Thesis (B.A.(Hons.))-- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Psychology, 1980.

Forskning på museer har de senaste åren varit en omdiskuterad företeelse och hur denna ska bedrivas. Den här undersökningen behandlar synen på forskning utifrån ett länsmuseum med utgångspunkt i basutställningen på museet. Att tolka informanternas svar var inte helt oproblematiskt alla gånger, men detta har inte bara varit en nackdel utan det har även lett till vissa slutsatser. Undersökningen har resulterat i en inblick i forskningssynen utifrån främst en viss arbetsgenre på museet och även argumenten för vissa urval som gjordes till basutställningen har påvisats. Det har sedan kunnat dras vissa slutsatser vad gäller forskningsbegreppet och den problematik som kretsar kring denna, samt om hur urvalsprocessen gått till. Bland annat tas frågan om definitionsproblematiken av forskningsbegreppet upp, och även vilka faktorer som spelar in i urvalet av material till den studerade utställningen. / Research in museums has during the recent years been a controversial phenomenon about how it should be conducted. This study deals with the perception of research in a county museum, based on the permanent exhibition at the museum. To interpret the informants' responses were not entirely unproblematic all times, but this has not only been a drawback, but has also led to some conclusions. The investigation has resulted in an insight to the research approach based on primarily one professional genre at the museum and also some selections that were made to the permanent exhibition has been demonstrated. It has thereof been drawn certain conclusions about the concept of scientific research and the problems that revolve around this and how the selection process worked out. Inter alia, the problematic of defining research is discussed, and also the factors that determine the selection of materials for the studied exhibit.

The premise that mature visual function depends upon the nature of visual experience during development is based primarily on experiments showing that visual deprivation during a 'critical' period early in life causes abnormalities in visual cortex and an enduring loss of spatial vision (amplyopia). There is, however, little evidence that early visual experience atually enables mature vision. Experments in this thesis provide such evidence. The measurement of optomotor responses daily from eye opening permanently enhances optomotor sensitivity and the perception of visual motion. The plasticity allowing this enhancement is transient and peaks in efficacy before the start of the classical 'critical ' period for ocular dominance plasticity. The enhancement is dependent upon optomotor responses generated by the movement of high spatial frequency visual stimuli, and is mediated by the visual cortex. These studies show that a form of experience-dependent plasticity, distinct from that of the critical period, enables mature motion vision. / viii, 107 leaves : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm.

At present, there is a high number of epidemiologic studies dealing with children´s injuries and intoxication but children´s view seemed to be interesting to be focused. The aim of this Diploma work has been to provide readers with a children´s view of injuries and intoxication, their perception of risks and the knowledge of prevention.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Chronic pain, defined as pain lasting more than 3 months, is a common and costly health condition. Thirty-three percent of adults and upwards of 35% of children report experiencing pain due to various diseases, disorders, or accidents. Recent research has identified perceived injustice and anger as important constructs in an adult’s pain experience and a possible focus for intervention efforts. The present study explored the extent to which perceived injustice and anger expression operate similarly in children with chronic pain as in adults. This was a retrospective analysis of data from 122 patients seeking treatment at a pediatric pain clinic. Results supported anger expression as a mediator in the relationship between perceived injustice and pain intensity but not psychological distress, suggesting that anger expression operates similarly in children as in adults with chronic pain. Unlike previous findings in adults with chronic pain, injustice did not moderate the relationship between pain intensity and psychological distress, suggesting that injustice operates differently in children with chronic pain compared to adults. The strong association between injustice and pain outcomes (i.e. pain intensity, quality of life, functional disability) suggests that injustice is an important construct to explore in the chronic pain experience of children.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Loneliness is a known risk factor for poor mental and physical health outcomes in the general population, and preliminary research suggests that loneliness is linked to poorer health in cancer patients as well. Various aspects of the cancer experience (e.g., heightened existential concerns) lend themselves to making patients feel alone and misunderstood. Furthermore, loneliness theory suggests that negative social expectations, which may specifically relate to the cancer experience, precipitate and sustain loneliness. Thus, loneliness interventions in cancer should be tailored to address illness-related social conditions and negative social expectations. Prior to the development of loneliness interventions for cancer populations, cancer-specific tools are needed to assess: (1) loneliness attributed to cancer (i.e., cancer-related loneliness), and (2) negative social expectations related to cancer. In the current project I developed measures of cancer-related loneliness and cancer-related negative social expectations for use in future theory-based loneliness research. A mixed-methods study design was employed. First, I developed items for the measure of cancer-related loneliness (i.e., the Cancer Loneliness Scale) based on theory, prior research, and expert feedback. Second, I conducted a clinic-based qualitative study (n=15) to: (1) obtain cancer patient feedback on the Cancer Loneliness Scale items, and (2) inform development of the item pool for the measure of negative social expectations (i.e., the Cancer-related Negative Social Expectations Scale). Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and then transferred to Atlas.ti for analysis. Content analysis was used to analyze data regarding patient feedback and theoretical thematic analysis was used to analyze data regarding negative social expectations. Overall, patients said they liked the Cancer Loneliness Scale and no changes were made to the items based on patient feedback. Based on results, I also created five content domains of negative social expectations that were represented in the item pool for the Cancer-related Negative Social Expectations Scale. Third, I conducted a telephone and mail-based quantitative study (n=186) to assess psychometric properties of the two new measures. Dimensionality was determined using confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was assessed by examining internal consistency coefficients and construct validity was assessed by examining theoretical relationships between the Cancer Loneliness Scale, the Cancer-related Negative Social Expectations Scale, and existing reliable and valid measures of health and social well-being. The final products of the project included a 7-item unidimensional Cancer Loneliness Scale and 5-item unidimensional Cancer-related Negative Social Expectations Scale. Excellent evidence for reliability and validity was found for both measures. The resulting measures have both clinical and research utility.