The Reward Positivity (RewP) is a neurophysiological marker of reward sensitivity that has been found to be impacted in depression. However, there have been some mixed findings regarding the relationship between the RewP and depression, suggesting there are other factors which impact this relationship. The current study investigated how the demographic factors of sex, age, and socio-economic status might moderate the RewP-depression relationship, and examined if these effects generalize across three different inventories for symptoms of depression. 194 people were recruited by random digit dialing (55.2% male, mean age = 51.34 years, mean monthly income = $6625.95). They completed the SCID, HAM-D, and IDAS measures of depression, and an EEG session in which they did a random guessing task to elicit the RewP. We found that there was a trend-level interaction of a moderate effect size between symptoms of depression, age, and sex in predicting RewP amplitude. Further exploration of this interaction revealed that for females, there was an interactive effect between age and symptoms of depression, such that for younger females, increased symptoms of depression were associated with a blunted RewP, and lower symptoms of depression were associated with an enhanced RewP. These effects were specific to the SCID, but did not generalize to the HAM-D or IDAS. Moreover, there was no interactive effects between age and depression symptoms for males, nor did SES interact with depression and other demographic factors in predicting the RewP. This study provides evidence that demographic factors can impact the strength and nature of the relationships between the RewP and depression, and that future researchers might wish to over-sample younger females when investigating other moderating factors of the RewP in order to increase power.

Substantial research has been done on the electroencephalogram (EEG) neural signals generated by feedback within a simple choice task, and there is much evidence for the existence of a reward prediction error signal generated in the anterior cingulate cortex of the brain when the outcome of this type of choice does not match expectations. However, less research has been done to date on the neural responses to intermediate outcomes in a multi-step choice task. Here, I investigated the neural signals generated by a complex, non-deterministic task that involved multiple choices before final win/loss feedback in order to see if the observed signals correspond to predictions made by reinforcement learning theory. In Experiment One, I conducted an EEG experiment to record neural signals while participants performed a computerized task designed to elicit the reward positivity, an event-related brain potential (ERP) component thought to be a biological reward prediction error signal. EEG results revealed a difference in amplitude of the reward positivity ERP component between experimental conditions comparing unexpected to expected feedback, as well as an interaction between valence and expectancy of the feedback. Additionally, results of an ERP analysis of the amplitude of the P300 component also showed an interaction between valence and expectancy. In Experiment Two, I used machine learning to classify epoched EEG data from Experiment One into experimental conditions to determine if individual states within the task could be differentiated based solely on the EEG data. My results showed that individual states could be differentiated with above-chance accuracy. I conclude by discussing how these results fit with the predictions made by reinforcement learning theory about the type of task investigated herein, and implications of those findings on our understanding of learning and decision-making in humans. / Graduate

Cette thèse concerne l'étude de certains problèmes elliptiques d'ordre 4 et, notamment, des propriétés qualitatives des solutions. Ces problèmes apparaissent dans de nombreux domaines, par exemple dans la théorie des plaques et dans la géométrie conforme, et, comparés à leurs homologues du deuxième ordre, ils présentent des difficultés intrinsèques, surtout liées à l'absence de principe de maximum. Premièrement on étudie la positivité des solutions dans le cas des conditions au bord de Steklov, qui sont intermédiaires entre les conditions de Dirichlet et de Navier. Elles apparaissent naturellement dans l'étude des minimiseurs de la fonctionnelle de Kirchhoff-Love, qui représente l'énergie d'une plaque encastrée soumise à l'action d'une force extérieure, en fonction d'un paramètre $\sigma$. On trouve des conditions suffisantes sur le domaine pour que les minimiseurs de la fonctionnelle soient positifs. De plus, pour ces domaines on étudie une version généralisée de la fonctionnelle. En utilisant des techniques variationnelles, on examine l'existence et la positivité des états fondamentaux, ainsi que leur comportement asymptotique pour les valeurs pertinentes de $\sigma$. Dans la deuxième partie de la thèse on établit des estimations uniformes a priori pour des problèmes semi linéaires du quatrième ordre dans $\mathbb R^4$, et donc avec des non linéarités exponentielles. On considère des conditions au bord soit de Dirichlet soit de Navier et on suppose que les non linéarités sont positives et sous-critiques. Nos arguments combinent des estimations uniformes près du bord et une analyse de blow-up. Enfin, en utilisant la théorie du degré, on obtient l'existence d'une solution. / This thesis concerns the study of fourth-order elliptic boundary value problems and, in particular, qualitative properties of solutions. Such problems arise in various fields, from plate theory to conformal geometry and, compared to their second-order counterparts, they present intrinsic difficulties, mainly due to the lack of the maximum principle. In the first part of the thesis, we study the positivity of solutions in case of Steklov boundary conditions, which are intermediate between Dirichlet and Navier boundary conditions. They naturally appear in the study of the minimizers of the Kirchhoff-Love functional, which represents the energy of a hinged thin and loaded plate in dependence of a parameter $\sigma$. We establish sufficient conditions on the domain to obtain the positivity of the minimizers of the functional. Then, for such domains, we study a generalized version of the functional. Using variational techniques, we investigate existence and positivity of the ground states, as well as their asymptotic behaviour for the relevant values of $\sigma$. In the second part of the thesis we establish uniform a-priori bounds for a class of fourth-order semi linear problems in $\mathbb R^4$, and thus with exponential non linearities. We considered both Dirichlet and Navier boundary conditions and we suppose our non linearities positive and subcritical. Our arguments combine uniform estimates near the boundary and a blow-up analysis. Finally, by means of the degree theory, we obtain the existence of a positive solution.

Äldre personer utgör en allt större del av befolkningen vilket gör att forskning kring hälsosamt åldrande blir mer aktuellt. Flera studier tyder på att ånger kring det förflutna har negativa konsekvenser för hälsan och att upplevelsen av att vara tillfreds har en positiv inverkan på välmående. Däremot saknas kunskap om hur äldre blir tillfreds med sina livsval. Studien syftade till att bidra med en mer nyanserad bild av hur personer över 65 år förhåller sig till livsval och konsekvenser av dessa, samt hur upplevelsen av att vara tillfreds med livet kan uppstå. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med 11 deltagare. Det insamlade materialet analyserades utifrån en induktiv tematisk analys vilket resulterade i fyra huvudteman och 12 subteman. Huvudtemana Positivitet, Acceptans och Självständighet innebär tre olika förhållningssätt till livsval. Social kontext belyser social påverkan på livsval samt hur gemenskap och att vara betydelsefull bidrar till välmående och mening i livet. Studiens bredare definition av livsval och det positiva fokuset bidrar till en mer nyanserad bild av äldres syn på livsval inom flera olika områden. Resultatet visar att upplevelsen av att vara nöjd inte nödvändigtvis kan likställas med att vara tillfreds, och att hur människan förhåller sig till valet och dess konsekvenser blir viktigare än det faktiskt utfallet i det aktuella valet. Äldre som söker behandling för hantering av negativa känslor kopplade till åldrande och livsåterblickande kan behöva olika interventioner beroende på hur de förhåller sig till livsval. / Older people make up an increasing proportion of the population which makes research on successful aging more relevant. Several studies show negative health consequences when regretting the past and that the experience of coming to terms have positive effects on well-being. Although, little is known about how older people come to terms with life choices. This study aimed to contribute with a nuanced picture of how people over the age of 65 relate to life choices and their consequences, and how elderly people come to terms with life. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 participants. The material was analyzed based on inductive thematic analysis, resulting in four main themes and 12 subthemes. The main themes Positivity, Acceptance and Independence involve three different approaches to life choices. Social context highlights the social impact on life choices and how community and being important to others contributes to well-being and purpose in life. The broader definition of life choices and the positive focus of this study contributes to a more nuanced picture of older peoples view on life choices in multiple areas. The result shows that the experience of coming to terms with life not necessarily can be equated with being satisfied, and that how people relate to life choices and its consequences becomes more important than the actual outcome of the choice itself. Elderly people who seeks treatment for dealing with negative emotions related to aging and life reminiscence may need different interventions depending on how they relate to life choices.

Syftet med detta arbete är att ut ett retorikteoretiskt perspektiv studera nio kroppspositiva bilder från instagramkontot @nudamag i förhållande till den patriarkala diskursen och ideologin som råder på Instagram och i vårt samhälle. I uppsatsen utförs en kritisk diskursanalys av bilderna för att kartlägga hur de är diskursbestridande och vad det betyder i förhållande till makt. Det retorikteoretiska perspektivet är av relevans vid undersökningen av hur en retorisk utgångspunkt kan vara fördelaktig för @nudamag som diskursbestridande konto. Den kritiska diskursanalysen som används är baserad på Norman Faircloughs tredimensionella definition. Analysmodellen tittar alltså på den visuella textens tre dimensioner; text, diskursiv praktik och social praktik. Förhandlingen mellan reproduktion och motstånd i de representerade bilderna kan liknas med en ta och ge-situation. Texterna är normbrytande och skapar ett diskursivt motstånd men genom en retorisk struktur ämnar innehållet inte provocera läsaren vid första anblick heller. Min tolkning är att målet med @nudamag’s innehåll är att genom estetiskt tilltalande bilder nå en så bred publik som möjligt och därav i längden positivt påverka så många människor som möjligt. Sociala medier tillhandahåller ett lättillgängligt verktyg för anti-diskursivt engagemang och effekten av det som sprids i den digitala världen bör inte underskattas. Fler frågor väcks dessutom kring den möjlighet man som konsument har att styra sitt eget intag av medier för att påverka sitt psykiska mående. Hur påverkas egentligen användaren av vem hen följer på Instagram? / The purpose of this thesis is to study nine body-positive images from the instagram account @nudamag in relation to the patriarchal discourse and ideology that prevails on Instagram and in our society. In the essay, a critical discourse analysis of the images is performed to map how they are discouraging and what it means in relation to power. A rhetorical theoretical perspective is also relevant in the investigation of how a rhetorical starting point can be beneficial for @nudamag as an anti-discourse account. The critical discourse analysis used in this thesis is based on Norman Fairclough’s definition of it and thereby utilises a three-dimensional analysis model. Which looks at the three dimensions of the visual text; text, discursive practice, and social practice. The negotiation between reproduction and resistance in the represented images can be compared to a take-and-give situation. The visual texts are norm-breaking and create a discursive resistance, but through a rhetorical structure the content does not intend to provoke the reader at first sight either. My interpretation is that the goal of @nudamag's content is to reach as wide an audience as possible through aesthetically pleasing images and thereby positively influence as many people as possible in the long run. Social media provides an easily accessible tool for anti-discursive engagement and the impact of what is spreading in the digital world should not be underestimated. More questions are also raised about the opportunity you as a consumer have to control your own intake of media text and what that would do for your mental health. How is the user really affected by who they follow on Instagram and what can they do about it?

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This thesis aims to examine how the usage of different-sized models can improve consumer loyalty to a brand of female customers in Sweden. Previous research has examined how using non-skinny models appeals to female customers and what feelings are evoked, but there is little research on how this approach can increase consumer loyalty as a whole. The authors of this thesis hypothesize that brands using different-sized models will lead to female customers feeling higher levels of the concepts of Awareness and Safety concerning the brand. In turn, the authors hypothesize that a brand achieving high levels of Awareness and Safety within the context of using different-sized models will improve consumer loyalty toward their female customers in Sweden. To examine whether different-sized models have an impact on consumer loyalty, a deductive approach has been used where this thesis relies on existing theories to answer the research question. Data was collected through a survey consisting of multi-choice questions with closed answers in order to conduct a quantitative analysis of the data. The questions were operalized, and the internal validity of each concept was tested through Cronbach’s Alpha to ensure that the questions measured what they were supposed to measure. The data was analyzed through Spearman’s Rank Correlation test, where the dependence between the concepts was measured. In conclusion, the authors found that usage of different-sized models had a positive correlation with consumer loyalty through both aspects of Awareness and Safety. Based on the results and the collected literature, the authors believe that usage of different-sized models in a company’s online business activities can help build a stronger relationship with their customers.

The aims of the present thesis were two fold. The first aim was to investigate the relationship between self-referential and emotional processing. The second aim was to investigate the extent to which self-referential processing is altered as a function of mood. In order to address these two aims, a variety of behavioural and physiological measures were recorded and a new methodology was employed in the following experimental chapters. The aim of experiment one was to investigate how non-dysphoric and dysphoric individuals evaluate the emotional valence and self-referential content of word stimuli at a behavioural level. A self-positivity bias was identified in non-dysphoric individuals, positive words were rated as self-referential and negative words were rated as non-self-referential. Compared to non-dysphoric individuals, dysphoric individualsâ evaluations of self-reference but not emotional valence were altered. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were employed in experiment two to investigate self-referential processing at a neural level. A two stage model of processing was identified in which, an evaluation of emotional valence was found to occur prior to an interaction between self-reference and emotional valence. A self-positivity bias was identified in the ERP component known as the N400. ERP waves were more negative going to self negative and non-self-positive words when compared to self-positive and non-self-negative words. This bias was explained in terms of the semantic mismatch hypothesis. The aim of experiment three was to investigate how the neural processing of self-referential and emotional information is altered as a function of mood. Differences between nondysphoric and dysphoric individuals were identified during the early stages of ii processing in an emotion task. Between group differences were identified during the later stages of processing in a self-reference task, around 400 ms. Skin conductance and heart rate were employed in experiment four to examine autonomic responses during self-referential and emotional processing in healthy individuals. Both decision-making tasks were found to elicit similar physiological responses. These findings were taken to suggest that a large component of self-referential processing involves the processing of emotional information. Finally, the aim of experiment five was to investigate if person-referent processing was altered during the experience of a negative mood. The behavioural and neural responses of non-dysphoric and dysphoric individuals were compared across self-referent and other-referent decision-making tasks. Between group differences were specific to the self-reference task at the behavioural level. However, group differences were identified in both the self-referent and other-referent tasks at the neural level. The results provide partial support for the hypothesis that negative mood is associated with specific impairments in self-referential processing. Overall the results of the present thesis illustrate that the processing of emotional information plays a large role in self-referential decision-making. Furthermore, the N400 was found be involved in this type of decision-making at the semantic level. Negative mood was associated with greater changes in self-referential processing than in other forms of emotional or person-referent processing. In the final chapter, a two stage model is proposed to account for self-referential processing. The implications of this model are discussed in terms of two macro-cognitive theories, interacting cognitive subsystems (ICS) and SPAARs. Finally, the limitations and future directions for developing this line of research are outlined.

The purpose of the thesis is to contribute with knowledge of preschool teachers' perceptions of working with digital imaging in image teaching. I collected the empirical material by qualitative semi-structured interviews, along with an interview-guide. The respondents were eight preschool-teachers, who works on five different preschools in the middle of Sweden. I analyzed the empirical material with research and by an analysis-model from phenomenography. The result shows that the perceptions were varied. They felt positivity to begin conduct teaching in digital imaging after the curriculum be valid July 1, 2019. / Syftet med examensarbetet är att bidra med kunskap om förskollärares uppfattningar av att arbeta med digitalt bildskapande i bildundervisningen. En kvalitativ forskningsstrategi användes, med fenomenografi som metodansats. Datainsamlingen genomfördes med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer. Informanterna var åtta förskollärare, som arbetar på fem olika förskolor. Analysen av resultatet gjordes med utgångspunkt av multimodal teori och sociokulturellt perspektiv. Resultatet av frågeställningarna visar på en varierad uppfattning av arbete med digitalt bildskapande i undervisning. Resultatet visar också att användandets omfång var varierad på förskolorna. Flera förskollärare hade intresse av att öka undervisningen i digitalt bildskapande, efter den reviderade läroplanen för förskolan trätt i kraft 1 juli 2019.