The new cataloging code Resource Description and Access (RDA) provides a system of instructions for recording relationships between related resources by means of a controlled vocabulary of relationship designators. The purpose of this two years master’s thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies is to examine the construction of this system, as well as its theoretical foundation. One theoretical point of departure is the necessity of operational definitions for consistent identification of bibliographic relationships. Another such point of departure is that the theoretical model on which RDA is based (the FRBR model) is not a complete description of the biblio­graphic universe, but merely a limited representation of a set of assumptions about that universe. The thesis first examines Barbara B. Tillett's and Richard P. Smiraglia's theories and taxonomies of bibliographic relationships. The analysis shows that, in spite of their claims to provide a theoretical basis for consistent treatment of bibliographic relationships, neither Tillett nor Smiraglia offers operationally applicable definitions. The thesis then turns to RDA in order to examine the instructions and the list of relationship designators. After an introductory survey of RDA chapters 24 to 28, the possibility to record relationship designators at different entity levels is discussed. Remarkably, RDA neither provides instructions for how to choose between the entity levels, nor does it point out what this choice signifies. Finally, a selection of relationship designators representing content relationships is examined. The selected designators are analysed and compared to corresponding categories in literary theorist Gérard Genette's attempt to classify intertextual relationships. The analysis shows that though some of the selected designators are satisfactorily operationalized, most are not.

Conceptual change is one of the most important influences in modern educational research and this theoretical framework can be used for empirical research aimed at improving our common knowledge about learning as well as developing new theories and practices within the education system. In its very basic meaning, conceptual change can be explained as a person who during the course of the learning experience changes their initial conception of a phenomenon (such as a object or a concept) from one specific point of view to another. The aim of this study is to map out the differences and similarities between two seemingly opposite movements within today’s pedagogical research community. Within phenomenography a constitutionalist approach to learning is used, which means that the conceptions formed by students are considered to be an internal representation of the individual’s interpretation of their own knowledge in relation to their surroundings. The intentional analytical approach suggests that contextualisation is necessary for conceptual change to take place, for the student to be able to interpret the assignment or task at hand and then incorporate that in meaningful activity that will lead to a successful learning process. Both the intentional and the phenomenographic approach agree that it is the meaning of a task that is important in the learning situation, but the differences lie in the ways of distinguishing what this meaning consists of as well as the means of finding out what the meaning is to an individual. / Begreppsutveckling är en av de viktigaste influenserna inom det pedagogiska forskningsområdet. Denna teoretiska inriktning innebär att man genom empirisk forskning studerar lärande och dess kontext. Detta kan sedan bidra till vår kunskap om vad som påverkar lärprocessen samt hur denna skulle kunna användas i utvecklingen av nya didaktiska metoder och verktyg. Begreppsutveckling kan förstås som teorier om hur en individ, genom övning och reflektion ändrar en grundläggande uppfattning om ett fenomen eller objekt från en specifik uppfattning till en annan. I den här litteraturstudien, kommer jag att försöka kartlägga två skilda sätt att anta utmaningen att undersöka hur lärande genom begreppsutveckling kan förstås och tolkas, nämligen fenomenografi och intentionell analys. Fenomenografi är utvecklat med en konstitutionell ansats till lärandet, där man menar att de koncept som individen använder formas genom interna representationer av den egna tolkningen av omgivningen samt hur det egna konceptet relaterar till omgivningen. Intentionell analys å andra sidan menar att begreppsutveckling uppstår när individen kontextualiserar uppgiften genom meningsskapande processer i relation till omgivningen och att detta beskriver lärprocessen. Den gemensamma nämnaren för båda dessa perspektiv är att det är meningsskapandet för individen som är nyckeln till lärandet. Skillnaden mellan dem märks i synen på lärandet i de meningsskapande processerna där man närmar sig betydelsen av denna process som den ter sig för den lärande individen.

The past two decades have seen a substantial increase in the availability of numerical data that individuals are faced with on a daily basis. In addition, research uncovering the multiple facets of statistical reasoning has become increasingly prominent. Both gender differences and the effect of experience or training have emerged as two key factors that influence performance in statistics. Surprisingly, though, the combined effects of these two variables have not been studied. This gap in understanding the joint effect of gender and experience on statistical reasoning is addressed in the present dissertation with six studies. In Study 1 (N = 201), participants with various levels of experience in statistics were asked to complete the Statistical Reasoning Assessment (SRA; Garfield, 2003). Although the performance of both genders improved with experience, the gender gap persisted across all experience levels. Multiple measures of individual differences were used in a confirmatory structural equation model. This model supported the idea that differences in statistical reasoning are not uniquely a matter of cognitive ability. In fact, gender was found to influence statistical reasoning directly, as well as indirectly through its influence on thinking dispositions. In Studies 2 (N = 67), 3 (N = 157), and 4 (N = 206), the role of stereotype threat was examined as a potential cause of the persisting gender gap in statistics, and value affirmation was tested as an intervention to overcome stereotype threat. Despite the fact that many women believed negative stereotypes about the ability of women in statistics, value affirmation had no significant impact on performance. To help explain this lack of effect, and in keeping with the results of the structural equation model suggesting a multi-pronged approach, efforts were turned towards a different (and potentially richer) cognitive factor. Specifically, mental representations were explored to help shed light on the root causes of those conceptual understanding differences in statistics. In Studies 5 and 6, gender differences in mental representations of statistical features were examined using a categorization paradigm. In Study 5 (N = 219), extending some of the key findings in Studies 1, 3 and 4, it was established that two courses in statistics are necessary to create a significant difference in the quality of mental representations of statistical concepts. More importantly, Study 6 (N = 208) demonstrated how constraining the task format particularly benefits women in that the quality of their reasoning significantly improved, where that of men was equal across tasks. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

The purpose of the architecture of software systems in business organizations is to support those organizations in achieving business goals. In software development organizations the design of an architecture is a collective effort that involves various organizational stakeholders and designers, who identify, interpret, and reason about intents, and communicate, delegate, commit to, and implement intents and decisions. Current architectural design descriptions are by-and-large based on block-and-arrow notations representing "coarse-grained" solution elements of the system. They lack explicit representation for modeling and analyzing the decision-making of stakeholders and architectural designers who hold different organizational responsibilities, and pursue conflicting and/or synergistic business or system goals, while collectively pursuing organizational objectives. This thesis considers the proposition that a distributed intentionality perspective is applicable in the design of software system architectures. During architectural design, relationships between intentional actors define the context in which intentional actors pursue business and system goals and in which they negotiate architectural decision-making. The objective of this research is to investigate what an Intentional Architecture Language (IAL) could be like that utilizes intentional and organizational modeling and analysis concepts to support architectural decision-making efforts in organizational settings. Drawing from prior work on organizational modeling and analysis, this thesis first defines a core IAL, and then explores its use to model and analyze architectural decision-making both reported in the literature and empirically observed at a number of commercial projects in industry. Drawing from these explorations, this thesis proposes a number of extensions to the core IAL, discusses lessons learned, and points to the advantages and limitations in using an IAL to model and analyze architectural decision-making in an organizational setting.

This thesis paper gives the reader the opportunity to glimpse the dramatic artistic changes that took place in my work. It will provide insights into my development as an artist and my experiences in graduate school. I will share how the process of making art became my main interest and how art changed me spiritually, mentally, physically, and personally.

This thesis addresses the computation and organization of conceptual knowledge. Specifically, it focuses on the recruitment of concrete knowledge during single word reading using behavioural and electrophysiological methodologies. Chapters 1 and 2 assess how number of visual semantic features listed by participants as being part of a given concept influence the speed of word meaning computation, and its neural underpinnings, providing evidence for modality-specific neural organization. Chapter 3 assesses the flexibility of knowledge activation as a function of specific task constraints, suggesting a multi-faceted approach to semantic richness is needed. Chapter 4 describes a novel application of recent statistical advances to the analysis of real-time electrophysiological data, and highlights some limitations of standard analytical approaches. Chapter 5 assesses the real-time influence of several types of knowledge on the neuroelectric activity underlying concrete word meaning computation. A timecourse of sensory-based knowledge type activation is outlined. Finally, Chapter 6 describes a novel approach whereby real-time electrophysiological brain activity is used to predict the speed of semantic decision making, providing further evidence of a highly flexible, but finely structured, human semantic memory system.

The purpose of the architecture of software systems in business organizations is to support those organizations in achieving business goals. In software development organizations the design of an architecture is a collective effort that involves various organizational stakeholders and designers, who identify, interpret, and reason about intents, and communicate, delegate, commit to, and implement intents and decisions. Current architectural design descriptions are by-and-large based on block-and-arrow notations representing "coarse-grained" solution elements of the system. They lack explicit representation for modeling and analyzing the decision-making of stakeholders and architectural designers who hold different organizational responsibilities, and pursue conflicting and/or synergistic business or system goals, while collectively pursuing organizational objectives. This thesis considers the proposition that a distributed intentionality perspective is applicable in the design of software system architectures. During architectural design, relationships between intentional actors define the context in which intentional actors pursue business and system goals and in which they negotiate architectural decision-making. The objective of this research is to investigate what an Intentional Architecture Language (IAL) could be like that utilizes intentional and organizational modeling and analysis concepts to support architectural decision-making efforts in organizational settings. Drawing from prior work on organizational modeling and analysis, this thesis first defines a core IAL, and then explores its use to model and analyze architectural decision-making both reported in the literature and empirically observed at a number of commercial projects in industry. Drawing from these explorations, this thesis proposes a number of extensions to the core IAL, discusses lessons learned, and points to the advantages and limitations in using an IAL to model and analyze architectural decision-making in an organizational setting.

An exploration of the mythologized narratives that the work and lives of Conceptual artists Bas Jan Ader, Ana Mendieta, and Francis Alÿs have created and inspired. By virtue of their biographies, the fetishization of their personalities, and the ways in which this anecdotal information can be read in their work, mythologized narratives have been constructed, allowing for a prolonged interest existing within and without the confines of the art world. These mythologies come together as part of the oral tradition of the art world, a chronicling of narratives that incites continued interest for future generations.

This thesis addresses the computation and organization of conceptual knowledge. Specifically, it focuses on the recruitment of concrete knowledge during single word reading using behavioural and electrophysiological methodologies. Chapters 1 and 2 assess how number of visual semantic features listed by participants as being part of a given concept influence the speed of word meaning computation, and its neural underpinnings, providing evidence for modality-specific neural organization. Chapter 3 assesses the flexibility of knowledge activation as a function of specific task constraints, suggesting a multi-faceted approach to semantic richness is needed. Chapter 4 describes a novel application of recent statistical advances to the analysis of real-time electrophysiological data, and highlights some limitations of standard analytical approaches. Chapter 5 assesses the real-time influence of several types of knowledge on the neuroelectric activity underlying concrete word meaning computation. A timecourse of sensory-based knowledge type activation is outlined. Finally, Chapter 6 describes a novel approach whereby real-time electrophysiological brain activity is used to predict the speed of semantic decision making, providing further evidence of a highly flexible, but finely structured, human semantic memory system.

Este estudio ha tenido como objetivo principal la comprensión del proceso de aprendizaje de las ciencias experimentales en la educación infantil con niños de 5-6 años de edad. El proceso de aprendizaje se ha estudiado considerando las teorías del cambio conceptual y la construcción de modelos científicos precursores (MCP) en un contexto dialógico de instrucción. Para tal efecto, el estudio abordó dos estudios de casos: el fenómeno de flotación y hundimiento de los cuerpos y la caracterización de seres vivos. El MCP de flotación se caracterizó considerando propiedades relevantes de los objetos relacionadas con la densidad (peso, tamaño, hueco o lleno). EL MCP de ser vivo se caracterizó en base a propiedades biológicas tales como utilización de energía (nutrición, movimiento, excresión, respiración), crecimiento y desarrollo, y reproducción. Los estudios exploratorios se llevaron a cabo con un grupo de 25 niños en tres fases: pre-test, proceso de instrucción y post-test. El cambio conceptual se evaluó considerando las diferencias entre los pre-tests y los post-test en base a los modelos de Chi et al. (1994) y Thagard (1992), y la perspectiva contextual de Printich et al., (1993).Por otra parte, se analizaron las interacciones verbales para caracterizar los tipos de conversaciones que tuvieron lugar entre los niños y la docente durante el proceso de instrucción, y su incidencia en la promoción del cambio conceptual. Los resultados mostraron que los niños presentaron diferentes patrones de cambio conceptual dando lugar a diferentes patrones de aprendizaje y éstos, a su vez, a la construcción de los modelos científicos precursores de flotación y ser vivo propuestos. En el caso de flotación los cambios fueron principalmente epistemológicos en los cuales la mayoría de los niños enriquecieron su comprensión del fenómeno permitiéndoles construir el modelo precursor formulado. En el caso de seres vivos los cambios fueron epistemológicos y ontológicos con un enriquecimiento y una reestructuración de su comprensión, y de esta forma, también la mayoría de ellos construyeron el modelo precursor de ser vivo. Por otra parte, las interacciones verbales entre la docente y los niños mostraron evidencia de los diversos recursos que utilizaron los niños para enriquecer y reestructurar su conocimiento y que la mediación de la docente fue fundamental en este proceso. La perspectiva didáctica basada en la visión socioconstructivista del aprendizaje, la valoración del aprendizaje como cambio conceptual y la estrategia de instrucción basada en la modelización, mostró ser adecuada para comprender los procesos de aprendizaje en el aula. / This study had as main objective the understanding of experimental science learning in early childhood education with children aged 5-6 years old. The learning process has been studied considering the theories of conceptual change and the construction of scientific models precursors (MCPs) in a dialogic instruction. To that end, the study dealt with two case studies: the phenomenon of floating and sinking and the characterization of living things. MCP flotation considered relevant properties of objects related to the density (weight, size, hollow or full), and the MCP of living was based on biological properties such as utilization of energy (nutrition, movement, excretion, respiration), growth and development, and reproduction. Exploratory studies were conducted with a group of 25 children in three phases: pre-test, instructional process and post-test. Conceptual change was evaluated considering the differences between the pre-tests and post-test based on the model Chi et al. (1994) and Thagard (1992), and the contextual perspective of Printich et al. (1993). Moreover, verbal interactions were analyzed to characterize the types of conversations that occurred among children and teacher during the instructional process, and its impact on the promotion of conceptual change.Results showed that children had different patterns of conceptual change leading to different patterns of learning and, in turn, the construction of the scientific precursor models proposed. In the case of flotation, changes were mostly epistemological in which the majority of children enriched their understanding of the phenomenon by allowing the construction of the precursor model formulated. In the case of living things changes were epistemological and ontological leading children enrich and restructure their understanding, and so most of them also built the forerunner model of living thing. Moreover, the verbal interactions between teachers and children showed evidence of various resources used by children to enhance and restructure their knowledge and that the mediation of the teacher was crucial in this process. The educational perspective based on the socio-constructivist perspective, assessment of learning as conceptual change and strategy-based instruction in modelling, showed to be adequate for understanding the processes of learning in the classroom.