<p>To assess how the plasticity of the face processing system changes with age, we trained 8-year-olds, 10-year-olds, and adults to differentiate 10 chimpanzee faces at the individual level for 3 days by having them watch a child-friendly training video. Their improvement from baseline was compared to that of age- and gender-matched controls who completed the pre- and post-tests, but did not complete training. Improvement did not vary across age: 8-year-olds, 10-year-olds, and adults all showed similar improvement in accuracy at discriminating the 10 chimpanzee faces on which they were trained. This improvement resulted in the reduction of the own-species bias after training. However, the benefits of training did not generalize to novel exemplars. In addition, participants from both the training and control groups showed a practice effect: their accuracy at discriminating both chimpanzee and human faces improved from pre- to post-test. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the face processing system is somewhat plastic between 8 years of age and adulthood and suggest that this plasticity remains stable throughout this period of development.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

In recent years there has been great interest in implementing object recognition frame work on mobile phones. This has stemmed from the fact the advances in object recognition algorithm and mobile phone capabilities have built a congenial ecosystem. Application developers on mobile platforms are trying to utilize the object recognition technology to build better human computer interfaces. This approach is in the nascent phase and proper application framework is required. In this thesis, we propose a framework to overcome design challenges and provide an evaluation methodology to assess the system performance. We use the emerging Android mobile platform to implement and test the framework. We performed a case study using the proposal and reported the test result. This assessment will help developers make wise decisions about their application design. Furthermore, the Android API developers could use this information to provide better interfaces to the third party developers. The design and evaluation methodology could be extended to other mobile platforms for a wider consumer base. / by Vivek Kumar Tyagi. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

There is an extensive debate in the adult literature on whether recognition memory can better be explained by a single- or a dual-process account. Single-process accounts assume that a single memory strength signal underlies recognition. Dual-process accounts propose two independent processes, namely recollection (slow and associated with contextual details) and familiarity (fast and automatic). The aim of this dissertation was to advance this debate using a cognitive developmental approach. By investigating age-related changes of recognition memory across childhood as a function of theoretically motivated experimental manipulations, predictions drawn from single- and dual-process models of recognition memory were tested. We adapted the Process Dissociation Paradigm (PDP; Jacoby, 1991) to disentangle processes underlying recognition memory in 5-, 7-, and 11-year-olds and adults using a Dual-Process Signal Detection cognitive modelling approach (DPSD; Yonelinas, 1996). Experiments 1 – 6 demonstrated that 5-year-olds are able to recollect items based on perceptual details. Consistent with dual-process theory, across all age groups a response time limit decreased recollection while leaving familiarity unaffected (Chapter 2). Converging evidence consistent with dissociations during childhood was found after repeated item presentation (Chapter 3). Finally, after a thorough empirical validation of our approach, the new paradigm was used to investigate the developmental perceptual to semantic shift (Chapter 4). These findings, using a double dissociation logic, have advanced the theoretical debate on the nature of recognition memory by showing that one process is insufficient to account for the developmental and experimental findings reported here. Recollection and familiarity follow different developmental trajectories and are affected by encoding and retrieval manipulations (i.e., repetition and time limits). This provides a challenge for existing theories of recognition memory.

Magister Commercii - MCom (Business and Finance) / The youth of South Africa is currently faced with high levels of unemployment and poverty. This raises concerns about the future of the South African people and its economy. Consequently, much is needed to develop the youth to allow for a prosperous future. A decrease in poverty and unemployment was found to be linked to an increase in education. Entrepreneurial education can have a significant impact on entrepreneurial success. This research paper aims to assess the influence of entrepreneurial education and training on students' entrepreneurial development. To ensure a comprehensive assessment of the development of students, I utilised a mixed methodology to assess students both quantitatively and qualitatively. The study assessed a sample of students from South Africa and the United States of America who jointly partook in a two-week entrepreneurial education and training programme at TSiBA Education, Cape Town, South Africa. Entrepreneurial education and training had a positive effect on the students' entrepreneurial development, entrepreneurial orientation and intentions to start a business. While entrepreneurial orientation aids the exploitation of business opportunities, before opportunities can be exploited they must be recognised. Bringing into question the link between students' entrepreneurial orientation and their abilities to recognise and develop opportunities into successful ventures. To explore this I interviewed two participants and found the high entrepreneurially orientated participant to exhibit greater opportunity recognition and development abilities, compared to the low entrepreneurially orientated participant. I concluded by finding that although differences do exist between high and low entrepreneurially orientated students, entrepreneurial education and training could positively influence students' entrepreneurial orientation and assist in the development of entrepreneurs. The results suggest that TSiBA Education should attempt to increase the duration of the entrepreneurial programme to maximize the influence of the entrepreneurial education and training.