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The objective of this qualitative study was to contribute to the understanding of how musical activities affect the participants' well-being and empowerment and to investigate which fac-tors contribute to that effect. Invitations were sent to 13 adult participants in a rock music school in the middle part of Sweden. 7 persons (4 men, 3 women) participated in the study. 4 themes were discussed in focus groups to highlight how informants were affected by the ac-tivity and what factors were important in the context. Results showed that music activities impact on participants' well-being and empowerment through several factors.Themes that appeared were: 1) focus on the present through music, 2) personal development, 3) meaningful leisure activity 4) the group properties. The group properties theme had four underlying themes: participation, equality, tolerance, cooperation toward common goals and leadership. The study has led to a greater understanding of how musical activities affect indi-vidual well-being and empowerment. A visualization of the participating forces that play a role in this effect has started and extended research with more suitable methods is needed to illuminate the individual factors and how they contribute to individual well-being and em-powerment. / Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie var att bidra till förståelsen om hur en musikgruppsverk-samhet kan inverka på deltagarnas välbefinnande och empowerment samt att undersöka vad i sammanhanget som kan ge upphov till denna inverkan.Missivbrev skickades till 13 vuxna deltagare i en rockmusikskola i mellersta Sverige och 7 personer (4 män, 3 kvinnor) deltog sedan i studien. 4 teman diskuterades i fokusgrupper i en strävan att synliggöra hur informanterna berörts av verksamheten samt vilka faktorer som varit betydelsefulla i sammanhanget. Transkriberingen av intervjuerna analyserades sedan genom att meningsbärande enheter plockades ut, kodades och delades upp i teman.Resultaten visade att en rockgruppsverksamhet har inverkan på deltagarnas välbefinnande och empowerment genom ett samlad inverkan av flera faktorer. De teman som framkom i fokus-grupperna med betydelse för denna inverkan är 1) fokus på nuet genom musiken, 2) personlig utveckling, 3) meningsfull fritidssysselsättning samt 4) gruppens egenskaper och under detta tema fanns fyra underliggande teman; delaktighet, likvärdighet, tolerans, samarbete mot ge-mensamt mål och ledarskapet. Studien har lett fram till en ökad förståelse om hur en musik-gruppsverksamhet inverkar på individers välbefinnande och empowerment. Ett avstamp till att synliggöra de medverkande krafterna som har en roll i denna inverkan har påbörjats och det behövs mer forskning med bättre lämpade metoder för att mer ingående belysa fenomenet

Research shows that preadolescent females are more prone to negative self-perceptions than their male counterparts which places them at greater risk of developing mental health problems stemming from low self-image. The purpose of this randomized, controlled outcome study was to examine the effectiveness of group activity play therapy (GAPT) compared to an evidenced based social skills/self-esteem group. Participants were 29 fourth and fifth grade girls in two Title I schools in the southwest U.S. referred by teachers and school counselors as presenting with low self-esteem. Participants identified as 45% Latina, 38% Caucasian, 14% African American, and 3% Asian. Children were randomly assigned to either 16 sessions of GAPT (experimental group; n = 15) or 13 sessions of an evidenced based social skills/self-esteem group intervention (control group; n = 14). Results from a 2 (Group) by 3 (Times) repeated measures ANOVA indicated that, compared to the control group over time, the GAPT group reported statistically significant improvement in self-esteem with a moderate to large treatment effect. Teachers did not report a statistically significant difference between the two groups over time. However, teachers reported noteworthy improvement for children in both treatment groups, with generally stronger improvement for the GAPT group. Overall, results indicate that GAPT may be a promising school-based intervention for preadolescent females suffering with low self-esteem.

<p>Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva socialsekreterares uppfattning om och klienters upplevelse av en hjälp- och stödverksamhet riktad till utsatta barn. Intentionen med studien var dessutom att undersöka vilka förslag dessa har på framtida förändringar av verksamheten.</p><p>Metod: Tre personliga intervjuer med två målgrupper genomfördes. Målgrupp 1 var klienter som tidigare deltagit i insatser hos hjälp- och stödverksamheten och målgrupp 2 var socialsekreterare med minst fem års erfarenhet inom det sociala yrkesområdet.</p><p>Resultat: Resultatet visade en samstämmighet mellan målgrupperna, gällande stödverksamhetens positiva effekter gentemot utsatta barn. De mest framträdande positiva effekterna var att barnet gavs kunskap om sin omkringliggande problematik och en insikt i att de inte är ensamma i sin livssituation. De aspekter där de två målgrupperna hade olika syn på denna form av insats var huruvida insatsen är lämplig och tillräcklig för alla utsatta barn. En framtidsvision som framkom var att båda grupperna ansåg att ett införande av ett personligt ombud skulle vara positivt för utsatta barn.</p><p>Slutsats: Den slutsats som framkommit under denna studie är att hjälp- och stödverksamheten är en betydelsefull insats utifrån ett barnperspektiv, men att det inte är en åtgärd som kan ses som en slutlig lösning av ett problem. Således bör denna insats kombineras med fler insatser som rör familjeproblematiken från andra synvinklar, för att på så sätt nå ett helhetsperspektiv.</p> / <p>Objective: The objective with this study was to describe social welfare sekretaries opinion of and former clients experience of one help and support programme for vulnerable children. An additional intention was to examine the informants’ suggestions of future changes of the programme.</p><p>Method: Three personal interviews were made with two interview groups. Interview group 1 was former clients of the help and support programme and interview group 2 was social welfare secretaries with at least five years of experience in the profession of social work.</p><p>Results: The result of the study shows consensus between the interview groups according to the positive outcomes of the programme for the vulnerable children. The most appearing positive effects were that the children were given knowledge of the problems in their families and an insight in the fact that they are not alone in their situation. The aspects where the interview groups had different points of view concerning this form of effort were whether this contribution is suitable or enough for all the vulnerable children. One future vision that came through was that both groups considered that it would be positive for the vulnerable children to introduce a personal representative for their cause.</p><p>Conclusion: The conclusion of this study was that this form of help and support programme is an important contribution from the children’s perspective, but not a final solution of a problem. Therefore, this contribution should be combined with more efforts that involve the problems in the family from other points of view, to reach a perspective of entirety.</p>

Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva socialsekreterares uppfattning om och klienters upplevelse av en hjälp- och stödverksamhet riktad till utsatta barn. Intentionen med studien var dessutom att undersöka vilka förslag dessa har på framtida förändringar av verksamheten. Metod: Tre personliga intervjuer med två målgrupper genomfördes. Målgrupp 1 var klienter som tidigare deltagit i insatser hos hjälp- och stödverksamheten och målgrupp 2 var socialsekreterare med minst fem års erfarenhet inom det sociala yrkesområdet. Resultat: Resultatet visade en samstämmighet mellan målgrupperna, gällande stödverksamhetens positiva effekter gentemot utsatta barn. De mest framträdande positiva effekterna var att barnet gavs kunskap om sin omkringliggande problematik och en insikt i att de inte är ensamma i sin livssituation. De aspekter där de två målgrupperna hade olika syn på denna form av insats var huruvida insatsen är lämplig och tillräcklig för alla utsatta barn. En framtidsvision som framkom var att båda grupperna ansåg att ett införande av ett personligt ombud skulle vara positivt för utsatta barn. Slutsats: Den slutsats som framkommit under denna studie är att hjälp- och stödverksamheten är en betydelsefull insats utifrån ett barnperspektiv, men att det inte är en åtgärd som kan ses som en slutlig lösning av ett problem. Således bör denna insats kombineras med fler insatser som rör familjeproblematiken från andra synvinklar, för att på så sätt nå ett helhetsperspektiv. / Objective: The objective with this study was to describe social welfare sekretaries opinion of and former clients experience of one help and support programme for vulnerable children. An additional intention was to examine the informants’ suggestions of future changes of the programme. Method: Three personal interviews were made with two interview groups. Interview group 1 was former clients of the help and support programme and interview group 2 was social welfare secretaries with at least five years of experience in the profession of social work. Results: The result of the study shows consensus between the interview groups according to the positive outcomes of the programme for the vulnerable children. The most appearing positive effects were that the children were given knowledge of the problems in their families and an insight in the fact that they are not alone in their situation. The aspects where the interview groups had different points of view concerning this form of effort were whether this contribution is suitable or enough for all the vulnerable children. One future vision that came through was that both groups considered that it would be positive for the vulnerable children to introduce a personal representative for their cause. Conclusion: The conclusion of this study was that this form of help and support programme is an important contribution from the children’s perspective, but not a final solution of a problem. Therefore, this contribution should be combined with more efforts that involve the problems in the family from other points of view, to reach a perspective of entirety.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of small group activity intervention to promote learning in disable high school students¡¦ interpersonal relationship, personality, and self-efficacy. Four 11th graders with minor learning disability from a vocational high school in central Taiwan participated in a 12-week intervention and formed the experimental group, which integrated and utilized role play, drawing therapy, small group game, individual presentation, cooperative learning, and self-confession. Another four 11th graders with minor LD or hearing disability was conveniently sampled to be comparison group, they were taught the usual curriculum during the intervention. All eight participants completed the ¡§Students questionnaire¡¨ at the beginning and end of this study to measure their perceptions about interpersonal relationship, personality and self-efficacy. In addition, the 4 target students were interviewed and observed within the intervention to triangulate and elucidate the quantitative findings. Descriptive data analyses assessed the similarities and differences among groups. Additionally, theme content analysis (Patton, 2002) was used to analyze the individual interview results from experimental group target students. The initial findings revealed that the intervention group students obviously had higher scores on traits of Extraversion, Agreeableness, Openness, Interpersonal relationship and self-efficacy than the comparison group students. Limitations and implications for practice and research are provided.

Dementia means significant cognitive decline in language, memory and executive functions. Dementia is associated with progressive communication difficulties, which can result in reduced quality of life. To promote quality of life, the communicative environment, participation in group activities and cognitive stimulation have great significance. Cognitive stimulation can delay, slow or prevent symptoms of dementia. Furthermore, information and communication technology (ICT) has promising results in relation to dementia. However, research including psychosocial intervention are limited, which motivates present study. The present study is the first Swedish study which purpose was to promote social interaction for people with dementia through conversational sessions as a group activity when using the communication aid CIRCA (Computer Interactive Reminiscence and Communication Aid). Further purpose was to contribute to the understanding of high technological communication aids’ potential to facilitate and support communication for people with dementia. Five individuals with dementia were recruited from a residential care home. The study comprises a seven-session CIRCA-based group activity, and the material consist of seven hours and fifteen minutes recordings. The analysis included mapping of conversational topics where particularly interesting interactive phenomena were selected that were considered representative of the interaction. The results showed that the conversational sequences could relate to the content of CIRCA, the management of the tablet or were as a result of the content in CIRCA. Characteristic interactional phenomena were enjoyable group dynamics with laughter, humour, singing and social inclusion where participants contributed with information, personal experiences and asked each other questions. Furthermore, a symmetric interaction emerged between participants and between participants and the facilitator. The participants considered the group sessions in use of CIRCA to be enjoyable, amusing, informative and provided conversational topics and simplified the conversations in comparison to without communication aid. The results indicate that CIRCA has promising potential to be utilized as a group activity for people with dementia. CIRCA could be applicable in residential care homes where caregivers’ opportunities to socialize one-to-one is limited. Furthermore, the multimedia of CIRCA can offer a variation that may cater to several individuals interests. CIRCA could constitute a group intervention to promote activity, interaction and social relationships, that could improve the quality of life of people with dementia.

The aims of the research were: i) to show that some informal htiman groups are stable ii) to discover the processes underlying this stability A third, implicit, aim was the adaptation of cybernetic methodology to small group studies. It was felt that a systems approach would provide a formal, but flexible analytic tool appropriate to the richness and complexity of the phenomenon. Various explanatory hypotheses were constructed, all of which took the variables 'size' and 'level of activity' as the objects of any stabilising process. The hypotheses were tested by laboratory experiment, by longtidudinal, participant-observer studies of natural groups, and by a computer simulation (GROUP-1) that mapped assumptions onto historical data. It was found that when 'size' and 'activity' were maintained within specified limits, this was a consequence of a series of stabilising processes. Once a group became stable, two major sources of disruption were identified, both originating outside the group. These were an external block on activity, or a sudden influx of new members. In the absence of disruption, stability was manifested in the following way. An increase in group size towards its upper boundary triggered a series of repercussions that 'encouraged' members to leave. A decrease triggered a similar and opposite effect. The group's 'level of activity' was shielded from the effects of size change by a series of buffer mechanisms, and so maintained its own independent equilibrium. These quasi-mechanical processes were facilitated by a set of beliefs and techniques (the group's knowledge of how and why to pursue its aims), but the persistence of these beliefs and techniques were themselves dependent on the operation of the stabilising processes. It was concluded that viable groups were constituted as irreductable cybernetic wholes. All processes, physical and informational, supported, but were dependent on, all other process.

Children with autism spectrum disorders often have deficits in the area of social skills. Because of this deficit many children with autism avoid engaging in play activities with typically developing peers. The purpose of this study was to identify the utility of a photographic activity schedule, with embedded scripts, to teach three children with autism to play a complex social game with typically developing peers. In this study we used activity schedules to train children with autism to play hide-and-seek in a group with typically developing peers. All participants were prompted using physical guidance to follow the activity schedules to play hide-and-seek. Two activity schedules were present during teaching sessions, one was the seeker schedule and the other was the hider schedule. Each group member played the role of the seeker once and then the game ended. All of the participants were able to follow the activity schedules to play hide-andseek. We then systematically faded the activity schedules to the least intrusive version necessary. We were able to fade all of the scripts and several components of the activity schedules. For two of the three participants with autism we were able to fade the schedule from two binders to a visual cue displaying the order of the seekers. For the third participant we were able to fade one binder and the majority of the components in the second binder. The participants were able to continue to play hide-and-seek with the faded versions of the schedules in a novel environment and 2-weeks after treatment concluded.

A análise de comportamento coletivo e rastreamento de pedestres apresentam diversas aplicações, especialmente em sistemas de vigilância inteligente. Neste trabalho é proposta uma solução compreensiva com objetivo de atingir rastreamento de pedestre e reconhecimento de atividade coletiva de maneira robusta baseada na utilização de câmeras calibradas. Primeiramente, com o objetivo de remover a necessidade de calibração manual, nós apresentamos um método de calibração automática que explora detectores de pedestres e remoção de fundo para calibragem baseada em otimização não-linear. Adicionalmente, nós propomos a utilização da matriz de calibração para gerar candidatos coerentes com a geometria de cena em detectores de pedestres. Nossa abordagem tem como objetivo diminuir o intervalo de escalas comumente utilizado em detectores baseados em janelas deslizantes, gerando um número menor de extrações de atributos e reduzindo o número de falsos positivos na detecção. Em seguida, nós propomos um método de rastreamento de múltiplos pedestres utilizando câmeras calibradas. Nossa abordagem explora histogramas de cor para rastrear os pequenas regiões (patches) de cada alvo. Os vetores de deslocamento obtidos através do pareamento de atributos de aparência são combinados com um vetor obtido através de um preditor de movimento em coordenadas de mundo. Adicionalmente, nós incluímos informações originárias de detectores de pedestres para aumentar a acurácia do sistema e sua habilidade de recuperação a falhas. Por fim, nós propomos uma abordagem hierárquica de duas camadas para o problema de reconhecimento de atividade coletiva baseada no uso de classificadores Random Forests. No primeiro nível da técnica proposta, nós utilizamos distâncias entre pares de pessoas e suas respectivas velocidades relativas para classificar interações de pares. Estas interações são combinadas com a dinâmica do formato do grupo observado (e sua respectiva velocidade) para o reconhecimento de atividades coletivas. Os experimentos realizados neste trabalho demonstram a qualidade de nossas abordagens em sequências de vídeos disponíveis publicamente. Nossos resultados mostram serem competitivos quando comparados com técnicas do estado da arte e, particularmente, apresentam uma boa generalização entre diferentes cenários de captura de vídeo. / Collective behavior detection and pedestrian tracking present many applications, specially in surveillance systems. In this dissertation, we proposed a complete pipeline for achieving robust tracking and collective behavior recognition based on calibrated static cameras. To remove the necessity of manual calibration, we first present a fully automatic self-calibration system that explores pedestrian detection results and background removal at non-consecutive frames in order to calibrate a static camera using a non-linear cost function. We also propose the use of camera calibration to generate geometrically coherent candidates for pedestrian detection. Our approach aims to reduce the scale range typically used in sliding-window techniques, which leads to less feature extractions and decreased number of false positives. Then, we propose a multi-target pedestrian tracking algorithm using a calibrated static camera. The tracking approach explores color histograms to track patches of each target. Obtained displacement vectors are combined with the expected motion of pedestrians in the world coordinate system. The proposed tracker also incorporates pedestrian detector results to improve the system’s accuracy and its ability to recover from failure. Finally, we propose a two-layered approach for collective behavior recognition based on Random Forests classifiers. In the first level, we use inter-personal distances and relative speeds computed in the world coordinate system to classify asymmetrical pair interactions. Those interactions are combined with group shape dynamics and mean velocity to recognize the collective behavior. We devise a set of experiments to attest the quality of our approaches using publicly available datasets. Results have shown to be competitive against state-of-the-art techniques, and particularly of good generalization across different databases.