The present study applies three distinct theoretically grounded research methodologies to the research phase of a public relations campaign. The researcher examines the distinctions of each method, the strengths and weaknesses of the data generated, and the implications of mass communication theory as it relates to public relations campaigns. Drawing from DeFleur and Ball-Rokeach's (1989) overview of three theoretical approaches to mass mediated persuasion, the study implements research methodologies from the psychodynamic, the sociocultural, and the meaning construction paradigms. The study examines how the assumptions of each approach might influence a practitioner in each stage of campaign construction. The author concludes that the often implicit theoretical assumptions which guide public relations practitioners have a significant impact on every phase of a public relations campaign.

This study explored the reasoning process of interpreters during the process of early recollection (ER) interpretation, and in the identification of central life style theme using Mosak's typology system (1971). ERs from ten subjects were collected using a guestionnaire format and distributed to six interpreters. Three interpreters were experienced in ER interpretation and three received two hours of training in ER interpretation prior to the study. All interpreters were requested to record their impressions and thoughts during the interpretive process on audio tape for later analysis, and to assign a primary and secondary life style theme to each subject using Mosak's typologies. The results of this study provided information about the cues found in ERs that seem to guide interpreters, the effect of interpreter style on the final outcome, and the reliability of inter-judge agreement on life style theme from ER interpretation. The results showed that training in ER interpretation immediately provided the trainees with an ability to identify the perceptual schema of the subjects but it did not give them the same skill possessed by the experienced clinicians in metaphor analysis or an understanding of Mosak's typology system. Similarities and differences between the experienced clinicians and the trainees were analyzed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Note:

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

As spatial information has become more accessible and cheaper, interest in using Geographic Information System (GIS) has increased in a variety of fields including geology, social science, land management, and urban design. GIS has been considered a tool to provide geographically more accurate information and maps, but there are still underexplored questions about whether GIS is a tool that encourages or hinders active public participation in community planning practices; or whether it only intensifies fact-based research methods rather than encouraging more comprehensive approaches. In order to address these questions, this practicum examines how GIS may be useful to encourage public participation, how information and knowledge collected from residents or a neighbourhood can be applied to developing a GIS model and how these data may be incorporated with community plan. To analyze and illustrate the processes, this practicum explores community gardens in the Daniel McIntyre and St. Matthews Communities in Winnipeg, Manitoba and aims to develop a GIS model to assist with the process of identifying the strategical locations for future garden sites. / October 2016

Forster and Lavie (2008) and Lavie, Lin, Zokaei and Thoma (2009) have demonstrated that meaningful stimuli, such as objects, are ignored under conditions of high perceptual load but not low. However, objects are seldom presented without context in the real world. Given that context can reduce the threshold for object recognition (Barenholtz, 2013), is it possible for context to reduce the processing load of objects such that they can be processed under high load? In the first experiment, I attempted to obtain similar findings of the aforementioned studies by replicating their paradigm with photographs of real-world objects. The findings of the experiment suggested that objects can cause distractor interference under high load conditions, but not low load conditions. These findings are opposite of what the perceptual literature suggests (e.g., Lavie, 1995). However, these findings are aligned with a two-stage dilution model of attention in which information is first processed in parallel and then selectively (Wilson, Muroi, and MacLeod, 2011). Experiment 2 assessed if this effect was specific to semantic objects by introducing meaningless, abstract objects. The results suggest that the dilution effect was not due to the semantic features of objects. The third experiment assessed the influence of context on objects under load. The results of the experiment found an elimination of all interference effects in both the high and low load conditions. Comparisons between scene-object congruency revealed no influence of semantic information from scenes. It appears that the presentation of a visual stimuli prior to the flanker task diluted attention such that the distractor effects previously observed in the high load condition were minimized. Thus, it does not appear that context reduced the threshold for object recognition under load. All three experiments have demonstrated strong evidence for the dilution approach of attention over perceptual load models. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

We have designed a system suitable for auditory electroencephalographic (EEG) experiments, with the objective of enabling studies of auditory motion. This thesis details the perceptual cues involved in spatial auditory experiments, and compares a number of spatial panning algorithms while examining their suitability to this purpose. A behavioural experiment involving perception of static auditory objects was used in an attempt to differentiate these panning algorithms. This study was used to inform the panner choice used in an auditory EEG experiment. This auditory EEG experiment involved the effects of discontinuity in velocity and position, and their affects on object perception. A new event related potential (ERP) component – the lateralized object related negativity (LORN) – was identified, and we consider its significance. libnetstation, a library for connecting with the NetStation (EEG) system has been developed, and released as open source software. / viii, 61 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm

We are capable of effortlessly parsing a complex scene presented to us. In order to do this, we must segregate objects from each other and from the background. While this process has been extensively studied in vision science, it remains relatively less understood in auditory science. This thesis sought to characterize the neuroelectric correlates of auditory scene analysis using electroencephalography. Chapter 2 determined components evoked by first-order energy boundaries and second-order pitch boundaries. Chapter 3 determined components evoked by first-order and second-order discontinuous motion boundaries. Both of these chapters focused on analysis of event-related potential (ERP) waveforms and time-frequency analysis. In addition, these chapters investigated the contralateral nature of a negative ERP component. These results extend the current knowledge of auditory scene analysis by providing a starting point for discussing and characterizing first-order and second-order boundaries in an auditory scene. / x, 90 leaves : col. ill. ; 29 cm

D.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / There is a growing consciousness of the importance of productivity improvement in the Republic of South Africa as a solution to economic problems like poverty, unemployment and. the growing inflation rate. The problem has grown to such proportions that the organizing committee of the President's Council recommended in May 1987 that the school has to play an important role in the education of children to become productive workers. A solution to the problem of the lack of growth in productivity which has not as yet received the necessary attention, is the role time plays in the economy. It is especially people's perception of time and the accompanying attitudes towards the utilization of time that is important. In this regard education and guidance-can play an important role, as this aspect has rightly to do with the creating of children's perceptions and attitudes. To date, little research results are available on the time perception of individuals. Empirical data where the relationship between time perception and productiveness is explored is not readily available in present literature. Research was therefore undertaken on the time perception of children and adults A newly designed questionnaire was used for this purpose. The questionnaire was completed by 6 840 pupils, 253 teachers and 297 bank officials. Concerning validity and reliability, a principal component factor analysis (PCA) was followed by a principal factor analysis (PFA) in a first order analysis. The first order analysis was followed by a second order PCA and PFA. The variables resultinq from this factor analysis procedure were then subjected to an item analysis. The identified variables, i.e. passive fatalistic and Actiye integrated time perception were used to investigate the difference in time perception of the different groups. There upon a study was made of the relationship between the time perceptions of pupil and their productiveness, based on the children's school performance. Similarly the time perceptions of adults were studied in relationship to their productiveness as measured by the performance evaluation as done in their occupational situation. Multivariate (MANOVA & Hote~ling's Tsquare), as well as univariate (ANOVA, Scheff6 and Student test) hypotheses on population group, sex, standard, qualification, age, language and religion were tested. significance was tested on the l' and 5' level. From the findings of the study the following emerged: * A general tendency exists that prod~ptive pupils, bank officials and teachers, have a higher average scale value on active integrated time perception in comparison to less productive people. On the other hand, less productive people have a higher scale value on the passive fatalistic -e time perception in comparison to productive people * Significant differences exist between the average scale value of productive people in comparison to less productive people obtained on a time perception scale. This is true within each population/language group, as well as when groups are compared. * Both in the case of age and improved qualifications, it was indicated that less productive as well as productive people's averages on active integrated time perception scale~ increase with age and higher qualifications. * There are significant differences between the time perception of productive and less productive people within the different religions.

D.Litt. et Phil. / Before the nineteenth century psychology was not recognised as an independent, fully fledged discipline. Psychological issues were mostly treated as relating to philosophy or religion. In order to liberate psychology as an independent field of study, it became necessary to transform it into a scientific discipline, using methodology accepted in the natural sciences. Psychology thus had to be defined in terms of modern methodology, as seen in early schools such as structuralism, functionalism and behaviourism. World War II represented a turning point in history, as people became disillusioned with meta-narratives which implied that rationality and science would leads to human advancement. A "new" generation had come into being, that no longer believed scientific knowledge and research held the key to emancipation. The latter mindshift indicates the transition from modern to postmodern thought.