Applied Psychology - Journal Articles

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    Agency, power and confrontation: the role for socially engaged art in CSCW with rurban communities in support of inclusion
    (Springer Nature Ltd., 2023-10-07) Murray, Maria; Pantidi, Nadia; McCarthy, John; Munster Technological University
    Rapidly expanding rural communities (often termed ‘rurban’) face complex social challenges around inclusion of newcomers and resulting changes to long-established community identity. Although participatory CSCW provides resources to support rurban social inclusion, complementary approaches may be needed to facilitate potentially uncomfortable creative and political responses to questions of agency, power, inclusion and confrontation. We suggest that socially engaged art (SEA) has the appropriate qualities and track record to complement better known CSCW approaches in these settings. SEA offers a specifically experiential and dialogical approach to community participation in design, where the kinds of interactions made available by SEA can provide a space for a more dissensual participation. As well as introducing SEA and explaining its potential contribution to participatory CSCW, the paper presents a focus group study undertaken in an Irish rurban community, and considers the implications of insights from that study in future SEA-informed CSCW with this community. The focus group analysis highlighted supportive organised community action, queried social encounters in public space, examined misperceptions and poor communication, and problematised the role of powerful organisations in fostering inclusion. SEA-informed design considerations in support of social inclusion in this community include: supporting volunteerism; examining the evolution of community institutions; reimagining interactions in public place; and dispelling misconceptions through building mutual understanding. We propose that the dialogical aesthetic of SEA complements other CSCW approaches by drawing attention to tacit, visceral and emotional experiences; dialogue and conflict in collaborative processes; and increasing participant (including emerging community) agency in enacting alternative possibilities.
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    Understanding the needs of institutional stakeholders in participatory cultural heritage and social innovation projects
    (University of Leicester Open Journals, 2023) Giglitto, Danilo; Ciolfi, Luigina; Lockley , Eleanor; Cesaroni, Francesca; Horizon 2020
    This article investigates the current practices and needs of institutional actors operating at the intersection of cultural heritage and social innovation. Through a mixed-methods approach that includes a survey and in-depth interviews, responses have been collected from GLAMs (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums), social enterprises, public administration, cultural and artistic associations, and educational institutes. A key focus is given to exploring cultural-based participatory practices aimed at engaging disadvantaged communities. The article explores problems and barriers hindering quality engagement, beneficial participation, and impactful outputs, as well as collecting instances of good practice, suggestions, and lessons learnt. The overall goal of this work is to outline the lessons learnt from fields of action to develop guidelines and recommendations for facilitating participatory, collaborative, and inclusive cultural heritage initiatives, including when planning for the use and adoption of digital tools and technologies.
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    Eating out with a food allergy in the UK: Change in the eating out practices of consumers with food allergy following introduction of allergen information legislation
    (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2017-12-08) Begen, F. M.; Barnett, J.; Payne, R.; Gowland, M. H.; DunnGalvin, Audrey; Lucas, J. S.; Food Standards Agency
    Background: Strict allergen avoidance is important in day-to-day management of food allergy and avoidance when eating outside the home can present particular difficulties. EU legislation (EU FIC) introduced in December 2014 aimed to improve food allergen information provision for customers by requiring retailers of non-prepacked foods to provide information related to the content of one or more of 14 specified food allergens within their foods. Objectives: To investigate the impact of EU FIC on the behaviours, experiences and attitudes of consumers with food allergy when eating out. Methods: As part of longitudinal research, participants with food allergy from across the UK took part in either (A) pre and post legislation in-depth interviews, or (B) pre and post legislation surveys. In-depth interviews were carried out with 28 participants pre and post legislation and analysed using the framework approach. Self-report surveys were completed by 129 participants pre and post legislation, and responses were subject to quantitative analyses. Results: Improvements in allergen information provision and raised awareness of food allergy in eating out venues were reported following introduction of EU FIC. Whilst participants favoured written allergen information, they expressed greater confidence in communicating with eating out staff and in trusting the allergen information that they provided. Improvements were judged to be gradual, sporadic or inconsistent in implementation. Conclusion & clinical relevance: For many participants, the “ideal” eating out experience was one in which a range of information resources were available and where written allergen information was complemented by proactive and accommodating staff within an allergy-aware environment. Whilst the onus is on legislators and food providers to ensure that adequate allergen information is provided, clinicians play an important role in encouraging patients with food allergy to pursue their legal right to make allergen enquiries to avoid accidental allergen ingestion when eating out.
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    Exploring participants’ representations and shifting sensitivities in a hackathon for dementia
    (Association for Computing Machinery, 2023-06-10) Hodge, James; Foley, Sarah; Lambton-Howard, Dan; Booi, Laura; Montague, Kyle; Coulter, Sandra; Kirk, David; Morrissey, Kellie
    Recent HCI research has addressed emerging approaches for public engagement. One such public-facing method which has gained popularity over the previous decade has been open design events, or hackathons. In this article, we report on DemVR, a hackathon event that invited designers, technologists, and students of these disciplines to design Virtual Reality (VR) environments for people with dementia and their care partners. While our event gained reasonable attraction from designers and developers, this article unpacks the challenges in representing and involving people with dementia in these events, which had multiple knock-on effects on participant's outputs. Our analysis presents insights into participants’ motivations, challenges participants faced when constructing their “absent user”, and the design features teams developed to address the social context of the user. We conclude the article by proposing a set of commitments for collaborative design events, community building through design, and reification in design.
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    An evaluation of participant experience of “Kindness Works Here”, a kindness and self-compassion workshop for healthcare and non-healthcare professionals
    (University of Galway, 2021-06-09) O’Byrne, Emma; Murphy, Mike; Kells, Mary; Power, Anne; O’Brien , Siobhan; McElhiny, Teresa
    Aim: To evaluate the experience of a workshop based on kindness and self-compassion theory amongst healthcare and non-healthcare professionals in Ireland. Methods: Participants were recruited for the workshop through the health service and a mental health promotion initiative, to which a variety of workplaces are affiliated. All participants completed a 3-hour workshop based on kindness, compassion and self-compassion literature. A bespoke quantitative and qualitative feedback survey was completed post workshop. Qualitative data was compiled and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: The workshop’s content was reported as relevant to the workplace by 84.8% of participants and considered useful at work by 85.3%. A further 74.8% of participants reported it was very likely that they would implement kindness strategies at work in future. Thematic analysis revealed three master themes; Everyone should be exposed to these ideas; Making the science of kindness relevant and understandable; Experiencing a culture of kindness. Discussion: Increasingly research on kindness and compassion in healthcare suggests that education and promotion of these concepts serves to improve professionals’ and organisations’ well-being. Kindness Works Here was perceived as relevant and acceptable. Future research should focus on working with management, creating a culture of kindness in workplaces and larger randomised evaluations of the workshop.