Thesis (doctoral)--Lund, 1981. / Thesis t.p. laid in. Includes bibliographical references (p. 186-191) and index.

Thesis (D. Jur.)--York University, 1998. Graduate Programme in Law. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 374-392). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ27315.

I examined whether interpersonal similarity, an indicator of social closeness, influenced children’s epistemic trust in others’ testimony. Three- to 5-year-olds met two puppet informants, one of whom matched their preferences and physical attributes. Children were encouraged to request novel objects’ names from either informant, after which both informants provided conflicting labels for the unfamiliar objects. Physical and psychological commonalities with an informant differentially guided children’s learning preferences. Children subsequently heard the two informants differ in their accuracy when labeling familiar objects. For half the children the similar informant was accurate and the dissimilar informant inaccurate. Additionally, for half the children the inaccurate informant was blindfolded. Only 5-year-olds were more forgiving of the informant’s inaccuracy when blindfolded (i.e., justified), as compared to wearing a scarf (unjustified inaccuracy), and only for the dissimilar informant. These findings suggest that children’s reasoning about an informant’s state of knowledge varies with social closeness. Implications for children’s recall, mentalistic reasoning, and forgiving of mistakes are discussed. / text

Rhetoricians have long sought to improve our efforts and capacity to reason together, to achieve at the very least mutual understanding in the face of conflict and difference. In Modern Dogma and the Rhetoric of Assent, for instance, Wayne Booth argues that the socalled rational-irrational split, in part, keeps us from doing this: achieving understanding of one another’s reasons. But despite this call to improve our rhetoric, there persists (especially in writing pedagogy) the sense that we must choose between reason and emotions like empathy. This dissertation explores whether empathic reasoning, an instance of the narrative imagination, helps us better understand, maybe even negotiate, conflicts of apparently incommensurable values. This dissertation argues that, by more fully considering, employing, and teaching empathic reasoning, we might usefully foreground (1) our apparent struggles sometimes to find common ground with others, especially our perceived adversaries; (2) the ways in which we structure our worlds through language, and omit from our world, through both language and force, “the other”; and (3) the subtle yet audacious ways in which we often fail to reason, equitably and charitably, with others. If, as many scholars in rhetoric argue, greater empathic reasoning is required to improve deliberation and public discourse, then what are the limits and possibilities of this form of reasoning? And what are the potential means by which we might model, cultivate, and improve our abilities to engage in, and analyze, this process of reasoning and moral inquiry? Finally, what does rhetorical instruction, practice, and theory offer by way of a means of cultivating these capacities for reasoned deliberation, reciprocation, and informed judgment? Throughout this project I explore some of these limits and possibilities of empathic reasoning; and in every chapter I come to the same basic conclusion. That despite the limits of empathic reasoning there is great need, still, for realizing and cultivating further its possibilities: for improving the ways we reason together, in part by expanding our capacities to imagine more fully -- charitably, responsibly, critically -- the contingencies that inform and the particulars that comprise our life stories, our interconnected narratives. / text

This textual analysis examines computer simulations as rhetorical objects and acts. In particular, this work examines scientific simulations from organic chemistry and astrophysics in order to expose how rhetorical and social aspects influence the ad hoc decisions (e.g., setting initial parameters, excluding and adding arbitrary elements, and making other choices) that comprise simulations. Prior works in philosophy, critical theory and technical communication underscore fictional and formal features of simulation. In contrast, this dissertation dissects multiple levels of documents surrounding actual simulations—not only drafts of published articles but also software and code interiors, e-mail and letter correspondence, newsletters and white paper reports—in order to discuss the relational (rather than purely formal) meaning of the simulations. This work also compares simulation to other modes of the scientific imagination—paradox, thought experiments and metaphor, in particular. My findings suggest that simulations hinge upon abductive (rather than deductive or inductive) reasoning and qualify as virtual evidence. Also, while published drafts of simulation articles tidy the ad hoc twists and turns necessary for creating simulations, prior drafts and peripheral documents attest to the fact that organizational affiliations, earlier projects, and rhetorical strategies help establish the scope and meaning of simulation projects. Further, meaning-making takes place well before and long after the article drafting process—in prior incarnations of the work for presentation, in correspondence between article writers and reviewers, and in citations in others’ writing. / text

With the increasing demand of fast-paced and hybrid manufacturing processes in modern industry, it is desirable to expedite the iterations between design and manufacturing through intelligent computational techniques. In this research, we propose a concurrent approach of this kind to streamline the design and manufacturing processes. With this approach, a CAD design is automatically analyzed in terms of its manufacturability in the early design stage. If the part is manufacturable, a set of process plans optimized in time, cost, fixture quality and tolerance satisfaction are reported in real time. If the part is not manufacturable, the potential design changes are provided for better manufacturing. In the approach, the geometric information of 3D models and the empirical knowledge in manufacturing processes, fixtures, and tolerances are combined and encapsulated into a graph-grammar based reasoning. The reasoning systematically extracts meaningful manufacturing details that later constitute complete process plans for any given solid model. The plans are then evaluated and optimized using a specially designed multi-objective best first search technique. The complete approach enables a concurrent and efficient manufacturability analysis tool that closely resembles real manufacturing planning practice. Numerous case studies with real engineering parts are presented to characterize the novelty and contributions of this approach. The optimality of the suggested plans is verified through computational comparisons, and the practicality of the plans is validated with hands-on implementations on the shop floor. / text

It has been shown in experiments that a method of teaching where students are encouraged to create their own solution methods to mathematical problems (creative mathematically founded reasoning, CMR) results in better learning and proficiency than one where students are provided with solution methods for them to practice by repetition (algorithmic reasoning, AR). The present study investigated whether students in an AR practice condition pay less attention to information relevant for mathematical problem solving than students in a CMR condition. To test this, attentional behavior during practice was measured using eye-tracking equipment. These measurements were then associated with task proficiency in a follow-up test one week after the practice session. The findings support the theory and confirm previous studies in that CMR leads to better task performance in the follow-up test. The findings also suggest that students within the CMR condition whom focus less on extraneous information perform better. / Experiment har visat att en undervisningsmetod i vilken elever uppmuntras att själva komma på lösningsmetoder till matematiska problem (creative mathematically founded reasoning, CMR) resulterar i bättre inlärning och färdighet än en metod i vilken eleverna ges en färdig en lösningsmetod att öva på genom repetition (algorithmic reasoning, AR). Denna studie undersöker om elever under en AR-träningsbetingelse ägnar mindre uppmärksamhet åt information som är relevant för matematisk problemlösning än vad elever under en CMR-träningsbetingelse gör. För att testa detta mättes elevernas uppmärksamhetsbeteende under träning med hjälp av ögonrörelsekamera. Måtten ställdes sedan i relation till uppgiftsfärdighet i ett uppföljningstest en vecka efter träningssessionen. Resultaten stödjer teorin och bekräftar tidigare studier som visat att CMR leder till bättre prestation i uppföljningstestet. Resultaten tyder även på att de elever under CMR-betingelsen som fokuserar minst på ovidkommande information presterar bättre.

Not available / text

Humans are in general poor at making judgments that adhere to the logical principles of probability theory. One demonstration of this is termed the “conjunction fallacy”: judging a conjunction (A&B) as being more probable than its constituent (A). Systematic commitment of the conjunction fallacy has been shown in numerous studies on probability judgments. Different actions to remedy the fallacy have been suggested. According to the nested-sets hypothesis, when the nested-set structure of a problem becomes clear (i.e. the relation between categories and subcategories), then the conjunction fallacy is remedied. However, previous demonstrations of this remediation have provided very explicit task-related information and it can be questioned whether it is trivial that such information leads to more correct judgments. The primary aim of this study was to test the nested- sets hypothesis in two different formats of a probability judgment task, by more subtly hinting about the nested-set structure. Twenty-nine participants were randomly divided into two groups, one Probability condition and one Informed probability condition, where participants in the latter condition were provided with the hint. The second aim was to investigate whether the Informed probability condition was performed more slowly, potentially due to the time-cost of more elaborated judgments. The results show that a subtle hint about the nested-set structure was able to remedy the conjunction fallacy in a forced-choice probability judgment task but not statistically reliably in a probability estimation task. No response-time differences were observed between the conditions. The results support the nested-sets hypothesis and imply that even a subtle reasoning hint clarifying the relation between categories and subcategories might remedy one of the most robust probability judgment fallacies. / Människor är i allmänhet dåliga på att göra bedömningar som följer principer för sannolikhetsteori. En indikation på det är ”konjunktionsfelet”: att bedöma en konjunktion (A&B) som mer sannolik än sin konstituent (A). Konjunktionsfelet har påvisats i flera studier på sannolikhetsbedömningar. Olika sätt att avhjälpa felet har föreslagits. Enligt nested-set hypotesen föreslås att när nested-set strukturen av ett problem blir tydlig (dvs. relationen mellan kategorier och subkategorier), minskas benägenheten att begå konjunktionsfelet. Däremot har tidigare demonstrationer av den här minskningen angett väldigt explicit uppgifts-relaterad information och det kan ifrågasättas om det är trivialt att sådan information leder till mer korrekta bedömningar. Studiens primära syfte var att testa nested-set hypotesen i två olika sannolikhetsbedömningsformat, genom att subtilt antyda om nested-set strukturen. Tjugonio deltagare delades slumpmässigt in i två grupper, en Sannolikhetsbetingelse och en Informerad sannolikhetsbetingelse, där den senare betingelsen fick den extra informationen. Det andra syftet var att undersöka om Informerad sannolikhetsbetingelsen skulle utföras långsammare, potentiellt på grund av tids-kostnaden av mer elaborerade bedömningar. Resultatet visar att en subtil antydan om nested-set strukturen minskade konjunktionsfelet i en fler-vals uppgift på sannolikhetsbedömningar men inte statistiskt pålitligt i en sannolikhetsestimeringsuppgift. Inga responstidsskillnader hittades mellan betingelserna. Resultat stödjer nested-set hypotesen och antyder att även en subtil antydan som klargör relationen mellan kategorier och underkategorier kan åtgärda ett av de mest robusta tankefel som observerats vid sannolikhetsbedömningar.

The basic concept of this work is that functional modelling techniques are applicable to and of practical use in, producing a qualitative model of conceptual engineering design. A qualitative function based model of conceptual design has been developed and a computer based implementation has been built and tested. The rationale behind the modelling scheme and the computer implementation are described in detail. In addition to a review of existing models of design the research provides a significant new capability in four main areas: • An ability to generate new concepts with a controlled degree of similarity to existing designs. • A new function based model of engineering conceptual design. • The COncept Design ASsistant (CODAS) system, a computer based implementation of the function based model, has been developed and tested. • A new symbolic representation language. CODAS is a hybrid case-based and function-based modelling system, implemented in the domain of mechanical device design, which demonstrates the practical application of this new model. The CODAS system aims to provide a design support tool which can invent both routine and novel devices based on experience gained from past successful design solutions. Fast and efficient data handling is achieved by utilizing Case Based Reasoning (CBR) technology to store and retrieve past design solutions which are defined in terms of a symbolic representation language. The underlying design model is function based and employs a technique of divergent function to form mapping to produce physical embodiments of the proposed functional solutions.