Please join us in congratulation the following faculty members who were awarded various grants in the 2024-25 academic year:
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Grants
The SSHRC Insight Grant supports research excellence in the social sciences and humanities, providing funding for both emerging and established scholars for research initiatives of two to five years.
Johanna Peetz will conduct research to identify ways to balance adherence to financial goals with relationship harmony. Confronted daily with self-control dilemmas requiring choices between temptations and goal-consistent decisions, people can employ self-control strategies to make goal-consistent choices easier, some of which may involve the help of a romantic partner. This could aid goal adherence but also spark conflict between partners. Across two pilot studies and one cross-sectional study, Peetz will test if proactive self-control strategies lead to less interpersonal conflict, and if financial stress has an impact on the strategies used.
Kirk Luther will develop a set of evidence-based, trauma-informed interviewing guidelines for the justice system. Victims often hold crucial information for solving crimes; however, the trauma they experience can significantly impact their ability to provide accurate and complete accounts to the police. While trauma-informed training is available, there is a lack of standardization and alignment with empirically validated best practices. Through five interconnected studies, this project will analyze the complex relationship between trauma, memory and reporting; gather insights from victim support workers and police investigators; and systematically analyze existing training guidelines to identify areas for improvement and inform the development of interviewing guidelines. Through a trauma-informed approach to justice, these guidelines will enhance the quality of investigations, support victim well-being, and contribute to safer communities.
Michael Wohl will conduct timely research on different types of “strong leaders” and how support for them manifests from a social psychological perspective. His team seeks to understand how crises constructed through real and perceived existential threats to the nation and collective nostalgia may fuel growing displeasure with liberal democratic institutions and principles. The findings will assess previously neglected signals that predict support for the erosion of democratic principles. Given the growing challenge to democratic principles globally, Wohl’s research will fill a pressing need to understand the psychological mechanisms that lead people to support strong authoritarian leaders despite their tendency to undermine democratic institutions and remove power from the people.
Robert Coplan will focus on the developmental progression of the characteristics and implications of solitude from childhood to young adulthood. Global experiences of lockdowns and social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of understanding the positive and negative meanings and implications of solitude. A series of studies will assess and validate assessments of solitary experiences that are developmentally appropriate, examine developmental differences in the characteristics and implications of solitude from childhood to young adulthood, and explore how daily experiences of solitude might contribute to positive or negative outcomes. The results could assist parents and educators in facilitating best practices for solitude and how best to intervene with youth who may be suffering from spending too much time alone.
Yan Liu will conduct three inter-related studies to investigate how school disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have affected secondary school students’ academic performance and well-being. Using large datasets, Liu will examine trends across globally, including gender gaps and disparities between marginalized students and their peers. Leveraging techniques from psychology, education, sociology, statistics and computer science, this research will generate urgently needed empirical data to provide a more generalized understanding of lockdowns and identify factors that can mitigate growing educational and well-being disparities, particularly for marginalized groups. The findings will enable researchers and educators to provide faster, more coordinated, and more robust responses in future crises.
National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant
NSERC Discovery Grants supports ongoing programs of research with long-term goals rather than a single short-term project or collection of projects. These grants recognize the creativity and innovation that are at the heart of all research advances.
Cassandra Morrison received funding for “Understanding the Neural Basis of Cognitive Performance and Variability through EEG Studies of Memory and Executive Functioning.” Morrison aims develop models using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) measures that predict cognitive and neural changes at the individual level. By grounding cognitive theories in neurobiological evidence, this work will strengthen the theoretical foundations of cognitive science.
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grants
The SSHRC Insight Development Grant supports research in its initial stages. It enables the development of new research questions, as well as experimentation with new methods, theoretical approaches and/or ideas.
Nassim Tabri will explore the construct of collective anti-mattering – the perception that one’s group is insignificant or undervalued by other groups or society. Individual anti-mattering (the perception of individual insignificance) has been shown to harm well-being, but it’s group-level counterpart remains unexplored. With a focus on Black Americans and 2SLGBTQI+ communities, Tabri will investigate how collective anti-mattering shapes intergroup relations, individual well-being, and collective action. By introducing and validating a new construct and developing tools to measure collective anti-mattering, the findings will provide actionable insights for promoting inclusivity, representation, and equity.
Norhan Elsaadawy will examine the fundamental question of why people care about the impressions they make on others. Despite the abundant self-help advice to not care what others think, the human need to belong and maintain social bonds means that caring is likely the norm and that in day-to-day life, the average person is motivated to consider what others think of them. Little, however, is known about the underlying function of these meta-perceptual functions and when they come online. Elsaadawy will test a novel framework of the reasons people consider the impressions they make, proposing three functions: to navigate interpersonal relationships, monitor their social status and navigate social hierarchies, and resolve underlying issues about their own identity.
Michael Wohl will investigate how perceptions of defensiveness influence interpersonal interactions. Focusing on how attributions of defensiveness are formed, what factors influence them, and how they affect judgments and behaviours, this project will not only expand existing theories on perception and communication, but could have a wide variety of practical applications, including leadership training, counseling or mediation, and educators, healthcare providers and other organizational leaders seeking to foster clearer communication and stronger relationships.
Congratulations to all!