Master Theses & Projects
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Acknowledging offender trauma at intake: a qualitative thematic analysis of Canadian correctional policy
(2023-08-01)Trauma has seldom been discussed in the literature in relation to incarceration. The research that does exist has tended to be gendered, focusing predominantly on the trauma experiences of female offenders. The current ... -
Silenced by the surname?: South Asian parents’ perceptions of child sexual abuse disclosure and recantation
(2023-08-01)Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a serious public health concern affecting millions. Identifying such abuse typically requires disclosure from victims—a challenging task considering potential social, familial, and ethnic barriers ... -
Dual-task interference and its influence on deception detection and memory
(2023-08-01)Using a dual-task paradigm, I examined how engaging in executive function tasks impacted deception detection and memory performance. University students (N = 185) were randomly assigned to detect deception while also ... -
Mapping the developmental trajectories of chronic offenders in Canada
(2023-07-01)The current study analyzed convicted chronic offenders that were charged with at least two offences in the region of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, between 2006 and 2019 (N = 11,426) in order to investigate the relationship ... -
Carrying the burden: a study on the reported experiences and the lifelong impact of growing up with a serial killer parent
(2023-08-01)This thesis explores the experiences of the offspring of serial killers and how they were impacted by their parent's crimes. The study employed a thematic analysis of six subjects who wrote biographies detailing their ... -
Are we where we should be? Assessing investigative interviewing practices and training of officers in the Force Criminal Investigation Department of the Nigeria Police Force
(2023-06-01)In the criminal justice system, investigative interviewing is crucial for getting information that helps law enforcement agencies resolve cases. While there is a relative wealth of scholarly studies on investigative ... -
Squeegee Punks reunite: safe streets for all: an insider qualitative study
(2023-06-01)Squeegee Punks were a fixture on many busy street corners in urban cities in Canada in the mid to late 1990s. During the height of the squeegee kid phenomenon, multiple studies were conducted on how squeegee work impacted ... -
Promoting self-determination amongst youth in conflict with the law: are advocates doing their part?
(2023-01-01)This thesis used data from eleven advocacy reports published between 1998-2017 in the province of Ontario. The reports ranged from specific youth facilities such as the Roy McMurtry and Hamilton Wentworth centers to reports ... -
Easy skins, easy life: a chronological case study of loot boxes and transferable cosmetic items in the video game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
(2022-12-01)Video game publishers have continually developed novel methods of maximizing revenues from video game titles. Modern gaming customarily involves paid downloadable content that further monetizes a base game. Loot boxes, ... -
#RodneyReed: a content and thematic analysis of a trending innocence campaign
(2022-12-01)Having spent 23 years (and counting) on death row for a murder conviction which is believed to be wrongful, Rodney Reed’s innocence campaign was shared on social media by celebrities, news organizations, and the public ... -
Parents’ perceptions of their children’s lie telling in the context of sibling relationships
(2021-08-01)Familial influences on children’s deception are understudied. This thesis examined children’s lie telling in the context of sibling relationships by surveying parents on the types of lies told by children in the sibling ... -
Impact of terrorism awareness training on civilian likelihood to report pre-incident behaviours
(2020-08-01)This study investigated whether terrorism awareness training impacts the likelihood to report pre-incident behaviours associated with terrorism using infographics from the U.S. “See Something, Say Something” campaign. ... -
Gendered pathways: family violence as a primary pathway into homelessness for women
(2022-08-01)This thesis analyzes secondary data from a study done on 30 homeless men and women in a region in Southern Ontario to assess the gendering of homeless pathways between each group. Qualitative and quantitative methods were ... -
Perceptions of police use of force: the role of context-specific factors, police legitimacy, and belief in a just world
(2022-09-01)This thesis explores various factors that could explain variations in how acceptable police use of force is perceived to be among a Canadian sample. Four text-based vignettes depicting a police use of force encounter were ... -
“Taking a chance and striking out”: an exploration of homelessness, housing pathways, and ‘self-sabotage’
(2022-08-01)Homelessness remains a prevalent social issue in Canada, though limited research has sought to explore the process of transitioning from homelessness to housing. Exits from homelessness are rarely straightforward and are ... -
Connecting neoliberal ideology and incel ideology
(2022-08-01)Incels are an online transgressive subculture holding misogynistic views of women, including the belief that women unfairly refuse them sex. While there have been few heinous physical attacks by individuals self-identifying ... -
The impact of thin(ner) slicing on deception detection
(2022-08-01)I examined whether the length of thin slices (i.e., observations of behavior less than five minutes) affected deception detection. Participants (N = 262) were randomly assigned to one of seven exposure length conditions ... -
Mock jurors’ perceptions of children testifying via a language interpreter
(2022-08-01)Language interpreters will increasingly be used in our globalized world. However, their impact on fact finders' perceptions is yet to be understood. The current research examined adults' perceptions of youth testifying via ... -
Individuals’ empathic responses to exonerees’ emotional and physical suffering
(2022-06-01)In exploring avenues to combat the stigma exonerees experience, a study was conducted to examine whether exposure to an exoneree’s suffering increases empathy and helping, and whether different empathic responses (e.g., ... -
The effects of rapport building on information disclosure in virtual interviews
(University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2022-06-01)Rapport-building has been identified as an effective tool when interviewing victims and witnesses of events that may be sensitive in nature. The objective of this study was to examine the rapport-building process within a ...