title: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) identities

authors: Semlyen, Joanna

abstract: Psychology has a long history of pathologizing LGB identities. Although decades of sociolegal change and advancement of LGBTIQ+ psychology have afforded LGB people the right to self-determination, much of psychology continues to ignore the ways in which the power of LGB people can only exist within the framework of heteronormativity. Even in the western world, the inclusion of LGB people is not universally experienced. The existence of continued victimization, and more subtle forms of discrimination including the appropriation of "gay" culture, indicates that the privileging of heterosexual identities and "lifestyles" is still very much present. Interfacing with constructs such as heteronormativity, liberal humanism, and homonormativity this chapter explores the way in which LGB identities are impacted by politics and power. It also explores the way in which the constituent groups under the LGB identities umbrella are differentially affected by gendered politics, and the ways in which some ways of being LGB are privileged over others under heteronormativity.

text: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) identities Psychology has a long history of pathologizing LGB identities. Although decades of sociolegal change and advancement of LGBTIQ+ psychology have afforded LGB people the right to self-determination, much of psychology continues to ignore the ways in which the power of LGB people can only exist within the framework of heteronormativity. Even in the western world, the inclusion of LGB people is not universally experienced. The existence of continued victimization, and more subtle forms of discrimination including the appropriation of "gay" culture, indicates that the privileging of heterosexual identities and "lifestyles" is still very much present. Interfacing with constructs such as heteronormativity, liberal humanism, and homonormativity this chapter explores the way in which LGB identities are impacted by politics and power. It also explores the way in which the constituent groups under the LGB identities umbrella are differentially affected by gendered politics, and the ways in which some ways of being LGB are privileged over others under heteronormativity.

year: 2023-12-28

title: Assessing equine preference for food versus human contact: A replication

authors: Moss, Charlotte Jane

subjects: Behaviour

abstract: Horses have been trained through negative reinforcement for centuries. However, as studies show that positive reinforcement is an effective training technique for horses, it is important to discover what a horse finds rewarding. Food is the most-used positive reinforcer, but food is difficult to administer while riding a horse. I undertook a modified replication of Kieson et al. (2020) to investigate how rewarding horses find human contact compared to food. Eight horses were taught to touch a symbol (X for food and O for scratches) to access the reinforcer associated with the symbol. The number of touches on each symbol were counted and recorded. In the final preference assessment, the number of touches on each symbol were compared. All horses preferred a food reinforcer. A progressive ratio task was also performed by seven horses, where the schedule of reinforcement for the horses’ preferred reinforcer was thinned and the non-preferred reinforcer was offered on a FR1. Most of the horses continued to touch the preferred reinforcer at increasing response requirements, with one horse switching to their less-preferred option at FR3. Overall, the replication supported the original results in that the horses showed a preference for food over human contact. For most horses, this remained the case even when the reinforcer was thinned.

text: Assessing equine preference for food versus human contact: A replication Horses have been trained through negative reinforcement for centuries. However, as studies show that positive reinforcement is an effective training technique for horses, it is important to discover what a horse finds rewarding. Food is the most-used positive reinforcer, but food is difficult to administer while riding a horse. I undertook a modified replication of Kieson et al. (2020) to investigate how rewarding horses find human contact compared to food. Eight horses were taught to touch a symbol (X for food and O for scratches) to access the reinforcer associated with the symbol. The number of touches on each symbol were counted and recorded. In the final preference assessment, the number of touches on each symbol were compared. All horses preferred a food reinforcer. A progressive ratio task was also performed by seven horses, where the schedule of reinforcement for the horses’ preferred reinforcer was thinned and the non-preferred reinforcer was offered on a FR1. Most of the horses continued to touch the preferred reinforcer at increasing response requirements, with one horse switching to their less-preferred option at FR3. Overall, the replication supported the original results in that the horses showed a preference for food over human contact. For most horses, this remained the case even when the reinforcer was thinned.

year: 2022

title: To act or not to act? That is the question!

authors: Bruce Ferguson, Pip

abstract: The year was 2003. I was a new Research Manager working in a Māori tertiary institution that had a history of inequitable treatment by government, through not receiving establishment funding that had gone unproblematically to non-Māori institutions. Repeating a common pattern in New Zealand, our government had decided to implement a research funding scheme, to be measured at the level of the individual academic. My institution’s decision to participate in the PBRF was not without its difficulties, and it is here that the ethics of participation become problematic. This chapter is about our ability to articulate our values, to show how we work these out in our practice, and how we are accountable to ourselves and others for that practice. Would I, with the benefit of hindsight, have encouraged my institution to enter the PBRF again?

text: To act or not to act? That is the question! The year was 2003. I was a new Research Manager working in a Māori tertiary institution that had a history of inequitable treatment by government, through not receiving establishment funding that had gone unproblematically to non-Māori institutions. Repeating a common pattern in New Zealand, our government had decided to implement a research funding scheme, to be measured at the level of the individual academic. My institution’s decision to participate in the PBRF was not without its difficulties, and it is here that the ethics of participation become problematic. This chapter is about our ability to articulate our values, to show how we work these out in our practice, and how we are accountable to ourselves and others for that practice. Would I, with the benefit of hindsight, have encouraged my institution to enter the PBRF again?

year: 2013