Graduation date: 1996

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Chemical Engineering, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 159-161).

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2007. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 53). Also available on the World Wide Web.

The objectives of the present study were to: (a) replicate the results of Arthur et al. (2002) by comparing race-based subgroup differences on a multiple-choice and constructed response test in a laboratory setting using a larger sample, (b) extend their work by investigating the role of reading ability, test-taking skills, and test perceptions that could explain why subgroup differences are reduced when the test format is changed from multiple-choice to a constructed response format, and (c) assess the criterion-related validity of the constructed response test. Two hundred sixty White and 204 African Americans completed a demographic questionnaire, Test Attitudes and Perceptions Survey, a multiple-choice or constructed response test, the Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices Short Form, the Nelson-Denny Reading Test, Experimental Test of Testwiseness, and a post-test questionnaire. In general, the pattern of results supported the hypotheses in the predicted direction. For example, although there was a reduction in subgroup differences in performance on the constructed response compared to the multiple-choice test, the difference was not statistically significant. However, analyses by specific test content yielded a significant reduction in subgroup differences on the science reasoning section. In addition, all of the hypothesized study variables, with the exception of face validity, were significantly related to test performance. Significant subgroup differences were also obtained for all study variables except for belief in tests and stereotype threat. The results also indicate that reading ability, test-taking skills, and perceived fairness partially mediated the relationship between race and test performance. Finally, the criterion-related validity for the constructed response test was stronger than that for the multiple-choice test. The results suggested that the constructed response test format investigated in the present study may be a viable alternative to the traditional multiple-choice format in high-stakes testing to solve the organizational dilemma of using the most valid predictors of job performance and simultaneously reducing subgroup differences and subsequent adverse impact on tests of knowledge, skill, ability, and achievement. However, additional research is needed to further demonstrate the appropriateness of the constructed response format as an alternative to traditional testing methods.

Gender differences favoring women have been found in face recognition, and in addition to this, it has been shown that women remember more female than male faces. This own-gender effect may be a result of women directing more attention towards female faces, resulting in a better memory. The aim of this study was to assess the role of attention for gender differences in face recognition and women’s own-gender bias by dividing attention at encoding of faces. Thirty-two participants completed two recognition conditions: one where faces at presentation were fully attended and one where a second task was performed simultaneously. Women remembered more female faces than men did when encoded under full attention. This difference disappeared when attention was divided. Less attentional resources might have hindered women from using their assumed expertise processing of faces.

Två experiment undersökte empati och empatiträning. I Experiment 1 fick 130 deltagare läsa en berättelse där ett barn, en bebis eller en hundvalp for illa. Därefter skattade deltagarna sina känslor. Resultatet visade att kvinnor hade mer empati än män oavsett offer. Föräldrar hade mer empati än andra för barn/bebis. Hundägare hade mer empati än andra för hund. I Experiment 2, som gick vidare och undersökte empatiträning, deltog 38 elever i årskurs 3 och 4. Pojkar som fått empatiträning i form av REDE-projektet visade en tendens till mer empati än pojkar som inte använt projektet. Ingen effekt påvisades hos flickorna. Flickor verkar utveckla sin empati på egen hand medan pojkar verkar behöva lite hjälp. / Two experiments investigated empathy and empathy training. In Experiment 1, 130 participants read a story where either a child, an infant or a puppy had been abused. The result showed that women had more empathy for all the victims than men. Parents had more empathy for a child/an infant than those who weren´t parents. Dog owners also showed more empathy for the puppy than those who didn´t own a dog. In Experiment 2, which consisted of 38 students in grades 3 and 4, boys who had used the REDE-project had a tendency to more empathy than boys who hadn´t used the project. No effect was demonstrated with the girls. Girls seem to develop their empathy on their own while boys seem to need some help.

Denna systematiska litteraturstudie var inriktad på att studera ätstörningar ur ett kulturellt perspektiv. Syftet var att kartlägga forskningsläget kring hur ätstörningar betraktas i olika kulturella kontexter. Studien har gjorts genom att systematiskt söka vetenskapliga artiklar och forskning. Detta har sedan sammanställts och diskuterats utifrån det givna syftet. Resultaten var motsägelsefulla detta mycket på grund av problematiken kring begreppet kultur som anses skapa ett ”vi” och ”dem” synsätt. Diagnostiseringskriterier som har använts ansågs som otillräckliga vid ätstörningar. Västvärldens skönhetsideal och kultur har beskrivits som den påverkande variabeln som också gjort att den övriga världen även drabbats av ätstörningar men denna studie har visat på att det fanns många fler faktorer som spelar in. Minoritetsgrupper som inte assimilerats till majoritetskulturen har även visat på högre utveckling av ätstörningar. Det som framkommit var att det behövs mer forskning på området och en större förståelse för den kulturella aspekten i forskning samt i det praktiska arbetet vid behandling.

Commuting is becoming more and more important in every day life in the world of complex labour markets. If for hundred years ago most workers lived less than one hour walking distance from their workplace, then today they commute daily outside the cities and villages they live. Often is it a trade off between unemployment and employment. The subject of this thesis is to investigate if there are differences in female and male commuting behaviour. Especially it studies to what extent their spatial interaction is affected by variables such as labour in origin municipality, jobs in destination municipality and the distance between these two. Gravity models are used, and six different versions are estimated. The commuting data used in thesis comes from SCB (Statistics Sweden) and data about travel time collected by the Swedish Road Administration. Commuting data includes 1 003 771 people in Sweden who commute to a job located in another municipality than he or she was settled. The results imply that men are less sensitive to distance between two locations. Moreover, the amount of labour in origin and the amount of jobs in destination have higher effect on male commuting.

The famous Black-Scholes (BS) model used in the option pricing theory contains two parameters - a volatility and an interest rate. Both parameters should be determined before the price evaluation procedure starts. Usually one use the historical data to guess the value of these parameters. For short lifetime options the interest rate can be estimated in proper way, but the volatility estimation is, as well in this case, more demanding. It turns out that the volatility should be considered as a function of the asset prices and time to make the valuation self consistent. One of the approaches to this problem is the method of uncertain volatility and the static hedging. In this case the envelopes for the maximal and minimal estimated option price will be introduced. The envelopes will be described by the Black - Scholes - Barenblatt (BSB) equations. The existence of the upper and lower bounds for the option price makes it possible to develop the worse and the best cases scenario for the given portfolio. These estimations will be financially relevant if the upper and lower envelopes lie relatively narrow to each other. One of the ideas to converge envelopes to an unknown solution is the possibility to introduce an optimal static hedged portfolio.

I denna uppsats studeras hur förändrade incitament i form av hårdare aktiveringskrav för arbetslösa socialbidragstagare i Sveriges kommuner inverkar på andelen socialbidragstagare och socialbidragskostnaderna i kommunerna. Studien möjliggörs av att de svenska kommunerna i varierande utsträckning har infört hårdare aktiveringskrav för arbetslösa socialbidragstagare, varför en difference in differences-analys som renodlar effekten av hårdare krav kan genomföras. Kommunerna klassificeras utifrån graden av aktivitet vad gäller att få socialbidragstagare i aktivering. Väldigt aktiva kommuner jämförs med icke alls aktiva, och en betydande uppsättning kontrollvariabler som kontrollerar för andra skillnader mellan kommungrupperna inkluderas. Resultaten visar att ett införande av hårda aktiveringskrav för arbetslösa socialbidragstagare ger tydliga negativa effekter på andelen socialbidragstagare i kommunerna, i synnerhet för unga socialbidragstagare, men mer begränsade effekter på kommunernas socialbidragskostnader.