Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / In studies of behavior of individuals it has been found that knowledge of the results of performance enables Ss to increase the accuracy and reduce the variability of their responses. Similarly, studies of groups indicate an increase in accuracy following receipt of information concerning results. To explain this it has been suggested that the information enables members to develop an organization to solve problems. In this research an attempt was made to investigate the relationship between increased information concerning performance and the development of aspects of organization in small groups. A positive relation was predicted between these two conceptual variables through a process approximating the following formulation. With increased information the Ss' responses become less variable (more stable). This increased stability enables the Ss to develop a set of expectations or conjectures about the behavior of others in the group. The information in addition to increasing the stability ot responses also provides the basis against which the Ss may test their conjectures. A validated set of expectations should enable Ss to coordinate their responses with those of others. This in turn should result in an increase in group accuracy. While this formulation is not tested in the experiment reported here, aspects of it are directly dealt with. [TRUNCATED]

I studied the social organization and foraging ecology of eastern coyotes (<i>Canis latrans</i>) in Nova Scotia, from 1992 to 1997. Breeding pairs formed the nucleus of coyote social groups and generally traveled with 1-3 other coyotes during winter. Mean winter traveling group size was similar for packs utilizing white-tailed deer (<i>Odocoileus virginianus</i>) or snowshoe hare (<i>Lepus americanus</i>) as a primary food item. Thus, increased use of large prey was insufficient to explain group formation and cohesion of coyotes. Home-range sizes decreased significantly with deer and hare densities. Coyotes used the same territories during winter and summer, and from year to year. During winter, coyotes used, and killed deer, in areas of low deer density proportionately more than expected, likely owing to the increased vulnerability of deer in these areas. Territoriality prevented coyotes from concentrating in deer wintering areas. Based on the analysis of 2,443 scats, deer and hare were the dominant food items. During winter, coyotes killed 76-86% of the deer they consumed. Most deer killed by coyotes were not malnourished. Deer killing rates were negatively correlated with hare density. Mean urinary urea nitrogen: creatinine ratios were correlated positively with hare density. Overall, high use of deer appeared to have been associated with increased vulnerability due to winter severity or, in the case of young fawns, inability to escape. During mild winters, coyotes are forced to focus their hunting efforts on prey other than deer, regardless of density, due to low vulnerability of deer. When severe winter conditions occur, coyotes switch to feeding mainly on deer. Coyotes exhibited a Type I numerical response to the total biomass of deer and hares. Survival of fawns during summer was positively correlated with hare density. However, the total response of coyotes to changes in deer and hare density indicated that the presence of hare increased predation on deer by supporting higher coyote densities. A model based on the total response of coyotes to changes in deer and hare abundance predicted that food competition rather than predation probably regulated deer populations. Extirpation due to intense predation was a possible outcome for deer at densities <0.6 deer/km2.

Thesis (Master of Science)--University of Wisconsin. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Bibliography: leaves 90-96.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1972. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Under the promotion of the E-government¡¦s policy, and people generally enhance the quality of information, the E-society organizations have been hit the mainstream. Therefore, how to digitize the social organizations, and solve the obstacles of eletronization, will become every society organizations have to face the problem. As a result, the goal of this study is try to understand that social organizations electronization of the current situation, and difficult process. This study adopts the interview law. First of all, observation the use of the website of welfare organizations in Kaohsiung , as the body electronization of the preliminary understanding of the situation, and then through face-to-face interviews with eight members of social organizations, understanding the status of electronization, process and the difficulties. Study found that the current social organizations in the past used the information has been gradually disappearing, but some community organizations obtain equipment faster, some slower. And the earliest projects of electronization is the most common and most effective use of the word processing .Currently, the management of information, most of them are staffs, still luck of full-time IT staffs. At present the E-society organizations, mainly due to outside influence, particularly the E line with the Government's policy. Impact on society organizations electronization of the main difficulties are: 1. The lack of understanding of information technology, 2. Hardware and software for equipment, 3. The staff are not operating smoothly.

This dissertation uses cooperative and non-cooperative game theory to examine the role of investment (broadly defined) in social organization. It's composed of three chapters. The first chapter examines bidirectional investment in partnerships and characterizes the stable relationships among the benefits players produce and receive, their costs, and their payoffs. The second chapter extends the model of the first chapter to allow for multilateral matching and investment; it shows that many of the results of the bilateral case remain true in the more general case. The third chapter examines investment in social links to secure future help and characterizes the equilibrium network/linking architecture and welfare.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin. / Typescript (Carbon copy). Bibliography: leaves 71-73.

abstract: In anthropological models of social organization, kinship is perceived to be fundamental to social structure. This project aimed to understand how individuals buried in neighborhoods or patio groups were affiliated, by considering multiple possibilities of fictive and biological kinship, short or long-term co-residence, and long-distance kin affiliation. The social organization of the ancient Maya urban center of Copan, Honduras during the Late Classic (AD 600-822) period was evaluated through analysis of the human skeletal remains drawn from the largest collection yet recovered in Mesoamerica (n=1200). The research question was: What are the roles that kinship (biological or fictive) and co-residence play in the internal social organization of a lineage-based and/or house society? Biodistance and radiogenic strontium isotope analysis were combined to identify the degree to which individuals buried within 22 patio groups and eight neighborhoods, were (1) related to one another and (2) of local or non-local origin. Copan was an ideal place to evaluate the nuances of migration and kinship as the site is situated at the frontier of the Maya region and the edge of culturally diverse Honduras. The results highlight the complexity of Copan’s social structure within the lineage and house models proposed for ancient Maya social organization. The radiogenic strontium data are diverse; the percentage of potential non-local individuals varied by neighborhood, some with only 10% in-migration while others approached 40%. The biodistance results are statistically significant with differences between neighborhoods, patios, and even patios within one neighborhood. The high level of in-migration and biological heterogeneity are unique to Copan. Overall, these results highlight that the Copan community was created within a complex system that was influenced by multiple factors where neither a lineage nor house model is appropriate. It was a dynamic urban environment where genealogy, affiliation, and migration all affected the social structure. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Anthropology 2015

The present study has a twofold purpose. First, it will attempt to ascertain whether ordinal position remains an effective discriminator of affiliative need and level of anxiety within the selective confines of a strong social organization, a college sorority; or whether the selective criterion of membership in the strong social organization tends to suppress the differences in affiliative need and level of anxiety between the ordinal positions. Secondly, it will attempt to further explore the relationship between affiliation and dependency.

No description available.