多重反射型飛行時間式質量分折器を用いたＡ～60-80 領域中性子欠乏核の精密質量測定

筑波大学 (University of Tsukuba)201

Implicit Category Priming Capacity

Past research has shown that accessing a memory allows faster subsequent access to the memory activated as well as to related information (priming). There has been much research devoted to implicit category priming (unintentional priming of a category of information), but this research has not determined the number of categories that can be implicitly primed simultaneously. The goal of the present quantitative study was to address that gap. Twenty participants (ages 27-54 years, M=44 years), who volunteered through an online participant pool, were presented with 2 tasks over the Internet. A scrambled phrase task implicitly primed 5 unrelated categories and a lexical decision (LD) task measured the priming (mean time between tasks = 42 seconds). Resulting primed and unprimed LD response latency distributions were strongly, positively skewed, which obscured individual priming effects. Gaussian parameters were extracted to overcome this skew, and the distributions were created for analysis. Dunnett\u27s multiple comparisons post-hoc test following a 1-way ANOVA showed that 2 of the 5 categories remained significantly primed. Follow-up research should determine the reliability of this value. This value, and its range (to be identified in follow-up studies) would provide a means for comparing lesson efficacy and teacher performance. The results of this research also replicate previous research demonstrating long-term implicit category priming

Developing and Testing a Measure for the Ethical Culture of Organizations: The Corporate Ethical Virtues Model

Based on four interlocking empirical studies, this paper initially validates and refines the Corporate Ethical Virtues Model which formulates normative criteria for the ethical culture of organizations. The findings of an exploratory factor analysis provide support for the existence of eight unidimensional subscales: clarity, congruency of supervisors, congruency of management, feasibility, supportability, transparency, discussability, and sanctionability. The findings of a confirmatory factor analysis show that the overall fit of the model is quite high. Evidence of convergent and discriminant validity is also found. The resulting 58-item self-reporting questionnaire is a useful tool that can be used in future research and by managers in assessing the ethical culture of their organization

Neural mechanisms for reducing uncertainty in 3D depth perception

In order to navigate and interact within their environment, animals must process and interpret sensory information to generate a representation or ‘percept’ of that environment. However, sensory information is invariably noisy, ambiguous, or incomplete due to the constraints of sensory apparatus, and this leads to uncertainty in perceptual interpretation. To overcome these problems, sensory systems have evolved multiple strategies for reducing perceptual uncertainty in the face of uncertain visual input, thus optimizing goal-oriented behaviours. Two available strategies have been observed even in the simplest of neural systems, and are represented in Bayesian formulations of perceptual inference: sensory integration and prior experience. In this thesis, I present a series of studies that examine these processes and the neural mechanisms underlying them in the primate visual system, by studying depth perception in human observers. Chapters 2 & 3 used functional brain imaging to localize cortical areas involved in integrating multiple visual depth cues, which enhance observers’ ability to judge depth. Specifically, we tested which of two possible computational methods the brain uses to combine depth cues. Based on the results we applied disruption techniques to examine whether these select brain regions are critical for depth cue integration. Chapters 4 & 5 addressed the question of how memory systems operating over different time scales interact to resolve perceptual ambiguity when the retinal signal is compatible with more than one 3D interpretation of the world. Finally, we examined the role of higher cortical regions (parietal cortex) in depth perception and the resolution of ambiguous visual input by testing patients with brain lesions

When is trust produced and when does it matter? Taking a closer look at trust and alliance performance

In response to intense competition in the environment and rapid technological shifts, firms have increasingly turned to alternative organizational forms such as strategic alliances. Though strategic alliances are considered to be an effective strategy that firms could use to leverage their existing skills and to cope with turbulent environments, only some alliances succeed. Alliances constitute a distinct organizational form in which previously independent firms allow themselves to become dependent on each other¿s actions to obtain mutual benefits. Owing to the complexities inherent in strategic alliances, extant research emphasizes that managing and consciously investing in relational aspects, such as trust, becomes equally germane to success as choosing the right partner and structuring these strategic alliances. However, several vexing issues remain; (1) precise generalizations are yet to be established on the determinants of alliance performance, (2) it is not clear when investing in interorganizational trust matters to alliance performance or (3) when it is cultivated in strategic alliances, (3) the severe consequences of trust violation notwithstanding, the efficient ways of restoring trust is yet to gain theoretical attention. This dissertation is a collection of studies that address these vexing issues using firm theoretical reasoning and sound methodological tools

Investigation into the feasibilty of providing intelligent support for computer mediation decision making groups

This thesis investigated the claim that the adaptation to the keyboard interface of a computer-mediated (CM) decision making group leads to differences in the style of communication when compared to that of a face-to-face (FTF) group. More importantly it examined the possibility that changes in satisfaction with the process and the decision outcome are determined not by the mode of communication, but rather the style of communication the decision makers employed in response to the keyboard interface. The decision processes of CM and FTF groups were examined using a simulated panel of enquiry presented via computer databases and containing inconsistent and incomplete shared information that could only be resolved through collaboration between the group members. An analysis of the communication styles employed in real-time CM and FTF groups (Experiment 1) revealed a tendency of CM discussions to exhibit a preference for a normative style of communication exchanging a proportionally high number of value statements and indications of preference, and for. FTF groups to rely proportionally more heavily upon factual and inferential statements. A paradigm for enabling intervention into the decision making process through the monitoring and coding of all group communication was developed (Chapter 2) which permitted the real-time analysis of the differences in communication style and aimed to reduce the differences in communication style. Using this paradigm and the norms for communication of the two forms of group (CM and FTF) established in Experiment 1, a series of studies examining the communication process were undertaken. Experiment 2 explored the possibility of intervening into the communication process using e-mail based support messages that conveyed the discrepancies between a CM groups communication style and the style a group might be expected to employ where it communicating FTF. Two configurations of support messages that each attempted to shape the communication style of CM decision panels to resemble those of FTF panels were considered. It was found that alerting users to their communication style and instructing them to increase or decrease certain styles of communication enabled them to more closely resemble the communication process and satisfaction levels of FTF groups. Experiment 3 considered the possibility that the presence of a monitoring system, rather than the content of the support messages provided, was the key issue in securing changes in the communication style of CM groups. Having established that it was indeed the content of the support messages that enabled CM groups to operate as if communicating FTF, attention turned to effects of the support. By easing the interpretation of the feedback through two configurations of visual feedback, Experiment 4 attempted to increase decision makers adherence to the content of the support messages. This study suggested that visual feedback alone was not sufficient to elicit the desired changes in communication style and that the text-based communication was required. Moreover, Experiment 4 considered the impact of support messages themselves, considering whether the support acted as continual assistance to the users or whether it merely trained the users to communicate in the desired way Conclusions from this study were slightly inconclusive, however, given that changes in communication styles had been achieved a further analysis of the content of the messages was undertaken. This final analysis (Chapter 7) revealed effects of confirmation bias within the communication and intervention steps that can on occasionally overcame such biases. The possibilities for the development of real-time intervention into these processes are considered and the findings interpreted in the light of existing theories of CM communication and recent developments in computer-based communication

Compositionality and Concepts in Linguistics and Psychology

cognitive science; semantics; languag

When is Trust Produced and When Does it Matter? Taking a Closer Look at Trust and Alliance Performance.

In response to intense competition in the environment and rapid technological shifts, firms have increasingly turned to alternative organizational forms such as strategic alliances. Though strategic alliances are considered to be an effective strategy that firms could use to leverage their existing skills and to cope with turbulent environments, only some alliances succeed. Alliances constitute a distinct organizational form in which previously independent firms allow themselves to become dependent on each other¿s actions to obtain mutual benefits. Owing to the complexities inherent in strategic alliances, extant research emphasizes that managing and consciously investing in relational aspects, such as trust, becomes equally germane to success as choosing the right partner and structuring these strategic alliances. However, several vexing issues remain; (1) precise generalizations are yet to be established on the determinants of alliance performance, (2) it is not clear when investing in interorganizational trust matters to alliance performance or (3) when it is cultivated in strategic alliances, (3) the severe consequences of trust violation notwithstanding, the efficient ways of restoring trust is yet to gain theoretical attention. This dissertation is a collection of studies that address these vexing issues using firm theoretical reasoning and sound methodological tools.

Modelling causality in law = Modélisation de la causalité en droit

L'intérêt en apprentissage machine pour étudier la causalité s'est considérablement accru ces dernières années. Cette approche est cependant encore peu répandue dans le domaine de l’intelligence artificielle (IA) et du droit. Elle devrait l'être. L'approche associative actuelle d’apprentissage machine révèle certaines limites que l'analyse causale peut surmonter. Cette thèse vise à découvrir si les modèles causaux peuvent être utilisés en IA et droit. Nous procédons à une brève revue sur le raisonnement et la causalité en science et en droit. Traditionnellement, les cadres normatifs du raisonnement étaient la logique et la rationalité, mais la théorie duale démontre que la prise de décision humaine dépend de nombreux facteurs qui défient la rationalité. À ce titre, des statistiques et des probabilités étaient nécessaires pour améliorer la prédiction des résultats décisionnels. En droit, les cadres de causalité ont été définis par des décisions historiques, mais la plupart des modèles d’aujourd’hui de l'IA et droit n'impliquent pas d'analyse causale. Nous fournissons un bref résumé de ces modèles, puis appliquons le langage structurel de Judea Pearl et les définitions Halpern-Pearl de la causalité pour modéliser quelques décisions juridiques canadiennes qui impliquent la causalité. Les résultats suggèrent qu'il est non seulement possible d'utiliser des modèles de causalité formels pour décrire les décisions juridiques, mais également utile car un schéma uniforme élimine l'ambiguïté. De plus, les cadres de causalité sont utiles pour promouvoir la responsabilisation et minimiser les biais.The machine learning community’s interest in causality has significantly increased in recent years. This trend has not yet been made popular in AI & Law. It should be because the current associative ML approach reveals certain limitations that causal analysis may overcome. This research paper aims to discover whether formal causal frameworks can be used in AI & Law. We proceed with a brief account of scholarship on reasoning and causality in science and in law. Traditionally, normative frameworks for reasoning have been logic and rationality, but the dual theory has shown that human decision-making depends on many factors that defy rationality. As such, statistics and probability were called for to improve the prediction of decisional outcomes. In law, causal frameworks have been defined by landmark decisions but most of the AI & Law models today do not involve causal analysis. We provide a brief summary of these models and then attempt to apply Judea Pearl’s structural language and the Halpern-Pearl definitions of actual causality to model a few Canadian legal decisions that involve causality. Results suggest that it is not only possible to use formal causal models to describe legal decisions, but also useful because a uniform schema eliminates ambiguity. Also, causal frameworks are helpful in promoting accountability and minimizing biases

Mapping numerical magnitude into behaviour

The importance of spatial models for numerical representations and the functional relation between number and space in the parietal cortex are suggested by the evidence that numerical information may affect spatial processing. It has been hypothesized that number maps onto a unidimensional continuum, the mental number line, and that number and space share a common metric. An investigation of the metric for numerical magnitudes, whether it is shared with space, and how this relation is reflected in behaviour, represent the main topic of the thesis. The hypothesis of shared metric is evaluated by the experimental work in the context of two topics: a) the subjective scale for numerical representation and b) the origin of spatial numerical interactions in visuomotor behaviour. Chapter 2 addresses an issue whether number, similarly to some physical magnitudes, may be represented on the logarithmically scaled continuum. The method for differentiating between logarithmic and linear hypotheses about the scale for number is implemented using novel variants of the number-line task, with results supporting the linear scaling schema. In Chapter 3, the method of transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to investigate whether the parietal areas, known to process numerical distance and allegedly implementing the mental number line, are involved in ratio scale computations, which are not compatible with mental number line model. Chapter 4 proposes a structural similarity between scales for number and space as a criterion to support the common metric between number and space. The scale analysis of number mapping onto space demonstrated discrepancy between spatial and numerical metrics for the performance in the manual estimation. Chapter 5 was designed to differentiate between the effect of number on the automatic visuomotor adaptation and on the response selection. The results show no evidence for the effect of number on the on-line motor corrections but reveal the signatures of non-sequential number mapping onto space at the stage of response selection. The findings in Chapter 5 are contrasted with the findings from Chapter 6, showing a pronounced effect of spatially non-specific expectations on the speed of the visuomotor coordination and spatial discrimination. The overall results do not support the hypothesis of the common metric for number and space and suggest that spatial models for number are deployed flexibly according to task demands