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Moderating group discussions among humans can often be challenging and require certain skills, particularly in deciding when to ask other participants to elaborate or change the current topic of the discussion. Recent research on Human-Robot Interaction in groups has demonstrated the positive impact of robot behavior on the quality and effectiveness of the interaction and their ability to shape the dynamics of the group and promote social behavior. In light of this, there is the potential of using social robots as discussion moderators to facilitate engaging and productive discussions among humans. Previous work on topic management in conversational agents was predominantly based on human engagement and topic personalization, with the agent having an active/central role in the conversation. This thesis focuses exclusively on the moderation of group discussions; instead of moderating the topic based on evaluated human engagement, the thesis builds upon previous research on non-verbal cues related to discussion topic structure and turntaking to determine whether participants intend to continue discussing the current topic in a content-free manner. This thesis investigates the suitability of machine-learning models and the contribution of different audiovisual non-verbal features in predicting appropriate topic changes. For this purpose, we utilized pre-recorded interactions between a robot moderator and human participants, which we annotated and from which we extracted acoustic and body language-related features. We provide an analysis of the performance of sequential and nonsequential machine learning approaches using different sets of features, as well as a comparison with rule-based heuristics. The results indicate promising performance in classifying between cases when a topic change was inappropriate versus when a topic change could or should change, outperforming rule-based approaches and demonstrating the feasibility of using machine learning models for topic moderation. Regarding the type of models, the results suggest no distinct advantage of sequential over non-sequential modeling approaches, indicating the effectiveness of simpler non-sequential data models. Acoustic features exhibited comparable and, in some cases, improved overall performance and robustness compared to using only body language-related features or a combination of both types. In summary, this thesis provides a foundation for future research in robot-mediated topic moderation in groups using non-verbal cues, presenting opportunities to further improve social robots with topic moderation capabilities. / Att moderera gruppdiskussioner mellan människor kan ofta vara utmanande och kräver vissa färdigheter, särskilt när det gäller att bestämma när man ska be andra deltagare att utveckla eller ändra det aktuella ämnet för diskussionen. Ny forskning om människa-robotinteraktion i grupper har visat den positiva effekten av robotbeteende på interaktionens kvalitet och effektivitet och deras förmåga att forma gruppens dynamik och främja socialt beteende. I ljuset av detta finns det potential att använda sociala robotar som diskussionsmoderatorer för att underlätta engagerande och produktiva diskussioner bland människor. Tidigare arbete med ämneshantering hos konversationsagenter baserades till övervägande del på mänskligt engagemang och ämnesanpassning, där agenten hade en aktiv/central roll i samtalet. Denna avhandling fokuserar uteslutande på moderering av gruppdiskussioner; istället för att moderera ämnet baserat på utvärderat mänskligt engagemang, bygger avhandlingen på tidigare forskning om icke-verbala ledtrådar relaterade till diskussionsämnesstruktur och turtagning för att avgöra om deltagarna avser att fortsätta diskutera det aktuella ämnet på ett innehållsfritt sätt. Denna avhandling undersöker lämpligheten av maskininlärningsmodeller och bidraget från olika audiovisuella icke-verbala funktioner för att förutsäga lämpliga ämnesändringar. För detta ändamål använde vi förinspelade interaktioner mellan en robotmoderator och mänskliga deltagare, som vi kommenterade och från vilka vi extraherade akustiska och kroppsspråksrelaterade funktioner. Vi tillhandahåller en analys av prestandan för sekventiell och ickesekventiell maskininlärningsmetoder med olika uppsättningar funktioner, samt en jämförelse med regelbaserad heuristik. Resultaten indikerar lovande prestation när det gäller att klassificera mellan fall när ett ämnesbyte var olämpligt kontra när ett ämnesbyte kunde eller borde ändras, överträffande regelbaserade tillvägagångssätt och demonstrerar genomförbarheten av att använda maskininlärningsmodeller för ämnesmoderering. När det gäller typen av modeller tyder resultaten inte på någon tydlig fördel med sekventiella metoder framför icke-sekventiella modelleringsmetoder, vilket indikerar effektiviteten hos enklare icke-sekventiella datamodeller. Akustiska funktioner uppvisade jämförbara och, i vissa fall, förbättrade övergripande prestanda och robusthet jämfört med att endast använda kroppsspråksrelaterade funktioner eller en kombination av båda typerna.svis ger denna avhandling en grund för framtida forskning inom robotmedierad ämnesmoderering i grupper som använder icke-verbala ledtrådar, och presenterar möjligheter att förbättra sociala robotar ytterligare med ämnesmodererande förmåga.

<p dir="ltr">In my dissertation, I examine the dynamics of digital platforms, starting with the governance practices of established platforms, then exploring innovative design approaches, and finally the integration of advanced AI technologies in platforms. I structure this exploration into three essays: in the first essay, I discuss moderation processes in online communities; in the second, I propose a novel design for a blockchain-based green bond exchange; and in the third, I examine how AI-based decision-making platforms can be enhanced through synthetic data generation.</p><p dir="ltr">In my first essay, I investigate the role of moderation in online communities, focusing on its effect on users' participation in community moderation. Using data from a prominent online forum, I analyze changes in users' moderation actions (upvoting and downvoting of others' content) after they experience a temporary account suspension. While I find no significant change in their upvoting behavior, my results suggest that users downvote more after their suspension. Combined with findings on lower quality and conformity with the community while downvoting, the results suggest an initial increase in hostile moderation after suspension, although these effects dissipate over time. The short-term hostility post-suspension has the potential to negatively affect platform harmony, thus revealing the complexities of disciplinary actions and their unintended consequences.</p><p dir="ltr">In the second essay, I shift from established platforms to innovations in platform design, presenting a novel hybrid green bond exchange that integrates blockchain technology with thermodynamic principles to address market volatility and regulatory uncertainty. The green bond market, despite its high growth, faces issues like greenwashing, liquidity constraints, and limited retail investor participation. To tackle these challenges, I propose an exchange framework that uses blockchain for green bond tokenization, enhancing transparency and accessibility. By conceptualizing the exchange as a thermodynamic system, I ensure economic value is conserved and redistributed, promoting stability and efficiency. I include key mechanisms in the design to conserve value in the exchange and deter speculative trading. Through simulations, I demonstrate significant improvements in market stability, liquidity, and efficiency, highlighting the effectiveness of this interdisciplinary approach and offering a robust framework for future financial system development.</p><p dir="ltr">In the third essay, I explore the integration of advanced AI technologies, focusing on how large language models (LLMs) like GPT can be adapted for specialized fields such as education policy and decision-making. To address the need for high-quality, domain-specific training data, I develop a methodology that combines agent-based simulation (ABS) with synthetic data generation and GPT fine-tuning. This enhanced model provides accurate, contextually relevant, and interpretable insights for educational policy scenarios. My approach addresses challenges such as data scarcity, privacy concerns, and the need for diverse, representative data. Experiments show significant improvements in model performance and robustness, offering policymakers a powerful tool for exploring complex scenarios and making data-driven decisions. This research advances the literature on synthetic data in AI and agent-based modeling in education, demonstrating the adaptability of large language models to specialized domains.</p>

Ministers have a very unique occupation with designated job demands and incongruous resources at their disposal. Over the past few years numerous studies have been undertaken different occupations’ regarding job demands and job resources. In contrast, limited studies were done among ministers of religion, particularly in the context of the three Reformed sister churches in South Africa. This is the case even though these ministers play such a key role in the current social and religious sphere. Results from previous studies have shown that job demands and the lack of resources have a major impact on the experience of work-nonwork interference among individuals (Koekemoer & Mostert, 2006; Mostert, 2009, Mostert & Oosthuizen, 2006; Tshabalala, 2007; Van Aarde & Mostert, 2008).This trend, however, has not been researched amongst ministers before – particularly how ministers cope with this interference. The overall objective of the present study was to investigate job demands and job resources as significant predictors of work-nonwork interference for ministers of the three sister churches. The focus also was on coping strategies that are significant in dealing with work-nonwork interference. The possible moderation brought about by these coping strategies was also investigated. Various hypotheses related to the overall objective were tested in the empirical study. The design used for this study was a cross-sectional survey design undertaken among ministers of the three sister churches mentioned. Various job demands, job resources, worknonwork interference and coping strategies were measured. This was done by employing the instruments of Peeters, Montgomery, Bakker and Schaufeli, (2005); Buys and Rothmann (2009); Koekemoer, Mostert and Rothman, 2010; Geurts et al. (2005) and Carver, Scheier and Weintraub (1989). Construct validity of all the instruments were proven with the CFA (Confirmatory Factor Analysis) in the SPSS program. Descriptive statistics, cronbach alpha coefficients, Pearson and Spearman product-moment correlations and multiple regression analyses were used to analyse the data. Moderation regression analyses were also done to test for possible moderation of specific coping strategies. Results indicated that cognitive demands were related to the dimension of work-parent interference. Emotional demands and pace and amount of work had a relation with all the various dimensions of the work-nonwork interference. Congregational support related work-home interference as well as work-religion/spirituality interference. Financial support, lack of autonomy, as well as social support, related to all three dimensions of work-nonwork interference. Job significance related work-religion/spirituality interference, whereas job accomplishment predicted work-home interference and work-religion/spirituality interference. The results of the predictors on work-parent interference included the following: cognitive demands, pace and amount of work, financial support and turning-to-religion. Work-home interference was predicted by the variables pace and amount of work and financial support. Work-religion/spirituality interference were predicted by pace and amount of work, job significance and turning to religion. The various coping strategies (turning-to-religion, seeking-emotional-support, active coping, acceptance coping, planning and avoidance coping) functioned as moderators between certain specific job demands, job resources and dimensions of work-nonwork interference. Limitations of the study were discussed and recommendations were put forward for future studies on this topic. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Ministers have a very unique occupation with designated job demands and incongruous resources at their disposal. Over the past few years numerous studies have been undertaken different occupations’ regarding job demands and job resources. In contrast, limited studies were done among ministers of religion, particularly in the context of the three Reformed sister churches in South Africa. This is the case even though these ministers play such a key role in the current social and religious sphere. Results from previous studies have shown that job demands and the lack of resources have a major impact on the experience of work-nonwork interference among individuals (Koekemoer & Mostert, 2006; Mostert, 2009, Mostert & Oosthuizen, 2006; Tshabalala, 2007; Van Aarde & Mostert, 2008).This trend, however, has not been researched amongst ministers before – particularly how ministers cope with this interference. The overall objective of the present study was to investigate job demands and job resources as significant predictors of work-nonwork interference for ministers of the three sister churches. The focus also was on coping strategies that are significant in dealing with work-nonwork interference. The possible moderation brought about by these coping strategies was also investigated. Various hypotheses related to the overall objective were tested in the empirical study. The design used for this study was a cross-sectional survey design undertaken among ministers of the three sister churches mentioned. Various job demands, job resources, worknonwork interference and coping strategies were measured. This was done by employing the instruments of Peeters, Montgomery, Bakker and Schaufeli, (2005); Buys and Rothmann (2009); Koekemoer, Mostert and Rothman, 2010; Geurts et al. (2005) and Carver, Scheier and Weintraub (1989). Construct validity of all the instruments were proven with the CFA (Confirmatory Factor Analysis) in the SPSS program. Descriptive statistics, cronbach alpha coefficients, Pearson and Spearman product-moment correlations and multiple regression analyses were used to analyse the data. Moderation regression analyses were also done to test for possible moderation of specific coping strategies. Results indicated that cognitive demands were related to the dimension of work-parent interference. Emotional demands and pace and amount of work had a relation with all the various dimensions of the work-nonwork interference. Congregational support related work-home interference as well as work-religion/spirituality interference. Financial support, lack of autonomy, as well as social support, related to all three dimensions of work-nonwork interference. Job significance related work-religion/spirituality interference, whereas job accomplishment predicted work-home interference and work-religion/spirituality interference. The results of the predictors on work-parent interference included the following: cognitive demands, pace and amount of work, financial support and turning-to-religion. Work-home interference was predicted by the variables pace and amount of work and financial support. Work-religion/spirituality interference were predicted by pace and amount of work, job significance and turning to religion. The various coping strategies (turning-to-religion, seeking-emotional-support, active coping, acceptance coping, planning and avoidance coping) functioned as moderators between certain specific job demands, job resources and dimensions of work-nonwork interference. Limitations of the study were discussed and recommendations were put forward for future studies on this topic. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This study focuses on the role of school managers in addressing challenges associated with the implementation of continuous assessment (CASS) in the Further Education and Training (FET) band in Mopani District. It furthermore investigates to what degree school managers in the district engage in performing the “traditional” leadership and management roles which create a conducive atmosphere for the implementation of CASS. A thorough literature review provides an understanding of the emerging trends and challenges in the implementation of CASS internationally. Most of these challenges are analogous with those constraining the implementation of CASS in Mopani District. The data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews and questionnaires from purposively sampled district educators and school management teams (SMTs) who came from randomly selected schools. The findings enumerated the insufficient training for school managers and infrequency of performing “traditional” leadership and management roles as some of the factors hampering the implementation of CASS in the district schools. / Educational Studies / M. Ed (Education Management)

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between market orientation and business performance mediated by marketing resources and moderated by contextual factors. The study also examined the extent to which the conceptual model was a good fit to the sample data. A quantitative approach was used to test if there was a significant relationship between market orientation, marketing resources, and business performance. For the purpose, a cross-sectional survey was carried out to obtain data pertaining to market orientation, marketing resources, contextual factors and business performance. The unit of analysis of the study was banks consisting of 3 public and 15 private banks. A sample size of 507 consisting of 492 branch managers and 15 top level marketing managers was used in the survey. With a response rate of 87.97%, 446 questionnaires were collected of which 377 were used for data analysis. A SEM was used to test the extent to which the theoretical model fits the sample data. Mediation analysis was used to test the indirect effect of market orientation on business performance and hierarchical regression analysis was used to test whether the relationship was moderated by market dynamism, competitive intensity, and government regulation. Finally, an independent t – test was used to examine the statistical variations between public and private banks in terms of market orientation, marketing resources, and business performance. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the modified model was fit with the observed data in terms of chi-square and the individual indices. The total effect of market orientation on business performance was moderate with a 0.36 regression coefficient. The indirect effect was high with a 0.91 regression coefficient where complete and inconsistent mediation was found due to suppression effect. The moderation analysis revealed that the interaction effect of market dynamism, competitive intensity, and government regulation was not statistically significant. Finally the result showed that there was a statistically meaningful difference between public and private banks in terms of market orientation, marketing resources, and business performance. Banks in Ethiopia shall strive to segment the market, differentiate their services, and build a strong brand with clear identity. Banks in Ethiopia shall also build on their marketing resources to enhance their business performance. / Business Management / D.B.L.

Cette thèse de doctorat a pour objectif d’examiner de quelles manières le rôle parental influence la consommation d’alcool des femmes et des hommes et plus précisément, si les relations dynamiques entre le rôle parental, les circonstances au sein desquelles il est mis en acte et les contextes immédiats de consommation permettent d’expliquer les différentes façons individuelles de consommer de l’alcool. Cette étude repose sur le constat qu’en alcoologie, il existe une tendance à considérer l’acteur et l’action comme étant détachés de leur cadre social immédiat. Conséquemment, il existe des limites importantes aux modèles permettant d’expliquer les mécanismes par lesquels les rôles sociaux influencent la consommation d’alcool. Afin d’avoir une meilleure compréhension sociologique de la consommation d’alcool, cette thèse propose un cadre théorique qui insiste fortement sur la nécessité de tenir compte de la situation. L’acteur agit en fonction de certaines circonstances (perception de conflit de rôles) au sein desquelles son rôle est mis en acte. L’action de boire est dépendante du contexte (caractéristiques spatiales, temporelles, symboliques et relationnelles) au sein duquel l’action se déroule. L’hypothèse générale de recherche stipule que pour comprendre la relation entre les rôles et la consommation d’alcool, il faut situer à la fois l’acteur et l’action. La validité empirique du cadre théorique a été testée à partir d’une analyse quantitative des données de l’enquête GENACIS Canada (GENder Alcohol and Culture: an International Study) ainsi que des données de l’Enquête sur les Toxicomanies au Canada. La présentation des résultats des analyses prend la forme de trois articles soumis pour publication. Les données analysées révèlent le bien-fondé du cadre de théorique proposé. Situer l’action a permis de constater que les contextes de consommation sont un médiateur de la relation entre le rôle parental et la consommation d’alcool et plus spécifiquement, que les parents boivent moins fréquemment de façon excessive que les non-parents parce qu’ils boivent dans des lieux différents. Situer l’action a aussi révélé que les femmes et les hommes ont tendance à adopter des comportements de boire qui s’accordent au contexte immédiat, plutôt qu’à la position qu’ils occupent. Par contre, observer les circonstances individuelles au sein desquelles le rôle parental est mis en acte n’a pas permis d’améliorer notre compréhension de la relation à l’étude. Les évidences scientifiques apportées par cette thèse de doctorat ouvrent la porte au développement de mesures préventives environnementales qui visent le contexte de l’action plutôt que l’acteur, pour limiter la consommation excessive d’alcool des femmes et des hommes. / The objective of this doctoral thesis is to examine how the parental role influences women and men’s alcohol consumption. More precisely, it explores whether the dynamic relationships between the parental role, the circumstances into which it is enacted and drinking contexts provide an explanation to the various individual manners to consume alcohol. This research is based on the observation that within the alcohol field, there is a tendency to treat social actor and the social action as if they were detached from their immediate social environment. Therefore, existing models that focus on the mechanisms through which social roles influence alcohol consumption are limited. To achieve a better sociological understanding of alcohol consumption, this thesis proposes a theoretical framework that highlights the necessity to take into account the situation. A social actor behaves according to certain circumstances (between-role stressors) into which his/her role is enacted. Drinking depends on the contexts (spatial, temporal, symbolic and relational characteristics) in which it occurs. The general hypothesis of this research postulates that to understand the association between social roles and alcohol consumption, both the social actor and social action need to be situated. The empirical validity of the theoretical framework has been tested from quantitative analyses of data from the GENACIS Canada (GENder Alcohol and Culture: an International Study) survey and data from the Canadian Addiction Survey. The results of these analyses are presented in three articles submitted for publication. The analyses reveal the legitimacy of the proposed theoretical framework. Situating the act of drinking has allowed to observe that drinking contexts are mediators of the relationship between the parental role and alcohol consumption and more specifically, that parents report to less frequent abusive drinking than non-parents because they drink in different locations. Situating the act of drinking has also revealed that men and women tend to consume alcohol in accordance with the immediate drinking context rather than their positional role. However, observing the circumstances into which individual enact their parental role has not improved our understanding of the relationship under study. The scientific evidences provided by this doctoral thesis open the door to the development of preventive environmental measures that focus on the immediate drinking context instead of the individual in order to reduce abusive drinking behaviors among both men and women.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

L’intérêt marqué et simultané de plusieurs champs de recherche pour le développement des fonctions exécutives (FE) a permis de mettre en lumière le rôle primordial de ces fonctions dans plusieurs sphères du développement de la petite enfance jusqu’à l’âge adulte. Les mécanismes développementaux associés aux différences individuelles restent par ailleurs encore peu étudiés. Les deux articles empiriques qui constituent la thèse visent à documenter le rôle des comportements maternels observés en bas âge dans la prédiction des FE mesurées à l’âge préscolaire. Les deux articles s’inscrivent dans la foulée des travaux qui, selon une approche écologique (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), considèrent les effets d’interaction entre différents facteurs explicatifs pour mieux comprendre les mécanismes impliqués dans le développement de l’enfant. En ce sens, le premier article examine les interactions possibles entre le statut socioéconomique (SSE) de la famille et différentes dimensions du concept de sensibilité maternelle, dans la prédiction de deux dimensions des FE, soit les FE-conflit et les FE-inhibition. Dans le cadre de cette étude, 114 dyades mères-enfants ont participé à trois visites à domicile. Le SSE a été mesuré par questionnaire dans le cadre d’une première visite dans la famille lorsque les enfants avaient six mois, la sensibilité maternelle a été évaluée à 12 mois à partir du Tri de cartes de comportements maternels (Pederson & Moran, 1995) et les FE à 36 mois à partir d’une batterie de tâches choisie sur la base des orientations proposées par Carlson (2005). Le deuxième article explore, en se basant sur postulats de la Théorie de la susceptibilité différentielle (TSD), les possibles interactions entre différentes dimensions du concept de sensibilité maternelle et le tempérament de l’enfant, et ce également dans la prédiction des FE. Pour ce faire, 72 dyades ont également participé à trois visites à domicile. La sensibilité maternelle a été évaluée à 12 mois à partir du Tri de cartes de comportements maternels (Pederson & Moran, 1995), le tempérament à 15 mois à l’aide d’un questionnaire rempli par la mère (ICQ; Bates, Freeland, & Lounsbury, 1979) et les FE à 36 mois à partir de la même batterie de tâche (Carlson, 2005). Les résultats du premier article révèlent des interactions significatives entre le statut socioéconomique et certaines dimensions de comportements maternels, de telle sorte que des comportements maternels de meilleure qualité sont prédicteurs d’une meilleure performance aux tâches de FE, mais seulement chez les enfants provenant de familles relativement désavantagées sur le plan socioéconomique et essentiellement en ce qui concerne les FE-inhibition. Quant aux résultats du deuxième article, ils confirment les hypothèses de la Théorie de la susceptibilité différentielle, en révélant que les enfants ayant un tempérament difficile sont plus affectés par des comportements maternels hostiles, de même que par l’absence de comportements positifs et bénéficient davantage de la présence de comportements positifs et de l’absence de comportements négatifs, et ceci également au regard des FE-inhibition. / The simultaneous and marked interest of many fields of research for the notion of executive functioning (EF) has allowed for the primordial role of these functions in many spheres of development to be identified. However, the developmental mechanisms associated with individual differences in EF are still under studied. The two empirical articles constituting this dissertation aim at documenting the role of maternal behaviors in the prediction of EF in the preschool period. Using an ecological approach (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), interaction effects between different explanatory factors are considered, with the goal of reaching a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying early EF development. To do so, the first article examines the interactions between family socioeconomic status (SES) and different dimensions of maternal behavior in the prediction of two specific components of EF, namely, conflict-EF and impulse control. 114 mother-child dyads participated in three home visits. SES was measured by a questionnaire filled by mothers during the first visit when their child was six months old and maternal behavior was observed in a second visit when the child was 12 months old, using the Maternal Behavior Q-Sort (MBQS; Pederson & Moran, 1995). Finally, child EF was assessed at 3 years with a battery of tasks chosen based on Carlson’s (2005) measurement guidelines. The second article explores, based on Differential Susceptibility Theory (DST), the interactions between different dimensions of maternal behavior and child temperament in the prediction of child EF. Seventy-two mother-child dyads participated in three home visits. Maternal sensitivity was observed when children were 12 months old, using the MBQS, child temperament was assessed at 15 months using a maternal report (ICQ; Bates, Freeland, & Lounsbury, 1979), and child EF was assessed with the same battery of tasks as in the first article. The results of the first article showed significant interactions between family SES and the quality of maternal behaviors in the prediction EF, such that maternal behavior was related to EF only for children in the lower end of the SES spectrum and those relations were found especially for impulse control. The results of the second article confirmed the hypothesis put forward by DST, revealing that children with difficult temperaments were more affected by hostile maternal behavior and the absence of positive behavior, and that these same children benefit more than their easier peers from the presence of positive behaviors, but only in the prediction of impulse control.