title: Functions of social conflict in tourism: Tourism's impacts on the Kanas Tuva and Kazakh settlements, Xinjiang, China

authors: Yang, Jingjing

subjects: tourism impacts, ethnic people, social conflict, Xinjiang, China

abstract: The impacts of tourism have been well researched and such studies have developed into a rich body of literature. Equally the subject of social conflict has also been well developed with its own stream of analytical works; for example in western literature one might cite Machievelli‘s Renaissance work The Prince. However, while academics have proposed concepts of community tourism, a lack of empirical evidence remains as to the functions of social conflict and its relationship with tourism development, especially with reference to locations inhabited by minority groups. Firstly, when such a concern does exist, it is directed primarily toward the reduction of conflict. However, conflict can be a necessary and positive part of all social relationships, and a requisite for social change (Coser, 1956). Secondly, conflict is often accompanied by cooperation, unity and the formation of alliances, but in tourism studies the relation between conflict and cooperation/unity/alliance has rarely been discussed. Thirdly, a theoretical base for social conflict is needed to support the empirical studies regarding tourism development and conflict. Fourth, from the perspective of background and context, functions of social conflict are still an under-researched area within multi-ethnic communities affected by tourism.

Based on one year‘s ethnographic research in Kanas, Xinjiang, China, this study employs Coser‘s (1956) social conflict theory for a discussion of tourism impacts on ethnic communities. This study proposes a tension-directed tourism development system to analyse tourism impacts. It also provides a useful tool to compare and contrast tourism impacts and their determinants in tourism destinations. Additionally it provides a holistic view and systematic approach to researching tourism impacts. This study demonstrates the nature, forms, and means of the conflict between the groups and subgroups, thereby contributing to an understanding of the extents, approaches and reasons behind the nature of observed tourism impacts.

In undertaking this study, Coser‘s (1956) 16 propositions are examined and extended by making comparisons between Western and Chinese societies, by applying those concepts to an ethnic community, and by looking at the administrative realities of the Kanas Scenic Area. Based on the differences in culture between Western societies and China, it is suggested that some theories and research methods might need modification in the Chinese context.

text: Functions of social conflict in tourism: Tourism's impacts on the Kanas Tuva and Kazakh settlements, Xinjiang, China The impacts of tourism have been well researched and such studies have developed into a rich body of literature. Equally the subject of social conflict has also been well developed with its own stream of analytical works; for example in western literature one might cite Machievelli‘s Renaissance work The Prince. However, while academics have proposed concepts of community tourism, a lack of empirical evidence remains as to the functions of social conflict and its relationship with tourism development, especially with reference to locations inhabited by minority groups. Firstly, when such a concern does exist, it is directed primarily toward the reduction of conflict. However, conflict can be a necessary and positive part of all social relationships, and a requisite for social change (Coser, 1956). Secondly, conflict is often accompanied by cooperation, unity and the formation of alliances, but in tourism studies the relation between conflict and cooperation/unity/alliance has rarely been discussed. Thirdly, a theoretical base for social conflict is needed to support the empirical studies regarding tourism development and conflict. Fourth, from the perspective of background and context, functions of social conflict are still an under-researched area within multi-ethnic communities affected by tourism.

Based on one year‘s ethnographic research in Kanas, Xinjiang, China, this study employs Coser‘s (1956) social conflict theory for a discussion of tourism impacts on ethnic communities. This study proposes a tension-directed tourism development system to analyse tourism impacts. It also provides a useful tool to compare and contrast tourism impacts and their determinants in tourism destinations. Additionally it provides a holistic view and systematic approach to researching tourism impacts. This study demonstrates the nature, forms, and means of the conflict between the groups and subgroups, thereby contributing to an understanding of the extents, approaches and reasons behind the nature of observed tourism impacts.

In undertaking this study, Coser‘s (1956) 16 propositions are examined and extended by making comparisons between Western and Chinese societies, by applying those concepts to an ethnic community, and by looking at the administrative realities of the Kanas Scenic Area. Based on the differences in culture between Western societies and China, it is suggested that some theories and research methods might need modification in the Chinese context.

year: 2012

title: The Return Trip Effect: A car simulator study examining anticipation

authors: Visser, Rick

abstract: The Return Trip Effect is the sense that travelling back from a location feels shorter than the initial outgoing trip. This phenomenon directly involves our subjective perception of time, which turns out to be imprecise and easily misguided. Previous research has shown that numerous factors influence our time perception, and subsequently the Return Trip Effect; these factors include familiarity, violation of expectations, novelty, anticipation, workload and ambiguity. This study aimed to further investigate the influence of anticipation on the Return Trip Effect using a driving simulator. The study used a quantitative experimental research design to achieve this objective, questionnaires were used to obtain the estimated times and the various cognitive states of the drivers. Seventy-four people participated in a one-hour structured experiment. The participants were randomly assigned into one of three conditions: an outgoing, return, or non-anticipation group. Participants drove on a simulated road for about twelve minutes to a midway point, and then returned on that same road back to the starting point. The participants answered questions at the halfway point and at the end point, these questions included estimated driving times and included different measures of participants’ cognitive load, such as boredom, mind-wandering, and excitement levels. The manipulated variable was the positioning of the anticipation during the experiment, which was either after the first trip or the second trip, the control group had no anticipation. The findings showed a strong Return Trip Effect overall, however no significant difference in trip magnitude was found between the three conditions. The results revealed that several other factors that may affect the Return Trip Effect.

text: The Return Trip Effect: A car simulator study examining anticipation The Return Trip Effect is the sense that travelling back from a location feels shorter than the initial outgoing trip. This phenomenon directly involves our subjective perception of time, which turns out to be imprecise and easily misguided. Previous research has shown that numerous factors influence our time perception, and subsequently the Return Trip Effect; these factors include familiarity, violation of expectations, novelty, anticipation, workload and ambiguity. This study aimed to further investigate the influence of anticipation on the Return Trip Effect using a driving simulator. The study used a quantitative experimental research design to achieve this objective, questionnaires were used to obtain the estimated times and the various cognitive states of the drivers. Seventy-four people participated in a one-hour structured experiment. The participants were randomly assigned into one of three conditions: an outgoing, return, or non-anticipation group. Participants drove on a simulated road for about twelve minutes to a midway point, and then returned on that same road back to the starting point. The participants answered questions at the halfway point and at the end point, these questions included estimated driving times and included different measures of participants’ cognitive load, such as boredom, mind-wandering, and excitement levels. The manipulated variable was the positioning of the anticipation during the experiment, which was either after the first trip or the second trip, the control group had no anticipation. The findings showed a strong Return Trip Effect overall, however no significant difference in trip magnitude was found between the three conditions. The results revealed that several other factors that may affect the Return Trip Effect.

year: 2023

title: What Do Secondary School Rugby Players Think About Concussion?

authors: Murphy, Karen Jane

subjects: rugby

abstract: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a dominant and growing public health concern globally. Sport is an arena in which people are at high risk of TBI. In New Zealand the popular sport of rugby is played by many, particularly during school years. These school aged players are at particular risk of TBI because of the contact nature of the sport and the maturational stage of the brain which is still developing during the teenage years.  Moves to increase safety depend on an awareness of what these players know about TBI and their attitude towards TBI.
A sample of 456 secondary school rugby players in New Zealand were surveyed to gather information about their knowledge of, and attitude towards concussion. Rugby union and rugby league playing participants were mainly recruited through direct contact with schools. Participants were invited to access the survey online or could complete a paper copy. The survey was made up of items which had already been used in previous studies and this allowed for a comparison of findings with previous research. Some items related to knowledge of concussion while others related to attitude towards concussion, in particular attitudes to returning to play following concussion.
	Participants had good knowledge of symptoms, and almost all participants knew there was a risk to long term health and a risk of death if a second concussion was sustained before a first concussion had healed. However, there were some gaps in knowledge about treatment and recovery time.
Participants self-reported attitudes to concussion were consistently and significantly safer than the attitudes they predicted ‘most players’ would hold.
More than half of the participants had a relatively safe attitude to all but one of the items relating to concussion attitude. The least safe attitudes were around who should make a decision to returning to play after concussion and the safety of attitudes declined as the importance of a rugby match increased. 
Ethnicity consistently influenced knowledge and attitude on all the measures used within the survey. Those identifying as Māori ethnicity scored lower on all knowledge and attitude scales than those identifying as Pakeha ethnicity. Self-rated knowledge of concussion and the number of concussions experienced also had a positive effect on knowledge of concussion. 
There are several educational tools and regulatory documents aimed at minimising the incidence, severity and outcome of concussion in rugby but there is little research guiding how these resources are tailored to their intended audience in the secondary school population. Also, little is known about the gaps in knowledge and understanding of concussion in this population. It is tentatively stated that the findings from this study could be used to inform strategies which are aimed at increasing knowledge and making attitudes safer in secondary school rugby players in New Zealand.

text: What Do Secondary School Rugby Players Think About Concussion? Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a dominant and growing public health concern globally. Sport is an arena in which people are at high risk of TBI. In New Zealand the popular sport of rugby is played by many, particularly during school years. These school aged players are at particular risk of TBI because of the contact nature of the sport and the maturational stage of the brain which is still developing during the teenage years.  Moves to increase safety depend on an awareness of what these players know about TBI and their attitude towards TBI.
A sample of 456 secondary school rugby players in New Zealand were surveyed to gather information about their knowledge of, and attitude towards concussion. Rugby union and rugby league playing participants were mainly recruited through direct contact with schools. Participants were invited to access the survey online or could complete a paper copy. The survey was made up of items which had already been used in previous studies and this allowed for a comparison of findings with previous research. Some items related to knowledge of concussion while others related to attitude towards concussion, in particular attitudes to returning to play following concussion.
	Participants had good knowledge of symptoms, and almost all participants knew there was a risk to long term health and a risk of death if a second concussion was sustained before a first concussion had healed. However, there were some gaps in knowledge about treatment and recovery time.
Participants self-reported attitudes to concussion were consistently and significantly safer than the attitudes they predicted ‘most players’ would hold.
More than half of the participants had a relatively safe attitude to all but one of the items relating to concussion attitude. The least safe attitudes were around who should make a decision to returning to play after concussion and the safety of attitudes declined as the importance of a rugby match increased. 
Ethnicity consistently influenced knowledge and attitude on all the measures used within the survey. Those identifying as Māori ethnicity scored lower on all knowledge and attitude scales than those identifying as Pakeha ethnicity. Self-rated knowledge of concussion and the number of concussions experienced also had a positive effect on knowledge of concussion. 
There are several educational tools and regulatory documents aimed at minimising the incidence, severity and outcome of concussion in rugby but there is little research guiding how these resources are tailored to their intended audience in the secondary school population. Also, little is known about the gaps in knowledge and understanding of concussion in this population. It is tentatively stated that the findings from this study could be used to inform strategies which are aimed at increasing knowledge and making attitudes safer in secondary school rugby players in New Zealand.

year: 2015