Just as an individual is rightly concerned about the privacy of their personally identifying information, so also is a group of people, a community, concerned about the privacy of sensitive information entrusted to their care. Our research seeks to develop a better understanding of the factors contributing to the sensitivity of community information, of the privacy threats that are recognized by the community, and of the means by which the community attempts to fulfill their privacy responsibilities. We are also interested in seeing how the elements of a community privacy model that we developed are related to the findings from the studies of communities. This thesis presents the results of a series of focus group sessions conducted in corporate settings. Three focus group interviews were conducted using participants from two information technology companies and one research group from the university. Three themes emerged from the analysis of these focus group interviews which are described as privacy awareness, situated disclosures, and confinement of sensitive information. These three themes capture the character and complexity of community oriented privacy and expose breakdowns in current approaches. / Master of Science

This study explores the role of self-regulation in opportunity recognition by pioneering an investigation of the influence of two antecedent factors: chronic regulatory focus and media on opportunity recognition. 155 students participated in a two-stage experimental design that first measured chronic regulatory focus, and in the second stage primed situational regulatory focus through the use of media stories. Participants then engaged in an opportunity recognition exercise, identifying opportunities to apply the smart phone technology to the South African market. The measured outcome was the number and quality of opportunities identified. Findings did not yield a significant relationship of chronic regulatory focus and opportunity recognition as expected, but however demonstrate that media plays an influence in opportunity recognition. The potential role of motivational individual differences and prior knowledge factors in opportunity recognition highlighted in this study provide a broad array of opportunities for further research to advance the field of entrepreneurship.Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Background: Evidence indicates that an external focus (EF) of attention on the intended effect of one’s movement results in better motor performance and motor control than an internal focus (IF) on one’s own body. Despite this, an IF is predominantly encouraged through instructions and feedback provided by clinicians during sports and rehabilitation from injuries such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Aim: The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the influence of EF and IF on motor control and performance on a bilateral leg extension and flexion task. The secondary aim was to investigate potential differences in the outcomes between a control group and a group with ACL reconstruction (ACLR). Method: Fourteen controls and four individuals with ACLR performed a bilateral leg extension and flexion task with instructions that encouraged either an IF, EF or neutral focus (NF) of attention. The instructions encouraged participants to either keep the individual tubes located on the footplates under the soles of the feet (EF) or the feet themselves (IF) level with each other. A three-dimensional motion capture system was used to record kinematics. Motor control was assessed based on the movement smoothness according to the knee angular velocity profile and performance was assessed based on the absolute mean deviation of the tubes/footplates from parallel. Results: For the control group, IF instructions resulted in significantly better motor control than EF instructions for left knee movement smoothness (p=0.02) and NF instructions resulted in significantly better motor control than EF on a majority of dependent variables. Conclusion: For our task, EF instructions did not result in better outcomes compared to IF instructions which might be explained because the task was proprioceptive demanding with less involvement of the vision. The reason for better motor control with NF instructions compared to EF instructions might be because of differences in angular velocity and instructions between conditions.

Os objetivos da dissertação foram investigar (a) os efeitos dos focos interno e externo de atenção na aprendizagem de habilidades motoras em função da automatização (experimento 1) e (b) se os efeitos do foco externo de atenção seriam dependentes daqueles do foco interno anteriores na instrução (experimento 2) e na aquisição (experimento 3). Nos três experimentos a tarefa foi a tacada putter do golfe e os participantes foram adultos jovens de ambos os sexos. A quantidade de tentativas na fase de aquisição também foi igual para os experimentos (100 tentativas). O experimento 1 envolveu dois grupos (foco interno e foco externo), sendo que metade de cada um, ao final da fase de aquisição e no teste de retenção foi testada com uma tarefa distratora. Os resultados mostraram que nenhum grupo alcançou a automatização e, por conseguinte, não aprenderam. O experimento 2 envolveu 4 grupos, sendo dois de foco interno e dois de foco externo na fase de aquisição. A diferença entre os grupos de igual foco esteve na instrução prévia, ou seja, um grupo de cada foco recebeu foco interno durante a instrução. Um outro aspecto do delineamento de experimento foi a utilização de testes de transferência e retenção. Os resultados mostraram aprendizagem apenas para o grupo de foco interno na instrução e foco externo na fase de aquisição. No experimento 3, ao invés de o foco interno ser dado na instrução para um grupo de foco interno e outro de foco externo, ele ocorreu na fase de aquisição. Verificou-se que somente o grupo com foco interno anteriormente ao foco externo na aquisição demonstrou aprendizagem / The objectives of the dissertation were to investigate (a) the effects of internal and external foci of attention in learning motor skills due to automatisation (experiment 1) and (b) if the effects of external focus of attention would be dependent on those of previous internal focus instruction (experiment 2) and on acquisition (experiment 3). In the three experiments the task was the golf putter shot and the participants were young adults of both sexes. The number of attempts in the acquisition phase was also the same for the experiments (100 trials). The first experiment involved two groups (internal focus and external focus), and half of each, at the final phase of the acquisition and retention test was tested with a distracter task. The results showed that no group has achieved automaticity and therefore, they havent learned. The second experiment involved four groups, two of internal focus and two of external focus in the acquisition phase. The difference between the groups of equal focus was on previous instruction, i.e. one group of each focus received internal focus during previous instruction. Another aspect of the design of this experiment was the use of retention and transfer tests. The results showed learning only for the group with internal focus on instruction and external focus on the acquisition phase. In experiment 3, instead of the internal focus instruction being given to an internal and to an external focus group, it occurred in the acquisition phase. It was found that only the group with internal focus previous to the external focus in acquisition demonstrated learning

Os objetivos da dissertação foram investigar (a) os efeitos dos focos interno e externo de atenção na aprendizagem de habilidades motoras em função da automatização (experimento 1) e (b) se os efeitos do foco externo de atenção seriam dependentes daqueles do foco interno anteriores na instrução (experimento 2) e na aquisição (experimento 3). Nos três experimentos a tarefa foi a tacada putter do golfe e os participantes foram adultos jovens de ambos os sexos. A quantidade de tentativas na fase de aquisição também foi igual para os experimentos (100 tentativas). O experimento 1 envolveu dois grupos (foco interno e foco externo), sendo que metade de cada um, ao final da fase de aquisição e no teste de retenção foi testada com uma tarefa distratora. Os resultados mostraram que nenhum grupo alcançou a automatização e, por conseguinte, não aprenderam. O experimento 2 envolveu 4 grupos, sendo dois de foco interno e dois de foco externo na fase de aquisição. A diferença entre os grupos de igual foco esteve na instrução prévia, ou seja, um grupo de cada foco recebeu foco interno durante a instrução. Um outro aspecto do delineamento de experimento foi a utilização de testes de transferência e retenção. Os resultados mostraram aprendizagem apenas para o grupo de foco interno na instrução e foco externo na fase de aquisição. No experimento 3, ao invés de o foco interno ser dado na instrução para um grupo de foco interno e outro de foco externo, ele ocorreu na fase de aquisição. Verificou-se que somente o grupo com foco interno anteriormente ao foco externo na aquisição demonstrou aprendizagem / The objectives of the dissertation were to investigate (a) the effects of internal and external foci of attention in learning motor skills due to automatisation (experiment 1) and (b) if the effects of external focus of attention would be dependent on those of previous internal focus instruction (experiment 2) and on acquisition (experiment 3). In the three experiments the task was the golf putter shot and the participants were young adults of both sexes. The number of attempts in the acquisition phase was also the same for the experiments (100 trials). The first experiment involved two groups (internal focus and external focus), and half of each, at the final phase of the acquisition and retention test was tested with a distracter task. The results showed that no group has achieved automaticity and therefore, they havent learned. The second experiment involved four groups, two of internal focus and two of external focus in the acquisition phase. The difference between the groups of equal focus was on previous instruction, i.e. one group of each focus received internal focus during previous instruction. Another aspect of the design of this experiment was the use of retention and transfer tests. The results showed learning only for the group with internal focus on instruction and external focus on the acquisition phase. In experiment 3, instead of the internal focus instruction being given to an internal and to an external focus group, it occurred in the acquisition phase. It was found that only the group with internal focus previous to the external focus in acquisition demonstrated learning

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of internal and external focus feedback and their preference on skill learning at age of 12-13 years. Internal focus feedback related with body movements, whereas external focus feedbacks related with movement effects. As a task &ldquo / tennis&rdquo / service in volleyball was used for both acquisition and retention measurements. The subjects (N=78) were randomly assigned to three groups which were internal focus feedback group (IFF), external focus feedback group (EFF) and preference groups (PF). To promote learning three practice days and to assess learning one retention day was applied. Also, during these days, both technique of the skill and targeting was tried to measure. In technique measure the IFF group performed better than EFF group in acquisition and retention phases. PF group had similar scores with IFF group in acquisition phase whereas it did not show better performance than IFF group in retention phase. PF group performed better than EFF group in both phases. In product measure, significant differences between attentional focus feedback groups in acquisition and retention phases. This study indicated that for young children with limited amount of knowledge about a skill internal focus feedback is more appropriate compared to external focus feedback in terms of retention. Being able to choose among internal and external focus of attention also seems to make a difference in retention performance of novice children indicating that active participation on the learning variables is an important concept.

The history, practice and aesthetic of the soft focus lens in photography is elucidated and developed from its earliest statements of need to the current time with a particular emphasis on its role in the development of the Pictorialist movement. Using William Crawford's concept of photographic 'syntax', the use of the soft focus lens is explored as an example of how technology shapes style. A detailed study of the soft focus lenses from the earliest forms to the present is presented, enumerating the core properties of pinhole, early experimental and commercial soft focus lenses. This was researched via published texts in period journals, advertising, private correspondence, interviews, and the lenses themselves. The author conducted a wide range of in-studio experiments with both period and contemporary soft focus lenses to evaluate their character and distinct features, as well as to validate source material. Nodal points of this history and development are explored in the critical debate between the diffuse and sharp photographic image, beginning with the competition between the calotype and daguerreotype. The role of George Davison's The Old Farmstead is presented as well as the invention of the first modern soft focus lens, the Dallmeyer-Bergheim, and its function in the development of the popular Pictorialist lens, the Pinkham & Smith Semi-Achromatic. The trajectory of the soft focus lens is plotted against the Pictorialist movement, noting the correlation betwixt them, and the modern renaissance of soft focus lenses and the diffuse aesthetic. This thesis presents a unique history of photography modeled around the determining character of technology and the interdependency of syntax, style and art.

No description available.

The central purpose of this dissertation is to develop and test a theoretical model of mind wandering in a technological setting by integrating the emerging work and theory on mind wandering—a shift of attention from the primary task to the processing of internal goals. This dissertation is intended to advance our understanding on the costs and benefits of mind wandering in information systems (IS) research and in turn, contribute to the literature of cognitive IS research. Understanding the consequences of mind wandering in a technological setting is imperative because mind wandering plays a vital role in influencing various outcomes associated with technology use and/or technology learning, such as technology anxiety, software self-efficacy, and task performance. This dissertation is composed of three essays which examine the determinants and consequences of mind wandering and focus of attention on a number of emotional and cognitive outcomes. A multi-method approach (i.e., online survey and laboratory experiment) across three essays is used to test the research models. Essay 1 focuses on developing the measurement items and estimating the impact of mind wandering on users' emotional outcomes (i.e., technology anxiety and users' satisfaction). Drawing upon the content regulation hypothesis of mind wandering, the content of thoughts are differentiated into two categories—technology-related thought (herein IT) and non-technology related thought (herein non-IT). The results show that whereas mind wandering (non-IT) is a major determinant of technology anxiety, focus of attention (IT) is the main predictor of users' satisfaction. Essay 2 focuses on the effect of mind wandering and focus of attention in the IS learning context. The study begins by exploring the hypotheses concerning the roles of executive functions (i.e., inhibition, switching, and working memory) and task complexity in influencing the occurrence of mind wandering and focus of attention, and in turn, cognitive outcomes (i.e., software self-efficacy and learning performance). Essay 2 integrates the use of psychological testing to measure executive functions and self-report to measure mind wandering and focus of attention. The interaction effects between mind wandering and focus of attention are also tested. The findings reveal that the costs and benefits of mind wandering in IS learning depend, in part, upon its content, whether it's technology-related or non-technology-related. Specifically, the results suggest that the congruence between the content of mind wandering experience and focus of attention determines the outcomes of such experience. Essay 3 examines the extent to which individuals' focus of attention and mind wandering influence IS decision making performance at different levels of task complexity. The research model is tested using a laboratory experiment in the context of B2C e-commerce. Drawing upon unconscious thought theory and executive control theory of mind wandering, the results show that under a low task complexity condition, focus of attention and mind wandering do not have any significant effects on performance accuracy. Under a medium task complexity condition, focus of attention leads to higher performance accuracy, but mind wandering does not have a significant effect on performance accuracy. However, under high task complexity, both focus of attention and mind wandering lead to higher performance accuracy. Mind wandering also negatively influences performance efficiency under all levels of IS task complexity.

Researchers at Utah State University created a school intervention called the FIT Game that has successfully increased children’s vegetable intake during lunchtime. The aim of this project was to create a home aspect to the FIT Game for parents that would increase the availability of vegetables within the home. Studies within this thesis discuss the development and revision of parent newsletters for the FIT Game program, as well as the implementation and assessment of the revised newsletters. Results from the assessments indicate that providing parent newsletters is not enough to change the vegetable availability at home. This home component was unsuccessful in provoking the desired change, and future FIT Game studies that choose to include a home component should consider multiple components for higher changes of likelihood of participation and increasing vegetable availability at home.