This study examined the effects of switching from an incentive pay system solely based on productivity to a scorecard-based incentive pay system. Performance of staff and senior accountants was analyzed across three departments for a two-year baseline and a three-year intervention period. Results showed that percent of charge hour goal remained high during the study. Once the scorecard-based incentive system was implemented, performance on the other line items increased or remained at or above goal levels. Incentive payouts were generally higher under the second incentive plan than under the first for top performers. Possible explanations for data trends, weaknesses of the measures within the scorecard, measure/line item alternatives and implications for future research are also discussed.

A functional definition of fluency describes performance frequency ranges that predict retention, endurance, stability, application, and adduction as outcomes of practice. This experiment assessed these outcomes after different training conditions using a within-subject design. Participants in an experimental group learned new skills in a condition with rate and accuracy criteria, then in a yoked, rate-controlled condition with the same number of prompted responses and correct trials in practice. Control group participants received training in consecutive conditions with rate and accuracy criteria. Performance of individuals in the control group demonstrated practice effects. Data obtained from participants in the experimental group showed similar performance across conditions. Considering efficiency, the condition with rate and accuracy criteria was superior.

According to the DSM-IV- TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000), one of the core deficits in autism is in the impairment of social interaction. Some have suggested that underlying these deficits is the reality that individuals with autism do not find social stimuli to be as reinforcing as other types of stimuli (Dawson, 2008). An interesting and growing body of literature supports the notion that symptoms in autism may be caused by a general reduction in social motivation (Chevallier et al., 2012). A review of the literature suggests that social orienting and social motivation are low in individuals with autism, and including social motivation as a target for therapeutic intervention should be pursued (Helt et al., 2008). Through our understanding of learning processes, researchers in behavior analysis and related fields have been able to use conditioning procedures to change the function of neutral or ineffective stimuli, including tokens (Ayllon & Azrin, 1968), facial expressions (Gewirtz & Pelaez-Nogueras, 1992) and praise (Dozier et al., 2012). The current study aimed to use operant and respondent procedures to condition social stimuli that were empirically shown to not be reinforcing prior to conditioning. Further, this study aimed to compare the two procedures in their effectiveness to condition social stimuli to function as reinforcers, and in their maintenance of effects over time. Using a multiple-baseline, multi-element design, one social stimulus was conditioned under each procedure to compare the different response rates following conditioning. Finally, the study sought to determine if conditioning social stimuli to function as reinforcers had any effect on the social functioning of young children with autism. Six children diagnosed with autism between the ages of 18 months and 3 years participated. Results show that the respondent procedure (pairing) resulted in more robust and enduring effects than the operant procedure (Sd procedure). Results of a social communication assessment (ESCS, Mundy et al., 2003) before and after conditioning demonstrate gains in all areas of social communication, particularly in the areas of initiating and responding to joint attention.

No description available.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第22778号 / 工博第4777号 / 新制||工||1747(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科電気工学専攻 / (主査)教授 中村 裕一, 教授 小山田 耕二, 教授 西野 恒 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DGAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(情報学) / 甲第22805号 / 情博第735号 / 新制||情||126(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院情報学研究科社会情報学専攻 / (主査)教授 吉川 正俊, 教授 森 信介, 教授 田島 敬史 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Informatics / Kyoto University / DFAM

No description available.

A company, Unanimous AI, has created a software platform that allows individuals to come together as a group or a human swarm to make decisions. These human swarms amplify the decision-making capabilities of both the individuals and the group. One way Unanimous AI increases the swarm’s collective decision-making capabilities is by limiting the swarm to more informed individuals on the given topic. The previous way Unanimous AI selected users to enter the swarm was improved upon by a new methodology that is detailed in this study. This new methodology implements a new type of survey that collects data that is more indicative of a user’s knowledge on the subject than the previous survey. This study also identifies better metrics for predicting each user’s performance when predicting Major League Baseball game outcomes throughout a given week. This study demonstrates that the new machine learning models and data extraction schemes are approximately 12% more accurate than the currently implemented methods at predicting user performance. Finally, this study shows how predicting a user’s performance based purely on their inputs can increase the average performance of a group by limiting the group to the top predicted performers. This study shows that by limiting the group to the top predicted performers across five different weeks of MLB predictions, the average group performance was increased up to 5.5%, making this a superior method.

This semester project presents an analysis of network traffic and detection of anomalies in network traffic by several various means. In the first part of the paper there is an explanation of the methods aiming at denial of service. Then in the second part an implementation of protection by means of selected solutions is presented. The intent is to compare these means which are supposed to detect cyber attacks aiming at denial of service. Another intent is to choose the best solutions from the categories of open-source and commercial solutions. The target of the master thesis was to work out a comparison between actual solutions for detection of DoS and DDoS attacks.

Orientador: Ana Claudia Moreira Almeida-Verdu / Resumo: O programa sistemático e informatizado de ensino Aprendendo a Ler e a Escrever em Pequenos Passos® (ALEPP®), foi criado com base no paradigma das relações de equivalência. Sua finalidade é estabelecer repertório básico de leitura e escrita com diferentes níveis de complexidade, cuja eficiência tem sido replicada em diferentes centros de pesquisa. As intervenções em situações aplicadas e em populações com diferentes características de diagnóstico apontam sua efetividade, atendendo um amplo número de diagnósticos e necessidades especiais de ensino. O Estudo 1 trata-se de uma revisão de literatura, rastreando as diferentes versões do programa e sua evolução, desde a apresentação impressa até a apresentação informatizada e online atual. Os resultados apontam que o ALEPP® em seus diferentes módulos, tem potencial para ensinar repertórios de leitura e escrita em diferentes contextos. Enquanto lacuna verificou-se que apesar de seu potencial, o ALEPP® não tem sido utilizado em larga escala nas escolas, exceto para pesquisas do INCT/ECCE (Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia sobre Comportamento, Cognição e Ensino). O Estudo 2 refere-se a uma pesquisa aplicada, com o objetivo de verificar a eficácia do Módulo 1 do software ALEPP® em crianças com diferentes diagnósticos e condições de aprendizagem, que frequentaram uma sala de recursos de uma Escola Pública Municipal de Ensino Fundamental, com queixas de atraso na aquisição de repertórios de leitura e escrita. Os resultados aponta... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The systematic and computerized teaching program Learning to Read and Write in Small Steps® (ALEPP®), created based on the paradigm of equivalence relations. It´s goal a basic repertoire of reading and writing with different levels of complexity, the efficiency of which has been replicated in different research centers. Tests in applied situations and in variations with different diagnostic characteristics point to its effectiveness, meeting a wide number of diagnoses and special teaching needs. Study 1 deals with a literature review, tracking how different versions of the program and their evolution, from a printed presentation to a current computerized presentation. The results pointed out for ALEPP®, in its different modules, have the potential to reproduce reading and writing repertoires in different contexts. While the gap was verified, despite its potential, ALEPP® was not used on a large scale in schools, except for INCT research. Study 2 refers to applied research, with the objective of verifying Module 1 of the ALEPP® ® software in children with different diagnoses and learning conditions, frequent in a resource room of the Municipal Public School of Elementary Education, with complaints of delay in the acquisition of reading and writing repertoires. The results show that, despite the initial diversified impact, the participants managed to finish two teaching units, reaching a percentage above 80% in reading and dictation post-tests. This data indicates that the ALEP... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor