Cette étude transversale a investigué le lien entre le regard conditionnel négatif perçu, le stress et l’ajustement dyadique durant la transition à la parentalité, une période caractérisée par des difficultés au niveau du couple. Après avoir été recrutés, des couples de parents primipares québécois (n=137) ont répondu à un questionnaire en ligne. Des analyses d’équations structurelles avec le modèle « Actor-Partner Interdependance Mediation Model » ont été conduites afin d’investiguer les influences dyadiques et réciproques du regard conditionnel négatif perçu sur l’ajustement dyadique du couple. Au niveau des effets acteurs, les résultats démontrent que pour les deux partenaires, le stress est un médiateur partiel dans la relation entre le regard conditionnel négatif perçu et l’ajustement dyadique. Cependant, au niveau des effets partenaires, il n’y avait pas d’effet de médiation entre ces variables. Néanmoins, certains effets partenaires intéressants ont été trouvés: 1) le regard conditionnel perçu par les mères biologiques avait une influence sur l’ajustement dyadique de leur partenaire et 2) l’ajustement dyadique des mères biologiques était influencé par le regard conditionnel négatif perçu par leur partenaire. Pour conclure, ses résultats informent la littérature de deux façons importantes : 1) le regard conditionnel négatif perçu par un des partenaires a des effets sur son propre ajustement dyadique et sur celui de son partenaire et 2) le stress est un des mécanismes par lequel le regard conditionnel négatif perçu par un des partenaires diminue son propre ajustement dyadique. / This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between perceived conditional negative regard (a behavior that thwarts basic psychological needs), stress, and dyadic adjustment during the transition to parenthood. Primiparous couples (n=137) of 6-months old babies were recruited to fill out an online questionnaire. Structural equation model analysis with an Actor-partner interdependence mediation model were conducted. Results show that for each partner, stress partially mediated the link between perceived conditional negative regard and dyadic adjustment (actor effects). For the partner effects, stress was not a mediator between these variables. However, some partner effects were found: 1) Bearing mothers’ perceived conditional negative regard was associated with partners’ dyadic adjustment, and 2) Partners’ perceived conditional negative regard was associated with bearing mothers’ dyadic adjustment. Overall, the findings shed light on the dyadic influences of conditional negative regard and the mechanisms through which it decreases dyadic adjustment during the transition to parenthood.

The theory of dyadic intrastate conflict cause and resolution containing transnational ethnic kin is under development. One of the things current research share is the focus on the cases where conflict erupts, or where conflict resolution fails, and its causes. The aim of this study is to try to contribute and develop the generalizing theory. The focus on the study rests on the impact that state apparatus characteristic has on risk for conflict. The research builds on theoretical framework from the consociational theory. The subject is of relevance both for the field of peace and conflict research as theory development, and for policy makers. The study has resulted in two observations. First, it supports the claim of consociational theory that enhanced presence of its nine favorable factors diminishes the risk for intrastate tension and violence. Second, it proposes that a successful decentralization is the possible key explanatory characteristic of state apparatus that decreases risk for dyadic intrastate conflict. The causal mechanism here being heightened credibility and legitimacy of constitution because of increased trust and lowered fear of further ethnic discrimination. It is necessary to verify these results before further theory development can be done.

While a single learned model is adequate for simple prediction problems, it may not be sufficient to represent heterogeneous populations that difficult classification or regression problems often involve. In such scenarios, practitioners often adopt a "divide and conquer" strategy that segments the data into relatively homogeneous groups and then builds a model for each group. This two-step procedure usually results in simpler, more interpretable and actionable models without any loss in accuracy. We consider prediction problems on bi-modal or dyadic data with covariates, e.g., predicting customer behavior across products, where the independent variables can be naturally partitioned along the modes. A pivoting operation can now result in the target variable showing up as entries in a "customer by product" data matrix. We present a model-based co-clustering framework that interleaves partitioning (clustering) along each mode and construction of prediction models to iteratively improve both cluster assignment and fit of the models. This Simultaneous CO-clustering And Learning (SCOAL) framework generalizes co-clustering and collaborative filtering to model-based co-clustering, and is shown to be better than independently clustering the data first and then building models. Our framework applies to a wide range of bi-modal and multi-modal data, and can be easily specialized to address classification and regression problems in domains like recommender systems, fraud detection and marketing. Further, we note that in several datasets not all the data is useful for the learning problem and ignoring outliers and non-informative values may lead to better models. We explore extensions of SCOAL to automatically identify and discard irrelevant data points and features while modeling, in order to improve prediction accuracy. Next, we leverage the multiple models provided by the SCOAL technique to address two prediction problems on dyadic data, (i) ranking predictions based on their reliability, and (ii) active learning. We also extend SCOAL to predictive modeling of multi-modal data, where one of the modes is implicitly ordered, e.g., time series data. Finally, we illustrate our implementation of a parallel version of SCOAL based on the Google Map-Reduce framework and developed on the open source Hadoop platform. We demonstrate the effectiveness of specific instances of the SCOAL framework on prediction problems through experimentation on real and synthetic data. / text

This thesis consists of six publications presenting a theoretical framework, a methodological proposal and three empirical studies. The aim of the work is; to gain knowledge on how children with severe multiple disabilities communicate with their caregivers, to analyse how different research strategies can add knowledge from different perspectives on communication, and to develop models for analysing and describing the dyadic interaction. The theoretical framework addresses the impact of multiple disabilities on the child’s communicative development, as well as the role of the communication partner, and implications for interventions. In the methodological framework, different research approaches are discussed and a system theory-based approach is proposed. The empirical studies are focused on pre-school children with intellectual disabilities in combination with vision disability and/or motor disability. When relationships between use of communication and child characteristics and setting conditions were investigated, the results showed relationships between disability and the use of communication but also that children with similar disability profiles could display quite different communicative patterns. When the communicative process was investigated with the proposed system theory-based approach, it was found that the child and caregiver continuously co-regulated their actions and together created consensual frames and that the process went through phases of instability and stability. Models for a system theory-based analysis of dyadic interaction are presented. The discussion is concentrated around how the results from the studies along with the theoretical aspects can contribute to evidence-based practice. The main conclusions are that, in communication involving a person with severe multiple disabilities, meaning is something that is co-constructed and communication cannot be regarded as a personal competence, the competence is within the dyad.

The business environment has become increasingly complex and dynamic in recent years, requiring companies to compete in a fast-developing and fast-changing environment. In order for companies to maintain sustained competitive advantage and success, they increasingly engage in various forms of inter-organizational alliances, which enable the creation of value. Value creation through alliances is often seen as a result of a purely collaborative behavior however, it can also result from the presence of collaboration and competition simultaneously. Thus, one form of inter-organizational alliances that has become increasingly popular both scientifically and practically in the last two decades is coopetition, the paradoxical relationship that arises when two or more companies cooperate and compete with each other at the same time. We have detected three gaps in previous research on coopetition. Firstly, previous research has lacked to look at coopetitive interactions and their effects. Secondly, research has lacked to empirically investigate negative outcomes of coopetition. Thirdly, research has lacked to examine a two-sided perception of specific dyadic coopetitive relationships and their coopetitive interactions with regard to performance outcomes. This research gaps motivated us to find answers to the following research question:  “How do coopetitive interactions in a dyadic coopetitive relationship affect the performance outcomes of both partners in this relationship?” As such, the purpose of the study is to explore the effect of coopetitive interactions on performance outcomes from a two-sided perspective in a dyadic coopetitive relationship. This further means exploring how coopetitive interactions occur, how such interactions impact performance outcomes, and what factors influence these coopetitive interactions. In order to realize the research purpose consisting of four objectives, we conducted a qualitative study in form of semi-structured in-depth interviews with ten companies from different industries located in Sweden. This enabled us to get one two-sided perspective from two coopeting partners of the same coopetitive relationship and beyond some one-sided perspectives that still provided perceptions for both sides of the coopetitive relationship. The findings and analysis show that the customer plays a central role in the decision for two companies to form a coopetitive relationship and engage in coopetition either out of mutual consent or out of force. Depending on if the customer has an unsought influence or a forcing influence on the decision to engage in coopetition, the interactions can be either cooperation- or competition-dominated. This further influences the degree of tensions, which are created internally, and these tensions influence the degree of reciprocity, which will ultimately affects the respective performance outcomes for both companies in the dyadic coopetitive relationship. Furthermore, we have figured out that these coopetitive interactions can be affected by a combination of managerial capabilities (proactivity, management frameworks) and social capabilities (commitment, trust, transparency, openness). As a result, we derived propositions and developed a conceptual model illustrating this process for validation in further research.

Interdependence theory (Kelley & Thibaut, 1978), one of the most widely used theories in the literature on interpersonal relationships, posits that both partners in a romantic relationships play integral roles in maintaining their relationship. Based in interdependence theory, research on the investment model of commitment (Rusbult, 1980) has revealed that individuals’ greater satisfaction and investments and lower alternatives predict greater commitment to their relationships, and commitment in turn promotes a variety of relationship-maintenance behaviors. However, no past research had examined the role of partners. Across three studies, I examined the notion that partner investments would predict individuals’ commitment above and beyond their own satisfaction, investments, and alternatives. Study 1 found that higher levels of partner investments predicted higher levels of commitment within ongoing marriages. Study 2 provided experimental support by manipulating the degree to which individuals thought their romantic partners would sacrifice for their relationship. Specifically, participants told their partners would sacrifice a great deal reported higher levels of commitment than did those told their partner would sacrifice very little. Further, the perception of partner investments mediated the relationship between the partner investments prime and commitment. Study 3 was a couples study designed to examine both actual and perceived partner investments. Despite failing to provide additional support, the findings can inform designs for future dyadic research. Studies 1 and 2 provided the first evidence of partner effects in the investment model and advance the understanding of relationship functioning by demonstrating how both partners can work to strengthen each others’ commitment.

Several previous studies suggest, that early life environment influences partner choice and quality of romantic relationship in adulthood. One of the significant factors influencing individuals in their childhood is the presence of siblings. There were numerous investigations executed whether the number and the sex of partner's siblings has any significant impact on their relationship. For the past few decades the duplication theorem was used as the stepping stone into this field of research. This theorem states that duplication of interpersonal patterns that spouses come from (e.g. couple consisting of firstborn and lastborn) is desired in a romantic relationship. However, nowadays there are some studies implying that in fact homogamy of the sibling positions could be beneficial. We collected data about sibling constellations and romantic relationships of the participants (2537) and their parents (838) through web-based questionnaires. We tested both of the theories listed above considering representation of pairs in the population, their stability and self-report questionnaire-based compatibility. Taking into account also the sex of the siblings we created new categorization of pair based on the degree of common childhood experience; experience that is rooted − as a counterpart to duplication...

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Mathematics / Charles N. Moore / The main purpose of this thesis is to derive the law of the iterated logarithm for tail sums in various contexts in analysis. The various contexts are sums of Rademacher functions, general dyadic martingales, independent random variables and lacunary trigonometric series. We name the law of the iterated logarithm for tail sums as tail law of the iterated logarithm. We first establish the tail law of the iterated logarithm for sums of Rademacher functions and obtain both upper and lower bound in it. Sum of Rademacher functions is a nicely behaved dyadic martingale. With the ideas from the Rademacher case, we then establish the tail law of the iterated logarithm for general dyadic martingales. We obtain both upper and lower bound in the case of martingales. A lower bound is obtained for the law of the iterated logarithm for tail sums of bounded symmetric independent random variables. Lacunary trigonometric series exhibit many of the properties of partial sums of independent random variables. So we finally obtain a lower bound for the tail law of the iterated logarithm for lacunary trigonometric series introduced by Salem and Zygmund.

The performances of athlete pairs correspond to the agency observed in self, relational, and collective efficacy beliefs. A dyadic perspective offers potentially important conceptual and methodological advantages to the investigation of interdependent action. The general purpose of this thesis was to investigate how athletes influence one another in athlete pairs of different (i.e., distinguishable) roles with a specific focus on the efficacy-performance relationship. Chapters 1 and 2 provide the general introduction and review of literature on dyads and efficacy beliefs. Chapters 3-6 include original research. In Chapter 3 relationships among the individual- and dyad-level performances of cheerleading pairs competing at a national-level competition were assessed to provide a measurement tool for dyadic performance settings in which athletes have distinguishable roles. In Chapter 4 person-related sources of variance (in line with the Social Relations Model framework) in athletes’ efficacy beliefs and performances were examined during repeated performance trials of a paired-cheerleading stunt-task with distinguishable roles. The purpose of Chapter 5 was to examine the efficacy-performance predictive chain of an athletic dyad task to extend Feltz’ (1982) efficacy-performance path analysis in an individual sporting context in conjunction with the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model appropriate for dyads with distinguishable roles. The purpose of Chapter 6 was to conduct a replication of the Social Relations Model investigation in Chapter 4 using same-gender distinguishable dyads and extending the framework to four-person cheerleading groups. The final chapter is a summary of the findings with commentary on the findings’ implications, strengths and limitations of the studies, identification of future research directions, and significance of the findings. Overall, the findings in this thesis support that task structure, dyadic relations, and athlete role in a team-task influence how athletes perceive and are perceived relative to self, relational, and collective abilities, with some effects including implications for efficacy-performance predictive relationships.

Michelangelo Phenomenon provides an interpersonal model of goal pursuits and suggests that close partners sculpt one another and help them move toward their ideal selves. Attachment theory also provides a parallel explanation of how close others can help one another move toward their goals. The purpose of the current research was to look at the influence of attachment on the Michelangelo Phenomenon and test whether it best fit as a predictor, mediator, or moderator. The hypotheses were tested across three studies (two longitudinal and one cross-sectional) using a maximum likelihood estimation path analysis following APIM assumptions. The results provided strong support for the link between attachment and the Michelangelo Phenomenon. Across three studies, attachment acted as a predictor of the Michelangelo Phenomenon with higher levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance predicting lower levels of affirmation. Relevance to therapy and future directions are also discussed.