The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of trad~tional group therapy treatment for alcoholic out-patient clients with group therapy plus approaches that incorporated behavioral self-control techniques. Reducing anxiety in social situations was the focus of the behavior therapy treatments. Only alcoholics who were highly anxious (eightieth percentile), according to their scores on the Institute for Personality and Ability Testing (!PAT) Anxiety Scale, were used as subjects. The subjects were 24 clients from the San Joaquin County Alcoholism Rehabilitation Center who were all undergoing group therapy at the beginning of the study. Trios of subjects were matched on their !PAT scores and then randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: control (group therapy only), desensitization (group therapy plus systematic desensitization), and combined behavioral (group therapy plus systematic desensitization plus covert sensitization and covert self-reward). Treatment effectiveness was measured by administering the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test {MAST) and the San Joaquin County Alcoholism Screening Test (SJCAST) to the subjects at the beginning of the study (pre-testing) and at the completion of the behavioral treatment three months later (post-testing). Each subject's spouse or significant other also responded to the MAST and SJCAST at pre- and post-testing. Eighteen of the original 24 subjects, 17 males .and one female, completed the study. Each of the four measures of treatment effectiveness was analyzed using a split-plot factorial 3.2 analysis of variance, with type of treatment as the between subjects variable and pre- and post-testing as the within subjects variable. There was no significant difference between groups at pre-testing (except for the MAST taken by alcoholics where the desensitization group scored worse than the other two groups). At post-testing, all four measures showed significant differences between the three types of treatment (F's = 6.5, 6.3, 4.7, 11.6; 2/15 df; p < .05), with the two behavioral treatment groups showing significantly more improvement than the control group in seven of .the eight comparisons. The two behavioral treatment groups did not differ from each other. The main effect -for pre- and post-testing showed significant improvement for all groups, again on all four measures (F's - 354.9, 120.5, 87.8, 72.0; 1/15 df; p < .01). Correlation coefficients between alcoholic and significant other's responses ranged from +.61 to +.81 (p < .01 in call cases) on both the MAST and SJCAST at pre- and post-testing. The results demonstrate that all three types of therapy were effective in achieving improvement from pre- to post-testing. Adding behavioral self~control treatment to group therapy, however, resulted in even greater improvement than group therapy alone.

Cannabis (and its main psychoactive component, THC) is one of the most widely-used drugs in the world, and recent expansion of its legal status has made it available in a variety of formulations and at a potency unrivaled in history. While its medicinal properties are gaining scientific support, so too is its potential to lead to abuse and dependence. Both initiation of cannabis use and frequent cannabis use are most prevalent in adolescence, and compared to adults, cannabis use by adolescents is associated with a greater likelihood of developing cannabis dependence and cannabis use disorder. Given the ethical limitations surrounding research that provides cannabis to non-users or non-adults, animal models of drug use can be valuable tools for the study of causes and consequences related to drug use, as well as allowing for investigating brain mechanisms underlying these factors. However, only recently have models in which animals reliably use cannabis (THC) at levels above its respective vehicle and at levels which produce consistent behavioral and physiological effects become available, and in no case has age-related differences in this use been examined. Thus, one goal of the current study was to directly compare the self-administration of edible THC (a route of administration used by humans and a formulation increasing in popularity) between adolescent and adult mice.<br><div> Adolescents also appear to be differentially sensitive to various effects of several classes of drugs, and they have been shown to be less sensitive to the aversive effects of cannabis, thereby putting them at greater risk for elevated and continued use. Evidence also suggests that, in addition to the risk associated with adolescent cannabis use, having initial positive subjective experiences resulting from its use is a strong predictor of subsequent cannabis dependence. Thus, the second goal of the current study was to use the place conditioning paradigm to examine the reward- (or aversion-) inducing properties of THC in adolescent and adult C57BL/6J mice, using both the traditional experimenter-administered THC (via injection) as well as edible THC self-administration.</div><div> Prior to initiating these THC studies, sensitivity of the place conditioning procedure to age-related differences in drug-induced reward was validated using cocaine, yielding locomotor stimulation in both ages and a decreased sensitivity to cocaine’s rewarding properties in adolescent mice. When provided limited access to edible THC dough in doses ranging from 0.0 to 6.0 mg/kg, mice showed a dose-dependent reduction in consumption across access sessions, and this reduction was more rapid in adult mice at the highest doses, suggesting that adolescent mice might have been less sensitive to its aversive properties. These same mice, as well as a separate group of mice receiving injection (also 0.0 to 6.0 mg/kg THC), were given place conditioning sessions, alternating between THC dough and control dough or THC injection and vehicle injection, for 6 days per week and were tested once per week across a total of 3 weeks. Mice conditioned using edible THC showed a neutral response (neither reward nor aversion) at all doses. However, mice conditioned using injected THC showed a conditioned place aversion to the highest dose, which was more pronounced in adult mice. Interestingly, in mice self-administering edible THC, the dose of THC consumed was related to the outcome of place conditioning, such that a conditioned place preference was observed for adult mice which shifted their consumption of 3.0 mg/kg edible THC downward relative to those mice with full consumption of 3.0 mg/kg, and for adolescent mice which had the highest degree of consumption of 6.0 mg/kg edible THC relative to those mice with the lowest consumption of 6.0 mg/kg. Furthermore, initial place preference outcomes at the individual level at test 1 predicted subsequent doses of edible THC consumed, suggesting mice adjust their self-administration of edible THC based on the subjective experience it produces. Besides its impact in place conditioning, THC also had differential effects on body weight and locomotor activity based on age and route of administration. Collectively, this project demonstrates that adolescent mice are less sensitive to the hedonic properties of both cocaine and THC, and that differences in edible THC self-administration between ages, and between individuals within an age, are likely related the subjective experience of its rewarding and aversive properties.</div>

This paper examines the optimal production and export decisions of an international firm facing exchange rate uncertainty when the firm's preferences exhibit smooth ambiguity aversion. Ambiguity is modeled by a second-order probability distribution that captures the firm's uncertainty about which of the subjective beliefs govern the exchange rate risk. Ambiguity preferences are modeled by the (second-order) expectation of a concave transformation of the (first-order) expected utility of profit conditional on each plausible subjective distribution of the exchange rate risk. Within this framework, we show that ambiguity has no impact on the firm's propensity to export to a foreign country. Ambiguity and ambiguity aversion, however, are shown to have adverse effect on the firm's incentive to export to the foreign country.

Gängige Konzepte der Filmbildung werden vorgestellt und in ihren pädagogischen Implikationen diskutiert. Dabei wird kritisch auf das Kanon-Konzept eingegangen sowie auf den vom Autor favorisierten Ansatz, Spielfilme auch als Gegenstand einer narrativen Pädagogik zu verstehen. / Common concepts of film education are presented and discussed in their pedagogical implications. In particular, the canon concept is presented as well as the approach favored by the author to understand films as a subject of a narrative educational theory.

The relevance of AI is ever increasing. The goal of the wide implementation is usually either to boost task efficiency or for public comfort. To fuel this progression, more personal data is being used and Artificial intelligence inhabits the role of the human expert, in many different applications. This study investigated the attitudes and rates of acceptance to said AI applications and if they differed in relation to each other. Additionally, this study explored if general positive and negative attitude towards AI influence AI acceptance. Applications studied came from two different domains, E-commerce/Marketing and Healthcare. It was found that acceptance levels did in fact not significantly differ between the two domains. However, a significant positive correlation was found between positive attitude and acceptance rates, while an inverse significant correlation was found between negative attitude and acceptance rates.

Learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has included disruption, uncertainty, and additional stress for students. Adverse learning outcomes are a growing concern especially for vulnerable groups, such as middle school students. While COVID-19 research in academic fields is currently emerging, more research needs to address the specific experiences of middle school students. The current study examined the relationship between COVID-19 related stress (distress or fatigue) and student outcomes (student engagement and school aversion) for a sample of middle school students (N = 301). Specifically, coping (i.e., emotion regulation strategies) and perceptions of school climate were examined as mediators in the above relationship. Findings indicated that COVID-19 fatigue was inversely related to student engagement and positively related to school aversion. Emotion regulation mediated this relationship such that utilizing adaptive emotion regulation strategies promoted student engagement and dampened school aversion in relation to COVID-19 fatigue. School climate was also a significant mediator above and beyond the role of emotion regulation such that positive perceptions of school climate promoted engagement and reduced school aversion. A deeper explanation of the importance of regulation and the way middle schoolers perceive school rules and supports in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic is discussed. / Graduate

Objective: The strong association between ADHD and cigarette smoking and the known effects of nicotine on cognition has lead to interest in the role of cholinergic function in ADHD cognitive deficits. We have previously demonstrated that acute nicotine improves behavioral inhibition in adolescents with ADHD. This study examined acute nicotine in young adults with ADHD-Combined type on cognitive domains including behavioral inhibition, delay aversion, and recognition memory. Methods: 15 non-smoking young adults (20 ± 1.7 years) diagnosed with ADHD-C received acute nicotine (7 mg patch for 45 min) and placebo on separate days. Cognitive tasks included the Stop Signal Task, Choice Delay task, and the High-Low Imagery Task (a verbal recognition memory task). Three subjects experienced side effects and their data was excluded from analysis of cognitive measures. Results: There was a significant (p < .05) positive effect of nicotine on the Stop Signal Reaction Time measure of the Stop Signal Task. The SSRT was improved without changes in GO reaction time or accuracy. There was a trend (p = .09) for nicotine to increase tolerance for delay and a strong trend (p = .06) for nicotine to improve recognition memory. Conclusions: Non-smoking young adults with ADHD-C showed improvements in cognitive performance following nicotine administration in several domains that are central to ADHD. The results from this study support the hypothesis that cholinergic system activity may be important in the cognitive deficits of ADHD and may be a useful therapeutic target.

Nombreux sont ceux à considérer que depuis le développement de la médecine curative, la prévention a occupé une place secondaire dans le système de santé français. La préoccupation majeure aurait été jusque-là d’assurer un accès aux soins plutôt que de favoriser une culture de la prévention. Depuis quelques années, les différents drames sanitaires (transfusion sanguine, amiante, canicule, hormone de croissance, épidémies de grippe, cancers,...) ont sensibilisé l’opinion à la notion de “sécurité sanitaire” et fait émerger une prise de conscience nouvelle autour des problématiques de la prévention. Le recours à la prévention permet aux individus et aux pouvoirs publics d’exercer un contrôle sur les risques de santé auxquels ils sont exposés et de mener des actions conséquentes dans le but d’améliorer l’état de santé en évitant l’apparition, le développement ou l’aggravation des maladies ou des accidents tout en favorisant des comportements individuels et collectifs pouvant contribuer à réduire les risques sanitaires. Une des réponses face aux risques de santé est d’inciter les individus à plus de prévention car ils ne sont plus seulement consommateurs de soins mais aussi producteurs de leur état de santé. Quel est donc le rôle des individus et quelle est la part de responsabilité dévolue à chacun dans la prévention des risques sanitaires ? De plus, la prévention des risques sanitaires s’inscrit dans un environnement d’ambiguïté et d’incertitudes car les risques auxquels sont exposés les individus sont diversement nombreux et pas toujours bien connus. Il n’est donc pas aisé de relier avec certitude un facteur de risque et un effet sanitaire pour ainsi adopter un comportement de prévention adéquat. Dans ce contexte d’incertitude, de nombreux modèles d’aide à la décision, ou de représentations des préférences ont été proposés ces dernières années (Klibanoff et al.(2005), Bleichrodt et Eeckhoudt(2006) Machina(2009), Etner et al.(2011)). Cette thèse analyse les comportements de prévention des individus face à des risques de santé tout en mettant l’accent sur les politiques publiques de prévention proposées. Elle consiste d’une part à des études théoriques des comportements de prévention et de gestion des risques sanitaires en utilisant des modèles récents de préférences. Ce travail analyse le comportement des individus qui doivent prendre des mesures de prévention pour protéger leur propre santé dans un contexte d’incertitude. D’autre part, elle se consacre à une étude empirique pour cerner les perceptions et informations qu’ont les individus en termes de risque de santé. En outre, tout au long de ce travail, nous avons cherché à étudier la pertinence du modèle théorique élaboré au regard des politiques pratiquées. Le premier chapitre présente les principes de modélisation des décisions économiques en présence d’un risque de santé plus ou moins bien connu. Après avoir détaillé lesdifférentes approches dans les modèles de décisions dans le risque et dans l’incertain, nous avons mis en relief l’importance de l’introduction de variables bidimensionnelles (ou multidimensionnelles) dans le modèle de choix pour permettre de rendre de l’environnement multidimensionnel des risques de santé. Le deuxième chapitre est une étude originale proposée sur l’analyse de la prévention en santé lorsque les individus présentent de l’aversion à l’ambiguïté. Dans ce chapitre, nous avons étudié les comportements individuels de prévention face à une incertitude sur l’état de santé et avons montré que l’aversion à l’ambiguïté incite les individus à faire plus de prévention primaire et secondaire sous l’hypothèse d’une utilité marginale de la richesse croissante avec l’état de santé. (...) / Many are those to consider that since the development of the curative medicine, the prevention occupied a secondary place in the French health care system. Major concern would have been up to that point to ensure an access to healthcare rather than to support a culture of prevention. Since a few years, various medical dramas (blood transfusion, asbestos, heat wave, growth hormone, flu epidemics,cancers,...) have raised awareness of the concept of “safety” and brings out a new awakening around the prevention problems.The use of prevention allows the individuals and the public authorities to exert a control on the health risks to which they are exposed and to conduct consequent actions in order to improve health and prevent the emergence, the development, the development or the aggravation of the diseases or accidents while promoting individual and collective behaviors that can help to reduce the risk health. One of the answers in front of the health risks is to incite the individuals to more prevention because they are not only consumers of care, but also producers of their health. What is the role of individuals and what is the share of responsibility reserved for each one in the prevention of health risks ? In addition, the prevention of health risks is part of an environment ambiguity and uncertainty because the risks to which are exposed individuals are many different ways and not always well known. It is thus not easy to connect with certainty a risk factor and a health effect for adopting an adequate prevention behavior. In this context of uncertainty, many support the decision models or representations of preferences have been proposed in recent years (and Klibanoff (al. (2005), and Bleichrodt Eeckhoudt (2006), Machina 2009), Etner et al. (2011)).This thesis analyzes the individual behaviors of prevention in front of health risks while focusing on the public policies of prevention proposed. It consists on the one hand in theoretical studies of the behaviors of prevention and management of the health risks by using recent models of preferences. This work analyzes the behavior of the individuals who need to take preventive measures to protect their own health in a context of uncertainty. On the other hand, it is devoted to an empirical study to determine perceptions and information which have the individuals in terms of risk of health. Moreover, throughout this work, we sought to examine the relevance of the theoretical model developed with regard to the policies practiced. The first chapter presents the principles of modeling economic decisions in the presence of a more or less well known health risk. After detailing the different approaches in models of decisions under risk and uncertainty, we have highlighted the importance of the introduction of two-dimensional variables (or multidimensional) in the model of choice to allow to report the multidimensional environment of health risks. The second chapter is an original proposed study on the analysis of preventive health when the individuals have an aversion to ambiguity. In this chapter, we studied individual behavior of prevention in front of an uncertainty on the health status and have showed that aversion to ambiguity encourages the individuals to make more primary and secondary prevention under the assumption of a marginal utility of the increasing wealth with the health status. (...)

In two experiments, second-order conditioned taste aversion techniques were employed to develop aversions in rats, with a geotactic-excitation procedure as the independent variable. Periodic tilting of an experimental apparatus resulted in angular orientation changes of all subjects located within compartments of the chamber. The effect was excitation of geotactic behaviors, expressed as locomotor activity within the confines of these compartments. In the first experiment, two groups of rats (n = 6) were exposed to experimental protocols which were identical with the exception of the independent variable. Three conditioning trials were presented, separated by five to seven days, within which strychnine injections preceded LiCl injections by 15 minutes. A treatment trial was presented five days following the last drug pairing, in which a novel flavor was available in lieu of tap water. Immediately following the 10-min water-access period, an injection of the CS-drug was administered. Testing for evidence of second-order CTA was conducted via presentation of the flavored solution on the fifth day following treatment. statistically significant results were obtained in terms of Learned Aversion Ratios and CTA Suppression Ratios. A second experiment was conducted in an attempt to isolate the influence of the excitation procedures with other drug-pairings. Five groups of rats (n = 6 in each group) were run in which hypertonic saline was paired with LiCl, strychnine, or hypertonic saline. Combinations of saline and the US-drugs were tested with and without the excitation procedures. A no-injection group (n = 6) received exposure to the flavor stimulus followed only by the excitation procedure. Results obtained on the Learned Aversion Ratios were statistically significant and in the predicted direction. The excitation group in which saline had been paired with LiCl showed a significant aversion ratio compared to the appropriate control groups, the Saline-Saline Group and the No-Injection Group. The Saline-Strychnine Excitation Group also showed a significant Learned Aversion Ratio compared to its respective control group and to the No-Injection Excitation Group. The implications of these results for such issues as stimulus equipotentiality, avfail, and research methodology and CTA research in general may provide additional foundations for future research in this experimental area.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(経済学) / 甲第19953号 / 経博第540号 / 新制||経||279(附属図書館) / 33049 / 京都大学大学院経済学研究科経済学専攻 / (主査)教授 江上 雅彦, 教授 若井 克俊, 教授 原 千秋 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Economics / Kyoto University / DFAM