| 1. |
- Ljung Aust, Mikael, 1973
(författare)
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Developing Theoretical and Empirical Definitions of Safety Problems in Driving Suitable for Active Safety Function Evaluation
- 2009
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In passive safety, the requirement specifications used for evaluation of protective functions are both standardised and specified at a high level of detail regarding evaluation scenario definition, performance metrics and pass/fail criteria. For active safety, while several propositions for evaluation scenarios have been made, neither these, nor performance metrics and pass/fail criteria have yet reached a similar level of detail and standardisation. The objective of this thesis is to address two underlying reasons for this difference. One is theoretical in nature. On a general level, a set of principles and concepts which capture the fundamental ideas of a field of science can be called a conceptual framework. For active safety function evaluation, such a framework is currently lacking. To address this issue, a conceptual framework called Situational control was developed. The framework integrates fundamental ideas relevant for active safety function evaluation into a holistic and practically applicable picture. Its applicability was demonstrated by applying it in the context of writing and implementing requirement specifications for active safety function evaluation.The second reason is of empirical character. To evaluate the extent to which active safety functions prevent and/or mitigate crashes, it is essential to characterize the sequence of events which leads to collisions in a way which includes information on causal factors. To do this, data from official databases (macroscopic data), and in-depth case studies is often used. Macroscopic data is usually statistically representative but has limited information on why crashes happen, while the opposite is true of case studies. Using the two in combination would therefore seem ideal. However, the principles for connecting them are far from clear and current approaches suffer inherent weaknesses. To address this issue, a generalization methodology which links information in case studies to macroscopic crash types, in a way which covers not only context but also causation similarity, was developed. The feasibility of the methodology was tested through application on three sets of intersection crash data. Results indicate that the methodology was sufficiently successful to warrant further exploration with larger data sets.
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| 2. |
- Jensen, Mikael, 1969
(författare)
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Lärande och låtsaslek - ett kognitionsvetenskapligt utvecklingsperspektiv
- 2007
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Denna licentiatuppsats är en tvärvetenskaplig undersökning kring lärandets relation till låtsaslek. Ur ett kognitionsvetenskapligt perspektiv är förmågan att låtsas något av en gåta. Därför är det särskilt intressant att undersöka hur barnet kan nå denna förmåga. Sker det genom lärande? Resulterar låtsasleken i något lärande? Fyller låtsasleken någon avgörande funktion för barnets framtid som kulturell medlem? Detta är de frågor som driver undersökningen. Forskningsprocessen vilar i grunden på tidigare forskningsresultat inom kognitionsvetenskap eller fält som är direkt relevanta för kognitionsforskning. Uppsatsen innehåller också ny empiri som används i två specifika syften: (1) att exemplifiera och förtydliga de teoretiska resonemangen, (2) att visa på förekomsten av visst lärande och viss låtsaslek från autentiska lekmiljöer. Den empiriska studien är utförd som deltagande observationer vid fyra förskoleavdelningar. Barnen i studien var från 20 månader gamla till drygt sex år. De resultat som denna uppsats särskilt bidrar med består i att skapa en teori som integrerar kognition, emotion och kommunikation. Därtill handlar det om tre särskilda perspektiv på lärande och låtsaslek: (1) Människan är utrustad med fem regulatorer som (a) märker av den emotionella statusen i närmiljön; om hot förekommer saknas förutsättningar för lek, (b) reglerar individens uppmärksamhet; vid låtsassituationer behöver individen vara särskilt uppmärksam på små skillnader, (c) transformerar andras handlingar till egna handlingar genom ett spegelsystem som möjliggör imitation, (d) bidrar till lärande av kulturella normer och regler, (e) förhindrar vissa kulturellt oacceptabla handlingar. (2) Människan tar del i sociala aktiviteter och låtsasleken kan ses som en sådan. Låtsasleken som en social aktivitet bygger på kommunikation av två specifika slag: (a) lekhandlingar som är innehållet i leken; varje handling för leken framåt, (b) leksignaler som hela tiden påminner deltagarna om vilken typ av social aktivitet det rör sig om. Ibland kan lekhandling och leksignal sammanfalla men det kräver inte metakommunikation som andra lekforskare har föreslagit. (3) Genom att betrakta lärande och lek som transfer blir det tydligt vad barnet behöver lära sig för att kunna låtsasleka. Det blir också tydligt vad i leken som utgör ett lärande för framtida situationer. Ett sätt att kunna utföra transfer till och från leken är att lära sig särskilda principer. Åtta sådana föreslås och särskilt en princip, principen om funktionell frihet är sammanflätad med leken och lekutvecklingen. Att utveckla principen om funktionell frihet innebär för barnet att det bättre kan förstå den kultur i vilken det växer upp. Vad som föreslås i denna uppsats är att låtsasleken bidrar till kulturellt lärande och att leken har en potential att utveckla kulturen på sikt.
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| 3. |
- Mäkivierikko, Aram
(författare)
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A Needs-Based Approach towards Fostering Long-term Engagement with Energy Feedback among Local Residents
- 2019
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In order to reach the current climate goals, energy consumption needs to decrease in all sectors, including households, which produce 20% of the European emissions. However, it is difficult to increase residents’ engagement in their household electricity consumption as it is an ‘invisible’ form of energy, the monetary incentives are often too small and environmental incentives are not very effective. Building on the idea that an engagement mechanism should be based on user needs, and recent research showing that social influence can be an effective way to affect consumption behaviour, this thesis examines the potential of a neighbourhood-based digital local social network providing feedback on household electricity consumption as an engagement solution. By helping neighbours to know each other better, such a network could meet the basic human need of belonging to a group, while also taking advantage of the social influence between neighbours to increase the effectiveness of the energy feedback provided.This thesis sought to: 1) Identify needs of residents that could be served by a local social network and explore whether such a network could provide a beneficial context for energy feedback; 2) identify and evaluate a set of design principles for energy feedback and use them to propose a prototype feedback design suitable for use in a local social network; and 3) design and implement a baseline study for measuring changes in aspects of social and environmental sustainability in a neighbourhood that introduction of a local social network can achieve, such as social cohesion, trust, safety, and energy attitudes and behaviour.In order to achieve these objectives, the Research Through Design methodology was used. This resulted in mixed methods research using quantitative (household survey) and qualitative (focus group interviews, stakeholder consultation workshop) methods. The research was conducted in two eco-districts in Stockholm, Sweden: Hammarby Sjöstad and Stockholm Royal Seaport.Regarding the first objective, results from the household survey indicated a need for increased interaction between neighbours in Stockholm Royal Seaport, while the focus group discussions revealed local communication needs that a local social network could meet. However, the possibility to use social influence between neighbours in increasing the intention to save energy was shown to be rather weak, possibly because of the current low level of connection between neighbours. Regarding the second objective, a set of design principles was identified using a literature study. They were used to create a design prototype of energy feedback that was presented to potential end-users in a stakeholder consultation workshop and then refined using suggestions given in the workshop. The workshop indicated support for many of the design principles as they were indirectly mentioned in the discussions. The design principle of fair feedback was further explored, suggesting use of typical household consumption as part of a fair comparison metric and when setting reduction goals.Regarding the third objective, an evaluation method with baseline survey and follow-up surveys was suggested. The household survey served as a baseline for measuring social and environmental sustainability aspects in a neighbourhood. Further research is needed on the effectiveness of a local social network as an engagement mechanism for energy feedback.
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| 4. |
- Wallin, Are, 1978
(författare)
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Factors influencing actors at the interface between the socio-technical and the ecological systems: The case of on-site sewage systems and eutrophication
- 2012
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Eutrophication, caused by nutrient loading, is a global environmental problem, particularly severe for the Baltic Sea. Long-term solutions rely on the ability of society to respond effectively. This involves, for example, instigating actors who have the capability to directly influence nutrient loads to take action. In Sweden, one of the substantial sources of nutrients is on-site sewage systems (OSS), that is, wastewater treatment systems for one or a few households. The aim of this thesis is to increase the knowledge about factors influencing actors that directly and indirectly influence nutrient loads from Swedish OSS by (1) Identify factors influencing homeowners’ to change OSS, and (2) Investigate the relative strength of these factors. Semi-structured interviews with homeowners and authority inspectors were used to elicit tentative conceptualizations of influencing factors. The results together with literature on pro-environmental and compliance behavior were used in the construction of a questionnaire, directed at Swedish homeowners with OSS. The analysis involved statistical methods, including principal components analysis to identify underlying motivational factors, and regression analysis to investigate the relative strength of these factors, while controlling for government and authority interventions.The result shows that authority interventions are needed to make homeowners change OSS. Informal means, such as information, will not likely lead to a large-scale transformation of OSS. They may, however, be effective in combination with more deterrent means of regulatory enforcement, such as injunctions. Such interventions are needed because of the high costs and no, or very low, benefits of changing OSS from the homeowner point of view. Furthermore, the awareness about the need to change OSS from an environmental point of view seems to be low. In this situation, homeowners are most inclined to defend their self-interest and do not act based on environmental concerns. Homeowners are more inclined to change OSS under the condition that other homeowners are cooperating.
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| 5. |
- Andersson, David, 1979
(författare)
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What characterizes persons with high and low GHG emissions? Lifestyles, well-being and values among Swedish households
- 2014
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions need to be reduced to around a third of the current level before 2050 and approach zero at the end of the century if we are likely to reach the twodegree target. Sweden has sometimes been promoted as a model for the transition towards sustainable emission levels, with reductions of 20 percent between 1990 and 2012, but when embedded emissions from imported goods are accounted for (and exports are excluded) the development instead show an increase by at least 15 percent between 1993 and 2010. The efficiency improvements have been more that counterbalanced by increasing consumption levels. Hence a successful fulfillment of the two-degree climate target probably requires action that goes beyond eco-efficiency, by also considering lifestyles and consumption patterns. In this thesis we have combined different theoretical approaches to analyze individuals’ conditions, lifestyles, well-being and values with respect to their GHG emissions. The first paper analyzes which factors are important to determine individuals’ GHG emissions. Socio-economic, physical and motivational factors are often considered in separate academic disciplines, and our aim is to provide a better understanding of their absolute and relative importance to households’ GHG emissions. We found that net income was the most important variable to explain variance in GHG emissions, followed by the physical variables dwelling type and geographical distances to work and other functions. Motivational factors such as pro-environmental attitudes and norms also affected GHG emissions but to a lesser extent, but some considerations limit the generalizability of these results. The second paper examines the relationship between individuals’ subjective well-being and GHG emissions from consumption. Our results suggest that there is no strong correlation between overall GHG emissions and subjective well-being, and that GHG intensive activities have a low importance for subjective well-being, when compared to social factors such as spending time with friends and family, having a job and being healthy. We also analyze certain behaviors and underlying factors that have been proposed to imply double dividends, and find some tentative confirmation that materialism is related to both lower subjective wellbeing and higher GHG emissions. In the third paper we continue the analysis of materialists’ consumption related GHG emissions, and their concern for the environment. We find no difference between materialists and others with respect to their concern for the environment, but the materialist group emits about 1 ton more GHG emissions per capita and year than the non-materialist group. Somewhat surprisingly, air travel accounts for around two thirds of this difference. Taken together with other results presented in the paper, it seems materialists’ concern for increased status is not specifically expressed through the acquisition of material possessions, and we question the established definition of materialism.
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| 6. |
- Feng, Qi, 1961-
(författare)
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Predictive action in infancy : Evidence of early prospective behavior
- 2009
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- How do young infants understand and act on their constantly changing environment? An action perspective on motor development was taken into account. The present thesis investigated perception guided predictive action in 6-month-old infants, namely, head tracking and reaching for an object moving on a pre-defined trajectory, linear or nonlinear, fully visible or partially occluded. The motion trials were presented in a randomized order or in a way by using an ABBA block design. Study I of this thesis began with the exploration of the principles underlying infant predictive action. Infants were presented a fully visible moving object on four trajectories: two linear trajectories that intersected at the center of a display and two non-linear trajectories that contained a sudden turn at the point of intersection. The results supplied evidence that both infants’ head tracking and reaching showed an extrapolation of the object’s motion on linear paths, which was described by the principle of inertia. No learning effect was found in spite of repeated fully visible trials. Previous experiments reported that infants of similar age showed a reduction in reaching when object motion was occluded briefly. Thus Study II was undertaken, in part, to evaluate whether differences in the tasks resented to infants or differences in the visibility of the objects account for these findings. This was done by investigating infants’ predictive head tracking of an object following the procedure presented in Study I with only one exception: object motion was partially occluded by a small occluder positioned on the motion trajectory. Study II also raised a second question concerning infants’ ability to learn to anticipate upcoming object motions. It was found that infants were able to quickly learn to anticipate either linear or nonlinear motion but with a superior learning effect from linear motion. This pattern suggested a tendency to anticipate the upcoming motion in accord with inertia. Although a capacity to anticipate occluded object motion in accord with inertia was present, it was weak, as infants’ initial reaction to the occluded object motion revealed no such tendency. Learning in all cases was associated with the trajectory of the object, not the specific locations at which the object appeared. It was suggested that infants might form object representations that are influenced by learning and that are just weakly biased toward inertia extrapolation. This finding supported the claims that occlusion reduces the presentation of object representation, as suggested by single system of object representation theory.
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| 7. |
- Gurdal, Sevtap, 1976-
(författare)
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Parenting Across Cultures : Parental attributions, attitudes and behaviour
- 2013
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Previously studies in parenting have mainly been conducted in Western countries. Not uncommonly results from such studies are used to describe general, worldwide trends. In an attempt to make the field of parenting research more culturally heterogeneous, an international research project, Parenting Across Cultures, was started. The project includes nine participant countries (China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and USA) and its purpose is to examine parenting across cultures. This thesis is based on reports from parent participants. The aim of Study I was to investigate mothers’ and fathers’ (77 participants from each group) attributions and attitudes in Sweden. The results revealed that Swedish parents are more polarized in their attitudes than in their attributions, they think more alike for parenting attitudes and there was greater variability for parenting attributions, particularly regarding uncontrollable success, as opposed to attributions regarding adult- or child-controlled failure. Regarding attitudes, mothers and fathers reported more progressive than authoritarian attitudes. Fathers reported higher adult-controlled failure and child-controlled failure attributions than mothers. In Study II the aim was to assess whether mothers’ and fathers’ self-reports of acceptance-rejection, warmth, and hostility/rejection/neglect of their children differ in the nine countries. A total of 1996 parents (998 mothers and 998 fathers) participated in the study. Mothers and fathers reported high acceptance and warmth and low rejection and hostility/rejection/neglect (HRN) of their children in all nine countries. Despite the overwhelmingly high levels of acceptance and low levels of rejection across all countries, and despite our use of statistical controls for parental age, education, social desirability, and child age, some systematic differences between countries emerged. In summary, parents in the studies report higher similarity about parenting in some cases, for example concerning acceptance and warmth and hostility/rejection/neglect, but lower in others, such as the Swedish parents’ reports about attributions.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Lättman, Katrin, 1977-
(författare)
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Perceived Accessibility : Capturing the Traveller Perspective
- 2016
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The main purpose of this thesis is introducing and proposing perceived accessibility as an important and so far overseen complement to conventional, objective accessibility in sustainable transport. Perceived accessibility is defined as the possibilities and ease of engaging in preferred activities using different transport modes. Implications for sustainable transport planning along with possible social outcomes related to perceived accessibility are also discussed. The thesis comprises two empirical studies. In Study I a psychometric measure (PAC) that captures perceived accessibility was developed and validated in three different datasets by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. All data was collected in Karlstad, Sweden in 2013 and 2014 with a total of 750 participants (bus travelers). Perceived accessibility is suggested as a complement to objective accessibility by contributing with the traveler perspective. Study II aimed at examining determinants of perceived accessibility focusing on service quality aspects, feelings of safety, age, and trip frequency. Study II used the same data as Study I in a conditional process model to look at the relations between perceived accessibility and its proposed determinants. Service quality and feelings of safety were found important predictors of perceived accessibility, and safety also explains part of the effect of quality on perceived accessibility. These relationships were not dependent on trip frequency (as in how often one travels by public transport). Age also predicted perceived accessibility, and a follow-up cluster analysis showed that elderly and people in their thirties experience significantly lower perceived accessibility than other age groups.
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| 10. |
- Viktorelius, Martin, 1987
(författare)
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The social organization of energy efficiency in shipping: a practice-based study
- 2017
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The central research question explored in this study is how energy efficiency is organized onboard large merchant ships. The dominant techno-economical approach within energy research and policy, in general, and shipping research and policy, in particular, is reviewed and criticized as being too limited for understanding the challenges and opportunities related to the organization and management of energy efficiency in shipping companies. The failure, it is suggested, of previous research and policy, is associated with the lack of analysis and attention to how the organization of energy efficiency onboard ships is enacted by crew members acting in particular socio-material contexts. The primary aim of this study was to initiate the development of a practice-theoretical understanding of the organization and management of energy onboard ships. An ethnographic study onboard five ships operated by one of the largest ferry companies in the world was conducted in order to explore the social practices of the work associated with ship operation. Three topics were identified and explored: (i) the non-use of energy performance monitoring technology as a result of misalignments in practice, (ii) the role of situated and embodied knowledge for energy efficient navigation and voyage execution, and (iii) the contradictory structure of energy practice leading to reduced energy efficiency. It is concluded that formal energy management systems are insufficient in developing crew members’ know-how, skill and practice associated with energy efficient ship operation. The findings have implications for policy and energy management within shipping companies, as well as other industries, and for training and education of managers and employees. It is recommended that shipping companies should focus more on local capacity building and collaboration among crew members as a means of improving the energy efficiency of ship operation.
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