This study explored what cognitive resources (i.e., units of knowledge necessary to learn) first-semester organic chemistry students used to make decisions about acid strength and how those resources guided the prediction, explanation and justification of trends in acid strength. We were specifically interested in the identifying and characterizing the mental models, assumptions and heuristics that students relied upon to make their decisions, in most cases under time constraints. The views about acids and acid strength were investigated for twenty undergraduate students. Data sources for this study included written responses and individual interviews.The data was analyzed using a qualitative methodology to answer five research questions. Data analysis regarding these research questions was based on existing theoretical frameworks: problem representation (Chi, Feltovich & Glaser, 1981), mental models (Johnson-Laird, 1983); intuitive assumptions (Talanquer, 2006), and heuristics (Evans, 2008). These frameworks were combined to develop the framework from which our data were analyzed.Results indicated that first-semester organic chemistry students' use of cognitive resources was complex and dependent on their understanding of the behavior of acids. Expressed mental models were generated using prior knowledge and assumptions about acids and acid strength; these models were then employed to make decisions. Explicit and implicit features of the compounds in each task mediated participants' attention, which triggered the use of a very limited number of heuristics, or shortcut reasoning strategies. Many students, however, were able to apply more effortful analytic reasoning, though correct trends were predicted infrequently. Most students continued to use their mental models, assumptions and heuristics to explain a given trend in acid strength and to justify their predicted trends, but the tasks influenced a few students to shift from one model to another model. An emergent finding from this project was that the problem representation greatly influenced students' ability to make correct predictions in acid strength.

This dissertation introduces the model of opportunistic adaptation to explain new venture growth. In established firms processes of change and adaptation usually imply a transition from one steady-state strategy to another and a problem oriented perspective as firms change in response to potential threats to their current positions. However, in the context of new ventures, adaptation is less about moving from one existent strategy to another and more about the entrepreneur’s effort to reach a steady state for the first time by continuously experimenting and combining resources in creative and innovative ways. The model of opportunistic adaptation rests on three key assumptions: 1.) new venture growth results from actions grounded in an opportunistic (proactive) logic; 2.) entrepreneurial cognition is viewed as an antecedent to all organizational actions leading to growth; 3.) the relationship between entrepreneurial cognition and action is influenced by industry and firm level attributes. The model is tested using quantitative and qualitative data on new ventures founded between 1996 and 2006 in technology intensive industries. The results provide partial support for the notion of opportunistic adaptation as a process in which entrepreneurial cognition, firm and industry related factors are closely intertwined. The results of the dissertation suggest that some aspects of entrepreneurial cognition, such as entrepreneurial schema focus have a more direct effect on actions related to new venture growth than others whose effect is strongly moderated by contextual influences such as industry growth and social network heterogeneity. This dissertation also finds that not all types of organizational actions associated with an opportunity logic lead to new venture growth. Of the three action types included in the model (fast, diverse and frequent) only action diversity was found to have a positive impact on new venture growth. Theoretical implications of the study results for both the literature on new venture growth and the literature on organizational adaptation, as well as practical implications are discussed.

The current state of organizational environmental management is inadequate to face the risks posed by the natural environment such as resource scarcities resulting from natural, social and/or economic processes such as increases in extreme weather events, natural resources-based conflicts, regulatory restrictions, or trading commodities fluctuations. These changes to the organizational environment call for adaptation so that we may maintain our ability to produce and function sustainably. Organizations need to adopt practices and processes that consider the natural environment. The adoption of environmental management practices and processes has, however, met barriers. Faced with initiatives that promise considerable financial and environmental benefits, research has reported resistance to buy-in. I suggest that perception barriers, imbedded in language, have a role to play in this lack of change. I propose that individual’s mental model of the organization filters information for decision-making based on language. I suggest that the linguistic repertoire of communities of practice is used to filter information relevant to organizational decision-making. A quantitative study showed that differences in community of practice linguistic repertoires are found between the environmental and business communities. In addition, varying levels of familiarity with the repertoire of a community of practice were explored to determine whether community membership is reflected in the linguistic repertoires of individuals. The results suggested that the familiarity of graduate students with the linguistic repertoire of the community of practice they were studying was more akin to membership in a community of interest than a community of practice. In addition, the results suggested that environmental and business communities held opposing sets of relevant linguistic repertoires, providing grounds for communication barriers. Finally, in addition to exploring language’s potential as a barrier and opportunity for change, the in individual’s mental models ability to change was explored. Through case study observations, I showed that a change in the individual’s mental model of the organization could result from participation in an eco-efficiency program. The participants, high-level decision-makers in the organizations, introduced the natural environment as a new aspect to their future decision-making process following participation. Contributions to management and social theory are also discussed. / À mon frère Pascal Perron, il aurait été si fier. - To my brother Pascal Perron, he would have been so proud.

The purpose of the present study were to (a) explore the relationship between the frequency of use of Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) by hospital staff nurses and the support received from RRTs; (b) to investigate staff nurses’ perceptions of their individual level, group level and organizational level learning as a result of single or multiple exposures to the RRT; (c) to identify predictors of learning outcomes and (d) to identify overall impressions and advantages and disadvantages of the RRT. A mail survey was used to collect data. The response responses rate was 33%, 131 registered nurses responded to the survey (pre-test = 12, study = 119). The results of Pearson r correlation suggest that a high frequency of access of RRTs was positively related to process support (r = .25, p < .01). Also, perceived content and process support from RRTs was positively related to maintenance and building of staff nurses’ mental models regarding patient deterioration pertaining to self, group and organization. Multiple regression analyses show that sociodemographic and independent variables predict organizational learning outcomes (mental model maintenance and building). Overall impressions of the RRTs were high. A content analysis of nurses’ comments indicated that there were more advantages to having the RRTs than disadvantages. This study suggests that RRTs are influential in changing nurses’ perceptions about managing patient deterioration. Training programs for RRTs should include both content and process support, which may enhance building and maintaining mental models. / Thesis (Master, Nursing) -- Queen's University, 2008-09-25 21:27:44.682

Despite disaster managers’ best efforts, inter-organizational disaster management suffers from varying levels of success. One factor that is likely to account for these variations is team mutual understanding, also known as common ground. To validate the potential effect of common ground in disaster management, the thesis investigates common ground in several interviews with disaster managers and in an experimental study involving an inter-organizational disaster event scenario. Analysis of interviews revealed that disaster managers perceived gaps in understanding between responders, the importance of mutual understanding, and perceived common ground similarly to depictions in theory with a few exceptions. Analyses of the experimental study indicated that contextual factors of Team composition, Problem solving approach and Type of tasks differently impacted measures of performance and implicit coordination, and that implicit coordination partially mediated and supressed the relationship between contextual factors and decision quality. Findings suggest the variation in disaster managers’ performance can be ascribed to common ground, implicit coordination, and contextual factors. Moreover, results showed the satisfaction with outcome did not correlate with expert rated quality of decision; and that while satisfaction related to consensus and quality of the decision was linked to generating alternative ideas and debate. Collaboration proved to be more effective in public communication tasks, especially for homogenous team composition. The findings support initiatives for more cross-training and further lab and field experiments.

Hohe Benutzertauglichkeit und Akzeptanz eines Webseitenservices sind nur dann gewährleistet, wenn diese auf die funktionalen Bedürfnisse, aber auch auf die strukturellen Vorstellungen ihrer Benutzer zugeschnitten sind. Im Kontext einer Webseite zur „Suche nach E-Learning-Produkten im Internet“ wurde untersucht, inwieweit die Kenntnis der Mentalen Modelle potenzieller Nutzer den Softwareentwicklungsprozess positiv beeinflussen kann. Dabei erlaubte die Erhebung Mentaler Modelle mit Hilfe der Struktur-Lege-Technik (SLT) als Evaluationsmethode einen Vergleich mit der tatsächlich entwickelten Webseite. Die Studie zeigte, dass trotz zuvor bereits durchgeführter, klassischer Evaluationen (Usability Tests, Anwendung von Heuristiken und Cognitive Walkthroughs) 40 Funktionsbereiche genannt wurden, die auf der tatsächlichen Webseite nicht vorgesehen oder umgesetzt sind. Daraus folgt, dass die Erhebung von Mentalen Modellen ebenfalls bereits vor dem Software-Entwicklungsprozess durchgeführt werden soll.

Federal agencies operating along the border in southern Florida include the United States Coast Guard (USCG), United States Customs and Border Protection (USCBP), which is the parent agency for Border Patrol (BP), Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the National Park Service (NPS). Each agency has its own mission regarding immigration, and conflicts have emerged regarding responsibilities and responses to immigrant landings. The purpose of this study was to identify federal law enforcement perspectives about tactics for responses to Cuban immigrant landings within national parks in southern Florida. This study was motivated by the following research questions: 1.) How do the federal agencies operating along the southeastern border in Florida work together during responses to Cuban immigrant landings within national parks? 2.) What are the perspectives among agency personnel about tactics for response to Cuban immigrant landings within national parks? 3.) What tactics should be emphasized in future responses? The concept of shared mental models (SMM) provided a framework for the research, and data was collected through the Q method. Three factors, or social perspectives, on responses to landings were revealed: 1.) React & Transport, 2.) Protect and 3.) Plan. Implications for managers, limitations and future research is discussed.

abstract: Collaborative learning is a common teaching strategy in classrooms across age groups and content areas. It is important to measure and understand the cognitive process involved during collaboration to improve teaching methods involving interactive activities. This research attempted to answer the question: why do students learn more in collaborative settings? Using three measurement tools, 142 participants from seven different biology courses at a community college and at a university were tested before and after collaborating about the biological process of natural selection. Three factors were analyzed to measure their effect on learning at the individual level and the group level. The three factors were: difference in prior knowledge, sex and religious beliefs. Gender and religious beliefs both had a significant effect on post-test scores. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction 2012

How do we understand? A pivot proposalThe basic question is what it is needed to understand. The proposal is that understanding requires pivots, a useful word to integrate findings in different areas. In that sense, a pivot can be understood as a mental model. It can also be the body, an idea based on embodied cognition. But more fundamentally, our biology and brain are the central pivots for understanding. Therefore, this essay can be seen as a brief travel through three different subjects: Mental Models, Embodied Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience, all of which are necessary to understand how a person understands. / La pregunta básica es qué se necesita para comprender. La propuesta es que comprender necesita pivotes, término utilizado para integrar hallazgos en varias áreas. De tal manera, un pivote puede ser entendido como un modelo mental. Un pivote también es el cuerpo, idea que surge del concepto de cognición corporizada. Pero tal vez más fundamental, la biología y el cerebro son los pivotes esenciales para comprender. Así, el ensayo se puede ver como un recorrido breve de tres materias: modelos mentales, cognición corporizada y neurociencias cognitivas; todas necesarias para entender cómo comprende una persona

Begreppet mental träning i idrottssammanhang är allmänt känt. Detta gäller även ishockeyn vilket styrks av denna kvalitativa studie. Studien har två målgrupper, där fokusgruppsintervjuer genomförts med elitsatsande juniorishockeyspelare och semi-strukturerade intervjuer genomförts med tränare från de deltagande spelarnas föreningar. Studiens syfte ämnade undersöka hur och på vilket sätt det arbetas med mental träning och vilka erfarenheter och värderingar som fanns hos målgrupperna. Resultatet av studien visar en gemensam syn från samtliga deltagare att mental träning är viktigt men att användandet av det i praktiken inte överensstämmer med de värderingar som råder. Bilden av vad mental träning innebär är av svaren att döma högst individuell och endast ett fåtal av deltagarna säger sig arbeta kontinuerligt med mental träning i prestationshöjande syfte. Kunskap om ämnet i stort och hur det kan användas av spelare och tränare i praktiken har fortfarande stor utvecklingspotential. Det är 14 år sedan Svenska Ishockeyförbundet genomförde en kvantitativ undersökning i ämnet mental träning. I undersökningen framgår det att spelarna ansåg att mental träning var viktigt, men trots detta arbetade nästintill ingen aktivt med det. Lite har hänt. Förhoppningsvis bidrar denna studie till att det om ytterligare 14 år skett en mer markant förändring.