The use of bicycle as a transportation mode has increased in popularity during the last four decades. The reasons that could explain why the use of bicycles have increased in popularity are many. Nevertheless, three possible reasons for the increasing in popularity are because of the benefit in terms of health, reduced motorised traffic congestion, and air pollution. As bicycle traffic flows increase, the evaluating of the bicycle traffic infrastructure will become more important for bicyclist safety, and comfort. One possible evaluating tool for bicycle traffic is microscopic traffic simulation and one key component is the free-riding. The free-riding is a bicyclist that is not interacting with other bicyclist, and other road users during a ride. Furthermore, to develop a suitable simulation model of the free-riding needs data and a possible methodology for data collection on the free-riding is using instrumented bicycles. Therefore, this thesis will investigate a methodology that can be used to collect, process, and analyse data for two bicyclist and their interactions with the infrastructure. The methodology for data collection using instrumented bicycle includes a pre-defined travel route, two types of bicycles as a conventional, and an electric bicycle. Additionally, the equipment is used in the methodology should be easy to switch between bicycles to keep the behaviour as natural as possible for bicyclists. Nevertheless, the equipment is easy to switch between bicycles, if only a few tools is needed to switch between bicycles in the methodology. Moreover, data collection using instrument bicycle includes an interview survey on each participating bicyclist, and investigate weather conditions, and effort experience during the data collection on each participating bicyclist. Results indicate that negative acceleration i.e., deceleration, at intersections, curves, uphill when a conventional bicycle is used. Meanwhile, it is also negative acceleration i.e., deceleration at downhills when an electric bicycle is used. Furthermore, the use of electric bicycle leads to higher travel speed and lower power output usage on average than when a conventional bicycle is used as expected. Moreover, at downhills the speed can still increase even though the power output usage is zero, according to the analysis of free-riding behaviour. In addition, data collection using instrumented bicycle collects other measurement of the effort for the bicyclist such as the heart rate, and cadence. / <p>Examensarbetet är utfört vid Institutionen för teknik och naturvetenskap (ITN) vid Tekniska fakulteten, Linköpings universitet</p>

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Collision avoidance systems (CASs) are being developed and fielded to reduce the number and severity of rear-end crashes. Kinematic algorithms within CASs evaluate sensor input and apply assumptions describing human-response timing and deceleration to determine when an alert should be presented. This dissertation presents an analytic assessment of dynamic function and performance CASs and associated driver performance for preventing automotive rear-end crashes. A method for using naturalistic data in the evaluation of CAS algorithms is described and applied to three algorithms. Time-series parametric data collected during 13 rear-end crashes and 70 near-crashes are input into models of collision avoidance algorithms to determine when the alerts would have occurred. Algorithm performance is measured by estimating how much of the driving population would be able to respond in the time available between when an alert would occur and when braking was needed. A sensitivity analysis was performed to consider the effect of alternative inputs into the assessment method. The algorithms were found to warn in sufficient time to permit 50–70% of the population to avoid collision in similar scenarios. However, the accuracy of this estimate was limited because the tested algorithms were found to alert too frequently to be feasible. The response of the assessment method was most sensitive to differences in assumed response-time distributions and assumed driver braking levels. Low-speed crashes were not addressed by two of the algorithms. Analysis of the events revealed that the necessary avoidance deceleration based on kinematics was generally less than 2 s in duration. At the time of driver response, the time remaining to avoid collision using a 0.5g average deceleration ranged from â 1.1 s to 2.1 s. In 10 of 13 crashes, no driver response deceleration was present. Mean deceleration for the 70 near-crashes was 0.37g and maximum was 0.72g. A set of the events was developed to measure driver response time. The mean driver response time was 0.7 s to begin braking and 1.1 s to reach maximum deceleration. Implications for collision countermeasures are considered, response-time results are compared to previous distributions and future work is discussed. / Ph. D.

Intersection crashes are among the most frequent and lethal crash modes in the United States. Intersection Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (I-ADAS) are an emerging active safety technology which aims to help drivers safely navigate through intersections. One primary function of I-ADAS is to detect oncoming vehicles and in the event of an imminent collision can (a) alert the driver and/or (b) autonomously evade the crash. Another function of I-ADAS may be to detect and prevent imminent traffic signal violations (i.e. running a red light or stop sign) earlier in the intersection approach, while the driver still has time to yield for the traffic control device. This dissertation evaluated the capacity of I-ADAS to prevent U.S. intersection crashes and mitigate associated injuries. I-ADAS was estimated to have the potential to prevent up to 64% of crashes and 79% of vehicles with a seriously injured driver. However, I-ADAS effectiveness was found to be highly dependent on driver behavior, system design, and intersection/roadway characteristics. To generate this result, several studies were performed. First, driver behavior at intersections was examined, including typical, non-crash intersection approach and traversal patterns, the acceleration patterns of drivers prior to real-world crashes, and the frequency, timing, and magnitude of any crash avoidance actions. Second, two large simulation case sets of intersection crashes were generated from U.S. national crash databases. Third, the developed simulation case sets were used to examine I-ADAS performance in real-world crash scenarios. This included examining the capacity of a stop sign violation detection algorithm, investigating the sensor detection needs of I-ADAS technology, and quantifying the proportion of crashes and seriously injuries that are potentially preventable by this crash avoidance technology. / Ph. D.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Margaret G. Shroyer / While there has been much quantitative research done in the area of attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs, this study sought hear the voices of the middle school child. Therefore, this qualitative study investigated the attitudes toward mathematics and mathematics self-efficacy beliefs of middle school students in one middle school in western Kansas. The conceptual framework for this study is supported by the research of Albert Bandura on Social Cognitive Theory. This study used a naturalistic inquiry approach and data were collected from multiple sources, including short-answer questionnaires, classroom observations, and one-on-one interviews. Coded data were examined for patterns, themes, and relationships. Middle school students in this study exhibited positive, negative, and variable attitudes toward mathematics, and both positive and negative mathematics self-efficacy beliefs. Students attribute their high mathematics self-efficacy beliefs to the teacher or the high grades they receive on daily assignments, as well as the scores they receive on state and local assessments. Conversely, middle school students have low mathematics self-efficacy beliefs when they feel unsuccessful or distressed, and they attribute those beliefs to the low grades they receive on daily assignments and assessments, as well as the distress of not understanding the mathematics. Middle school students told their mathematical stories of the change in attitudes toward mathematics and mathematics self-efficacy beliefs, and attributed positive changes to the mathematics teacher. Negative changes in attitudes toward mathematics and mathematics self-efficacy beliefs were attributed to the amount of homework expected at the middle school level, as well as the lack of hands-on activities. The influence of the teacher, grades, and hands-on activities impact middle school students’ attitudes toward mathematics and mathematics self-efficacy beliefs. There is a relationship between attitudes toward mathematics and mathematics self-efficacy beliefs. Low mathematics self-efficacy beliefs and poor attitudes toward mathematics are related since low mathematics self-efficacy beliefs and poor attitudes toward mathematics are highly connected. Conversely, high mathematics self-efficacy beliefs and good attitudes toward mathematics are highly related. Middle school students’ experiences impact both mathematics self-efficacy beliefs and attitudes toward mathematics. Students’ mathematics self-efficacy beliefs impact their attitudes toward mathematics.

Couple therapy is a frequently sought domain by couples who experience problems in their relationships. Couple therapy has been researched intensively, but few studies incorporate a holistic account of the therapeutic process. This study aims to explore and integrate the therapist's and the couple's experiences of change in the context of couple therapy. The ecosystemic epistemology and the narrative metaphor forms the foundation from which the therapy and the research is approached. Qualitative research methods are employed from within a naturalistic paradigm which allows for personal and unique meanings to emerge. Rich descriptions of the therapist's and the participant's stories of change are provided. Multiple perspectives are offered in the stories which reveal the reciprocal motions between the therapist's and the couples' change processes. Recurring themes are extracted from the stories which punctuate the pivotal change processes that were experienced by the therapist and the couples during the therapy. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Communication can be divied into two broad areas namely, the verbal and nonverbal levels. While attention has been paid to nonverbal communication in the literature, few studies address the nonverbal communication that takes place in the natural setting of a therapeutic session. The present study provides such a naturalistic study, where the verbal content of actual therapy sessions are integrated with the nonverbal content to yield a holistic view of the session. An ecosystemic epistemology is adopted in this study, and represents a move away from more traditional approaches to nonverbal behaviour which are largely confined to a positivistic framework of thought and design. Symlog Interaction Scoring is employed as a practical method of assisting observers in distinguishing nonverbal behaviours, which are usually perceived unconsciously, and lifting them into consciousness, allowing this infonnation to be integrated with the meanings and hypotheses generated during therapy. By deliberately including descriptions of nonverbal behaviour, the descriptions of therapy were broadened, thereby providing a more holistic approach to therapy. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Decision making study has been the multi-disciplinary research involving operations researchers, management scientists, statisticians, mathematical psychologists and economists as well as others. This study aims to investigate the theory and methodology of decision making research and apply them to different contexts in real cases. The study has reviewed the literature of Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM), Evidential Reasoning (ER) approach, Naturalistic Decision Making (NDM) movement, Social Judgment Theory (SJT), and Adaptive Toolbox (AT) program. On the basis of these literatures, two methods, Evidence-based Trade-Off (EBTO) and Judgment Analysis with Heuristic Modelling (JA-HM), have been proposed and developed to accomplish decision making problems under different conditions. In the EBTO method, we propose a novel framework to aid people s decision making under uncertainty and imprecise goal. Under the framework, the imprecise goal is objectively modelled through an analytical structure, and is independent of the task requirement; the task requirement is specified by the trade-off strategy among criteria of the analytical structure through an importance weighting process, and is subject to the requirement change of a particular decision making task; the evidence available, that could contribute to the evaluation of general performance of the decision alternatives, are formulated with belief structures which are capable of capturing various format of uncertainties that arise from the absence of data, incomplete information and subjective judgments. The EBTO method was further applied in a case study of Soldier system decision making. The application has demonstrated that EBTO, as a tool, is able to provide a holistic analysis regarding the requirements of Soldier missions, the physical conditions of Soldiers, and the capability of their equipment and weapon systems, which is critical in domain. By drawing the cross-disciplinary literature from NDM and AT, the JA-HM extended the traditional Judgment Analysis (JA) method, through a number of novel methodological procedures, to account for the unique features of decision making tasks under extreme time pressure and dynamic shifting situations. These novel methodological procedures include, the notion of decision point to deconstruct the dynamic shifting situations in a way that decision problem could be identified and formulated; the classification of routine and non-routine problems, and associated data alignment process to enable meaningful decision data analysis across different decision makers (DMs); the notion of composite cue to account for the DMs iterative process of information perception and comprehension in dynamic task environment; the application of computational models of heuristics to account for the time constraints and process dynamics of DMs decision making process; and the application of cross-validation process to enable the methodological principle of competitive testing of decision models. The JA-HM was further applied in a case study of fire emergency decision making. The application has been the first behavioural test of the validity of the computational models of heuristics, in predicting the DMs decision making during fire emergency response. It has also been the first behavioural test of the validity of the non-compensatory heuristics in predicting the DMs decisions on ranking task. The findings identified extend the literature of AT and NDM, and have implications for the fire emergency decision making.

Les travaux précédents menés en acquisition du langage soutiennent que les premières formes verbales de l’enfant sont limitées à l’expression de l’ici et maintenant (Weist, 1991). Cependant, une étude sur le développement du système verbal temporel en français (Parisse & Morgenstern, 2012) montre que l’enfant dispose d’une capacité à faire référence au passé de manière précoce, avant la production de marqueurs spécifiques dédiés à cet effet. Les études sur l’acquisition de l’aspect établissent une forte corrélation entre la production des verbes téliques et l’aspect perfectif (Shirai & Andersen, 1995), sans toutefois distinguer les marqueurs prétérit et present perfect. Slobin (1994) montre que le present perfect présente des fonctions communicatives spécifiques en lien avec l’expression du résultat et de l’expérience. À notre connaissance, aucune étude développementale de l’acquisition de ce marqueur n’a été menée jusqu’à présent. Nous nous proposons d’étudier les productions précoces de present perfect chez deux enfants britanniques dans le cadre des premiers usages des marqueurs de l’ici et maintenant et du décentrement dans le passé et de leurs valeurs dans le langage adressé à l’enfant. Nous avons mené des analyses quantitatives et qualitatives sur deux corpus longitudinaux denses d’interactions orales spontanées adulte/enfant (Tomasello, 2003). Nos résultats suggèrent que les productions précoces de present perfect résultent de la fréquence du marqueur trouvée chez l’adulte et du développement cognitif de l’enfant. L’étude des premiers usages du marqueur révèle que l’enfant s’appuie d’abord sur un état résultant visible à T0. Progressivement, l’enfant se sert de l’état résultant attaché à la production du marqueur pour verbaliser des attentes ou des intentions présupposées à T0. L’enfant demande ainsi à l’adulte de répondre à des besoins spécifiques exprimés dans la situation présente. / Previous studies in language acquisition have claimed that the verbal forms in early child language are limited to the expression of the here and now (Weist, 1991). However, a study of the verbal temporal system in French children’s speech (Parisse & Morgenstern, 2012) has shown that the children are able to refer to past events from an early age before they produce specific grammatical markers. Studies on the acquisition of aspect have established a strong correlation between the production of telic verbs and perfective aspect, without distinguishing between the present perfect and past tense. Slobin (1994) has shown that the first uses of the present perfect serve specific communicative functions that relate to the expression of result and experience. To our knowledge, no developmental study of the acquisition of the present perfect has been conducted so far. We conducted a study of how two British children use the present perfect in connection with their first uses of the markers referring to the here and now and their early productions of past tense. We examined the early uses of the markers in relation to the uses identified in the child directed speech in two dense oral corpora. Analyses based on qualitative and quantitative data were conducted on the adult and the child’s speech in the context of the interactions between the two (Tomasello, 2003). Our results suggest that the early productions of the present perfect result from the frequency of the marker found in the input and the cognitive development of the children. The study shows that they first rely on a visible resultant state in T0. Gradually, the children come to use the resultant state attached to the production of the marker to verbalise presupposed expectations or intentions in T0. By doing so, the children ask their caregivers to address specific needs that are expressed in the current situation.