The relationship between empathy and sex similarity of counsellors and clients was investigated in this study. Two objectives were advanced to determine: (a) if counsellors of moderate or low empathic ability were more empathic with clients of the opposite sex, and (b) if counsellors of high empathic ability could be equally empathic with clients of both sexes. The subjects were 96 Caucasian University of British Columbia students enrolled in education or counselling psychology, or volunteering at a campus crisis and information centre. They were tested on the Discrimination Empathy Test, a lU item, sexually unbiased revision of Carkhuff's (1969) Index of Discrimination. Their scores were ranked and the subjects designated as of high, medium, or low empathic ability. This designation and the sex of the subjects and the clients served as independent variables. The dependent variable was empathy, defined as the discrimination of client affect. It was measured by the Affective Sensitivity Scale, an empathy measuring instrument consisting of video-taped vignettes from real counselling sessions with clients of both sexes and a written scale on which the subjects recorded their empathic response. Seven null hypotheses were advanced and analysed by a three-way analysis of variance. Only two of the hypotheses were not rejected. Females were found to be more empathic than males, and subjects were more empathic with male than female video-taped clients. For the third main effect, it was found that the three designated levels of empathic ability were not significantly different when re-tested on the Affective Sensitivity Scale. Nonsignificant results were found in interaction analyses of the three independent variables. Speculation was offered to explain these results. The lack of significant differences between the levels of empathic ability was probably responsible for the nonsignificance of three of the four interactions. The fourth, the finding of no interaction between the sex of the subjects and the sex of the video-taped clients could have been produced whether or not similarity was an important factor. The findings of additional t tests between each subject/video-taped client match by sex did not clarify any further the role of similarity. The highest mean score for the matches was for female subjects/ male video-taped clients, followed, in order, by male subjects/male videotaped clients, female subjects/female video-taped clients, and male subjects/ female video-taped clients. The same sex matches were not significantly different. Further research was recommended, especially into the relation of similarity to empathy. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

The optimal use of resources in a floodplain is important especially as marginal returns increase in value. Flood control measures which protect floodplain development need to be conservative to allow for future growth. This thesis presents a methodology whereby the likelihood of flooding of a river is determined from Monte Carlo simulations using a numerical river model. The river model is based on the hydrodynamic equations of motion and continuity while the stochastic parameters of the river are determined from recorded discharge data from the Nicomekl River, Surrey B.C., which is used as the test case of this study. Comparisons are made between simulated and recorded data with predictions of flood probabilities and conclusions as to the use of the methodology. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Civil Engineering, Department of / Graduate

Fluidized bed reactor studies were performed on the Claus reaction, ie. 2H₂S + S0₂<->3/n S[sub=n]n + 2H₂0. The basic objective was to determine whether the performance of the Claus process could be improved by replacing conventional fixed bed reactors with fluidized bed reactors. A computational procedure was developed which, unlike previous methods, does not require the user to specify the initial values for the iterative solution of the equilibrium equations. It is therefore possible to achieve, consistently, significant reductions in computer time and cost. The computer programme was used to simulate various idealized Claus plants. The results of the equilibrium calculations indicated that, for feed gases consisting of pure H₂S, sulphur conversions in excess of 99% are attainable by using a Claus furnace and two fluidized bed reactors in series. To substantiate the theoretical predictions, experimental studies were performed using a single fluidized bed reactor (0.1 m ID). The effects of temperature (150 - 300°C), flow rates (15 - 30 1/min), feed composition (0.06<H₂S<18%, 0.03<S0₂<9%, 73<N₂<99.91%) and bed height (0.12, 0.25 m) on the sulphur conversion were examined. The experimental results showed the same general trends as the theoretical predictions. However, the measured sulphur conversions exceed the theoretical values by up to 8%. Reasons for these discrepancies are discussed. Based on the theoretical and experimental studies, fluidized bed reactors appear to be technically superior to the conventional fixed bed devices. However, a proper commercial evaluation has to await longer term studies with larger fluidized beds. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Chemical and Biological Engineering, Department of / Graduate

A number of investigations have been conducted to examine social cognition and psychopathology among adolescents, yet little is known about the social cognitive reasoning of adolescents identified as having severe behavioral disorders. The purpose of the present study was to explore the social cognitive reasoning of adolescent boys with behavioral disorders in comparison to their peers without behavioral disorders. Group differences were examined with respect to epistemic reasoning and the dimensions of adolescent egocentrism. In addition, the relation between social cognition and social relationships was investigated. Finally, the relation between social cognition and psychopathology was explored. Thirty-one adolescent boys with behavioral disorders and 32 of their peers without behavioral disorders (matched forage, race, and SES) participated in the study. All participants were individually administered measures designed to assess epistemic reasoning, imaginary audience and personal fable ideation (i.e., invulnerability, omnipotence, personal uniqueness), and personal-intimacy and groupintegration with peers and family. In addition, boys with behavioral disorders completed a measure of internalizing, externalizing, and total problem behaviors. Teacher-ratings of problem behaviors were also completed for each participant in the study. Results revealed that adolescent boys with behavioral disorders were lower in epistemic reasoning than were adolescent boys without behavioral disorders. Groups were not found to differ with respect to imaginary audience or personal fable ideation. For boys with behavioral disorders, no relation was found between social cognition and social relationships. In contrast, for boys without behavioral disorders, personal uniqueness was negatively related to group-integration with peers and omnipotence was positively related to group-integration with family. Social cognitive reasoning was found to predict self-reported problem behaviors for boys with behavioral disorders and teacher-re ported problem behaviors for boys without behavioral disorders. Overall, these results suggest the importance of epistemic reasoning in understanding the relation between social cognition and psychopathology. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

This study describes a conceptual framework that portrays information system project failures as organizational crises. The main assumption of this study is that such failures will invariably happen and thus there is a need to make them less costly and more beneficial to organizations. To identify the behaviors and factors that influence an organization's ability to effectively manage a project failure, this dissertation reviews the crisis management literature. Based on this review, a three-stage model is formulated. To understand the mechanisms underlying this model, a number of hypotheses (which are informed by a number of related organizational behavior areas) are generated. These hypotheses focus on three key crisis management factors: the organization's ability to promptly detect an impeding failure, its capacity to manage the failure's impacts, and its propensity to learn from it. To empirically assess the validity of the conceptual model, three case studies of Canadian public organizations were conducted. The empirical findings provide strong support to the model's conjectures and indicate that project failures generate several crisis-related behaviors and responses. More specifically, the findings suggest that an organization's proactive preparation for a failure can have a significant moderating effect on its impact. However, the findings clearly show that an organization's ability to promptly detect (and prepare for) a failure is impeded by behaviors that are motivated by escalation of commitment. Such behaviors lead to a prolonged pre-crisis denial period and have a suppressing effect on whistle-blowing, which is pursued as a denial-curtailing strategy by non-management participants. The empirical findings describe both operational and legitimacy tactics used by organizations to cope with the aftermath of a project failure and indicate that credibility restoration is a significant concern during large crises. Finally, the empirical evidence indicates that organizational learning and adaptation are more likely to follow major project failures than less significant ones. This contradicts threat-rigidity arguments and provides support to the failure-induced learning theory. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

Compared to grammatical knowledge of language (what to use), the ability to use language appropriately depending on a context (how to use) is termed linguistic pragmatic knowledge. Throughout the elementary school years children developmentally not only acquire pragmatic knowledge but also increase their explicit grasp of pragmatic knowledge. This is termed metapragmatic knowledge. It includes the ability to infer meanings that are not expressed literally. In nonliteral uses of language, the speaker means something different from what is said. Among such nonliteral uses of language are indirect requests and irony. As children's metapragmatic knowledge has a positive relationship with their literate proficiency, on which success in school depends, children can benefit from the development of their metapragmatic knowledge in their academic achievement. The study of bilingualism has shown that bilingualism has a positive effect on children's metalinguistic development. Can metapragmatic knowledge be enhanced by increasing exposure to a second language (L2)? Bilingual pupils were given two tasks in which the children's levels of metapragmatic knowledge were investigated. The measure of metapragmatic knowledge consisted of two assessments: (a) understanding of indirect requests, and (b) understanding of irony. Participants listened to eight short stories in which brief interactions were presented in a multimedia, computer-based format. After each story, participants were asked a set of questions to probe subjects' attributions of the speaker's communicative intent and hearer's interpretation. L2 intensity was positively associated with metapragmatic knowledge measured by comprehension of requests. Conversely, the association between L2 intensity and metapragmatic knowledge measured by comprehension of irony was not necessarily positive. Those who scored higher had positive relationship between L2 intensity and their metapragmatic knowledge whereas those who scored lower had negative relationship between L2 intensity and their metapragmatic knowledge. In summary, L2 intensity is not always positively associated with any type of metapragmatic knowledge. This suggests that a larger amount of exposure to L2 is not necessarily beneficial to children's development of metapragmatic knowledge. Therefore, it is important to consider the levels of children's metapragmatic knowledge when planning an increase of exposure to L2 instruction. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

M.Comm. / The case method can serve as an instrument to improve the learner's skills across a wide spectrum. It is extremely important that the theoretical background of the learner be focused in such a way to be of practical use for the embryo-manager. The correct use of the case method is a powerful tool for the developer, but incorrectly used, it can have negative results. The case method relies on the learning-by-doing principle. The learner does not merely hear or read about situations within the work place, but experiences analysis and problem solving first-hand during the class discussion.The facilitator ought not use the first case study he lays his hands on when planning a class discussion. Cases must be selected with great care, to suit the learning objectives and must take into account the learners' level of knowledge and development. The use of a standardised classification matrix can assist the facilitator to identify the appropriate case study. Before a learner can be expected to analyse and discuss cases, he/she should receive the necessary guidance beforehand. The use of a set of generic guidelines in case analysis, should enable the learner to solve virtually any case he/she is confronted with. As the learner gains experience in case analysis, the generic guidelines can be adapted to conform with the learners specific needs as well as with the specific nature of the case under discussion. Research regarding the use of the case method to develop managerial skills is still totally inadequate.

The ability to learn spatiotemporal characteristics of biologically significant events is advantageous for an animal and is known as time-place learning (TPL). Gallistel (1990) proposed an influential theory positing that whenever a biologically significant event occurred, a memory code was automatically formed, encoding the nature of the event, and the time and place in which it occurred. When the animal is later faced with a biological need it could consult these memory codes and determine when and where that need had been met in the past. This information could be used to guide current behaviour. Importantly, Gallistel theorized that the encoding of the spatiotemporal characteristics of an event into a tripartite code was an automatic process. Despite the appealing power and simplicity of Gallistel's theory, I have provided arguments suggesting that it has serious limitations. Perhaps the most damaging evidence against this theory is the reluctance of rats to demonstrate daily TPL (i.e., events that vary in location depending on time of day). Widman, Gordon, and Timberlake (2000) argue that for TPL to occur the response cost for incorrect decisions must be high. While this hypothesis is unable to explain the inconsistencies in TPL, it does highlight the fact that animals do not automatically store time-place-event information as a tripartite code. If they did, it would not make sense for them to ignore such information in some tasks. I have provided an alternative hypothesis that states that whenever a biologically significant event occurs two bipartite memory codes (time-event and place-event) are automatically formed. Only under some conditions, perhaps those with high response cost, do animals form tripartite codes. For this reason, rats often have difficulty learning a TPL task; although rats easily learn a place preference for those places that provide reinforcement (place-event), and easily learn a go/no-go discrimination (time-event). This thesis provides data from both the daily and interval TPL realms supporting the proposed theory of bipartite codes. Although rats do not readily learn daily TPL tasks, they do demonstrate knowledge of interval TPL under a variety of conditions designed to enhance the ecological validity of the task. The properties of interval TPL are discussed. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

A cognitive-behavioural theory (CBT) has been put forth to explain hypochondriasis and less extreme forms of health anxiety (Warwick & Salkovskis, 1990). The extent to which less extreme forms of health anxiety are relevant for understanding illness behaviour remains unclear, however. Further, the independence of health anxiety from a more general construct of negative affectivity, as well as response styles is not known. The CBT of health anxiety predicts that in response to illness information health anxious individuals will show a characteristic cognitive (e.g., attend to and misinterpret information) and behavioural (e.g., avoidance and reassurance seeking) response. Although the predictions are supported by clinical observations, rigorous and systematic contrasts of health anxious and non-health anxious individuals to the same objective health related information have not yet been carried out. Further, there are a number of additional issues that need to be clarified with respect to the theory, including: (a) Are there additional cognitive and behavioural responses involved in health anxiety not predicted by the CBT?; (b) Are health anxious individuals deficient in there use of certain adaptive responses to illness information?; and (c) Are the cognitive and behavioural responses shown by health anxious individuals moderated under certain circumstances? In the present study, students scoring either within normal or nonclinically high ranges on a measure of health anxiety underwent a physiological test ostensibly examining risk for medical complications and were randomly assigned to receive positive, negative, or ambiguous test results. They then underwent a cold pressor task ostensibly to examine physiological activity and were asked questions tapping their responses to the diagnostic information and painful procedure. They were also judged for facial expressiveness. Unmistakable support was found for a dysfunctional cognitive (e.g., negative interpretational focus) and behavioural (e.g., reassurance seeking) response style among health anxious individuals. Little support was found for either cognitive or behavioural avoidance in health anxiety. Not anticipated by the CBT, as time went on health anxious individuals became more expressive of their pain; this may have important implications, since increased expressiveness could result in an increase in the felt emotional experience. Adding to the CBT, evidence was found to suggest that health anxious individuals may have a deficit or be deficient in their use of a positive concrete somatic monitoring strategy. Finally, the results suggested that there are statistically and clinically significant differences among nonclinically health anxious individuals and normals that can not be accounted for by differences in negative affectivity or response styles. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

The effect of age, breed, days open at conception, stage of lactation and pregnancy upon daily body weight and milk weight in lactating dairy cattle were studied. The cattle used in the study were those of the University of British Columbia Research Farm at Oyster River, B.C. 76 Holstein and 60 Holstein X Ayrshire crossbred milking cows at different stages of lactation and both either open or pregnant, were used in this study. The study was carried out during the months of May and June of 1975. The procedure involved weighing the animals daily after the afternoon milking and recording the daily milk yield along with the weight of each cow. The cows were classified into three groups, namely All, Open and Pregnant, the first group being a combination of the last two. For All and Open cows, the effect of age, breed, age by breed and number of days in milk on body weight and milk weight were investigated. For the Pregnant cows, the effect of age, breed, number of days open at conception, age by breed, age by number of days open at conception, breed by number of days open at conception and number of days pregnant on body weight and milk weight were investigated. Using the number of days open at conception as a dependent variable, the effect of age, breed and age by breed were investigated. The results showed that among All, Open and Pregnant cow groups, the older cows were significantly (P <0.05) heavier and were producing significantly (P <0.05) more milk than the younger cows. Age accounted for 0.9%, 1.5% and 0.8% of the body weight variation and for 0.1%, 0.5% and 1.3% of the milk weight variation in All, Open and Pregnant cow groups respectively. Among the All, Open and Pregnant groups, the older cows weighed more by 143.22, 133.12 and 125.07 lbs and produced 3.72, 6.98 and 12.14 lbs more milk per day respectively than the younger cows. Among All, Open and Pregnant groups, a significant breed effect (P <0.05) on body weight and milk weight was observed. In the three groups, breed accounted for 2.3%, 3.8% and 0.1% of the body weight variation and for 0.1%, 0.3% and 0.6% of the milk weight variation respectively. Among All and the Open cow groups the Hoi steins were heavier by 223.00 and 214.04 lbs and were respectively producing 5.20 and 5.26 lbs more milk daily than the crossbreds. Among the Pregnant cow group the Hoi steins were lighter by 49.33 lbs and produced 7.74 lbs less milk daily than the crossbreds. The number of days open at conception was a significant source of variation (P <0.05) affecting body weight but not milk weight in the Pregnant cow group. It accounted for 1.3% of the body weight variation. Those cows who stayed open longer than 123 days were heavier by 159.21 lbs than those who became pregnant earlier or on day 123 after calving. Age by breed for the All cow group was significant (P <0.05), accounting for 0.1% of the body weight variation. This interaction was not significant for body weight of the other two groups and for milk weight of all the three groups. Age by number of days open at conception was significant (P <0.05) for the Pregnant cow group milk weight and accounted for 1.2% of the variation. This interaction was not significant for body weight. Breed by number of days open at conception was not significant for the Pregnant cow group body weight and milk weight. Number of days in milk for All and Open cows had a significant (P <0.05) effect on both body weight and milk weight. It accounted for 10.2% and 2.9% of the variation in body weight and 35.6% and 18.4% of the variation in milk weight in All and Open cow groups respectively. In the Pregnant cow group, the number of days pregnant resulted in significant (P <0.05) effect on both body weight and milk weight. It accounted for 30.8% and 61.4% of the body weight and milk weight variation respectively. When number of days open at conception was used as a dependent variable, age, breed, and age by breed showed a significant (P <0.05) effect in the pregnant cow group. Age, breed, and age by breed accounted for 0.3%, 0.4% and 0.9% of the variation respectively. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate