Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2006. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 253-259).

Thesis (M.S.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Psychology, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Psychology Department, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Covenant Theological Seminary, 2005. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-126).

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2005. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-132). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url%5Fver=Z39.88-2004&res%5Fdat=xri:pqdiss &rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR11909

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-112).

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Na atualidade observa-se vastos estudos sobre os processos na área do Design acerca de como projetar experiências e prototipar interações entre pessoas e sistemas, e mesmo entre pessoas por intermédio de sistemas. Enquanto todo tipo de produto produz uma experiência de uso, com a evolução da interatividade as relações estabelecidas entre os usuários e os produtos tornaram-se mais complexas e modificaram-se ao longo dos anos. A abordagem teórica destinada a tratar essas questões também expandiu e diversificou-se simultaneamente. A partir de um estudo sobre os processos interativos e o campo teórico relacionado, foi possível identificar um fenômeno relativamente recente em interfaces nas quais pode ser verificado um alto nível de interação, a saber: os sistemas de recompensa. Cabe salientar que este termo foi emprestado da Neurociência, aonde é utilizado para descrever o circuito responsável pelo gerenciamento do comportamento através da indução de prazer e dor. Portanto, o autor desta dissertação propõe uma acepção do termo no âmbito do design de componentes interativos para designar o artifício, que muitas interfaces atuais incorporaram, de conceder aos usuários a possibilidade de apreciarem, ou não, determinado conteúdo em rede. Assim, pode-se compreender que o emprego do termo aqui é metafórico. Neste processo os usuários podem fornecer outros tipos de feedback ao sistema, como por exemplo um comentário, ou compartilhamento, estimulando assim uma série de desdobramentos interativos e repercussões para a experiência de uso do produto. Este trabalho propõe uma investigação qualitativa sobre as interações concernentes aos sistemas de recompensa, abordando tanto questões objetivas funcionais dos sistemas, quanto questões referentes ao feedback dos usuários. O Facebook será amplamente analisado, por ter sido uma interface pioneira na manipulação dos sistemas de recompensa, na qual estes componentes alcançaram um alto nível de desenvolvimento até este momento. A justificativa para esta pesquisa se deve a dois fatores particularmente relevantes: primeiro, a ausência de conteúdo significativo na literatura relacionada atual. Em segundo lugar, a notável expansão dos sistemas criados com esta finalidade, conforme será demonstrado no estudo. O objetivo deste projeto é compreender de que forma o design dos sistemas de recompensa influenciam o fluxo de interações e o comportamento dos usuários atualmente. Para tanto, esta pesquisa procura verificar como determinados aspectos teóricos do design - dedicados à compreensão da dinâmica de processos interativos - se aplicam a experiências reais de interação no mundo contemporâneo. Por exemplo, diversos modelos e frameworks nas áreas de HCI (Interação Humano-Computador), UX (experiência do usuário), e design de experiências destacam conceitos condizentes com aspectos identificados nos sistemas de recompensa que por sua vez encontram-se em processo de desenvolvimento, guiados por tendências comerciais de uma forma quase que intuitiva, no sentido de que pouca atenção tem sido dada na literatura sobre as bases neuronais que fazem este processo funcionar. Desta forma, pretende-se fornecer subsídios para uma melhor compreensão do impacto que os sistemas de recompensa analisados nesta dissertação desempenham sobre a experiência de uso entre consumidores e produtos delineados dentro deste paradigma. / This is a research about the design of reward systems on interactive contemporary interfaces of communication. After a research made on User Experience (UX) and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) theory fields, it was possible to identify some particular kind of interface component which was, according to this study, capable of accomplishing several UX and HCI objectives related to affection and complex interaction relations on the generation of a valuable experience. This particular kind of component is the primal object of this study, which was designated by the author as Reward Systems, in a metaphorical meaning, besides the original conception of reward systems in neuroscience. These are components that allows user to appreciate some kind of content retrieving status to it. Facebook is widely discussed, because it was a pioneer in handling the interface of reward systems, where these components have reached a high level of development so far. This research is particularly relevant due to two factors: first, the lack of meaningful content in the current related literature. Secondly, the remarkable expansion of systems designed for this purpose, as will be demonstrated in the study. The project goal is to understand how the design of reward systems influence the flow of interactions and behavior of users today. In order to accomplish this, the research seeks to ascertain how certain theoretical aspects of design - dedicated to understanding the dynamics of interactive processes - apply to real interaction experiences in the contemporary world. For example, several models and frameworks in areas of HCI (Human Computer Interaction) and UX (user experience) highlight concepts consistent with those identified in reward systems which are in process of constant development, guided by commercial tendencies almost in a intuitive manner. Little attention has been paid in literature on neuroscience bases which make this process work.

La notion d'incitation est au cœur des théories économiques modernes. Elle vise à obtenir des agents concernés un certain comportement par la promesse d’une récompense, comportement qu'il n'aurait pas été rationnel pour eux d’adopter sans la présence de cet avantage. En tant que dispositif juridique, l’incitation peut être définie comme un mécanisme cherchant à orienter le comportement de ses destinataires dans un sens déterminé, par la promesse d’une contrepartie avantageuse. Ces dispositifs incitatifs se développent dans l’ensemble des matières juridiques. Il est toutefois un domaine particulier du droit dans lequel il est particulièrement intéressant à étudier : le droit social. Si le législateur laisse au destinataire de la règle le choix d’adopter ou non le comportement incité, il n’en compte pas moins sur le raisonnement rationnel de ce dernier qui devrait se laisser convaincre par la perspective de l’avantage promis. Il est donc improbable, a priori, de trouver ce type de règles dans les matières largement régies par des dispositions d’ordre public.À travers l’analyse du dispositif juridique incitatif dans un domaine aussi vaste et complexe que le droit social, c’est en définitive à une étude des transformations de la normativité juridique que nous nous livrons. Cet instrument des conduites juridiques, si particulier et pourtant si présent dans le droit, donne à voir toute la richesse que peut offrir le droit, en même temps qu’il révèle les dédales obscurs que doivent parcourir ses élaborateurs pour produire, sans effets pervers, les effets escomptés. / The concept of incentive is at the heart of modern economic theories. It aims to get involved some behavior by the promise of a reward, behavior that would not be rational for agents to adopt without the presence of this advantage. As a legal rule, the incentive can be defined as a mechanism seeking to guide the behavior of its recipients in a given direction, with the promise of a reward. These incentives are developed in all legal matters. However, it is a particular area of law in which they are particularly interested to study: social law. If the legislature let the recipient free to adopt or not the behavior encouraged, it does not count less on rational reasoning. It is unlikely to find such rules in matters largely governed by the public order.Through the analysis of the incentive legal system in an area as vast and complex as the social law, it is a study of the transformation of legal normativity that we deliver. This legal instrument gives to see the richness that can provide the law at the same time it reveals the several ways its developers have to take to produce the expected effects.

The study of semantics in the brain explores how the brain represents, processes, and learns the meaning of language. In this thesis we show both that semantic representations can be decoded from electroencephalography data, and that we can detect the emergence of semantic representations as participants learn an artificial language mapping. We collected electroencephalography data while participants performed a reinforcement learning task that simulates learning an artificial language, and then developed a machine learning semantic representation model to predict semantics as a word-to-symbol mapping was learned. Our results show that 1) we can detect a reward positivity when participants correctly identify a symbol's meaning; 2) the reward positivity diminishes for subsequent correct trials; 3) we can detect neural correlates of the semantic mapping as it is formed; and 4) the localization of the neural representations is heavily distributed. Our work shows that language learning can be monitored using EEG, and that the semantics of even newly-learned word mappings can be detected using EEG. / Graduate

This thesis examines potential associations between trait approach motivation and related measures, the everyday experience of affect and goal pursuit, and reward-related neural responses. The Behavioural Activation System (BAS) is a core motivational system, subserved by the neural reward circuitry, eliciting approach-type behaviour and positive emotion when activated by appetitive stimuli. Deficits in BAS sensitivity are thought to underlie the lack of motivation and positive affect (PA) that characterise anhedonia, whilst hyperactivation of the BAS has been linked to the increased goal-directed behaviour and positive affectivity associated with hypomania. In order to explore relationships between BAS sensitivity, goal pursuit, and reward processing, young participants, recruited from the student population (N = 65), and older participants, from the community (N = 63), underwent a 7-day period of experience sampling (ESM) to provide a naturalistic measure of momentary affect and goal-focused motivation. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI; in a subset of n = 28 and n = 31 respectively) was then used to investigate individual differences in sensitivity of brain reward-related systems to various social and non-social rewards. Limited support was found for the relationship between BAS traits and the more motivational aspects of goal pursuit and reward processing, whilst anhedonia seemed to pertain more to reward consumption, with few links to everyday goal pursuit. This would indicate that anhedonia might not be as closely related to BAS sensitivity as was initially anticipated. Finally, in order to examine real-world correlates of neural activation, the data from the naturalistic measure were correlated with reward-related activation. Everyday PA correlated with striatal activation when viewing pleasant images, but no other associations emerged. This would suggest that the basic measures of brain function in relation to the particular reward-related stimuli used might be of limited relevance to everyday affective experience and goal pursuit.