Perceptual dimensions of infants' cry signals : a dissertation present in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Education at Massey University

Two experiments were performed to uncover perceptual dimensions of 24 infant cry signals. In Experiment 1, the 24 cries were rated by listeners on 50 semantic differential scales. A factor analysis of the ratings uncovered three meaningful factors (Effect, Potency & Value) which emphasise emotional aspects of the cries, and support a suggestion that different cry-types essentially differ along a continuum of intensity/aversiveness. In Experiment 2, the method of pair-comparisons was used to obtain cry similarity ratings which were submitted to INDSCAL (a multidimensional scaling program). Three dimension were uncovered which emphasise physical aspects of the cries. These dimensions (Potency, Form and Clarity) were labelled in terms of the 50 semantic differential scales using standard linear multiple regression. For both experiments, accurate predictions of cry recognition results were made from the cry similarity data, suggesting that the listeners attended to the same cry features in each task. A canonical analysis of the semantic differential factor scores and the INDSCAL dimension weights revealed two significant canonical correlations, which suggests that the two techniques are essentially describing the same perceptual space. The relative advantages of the semantic differential and the method of pair-comparisons (coupled to INDSCAL) are discussed, and also the possibility of applying the semantic differential to study different cry-types, clinically abnormal cries, and the effects of crying on the caregiver

On the Procrustean analogue of individual differences scaling (INDSCAL)

In this paper, individual differences scaling (INDSCAL) is revisited, considering INDSCAL as being embedded within a hierarchy of individual difference scaling models. We explore the members of this family, distinguishing (i) models, (ii) the role of identification and substantive constraints, (iii) criteria for fitting models and (iv) algorithms to optimise the criteria. Model formulations may be based either on data that are in the form of proximities or on configurational matrices. In its configurational version, individual difference scaling may be formulated as a form of generalized Procrustes analysis. Algorithms are introduced for fitting the new models. An application from sensory evaluation illustrates the performance of the methods and their solutions

Display elements and gaps: a comparison of flat panel display characteristics

The relation between typical flat panel display characteristics and display quality was studied. Subjective preferences were obtained with respect to simulated black-on-white flat panel displays. The displays differed in the sort of separation between the display elements and the shape of these elements. Further, the height/width ratio of the front was studied in relation with a fixed font matrix. The preferences were obtained through a paired comparison of all possible pairs of simulated displays.\ud \ud The observers appeared to be sensitive and to respond to differences in the stimuli. It is not clear, however, if they responded to the type of gap and shape of display elements or to the luminance modulation, which co-varied with the two experimental factors. It can be concluded however that the integrity of the character area is important to the observers. Further, the usefulness of interactively designing spatial display characteristics and the font is discussed

A multidimensional assessment of social cohesion in 47 European countries

This paper presents a theoretically based, multidimensional and comparable measurementof social cohesion applicable in 47 European countries using the most recent micro-level data of European Value Study (EVS) from 2008. The analysis is conducted in four steps. In the first part, we create a set of measurable intermediate indicators that correspond to social cohesion dimensions suggested by the theory. In the second part, we verify whether these indicators empirically corroborate the multidimensional structure of the concept proposed by the theory. The third part examines whether the obtained intermediate indicators of social cohesion form the same constructs across countries and whether they can yield a cross country equivalent measure of social cohesion. In the fourth step, composite scores of all dimensions of social cohesion are calculated for all 47 countries to demostrate applicability of this constructed measurement in comparative research.social cohesion; measurement equivalence; multidimensional scaling; LISREL; multidimensional indicators

Financial Ratios, Size, Industry and Interest Rate Issues in Company Failure: An Extended Multidimensional Scaling Analysis

Three-way multidimensional scaling methods are used to study the differences between UK failed and continuing companies from 1993 to 2001. The technique allows for visual representations of the results, so that qualitative information can be brought to bear when judging the health of a company. It is shown that it is important to take into account company size and area of activity. Results also suggest that the ratio structure of the companies varies between years in response to changes in the interest rates, suggesting that the frontier between failing and continuing firms moves in response to the economic cycle

What determines auditory similarity? The effect of stimulus group and methodology.

Two experiments on the internal representation of auditory stimuli compared the pairwise and grouping methodologies as means of deriving similarity judgements. A total of 45 undergraduate students participated in each experiment, judging the similarity of short auditory stimuli, using one of the methodologies. The experiments support and extend Bonebright's (1996) findings, using a further 60 stimuli. Results from both methodologies highlight the importance of category information and acoustic features, such as root mean square (RMS) power and pitch, in similarity judgements. Results showed that the grouping task is a viable alternative to the pairwise task with N > 20 sounds whilst highlighting subtle differences, such as cluster tightness, between the different task results. The grouping task is more likely to yield category information as underlying similarity judgements

Bayesian non-linear matching of pairwise microarray gene expressions

In this paper, we present a Bayesian non-linear model to analyze matching pairs of microarray expression data. This model generalizes, in terms of neural networks, standard linear matching models. As a practical application, we analyze data of patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and we find out the best neural net model that relates the expression levels of two types of cytogenetically different samples from them