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To understand what modality affects the perception of emotion is interesting since it would help us get closer to understanding and dissecting emotions. Earlier research has shown that body motions can help disambiguate ambiguous (determining something vaguely presented) facial expressions but there is no study that examines the possibility of facial expressions to affect the perception of body motion. That is why this study aims to examine if facial expressions can affect the perception of full body emotions. This is done with a perceptual experiment in which 22 subjects were exposed to stimuli consisting of scenes with virtual characters expressing emotions (see figure 1). It was concluded that the facial expression does affect the perception of joined valence within the group of characters and it is thereby proven that not only body motions can help disambiguating ambiguous facial expressions but that facial expressions can help disambiguating ambiguous body motions and alter the perception of distinct body motions perceived as either positive or negative without face and hands showing. It is also concluded that perceived trustworthiness is affected by the valence of the facial expression, which supports recent studies conducted which aimed to find out what makes for a trustworthy and dominant face with the help of valence as a factor. The perceived relationship within the group is also examined as well as the dominance of the group as a whole but neither gave results clear enough to make any conclusions except that positive valence affects the perceived relationship within the group as closer. The study is conducted using virtual agents but is meant to help better understand people in everyday situations.

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The use of still images in instruction has a long history in the field of education. With the widespread use of microcomputers and the development of graphic software, the ability to create and use animated images has greatly increased; today many people use animated images in their teaching and training activities. Since the use of different types of images in instruction has various influences on students'learning results, the different effects between animated images and still images have been studied widely among researchers. However, the research results are not consistent. Some research results show that animated images are more effective than still images and some show no difference or less effective results. This experimental study explores the effects of animated images and still images on college students' learning of motion-related tasks and non-motion related tasks, with the students possessing different levels of field dependence-independence. This study found that: For learning tasks involving motion and/or change, animated images were more effective than still images for college students, and field dependent students benefited more from animated images than did the field independent students. However, for learning tasks that did not involve motion or change, there was no difference in learning results from the use of still images as opposed to animated images. In addition, for such learning tasks, there was no difference in the learning benefits of still images to field dependent versus field independent learners. / Ph. D.

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For the purpose of analyzing James' interpretation of the American character, it is first necessary to study his individual Americans.

Els treballs realitzats en aquesta tesi tenen com objectius l'aplicació de la sistemàtica molecular i la filogeografia per resoldre relacions filogenètiques, clarificar la taxonomia i descriure la història de les poblacions de les espècies incloses dins de dos grups de mamífers d'elevat interés conservacionista: els mustélids (família Mustelidae) i els macacs (génere Macaca).L'ús de diferents marcadors genétics mitocondrials (el gen citocrom b i la regió control) i un de nuclear (les seqüencies flanquejants d'una regió repetitiva) ha permés reconstruir les relacions filogenètiques entre 33 espècies de mustelids; delimitar quatre grups filogeogràfics en el teixò euroasiàtic (Meles meles); detectar la venta de productes derivats d'aquesta espècie en països on està protegida; i estudiar el procès d'especiació del macac japonès (Macaca fuscata). A partir dels resultats obtinguts també s'han proposat canvis en la taxonomia d'aquests grups. Al final de la tesi es fan reflexions sobre el paper que desenvolupen els marcadors moleculars en la sistemàtica, sobre com classificar aquelles espècies que no ha finalitzat els seus processos d'especiació i sobre les aplicacions de la sistemàtica, la biologia evolutiva i la genètica en la conservació de la biodiversitat. / The objectives of this thesis were the application of molecular systematics and phylogeography to resolve phylogeny, to clarify taxonomy and to study the population history of species included within two groups of mammals of high conservation interest: the mustelids (Family Mustelidae) and the macaques (Genus Macaca).Using different mitochondrial (cytochrome b gene and control region) and nuclear (flanking sequences of a repetitive region) markers, we have been able to reconstruct the phylogeny of 33 mustelid species; to delimit four phylogeographic groups in the Eurasian badger (Meles meles); to detect the trade of Eurasian badger products in countries where this species is protected; and to study the speciation process of the Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata). According to our results we have also proposed taxonomic changes in these groups.At the end of the thesis, there are also some reflections about the role of genetic markers in systematics; about how to classify the species that have not finished their speciation process; and about the application of systematics, evolutionary biology and genetics in conservation biology.

The following study is an analysis of the initial steps of the process of characterization of Dorotea and Fortunata. This comparative study will illustrate the similarities in the techniques both Cervantes and Galdos employ to create two female characters who, although begin as irrelevant secondary characters, end as protagonists and heroines of their respective story. / The first chapter is dedicated to the two male characters, Cardenio and Juanito. Both authors begin each story with a male character and lead the reader to believe falsely that they will be the protagonists. We conclude that these false protagonists only serve as contrasts to the female characters they introduce. / The second and third chapters deal with the first appearance of Dorotea and Fortunata. We begin with a detailed description and analysis of their physical appearance and the literary techniques used. We discover that both authors achieve the same goal of creating a sensual scene in which they offer a minute description of the female characters in question. Finally, we come to know these two female characters through an analysis of their discourses and language. The characterization process is realized thanks to the interaction between characters and the thinking process. We come to the conclusion that, although separated by approximately three centuries, both authors employ similar techniques and succeed in creating two female characters that excel in their respective lives.