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The standard paradigm for exploring hypothesis testing behaviour is Wason's (1960) rule discovery task, which exists in two variants: the standard single goal (SG) task, and the logically identical dual goal (DG) fonn. Despite the close similarity of the two fonns of the task, the reported success rates in the two variants vary considerably, with approximately 20% of participants successfully solving the SG variant compared to over 60% correctly announcing the rule in the DG fonn. It was this disparity between the patterns of perfonnance across the two versions of the task which fonned the impetus for this thesis, as it was felt that an explanation for the facilitatory effect of DG instructions would lead to insights into the poor performance in the SG form. Several competing contemporary accounts of the effect are introduced, and predictions derived from them empirically tested across a series of seven experiments. Data analyses showed that no single contemporary theory could provide a wholly adequate account of the DG facilitation effect. However, these analyses led to a novel observation: that it is the production of a contrast class triple which appears to be the key predictor of success on the task, and furthennore, that the DG variant of the task promotes the generation of such a triple. Support for the "contrast class" account of the DG effect was provided by direct manipulation of the information provided to participants. A theoretical account of the critical role of contrast class cue information is developed in the thesis by situating the account within a proposed extension to Oaksford and Chater's (1994) "Iterative Counterfactual Model" of hypothesis testing. It is further suggested that rather than providing mutually exclusive accounts of the DG effect, competing theories (e.g., Vallee-Tourangeau et al. 's, 1995, triple heterogeneity theory, and Wharton et al. 's, 1993, information quantity theory) could be subsumed within this new model, which would then reflect a process whereby participants' strategies change and develop over the course of the hypothesis testing session. Finally, it is suggested that findings from this thesis can be accommodated more generally within Evans' (2006) "hypothetical thinking framework", and thereby within contemporary dual process accounts of reasoning.

Reading comprehension is essential for passing school as well as to live in today’s society which requires a constant interpretation of written information. Inferences are the very processes that bring about comprehension. This study examined local inferences which are characterized by integrating clauses and sentences, and global inferences which are characterized by using background knowledge to e.g. understand a characters actions or the theme of a text. Studying inferences could lead to the development of tools that can identify children’s issues with comprehension. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a test that measured performance on each inference type in story format and facts format. The study examined 11 year old children’s’ performance on each inference type, how the performance appeared in different formats of text and whether there was a connection with reading comprehension. The children performed best on local inferences, which differs from previous research where children have performed higher on global inferences. Performance on global inferences were high in story format but low in facts format. The results indicate that children’s strategies for local inferences continue to work when they have trouble relating to the text. Pearsons correlation coefficient indicated a connection between the inference test and reading comprehension. / Läsförståelse är centralt för att klara av skolgången och för att leva i dagens samhälle som kräver ett ständigt tolkande av skriftlig information. Inferenser är själva processen som tillför förståelse. Denna studie studerar lokala inferenser som kännetecknas av att sammanställa satser och meningar, samt globala inferenser som kännetecknas av att använda sig av bakgrundskunskap för att möjliggöra förståelse av exempelvis karaktärers handlingar eller temat i en text. Genom att studera inferenser kan på sikt verktyg utvecklas som identifierar barns problem med läsförståelse. Studien hade som syfte att utforma och utvärdera ett test som mätte prestation på lokala och globala inferenser i berättelseformat och faktaformat. Studien undersökte 11-åringars prestation på respektive inferenstyp, hur prestation såg ut i olika textformat och ifall det fanns samband med läsförståelse. Barnen presterade högst på lokala inferenser, vilket skiljer sig från tidigare forskning där barn har presterat högre på globala inferenser. Prestation på globala inferenser var hög i berättelse- men låg i faktaformat. Resultatet indikerar att barnens strategier för lokala inferenser fortsätter att fungera när de har svårt att relatera till texten. Pearsons korrelationskoefficient indikerade att det fanns samband mellan inferenstestet och läsförståelse.

Customer experience is a broad topic that can cover several different branches,fields and industries. Various researchers have done significant work into thetopic, yet it still has gaps of fragmentation and an overall understanding on howto manage it. This research focused on customer experience within the finedining industry with the purpose of identifying how fine dining restaurantstackle customer experience with the goal of creating satisfied customers. Inorder to answer the questions at hand, the research took the approach of a casestudy to better understand the Swedish customers at fine dining restaurantsdisregarding other countries or cultures. With the help of three main concepts,the Five Aspects of a Meal model, the service blueprints, and the fine diningclues and messages, the authors found out that several aspects such as tangibleand intangible factors such as food quality, atmosphere, and service quality, areat the core of creating a desirable customer experience. In terms of customersatisfaction, the guest feedback and other forms of criticism is critical for finedining restaurants due to the importance of listening to the customers which canresult in creating regular, or loyal, customers.

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This study explores storybook illustrations in learning word meanings among English learners in a university intensive language program. The impact of children’s literature on the comprehension and vocabulary development of second language children is well-documented. However, the use of the literature with adults still needs to be researched. Therefore, a mixed-method study was designed (1) to investigate whether readers who read an authentic illustrated story differed from those who read the same story without illustrations; and (2) to learn more about the readers’ process of learning words from storybook illustrations. Results suggest that illustrations play an important role in both comprehending the text and learning individual words, however issues related to the accessibility of the text and readers’ ability to use context should also be taken into consideration. The findings support prior research that the benefits of learning from context take time to become robust. The study suggests that illustrated storybooks provide a rich context for adults to infer word meanings and recommends children’s literature as an alternative source of reading in programs serving adult English learners.

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