title: Using a serious game to promote community-based awareness and prevention of neglected tropical diseases

authors: Luz, Saturnino

subjects: computer science

abstract: A serious game is presented which embodies an approach to disease prevention and management that is community-based and incorporates principles of the One Health framework—a broader view of healthcare that encompasses people, animals and the environment. The game focuses specifically on two related neglected and emerging infectious tropical diseases, namely Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) and American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ACL). It seeks to inform and encourage changes in behaviours and attitudes in local populations, while involving multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals and researchers. The design of the learning outcomes, gameplay, client interface, and architecture of the game are discussed in detail, along with the process of collaboration among a team of computer scientists, designers, medical researchers, and practitioners which underpinned the development of the game. An expert study conducted to gather feedback from a multidisciplinary group of participants comprising medical researchers, veterinarians, healthcare service administrators, and community healthcare providers is presented which forms part of our initial assessment of this approach. The results of this study and their implications for the design of similar health-related serious games are also discussed.

text: Using a serious game to promote community-based awareness and prevention of neglected tropical diseases A serious game is presented which embodies an approach to disease prevention and management that is community-based and incorporates principles of the One Health framework—a broader view of healthcare that encompasses people, animals and the environment. The game focuses specifically on two related neglected and emerging infectious tropical diseases, namely Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) and American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ACL). It seeks to inform and encourage changes in behaviours and attitudes in local populations, while involving multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals and researchers. The design of the learning outcomes, gameplay, client interface, and architecture of the game are discussed in detail, along with the process of collaboration among a team of computer scientists, designers, medical researchers, and practitioners which underpinned the development of the game. An expert study conducted to gather feedback from a multidisciplinary group of participants comprising medical researchers, veterinarians, healthcare service administrators, and community healthcare providers is presented which forms part of our initial assessment of this approach. The results of this study and their implications for the design of similar health-related serious games are also discussed.

year: 2015

title: How do ageing stereotypes affect performance on a previously unexplored false memory task?

authors: Ubha, Sukhandeep

abstract: False memories are memories that are thought to have happened but did not happen. Age-related neurological changes can cause an increase in false memories; however, researchers have started focusing on stereotype threat, to explain this increase. Stereotype threat occurs when negative beliefs about a particular group are introduced, causing them to perform poorly on tasks. Studies focused on the effects of age-based stereotype threat on false memories have been conflicted due to the methodological differences (such as the use of retrieval task and the focus of the task). Thus, Experiment 1 aimed to account for those methodological differences and investigated whether stereotype threat influenced performance on the memory conjunction task. In Experiment 1, 60 participants were given a memory conjunction task online and were randomly assigned to either a control or a stereotype threat group. Participants were then given a free recall and a recognition task. They were also asked to indicate their levels of education, employment and importance given to memory (moderating factors), as these factors can affect performance. The results indicated no difference in performance between the control and the stereotyped participants. This could be due to participants finding the memory conjunction task difficult, thus choosing to disengage from the task. Therefore, Experiment 2 aimed to investigate whether there were any changes in performance when an online DRM task with a different focus (prevention or promotion) was used. In Experiment 2, 120 participants were given a DRM task online and were randomly assigned to the stereotype threat-promotion, stereotype threat-prevention,
control-promotion and control-prevention groups. This experiment did not find any significant differences between the groups. It is possible that previous studies mistakenly induced subtle and blatant stereotype threats while the present experiment only used blatant threat. Recruiting participants from an online platform could also explain why present study found discrepant findings compared to the previous research. Even though present study was unable to replicate previous findings, it still added to the limited literature and focused on different methodological factors all at once. It is essential to keep investigating and focusing on different methodological factors to better understand a very complex topic. The threat could cause older adults to be diagnosed with dementia and receive unnecessary treatment when, in fact, they are healthy.

text: How do ageing stereotypes affect performance on a previously unexplored false memory task? False memories are memories that are thought to have happened but did not happen. Age-related neurological changes can cause an increase in false memories; however, researchers have started focusing on stereotype threat, to explain this increase. Stereotype threat occurs when negative beliefs about a particular group are introduced, causing them to perform poorly on tasks. Studies focused on the effects of age-based stereotype threat on false memories have been conflicted due to the methodological differences (such as the use of retrieval task and the focus of the task). Thus, Experiment 1 aimed to account for those methodological differences and investigated whether stereotype threat influenced performance on the memory conjunction task. In Experiment 1, 60 participants were given a memory conjunction task online and were randomly assigned to either a control or a stereotype threat group. Participants were then given a free recall and a recognition task. They were also asked to indicate their levels of education, employment and importance given to memory (moderating factors), as these factors can affect performance. The results indicated no difference in performance between the control and the stereotyped participants. This could be due to participants finding the memory conjunction task difficult, thus choosing to disengage from the task. Therefore, Experiment 2 aimed to investigate whether there were any changes in performance when an online DRM task with a different focus (prevention or promotion) was used. In Experiment 2, 120 participants were given a DRM task online and were randomly assigned to the stereotype threat-promotion, stereotype threat-prevention,
control-promotion and control-prevention groups. This experiment did not find any significant differences between the groups. It is possible that previous studies mistakenly induced subtle and blatant stereotype threats while the present experiment only used blatant threat. Recruiting participants from an online platform could also explain why present study found discrepant findings compared to the previous research. Even though present study was unable to replicate previous findings, it still added to the limited literature and focused on different methodological factors all at once. It is essential to keep investigating and focusing on different methodological factors to better understand a very complex topic. The threat could cause older adults to be diagnosed with dementia and receive unnecessary treatment when, in fact, they are healthy.

year: 2022

title: Angitūtanga o ngā tauira Māori:  Supporting Māori students to succeed in psychology

authors: Martin, Dionne

subjects: Psychology

abstract: Many Māori seek out university degrees to make a meaningful impact on the health of their community. Psychology, is one avenue that attracts Māori to do so. Psychology training has often failed to meet the needs of Māori students, often creating barriers to Māori student success. This thesis will explore barriers and support mechanisms that Māori students experience while attending university in pursuit of psychology degrees. This study will focus on experiences had by those enrolled in The School of Psychology at The Univeristy of Waikato, on the Hamilton campus. Informed by kaupapa Māori guidelines and analysed though the use of pūrākau this thesis highlights some key experiences shared by Māori psychology students. Three key experiences were identified. First, the prominence of Western culture in The School of psychology and the impact that has on Māori sense of belonging and whanaungatanga. Second, support system realities for Māori, identifying key university supports systems and realities associated with ones home environment. Third, the transitional journey to becoming a psychologist and what impact that has on the university journey. With this in mind, some recommendations are made to support Māori student success in psychology. These recommendations advocate for the provision of a more bicultural learning experience, creation of a culturally affirming environment, recruitment and retention of culturally capable staff, appropriate resourcing, funding and training for support services, better support for Māori realities and pathway navigation support.

text: Angitūtanga o ngā tauira Māori:  Supporting Māori students to succeed in psychology Many Māori seek out university degrees to make a meaningful impact on the health of their community. Psychology, is one avenue that attracts Māori to do so. Psychology training has often failed to meet the needs of Māori students, often creating barriers to Māori student success. This thesis will explore barriers and support mechanisms that Māori students experience while attending university in pursuit of psychology degrees. This study will focus on experiences had by those enrolled in The School of Psychology at The Univeristy of Waikato, on the Hamilton campus. Informed by kaupapa Māori guidelines and analysed though the use of pūrākau this thesis highlights some key experiences shared by Māori psychology students. Three key experiences were identified. First, the prominence of Western culture in The School of psychology and the impact that has on Māori sense of belonging and whanaungatanga. Second, support system realities for Māori, identifying key university supports systems and realities associated with ones home environment. Third, the transitional journey to becoming a psychologist and what impact that has on the university journey. With this in mind, some recommendations are made to support Māori student success in psychology. These recommendations advocate for the provision of a more bicultural learning experience, creation of a culturally affirming environment, recruitment and retention of culturally capable staff, appropriate resourcing, funding and training for support services, better support for Māori realities and pathway navigation support.

year: 2025