This study attempts to increase critical thinking among teams by making them cognizant of seven critical thinking dimensions. Forty three-person teams of undergraduates worked together on a complex decision-making task. Each team received training in and was asked to ensure their group exhibited the characteristics of cognitive skills, affective dispositions, both of these or neither. Critical thinking was assessed using self-report, behavioral observation rating, and expert outcome analysis. The findings suggest training in affective dispositions increases the exhibition of at least one dimensions of critical thinking. A behavioral measurement is presented and evaluated with respect to established critical thinking methods.

<p>The current study aimed at investigating the concepts of team situation awareness, mental models, and team processes in relation to performance in the complex, dynamic environment of breathing apparatus rescues. Data was collected during exercises at Ågesta training center through questionnaires and after action reviews. 28 firemen and 5 instructors participated in the exercises. Also, a stimulated recall interview was conducted with 2 of the firemen that had participated in one of the exercises. The different data collection methods all indicated that well-developed mental models or a high degree of pre-task knowledge affected performance in a positive way. Moreover, a multiple regression analysis showed that both pre-task knowledge and team processes significantly can predict performance. The results of the analysis of team situation awareness in relation to performance were fairly ambiguous. Therefore, further research is needed to establish the relation between these concepts in the domain at matter.</p>

In everyday conversation &quot;if&quot; is one of the most frequently used conjunctions. This dissertation investigates what meaning an everyday conditional transmits and what inferences it licenses. It is suggested that the nature of the relation between the two propositions in a conditional might play a major role for both questions. Thus, in the experiments reported here conditional statements that describe a causal relationship (e.g., &quot;If you touch that wire, you will receive an electric shock&quot;) were compared to arbitrary conditional statements in which there is no meaningful relation between the antecedent and the consequent proposition (e.g., &quot;If Napoleon is dead, then Bristol is in England&quot;).<br> Initially, central assumptions from several approaches to the meaning and the reasoning from causal conditionals will be integrated into a common model. In the model the availability of exceptional situations that have the power to generate exceptions to the rule described in the conditional (e.g., the electricity is turned off), reduces the subjective conditional probability of the consequent, given the antecedent (e.g., the probability of receiving an electric shock when touching the wire). This conditional probability determines people's degree of belief in the conditional, which in turn affects their willingness to accept valid inferences (e.g., &quot;Peter touches the wire, therefore he receives an electric shock&quot;) in a reasoning task. Additionally to this indirect pathway, the model contains a direct pathway: Cognitive availability of exceptional situations directly reduces the readiness to accept valid conclusions.<br> The first experimental series tested the integrated model for conditional statements embedded in pseudo-natural cover stories that either established a causal relation between the antecedent and the consequent event (causal conditionals) or did not connect the propositions in a meaningful way (arbitrary conditionals). The model was supported for the causal, but not for the arbitrary conditional statements. Furthermore, participants assigned lower degrees of belief to arbitrary than to causal conditionals. Is this effect due to the presence versus absence of a semantic link between antecedent and consequent in the conditionals?<br> This question was one of the starting points for the second experimental series. Here, the credibility of the conditionals was manipulated by adding explicit frequency information about possible combinations of presence or absence of antecedent and consequent events to the problems (i.e., frequencies of cases of 1. true antecedent with true consequent, 2. true antecedent with false consequent, 3. false antecedent with true consequent, 4. false antecedent with false consequent). This paradigm allows testing different approaches to the meaning of conditionals (Experiment 4) as well as theories of conditional reasoning against each other (Experiment 5).<br> The results of Experiment 4 supported mainly the conditional probability approach to the meaning of conditionals (Edgington, 1995) according to which the degree of belief a listener has in a conditional statement equals the conditional probability that the consequent is true given the antecedent (e.g., the probability of receiving an electric shock when touching the wire). Participants again assigned lower degrees of belief to the arbitrary than the causal conditionals, although the conditional probability of the consequent given the antecedent was held constant within every condition of explicit frequency information. This supports the hypothesis that the mere presence of a causal link enhances the believability of a conditional statement. In Experiment 5 participants solved conditional reasoning tasks from problems that contained explicit frequency information about possible relevant cases. The data favored the probabilistic approach to conditional reasoning advanced by Oaksford, Chater, and Larkin (2000).<br> The two experimental series reported in this dissertation provide strong support for recent probabilistic theories: for the conditional probability approach to the meaning of conditionals by Edgington (1995) and the probabilistic approach to conditional reasoning by Oaksford et al. (2000). In the domain of conditional reasoning, there was additionally support for the modified mental model approaches by Markovits and Barrouillet (2002) and Schroyens and Schaeken (2003). Probabilistic and mental model approaches could be reconciled within a dual-process-model as suggested by Verschueren, Schaeken, and d&#39;Ydewalle (2003). / Im Laufe eines Tages verwenden die meisten Menschen mehrfach Konditionalsätze: Das Wörtchen &quot;wenn&quot; gehört zu den häufigsten Konjunktionen in Alltag, Wissenschaft und Literatur. Die vorliegende Dissertation beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, welche Bedeutung ein Konditionalsatz im alltäglichen Sprachgebrauch übermittelt und welche Inferenzen er erlaubt. Es wird die Vermutung aufgestellt, dass dabei die Art der Relation zwischen den zwei Propositionen in einem Konditional eine bedeutsame Rolle spielen könnte. Daher werden in den Experimenten Konditionalsätze, die eine kausale Beziehung beschreiben (z.B. &quot;Wenn Du das Kabel berührst, bekommst Du einen elektrischen Schlag&quot;) mit arbiträren Konditionalen verglichen, in denen keinerlei sinnvolle Relation zwischen Antezedens und Konsequens besteht (z.B. &quot;Wenn Napoleon tot ist, liegt Bristol in England&quot;).<br> Als erstes werden zentrale Annahmen von mehreren Ansätzen zur Bedeutung und zum Schlußfolgern mit kausalen Konditionalsätzen in ein gemeinsames Modell integriert. In dem Modell reduziert die kognitive Verfügbarkeit von Situationen, die zu Ausnahmen von der Regel im Konditionalsatz führen können (z.B. der Strom ist abgestellt), die subjektive bedingte Wahrscheinlichkeit des Konsequens gegeben das Antezedens (z.B. die Wahrscheinlichkeit, einen Schlag zu bekommen gegeben, dass man das Kabel berührt). Diese subjektive bedingte Wahrscheinlichkeit bestimmt die Glaubwürdigkeit des Konditionals, die wiederum die Bereitwilligkeit beeinflußt, mit der gültige Schlußfolgerungen (z.B. &quot;Peter berührt das Kabel, daher erhält er einen elektrischen Schlag&quot;) in einer Schlußfolgerungsaufgabe akzeptiert werden. Zusätzlich zu dem gerade beschriebenen indirekten Pfad enthält das integrierte Modell zusätzlich einen direkten Pfad: Die kognitive Verfügbarkeit von Ausnahme-Situationen reduziert unmittelbar die Bereitschaft, gültige Schlüsse zu akzeptieren. Die erste Experimentalreihe testete das entwickelte integrierte Model für Konditionalsätze, die in pseudo-natürliche Kontextgeschichten eingebettet wurden. Die Kontextgeschichten stellten entweder eine kausale Relation zwischen Antezedens und Konsequens her (kausale Konditionale) oder stellten die Propositionen in keinerlei sinnvollen Zusammenhang (arbiträre Konditionale). Die empirischen Daten stützen das Modell für die kausalen, aber nicht für die arbiträren Konditionale. Außerdem schätzten die TeilnehmerInnen die arbiträren Konditionalsätzen als weniger glaubwürdig ein als die kausalen Konditionale. Es stellt sich die Frage, ob dieser Unterschied in der Glaubwürdigkeit auf die An- bzw. Abwesenheit einer bedeutungshaltigen Relation zwischen Antezedens und Konsequens im Konditional zurückgeführt werden kann.<br> Diese Frage war einer der Ausgangspunkte für die zweite Experimentalreihe. In dieser wurde die Glaubwürdigkeit der Konditionalsätze kontrolliert manipuliert, indem in den Kontextgeschichten explizite Häufigkeitsinformationen über die vier möglichen Kombinationen von An- bzw. Abwesenheit von Antezedens und Konsequens gegeben wurden (d.h. die Häufigkeit von Fällen mit 1. wahrem Antezedens und wahrem Konsequens, 2. wahrem Antezedens und falschem Konsequens, 3. falschem Antezedens und wahrem Konsequens, 4. falschem Antezedens und falschem Konsequens). Dieses Paradigma ermöglichte ferner, unterschiedliche Ansätze zur Bedeutung des Konditionals (Experiment 4) ebenso wie Theorien zum konditionalen Schlußfolgern gegeneinander zu testen (Experiment 5). Die Befunde aus Experiment 4 stützen im wesentlichen Edgingtons Ansatz zur Bedeutung von Konditionalen (Edgington, 1995). Nach diesem Ansatz entspricht die Glaubwürdigkeit, die ein Zuhörer einem Konditionalsatz einräumt, der bedingten Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass das Konsequens wahr ist gegeben das Antezedens (z.B. die Wahrscheinlichkeit, einen Schlag zu bekommen gegeben, dass man das Kabel berührt). Erneut schrieben die TeilnehmerInnen den arbiträren Konditionalsätzen geringere Glaubwürdigkeit zu als den kausalen Sätzen, obwohl diesmal innerhalb jeder Häufigkeitsbedingung die bedingte Wahrscheinlichkeit des Konsequens gegeben das Antezedens konstant gehalten wurde. Dieses Ergebnis stützt die Hypothese, dass die bloße Anwesenheit einer kausalen Beziehung die Glaubwürdigkeit eines Konditionalsatzes erhöht. In Experiment 5 lösten die TeilnehmerInnen konditionale Schlußfolgerungsaufgaben, dabei wurden die Kontextgeschichten um explizite Häufigkeitsangaben ergänzt. Die Ergebnisse favorisieren die probabilistische Theorie zum konditionalen Schließen, die von Oaksford, Chater, und Larkin (2000) vorgeschlagen wurde. Beide Experimentalreihen lieferten deutliche Evidenz für probabilistische Theorien: für Edgingtons Ansatz zur Bedeutung von Konditionalsätzen (Edgington, 1995) und für die probabilistische Theorie des konditionalen Schließens von Oaksford et al. (2000). Im Bereich des konditionalen Schließens stützen die Daten gleichzeitig die modifizierten mentalen Modell-Theorien von Markovits und Barrouillet (2002) und Schroyens und Schaeken (2003). Probabilistische und mentale Modell-Theorien könnten im Rahmen eines Dualen-Prozeß-Modells wie es von Verschueren, Schaeken und d&#39;Ydewalle (2003) vorgeschlagen wurde, miteinander versöhnt werden.

This comparative case study aimed to explore the elements that align with Senge&rsquo / s framework of the Learning Organization, comprised of the disciplines of Personal Mastery, Shared Vision, Mental Models, Team Learning, and Systems Thinking, in the English Language Preparatory Programs of two selected higher education institutions to determine what characteristics of a learning organization they possess. In this study, qualitative case study method was employed. The study was conducted in two organizations, one (Organization A), part of a private Englishmedium university, and the other (Organization B), part of a public Englishmedium university, in Ankara, Turkey. The sample contained seven administrators and twenty-two instructors from Organization A and seventeen instructors and 3 administrators from Organization B. The data collected through semi-structured interviews were analyzed using content analysis technique. The findings revealed that both organizations are evolving towards a learning organization, but have not institutionalized the five disciplines to an ideal state yet. Organization A is doing somewhat better than Organization B as regards the disciplines of Team Learning and Personal Mastery / however, there is no considerable difference between the organizations in terms of the disciplines of Shared Vision, Mental Models and Systems Thinking. Overall, in both organizations there are impediments in terms of the development and achievement of personal visions, learning of individuals and teams, development of a shared vision, surfacing and questioning mental models, and acting from a comprehensive systems approach.

This field study presents mobile rescue robots as a way of augmenting communication in distributed teams through a remote shared visual presence (RSVP) consisting of the robot's view. It examines the effects of RSVP on team mental models, team processes, and team performance in collocated and distributed Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) technical search teams, and tests two models of team performance. Participants (n=50) were US&R task force personnel drawn from high-fidelity training exercises held in California (2004) and New Jersey (2005). Data were collected from the 25 dyadic teams as they performed a 2 x 2 repeated measures search task entailing robot-assisted search in a confined space rubble pile. Team communication was analyzed using the Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue coding scheme (RASAR-CS). Team mental models were measured through a team-constructed map of the search process. Ratings of team processes (communication, support, leadership, and situation awareness) were made by onsite observers, and team performance was measured by number of victims (mannequins) found. Multilevel regression analyses were used to predict team mental models, team process, and team performance based upon use of RSVP (RSVP or no-RSVP) and location of team members (distributed or collocated). Results indicated that the use of RSVP technology predicted team performance (Ã?=-1.322, p = 0.05), but not team mental models or team process. Location predicted team mental models (Ã?=-0.425, p = 0.05), but not as expected. Distributed teams had richer team mental models as measured by map ratings. No significant differences emerged between collocated and distributed teams in team process or team performance. Findings suggest RSVP may enhance team performance in US&R search tasks. However, results are complicated by differences detected between sites. Support was found for both models of team performance, but neither model was found sufficient to describe the data. Further research is suggested in the use of RSVP technology, the exploration of team mental models, and refinement of a modified model of team performance in extreme environments.

This thesis reports on the association between particular psychological attributes of owner/operators and organisational financial performance in New Zealand small to medium sized enterprises (SME's). The specific psychological attributes of interest are ambiguity tolerance, self efficacy, resilience and planning orientation. A direct response mail survey was sent to 4,500 New Zealand organisations fitting the criteria for this study. Ambiguity tolerance, self efficacy and resilience were assessed using established item scales from the literature. Planning orientation was assessed using planning scenario analysis. Data analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling. Results show that the planning orientation of owner/operators has a significant direct association with organisational financial performance. Ambiguity tolerance, self efficacy and resilience were found to have a significant indirect association with financial performance. The findings of this research have implications for both theory and practice. Theoretically there are implications for cognitive and personality psychology, organisational theory and behaviour, entrepreneurship and research related to the psychological attributes of interest in this thesis. Practically, the results provide managers with a meaningful tool to aid in the selection, training and management of individuals responsible for strategic decision making in SME and other organisational settings.

To help organizations better understand and improve the management of information systems development (ISD) projects, this dissertation aims to understand what ISD project knowledge and beliefs ISD professionals work with and how the knowledge and beliefs are organized in their minds. Drawing on the cognitive perspective using a mental model approach, I define a new construct, ISD Project (ISDP) mental model, which refers to ISD professionals’ knowledge and belief structures that help them understand, conduct, and manage ISD projects. Particularly, two essential elements of ISDP mental models - content and structure – were explored. Regarding the content, forty fundamental concepts were derived from literature reviews and cognitive interviews with 19 ISD experts. Analysis of 95 ISD professionals’ cognitive responses using Multidimensional Scaling revealed four types of evaluative beliefs - customer-, team-, enterprise-, and product-oriented beliefs. This new construct, along with its assessment procedures, provides a useful starting point for academics and organizations to explore the people factor in ISD. To investigate the impact of ISDP mental models, I examined work relationships between project managers and developers where effective work relationships are crucial to project success. Specifically, I explored how the similarity of mental models and an understanding of others’ mental models influence work relationships. Through a multiple case study on 6 project manager-developer pairs in different case conditions (i.e., similarity of mental models x accuracy of understanding), the results provide preliminary support that the project manager-developer pairs who hold accurate understanding have more effective implicit coordination - they are sensitive to one another’s knowledge, beliefs, and preferences and they adjust their task and interpersonal coordination accordingly. Accurate understanding also stimulates the process of knowledge integration in which the dyad builds upon one another’s knowledge to resolve project challenges. This dissertation contributes to the literature on ISD project management by capturing the organization of ISDP knowledge in ISD professionals’ minds and identifying underlying beliefs. Furthermore, it contributes to an understanding of how project managers and developers can coordinate effectively when they have high cross-understanding, despite dissimilarities of knowledge and beliefs. / Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-17 11:18:07.356

Decision making is an inherent part of everyday work and learning processes. Superior decision outcomes can be achieved by structuring decision processes, encouraging domain experts to work collaborative1y, providing visualization ofdecisions as they develop, and providing decision makers with time and flexibility to better understand problems and to project outcomes. Evaluation of distributed synchronous virtual teamwork environments has eluded researchers. The theoretical foundation of this study was Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST) enhanced by a distributed cognition framework. Discourse analysis was used to explore ways to evaluate effectiveness of newly-formed time-constrained self-directed virtual teams using computer-mediated communication (CMC) to solve ill-defined problems. Measures of work process performance were percentages of meeting time devoted to Situation Assessment, Resource Coordination, Idea Generation, and Model Building. Ten measures of work outcome for each of six teams were taken to assess change in decision model quality over time. The data informing this study were obtained during an elective computer science course. The author's course design focused on human-computer interaction (HCI) aspects of use, design, and deployment of computer-supported collaborative work (CSCW) and computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) systems. Participants were randomly assigned to teams that remained intact throughout the semester. Teams assumed various roles during policy and software-design scenarios. Networked TeamEC decision-modeling software enabled team problem solving. NetMeeting provided connectivity, application sharing, and text chat for intra-team communication to simulate distributed virtual meetings. Discourse analysis revealed process performance patterns and development of shared mental models ofproblem solutions. The outcome variable (Model Score) improved over time for all teams, but degree of improvement varied greatly among teams. Qualitative analysis of group process variables indicated variance was due to how well teams understood scenario-role requirements and managed available resources. Time usage by process variable was analyzed to measure critical resource use to discover "best practice" guidelines for distributed synchronous teamwork. A Naturalistic Decision Making (NDM) approach extended collaborative experiential learning to complex applied knowledge domains in order to improve problem solving and critical thinking skills. Constructivist learner-centered course design facilitated a clear task focus enabling participants to learn new work practices applicable to classroom and workplace.

Ruapehu is an active volcano located on the North Island of New Zealand, with the most recent major eruptions occurring in 1945, 1969, 1975, and 1995/96. Ruapehu is also home to the three major North Island ski areas, Whakapapa, Turoa, and Tukino. Because of the high frequency of eruptions, there is a significant volcanic hazard at the ski areas particularly from lahars which can form even after minor eruptions. Most recently, lahars have affected Whakapapa ski area in 1969, 1975, and 1995/96. The most significant risk at Turoa is from ballistic bombs due to the proximity of the top two T-Bars to the crater. Ash fall has also caused disruption at the ski areas, covering the snow and causing damage to structures. There is yet to be a death at the ski areas from a volcanic event; however the risk at the ski areas is too high to be completely ignored. The ski areas at Whakapapa and Turoa are currently operated by Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL), who have been significantly improving their commitment to providing volcanic hazard training for their staff and preparing for handling a volcanic eruption. RAL is joined by the Institute of Geological Sciences (GNS) and the Department of Conservation (DoC) in trying to mitigate this risk through a range of initiatives, including an automated Eruption Detection System (EDS), linked to sirens and loudspeakers on Whakapapa ski areas, as well as by providing staff training and public education. The aim of this study was to provide RAL with recommendations to improve their staff training and warning system response. Staff induction week at both Turoa and Whakapapa ski areas was observed. Surveys were distributed and collected from staff at both ski areas, and interviews were conducted with staff at Whakapapa ski area. Data obtained from staff interviews and surveys provided the author with insight into staff's mental models regarding a volcanic event response. A simulation of the warning system was observed, as well as a blind test, to collect data on the effectiveness of training on staff response. Results indicated permanent and seasonal staff were knowledgeable of the volcanic hazards that may affect the ski areas, but had differing perspectives on the risk associated with those hazards. They were found to be confident in the initial response to a volcanic event (i.e. move to higher ground), but were unsure of what would happen after this initial response. RAL was also found to have greatly improved their volcanic hazard training in the past year, however further recommendations were suggested to increase training effectiveness. A training needs analysis was done for different departments at the ski areas by taking a new approach of anticipating demands staff may encounter during a volcanic event and complementing these demands with existing staff competencies. Additional recommendations were made to assist RAL in developing an effective plan to use when responding to volcanic events, as well as other changes that could be made to improve the likelihood of customer safety at the ski areas during an eruption.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:43:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 4066363 bytes, checksum: 7e3dcc20bd5c6f7639399527d6cdab3f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-11 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This work presents a description of the conceptual metaphors and metonymy recurrent in chronicles by Luis Fernando Verissimo, and the identification of possible inferences in understanding their metaphorical and metonymic linguistic expressions from the mental models. Therefore, we used as theoretical reference two theories: the Theory of Concept Metaphor and Metonymy (cf. Lakoff & Johnson, (1987, 2002 [1980], 2003 and others) and the Theory of Mental Models (cf. Van Dijk, (2012 [2008]). Our research, descriptive, consists of 31 chronicles present in the books Amor Veríssimo , Comédias da Vida Privada e Comédias da Vida Pública which show examples of situations we experience in two different and opposite contexts: private life and public life. First, we identified the metonymic and metaphorical linguistic expressions present in the texts. Then, we checked the metonymy and metaphor underlying these expressions. Finally, we investigated the possible inferences in understanding these linguistic expressions from the mental models. With the results, we confirmed our hypothesis that the updates of metaphors and metonymy portrayed in the investigated chronicles remit to mental models that lead to the understanding of the discursive aspects and hence the generation of the meaning of these chronicles. / Este trabalho apresenta uma descrição das metáforas e metonímias conceptuais recorrentes em crônicas de Luis Fernando Veríssimo, bem como a identificação das inferências possíveis na compreensão das respectivas expressões linguísticas metafóricas e metonímicas a partir dos modelos mentais. Para tanto, utilizamos como referencial teórico duas teorias: a Teoria da Metáfora e da Metonímia Conceptuais (cf. Lakoff & Johnson, (1987, 2002 [1980], 2003 e outros) e a Teoria dos Modelos Mentais (cf. Van Dijk, (2012 [2008]). Nossa pesquisa, de natureza descritiva, é constituída de 31 crônicas contidas nos livros Amor Veríssimo , Comédias da Vida Privada e Comédias da Vida Pública , que retratam exemplos de situações que vivenciamos em dois contextos distintos e opostos: a vida privada e a vida pública. Primeiramente, identificamos as expressões linguísticas metonímicas e metafóricas existentes nos textos. Em seguida, verificamos as metonímias e as metáforas subjacentes a essas expressões. Por fim, investigamos as possíveis inferências na compreensão dessas expressões linguísticas a partir dos modelos mentais. Com os resultados encontrados, confirmamos a nossa hipótese de que as atualizações de metáforas e metonímias conceptuais retratadas nas crônicas investigadas remetem a modelos mentais que levam à compreensão dos aspectos discursivos e, consequentemente, à geração do sentido dessas crônicas.