compassion Scale; K-SCS); however, it may not accurately capture the constructs assessed by the initial SCS. The proposed study was designed to address conceptual and methodological concerns by retranslating the K-SCS using approved translation procedures and to examine its properties in a South Korean sample. The goal of the current study was to provide a reliable version of the K-SCS that can be used in further research on self-compassion in South Koreans, providing an accurate and reliable means of assessing the nature and correlates of self-compassion in this population. This initial exploration of the newly translated K-SCS examined its associations with psychological well-being (including life satisfaction and happiness) and mental health (including symptoms of depression, anxiety, and eating disorders), and compared patterns of relationships in Korean and American samples. Comparative analyses between these populations were conducted to identify similar and/or different patterns of relationships between self-compassion, psychological well-being, and mental health indices. However, findings from these comparative analyses should be taken with caution due to the US sample’s unusually high mean scores and atypical patterns of gender differences noted on some measures when compared to the standardized sample from previous studies. Keywords: Self-compassion, Self-compassion scale, South Korea, Culture
Perceptions of wellness within a non-profit organization seeking to prioritize wellness
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Combs, Sarah; Baker, Charlene K.; Psychology
Wellness is a multidimensional construct that incorporates different dimensions that work in conjunction with each other to provide additive value to a person’s life. Wellness is more than the absence of illness. Wellness across different dimensions can mitigate burnout or symptoms of burnout, which is a risk within the non-profit sector. This phenomological study uses the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s model of wellness that incorporates eight dimensions of wellness (physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, environmental, occupational, intellectual, and social) to understand what wellness means to employees of a medium non-profit in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, how demographics and historical context (the COVID-19 pandemic) contribute to conceptualizations of wellness, and how the current worksite wellness program aligns with current perceptions of wellness. Overarching results suggest that people understand the multidimensionality of the wellness construct and that dimensions and combination of interactions of dimensions manifest differently across participants. Demographic characteristics link to wellness through identity, with differences across participants as to which identities were most connected to their wellness. The individual conceptualizations of wellness and range of identities related to wellness align with perceptions on COVID, with a range of stress levels emerging. Regarding worksite wellness and an ecological perspective, three main factors contribute to employees accessing wellness at work: equitable access (organizational level component), supervisor relationship (interpersonal level component), and personal responsibility (individual level component). These three components are part of an emotional-occupational wellness feedback loop that describes input factors to both dimensions of wellness and mitigating factors that help individuals achieve a balanced state of wellness. Organizations seeking to support staff wellness should take these three factors into account when planning health promotion programs in order to help remove organizational, personal, and interpersonal barriers as well as supporting social connections and individualized coping mechanisms to help prioritize wellness and prevent burnout.
The Impact of Social Interaction on Virtual Learning of Numerical Knowledge in Kindergarteners
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Umansky, Vera; Daubert, Emily N.; Psychology
Teachers and children have experienced disruption in their classrooms caused by the pandemic, making it challenging to continue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning within a virtual environment. This study aims to understand whether incorporating social interaction into a playful, developmentally-appropriate virtual learning activity increases numerical knowledge for young children. Specifically, the study compares the effect of playing a computer number board game one-on-one with an experimenter to the effect of playing the same board game one-on-one (seemingly) with a computer on kindergarteners’ numerical knowledge. Approximately 60 kindergartners from diverse cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds will be recruited from Hawaiʻi. Participants are randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Social Interaction, Computer Interaction, or Active Control (color board game), during which they meet with a researcher using Zoom to play the game together. Afterwards participants complete measures of magnitude comparison and arithmetic. Preliminary results indicate that there are significant differences on numerical knowledge between the Social Interaction condition and the Active Control condition for the symbolic magnitude comparison assessment, but not for the arithmetic assessment.
A Preliminary Psychometric Analysis of the Social-Emotional, Evidence-Based Developmental Strengths (seeds) Youth Self-Report with Ethnically Diverse Grade School Youth
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2021) Matsui, Marina Mayumi; Nakamura, Brad J.; Psychology
In recent years, distillation methodology has been applied to youth mental health evidence-based approaches for identifying technique commonalities across hundreds of protocols and programs. In distillation methodology, these identified techniques (e.g., time out, relaxation, etc.) are frequently referred to as “practice elements,” and often used as part of a larger intervention plan, such as a manualized treatment program. To date, extant assessments measure children’s use of practice elements typically target single areas, but do not provide comprehensive screening across numerous practice element. To overcome this limitation, the Social-Emotional Evidence-Based Developmental Skills (SEEDS) was recently developed in English to provide comprehensive screening across numerous practice elements. However, psychometric information of SEEDS remains scarce. The current study examined the extent to which the SEEDS was able to perform as a reliable and valid measure with an ethnically diverse U.S. sample of fourth through sixth graders in Hawaiʻi. Confirmatory factor analyses pointed to a three higher-order factor with both 13- and 12-lower-order factor structure fitting the data. Collectively across all subscales, scales, and the Total score, internal consistency reliabilities mostly fell in the acceptable to excellent ranges. All of the convergence patterns between the scores of SEEDS first- and higher-order subscale, scales and the Total composite index with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) subscales and Total score were significant in a theoretically coherent manner. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Multisensory Effects of Causal Perception
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2021) Soma Tsutsuse, Kayla; Sinnett, Scott; Psychology
Previous research has shown that visual perception is influenced by Newtonian constraints. Kominsky et al. (2017) showed that humans can more efficiently detect unnatural collision events, where objects break Newtonian motion constraints by moving at a faster speed after colliding with another object, compared to collisions that do not violate Newtonian constraints. Their results provide evidence that the perceptual system distinguishes between realistic and unrealistic causal events. However, collisions between two objects are rarely silent in the real world. The present study extends this research by adding a sound at the collision point between two objects to evaluate how multisensory integration influences the perception of colliding events that either follow or violate Newtonian constraints. To accomplish this, participants viewed an array of three simultaneous videos, each depicting two moving objects. Two of the videos showed discs that moved at the same speed in a horizontal back and forth motion, and an oddball video of discs that either moved faster before the collision and slower after (natural) or slower before the collision and faster after (unnatural), violating Newtonian motion constraints in the latter. On each trial, a brief click was presented at the collision point of either the target video, one of the distractors, or none of the videos. Participants were asked to indicate the oddball video via keypress. Replicating Kominsky et al. (2017), participants were faster when identifying unnatural motion events compared to natural motion events both with and without sound. However, results also showed a lower accuracy rate for unnatural events compared to natural events, especially when a sound was added. These findings suggest that the addition of a sound could be distracting to participants, as a speed-accuracy trade-off is observed and exacerbated by sound. Furthermore, this provides evidence of the complexity of interactions that influence the human visual perceptual system and its ability to perceive causal events, as well as the limitations of attentional resources.

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