Irene Melani

Title:
Knowing more than one can see: Investigating the apparent negligence of context for European Americans

Abstract:
The cumulative evidence in social psychology suggests that people engaged in Western cultures (Westerners) are typically negligent of contextual information while perceiving a focal object. However, the cognitive mechanism underlying this phenomenon has remained largely unexplored. In the present research, we proposed a directional activation hypothesis to suggest that, for Westerners, the activation of an object in cognition may be sufficient to activate the contextual inferences associated with the object. To test our hypothesis, we examined 24 European Americans within an EEG-based priming paradigm. In an object-prime condition, participants were first shown an object (e.g., an image of a crab), followed by a context that is either typical or atypical of the object (e.g., an image of a parking lot or ocean). In a context-prime condition, however, participants were first shown a context, followed by an object that is either typical or atypical of the context. We tested the event-related potential component of N400, which indexes the detection of violations of semantic expectations. In the context-prime condition, the typicality of the target objects showed no effect on the magnitude of N400, thus replicating prior evidence. However, in the object-prime condition, the N400 was significantly greater in magnitude when target contexts were atypical of the object primes than when they were typical of the latter. We concluded that the negligence of context, typically observed for Westerners, is partly because the object takes priority in perception to inform about relevant contexts. From their phenomenal point of view, they have inferred what the appropriate context is for a given object, even before seeing it.

Lauren White

Title:
Integrating Theory for Community Based Suicide Prevention

Abstract:
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Americans aged 10-34 and US suicide rates are increasing across almost every demographic. This is particularly apparent in American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities, where suicide rates are up to 20 times the national US average; some of the highest in the world. Despite increasing investments in suicide prevention via research and practice, the US suicide rate has increased 35% in the last 40 years. I assert that new approaches which foster the capacity of community support systems to address vulnerabilities of persons—ideally before they are suicidal—are desperately needed. I will share a brief background of US suicide trends and prevention approaches; a note on how Social Work Practice and Social Psychology theories may come together to inform new ways of thinking about community driven suicide prevention; and two studies from my work in the last year that demonstrate the promise of integrating theory across disciplines in the work with AIAN communities to promote mental wellness and prevent suicide.