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| 2. |
- Andersson, Kerstin
(författare)
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Reactions to novelties : Developmental aspects
- 1999
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The present thesis considers different aspects of infants' and children's reactions to novelties, that is, unfamiliar persons, objects, and situations. In Study I, the developmental phenomenon stranger wariness was investigated from a temperamental perspective. Stranger wariness at age 10 months was found to be marginally predicted by 5-month individual variation in reactions to frustration, to sensory stimulation, and to novelties and to be predictive of 2-year social inhibition. These results indicate that 10-month stranger wariness does not only reflect a developmental transition but also an individual disposition to be responsive to social novelties.In line with what has been suggested for the behavioral inhibition construct, Study II showed that 2-year-olds' reactions to social and non-social novelties should be considered as belonging to one construct. Furthermore, the relations within and between latency, negative/inhibited and positive/approaching reactions to social and non-social novelties were found to be very similar, implying that identifying children as uninhibited means that they are disposed not only towards lack of negative/inhibited reactions, but also towards approaching/positive reactions when confronted with novelties. Study III concerned preschool social inhibition in relation to attachment security and social experiences in terms non-parental care. The relative contributions of the three variables to school-age social competence with peers and social self-esteem were also investigated. It was found that attachment security and social inhibition were unrelated to each other and that they made significant independent contributions to the explanation of social competence, whereas social self-esteem was only predicted by preschool social inhibition.
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| 3. |
- Jansson, Anders
(författare)
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Strategies and maladaptive behaviours in complex dynamic decision making
- 1997
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Research on dynamic decision making using so called microworlds has followed two differentapproaches: the German approach of "komplexes Problemlösen" where the central problem has beenseen as that of action control and the dynamic decision making approach, where the central problemhas been seen as that of task control, In this thesis, these approaches are combined in order to seehow people regulate their behaviour so that they can manage to control a complex, opaque anddynamic decision task. The general objective of the thesis is to see how people develop mentalmodels and formulate goals as a function of observability and action possibilities. The results showthat it is not sufficient to give more specific and concrete goals to the subjects. Most subjects fail to reach a satisfactory level of performance anyhow. More important, a number of maladaptivestrategies within many of the subjects seem to be an important determinant for other maladaptivebehaviours and for bad performance. As a consequence, some of the behaviours that previously havebeen regarded as consequences of failure are instead interpreted as consequences of precursors offailure. This conclusion is supported by more empirical evidence, showing that subjects who laterend up with bad performance have received the same kind and amount of information as thosesubjects who end up with better performance. Finally, it is shown that the model enhancementprocess within the subjects is encouraged by experimental instructions that reduce the experiencedopaqueness and complexity of the decision task. Instructions that emphasise a systematic andelaborate procedure affect the experienced opaqueness of the microworld. Instructions that focus ona strategy with goals and plans seem to partly reduce the experienced complexity of the task.
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| 4. |
- Juslin, Patrik N.
(författare)
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A functionalist perspective on emotional communication in music performance
- 1998
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Music is probably the most widely practiced and appreciated of all art forms. One explanation for this may be that music offers a powerful means of emotional communication. Knowledge is scarce in this matter, however, especially when it comes to performance of music. It may be argued that this problem partly stems from a lack of relevant theories. This thesis proposes a theoretical framework, the Functionalist Perspective, that integrates ideas from research on emotions and nonverbal communication with Brunswik's (1956) Probabilistic Functionalism. The usefulness of this approach is illustrated in three studies:Study I showed that professional guitar players were able to play a piece of music so as to communicate specific emotions (i.e., happiness, sadness, anger, fear) to listeners. Acoustical analyses revealed that the performers used a number of probabilistic (i.e., uncertain) but partly redundant cues in the performance to generate the emotional expression.Study II showed that synthesized performances based on the empirical data from Study I yielded predicted judgments of emotional expression from listeners. It was further shown that the listeners used tempo, sound level, articulation, timbre, and tone attacks in their judgments. Linear regression models provided a good fit to listeners' cue utilization.Study III used multiple regression analysis to describe cue utilization of performers and listeners. The two systems were then related by means of the lens model equation. The results showed that (a) about 80% of the variance in listeners' judgments could be explained by the performer's expressive intention, (b) the accuracy of the communication depended mainly on the extent to which the cue weights of the performers matched the cue weights of the listeners, (c) the cue utilization was more consistent across melodies than across performers, and (d) there were cross-modal similarities in code usage between music and vocal expression.It is suggested that music performers may become better at communicating emotions to listeners by comparing their cue utilization, as described by regression models, with optimal models for successful communication based on the cue utilization of listeners. Implications for future research and possible applications for music education are discussed.
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| 5. |
- Kuylenstierna, Jan
(författare)
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Task information and memory aids in the learning of probabilistic inference tasks
- 1998
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A trend in current decision research is a growing recognition of the "contingent" nature of decision making. Decision behavior is not invariant across normatively equivalent tasks and the use of normative, or non-normative strategies is contingent upon the conditions prevalent in the decision situation. An important research task is therefore to determine what these conditions are. The present thesis is concerned with this problem as it manifests itself in the ability to learn in probabilistic inference tasks. A traditional finding in the study of such learning is that people develop strategies which differ in fundamental ways from the statistical regression strategies required for optimal performance. The purpose of the present thesis was to investigate under what conditions people are likely to change this behavior and develop optimal strategies. Specifically, the aim was to assess how learning of optimal strategies was related to (1) information about the statistical nature of the task, (2) information about the appropriate approach to use in such tasks and (3) access to memory aids. This was accomplished in four studies.The results show that information about the statistical nature of the task is not sufficient for optimal learning. It is necessary to also inform about the appropriate approach. Memory aids are not needed to learn the optimal prediction rule but they are needed to fit and use this rule.The results were interpreted to mean that statistical regression is not part of the layman's repertoire of statistical intuitions.
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| 6. |
- Larsson, Sam
(författare)
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Det andra jaget vid manlig transvestism : Ett jagteoretiskt och kognitionspsykologiskt perspektiv : [a self-theoretical and cognitive psychology perspective]
- 1997
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis is a comprehensive examination of cross dressing among men and providesdescriptive information, a review of the literature and some new research data. The theoreticalpart presents a multidimensional model for the analysis of transvestism. Various theoreticalapproaches are analyzed and a self theory based on a cognitive and transpersonal psychologyperspective is successfully elaborated. Transvestism is viewed as a multidetermined phenomena. One important argument in the model is that transvestism can be seen as an expression of a second self or a feminine self. The feminine self is conceptualized as a subsystem of the self.The empirical section of the thesis contains three different studies. The main part focuseson a qualitative in-depth analysis of a group of twelve transvestites from a cross dressing clubin Sweden, This group of transvestites is also compared with a small group of marginaltransvestites and male-to-female transsexuals. The empirical results give a detailed picture ofthe experiential world of the transvestite and the cognitive and affective changes associatedwith cross dressing. The results confirm previous findings that male transvestism can be seenas an expression of a second self or a feminine self and that cross dressing follows a dynamicpattern from an early "fetishistic stage" to a later "gender identity stage".The second part of the empirical study contains a comparison between treated and untreated male cross-dressers. This comparison was based on an interview study with 92 male members of a cross dressing club in Sweden. Multiple comparisons showed many similarities between the two groups. However, those in the treated group were more often unmarried or divorced, had experienced more difficulties functioning in the male gender role and also seemed to have a more intense identification with the feminine self.The third part of the empirical section reviews the findings from a study of 50 wives andlong-term partners of transvestites in Sweden. The results show both positive, neutral andnegative attitudes in various degrees towards cross dressing and both positive and negativefactors in marriage attributed to transvestism.
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| 7. |
- Rimmö, Per-Arne
(författare)
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Modelling self-reported aberrant driving behaviour
- 1999
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The highly complex behaviour involved in driving a vehicle may be viewed as a form of action control in a potentially hazardous traffic system. Behavioural adaptation to the traffic system is imperfect, as is sometimes reflected in mishaps and road traffic accidents. Although most erroneous actions caused by a driver are recovered, a driver error may, under unlucky circumstances, result in an accident. Most erroneous actions by a driver are perfectly natural components in action control. However, errors may also appear as deviations from correct actions because of biases in the cognitive and perceptual systems. The present thesis suggests that investigation of the latter type of error affords a greater understanding of driving behaviour. The feasibility of modelling self-reported everyday aberrant driving behaviour was clearly demonstrated in three studies. Four types of aberration were identified: violations (e.g., exceeding the speed limit), mistakes (e.g., misjudgement of the gapwhen overtaking), inattention errors (e.g., failure to observe traffic signs and signals), and inexperience errors (e.g., preparing to reverse while using a forward gear). Male drivers, especially young males, were more prone than women drivers in violating formal and informal traffic rules. Moreover, young drivers experienced more mistakes than older drivers. In contrast, older drivers suffered from inattention errors. Finally, women made more inexperience errors than men. A model comprising these four types of error was shown to be an approximate fit relative to the age and gender of the driver. In the third study the concept of sensation seeking, the preference for risk-taking experiences, and aberrant driving behaviour were investigated in young drivers. Violations, mistakes, and sensation seeking were found to be valid, direct or indirect, predictors of self-reported apprehensionfor traffic offences and accident involvement. It is postulated that the approach taken in the present thesis, to model aberrant driving behaviour, provides an overview of various aberrant driving behaviours prevalent at different stages in the individual's lifetime, behaviours that may be important precursors of traffic offences and accident involvement.
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| 8. |
- Servin, Anna
(författare)
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Sex differences in children's play behavior : A biological construction of gender?
- 1999
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The present thesis addressed the question of what causes sex differences in children's play behavior.In Study I, it was found that mothers have rather sex-stereotyped expectations for how their 1- and 3-year-old children will behave at the age of five, as regards sex-typed activities. The parents' wishes, however, were less stereotyped, even if they differed significantly depending on the sex of the child. In Study II, where girls and boys at 1, 3, and 5 years of age were studied, and Study III, where girls and boys at 6, 9, 12 months of age were studied, in two different structured play situations, sex differences in toy play were observable already at the age of 12 months. In Study IV, the play behavior of girls affected by congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAB) was studied. Their play was compared with that of non-affected girls. A clear dose-response relationship was found between prenatal androgen levels (genotype) and toy preferences. Parents' participation did not affect the children's play; A questionnaire showed that although parents of girls with CAH expected and described more masculine interests, their wishes were not different from those of parents of non-affected girls.The results are discussed in terms of how biology can affect such specific behaviors as toy play. It is suggested that evolution has provided the biological base for the observed sex differences, and probably for general sex differences between girls and boys, and women and men.
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| 9. |
- Stenberg, Gunilla
(författare)
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Social referencing in infancy
- 1998
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In a social referencing process, the infant uses interpretative information displayed by another person, often the infant's parent, to help determine how to handle novel events, persons, and objects. The prime aim of Study I was to examine natural infant-mother interaction behaviors in terms of social referencing, when 10-month-old infants encountered a stranger. Antecedents to infant and maternal behavior were sought in early maternal sensitivity and infant irritability. Infants, whose mothers had responded positively to their infant's referencing looks, showed positive responses to the stranger to a higher degree than infants who did not reference or who were not responded to. Infants who failed to reference had experienced less sensitive mothering 6 months earlier and had shown more irritability.In Study II, social referencing and mood modification, a counterhypotheses to the social referencing predictions, were contrasted by looking for specificity in infant responses following different types of affective messages. A specific, vocally and facially delivered message about the toy directed the 12-month-old infants' behavior toward the toy exclusively (social referencing). The effects of a general message conveyed through the facial channel alone, were demonstrated in the infant`s overall activity level (mood modification). lt was concluded that vocal signals are important components in a social referencing message in order to regulate infant behavior in a certain direction.Effects of maternal inattentiveness on infant responses to an uncertainty-provoking toy were examined. When mother did not provide guidance about the toy, the infants referenced another adult. When left alone with mother, infants referenced mother to a higher degree than infants who had received information, and also used behaviors other than looking to elicit guidance. Effects of failure to receive information were shown in infant avoidance of the toy and in decreased activity level. The results were discussed in terms of social referencing and attachment.The findings suggest that infant social referencing should be studied within a developmental perspective, which takes into account individual differences in infant temperamental characteristics as well as variations in caregiver sensitivity.
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| 10. |
- von Hofsten, Claes, et al.
(författare)
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Predictive action in infancy : tracking and reaching for moving objects
- 1998
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Ingår i: Cognition. - : Elsevier. - 0010-0277 .- 1873-7838. ; 67:3, s. 255-285
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Because action plans must anticipate the states of the world which will be obtained when the actions take place, effective actions depend on predictions. The present experiments begin to explore the principles underlying early-developing predictions of object motion, by focusing on 6-month-old infants' head tracking and reaching for moving objects. Infants were presented with an object that moved into reaching space on four trajectories: two linear trajectories that intersected at the center of a display and two trajectories containing a sudden turn at the point of intersection. In two studies, infants' tracking and reaching provided evidence for an extrapolation of the object motion on linear paths, in accord with the principle of inertia. This tendency was remarkably resistant to counter-evidence, for it was observed even after repeated presentations of an object that violated the principle of inertia by spontaneously stopping and then moving in a new direction. In contrast to the present findings, infants fail to extrapolate linear object motion in preferential looking experiments, suggesting that early-developing knowledge of object motion, like mature knowledge, is embedded in multiple systems of representation.
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