The goal of this work is to build a cognitive system for the humanoid robot, Cog, that exploits human caregivers as catalysts to perceive and learn about actions, objects, scenes, people, and the robot itself. This thesis addresses a broad spectrum of machine learning problems across several categorization levels. Actions by embodied agents are used to automatically generate training data for the learning mechanisms, so that the robot develops categorization autonomously. Taking inspiration from the human brain, a framework of algorithms and methodologies was implemented to emulate different cognitive capabilities on the humanoid robot Cog. This framework is effectively applied to a collection of AI, computer vision, and signal processing problems. Cognitive capabilities of the humanoid robot are developmentally created, starting from infant-like abilities for detecting, segmenting, and recognizing percepts over multiple sensing modalities. Human caregivers provide a helping hand for communicating such information to the robot. This is done by actions that create meaningful events (by changing the world in which the robot is situated) thus inducing the "compliant perception" of objects from these human-robot interactions. Self-exploration of the world extends the robot's knowledge concerning object properties.This thesis argues for enculturating humanoid robots using infant development as a metaphor for building a humanoid robot's cognitive abilities. A human caregiver redesigns a humanoid's brain by teaching the humanoid robot as she would teach a child, using children's learning aids such as books, drawing boards, or other cognitive artifacts. Multi-modal object properties are learned using these tools and inserted into several recognition schemes, which are then applied to developmentally acquire new object representations. The humanoid robot therefore sees the world through the caregiver's eyes.Building an artificial humanoid robot's brain, even at an infant's cognitive level, has been a long quest which still lies only in the realm of our imagination. Our efforts towards such a dimly imaginable task are developed according to two alternate and complementary views: cognitive and developmental.

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Syftet med denna studie är att karaktärisera det arbetsorganisatoriska lärandet på företag inom tjänstesektorn ur ett genusperspektiv. Den yrkesklass som fokuseras är tjänstemän. För att besvara denna övergripande problematik studeras män och kvinnor och deras tillgång till och upplevelse av lärandet i både formella och informella former. Frågeställningarna handlar om huruvida männen och kvinnornas tillgång till lärande skiljer sig, både vad gäller utbud av formella läraktiviteter som förutsättningar för informellt lärande, samt vilka skillnader det finns mellan könen vad gäller karaktären på det arbetsorganisatoriska lärandet, huruvida det verkar vara tal om ett reproduktivt eller utvecklingsinriktat lärande. Studien bygger på en kvantitativ statistisk enkätstudie om 53 frågor som har besvarats av 73 personer från fem olika företag. Resultaten visar att männen och kvinnornas tillgång till lärande ser olika ut, både vad gäller utbud av formella läraktiviteter som förutsättningar för informellt lärande, på så sätt att männens tillgång till lärande är större; de deltar i större utsträckning i formella läraktiviteter och har bättre förutsättningar för informellt lärande. Det finns även tendenser om skillnader mellan könen vad gäller karaktären på det arbetsorganisatoriska lärandet, på så sätt att det bland kvinnorna i högre grad indikeras ett reproduktivt lärande medan det bland männen i högre grad indikeras ett utvecklingsinriktat lärande. Slutsatsen är att det finns anledning att misstänka att vårt ojämställda arbetsliv återspeglas även på det arbetsorganisatoriska lärandet.

Då arbetslivet förändras i snabb takt och det finns förhoppningar och krav på att digitaliseringen ska lösa stora delar av de problem som uppstår vid snabba förändringar inom offentlig verksamhet har denna studie tittat närmare på hur lärandet kan se ut vid digital förändring inom offentlig verksamhet. Uppsatsens syfte var att undersöka och skapa kunskap om hur lärprocessen och lärmiljön vid införandet av nytt digitalt arbetssätt ser ut, utvecklas och fungerar i en hemtjänstgrupp. Detta gjordes genom en kvalitativ undersökning utifrån en fallstudie vid en arbetsplats i en kommun i Mellansverige. Data samlades in genom observation, enkät samt intervjuer med chef och medarbetare. De teoretiska utgångspunkter som används i studien är främst P-E Ellströms perspektiv på lärande i arbetslivet samt Ellström & Ekholm och Kocks perspektiv på lärmiljöer. Dessa teoretiska utgångspunkter används som ett verktyg för att analysera det insamlade datamaterialet. Resultatet visar att lärandet sker genom informellt lärande på arbetsplatsen genom gemensamma genomgångar, individuella uppföljningar samt ett kollegialt lärande. Lärprocessen är både reproduktiv och utvecklingsinriktad, det skiljer dels mellan chef och medarbetare men även inom arbetsgruppen hur lärprocessen tar form. Då arbetssättet är nytt för hela gruppen är mycket reproduktivt lärande men även inslag av utvecklingsinriktat lärande finns i form av vissa ifrågasättanden, innovationer och utvecklande. Lärmiljön på enheten är i stort stödjande utifrån en stöttande ledning, stöttande medarbetare, ett delvis öppet klimat och delaktighet. Det finns även vissa incitament som tyder på en begränsande lärmiljö utifrån bristande resurser i form av utrustning samt tid och även en frustration och tidvis kontrollerande ledning.

One of the aims of this study was to look at the difference in self-concept between traditional and non-traditional community college students. This study also examined self-concept differences based on ethnicity and gender and focused specifically on community college students in one or more developmental courses. Students from developmental math, reading, and English classes were given the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale: Second Edition survey (see Appendix B for a list of the questions on the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale: Second Edition). Students were asked to complete the long form consisting of 82 questions using Likert Scale responses from 1-Always False to 5-Always True. The results showed that among the 135 developmental students participating in this study, the total self-concept score did not differ statistically between traditional and non-traditional students. This study did, however, show that the mean value score for Black students was statistically significant and higher when compared to White students. All other ethnic groups were statistically equal. There was also no statistical difference in self-concept score based on gender. The overall self-concept score mean value fell in the 29th percentile for the students in the survey. This was well below the desired 50th percentile range between 296 and 299 as the cutoff point for high self-concept as referenced in the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale: Second Edition Profile chart for the Adult Form. Based on the results of this study, the self-concept score was proven to be a bi-product of student background and academic success. Self-concept can be a valuable pre-test and post-test tool for measuring the impact of developmental programs. Academic success raises self-concept, and given the statistical significance of the difference between the scores of Black developmental students and White developmental students, more research is warranted. The results from this study of developmental students provide additional support for the use of a self-concept score as a pre-test and post-test metric. Other than the pass or fail grade that a student may receive, the self-concept score can be used as a reliable way of measuring the impact of programs designed to improve retention and graduation rates of community college students.

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Cette thèse s'inscrit dans le cadre du projet IDEAL (Implementing DevelopmentAl Learning) financé par l'Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR). La capacité à percevoir, mémoriser et interpréter l'environnement qui nous entoure est une capacité vitale que l'on retrouve chez de nombreux êtres vivants. Cette capacité leur permet de générer des comportements adaptés à leur contexte, ou d'échapper à un prédateur sorti de leur champ de vision. L'objectif de cette thèse consiste à doter un agent artificiel de cette capacité. Nous proposons un modèle théorique permettant à un agent artificiel de générer des connaissances exploitables des éléments constituant son environnement et une structure reflétant l'espace. Ce modèle est basé sur la théorie de la contingence sensorimotrice, et implémente une forme de motivation intrinsèque. En effet, ce modèle débute avec un ensemble de structure indivisibles, appelées interactions, caractérisant les échanges entre l'agent et son environnement. L'apprentissage des connaissances est développemental et émerge de l'interaction entre l'agent et son environnement, sans qu'aucune intervention extérieure (récompense), ne soit nécessaire. Notre modèle propose des mécanismes permettant d'organiser et d'exploiter ces connaissances émergentes dans le but de générer des comportements. Nous proposons des implémentations de ce modèle pour démontrer l'émergence d'une connaissance à partir de l'interaction entre l'agent et son environnement, et les comportements qui émergent de cette connaissance / This thesis is a part of the IDEAL project (Implementing DEvelopmentAl Learning) funded by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR). The ability of perceiving, memorizing and interpreting the surrounding environment is a vital ability found in numerous living beings. This ability allows them to generate context adapted behaviors, or escaping from a predator that escape from their sensory system. The objective of this thesis consists in implementing such a capacity in artificial agents. We propose a theoretical model that allows artificial agent to generate a usable knowledge of elements that compose its environment and a structure able to characterize the structure of surrounding space. This model is based on the sensorimotor contingency theory, and implements a form of intrinsic motivation. Indeed, this model begin with a set of indivisible structures, called interactions, that characterize the interaction possibilities between the agent and its environment. The learning is developmental and emerges from the interaction that occurs between the agent and the environment, without the need of any external intervention (like reward). Our model propose a set of mechanisms that allow to organize and exploit emerging knowledge in order to generate behaviors. We propose implementations of our model to demonstrate the emerging knowledge based on agent-environment interaction, and behaviors that can emerge from this knowledge

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My thesis occupies with the influence of home preparation for successfulness of pupils with specific learning disturbances and behaviour in basic school. The theoretical part there are explained terms of specific evolutional disturbances of school skills. This part deals with etiology and diagnosis. There are legislative alterations of education and it includes complete reeducational school care which points on importance of teacher's personality and on forming of positive climate in the class. It describes family and its role in connection with all risk factors which influence it. The point of preparation determines learning and behaviour by way of concrete forms and methods of work with pupils with specific disturbances. The empirical part of thesis is compiled by method of qualitative research and it's a result of research investigation which is connected to detailed analysis of acquired data. The main methods of investigation were long-lasting structured pupils' observation, analysis of file documentation and analysis of professional advice. These all together and interviews made complete picture of individual case studies.

This Master's Diploma Thesis The personal experience of Specific Learning Difficulties as the way how to understand student's abilities is devoted to educating students with specific learning disabilities. The special emphasis of the work is on the impact of disabilities on psychical, social, educational and professional life of an individual. The aim of the first part of the Research Project was to comprehend how students with specific learning disabilities perceive individual manifestations of their learning difficulties. The data were applied to a scheme and realization of an experimental workshop for primary school teachers with the aim of helping to improve the relationship between teachers and students. The purpose of the second part of research was to hold an experimental workshop offering its participants a subjective experience of specific developmental learning disabilities, their identification with students' learning difficulties and a future introduction of new didactic and psycho-social procedures into their teaching process. The thesis is divided into theoretical and empirical parts. The former is devoted to different psycho-social aspects of specific learning difficulties from the position of a student and an individual, the empirical part includes qualitative research conducted in...