Browsing by department "Institute of Behavioural Sciences"
Now showing items 61-80 of 670
-
(2016)It has been previously shown that people express disgust at moral transgressions, with both verbal reports and facial expressions. It is also known that the real or imagined presence of an audience can make people more willing to punish perceived wrongdoers and harsher in their judgments of moral violations. The aim of this thesis was to examine whether other people's emotional communication may affect one's moral judgments of speculative dilemma situations, where the killing or harming of another person is motivated by the greater good. Specifically, this thesis aimed to find out if an audience's facial expression affects judgments of moral violations that break a deontological (duty-based) moral rule but are nevertheless utilitarian, ie. the violation can be said to increase aggregate welfare. The hypothesis was that a disgust-signaling facial expression would lead to less utilitarian judgments than a neutral expression. Four data sets from experiments were collected in Finland and in the Netherlands. 117, 124, 124 and 165 people took part in the experiments Three of the experiments were conducted on a computer, and one on a paper form. An established questionnaire of 12 moral dilemma situations was used. In each dilemma, the utilitarian option was also a deontological violation.The participants indicated on a Likert scale I) how acceptable the found the utilitarian option and II) how likely they thought they themselves would act according to this option. Photographs of faces were used as the audience stimulus. Depending on the experimental condition, these faces were either neutral, or expressed disgust or anger. The order of the dilemmas, the photographs and the placing of participants in different experimental conditions was fully randomized. In the fourth experiment, the possible effect of the audience's gender on moral judgments was also examined. In each of the data sets, a main effect of participant gender was observed: males were slightly more utilitarian than females. An anger-signaling audience had no effect discernible from a neutral audience, whereas a disgust-signaling audience led to changes in utilitarian judgment. Additionally, interactions between the emotional audience manipulation and participant and audience gender were observed. Based on these results, it seems that gender and the expression of disgust may have specific roles in audience effects on moral judgment.
-
(2016)The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between autonomic arousal, activation and auditory change detection in musicians and non-musicians, as reflected by the mismatch negativity (MMN) component of event-related potential response and cardiovascular activity measured in heart rate. 20 musicians and 20 non-musicians were included in the study. An oddball paradigm composed of stimuli deviating in three difficulty levels from standard tone in pitch, duration and location was utilized with two conditions of passive listening, which were followed by intermittent active listening tasks. Only pitch and duration deviants were analysed. Musicians exhibited greater MMN amplitudes, shorter MMN latencies and superior behavioral performance evidenced by discrimination accuracy and reaction time. The effects were observed for both pitch and duration deviants. Musicians' resting heart rates were lower during pre-experiment and both pre-task baselines, indicating higher cardiovascular efficiency. Greater task-related heart rate acceleration in active listening was observed in the musician group than in the non-musician group. MMN amplitude to pitch deviants during passive listening tasks correlated positively with behavioral accuracy in active discrimination tasks. Faster heart rate during active listening predicted better task performance in musician group, whereas the effect was opposite in non-musician group. In musician group, higher heart rate increased the task performance more for subjects with smaller MMN amplitudes. These data thus imply that cortically measured preattentive auditory discrimination capacity is reciprocally connected to the arousal dimension of autonomic nervous system's activity and that musical expertise affects this relationship. Results add support to the evidence of musicians' superior auditory change detection capacity measured in event-related potentials and behavioral performance, while providing new insights to the role of psychophysiological arousal in sound processing and other mental tasks.
-
(2016)The purpose of the study was to examine the communication of Finnish anti-immigration politicians, especially their representations of immigrants. Previous studies have shown that the self-named "immigration critics" have played an important part in making stigmatizing and derogatory talk about immigrants seem more acceptable. The theoretical framework of this study was built on Smith's (2007a) model of stigma communication. Stigmatizing messages consist of marks to recognize and categorize people, labels to distinguish people as a separate social entity, cues of responsibility to imply blame, and implications of peril linking people to physical or social dangers. The aim of the study was to find out if these contents can be found in anti-immigration discourse. The data were drawn from six blogs written by True Finn candidates who got elected in 2011 Parliamentary election. The data also contains the Sour Election Manifesto (Nuiva vaalimanifesti) signed by them. The main method in analyzing the data was theory-driven qualitative content analysis. Methods of rhetorical discourse analysis were used as a complementary analysis in reviewing the strategies of this communication. The results show that the strongest mark was affixed to the groups that have the lowest positions in the prevailing ethnic hierarchy. Muslims and people of African origin were marked most strongly, but marking was for most part indirect. The marked were labeled as culturally backward and strongly separated from "us". Responsibility was linked with the immigration itself: it was implied that the labeled people had only left their country in search of an easy life. Prejudice was claimed to be caused by the immigrants' own actions. Presenting the immigrants as both physical and moral threat to the Finnish community was the most dominant stigma message and it was used to justify stigmatization. Immigrants were presented as a homogeneous mass (part of label), but there were also claims that they should be seen and judged only as individuals. This color-blindness makes it possible for the stigmatizers to never actually face their victims, because they are not seen as members of a stigmatized group on an interpersonal level. It is also very hard for the stigmatized to change the stigma in these circumstances. The model of stigma communication proved out to be an effective tool for qualitative interpretation in this context. Further study should investigate the receiving end of these stigma messages, in this case it could mean studying the comments or the readers of political anti-immigration blogs.
-
(2015)Goals. Juvenile delinquency has inspired many different theories on the causes of crime. At this moment, there is enough evidence to believe that there are at least two subgroups of juveniles, with different developmental pathways to criminal involvement. In the field of criminology there has been concern on the pattern of criminal offending which has lead to hypothesis regarding offence specialization versus versatility. Majority of research conducted to this day suggest that juveniles are versatile offenders who engage in all types of criminal or antisocial behaviors. However, the developmental view anticipate different pattern of offending for different subgroups of delinquent youths. This study focuses on individual differences in crime according to Big Five personality traits. The Big Five has been used in several studies of crime and personality and the relationship between them has been well documented. However, little is known how personality traits are related to different types of crime. The purpose of this study is to explore how personality traits are related to different types of crime and furthermore are there differences in offence specialization versus versatility according to personality traits. Methods. This study employs the data from the nationwide survey on youth crime and victimization conducted by the National Research Institute of Legal Policy. A total of 4855 ninth grade students completed a self-report survey questionnaire. The BFI-S (Big Five inventory short) personality instrument was used to measure personality traits. This study investigates personality traits in relation to four crime types: 1) property offences, 2) theft, 3) violence and 4) alcohol and drug use. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to explore whether the versatility hypothesis of criminal acts holds true according to personality traits. Results and conclusions. Conscientiousness, agreeableness and extraversion were found to be associated with crime among students, which was in line with the previous research. In addition, the result suggested that personality traits are differently linked to different types of crime. Risk for engaging in alcohol and drug use was characterized by high extraversion and low conscientiousness whereas low agreeableness was found to increase the risk for violent offending. Theoretically the results of this study are interpreted as a counter evidence for versatility hypothesis on the nature of juvenile delinquency, even though no direct evidence for the offence specialization was found. Still, juvenile delinquency might not be as versatile behavior as it has been considered but moreover, individuals with different personality characteristics may be prone towards different types of delinquent acts. The role of violence as the most "pathological" form of antisocial behavior is discussed in relation of previous theory and research as well as the findings of this study.
-
(2015)Goals. Bullying is a fairly common phenomenon and is known to cause major psychological distress on its victims. The negative effects of bullying are often long lasting, which is why early interventions are important. Understanding the factors behind bullying can help us learn more about it and thus find better ways of intervening. One factor that is known to affect bullying is personality. The goal of this study is to examine the link between Big Five personality traits and becoming the victim of bullying. On basis of previous research, it was assumed that lower conscientiousness, agreeableness and extraversion and higher neuroticism would lead to a higher risk of being bullied. The role of openness was ambiguous. Also the effect of parental supervision, school performance and time spent with friends were examined. Methods. This study employs the data from the nationwide survey on youth crime and victimization conducted by the national research institute of legal policy in 2012. The sample frame of the survey was Finnish-speaking primary and secondary schools. A total of 8914 sixth and ninth grade students completed a self-report survey questionnaire in school. 14.9 % of the students reported being bullied at least once during the previous year. Multinomial regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between personality traits, parental supervision, time spent with friends, school performance and bullying. Interaction analyses between personality traits and the moderators were also conducted. Results and conclusions. The result of this study suggest that students who score lower on extroversion, conscientiousness, parental supervision and school performance and higher on openness and neuroticism are more likely than other students to be bullied. There was no statistically significant relation between bullying and openness or time spent with friends. The risk between bullying and extroversion was especially high when combined with lower parental supervision, school performance and a higher level of time spent with friends. The risk between bullying and neuroticism was higher when combined with lower school performance and a higher level of time spent with friends. Openness was a risk factor especially when combined with lower levels of parental supervision and school performance. The results show that personality traits as well as other, more social factors such as parental supervision, can have a significant impact on bullying. Parental supervision is something that, unlike personality traits, can be more easily altered, which is why giving parents more information about the effects of parental supervision on bullying is important. Although this study focused on the victim's traits, it is important to stress that the idea is not to blame the victim. The goal of this study was to get a better understanding of the factors that increase a child's risk for victimization and use this knowledge to design better interventions for bullying and perhaps peer victimization in general.
-
(2015)The purpose of the study was to examine the associations between the Big Five personality traits (neuroticism, extroversion, conscientiousness, openness to experience and agreeableness) and insomnia symptoms. The insomnia symptoms were difficulties to initiate sleep, awakenings during sleep, waking up too early and feeling tired after a night's sleep. According to theories on insomnia and to empirical research, high neuroticism, low extroversion, low conscientiousness and low agreeableness may be associated with insomnia. In empirical research, high neuroticism has consistently been associated with insomnia but also low extraversion, low conscientiousness and low agreeableness have been associated with it. It was therefore hypothesized that high neuroticism, low extraversion, low conscientiousness and low agreeableness are associated with insomnia symptoms. The participants, aged 30-45, were derived from the Young Finns study. The sample size was 1708. The Big Five personality traits were assessed with the NEO-FFI measure and insomnia symptoms with Jenkins's sleep problems scale. Ordinal regressions were used in analyzing the data. All of the Big Five personality traits were associated with at least some of the insomnia symptoms. In general, high neuroticism and high openness to experience were associated with more insomnia symptoms, whereas low extroversion, low conscientiousness and low agreeableness were associated with better sleep. High neuroticism had the strongest associations with most of the insomnia symptoms. When it comes to the trait openness to experience, the results of this study were inconsistent with previous studies, and therefore more information on the subject would be needed. The results of this study could be used in planning interventions for insomnia sufferers.
-
(2014)Objectives – The objective of this study was to examine whether there is a connection between the Big Five personality traits and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Finnish adults. The MetS is a rapidly increasing syndrome among the Finnish population, which predisposes to type 2 diabetes and cardiac diseases. Previous research suggests that single personality traits may be connected to the MetS and its risk factors. However, only a few studies have examined theoretically well based personality models in relation to the MetS. Identifying the psychosocial risk factors for the MetS is important in predicting and preventing its occurrence. The following hypotheses were made based on previous research: (1) high neuroticism and (2) low agreeableness are positively associated with the MetS. Methods – This is a cross-sectional study of The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study from the year 2007. There were 1 580 Finnish adults aged 30–45 participating in the study, of which 919 were women and 661 were men. The participants answered a personality questionnaire, the Finnish version of the NEO-FFI (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Five-Factor Inventory), which measured the Big Five personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness). The MetS is diagnosed when at least three of the following five factors are present: (1) central obesity, (2) raised fasting glucose, (3) raised triglycerides, (4) lowered high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and (5) hypertension. The associations between personality traits and the MetS were examined using logistic regression analyses. Results and Conclusions – In men, low agreeableness was statistically significantly associated with higher risk of having the MetS (OR=.70, 95 % CI=.57–.87, p=.001), adjusting for age and level of education. There were no statistically significant associations found between any of the personality traits and the MetS in women. On the basis of these results, it can be proposed that men with low agreeableness, that is, men low in cooperation, empathy, and kindness, might comprise a risk group for the MetS. This study was cross-sectional by design, which precludes conclusions about cause and effect relationships. Mechanisms linking personality to the MetS were not examined in the current study, and thus, future research should examine the direction of the associations and the mechanisms linking such associations.
-
(2013)According to previous research many preservice teachers are not sufficiently educated for teaching in multicultural classrooms. It is also known that preservice teachers often fail to give adequate definitions of multiculturism and multicultural education and that they lack an understanding of how these aspects could be included in the curriculum. The aim with this study is to explore the understanding of what is meant with cultural diversity in the classroom and multicultural education among preservice teachers. The research questions are: how conscious are the preservice teachers about their own cultural identity and its significance for the interaction with students? How do preservice teachers understand the meaning of cultural diversity in the classroom? What is their understanding of the meaning of multicultural education? What kind of demands do preservice teachers believe that multicultural schools places on them as teachers? The research was conducted as a qualitative interview study. The data was inductively analyzed using content analysis. The study drew on the theoretical framework of critical multicultural education. Data was collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with open questions. Thirty informants, both class teacher students and teachers of a special subject were recruited in connections with their Master's thesis seminars. The results of the study clearly indicate that the understandings of the preservice teachers can be characterized by a lack of complexity and critical thinking. Multicultural teaching was commonly associated with immigrant children and knowledge about foreign cultures. There was a strong belief in individualism among the preservice teachers, along with a negation of the impact of social class on the lives of the pupils in school. Religion, language and partly gender were seen as significant aspects of cultural diversity in the classroom. The majority of preservice teachers considered the demands on them in multicultural classrooms as heavier compared to traditional teaching. They also considered their knowledge of how to implement multicultural perspectives in their teaching as insufficient. As a result of the research the study also indicated a lack of awareness of the importance of the personal sociocultural background in the interaction between teachers and students. In order to reach a deeper understanding of multicultural issues, a greater effort on both theory and didactics related to multicultural education should be made in the preservice teacher education. Preservice teachers would also benefit from reflection on personal knowledge constructs and assumptions associated to a pluralistic society and culturally diverse "others".
-
(2014)Research objectives: As the use of social media has increased, writing a blog has become more and more popular in the recent years. For the writer, a blog is a means of communication, a diary, or enabler of writing as a hobby. One blogger group consists of Finnish expatriates. Emigrating means a life change, that according to previous research causes a process of culture shock that can last for years. Integration of expatriates has been studied quite a lot. Blogs and blogging as a relatively new phenomenon has already been the object of an amount of research, but blogging while living abroad has not received much attention, yet. The purpose of this study was to find out, how blog-writing Finnish expatriates experience the significance of blogging in their current situation in life. The meanings given to the blog were viewed in relation to the writers' background. The starting point for the study was an assumption, that blog-writing Finnish expatriates possibly use the blog as an aid in adaptation. Methods: The study involved 39 blog-writing Finnish expatriates, who wrote a free-form text about their blogging, guided by some general questions around the focus of this study. In addition, they answered some questions concerning their background. The texts were analyzed using content analysis. The results of the content analysis and the background information were quantified and cross tabulated to find out factors that might be connected to the significances given. Results and conclusions: The majority of significances given to blogging were connected to living abroad, especially when taking into account the subjects of blog posts and the target audience. The reasons for starting a blog were pragmatic, like communication and writing a diary, whereas the current significances also included deeper level functions. The latter were e.g. receiving peer support, pondering issues and using the Finnish language. The significances given to the blog change as time passes and integration proceeds, but it does not become less important to the writer. Many respondents indicated that communication with friends and family in Finland through the blog is often unidirectional. Communication with new connections acquired through the blog, however, was told to be bidirectional. Therefore, writing a blog may in a way close the writer outside of her former social network, but instead it helps to build a totally new network, including members in a similar situation in life. The results suggest that Finnish expatriates use the blog as an aid in integration process. The blog has instrumental value even when integration has come to an advanced stage and the difficult phases of culture shock have been passed.
-
(2017)This masters' thesis explored the use of the body, tools, and the environment in craftwork from an embodied cognitive perspective. More specifically the activity studied was wooden boatbuilding. Activity theory was used to map the elements and the dynamics of the wooden boatbuilding activity in relation to the object of work (a wooden gunboat). The research interests (related to body, tools and environment) were positioned among the different elements of the wooden boatbuilding activity (tools, subject, object, outcome, rules, community and division of labor) by following an activity theoretical structure. Previous research has shown that the abilities of the body are quite often overshadowed by the abilities of brain alone, even though cognition is embodied due to its dependency on the characteristics of the agent's physical body. The objective of this research was to seek further understanding on the position of the body and its role in an activity of craft with the use of tools and environment. By having an embodied cognitive perspective, the research looked at the types of materials from the environment that were applied for work, and how material artefacts have contributed to the body's performance during craft. In addition, the research took into account the characteristics of the work environment that enabled the body of craftsmen to work more efficiently. Specifically, the thesis captured a two-day data collection of videos and interviews in the dockyard of Suomenlinna Fortress, based on the method of ethnography. The data collection gathered material for the analysis of the craftwork on a wooden gunboat model, during a process of craft called caulking. For the analysis, the work of five subjects (wooden boat builders) was observed closely. The method applied for analysis of data was thematic analysis, which required a selective process of data, based on relevant or reoccurring themes identified throughout video files. The most representative themes of the activity were framed in sets of images for further interpretation, and in that way enabling the validation of themes and their relevance to the research questions. As a result, the themes identified in the activity of wooden boatbuilding were (1) the abilities of the body, (2) the limitations of the body, (3) the body and the process of sensing, (4) the affordance of tools, (5) tools as mediators, and (6) the affordances or the environment. All these themes were building blocks for conceptualising the role of the body in the craft of wooden boatbuilding, the role of tools in the craft of wooden boatbuilding, and how the environment is used in the craft of wooden boatbuilding. This research concluded that, while activity theory allowed a holistic understanding of a craft activity, such as wooden boatbuilding, embodied cognition was vital for conceptualising the role of the body as a starting point in relation to all elements of the activity, including tools and environment. In addition of certifying the usefulness of this combination (embodied cognition and activity theory), perhaps the most relevant finding of this research was the so-called APDCS (area of potential development of craft skills), which could contextualise the integration among body, tools and environment in the craft of wooden boatbuilding through the development of various tasks.
-
(2017)Objectives. This research investigates the challenging changes, learning processes, and strategic adjustments made by consulting companies in Finland during the recent global economic crisis of 2009 onwards. In particular, this research aims to answer the following questions: a) What major changes have consulting companies encountered in the economic crisis? b) What strategic adjustments did the companies make in response to these changes? Were novel strategies developed in response to the changes? c) how can the changes and strategies be interpreted from an Activity Theory perspective? d) did the companies exhibit Expansive Learning in the development of novel strategies and in what forms? Methods. This work analyzed five management consulting companies of different sizes and business scope with representation in Finland. The data for the reported analysed consisted of interviews with managers from these firms. The analysis of the data proceeded in three steps: First, themes relating to changes and strategies were extracted from the transcribed interviews using Thematic Analysis; second, the themes identified were interpreted using the framework of Activity Theory in order to identify changes encountered and strategic responses developed by the companies; third, the themes were interpreted within the Expansive Learning framework, identifying individual Expansive Learning cycles and the overall structure of the learning processes. The empirical analysis was complemented by a discussion of the origins and characteristics of management consulting and consulting companies. Results and conclusions. Several of the consulting companies displayed features of Expansive Learning in understanding and responding to the changing economic situation. Deviating from the historically established consulting culture, these companies implemented systematic and proactive selling and marketing of their services. In addition, several companies changed the structure of their products and services. However, when reflecting on the situation of their companies, most managers primarily emphasized cost pressures and a need for improved efficiency. Efficiency improvements not accompanied by structural changes were not generally considered representative of expansive learning. It is found that the interviewed companies fail to engage in expansive learning process and are unwilling to make feasible changes until pressured by the economic crisis. Indeed, a greater sense of threat appears to have made companies more likely to embrace expansive learning.
-
(2014)Objectives: The Finnish social and health care system is currently under transformation. The objective of this thesis was to chart the on-going concept change of the development system of Finnish social and health care and Innovillage's role in it within the theoretical framework of the third generation activity theory. Innovillage is a new national open innovation environment for developers in the field of health and welfare developed during the years 2009–2013. The research studies this issue through two research questions: (1) How the development system of Finnish social and health care's object and division of labor are changing?; (2) What does Innovillage tell about the concept change of the development system? The aim is to chart the features of the new emerging activity concept of the development system by depicting the changes in the object and the division of labor as well as to examine the development system's contradictions as manifested in Innovillage. Methods: The research questions have been analyzed through historical analysis and empirical data. The empirical data of this thesis constituted of nine individual interviews which were gathered during the summer and early fall of 2013. Six interviewees were representatives of the funding and developer organizations of Innovillage and three represented grassroots professionals involved with Innovillage. The research method was empirical and qualitative and the research process has been primarily guided by the data. The qualitative results were derived from the empirical data through content analysis. Historical analysis of this thesis was made based on the literature. The findings were interpreted with activity theoretical notions of activity concept, object, division of labor, and contradiction. Results and conclusions: The division of labor in the new emerging activity concept of the development system is, ideally, open and networked and the object of developing takes the customer or the client as well as the implementation phase of the created services or solutions into account. Currently, cross-sectorial co-operation has increased slightly especially between funders of the development system but, simultaneously, co-operation between grassroots professionals has diminished. Innovillage itself as well as its tools have supported co-operation within the development system but, according to the results, still fail to take the customer or the client into account. The current secondary contradictions between the division of labor and other elements of the development system seem to stem from the new tools that have been implemented to the development system by Innovillage.
-
(2017)This thesis examines collaboration in construction industry. Collaboration practices are affected with the emergence of new technologies, as new technologies require new practices. Building Information Modelling (BIM), used for digital 3D modelling of buildings, is such an emerging technology, influencing collaboration. The topic is approached socio-constructively and -culturally, and through the theory of hybrid practices in construction. The thesis addresses the following questions: 1) how BIM is described to influence collaboration practices, and 2) how is collaboration in BIM construction projects conceptualised. The data was collected in 13 individual and group interviews. Content analysis and discourse analysis were used. BIM is found to influence collaboration through emerging hybrid practices, and BIM-based collaboration is conceptualised through four interlinked but conflicting discourses. The results confirm the need for more established collaboration practices in BIM projects. The thesis contributes to the narrow focus given to human perspective and conceptions in collaboration research in construction.
-
(2016)Objectives: The present study examines everyday executive functioning in adults who have had perinatal risks related ADHD in childhood. ADHD symptoms often persist from childhood to adulthood but the long-term developmental course of ADHD beyond young adulthood is still poorly understood. The present study focuses on adults around 40 years of age who have had perinatal risk factors with subsequent onset of ADHD in childhood. The present study may advance understanding of the long-term impact of perinatal risks and childhood ADHD in adulthood. Methods: The present study is part of a larger longitudinal birth cohort research project examining long-term effects of perinatal risk factors. The cohort has been followed since 1970's. The present sample includes individuals with perinatal risks associated childhood ADHD (n = 32), individuals with perinatal risk factors without childhood ADHD (n = 158) and control individuals without perinatal risks or childhood ADHD (n = 38). Experienced everyday executive functioning was compared between these three groups using Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning – Adult Version (BRIEF-A). Executive functioning was compared between the three groups using analysis of variance (ANOVAs) and non-paramentric Kruskal-Wallis test. Results and conclusions: Adults with perinatal risks related childhood ADHD reported more cognitive and behavioral executive difficulties than control adults or adults with perinatal risks without childhood ADHD. The group with perinatal risks related childhood ADHD reported executive difficulties in domains of working memory, planning, inhibition and self-monitoring. Executive problems were mild in group level, although a small proportion reported more severe clinically significant dysfunction. Adults with perinatal risks but without childhood ADHD did not differ from controls in experienced executive functioning which suggests that perinatal risks alone without early ADHD symptoms do not affect executive functioning in adulthood. It appears that childhood ADHD with perceding perinatal risk factors can have long-term but mostly mild consequences for daily executive functioning extending to mid-adulthood.
-
(2016)Bicycling is a way of transport and a sport that is considered both healthy and environmentally friendly. It is also a convenient way to get around especially for children and adolescents who cannot drive cars. However, school-aged children are an overrepresented group in bicycling-related injuries. For Finnish children, bicycling injuries are the most common traffic injuries. One possible explanation for children's higher accident liability could be their less developed hazard perception skills. This thesis is based on a study about hazard perception, where a game-like hazard perception test with videos filmed from a bicyclist's perspective was designed and tested on participants of different age and exposure to bicycling. The videos contained natural, unstaged videos from traffic, and participants were instructed to point out targets such as road users on a potential collision course and locations where road users could emerge from (e. g. house corners).The test was done using a touch screen where participants were to point out targets while the video was rolling early enough to gain points. If a target was missed or pointed out too late, the video was paused and feedback given. Performance in the hazard perception test was tested on 3 groups: one group of 49 children from the 2nd grade (age 8-9) and two adult groups: 16 adults who cycle at least 3 times a week (experienced adults) and 15 adults who cycle never or only rarely (inexperienced adults). The adults performed better than the children both in terms of answer latency and percentage of correct answers. Adults were also significantly better at pointing out view blockers as potentially hazardous targets. No significant differences were found between the experienced and inexperienced adults groups, which suggests that the test might have been too easy for the adult group. A correlation between a high percentage of correct answers and a low answer latency was found on an individual level, which suggests that the game was successful in measuring hazard perception skills.
-
(2015)Recent evidence suggests paranormal and religious beliefs may result from cognitive biases that all humans share. People who think in an intuitive manner are supposedly more affected by these biases than analytical people. Consequently, mounting evidence suggests those who endorse intuitive thinking style tend to be more religious and have more paranormal beliefs than people with an analytic thinking style. However, less attention has been paid to people who are highly analytical but nevertheless have supernatural beliefs. Since analytical people should be less susceptible to cognitive biases, other factors such as metacognitive tendencies might account for these beliefs. On the other hand, if intuitive thinking style is a major causal factor behind paranormal beliefs, an intuitive sub-group among sceptics could be considered an anomaly. Metacognitive tendencies could be a potential psychological factor behind scepticism. A sample of nearly 3000 Finnish participants revealed that there was an analytical and intuitive subgroup among the believers and sceptics. Particularly, analytic believers had more cognitive biases and lesser tendency to belief flexibility than analytic sceptics. Intuitive sceptics had more cognitive biases than analytic sceptics but they adhered more to flexible thinking than intuitive believers. The results of this thesis underline the multifarious nature of both paranormal beliefs and thinking styles. Although analytical thinking may help the person to overcome the automatic and often erroneous shortcuts that the mind produces, it may fail to suppress overlearned and reflectively practiced beliefs. On the other hand, an intuitive thinking style and cognitive biases may not necessary lead to paranormal believing, especially if the living environment encourages a sceptic worldview. Future studies should address the mechanisms that lead individuals with similar epistemological tendencies to acquire totally different metaphysical beliefs.
-
(2016)Aims. The aim of this thesis is to bring forth Aalto university School of Engineering associate professors' conceptions of good teaching, their construction of the conceptions and experiences about resources and difficulties in developing teaching. These issues are partly elaborated in the light of teaching competence assessment which is part of the tenure track career path for professors. In this thesis the following research questions were addressed: 1) What are the associate professors' conceptions of good teaching? 2) Through which elements the associate professors construct their conceptions? 3) What kinds of experiences the associate professors have about the resources in developing teaching? 4) What kinds of experiences the associate professors have about the difficulties in developing teaching? Methods. Seven associate professors of the School of Engineering were interviewed and they had all participated in teaching competence assessment before being admitted as associate professor. Seven thematic interviews were conducted in the Winter 2015-2016. The qualitative method of analysis was an abductive thematic analysis. The theoretical framework is based on Boyer's concept of the scholarship of teaching and Kreber and Cranton's (2000) perception of three knowledge domains (instructional, pedagogical and curricular knowledge) that are based on three reflections (content, process and premise reflection) which together construct the scholarship of teaching. Boyer's (1990) concept and Kreber and Cranton's (2000) three types of reflections and knowledge domains were utilized in analyzing the conceptions of good teaching as well as resources and difficulties in developing teaching. Results and conclusions. Three different conceptions about good teaching emerged. The conceptions were 1) teaching as providing multifunctional tools for working life, 2) teaching as activation of students and 3) teaching as emphasizing students. The interviewees constructed their conceptions through eight elements of which pedagogical training and discussions with pedagogical experts were described as central in changing own conception. Activating students was emphasized in all of the conceptions, but in different ways. The most fundamental resources for developing teaching were pedagogical training, discussions with pedagogical experts and proactivity. The most central difficulties for developing teaching were lack of pedagogical skills, time and the distance in between pedagogical experts and teachers. Based on the interviewees reports, the conceptions of good teaching, resources and difficulties in developing teaching could be partly explained with the financial situation of the society as well as university teachers' workload. Additionally, the difficulties in developing teaching could be eased by making the assessment process of teaching competence more transparent and reaching pedagogical experts easier.
-
(2016)Aim. Maternal attachment towards the child starts to form already during pregnancy. It is suggested that antenatal attachment increases during pregnancy and at the end of the pregnancy it is at the highest level. However, longitudinal studies of continuity in antenatal attachment are lacking. The present study aims to investigate the continuity of maternal antenatal attachment during pregnancy, the continuity of attachment from antenatal to postnatal period and the associations of maternal prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms to both maternal antenatal and postnatal attachment. Methods. The study is part of a larger longitudinal multidisciplinary project called PREDO Project 'Prediction and Prevention of Pre-eclampsia'. The present study sample comprised 3206 singleton mother. Maternal antenatal attachment was assessed with the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS) filled in at 12 and 26 weeks of gestation and postnatal attachment with the Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale (MPAS) filled in at six months postpartum. Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed with the Center of Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale completed bi-weekly from 12 to 26 weeks of gestation and six months after the delivery. The regression analysis was used to explore the associations. We adjusted models for demographic factors and maternal depressive symptoms. In addition, the mediating effect of maternal depressive symptoms on the associations between maternal antenatal attachment at 12 and 26 gestational weeks and between antenatal and postnatal attachment were studied with Sobel test. Results and conclusions. Higher level of maternal antenatal attachment at the end of the first trimester was associated with higher level of attachment at the end of the second trimester and at six months after the delivery. The maternal depressive symptoms during and after the pregnancy were negatively associated with maternal antenatal and postnatal attachment. Maternal depressive symptoms mediated the associations between antenatal attachment and between antenatal and postnatal attachment. The results indicate that maternal antenatal attachment starts to form from early on pregnancy. Maternal depressive symptoms are a significant risk-factor for maternal attachment process. Increasing awareness of the importance of enhancing mother-fetal attachment from the beginning of the pregnancy is important because it shows high continuity to the postnatal life.
-
(2018)This study reviews co-production with citizens in the context of working-life projects of higher education. Studies on the topic in question and on the outcomes of co-production with citizens are rare and, the study serves both needs. The object of study is the Until Now project, realised by Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. In it, an art performance was co-produced with the working-life partners and citizens for the Finnish National Opera. The project participated especially the elderly but also children and young people. The research problem covers the interests of the participants and resources brought by them into the project, as well as the challenges and possibilities of the project. The study was realised as qualitative case study. The analysed data, gathered especially for this study, was based on the semi-structured interviews of five individual participants of the project. The method of thematic analysis was deployed in the data analysis. Four separate analyses were carried out, altogether, one for each of the specific research questions. The results of them were reflected against activity theory and the prior research on co-production with citizens. The results showed the multi-layered nature and variety of the interests of the participants. The significance of sufficient and appropriate material resources and of qualities of the immaterial resources were emphasised. Various challenges emerged during the project, the productional and practical ones being stressed. The possibilities and positive effects of the project were multiple and expanded also beyond it. The focal meaning of the community, joint activity and encounter between the generations for the citizen participants also came up. The role of the elderly was of critical importance from the standpoint of the artistic work and meeting the learning objectives. Expansions of the activity caused additional challenges but also allowed positive outcomes to emerge. The activity theoretical angle highlights characteristics of expansions of activity, knot-working and distributed agency in the results. The main conclusion is that co-production with citizens is a relevant form of collaboration in the context of working-life projects of higher education. The results of the study add knowledge on the outcomes of co-production with citizens, which is scarce so far. The results also can be applied in the practical work, especially in the development of higher education and public service production.
-
(2018)he aim of this Thesis was to examine in which way a Finnish-speaking immersionprogram affects Swedish-speaking children’s attitudes towards the Finnish language, seen from a parent ́s perspective. The context in which the study was made and in which the children are growing up, is very homogeniously Swedish-speaking. A view on attitudes as socially constructed and strongly imprinted by the surrounding culture and the ambient environment acted as theoretical frame for the study. Immersion is a volontary form of education, that is why the study proceeds from a hypothesis on parents wanting to place their children in immersion, in hope of mediating a positive attitude towards the Finnish language. The research questions were as follows: 1. Which discourses emerge when parents talk about the Finnish language, the immersionprogram and their children’s attitudes towards the Finnish language? 2. Which functions do these discourses fulfil? A discoursepsychological approach enabled an interpretation of the material where the context is strongly present. Six parents were interviewed for the study. They had all had at least one child in the same immersionprogram kindergarten. The result shows that the parents consider Finnish as a difficult language and that the attitudes toward Finnish in the own municipality are poor. Finnish is seen as necessary, and the own experiences confirm this view. Participation in the immersion program, and the immersion program itself, are seen as effective ways of strengthening the positive attitude in the context in which the children grow up. The immersionprogram is based on a principal of functional multilingualism, which is also what the parents wish for their children. The results confirm that the parents consider this a good starting position for the future. The immersionprogram and the positive attitude strengthen the childs selfassurance, facilitate in future study- and workcontextures and contribute to a greater tolerance against other cultures, languages and languagespeakers. Accordingly, the immersionprogram would be an advantage for all children who grow up in a similar context as in this study. On a local political level this should be taken into consideration.
Now showing items 61-80 of 670