The purpose of this study was to examine choice-making as it relates to providing a source of clean water to those at varying social distances. A discounting survey was completed by 65 participants asking them to choose between spending a specified about of money on plastic water bottles that have a 100% chance of harming the environment or spending $1000 on a water filtration system that has a 0% chance of harming the environment. Results indicated that as social distance increased, responding became more impulsive as evident by a steeper amount of discounting. For “Person #1”, 27.69% of participants chose to spend money on plastic water bottles while for “Person #100”, 53.8% of participants chose to spend money on plastic water bottles. The R2 calculated was 0.8633. Results also indicated that there was a positive correlation between frequency of behaving in sustainable ways and how much one valued the environment, as well as how concerned one was with the environment. Implications, strengths and limitations, and future research opportunities are discussed.

A thesis submitted in fulfilment for the degree Doctor of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 2004. / This study examined the practice of participative decision making (POM) at South African universities. The first aim was to investigate the extent to which these institutions practice participative decision making. The second aim was to establish whether certain managers' characteristics influence the practice of participative decision making. The third aim sought to determine whether there is any difference among institutions in the practice of participative decision making. Finally, the fourth aim was to determine whether there is any association among ranks assigned by adjudicators/respondents to six participative decision making (POM) steps. To this end a research instrument called a questionnaire, was designed and used to achieve these aims. Moreover, this research instrument, after construction by the researcher, was validated by means of factor analysis (FA). The research instrument was first administered as a pilot sample of one hundred and twenty managers at the University of Zululand's main and Ourban-Umlazi Campuses. The final instrument was administered to a sample of managers at universities in the whole country. Two hundred and twenty-six (226) managers completed and returned iv questionnaires. The two hundred and twenty-six questionnaires were to be correctly analyzed. Each of the aims was tied to a null hypothesis and an alternative one. All in all, eight hypotheses were formulated. The Chi-square (x2) one sample test was employed to test for managers' perceptions about participative decision making (PDM). The outcome was that managers hold negative perceptions about participative decision making. This leads to the conclusion that university managers do not practice participative decision making (PDM). The difference between those who hold positive perception (52.20/0) and negative perception (47.480/0) were not statistically significant. The second hypothesis which addressed the second aim was tested by means of a Chi-square one sample test as well as in all variables of this aim. It was found that gender has a positive relationship with regards to decision making, as perceived by the managers. So, gender was found to be statistically significant. However, the rest, such as, age, experience, religion, rank, and type of institution, were perceived by managers to have no relationship with the practice of participative decision making (POM). v / University of Zululand

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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / A quasi-experimental design was undertaken to explore the possibility of utilizing electrodermal activity as a marker of intuitive decision making in nursing. This study compared 11 senior female nursing students to 10 female nurses with more than five years of nursing experience completing a clinical decision making task utilizing MicroSim© program software while measuring skin conductance response (SCR). The clinical decision making task chosen was based on the cognitive continuum theory. The somatic marker hypothesis is also a theoretical base for this study. This theory suggests that physiological markers are present during decision making. An independent t-test was conducted in SPSS comparing the total number of skin conductance responses generated and overall score in the card task and clinical scenario between the two groups. According to the Somatic Marker Hypothesis, the researcher’s definition of intuition, and the results of this experiment, SCR generation shows promise as a marker of intuitive decision making in nursing.

Reedmaking is as integral to oboists’ skills as performers and teachers as any other element of their musical study. Reeds regulate almost all aspects of oboists’ music making, including pitch, line, and tone. But reedmaking is also the part of oboists’ professional training least integrated with their overall music education. Currently available resources on oboe reedmaking are written for the practitioner, and tend to be technical rather than pedagogical in nature. They do not cater to oboists’ varying backgrounds in reedmaking; nor do they take into account a given student’s unique physiology, technique, or variations in the instruments themselves. Indeed, techniques for teaching reedmaking have barely changed since the oral tradition of the nineteenth century. Given these shortcomings, there is great opportunity for instructional reexamination and intervention in the teaching of reedmaking. This dissertation blends reedmaking’s pedagogical traditions with principles from L. Dee Fink’s theory of “significant learning” into a useful, task-based guide for oboe professors in modern collegiate settings. First, it surveys historical writings on reedmaking and reedmaking pedagogy from the invention of the oboe to present day. It then examines relevant data and narratives about typical modern reedmaking pedagogy in the context of higher education. Third, it envisions reedmaking curricula based on significant learning principles. Finally, it explores broader implications for the oboe studio, other performance studios, and the expansion of a literature of reedmaking pedagogy.

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Yes / Introduction. Decision making though an important information use has not been vigorously researched in information practices research. By studying how decision makers make decision in groups, we can learn about several underlying issues in information practices. Method. T20 middle-level (tactical) Commanders from blue light services in the UK were interviewed to share their experience on how and where they seek information from and how they make decisions while managing major incidents. Analysis. Activity theory was used as an overarching framework to design interview questions and as an analysis framework. Results. Information need and information practices such as information sharing and information use are investigated. A model of group decision making process and factors affecting group decision making is proposed. Conclusions. By understanding factors affecting decision making, decision support system designers and policy makers can readdress the underlying issue. Moreover, this paper reiterates the need of studying decision making to understand information practices. / This research is funded by ESRC and 1Spatial PLC.