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Robotic technologies possess great potential to enter our daily lives because they have the ability to interact with our world. But our world is inherently social. Whilst humans often have a natural understanding of this complex environment, it is much more challenging for robots. The field of social Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) seeks to endow robots with the characteristics and behaviours that would allow for intuitive multimodal interaction. Education is a social process and previous research has found strong links between the social behaviour of teachers and student learning. This therefore presents a promising application opportunity for social human-robot interaction. The thesis presented here is that a robot with tailored social behaviour will positively influence the outcomes of tutoring interactions with children and consequently lead to an increase in child learning when compared to a robot without this social behaviour. It has long been established that one-to-one tutoring provides a more effective means of learning than the current typical school classroom model (one teacher to many students). Schools increasingly supplement their teaching with technology such as tablets and laptops to offer this personalised experience, but a growing body of evidence suggests that robots lead to greater learning than other media. It is posited that this is due to the increased social presence of a robot. This work adds to the evidence that robots hold a social advantage over other technological media, and that this indeed leads to increased learning. In addition, the work here contributes to existing knowledge by seeking to expand our understanding of how to manipulate robot social behaviour in educational interactions such that the behaviour is tailored for this purpose. To achieve this, a means of characterising social behaviour is required, as is a means of measuring the success of the behaviour for the interaction. To characterise the social behaviour of the robot, the concept of immediacy is taken from the human-human literature and validated for use in HRI. Greater use of immediacy behaviours is also tied to increased cognitive learning gains in humans. This can be used to predict the same effect for the use of social behaviour by a robot, with learning providing an objective measure of success for the robot behaviour given the education application. It is found here that when implemented on a robot in tutoring scenarios, greater use of immediacy behaviours generally does tend to lead to increased learning, but a complex picture emerges. Merely the addition of more social behaviour is insufficient to increase learning; it is found that a balance should be struck between the addition of social cues, and the congruency of these cues.

This article presents an analysis of the pro active social behavior construct based on the sociallearning theory. Self efficacy is briefly reviewed and discussed in the context of Bandura' s conceptual work. Reference is made to cognitive variables such as values and beliefs, as fundamental principies in the development of the pro active social behavior. I examine che distinctions between fears of failure, success, and rejection as they relate to the process of self sabotage. Comments are made on the transformation of meaning and its benefits on fear extinction. Finally, I briefly describe the principies of the associative neurophysiological conditioning as a therapeutic program for the management of emocional states by the individual. / Este artículo presenta un análisis del Comportamiento Social Pro Activo utilizando como modelo la teoría del aprendizaje social. Se revisa el concepto de autoeficacia, originalmente propuesto por Bandura, y se hace referencia a variables de tipo cognitivo tales como los sistemas de valores y creencias. Se examinan las distinciones entre el temor al fracaso, al éxito, al rechazo, y su relación con el proceso de autosabotaje. Asimismo se discute la importancia de la transformación del significado y sus beneficios en la extinción del temor. Se presenta un modelo conceptual del control de los estados emocionales y sus implicancias en el proceso de la acción. Finalmente, se describen las premisas fundamentales del Condicionamiento Neurofisiológico Asociativo como un programa terapéutico que facilita el manejo de los estados emocionales de la persona.

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<p>Recent observations illustrate fruit fly larval attraction to the distinct odour emanating from food occupied by other larvae. Growing evidence of bacteria as influential microorganisms of hosts suggested the closer examination of host-microbial interactions. We investigated the origin of the volatiles that are attractive to flies. Focal larvae showed no difference in attraction to axenic used food with axenic larvae and axenic fresh food. Additionally, mated females showed no difference in attraction to axenic used food with axenic larvae and axenic fresh food. When we supplemented the axenic disks with <em>L. brevis</em>, larvae showed a significant preference for the axenic used food with axenic larvae and <em>L. brevis </em>over axenic fresh food. Also, the supplementation of <em>L. plantarum</em> to axenic disks also resulted in larvae showing a significant preference for the axenic used food with axenic larvae and <em>L. plantarum </em>over axenic fresh food. Focal larvae showed a significant preference for <em>L. brevis</em> on scratched MRS agar and axenic used food with axenic larvae, but did not show a significant preference for <em>L. brevis</em> on scratched axenic food. In a learning experiment, focal larvae showed no preference for novel odours previously paired with standard used food over novel odours previously paired with axenic used food. In order to test whether <em>L. brevis</em> improves food quality, the three fitness parameters observed, larval development rate, egg-to-adult survival, and adult body mass, revealed inexplicable findings. These results provide evidence for the role of bacterial volatiles in mediating the social attraction observed in fruit flies.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

The study of social evolution and virulence in parasites is concerned with fitness consequences of trade-offs between parasite life history traits and interactions between parasite species and/or genotypes with their hosts. I develop our understanding of social evolution and virulence in parasites in several ways. (1) I review empirical evidence for the fundamental predictions of virulence-transmission trade-off theory and demonstrate that the fit between theory and data is primarily qualitative rather than quantitative; that parasites differ in their degree of host generalism, and this is likely to impact virulence in four ways. (2) I take a comparative approach to examine the underlying causes of an observed statistical variation in the size of parasite infectious doses across taxa, revealing that mechanisms used by parasites to infect hosts are able to explain variation in both infectious dose and virulence. (3) I formally compare data on human pathogens to explain variation in virulence across taxa, revealing that immune subversion and not growth rate, explains variation in virulence. This allows me to predict that immune subverters and not fast growing parasites are likely to cause the most virulent clinical infections. (4) Using bacteria and their naturally infecting viruses (bacteriophage), I take an experimental approach to investigate the consequences of coinfection for parasite life history traits, and find that viruses cultured under a mix of single infections and coinfections evolved plasticity; they killed hosts more rapidly when coinfecting, and this resulted in high fitness under both single infection and coinfection conditions. (5) I experimentally investigate how selection within and between hosts and patches of hosts affects the fitness and virulence of populations of these viruses. I find that limited host availability favours virulent, faster killing parasites with reduced transmission; suggesting high, rather than low, virulence may be common in spatially structured host-parasite communities.

Critics of anti-social behaviour policy (ASB) introduced by New Labour Government since 1997 argue that it is overly punitive, and criminalises what is often sub-criminal or nuisance behaviour. Further criticism is that policy implementation through formal channels has led to the public increasingly relying on formal agencies in the governance of ASB, and becoming less willing to play an active role. The catalyst for my research was two Community Safety Teams aim to reverse this trend. I have developed an innovative approach in the form of a booklet (Let s Talk) based on the under-researched Imagined Intergroup Contact model associated with the Intergroup Contact Theory which underpins Intergenerational Practice. My thesis centres on the piloting of the booklet in two regions in England, and the proposition that Intergenerational approaches can be a useful way of understanding and addressing tensions associated with perceived anti-social behaviour by young people . Drawing broadly on a social constructionist paradigm (Burr, 1995), and using an inductive case study approach, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected via various research tools. The sample included local residents, representatives of community organisations and the Community Safety Teams (CST). Data were coded and analysed using NVivo and SPSS. Theoretical data analysis was underpinned by the Integrated Threat Theory and the Social Cognitive Theory. Compared with other theories associated with Intergenerational Practice, the Integrated Threat Theory gave a more comprehensive explanation for intergenerational tensions. SCT gave new insights into the concept of agency in relation to the governance of ASB. My research identified anti-social behaviour that the CSTs felt did not warrant formal intervention, and the booklet received enthusiastic support from all parties consulted as an alternative, community-based approach. Reasons for a few individuals not wanting to adopt the booklet approach were identified; these included personal factors and social dynamics. My findings provided important knowledge for the future development and use of the booklet. This thesis makes a significant contribution to knowledge. Firstly, it extends the theoretical explanation of intergenerational tensions, and adds insights into the concept of governance and the theoretical underpinnings of Intergenerational Practice. Secondly, it advances implications for practice in relation to fully exploring social dynamics other than intergenerational issues, taking account of potential multigenerational factors, and being aware that preparatory activities to strengthen selfefficacy may be required.