Browsing by Author "Kahn, Lauren"

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    Boredom and the Need for Agency
    (University of Oregon, 2018-09-06) Kahn, Lauren; Berkman, Elliot
    Humans are highly motivated to avoid boredom. What is the functional role of boredom, and why is it so aversive? An empirical study tested the hypothesis that a need for agency, or control over one’s actions and their effects, plays a role in our avoidance of boredom. The study also explored the role of an individual difference called experiential avoidance, which captures the tendency to avoid negative internal experiences, sometimes via problematic behaviors. Results were integrated with current clinical techniques that use mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches to address such avoidance of internal experiences. In the study, one hundred twenty-three adults completed a series of computer tasks in which their sense of agency was manipulated. After being oriented to high and medium levels of agency, participants completed a series of 30-second low agency trials in which they had the opportunity to escape to high or medium agency, at a cost. The amount of money they were willing to forego indicated their motivation to avoid low agency, or “need for agency.” After a break, they were then asked to complete a series of 30-second trials in which they did nothing, but again had the option to escape to high or medium agency at a cost. The amount of money they were willing to forego in this task indicated their motivation to avoid doing nothing, or “need for action.” Results demonstrated that on average, people were willing to give up money to avoid both low agency and to avoid a boring situation (doing nothing). Furthermore, their motivation to avoid boredom indeed was driven by the extent to which they felt that doing nothing afforded them a low sense of agency. Finally, those who were higher in experiential avoidance demonstrated a higher need for agency and action, and those lower in mindfulness demonstrated a higher need for agency. These results demonstrate that the motivation to avoid boredom may be rooted in a need for agency, and that acceptance- based clinical approaches may have success addressing this avoidance and the problematic behaviors that follow.
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    Can't We Just Be Who We Are? The Experiences, Identity, and Beliefs of Adolescents with Disabilities Who Identify as a Sexual or Gender Minority
    (University of Oregon, 2014-09-29) Kahn, Lauren; Lindstrom, Lauren
    The purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of adolescents with disabilities who identify as a sexual or gender minority within four ecological domains of self, school, family, and community and of how those experiences shape identity, sense of self, and beliefs about the future. Using in-depth semi-structured interviews, this research was conducted with an intersectionality framework that examined how the intersection of markers of difference inform individual reality and lived experiences for young adults with disabilities who identify as a sexual or gender minority. The sample included eight adolescents in high school across the state of Oregon who had a 504 plan or an Individualized Education Program and identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, or queer. A multiple-phase data analysis led to in-depth descriptions of each individual's experiences as well as consistent cross-case themes. Key themes in the individual context included: identity development, positive beliefs about identity, navigation of identity labels, strategies for facing discrimination, and relationships. Experiences in the home context that shaped identity focused on the key areas of support, rejection, and religion. Concerning the school social context, the themes that emerged were the overlap of queerness and disability in the schools, Gay Straight Alliances and extracurricular clubs, and desired staff characteristics for an adult ally in school. No consistent themes were identified in the community domain. These findings contributed to the participants' descriptions of their beliefs about the future, focusing on independent living, postsecondary education, and employment. Analysis extends the limited research available for this subgroup, shedding a light on the importance of inclusive research. In addition, findings support implications for changes in how we work with students with disabilities who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning, queer, transgender, or intersex as well as how we train and support our teachers to work with all students and engage in anti-discriminatory practices.