Theory-of-Mind Continuum Model: Why Mind Matters in Philosophy, Psychology and Education

Theory-of-Mind has been defined as the ability to explain and predict human behaviour by imputing mental states, such as attention, intention, desire, emotion, perception and belief, to the self and others (Astington & Barriault, 2001). Theory-of-Mind study began with Piaget and continued through a tradition of meta-cognitive research projects (Flavell, 2004). A study by Baron-Cohen, Leslie and Frith (1985) of Theory-of-Mind abilities in atypically developing children reported major difficulties experienced by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in imputing mental states to others. Since then, a wide range of follow-up research has been conducted to confirm these results. Traditional Theory-of-Mind research on ASD has been based on an either-or assumption that Theory-of-Mind is something one either possesses or does not. However, this approach fails to take account of how the ASD population themselves experience Theory-of-Mind. This paper suggests an alternative approach, Theory-of-Mind continuum model, to understand the Theory-of-Mind experience of people with ASD. The Theory-of-Mind continuum model will be developed through a comparison of subjective and objective aspects of mind, and phenomenal and psychological concepts of mind. This paper will demonstrate the importance of balancing qualitative and quantitative research methods in investigating the minds of people with ASD. It will enrich our theoretical understanding of Theory-of-Mind, as well as contain methodological implications for further studies in Theory-of-Mind

Technological Change and Nursing: A Labour Process Theory Approach to the Shaping of Nursing Work

Technology and Nursing Practice explains and critically engages with the practice implications of technology for nursing. It takes a broad view of technology, covering not only health informatics, but also 'tele-nursing' and the use of equipment in clinical practice.

Predicting adolescents’ use of social networking sites from an extended theory of planned behaviour perspective

The popularity of social networking sites (SNSs) among adolescents has grown exponentially, with little accompanying research to understand the influences on adolescent engagement with this technology. The current study tested the validity of an extended theory of planned behaviour model (TPB), incorporating the additions of group norm and self-esteem influences, to predict frequent SNS use. Adolescents (N = 160) completed measures assessing the standard TPB constructs of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control (PBC), and intention, as well as group norm and self-esteem. One week later, participants reported their SNS use during the previous week. Support was found for the standard TPB variables of attitude and PBC, as well as group norm, in predicting intentions to use SNS frequently, with intention, in turn, predicting behaviour. These findings provide an understanding of the factors influencing frequent engagement in what is emerging as a primary tool for adolescent socialisation.

Theorizing about board governance of nonprofit organizations : surveying the landscape

Leading scholars on nonprofit governance have urged that future research be more informed by theory in order to promote more rigorous analysis. The aim of this paper is to survey the major theories on board governance, including those based in the disciplines of economics, management, sociology, psychology, politics, history and theology, in order to respond to this challenge. In addition, the relevance of these theories to a critical set of board behaviors - that is, how boards monitor, judge and influence organizational performance - is examined. Gaps in the theoretical literature are identified, and implications for public policy are explored. We conclude that a multi-theory and multi-disciplinary perspective is needed if research on governance of nonprofit organizations is to be complete in scope, rich in content, and relevant.

Quantum Mechanics of Semantic Space

Presentation about information modelling and artificial intelligence, semantic structure, cognitive processing and quantum theory.

Analysis of distrubances in large interconnected power systems

World economies increasingly demand reliable and economical power supply and distribution. To achieve this aim the majority of power systems are becoming interconnected, with several power utilities supplying the one large network. One problem that occurs in a large interconnected power system is the regular occurrence of system disturbances which can result in the creation of intra-area oscillating modes. These modes can be regarded as the transient responses of the power system to excitation, which are generally characterised as decaying sinusoids. For a power system operating ideally these transient responses would ideally would have a “ring-down” time of 10-15 seconds. Sometimes equipment failures disturb the ideal operation of power systems and oscillating modes with ring-down times greater than 15 seconds arise. The larger settling times associated with such “poorly damped” modes cause substantial power flows between generation nodes, resulting in significant physical stresses on the power distribution system. If these modes are not just poorly damped but “negatively damped”, catastrophic failures of the system can occur. To ensure system stability and security of large power systems, the potentially dangerous oscillating modes generated from disturbances (such as equipment failure) must be quickly identified. The power utility must then apply appropriate damping control strategies. In power system monitoring there exist two facets of critical interest. The first is the estimation of modal parameters for a power system in normal, stable, operation. The second is the rapid detection of any substantial changes to this normal, stable operation (because of equipment breakdown for example). Most work to date has concentrated on the first of these two facets, i.e. on modal parameter estimation. Numerous modal parameter estimation techniques have been proposed and implemented, but all have limitations [1-13]. One of the key limitations of all existing parameter estimation methods is the fact that they require very long data records to provide accurate parameter estimates. This is a particularly significant problem after a sudden detrimental change in damping. One simply cannot afford to wait long enough to collect the large amounts of data required for existing parameter estimators. Motivated by this gap in the current body of knowledge and practice, the research reported in this thesis focuses heavily on rapid detection of changes (i.e. on the second facet mentioned above). This thesis reports on a number of new algorithms which can rapidly flag whether or not there has been a detrimental change to a stable operating system. It will be seen that the new algorithms enable sudden modal changes to be detected within quite short time frames (typically about 1 minute), using data from power systems in normal operation. The new methods reported in this thesis are summarised below. The Energy Based Detector (EBD): The rationale for this method is that the modal disturbance energy is greater for lightly damped modes than it is for heavily damped modes (because the latter decay more rapidly). Sudden changes in modal energy, then, imply sudden changes in modal damping. Because the method relies on data from power systems in normal operation, the modal disturbances are random. Accordingly, the disturbance energy is modelled as a random process (with the parameters of the model being determined from the power system under consideration). A threshold is then set based on the statistical model. The energy method is very simple to implement and is computationally efficient. It is, however, only able to determine whether or not a sudden modal deterioration has occurred; it cannot identify which mode has deteriorated. For this reason the method is particularly well suited to smaller interconnected power systems that involve only a single mode. Optimal Individual Mode Detector (OIMD): As discussed in the previous paragraph, the energy detector can only determine whether or not a change has occurred; it cannot flag which mode is responsible for the deterioration. The OIMD seeks to address this shortcoming. It uses optimal detection theory to test for sudden changes in individual modes. In practice, one can have an OIMD operating for all modes within a system, so that changes in any of the modes can be detected. Like the energy detector, the OIMD is based on a statistical model and a subsequently derived threshold test. The Kalman Innovation Detector (KID): This detector is an alternative to the OIMD. Unlike the OIMD, however, it does not explicitly monitor individual modes. Rather it relies on a key property of a Kalman filter, namely that the Kalman innovation (the difference between the estimated and observed outputs) is white as long as the Kalman filter model is valid. A Kalman filter model is set to represent a particular power system. If some event in the power system (such as equipment failure) causes a sudden change to the power system, the Kalman model will no longer be valid and the innovation will no longer be white. Furthermore, if there is a detrimental system change, the innovation spectrum will display strong peaks in the spectrum at frequency locations associated with changes. Hence the innovation spectrum can be monitored to both set-off an “alarm” when a change occurs and to identify which modal frequency has given rise to the change. The threshold for alarming is based on the simple Chi-Squared PDF for a normalised white noise spectrum [14, 15]. While the method can identify the mode which has deteriorated, it does not necessarily indicate whether there has been a frequency or damping change. The PPM discussed next can monitor frequency changes and so can provide some discrimination in this regard. The Polynomial Phase Method (PPM): In [16] the cubic phase (CP) function was introduced as a tool for revealing frequency related spectral changes. This thesis extends the cubic phase function to a generalised class of polynomial phase functions which can reveal frequency related spectral changes in power systems. A statistical analysis of the technique is performed. When applied to power system analysis, the PPM can provide knowledge of sudden shifts in frequency through both the new frequency estimate and the polynomial phase coefficient information. This knowledge can be then cross-referenced with other detection methods to provide improved detection benchmarks.

Reliability analysis with suspended items

Reliability analysis has several important engineering applications. Designers and operators of equipment are often interested in the probability of the equipment operating successfully to a given age - this probability is known as the equipment's reliability at that age. Reliability information is also important to those charged with maintaining an item of equipment, as it enables them to model and evaluate alternative maintenance policies for the equipment. In each case, information on failures and survivals of a typical sample of items is used to estimate the required probabilities as a function of the item's age, this process being one of many applications of the statistical techniques known as distribution fitting. In most engineering applications, the estimation procedure must deal with samples containing survivors (suspensions or censorings); this thesis focuses on several graphical estimation methods that are widely used for analysing such samples. Although these methods have been current for many years, they share a common shortcoming: none of them is continuously sensitive to changes in the ages of the suspensions, and we show that the resulting reliability estimates are therefore more pessimistic than necessary. We use a simple example to show that the existing graphical methods take no account of any service recorded by suspensions beyond their respective previous failures, and that this behaviour is inconsistent with one's intuitive expectations. In the course of this thesis, we demonstrate that the existing methods are only justified under restricted conditions. We present several improved methods and demonstrate that each of them overcomes the problem described above, while reducing to one of the existing methods where this is justified. Each of the improved methods thus provides a realistic set of reliability estimates for general (unrestricted) censored samples. Several related variations on these improved methods are also presented and justified. - i

Tendering ethics : a study of collusive tendering from a marketing perspective

This thesis provides a behavioural perspective to the problem of collusive tendering in the construction market by examining the decision making factors of individuals potentially involved in such agreements using marketing ethics theory and techniques. The findings of a cross disciplinary literature review were synthesised into a model of factors theoretically expected to determine the individual's behavioural intent towards a set of collusive tendering agreements and the means of reaching them. The factors were grouped as internal cognitive (the individuals' value systems) and affective (demographic and psychographic characteristics) as well as external environmental (legal, industrial and organisational codes and norms) and situational (company, market and economic conditions). The model was tested using empirical data collected through a questionnaire survey of estimators employed in the largest Australian construction firms. All forms of explicit collusive tendering agreements were considered as having a prohibitive moral content by the majority of respondents who also clearly differentiated between agreements and discussions of contract terms (which they found to be a moral concern but not prohibitive) or of prices. The comparisons between those of the respondents that would never participate in a collusive agreement and the potential offenders clearly showed two distinctly different groups. The law abiding estimators are less reliant on situational factors, happier and more comfortable in their work environments and they live according to personal value and belief systems. The potential offenders on the other hand are mistrustful of colleagues, feel their values are not respected, put company priorities above principles and none of them is religious or a member of a professional body. The research results indicate that Australian estimators are, overall law abiding and principled and accept the existing codification of collusion as morally defensible and binding. Professional bodies' and organisational codes of conduct as well as personal value and belief systems that guide one's own conduct appear to be deterrents to collusive tendering intent and so are moral comfort and work satisfaction. These observations are potential indicators of areas where intervention and behaviour modification can increase individuals' resistance to collusion.

Multilevel converter structure and control

In recent years, multilevel converters are becoming more popular and attractive than traditional converters in high voltage and high power applications. Multilevel converters are particularly suitable for harmonic reduction in high power applications where semiconductor devices are not able to operate at high switching frequencies or in high voltage applications where multilevel converters reduce the need to connect devices in series to achieve high switch voltage ratings. This thesis investigated two aspects of multilevel converters: structure and control. The first part of this thesis focuses on inductance between a DC supply and inverter components in order to minimise loop inductance, which causes overvoltages and stored energy losses during switching. Three dimensional finite element simulations and experimental tests have been carried out for all sections to verify theoretical developments. The major contributions of this section of the thesis are as follows: The use of a large area thin conductor sheet with a rectangular cross section separated by dielectric sheets (planar busbar) instead of circular cross section wires, contributes to a reduction of the stray inductance. A number of approximate equations exist for calculating the inductance of a rectangular conductor but an assumption was made that the current density was uniform throughout the conductors. This assumption is not valid for an inverter with a point injection of current. A mathematical analysis of a planar bus bar has been performed at low and high frequencies and the inductance and the resistance values between the two points of the planar busbar have been determined. A new physical structure for a voltage source inverter with symmetrical planar bus bar structure called Reduced Layer Planar Bus bar, is proposed in this thesis based on the current point injection theory. This new type of planar busbar minimises the variation in stray inductance for different switching states. The reduced layer planar busbar is a new innovation in planar busbars for high power inverters with minimum separation between busbars, optimum stray inductance and improved thermal performances. This type of the planar busbar is suitable for high power inverters, where the voltage source is supported by several capacitors in parallel in order to provide a low ripple DC voltage during operation. A two layer planar busbar with different materials has been analysed theoretically in order to determine the resistance of bus bars during switching. Increasing the resistance of the planar busbar can gain a damping ratio between stray inductance and capacitance and affects the performance of current loop during switching. The aim of this section is to increase the resistance of the planar bus bar at high frequencies (during switching) and without significantly increasing the planar busbar resistance at low frequency (50 Hz) using the skin effect. This contribution shows a novel structure of busbar suitable for high power applications where high resistance is required at switching times. In multilevel converters there are different loop inductances between busbars and power switches associated with different switching states. The aim of this research is to consider all combinations of the switching states for each multilevel converter topology and identify the loop inductance for each switching state. Results show that the physical layout of the busbars is very important for minimisation of the loop inductance at each switch state. Novel symmetrical busbar structures are proposed for multilevel converters with diode-clamp and flying-capacitor topologies which minimise the worst case in stray inductance for different switching states. Overshoot voltages and thermal problems are considered for each topology to optimise the planar busbar structure. In the second part of the thesis, closed loop current techniques have been investigated for single and three phase multilevel converters. The aims of this section are to investigate and propose suitable current controllers such as hysteresis and predictive techniques for multilevel converters with low harmonic distortion and switching losses. This section of the thesis can be classified into three parts as follows: An optimum space vector modulation technique for a three-phase voltage source inverter based on a minimum-loss strategy is proposed. One of the degrees of freedom for optimisation of the space vector modulation is the selection of the zero vectors in the switching sequence. This new method improves switching transitions per cycle for a given level of distortion as the zero vector does not alternate between each sector. The harmonic spectrum and weighted total harmonic distortion for these strategies are compared and results show up to 7% weighted total harmonic distortion improvement over the previous minimum-loss strategy. The concept of SVM technique is a very convenient representation of a set of three-phase voltages or currents used for current control techniques. A new hysteresis current control technique for a single-phase multilevel converter with flying-capacitor topology is developed. This technique is based on magnitude and time errors to optimise the level change of converter output voltage. This method also considers how to improve unbalanced voltages of capacitors using voltage vectors in order to minimise switching losses. Logic controls require handling a large number of switches and a Programmable Logic Device (PLD) is a natural implementation for state transition description. The simulation and experimental results describe and verify the current control technique for the converter. A novel predictive current control technique is proposed for a three-phase multilevel converter, which controls the capacitors' voltage and load current with minimum current ripple and switching losses. The advantage of this contribution is that the technique can be applied to more voltage levels without significantly changing the control circuit. The three-phase five-level inverter with a pure inductive load has been implemented to track three-phase reference currents using analogue circuits and a programmable logic device.

Theory of radar imaging using time-frequency distribution

The concept of radar was developed for the estimation of the distance (range) and velocity of a target from a receiver. The distance measurement is obtained by measuring the time taken for the transmitted signal to propagate to the target and return to the receiver. The target's velocity is determined by measuring the Doppler induced frequency shift of the returned signal caused by the rate of change of the time- delay from the target. As researchers further developed conventional radar systems it become apparent that additional information was contained in the backscattered signal and that this information could in fact be used to describe the shape of the target itself. It is due to the fact that a target can be considered to be a collection of individual point scatterers, each of which has its own velocity and time- delay. DelayDoppler parameter estimation of each of these point scatterers thus corresponds to a mapping of the target's range and cross range, thus producing an image of the target. Much research has been done in this area since the early radar imaging work of the 1960s. At present there are two main categories into which radar imaging falls. The first of these is related to the case where the backscattered signal is considered to be deterministic. The second is related to the case where the backscattered signal is of a stochastic nature. In both cases the information which describes the target's scattering function is extracted by the use of the ambiguity function, a function which correlates the backscattered signal in time and frequency with the transmitted signal. In practical situations, it is often necessary to have the transmitter and the receiver of the radar system sited at different locations. The problem in these situations is 'that a reference signal must then be present in order to calculate the ambiguity function. This causes an additional problem in that detailed phase information about the transmitted signal is then required at the receiver. It is this latter problem which has led to the investigation of radar imaging using time- frequency distributions. As will be shown in this thesis, the phase information about the transmitted signal can be extracted from the backscattered signal using time- frequency distributions. The principle aim of this thesis was in the development, and subsequent discussion into the theory of radar imaging, using time- frequency distributions. Consideration is first given to the case where the target is diffuse, ie. where the backscattered signal has temporal stationarity and a spatially white power spectral density. The complementary situation is also investigated, ie. where the target is no longer diffuse, but some degree of correlation exists between the time- frequency points. Computer simulations are presented to demonstrate the concepts and theories developed in the thesis. For the proposed radar system to be practically realisable, both the time- frequency distributions and the associated algorithms developed must be able to be implemented in a timely manner. For this reason an optical architecture is proposed. This architecture is specifically designed to obtain the required time and frequency resolution when using laser radar imaging. The complex light amplitude distributions produced by this architecture have been computer simulated using an optical compiler.

The impact of brand and product placements in electronic games

In an environment where it has become increasingly difficult to attract consumer attention, marketers have begun to explore alternative forms of marketing communication. One such form that has emerged is product placement, which has more recently appeared in electronic games. Given changes in media consumption and the growth of the games industry, it is not surprising that games are being exploited as a medium for promotional content. Other market developments are also facilitating and encouraging their use, in terms of both the insertion of brand messages into video games and the creation of brand-centred environments, labelled ‘advergames’. However, while there is much speculation concerning the beneficial outcomes for marketers, there remains a lack of academic work in this area and little empirical evidence of the actual effects of this form of promotion on game players. Only a handful of studies are evident in the literature, which have explored the influence of game placements on consumers. The majority have studied their effect on brand awareness, largely demonstrating that players can recall placed brands. Further, most research conducted to date has focused on computer and online games, but consoles represent the dominant platform for play (Taub, 2004). Finally, advergames have largely been neglected, particularly those in a console format. Widening the gap in the literature is the fact that insufficient academic attention has been given to product placement as a marketing communication strategy overall, and to games in general. The unique nature of the strategy also makes it difficult to apply existing literature to this context. To address a significant need for information in both the academic and business domains, the current research investigates the effects of brand and product placements in video games and advergames on consumer attitude to the brand and corporate image. It was conducted in two stages. Stage one represents a pilot study. It explored the effects of use simulated and peripheral placements in video games on players’ and observers’ attitudinal responses, and whether these are influenced by involvement with a product category or skill level in the game. The ability of gamers to recall placed brands was also examined. A laboratory experiment was employed with a small sample of sixty adult subjects drawn from an Australian east-coast university, some of who were exposed to a console video game on a television set. The major finding of study one is that placements in a video game have no effect on gamers’ attitudes, but they are recalled. For stage two of the research, a field experiment was conducted with a large, random sample of 350 student respondents to investigate the effects on players of brand and product placements in handheld video games and advergames. The constructs of brand attitude and corporate image were again tested, along with several potential confounds. Consistent with the pilot, the results demonstrate that product placement in electronic games has no effect on players’ brand attitudes or corporate image, even when allowing for their involvement with the product category, skill level in the game, or skill level in relation to the medium. Age and gender also have no impact. However, the more interactive a player perceives the game to be, the higher their attitude to the placed brand and corporate image of the brand manufacturer. In other words, when controlling for perceived interactivity, players experienced more favourable attitudes, but the effect was so weak it probably lacks practical significance. It is suggested that this result can be explained by the existence of excitation transfer, rather than any processing of placed brands. The current research provides strong, empirical evidence that brand and product placements in games do not produce strong attitudinal responses. It appears that the nature of the game medium, game playing experience and product placement impose constraints on gamer motivation, opportunity and ability to process these messages, thereby precluding their impact on attitude to the brand and corporate image. Since this is the first study to investigate the ability of video game and advergame placements to facilitate these deeper consumer responses, further research across different contexts is warranted. Nevertheless, the findings have important theoretical and managerial implications. This investigation makes a number of valuable contributions. First, it is relevant to current marketing practice and presents findings that can help guide promotional strategy decisions. It also presents a comprehensive review of the games industry and associated activities in the marketplace, relevant for marketing practitioners. Theoretically, it contributes new knowledge concerning product placement, including how it should be defined, its classification within the existing communications framework, its dimensions and effects. This is extended to include brand-centred entertainment. The thesis also presents the most comprehensive analysis available in the literature of how placements appear in games. In the consumer behaviour discipline, the research builds on theory concerning attitude formation, through application of MacInnis and Jaworski’s (1989) Integrative Attitude Formation Model. With regards to the games literature, the thesis provides a structured framework for the comparison of games with different media types; it advances understanding of the game medium, its characteristics and the game playing experience; and provides insight into console and handheld games specifically, as well as interactive environments generally. This study is the first to test the effects of interactivity in a game environment, and presents a modified scale that can be used as part of future research. Methodologically, it addresses the limitations of prior research through execution of a field experiment and observation with a large sample, making this the largest study of product placement in games available in the literature. Finally, the current thesis offers comprehensive recommendations that will provide structure and direction for future study in this important field.