Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with functional impairments across the lifespan, including in the social domain. The cognitive processes underlying the disorder, as well these associated social impairments, are still being debated. This points to the need for introducing new approaches. Event perception, the process of perceiving ongoing streams of activity into whole events, provides a unique perspective on the cognitive and social deficits in ADHD and how they might be related. Event perception is a compelling approach due to its methodological advantages, theory, and originality. Therefore, the overarching goal of this dissertation is the use of event perception to elucidate cognitive underpinnings of ADHD and associated social impairments. In the background section of this dissertation, I review the evolution of scientific conceptualizations of ADHD as a disorder and its core features, including cognitive underpinnings. In addition, I highlight the cognitive components of the disorder, revealing a need for continued exploration of possible cognitive contributors. Next, I deliver an overview of the functional impairments associated with ADHD, with a special focus on social difficulties. Current theories regarding the factors that contribute to social impairment among those with ADHD are presented along with their methodological, conceptual and practical shortcomings. To address these flaws, I propose turning to event perception as a mechanism of social cognition. This section ends with a description of the guiding Event Segmentation Theory, links between event perception and ADHD, and potential event perception related contributions to the ADHD literature. The first study addresses event perception as a cognitive deficit among those with ADHD, while the second addresses the relationship between event perception, symptoms of ADHD, and social functioning. Results of the two studies point to event perception differences associated with ADHD, as well as symptoms of ADHD acting as mediators in the relationship between event perception and social impairment. As a first initiative to apply event perception to ADHD and its related impairments, these results contribute to current conceptualization of ADHD, as well as support the use of event perception to further inquiries into ADHD and development of future interventions. The dissertation is concluded with a broad discussion of the meaning of the results, as well as limitations, implications and future research directions.

Master of Science / Department of Psychological Sciences / Heather R. Bailey / Much research has shown that experts possess superior memory in their field of expertise. This memory benefit has been proposed to be the result of various encoding mechanisms, such as chunking and differentiation. Another potential encoding mechanism that is associated with memory is event segmentation, which is the process by which individuals parse continuous information into meaningful, discrete units. Event Segmentation Theory proposes that segmentation is influenced by perceptual (e.g., motion) and conceptual (e.g. semantic knowledge) cues. Previous research has found evidence supporting the influence of knowledge on segmentation, specifically through the manipulation of goals and familiarity for everyday activities. To date, few studies have investigated the influence of expertise on segmentation, and questions about expertise, segmentation ability, and their impact on memory still remain. The goal of the current study was to investigate the influence of expertise on segmentation and memory ability for two different domains: basketball and Overwatch. Participants with high and low knowledge for basketball viewed and segmented basketball and Overwatch videos at coarse and fine grains, then completed memory tests. Differences in segmentation ability and memory were present between experts and novices, specifically for the basketball videos; however, segmentation only predicted memory for activities for which knowledge was lacking, for experts. Overall, this research suggests that experts’ superior memory is not due to their segmentation ability and contributes to a growing body of literature showing evidence supporting conceptual effects on segmentation.

The dual mechanism of cognitive control framework (DMC) describes cognitive control via two strategies: proactive and reactive. Individuals using a proactive strategy, focus on actively maintaining goal-relevant information in memory, whereas reactive individuals store goal-relevant information and retrieve it when cues are present. Reimer and colleagues (2015, 2017) added cue-probe location shifts to the typical AX-CPT, as well as, a virtual-reality environment version of the AX-CPT. Through this, they found that the effect of location shifts vary depending on whether a proactive or reactive mode of control is utilized. Thus, the aim of the present study was to test whether the effect of location shifts on cognitive control depends on type of control strategy used. Two versions of the AX-CPT were used: shift alone and shift with no-go trials. The shift alone AX-CPT examined the influence of location shifts in proactively-biased young adults. The shift with no-go trials AX-CPT examined the influence of location shifts with a manipulation that is known to induce a reactive control strategy (Gonthier et al., 2016). It was hypothesized that cue-probe location shifts would have a differential effect on mode of control. Results demonstrated that type of AX-CPT given, cue-probe location, and type of trial presented individually influenced participant performance. There was also an interaction between AX-CPT type and trial type that provides evidence for a successful manipulation of mode of control. The hypothesized interaction between all variables, however, was not found. Possible limitations of the present study, as well as, future direction were discussed.

This dissertation is an investigation of serial verb constructions in Lao (Tai-Kadai, SVO) and the events that they encode. Serial verb constructions (SVCs), structures where multiple verbs appear in a single clause, raise several important questions for syntactic theory. One issue is how the verbs are related; proposals involving coordination (Payne 1985), subordination (Collins 1997), and adjunction (Hale 1991; Muansuwan 2002) have all been made, while others have made a case for unorthodox double-headed structures (Baker & Stewart 2002; Baker 1989). Additionally, the argument sharing seen in SVCs is seemingly incompatible with proposed constraints on theta-role assignment, such as the Theta-Criterion (Chomsky 1981) or the Biuniqueness Condition (Bresnan 1980). In this thesis I describe new data from the Lao language focusing on two subtypes of SVC that Stewart (1998) calls consequential SVCs (CSVCs) and resultative SVCs (RSVCs). I propose a generative analysis of these structures where an event head licenses a complex VP containing multiple verbs where the object is thematically related to the complex VP rather than the individual predicates. Evidence for the event head comes from a modified version of the explicit segmentation task (Zacks et al. 2001). During the experiment, participants were instructed to divide video clips into events. When participants saw a CSVC before the video, they divided the action sequence depicted by the CSVC into fewer events than when participants saw a coordinated construction before the video. These results suggest that seeing the SVC prompted the participants to group the target sequence of events in the videos together as a larger macro-event, supporting the claim that SVCs encode a single event (contra Foley 2010). These data also support the proposal that events are conceptualized at the clausal level, rather than at the verbal level, which is in line with proposals from Evans (2010), Jackendoff (1991), and Pustejovsky (1991).

Die hier vorliegende Arbeit leistet einen Beitrag zur Erforschung von Lernprozessen in biographischen Zusammenhängen. Im Zentrum der Betrachtung stehen kritische Lebensereignisse als Impulsgeber. Konkret wird die Untersuchung an dem kritischen Lebensereignis ‚Nichtbestehen eines Assessment Centers (ACs) zur Zulassung einer Führungsaufgabe’ durchgeführt. Ziel der Untersuchung ist es, herauszufinden, welche Lernprozesse bei unterschiedlichen Individuen in Folge des Nichtbestehens des ACs zu beobachten sind. Im Rahmen der Untersuchung stehen dabei drei unterschiedliche Analyseebenen im Fokus: die Einzelfallanalyse, die fallübergreifende und die fallvergleichende Analyse. Darüber hinaus ist die Untersuchung in einem Paneldesign angelegt, um zusätzlich einen Beitrag über die Veränderungen jener Lernprozesse im zeitlichen Verlauf leisten zu können. Im Rahmen der Datenerhebung sind dafür zwölf Interviews in der Panelwelle t1 und aufgrund der Panelmortalität elf Interviews in der Panelwelle t2 mit AC-Teilnehmer(inne)n, die das Verfahren nicht bestanden haben, geführt worden. Für alle drei Ebenen gilt, dass Lernprozesse sowohl auf mentaler als auch auf aktionaler Ebene eintreten und zudem im zeitlichen Verlauf und durch weitere (Lebens-) Ereignisse einer Veränderungsdynamik unterliegen. / This article intends to deepen the knowledge of learning processes in a biographic context with special regards to critical life events as a driving force. The study focusses on the specific critical life event of not passing the respective assessment center (ac) when striving for a managerial function. The aim of the study was to show which learning processes surfaced within multiple individuals as a reaction to said critical life event. The study applies three different analytical levels: individual case-, cross individual case- and comparative analysis. In order to evaluate the just described cases, a panel design has been made use of to enable the examination of educational and learning processes along a given time span. The analysis is based on a data collection extended in two waves. Twelve interviews have been conducted at t1, eleven interviews at t2 due to the mortal nature of panels. All of the interviewees have experienced the same critical life event and have not been given the opportunity to succeed in a managerial function. The results of the analysis returned valuable information on all of the analytical levels and gave proof that learning processes were triggered on each of the observed levels. Thereby excluding neither mental nor physical processes adding that all of the observed processes have experienced various changes over time caused by dynamics, such as additional critical life events.

Events provide opportunities for communities to socialise, interact and to enjoy a sense of mutual celebration. However, special interest events offer other opportunities for recreation, and for the development of skills, identities and knowledge. Events such as car shows, Sci-fi conventions and Elvis festivals have large numbers of participants, as well as spectators, who have specialised needs and characteristics. This thesis uses a series of five published studies to examine the participants at special interest events and further to understand their characteristics and behaviours. The studies employ a mixed method approach to explore participants at a total of eleven events in Australia. In the first of these studies a spectrum of events is developed to explain the diversity of events in a region, as related to the special interest of participants. The study used a mixed method methodology to examine the differences between audiences at nine events in the Tweed Valley of NSW. The results were used to focus the study more on events that target serious participants.The second study was published as a conceptual paper, providing a comprehensive theoretical framework for the study of serious participants of leisure, recreation and events. The paper posits a model of serious participants (SerPa) for use and refinement in subsequent studies. Papers 3 and 4 explore serious participants at two feature events in Australia, the Wintersun Festival in Coolangatta, and the Elvis Revival Festival in Parkes. Drawing on the serious leisure framework proposed by Stebbins (2001), and other leisure and tourism research, the study explored the characteristics and behaviours of serious participants at these events. Ethnographic methods were used to gain insight into behaviours, through participant observation at the events. The findings further develop the SerPa model, but also identify other themes that are relevant to leisure and event management and marketing. Paper 5 explores the social connections of serious participants made on the Internet, and identifies their relationship to travel planning and events. The study utilised ethnographic methods adapted to the Internet, to identify and discuss the social characteristics of serious participants as fans of Lord of the Rings, and the processes used to collaborate toward travel planning.The study demonstrates the significance of serious participants as a segment of audiences at events, highlighting their contributions to the events themselves. As participants, they make the event happen, and are perhaps more important than consumers (Getz, 2007). They are defined by what they do in their leisure time, more than who they were born as, or by their profession. They have a leisure identity that defines them, and can find support and security in the fanatical system that they subscribe to. This system is usually found in special interest clubs, on-line networks and at events. These social systems help sustain their beliefs, and provide a leisure world where they feel a sense of ‘we’. From their serious devotion and social connectivity, serious participants receive social and personal rewards, which in turn provide more stimuli to develop their skills and/or knowledge. These psycho/social characteristics result in participants searching for new challenges and new destinations, which can facilitate their needs. These are found at events that are designed specifically with serious participants in mind. The study demonstrates that identification of these market segments has important implications for the design and sustainability of events in Australia, and overseas. Additionally, it also has implications for planners and practitioners in leisure and tourism in understanding the extant links between recreation, travel and events.

Effective interactive computing methods are needed in a number of specific areas of geophysical interpretation, even though the basic algorithms have been established. One approach to raise the quality of interpretation is to promote better interaction between human and the computer. The thesis is concerned with improving this dialog in three areas: automatic event picking, data visualization and sparse data imaging. Fully automatic seismic event picking methods work well in relatively good conditions. They collapse when the signal-to-noise ratio is low and the structure of the subsurface is complex. The interactive seismic event picking system described here blends the interpreter's guidance and judgment into the computer program, as it can bring the user into the loop to make subjective decisions when the picking problem is complicated. Several interactive approaches for 2-D event picking and 3-D horizon tracking have been developed. Envelope (or amplitude) threshold detection for first break picking is based on the assumption that the power of the signal is larger than that of the noise. Correlation and instantaneous phase pickers are designed for and better suited to picking other arrivals. The former is based on the cross-correlation function, and a model trace (or model traces) selected by the interpreter is needed. The instantaneous phase picker is designed to track spatial variations in the instantaneous phase of the analytic form of the arrival. The picking options implemented into the software package SeisWin were tested on real data drawn from many sources, such as full waveform sonic borehole logs, seismic reflection surveys and borehole radar profiles, as well as seven of the most recent 3-D seismic surveys conducted over Australian coal mines. The results show that the interactive picking system in SeisWin is efficient and tolerant. The 3-D horizon tracking method developed especially attracts industrial users. The visualization of data is also a part of the study, as picking accuracy, and indeed the whole of seismic interpretation depends largely on the quality of the final display. The display is often the only window through which an interpreter can see the earth's substructures. Display is a non-linear operation. Adjustments made to meet display deficiencies such as automatic gain control (AGC) have an important and yet ill-documented effect on the performance of pattern recognition operators, both human and computational. AGC is usually implemented in one dimension. Some of the tools in wide spread use for two dimensional image processing which are of great value in the local gain control of conventional seismic sections such as edge detectors, histogram equalisers, high-pass filters, shaded relief are discussed. Examples are presented to show the relative effectiveness of various display options. Conventional migration requires dense arrays with uniform coverage and uniform illumination of targets. There are, however, many instances in which these ideals can not be approached. Event migration and common tangent plane stacking procedures were developed especially for sparse data sets as a part of the research effort underlying this thesis. Picked-event migration migrates the line between any two points on different traces on the time section to the base map. The interplay between the space and time domain gives the interpreter an immediate view of mapping. Tangent plane migration maps the reflector by accumulating the energy from any two possible reflecting points along the common tangent lines on the space plane. These methods have been applied to both seismic and borehole-radar data and satisfactory results have been achieved.

Beginning in the early 1990s several countries, including Australia, have pursued programs of deregulation and restructuring of their electricity supply industries. Dissatisfaction with state-run monopoly suppliers and a desire for increased competition and choice for consumers have been the major motivations for reform. In Australia, the historical, vertically-integrated, government-owned electricity authorities were separated into separate generation, transmission, distribution and retail sectors in each State and a competitive, wholesale market for electricity, the National Electricity Market (NEM) began operation in December 1998. The goal of deregulation was (and remains) increased competition in electricity supply, so that consumers may enjoy wider choice and lower prices. The first benefit has largely been delivered but it is arguable whether the second benefit of lower prices has been realised. Increased competition has come at the price of increased wholesale price volatility, which brings with it increased cost as market participants seek to trade profitably and manage the increase in price risk. In the NEM, generators compete to sell into a pool market and distributors purchase electricity from the pool at prices determined by demand and supply, on a half-hourly basis. These market-clearing prices can be extremely volatile. Electricity prices are generally characterised by significant seasonal patterns, on an intra-day, weekly and monthly basis, as demand and supply conditions vary. Prices are also characterised by strong mean-reversion and extremely high spikes in price. While long-run mean prices typically range between $30 and $45 per megawatt hour, prices can spike to levels above $9,000 or $10,000 per megawatt hour from time to time. These spikes tend to be sporadic and very short-lived, rarely lasting for more than an hour or two. Although infrequent, spikes are the major contributor to price volatility and their evolution and causes need to be investigated and understood. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and model Australian electricity prices. The research work presented is mostly empirical, with the early analytical chapters focusing on investigating the presence and significance of seasonal factors and spikes in electricity price and demand. In subsequent chapters this work is extended into analysis of the underlying volatility processes and the interaction between extreme values in demand and price is specifically investigated. The findings of the thesis are that while the characteristics of strong seasonal patterns and spikes that are generally observed in similar electricity markets are present in the NEM in both price and demand, there is significant variation in their presence and effect between the regional pools. The study also finds that while time-varying volatility is evident in the price series there is again some variation in the way this is characterised between states. A further finding challenges the accepted wisdom that demand peaks drive price spikes at the extremes and shows empirically that price spikes are more likely to be caused by supply disruptions than extremes of demand. The findings provide useful insight into this highly idiosyncratic but economically important national market.

<p>Event är en modern marknadsföringsmetod som vuxit fram på senare år; i Sverige användes överhuvudtaget inte begreppet event förrän i slutet av 1980-talet. Eventet är ett relationsinriktat verktyg som kan användas för att skapa eller bibehålla relationer till företagets kunder. Fördelar med den här metoden är bland annat att bruset i kommunikationen minskar och att eventbesökarna kommer att minnas meddelandet bättre än om det sänts i en traditionell kanal eftersom människan lär bäst genom alla sinnen. Eventet är alltså en metod som företaget kan använda i sin relationsmarknadsföring. Litteraturen har börjat behandla ett nytt synsätt på marknadsföring som innefattar mer relations- och serviceinriktade metoder. Event är alltså en intressant och aktuell marknadsföringsmetod.</p><p>I detta arbete undersöker vi hur en eventbyrå kan öka efterfrågan på sina tjänster. Arbetet skrivs på uppdrag för Jag, Carina, en Skellefteåbaserad eventbyrå som ägs och drivs av Carina Löfroth som har lång erfarenhet av att arbeta med event i Stockholm. Carina upplever en tröghet på den norrländska eventmarknaden som inte finns i Stockholm och därför har vi valt att undersöka vad denna tröghet beror på. Vårt syfte med uppsatsen är att öka förståelsen för företags ovilja för och okunskap om att anlita professionella agenter i sin marknadsföringsprocess. I arbetet har vi genomfört nio kvalitativa intervjuer med små och medelstora företag som vi valt från Jag, Carinas tänkta marknad. Vi har antagit det hermeneutiska synsättet och ett induktivt, med kraftiga inslag av ett abduktivt, angrepssätt.</p><p>Vi har kunnat konstatera att de flesta av respondenterna inte verkar vara medvetna om vare sig relationsmarknadsföring eller eventmarknadsföring på ett teoretiskt plan. Däremot arbetar företagen praktiskt med både relationer och event i viss mån. Vi ser att strukturerad eventmarknadsföring kan göra nytta i de flesta av de intervjuade företagen, och att professionell hjälp från en eventbyrå skulle underlätta för företagen att skapa ett bra event. Den viktigaste av de rekommendationer som vi ger Jag, Carina för att byrån ska öka efterfrågan på sina tjänster är att den bör se till att skapa ett flöde av kommunikation mellan sig och kunden.</p>

<p>En akties pris påverkas av många olika faktorer. Såväl företagets verksamhet som externa</p><p>faktorer har betydelse för akties utveckling. Denna studie undersöker specifikt huruvida en</p><p>oren revisionsberättelse påverkar priset på aktien. Vår problemformulering lyder:</p><p>Påverkas aktiekursen av informationen i ett noterat aktiebolags</p><p>orena revisionsberättelse?</p><p>Syftet med vår studie är att redogöra för hur aktiekursen påverkas då ett noterat aktiebolags</p><p>revisor skriver en oren revisionsberättelse. Studien visar också vad som eventuellt kan</p><p>förklara denna påverkan. För att besvara vår problemformulering har vi undersökt de</p><p>aktiebolag noterade på Stockholmsbörsen som har orena revisionsberättelser. Genom en</p><p>kvantitativ studie har vi sedan studerat om, och i så fall hur, aktiemarknaden påverkas när ett</p><p>bolag offentliggör sin orena revisionsberättelse.</p><p>Studien präglas av ett positivistiskt synsätt, med vissa inslag av hermeneutik, då vi utifrån en</p><p>större mängd observationer har undersökt sambandet mellan aktiekurs och en oren</p><p>revisionsberättelse genom att testa våra hypoteser och ge en förklaring till det undersökta. Det</p><p>hermeneutiska inslaget visar sig i den förståelse vi har försökt skapa för att förklara de</p><p>samband som föreligger mellan den orena revisionsberättelsen och aktiekursen. Det deduktiva</p><p>angreppssättet bygger upp vår studie, då vi utgår från en redan befintlig teori.</p><p>Bland tidigare genomförda studier finns det både de som hävdar att vad som står i</p><p>revisionsberättelsen har betydelse och påverkar aktiekursen och de som menar att det inte</p><p>spelar någon roll.</p><p>Denna studie är genomförd enligt en s.k. event study-modell där vi har beräknat abnormala</p><p>avkastningar och genomfört hypotestest för att undersöka om våra antaganden om att den</p><p>orena revisionsberättelsen har en negativ påverkan på aktiekursen är sanna och signifikanta.</p><p>Vi har även genom att ställa upp diagram där vi gjort skillnad på olika orsaker, branscher, etc.</p><p>försökt se om vi kan få någon förståelse för sambandet mellan den orena revisionsberättelsen</p><p>och aktiekursen.</p><p>Vi har ej sett några statistiska bevis för att det faktiskt existerar ett samband mellan en oren</p><p>revisionsberättelse och aktiekursen. Detta hypotestest till trots har vi genom diagrammen</p><p>kunnat se att aktiekursen påverkas olika beroende på innehållet i revisionsberättelsen. Vi kan</p><p>se att anmärkningar och kommentarer som rör värderingar av tillgångar är vadsom har den</p><p>mest negativa effekten på aktiekursen under vår tidsperiod. Studien visar att aktiekursen har</p><p>störst negativ utveckling i bolag som sysslar med konsultverksamhet och att de negativa</p><p>effekterna på aktiekursen är högre om den orena revisionsberättelsen är oväntad. Vi kan även</p><p>se att de bolag som har en anmärkning i sin revisionsberättelse har en kraftigare negativ</p><p>avkastning på sin aktiekurs, än de bolag som har en eller flera kommentarer. Samt att de bolag</p><p>som har fler än en anmärkning har ett kraftigare fall på sin aktiekurs än de bolag som endast</p><p>har en anmärkning.</p><p>Vidare verkar det som om att marknaden justerar sig innan revisionsberättelsen blir offentlig.</p><p>Detta tyder på att informationen läcker ut tidigare, eller att informationen ges innan</p><p>tidpunkten för hela revisionsberättelsens offentliggörande.</p>