Wilson

Title:
It ain’t (just) about how hard you hit: Perceived pain sensitivity and race as determinants of physical formidability

Abstract:
Formidability is a set of summary evaluations that help individuals assess the physical threats posed by potentially agonistic others. Previous work has demonstrated a constellation of situational (e.g., whether someone is holding a weapon) and individual (e.g., target sex) factors that contribute to formidability representations. In this talk, I will focus on how two other factors, perceived sensitivity to pain and target race, jointly fit into this constellation. Pulling from evolutionary theories on threat management, I will present three studies that demonstrate (1) there is a bi-directional relationship between perceptions of pain sensitivity and physical formidability and (2) this relationship is represented in negative racialized stereotypes about Black men.

Sakura

Title:
Stress Among International Students in Japan During COVID: Thematic Analysis

Abstract:
International students are thought to be particularly hard-hit by the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although students at Japanese language institutes (i.e. schools that primarily teach Japanese to foreign students) are the second largest subgroup of international students in Japan, behind undergraduates, they are underrepresented in research on the mental health of international students. This study aims to identify the major causes of psychological stress, and the emotion regulation strategies used, among this subgroup during the pandemic. To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted in March 2021 (n = 16). Thematic analysis suggests that participants experienced stress in relation to how the pandemic impacted their already precarious positions as international students in Japan, and that they used emotion regulation strategies such as problem-solving, social support, and distraction.