Social Sciences Research Colloquium

recognizing research excellence in the Faculty of Social Sciences

blue clay mug next to an open laptop featuring a gallery view of a large meeting

Friday, December 6, 2024
10 a.m. to 12: 30 p.m.
Virtual

This online event will feature presentations from 2023 FOSS Distinguished Researcher Danielle Sirianni Molnar, Professor of Child and Youth Studies, and 2023 FOSS Early Career Researcher Ann Farrell, Assistant Professor of Child and Youth Studies. Joining them will be selected recipients of the FOSS Student Research award.

This event is part of 60 Research Talks at Brock, celebrating 60 years of impactful research at Brock University.

Join the online audience

Registration is required. Please complete the online form to register to attend this free online event. The link to join the online event will be emailed to all registrants closer to the date.

2024 Presenters and Presentations

Student Presentations:

Anton Dinh, MA candidate (Psychology) and recipient of a FOSS Student Research Award, will present the following talk:

Parental Experience Uniquely Affects Cognition and Anxiety-Like Behaviour in Both Sexes of a Biparental Species.

The experience of being a parent leads to various neural, physiological, and behavioural adaptations. In rats, motherhood experience is associated with improved spatial learning after the pups are weaned, while research is equivocal on anxiety. Work in fathers (in biparental rodents) is limited but suggests an enhanced spatial learning. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of parental experience on spatial cognition and anxiety-like behaviour in females and males of the same species. Degus provide biparental care allowing us to examine parental experience in both sexes as well as different types of motherhood experience. Degus were randomly assigned to either: (1) biparental group (breeding pairs), (2) single mother group (breeding with male partner removal) or (3) naïve group (non-breeding animals). After pup weaning, all adult degus were subjected to behavioural tests to measure spatial learning and memory (Barnes maze) and anxiety-like behaviours (elevated plus maze). Preliminary results suggest mothers have enhanced spatial learning while fathers display impaired spatial memory and reduced anxiety-like behaviour compared to naïve controls. Research is ongoing and will assess markers of neuroplasticity and neuroimmune function. The FOSS research award, in part, enabled this project to be presented at the Society for Behavioural Neuroendocrinology.

supervisor: Paula Duarte-Guterman, Assistant Professor of Psychology

Kristin Grant, MA candidate (Applied Disability Studies) and recipient of a FOSS Student Research Award, will present the following talk:

Exploring the Effect of 1:1 Acceptance and Commitment Training Sessions on Staff Engagement in Committed Actions using Ecological Momentary Assessment

Staff supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities within community agencies experience high levels of workplace stress, which can impact the quality of care they provide to their clients. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Training (ACT) focuses on helping individuals develop skills to improve well-being, including living according to one’s values and engaging in behaviours related to these values (committed actions; CAs). ACT literature relies on self-report of covert behaviours. Although CA’s are a measurable and objective outcome, they are less often the focus of ACT research. This study is evaluating the impact of a multi-phase intervention for increasing CAs. First, standard self-monitoring procedures (e.g., pen and paper), next, Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA)via a smartphone application, and finally, EMA plus three, brief, 1:1 ACT coaching sessions focusing on CAs. EMA is a data collection process that includes prompts to self-monitor behaviour in real time, while being easily accessible through smart-phone technology. If participants demonstrate an increase in engagement in committed actions, this research may inform future training offered to staff working within community agencies to promote well-being and positive work experiences. Participant reports may support EMA as a favourable self-monitoring method, adding to the limited research in this domain.

supervisor: Kendra Thomson, Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Disability Studies

Hannah Marlen Lübker, PhD candidate (Sustainability Science), recipient of a FOSS Student Research Award, will present the following talk:

Social-Ecological Empathy and its Relevance for Sustainability Science

I would like to talk about the first year of my PhD research related to empathy (a concept predominantly studied in psychology, neuroscience, and health sciences) and its potential application in sustainability science. I have just finished my comprehensive examination, in which I re-think how empathy needs to be conceptualized in order to be integrated into the sustainability sciences, with the aim of catalyzing a transformation in human-nature relationships. The resulting novel concept named “social-ecological empathy” describes an empathy that can be extended beyond humans, to animals, plants, and even landscapes. Complementing this theoretical work, I also conducted a scoping study using the photovoice method and interviews, to learn how empathy is experienced, understood, and applied by people who work closely with people and nature. The participants were people working in environmental stewardship organizations in the Wolastoq river basin in New Brunswick. The outcomes of this study will be published in a paper soon, but we also collaboratively created a photo magazine, which includes photos taken as part of the study, as well as interview quotes, which has been shared publicly already. I will keep working on this project for the next three years, so this is just the beginning!

supervisor: Julia Baird, Associate Professor in the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre and the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies

Faculty Presentations:

Ann Farrell, Assistant Professor in the Department of Child and Youth Studies, will present the following talk:

Understanding Adolescent Bullying

Adolescent bullying is a complex social problem that stems from multiple interacting risk factors. In this presentation, I will discuss the individual, social, and environmental factors that contribute to bullying involvement during adolescence. The implications for effectively mitigating these factors to reduce bullying and improve adolescent well-being will also be discussed.

Danielle Sirianni Molnar, Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Adjustment and Well-Being in Children and Youth and Associate Professor in the Department of Child and Youth Studies, will present the following talk:

Inside the Pressure Cooker: An In-Depth Look at Teen Perfectionism

In this talk, I will explore the complex dynamics of perfectionism among young people from the perspectives of teens, parents, and teachers. Drawing on a multidisciplinary and multi-method approach, the goal is to provide a deeper understanding of how teen perfectionism manifests across different relationships and environments, and its implications for mental health and academic performance.

About this Event

The annual Social Sciences Research Colloquium is an opportunity to hear from the faculty recipients of two awards presented each year by the Faculty of Social Sciences: Distinguished Researcher and Early Career Researcher. Typically, the Colloquium features presentations by faculty awardees from the previous year.

In addition to faculty award winners, the Research Colloquium features presenters selected from among recent recipients of the FOSS Student Research Award. All awardees from the previous year are invited to apply; selected students are included in the final program.

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Presenters at the 2019 Research Colloquium: Master’s student in Popular Culture Russ Martin, Professor of Child and Youth Studies Rebecca Raby, and Master’s student in Geography Aaron Nartey. (Read more.)

About the Awards

The faculty awards recognize members of FOSS who demonstrate consistent records of outstanding research achievements as reflected in the quality and quantity of refereed publications, grant awards and other research activities. The Distinguished Researcher award for tenured faculty considers accomplishments from the past five academic years. The Early Career Researcher (formerly called Untenured Researcher of the Year) award considers accomplishments within the previous academic year. As part of the award, each recipient is invited to deliver a research presentation to the Brock community. More information on these awards, including how to submit a nomination, is available here (Brock faculty/staff login required).

The Student Research Award recognizes student research that contributes to, and advances research and scholarship in, the Social Sciences among PhD candidates, senior undergraduate and MA students whose programs include a research component. All awardees are to be congratulated for their achievements.

Summaries of past Social Sciences Research Colloquia

2023 Research Colloquium

Faculty presenters included Tony Volk, Professor of Child and Youth Studies and 2022 Distinguished Researcher, and Pascal Lupien, Associate Professor of Political Science and 2022 Early Career Researcher

Student presenters selected from among recent winners of the FOSS Student Research Award included MA candidates Idris Khan (Geography) and Patrick Segawa (Child and Youth Studies), and undergraduate Megan Vlahiotis (Psychology).

2022 Research Colloquium

Faculty presenters included Robert Dimand, Professor of Economics and recipient of the 2021 award for Distinguished Researcher, as well as Chelsea Jones and Naomi Andrews, both Assistant Professors in the Department of Child and Youth Studies and recipients of 2021 Early Career Researcher awards. 

Student presenters selected from among recent winners of the FOSS Student Research Award included Sulemana Saaka (MA in Political Science), Tannaz Sattar (Master of Sustainability), and Ege Kamber (PhD in Psychology).

2021 Research Colloquium

The Research Colloquium on December 8, 2021, was held online and live streamed to a virtual audience. Faculty presenters included two recipients of the 2020 Early Career Researcher award (formerly called Untenured Researcher of the Year): Julia Baird (Environmental Sustainability Research Centre; Geography and Tourism Studies) and Jessica Blythe (Environmental Sustainability Research Centre)

Faculty presenters were joined by Jillian Booth (Candidate, Master of Sustainability), Alec Moore (Candidate, MA in Child and Youth Studies) and Niruba Rasuratnam (Candidate, MA in Applied Disability Studies)

Andrea Doucet, Professor of Sociology and recipient of the 2020 award for Distinguished Researcher was unavailable to participate in this event.

2020 Research Colloquium

The 2020 Research Colloquium included presentations from Distinguished Researcher Mike Pisaric from the (Geography and Tourism Studies), with recipient of the 2019 award for Untenured Researchers of the Year Karen Louise Smith (Communication, Popular Culture Film) and recipient of the 2018 award Nicole Goodman (Political Science).

Faculty presenters were joined by students Appiah Bonsu, Candidate (MA in Critical Sociology), Jessica Falk (Candidate, MA in Social Justice and Equity Studies) and Pulkit Garg (Candidate, MS in Sustainability Science and Society).

2019 Research Colloquium

The Colloquium held in Sankey Chamber featured presentations by Rebecca Raby (Child and Youth Studies), recipient of the 2018 Distinguished Researcher award, as well as student Research Award winners Russ Martin, MA in Popular Culture, and Aaron Nartey, MA in Geography.

2018 Research Colloquium

The 2018 Research Colloquium, held in Sankey Chamber featured presentations from the co-recipients of 2017 awards for Distinguished Researcher, Larry Savage (Labour Studies) and Charles Conteh (Political Science), and Untenured Researcher of the Year, Danielle Sirianni Molnar (Child and Youth Studies) and Caitlin Mahy (Psychology).