Zugl.: Essen, Fachhochsch. für Oekonomie und Management, Diplomarbeit, 2007

Thesis (doctoral)--Freie Universität Berlin, 1980.

“[The] sense of sameness is the very keel and backbone of our thinking” (James, 1890). To make sense of the ever-shifting information in our environment, we constantly assess whether the world around us changes or not, if objects are the “same” or if they are “different”. This basic decision-making process is found from the lowest level of cognition (e.g. when contrasts are encoded by the retina), to the highest (e.g. when comparing concepts), and anywhere in between. In an experimental context, this process is studied with the “same-different” task, where subjects are asked if two stimuli presented sequentially are strictly identical or not. This experiment has been documented since the 1960s and its results have been replicated with diverse stimuli types (letters, shapes, faces, words, etc.). However, every attempt to model the subjects’ accuracy and response times on correct and incorrect answers simultaneously was unsuccessful so far. Part of the challenge in explaining this task is that “same” answers are faster than expected compared to “different” answers, a phenomenon called the “fast-same effect”. This thesis aims to assess whether a formal model based on the inhibition of “different” answers is plausible, effectively changing the problem from “fast-same” to “slow-different”. In the first chapter, I review the previous theories and models of the same-different task to learn why they failed. By elimination process, I identify the only cognitive architecture that seems congruent with the data. I then propose a model prototype based on the inhibition of “different” answers that implements this architecture. In the second chapter, I test this prototype with an experimental paradigm designed specifically to assess its plausibility. I conclude that resources should be spent in developing a formal model based on the inhibition of “different” answers, as the prototype’s qualitative predictions are confirmed by both the typical same-different data and the newly acquired data.

Personal website is a new political communication channel of politicians in recent years. Websites can be politicians¡¦ personal media because of distinguishing features of unlimited space and hypermedia. Politicians present various kinds of information, political opinion and great self-image in their personal websites. This interactive media also provides the interaction between politicians and citizens. This thesis mainly uses content analysis to discover how 4th-term legislators present themselves in WWW as well as their websites¡¦ functionality and design. Then it also uses Web-based questionnaire to understand the usage and utility of websites¡¦ feedback mechanisms. The conclusions are as followed: (1) The DPP legislators are the most likely ones when it comes to establishing personal websites among the lawmakers. Although KMT has more than half shares in the Legislative Yuan, they have less than fifty percent of share in those who create their own personal websites. However, judging from the percentage of those who have websites in regard to their own party, the TAIP and New Party legislators, with more than fifty percent of them creating their own sites, are the most willing ones. (2) The research validates that politicians are experts of self-presentation. There are 70% of legislators using one or more self presentation strategies in their website and presenting various kinds of images in front of citizens. Self-promotion and ingratiation strategies are utilized the most. In addition, female legislators use more ingratiation strategies and present more professional image than male legislators. (3) There are 80% of legislators using at least one or more feedback mechanisms in their websites. It shows most of legislators realize the significance of their interaction with Internet users. But further analysis reveals that they didn¡¦t try to use the advantages brought from the Internet-based interaction, as there are nearly 40% of their websites having only one feedback mechanism. (4) Internet users think that the most important functions of legislators¡¦ websites are feedback mechanisms such as email, guest book and discussion group, etc. But these websites aren¡¦t doing a good job in providing feedbacks to their supporters. Judging from the evidence of users¡¦ usage of email boxes and services of petition, those who have never received a reply from the websites are the majority, which means that while the legislators¡¦ websites provide a space for public disclosure, there¡¦s much room to be desired when it comes to the legislators¡¦ and their staffs¡¦ regards to the public opinion.

This study aimed to examine online Mormon self-presentation, specifically in the context of Mormon.org and LDSSingles.com (LDSSO). To examine the different styles of self-presentation used in Mormon.org and LDSSO profiles, this study drew upon self-presentation theory (Goffman, 1959; Jones, 1990; Jones & Pittman, 1982) and analyzed profiles according to Dominick's (1990) definitions of Jones and Pittman's (1982) five self-presentation strategies. In addition, this study examined the relationship between a profile poster's sex and the self-presentation strategies exhibited in his or her Mormon.org or LDSSO profile. Content analysis of 100 (50 male and 50 female) Mormon.org and 100 (50 male and 50 female) LDSSO profiles revealed ingratiation (LDSSO) and self-promotion (Mormon.org) as the leading self-presentation strategies in the profile sample. Additionally, this study found that exemplification was the second most prevalent self-presentation strategy in both Mormon.org and LDSSO profiles. These results indicate that online Mormon profilers want to be perceived as moral, devout, and admirable, not only likeable and competent and that Mormon profilers may tailor their self-presentation strategies to accomplish social goals. No statistically significant difference was found between a profile poster's sex and the individual or predominant self-presentation strategies, suggesting that Mormon conversion and values may influence Mormon discussion, interpersonal interaction, and ultimately, one's self-presentation.

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The thesis deals with the creation of e-learning materials for the subject Automation. The theoretical part briefly deals with the definition of e-learning as a modern form of teaching and further provides an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning. The theoretical part also contains a summary of systems, tools, methods and technologies that enter e-learning. The practical part of the thesis deals with selected methods of e-learning and also contains materials e-learning materials created directly for the subject Automation. The practical part includes 10 presentations, which can be used for teaching the subject Automation and at the same time a description of creating the presentations.

This essay attempts to outline Jacques Derrida’s envisaged rewriting of transcendental aesthetics, hinted at in De la grammatologie. Focusing mainly on the texts published during the 1960’s (especially La voix et le phénomène) and the early 1970’s, I try to situate Derrida’s thought within the horizon of transcendental philosophy. Special attention is devoted to Immanuel Kant and Edmund Husserl given the importance that Derrida ascribes to them. My intention is to capture Derrida’s position towards these previous attempts of formulating a transcendental aesthetics. In Derrida’s view – the way I interpret it – transcendental aesthetics is a set of issues concerning (i) the philosophy of time and space and the constitution of time and space, (ii) a theory concerning the constitution of conditions (iii) a theory concerning the lowest level of cognition. I will try to support the claim that Derrida’s famous notion, la différance, entails a recasting of previous notions of transcendental aesthetics. Derrida is well known for his claim that experience is not direct; it must be given through re-presentations, which synthesize sense (ideal objects) and the sensed. Ideal objects are themselves dependent on language and hence experience cannot be brought about without the mediation of language. In this essay the claim that neither space nor time would be without the sign is substantiated. With this in mind I attempt to show that Derrida’s rewriting of transcendental aesthetics amounts to promoting the concept of spacing, which represents the-becoming-spaceof-time and the-becoming-time-of-space. Without the deferring and differing involved in the movement of la différance and the writing of the unconscious there would be neither time nor space. One of the most important outcomes of this essay is the presentation of the interplay between activity and passivity involved in the constitution of ideality performed by unconscious writing.

In recent years, more and more mass mediums mentioned blog, the new individual public mediums in network, and more and more blogger began blogging. They documented their life, expressed deeply felt emotions and provide commentary and opinions in blog. Blog is stage that blogger present self for audience, blogger can transmit image to their audience. But these bloggers express what self-presentation in blog? This research use the concept of self-presentation and analysis of social network, and study the social network is formed with online dairies blog and the self image. we discovered that connection relations centralize in the popular blogs, and the more popular blogs have more indegree. The support of audience is motivation of continue writing for blog. In the dimension of self-presentation, the most self in blog is decorated from real life of blogger. But even blogger can choice to present which image, they still reproduced structure and characteristic of real world in blogoshpere. The research also discovered blogger wish to segregate audience, presented different self before different reader.