In business environments, information systems are required to change in response to changes in business processes. We refer to this process as co-evolution: the process of reciprocal change in a software system and the activities and goals of the system's users. This research focuses on improving task modelling techniques to support the co-evolution of information systems and business processes.</p><p>We propose the Interaction Template approach to improve task modelling to support co-evolution. Interaction Templates make the task modelling process less tedious in both the design phase and the evolution phase of a system's lifecycle. Our approach adds data schemas and presentation components to task models, allowing us to build task models that adapt to data elements and parameters. Binding presentation components to task models allows us to generate user interface prototypes from task models. The generated user interface prototypes improve task model simulation and help make the effects of changes to business processes more clear.</p><p> This thesis describes a study of the seven year evolution of a real world information system. Through this study, we gain a better understanding of how information systems evolve in response to the evolution of an organization's business processes. This thesis presents the Interaction Template approach, as well as a notation for specifying Interaction Templates. A prototype system supporting the Interaction Template approach is provided, along with examples demonstrating the approach.</P>

In business environments, information systems are required to change in response to changes in business processes. We refer to this process as co-evolution: the process of reciprocal change in a software system and the activities and goals of the system's users. This research focuses on improving task modelling techniques to support the co-evolution of information systems and business processes.</p><p>We propose the Interaction Template approach to improve task modelling to support co-evolution. Interaction Templates make the task modelling process less tedious in both the design phase and the evolution phase of a system's lifecycle. Our approach adds data schemas and presentation components to task models, allowing us to build task models that adapt to data elements and parameters. Binding presentation components to task models allows us to generate user interface prototypes from task models. The generated user interface prototypes improve task model simulation and help make the effects of changes to business processes more clear.</p><p> This thesis describes a study of the seven year evolution of a real world information system. Through this study, we gain a better understanding of how information systems evolve in response to the evolution of an organization's business processes. This thesis presents the Interaction Template approach, as well as a notation for specifying Interaction Templates. A prototype system supporting the Interaction Template approach is provided, along with examples demonstrating the approach.</P>

An unresolved issue exists in the study of mental ability: which aspect of cognition is responsible for the emergence of psychometric “g” (Spearman, 1904, 1927), a general factor that predicts performance in all kinds of cognitive tasks and many important life outcomes? On the basis of themes present in the literature on fluid intelligence (Chapter 1), this thesis explores the relative contributions of processing, storage, and task modelling demands to the recruitment of g in task performance. Six experiments are presented which employed two computer-based tasks. The tasks were designed such that the level of demand for processing and storage was separated and manipulated in order to establish their relationship to scores on a standard test of g. Task manipulations were implemented in the context of varying the number of distinct verbal chunks in which task instructions were presented, whilst controlling for the presented amount of operative task-relevant information. The findings showed that the recruitment of g in task performance was strengthened by the presence (versus the absence) of a requirement to inhibit a prepotent response tendency (Experiments 1, 2, and 3), and by the presence of requirements to inhibit a prepared response and to maintain and update information in working memory (Experiments 4 and 5). However, these effects were observed only when task instructions were presented as four (and not as two) distinct rules. Additional findings showed that reconceptualisation of task requirements—that is, flexibly imposing order on a complex set of instructions thus reducing the number of distinct verbal chunks—was dependent on performance on the test of Spearman’s g (Experiments 3 through 6). These findings are deemed consistent with a task conceptualisation theory of g, with real-time execution demand, particularly inhibition, posing as a risk factor for the recruitment of g only when task requirements are maintained in mind as a relatively large number of chunks or rules.