20,048 research outputs found
Social learning strategies modify the effect of network structure on group performance
The structure of communication networks is an important determinant of the
capacity of teams, organizations and societies to solve policy, business and
science problems. Yet, previous studies reached contradictory results about the
relationship between network structure and performance, finding support for the
superiority of both well-connected efficient and poorly connected inefficient
network structures. Here we argue that understanding how communication networks
affect group performance requires taking into consideration the social learning
strategies of individual team members. We show that efficient networks
outperform inefficient networks when individuals rely on conformity by copying
the most frequent solution among their contacts. However, inefficient networks
are superior when individuals follow the best member by copying the group
member with the highest payoff. In addition, groups relying on conformity based
on a small sample of others excel at complex tasks, while groups following the
best member achieve greatest performance for simple tasks. Our findings
reconcile contradictory results in the literature and have broad implications
for the study of social learning across disciplines
Growth, distribution and poverty in Madagascar
This paper presents an applied microsimulation model built on household data with explicit treatment of heterogeneity of skills, labor preferences and opportunities, and consumption preferences at the individual and/or household level, while allowing for an endogenous determination of relative prices between sectors. The model is primarily focused on labor markets and labor allocation at the household level, but consumption behavior is also modeled. Modeling choices are driven by a desire to make the best possible use of microeconomic information derived from household data. This framework supports analysis of the impact of different growth strategies on poverty and income distribution, without making use of the “representative agent” assumption. The model is built on household survey data and represents the behavior of 4,508 households. Household behavioral equations are estimated econometrically. Different sets of simulation are carried out to examine the comparative statics of the model and study the impact of different growth strategies on poverty and inequality. Simulation results show the potential usefulness of this class of models to derive both poverty and inequality measures and transition matrices without prior assumptions regarding the intra-group income distribution. Market clearing equations allow for the endogenous determination of relative prices between sectors. The impact of different growth strategies on poverty and inequality is complex given general equilibrium effects and the wide range of household positions in markets for factors and goods markets. Partial equilibrium analysis or the use of representative households would miss these effects.Microeconomics Madagascar. ,Madagascar. ,Labor market. ,Poverty. ,TMD ,
Herbert Simon's decision-making approach: Investigation of cognitive processes in experts
This is a post print version of the article. The official published can be obtained from the links below - PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved.Herbert Simon's research endeavor aimed to understand the processes that participate in human decision making. However, despite his effort to investigate this question, his work did not have the impact in the “decision making” community that it had in other fields. His rejection of the assumption of perfect rationality, made in mainstream economics, led him to develop the concept of bounded rationality. Simon's approach also emphasized the limitations of the cognitive system, the change of processes due to expertise, and the direct empirical study of cognitive processes involved in decision making. In this article, we argue that his subsequent research program in problem solving and expertise offered critical tools for studying decision-making processes that took into account his original notion of bounded rationality. Unfortunately, these tools were ignored by the main research paradigms in decision making, such as Tversky and Kahneman's biased rationality approach (also known as the heuristics and biases approach) and the ecological approach advanced by Gigerenzer and others. We make a proposal of how to integrate Simon's approach with the main current approaches to decision making. We argue that this would lead to better models of decision making that are more generalizable, have higher ecological validity, include specification of cognitive processes, and provide a better understanding of the interaction between the characteristics of the cognitive system and the contingencies of the environment
Patterns of Psychological Adaptation in Death and Dying: A Causal Model and Exploratory Study
The purpose of this study was to examine the interrelationships of the person-environment variables of age, sex, length of illness, pain, social support, and physical function as they affected psychological adaptation in dying. An adaptation paradigm of constructs from nursing, illness, and dying provided the theoretical framework which was used to formulate and test a causal model. This study, in addition, had a qualitative component that identified, from the participants\u27 spontaneous responses, reactions to and perceptions of the dying process. A sample of 97 adults was recruited from two metropolitan home hospice programs, with testing occurring in the home. Regression techniques were used to test the causal relationships. The predictor variables accounted for 38% of the adjusted variance in psychological adaptation. Analysis confirmed the significance of the variables of social support, pain, and age as direct predictors of the outcome. The grounded theory method was used to record, code, and analyze the subjects\u27 responses. The central construct that emerged was hierarchical process patterns of self-transactions which represented higher and lower levels of death awareness. These patterns were: transcending; becoming; reconciling; anguishing; avoiding; relinquishing; and regressing. The core concepts contained within self-transactions were the integrating forces of the person and environment influences, and the moving template of the dialectical motion within dying. The dying persons in the higher patterns interpreted meaning, connected with others, accepted and adjusted expectations, and managed symptoms. In the lower patterns, the dying persons agonized in suffering, and avoided or repressed cognitions. The themes of spirituality, hope, personal control, acceptance, time, boredom, coldness, and asthenia emanated from the data. The subjective responses validated the quantitative findings in the study
Cheating is evolutionarily assimilated with cooperation in the continuous snowdrift game
It is well known that in contrast to the Prisoner's Dilemma, the snowdrift
game can lead to a stable coexistence of cooperators and cheaters. Recent
theoretical evidence on the snowdrift game suggests that gradual evolution for
individuals choosing to contribute in continuous degrees can result in the
social diversification to a 100% contribution and 0% contribution through
so-called evolutionary branching. Until now, however, game-theoretical studies
have shed little light on the evolutionary dynamics and consequences of the
loss of diversity in strategy. Here we analyze continuous snowdrift games with
quadratic payoff functions in dimorphic populations. Subsequently, conditions
are clarified under which gradual evolution can lead a population consisting of
those with 100% contribution and those with 0% contribution to merge into one
species with an intermediate contribution level. The key finding is that the
continuous snowdrift game is more likely to lead to assimilation of different
cooperation levels rather than maintenance of diversity. Importantly, this
implies that allowing the gradual evolution of cooperative behavior can
facilitate social inequity aversion in joint ventures that otherwise could
cause conflicts that are based on commonly accepted notions of fairness.Comment: 30 pages, 3 tables, 5 figure
Cardiac cell modelling: Observations from the heart of the cardiac physiome project
In this manuscript we review the state of cardiac cell modelling in the context of international initiatives such as the IUPS Physiome and Virtual Physiological Human Projects, which aim to integrate computational models across scales and physics. In particular we focus on the relationship between experimental data and model parameterisation across a range of model types and cellular physiological systems. Finally, in the context of parameter identification and model reuse within the Cardiac Physiome, we suggest some future priority areas for this field
Semantic Tagging on Historical Maps
Tags assigned by users to shared content can be ambiguous. As a possible
solution, we propose semantic tagging as a collaborative process in which a
user selects and associates Web resources drawn from a knowledge context. We
applied this general technique in the specific context of online historical
maps and allowed users to annotate and tag them. To study the effects of
semantic tagging on tag production, the types and categories of obtained tags,
and user task load, we conducted an in-lab within-subject experiment with 24
participants who annotated and tagged two distinct maps. We found that the
semantic tagging implementation does not affect these parameters, while
providing tagging relationships to well-defined concept definitions. Compared
to label-based tagging, our technique also gathers positive and negative
tagging relationships. We believe that our findings carry implications for
designers who want to adopt semantic tagging in other contexts and systems on
the Web.Comment: 10 page
Contemplating workplace change: evolving individual thought processes and emergent story lines
Drawing on topical life histories of physicians in a particularly volatile public health
sector environment, we build theory around the contemplation of workplace change.
Overall, our study provides evidence as to why single or multiple independent factors,
such as pay or job structure, may fail to predict or explain individual decisions to stay
in or change workplaces. Instead, the contemplation process we argue is a complex,
evolutionary, and context-dependent one that requires individualized interventions.
Our findings reveal the prevalence of episodic context-self fit assessments prompted
by triggering stimuli, two mechanisms by which thought processes evolved
(reinforcement and recalibration), and four characteristic story lines that explain
why the thought processes manifested as they did (exploring opportunities, solving
problems, reconciling incongruence, and escaping situations). Based on our findings,
we encourage practitioners to regularly engage in story-listening and dialogic
conversations to better understand, and potentially affect the evolving socially
constructed realities of staff members
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