This exploratory study investigated the techniques used by teachers of the visually impaired when administering math questions with graphics to students with blindness or low vision. The researcher observed and videotaped 10 pairs of students with visual impairments and their teachers while the students were taking a test that consisted of 12 graphic math items and found a wide variance existed between teachers in the administering of mathematical test items with graphics to their students. The most prevalent teacher behaviors observed were teacher initiation and graph detail description. For the majority of the teacher initiated responses, teachers gave information on a specific detail of the math graphic. Students predominantly asked for clarification regarding the math graphic itself or clarification of the math problem itself. Teachers used a variety of factors in determining if and when students required assistance during testing for large print or tactile graphics. No statistical significance was found between braille and large print groups with regard to teacher variation, student variation, and scores on test items, No relationship was found between correct answers on the test and teacher variation scores but a strong, positive correlation existed for total test time and teacher variation scores. In addition, there was no statistical significance, between the six math graph types used in this study. Hand movements of braille students were also observed, 90% of students using either both hands or mostly both hands when exploring the tactile graphic math problem. A horizontal movement was the primary direction students used when examining the tactile graphic. Recommendations were made regarding future research with large print and tactile graphics

It is known that one and the same interior colouring will appear different in rooms with windows facing north or facing south, but it is not known how natural daylight from these two compass points affects perceived colour and the ways in which colour is experienced. The objective is to describe the perceived colours to be expected in rooms with sunlight and diffused light, and thus develop a tool for colour design. Two empirical investigations provide the basis for six attached papers. The model is exploratory with a qualitative character. One hundred and ninety-one studies were carried out with 79 observers in full-scale rooms, with double-glazed transparent room windows facing north or south. The NCS colour sample collection and colour terminology were used, with three yellow, red, blue and green hues in two nuances: whitish 1010 and more chromatic 1030. The walls were painted in a total of 23 selected inherent colours with each colour observed in up to 10 studies. Colour matching was achieved using a colour reference box and results were analysed with the aid of the terms inherent colour and identity colour. The colour reference box was tested in a separate study to investigate any methodological problems. Room character was described using semantic differentials, and data was processed using the SPSS statistics program. Verbal description using own words was applied in a descriptive and reflecting method to find sensory differences and precise, yet ordinary descriptions. Colour differences between rooms were assessed using verbal description of hue and nuance, and a supplementary method with specified colour samples. Emotional impressions of colour and rooms were assessed using a method describing primary emotions and the results were compared with results from another study using small colour samples. The colouring that enhanced or neutralised room light situation was compared as regards emotional impression and thereafter compared with results from another study. Daylight from the different compass points caused a clear shift in hue and nuance. The perceived colour was consistently more chromatic and more blackish than the inherent colour used. Nuance 1010 shifted more in chromaticness than nuance, while 1030 instead increased most in chromaticness. Even minor colour differences resulted in major differences in colour experience. The north-facing room in yellowish colours shifted towards reduced yellowishness in both hue and chromaticness. Indications were that north-facing rooms in reddish blue become more reddish than south-facing rooms. / QC 20100716

Dissertation The Trip focuses on auditory experience and verbal description of certain surroundings. Essential is cooperation with a blind person Martin Chrastecky, who applies seriously to audio perception. The main outputs are audio records which came into being during this cooperation and the mutual discovering of the space where we live is recorded there.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur några sångpedagoger erfar fenomenet sångteknik. Forskningsfrågorna handlar om hur sångpedagogerna verbaliserar sin syn på sångteknik, registertermer och metoder samt hur sångpedagogerna förhåller sig till forskning i området. Utgångspunkterna för genomförandet är semistrukturerade intervjuer där fyra sångpedagoger med lärarexamen har intervjuats. Studiens teoretiska ramverk omfattas av fenomenologi med inriktning mot intentionalitet och livsvärdsfenomenologi. Intervjuerna spelades in med ljudupptagning som sedan transkriberades och analyserades med tematisk analys. De teman som utkristalliserades presenteras i resultatkapitlet och är följande: sångpedagogernas syn på sångteknik, sångpedagogernas erfarenheter och uppfattningar av register, sångpedagogernas egna metoder samt sångteknik och metoder i förhållande till forskning. Resultatet synliggör både likheter och olikheter i hur de ser på och verbaliserar sina förhållningssätt till sångteknik, registertermer, metoder och forskning. De erfarenheter som ligger till grund för dessa förhållningssätt erfars emellertid i den egna livsvärlden och har på olika sätt haft betydelse för hur de erfar fenomenet sångteknik och förhåller sig till det i undervisningen. Resultatet visar även att sångpedagogerna är överens om att forskning i sång är mycket viktigt, dock är det endast undantagsvis som de själva vänder sig till forskning. I diskussionen resoneras det vidare kring de teman som framkommer i resultatet i relation till den tidigare forskningen som presenteras samt det teoretiska perspektiv som genomsyrar studien. / The purpose of this study is to investigate vocal teachers views on and experiences with the singing technology phenomenon. The study’s research questions concerns how singing pedagogues verbalize their views on singing technique, their terms about register, methods and their relation to research. The starting points for implementation is semi structured interviews with four singing pedagogues whom all have a teachers degree. The study’s theoretical framework covers phenomenology and focus on intentionality and lifeworld phenomenology. The interviews was recorded with phonogram and later transcribed and analyzed through thematic analysis. The different themes which are presented in the result are as follows: the vocal teachers views on singing techniques, the vocal teachers experiences and perceptions of registers, the vocal teachers own methods and singing techniques and methods in relation to research. The result visualizes both similarities and differences in how they view and verbalize their approaches to singing technology, terms about register, methods and research. The experiences that form the basis of these approaches, however, are experienced in their own lifeworld and have in different ways been important for how they experience the phenomenon of singing technique and relates to it through teaching. The result also shows that the singing pedagogues agree that research on singing is very important, nonetheless they themselves seldom turn to research. The discussion is further conferring around the themes that emerge in the result in relation to the previous background and the theoretical perspective that permeates the study.

La version intégrale de cette thèse est disponible uniquement pour consultation individuelle à la Bibliothèque de musique de l’Université de Montréal (http://www.bib.umontreal.ca/MU). / Cette thèse a pour objet l’étude interdisciplinaire et systématique de l’expression du timbre au piano par les pianistes de haut niveau, dans le contexte de l’interprétation et la pratique musicales. En premier lieu sont exposées la problématique générale et les différentes définitions et perspectives sur le timbre au piano, selon les points de vue scientifiques et musicaux. Suite à la présentation de la conception du timbre au piano telle qu’établie par les pianistes dans les traités pédagogiques, la perception et la verbalisation du timbre au piano sont examinées à l’aide de méthodes scientifiques expérimentales et quantitatives. Les mots dont usent les pianistes pour décrire et parler de différentes nuances de timbre sont étudiés de façon quantitative, en fonction de leurs relations sémantiques, et une carte sémantique des descripteurs de timbre communs est dressée. Dans deux différentes études, la perception du timbre au piano par les pianistes de haut niveau est examinée. Les résultats suggèrent que les pianistes peuvent identifier et nommer les nuances de timbre contrôlées par l’interprète dans des enregistrements audio, de façon consistante et convergente entre production et perception. Enfin, la production et le contrôle gestuel du timbre au piano en interprétation musicale est explorée à l’aide du système d’enregistrement d’interprétation Bösendorfer CEUS. La PianoTouch toolbox, développée spécialement sous MATLAB afin d’extraire des descripteurs d’interprétation à partir de données de clavier et pédales à haute résolution, est présentée puis mise en œuvre pour étudier la production expressive du timbre au piano par le toucher et le geste au sein d’interprétations par quatre pianistes exprimant cinq nuances de timbre et enregistrées avec le système CEUS. Les espaces et portraits gestuels des nuances de timbre ainsi obtenus présentent différents degrés d’intensité, attaque, équilibre entre les mains, articulation et usage des pédales. Ces résultats représentent des stratégies communément employées pour l’expression de chaque nuance de timbre en interprétation au piano. / This dissertation presents an interdisciplinary, systematic study of the expression of piano timbre by advanced-level pianists in the context of musical performance and practice. To begin, general issues and aims are introduced, as well as differing definitions and perspectives on piano timbre from scientific and musical points of view. After the conception of piano timbre is presented as documented by pianists in pedagogical treatises, the perception and verbalisation of piano timbre is investigated with experimental and quantitative scientific methods. The words that pianists use to describe and talk about different timbral nuances are studied quantitatively, according to their semantic relationships, and a semantic map of common piano timbre descriptors is drawn out. In two separate studies, the perception of piano timbre by highly skilled pianists is investigated. Results suggest that advanced pianists can identify and label performer-controlled timbral nuances in audio recordings with consistency and agreement from production to perception. Finally, the production and gestural control of piano timbre in musical performance is explored using the Bösendorfer CEUS piano performance recording system. The PianoTouch toolbox, specifically developed in MATLAB for extracting performance features from high-resolution keyboard and pedalling data, is presented and used to study the expressive production of piano timbre through touch and gesture in CEUS-recorded performances by four pianists in five timbral nuances. Gestural spaces and portraits of the timbral nuances are obtained with differing patterns in intensity, attack, balance between hands, articulation and pedalling. The data represents common strategies used for the expression of each timbral nuance in piano performance.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:18:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Andre Sanchez de Souza.pdf: 3360327 bytes, checksum: 2b1692e875cbdaa95e09a2161ece4fca (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-05-12 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This study aimed to investigate if a variation in the attempt in which information and description response are required correlates with pertormance in a matching to sample task. This was proposed in arder to understand specifically the influence over performance in a matching to sample task, produced by the variation in the attempt in which information and description responses were asked. The amount of solicitations was held constant for ali the subject groups. The present study fits in a series of studies that investigated the relationship of self verbal description of behavior and the possible changes in non-verbal performance that may occur. Fifty undergraduate students were divided in 5 experimental groups. Each subject was exposed to the contingencies of matching to sample task individually, in 40 attempts to match the comparison stimulus (card containing number "10" or letter "A") to the model stimulus (cards colored green or red, respectively). In some attempts, subjects were asked to inform if they were aware of the choose options reinforced in the experiment. The information responses consisted of a click on the button of a computer mouse over two available squares that contained the words YES and NO. After that, the description response was asked. It consisted of writing down in scraps of paper how they were doing to solve the experimental problem. The scraps of paper were numbered for later identification of the subjects. The experimental groups differed in the attempts in which information and description responses were asked. Four of the groups received the same amount of opportunities to inform and describe during the experiment (10), and one group was asked to inform and describe just once. In agreement with previous studies in this area, the study suggests: 1) Verbal requests may improve performance in non-verbal tasks. 2) The amount of requests is an important variable. A higher amount of requests may produce a better performance. 3) The attempt in which requests are asked may alter pertormance in the description, information and non-verbal tasks. The higher is the number of attempts of previous exposition before the requests, the better is the pertormance in the non-verbal task; and higher quantities of "YES" responses to information task and correct contingencies descriptions are obtained / o objetivo deste estudo foi o de verificar se uma variação na tentativa em que a resposta de informação e descrição é solicitada tem relação com o desempenho em uma tarefa de escolha conforme o modelo. Com este objetivo, a proposta foi de avaliar a influência específica da tentativa na qual a solicitação de informação e descrição sobre o desempenho na resolução de problemas, mantendo constante a quantidade de solicitações feitas para a maioria dos grupos. O presente estudo se enquadra em uma série de trabalhos que tinham em comum a tentativa de esclarecer as relações entre descrições verbais do próprio desempenho e possíveis alterações de:es decorrentes no desempenho não verbal. Contou com cinqüenta estudantes universitários como participantes distribuídos em cinco grupos experimentais. Cada participante foi exposto às contingências de emparelhamento conforme o modelo individualmente, em 40 tentativas de emparelhamento da figura modelo (cartas com número 10 ou cartas com a letra A) com sua figura de comparação (cartas de cor verde e cartas de cor vermelha, respectivamente). Em determinadas tentativas foram solicitadas respostas de informação a respeito de "saber ou não" que condições de escolha eram reforçadas. A resposta de informação consistiu num clique do mouse sobre quadrados que continham as palavras "SIM" e "NÃO". Em seguida, foi solicitada a resposta de descrição sobre como realizar a tarefa, que foi escrita em tiras de papel numeradas para posterior identificação. Os grupos se diferenciaram em relação à tentativa nas quais respostas de informação e descrição eram solicitadas, sendo que quatro grupos tiveram o mesmo número de oportunidades de informar e relatar durante o experimento (10) e um grupo teve apenas uma oportunidade de informar e relatar. Sugere-se, portanto, a partir da literatura da área até o momento, e dos resultados deste estudo que: 1) solicitações verbais podem melhorar o desempenho em tarefas não verbais. 2) a quantidade dessas solicitações é uma variável relevante. Uma quantidade maior de solicitações pode produzir um melhor desempenho. 3) a tentativa nas quais as solicitações são introduzidas também alteram o desempenho nas descrições verbais, respostas de informação e tarefa não-verbal. Quanto maior o número de tentativas de exposição prévia antes da introdução das solicitações, melhor o desempenho na tarefa não verbal, e maior a quantidade de respostas de informação "SIM" e de relatos corretos de contingências são obtidos

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:18:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ana Luiza Focchi Haddad.pdf: 678295 bytes, checksum: d12abfc755c29e8cc5671713ab1b4824 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-06-11 / The present study aimed to investigate the influence of the separate request of the information and descripton response, when asked isolated in different moments of the experiment, on a problem solving situation. The amount of solicitation to information and description response was held constant (10 opportunities) for most of the groups. The information response consisted in the participant clicking YES or NO at the screen s computer when asked if he/she knows the solution to the exercise. The description response consisted in writing the description of contingencies. 72 subjects humans participated of this study that was divided into nine experimental groups. All participants were exposed to 40 attempts to matching to sample task. Four groups were required only to the information task but this solicitation occurred in different block of attempts. Another four groups were required only to the description task, this request occurred in different blocks of attempts. Only one group was required to information and description tasks, this solicitation occurred after the forty attempts of matching to sample task. The results suggest the higher is the number of attempts of previous exposition before the requests, the better is the performance in the non - verbal task, higher quantities of YES before the right choose at the matching to sample task and higher quantities of correct contingencies description are obtained. On the whole the participants that were request only to the information task had a better performance at the matching to sample task. The regularity of right answers at this task exerted influence on the performance of inform and describe / O presente estudo teve como objetivo investigar a influência da solicitação separada das respostas de informar e de descrever, quando solicitadas isoladamente em diferentes momentos do experimento, em uma situação de resolução de problema. A quantidade de solicitações para a resposta de informar e para a de descrever foi constante (10 oportunidades) para a maioria dos grupos. A resposta de informar consistiu em o participante clicar SIM ou NÃO na tela do computador quando questionado se sabia a solução do exercício. A resposta de descrever foi definida como a redação da descrição das contingências que operavam sobre a resolução do problema. Participaram deste estudo 72 sujeitos humanos que foram distribuídos em nove grupos experimentais. Todos participantes foram expostos a 40 tentativas de emparelhamento arbitrário da figura de comparação com a figura modelo. Para quatro grupos foi solicitada apenas a tarefa de informar, porém essa solicitação ocorreu em diferentes blocos de tentativas. Outros quatro grupos foram solicitados apenas à tarefa de descrever, essas solicitações aconteceram em diferentes blocos de tentativas. Apenas um grupo foi solicitado à tarefa de informar e à de descrever, essas solicitações ocorreram após a realização das 40 tentativas de emparelhamento arbitrário da figura de comparação com a figura modelo. A partir dos resultados encontrados sugere-se que, quanto maior o número de tentativas de exposição antes das solicitações, melhor o desempenho na tarefa não-verbal, maior o número de SIM antecedendo emparelhamentos corretos e maior a quantidade de relatos corretos. No geral, os participantes que foram solicitados apenas à resposta de informação obtiveram um desempenho superior nos acertos na tarefa de emparelhamento. A regularidade de acertos nessa tarefa exerceu influência nos desempenhos de informar e de descrever