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In my dissertation, I argue that rationality, for real humans, is best understood as a strategy for communication and interacting in a social environment. In particular, I argue that humans are rational to the extent that they are able to understand and be understood by others, to the extent that they can give and accept reasons and explanations. This raises a pair of questions. The first concerns the source of the norms for giving and accepting reasons. The second is why we should accept and follow these norms if they are not guaranteed to preserve truth or optimize outcomes. I address the first question by arguing that these norms function as constraints on our imaginations, on the ways in which we can think about or understand the world. This goes beyond the traditional view that these norms govern acceptable inferences. Rather, I argue, the more significant function of these norms is to govern the structure of our reasoning in the sense of guiding considerations about the relevance and form of our understandings of situations. This suggests an answer to the second question. We ought to accept these norms because they are self-confirming. Following them allows us to communicate and interact with others who follow these same norms. In those endeavors that require interaction and coordination in a social group, being understood is frequently more important than being right. / text

The establishment of bachelor gorilla groups in captivity, along with the continued success of the captive breeding programme provides an opportunity for research on social interactions in two differing circumstances. This thesis focuses on male – male social interactions. Emphasis is placed on dominance and affiliative behaviours and gives indications of the level of behavioural flexibility within both breeder and bachelor gorilla groups. Evaluation of behavioural diversity, to validate the use of multi-institutional research, confirms that behavioural phenomena, such as the effect of age class, are not masked by the potential confound of differing husbandry practices and enclosure design between institutions. It was found that males in bachelor groups express significantly lower frequencies of both dominance and aggressive behaviours than males in breeder groups. A Relationship Quality Index (RQI, based on the ration of dominance to affiliative behaviours) was developed and again bachelor males exhibited a significantly lower RQI, indicating that bachelor males express a greater frequency of dominance behaviours than affiliative behaviours. This may have a direct impact on the social development of young males, and potentially their social competence in later life, a significant finding for the management of gorillas in captivity. In addition, it can be suggested that affiliative behaviours, which may work to repair damage to social bonds, may not be performed to the same extent in bachelor groups, suggesting that the ‘value’ of social bonds within a bachelor group may be reduced.

L’Islote est une petite île artificielle de la région des Caraïbes de Colombie. Elle a commencé à être peuplée à la fin du XIX avec l’arrivée de pêcheurs itinérants qui provenaient des côtes proches de Carthagène. Pour s’y installer, ils ont comblé le sol d’un îlot et ont construit un hameau qui s’est étendu jusqu’à devenir une île d’une surface d’un hectare. Six cents insulaires qui se disent noirs et costeños y vivent, ils se consacrent à la pêche et au tourisme. Sur la base de l’ethnographie réalisée entre 2010 et 2011, cette thèse analyse la manière dont les insulaires interagissent avec leur environnement, y compris les îles, la mer et le littoral. L’Islote est un terrain totalement construit : il n’y a pas d’étendues de cultures, ni des plages, ni des palmiers. D’après les villageois il s’apparente à un “quartier” au milieu de la mer. Pour habiter cet endroit, les insulaires nouent des relations avec les autres îles et le littoral. Ils se déplacent constamment vers des villages et des villes où ils construisent des maisons dans lesquelles ils résident par périodes. De plus, ils ont noué une étroite relation avec d’autres villages de la côte, qui leur ont permis d’avoir accès à des biens, des services et aux échanges. Contrairement à d’autres lieux de la région des Caraïbes, où les relations se développent par le biais de la diversification de parentèles à plusieurs endroits, et avec différentes femmes, à l’Islote les alliances entre les membres du groupe sont privilégiées. Ici, la cohésion est interprétée comme une manière de renforcer les relations internes et ainsi pouvoir vivre à différents endroits sans perdre les liens qui les unissent. Cette thèse prétend contribuer à l’étude des interrelations caribéennes, tout en montrant qu’elles présentent des dynamiques sociales et culturelles propres. / The Islote is a small artificial island off the caribbean coast of Colombia. Its settlement began at the end of the XIX century with the arrival of itinerant fishermen from the surrounding coasts of Cartagena. To establish the island, they filled the existing key with soil and built a hamlet that grew until it reached one hectare of surface. 600 islanders live on the Islote who identify themselves as black people and costeños; they devote themselves to fishing and tourism. Based on the ethnography conducted between 2010 and 2011, the present work analyzes the ways in which the islanders relate with their environment, including other islands, the sea, and the litoral. The Islote is a piece of land totally occupied without open land: it does not have cultivation areas, beaches, or palm trees. Its appearance is interpreted by locals as a “neighborhood” in the middle of the ocean. In order to inhabit this place, the islanders extend their network of relationships towards other islands and the coast. They continuously move to small towns and municipalities where they build houses where they can reside seasonally. Furthermore, they have a tight relationship with other coastal towns; which has allowed them to gain access to goods, services, and exchanges. Unlike elsewhere in the Caribbean where relationships expand through the diversification of kin in several locations, and with many women, in the Islote the alliances between group members are prioritized. The social cohesion is interpreted here as a way to reinforce the alliances within the group and therefore makes it possible to live in different places without losing the ties that bind them. / El Islote es una pequeña isla artificial del Caribe colombiano. Se comenzó a poblar a finales del siglo XIX con la llegada de pescadores itinerantes provenientes de las costas aledañas a Cartagena. Para asentarse, ellos rellenaron el suelo de un cayo y construyeron un caserío que creció hasta conformar una isla de una hectárea de superficie. Allí conviven seiscientos isleños que se identifican como gente negra y costeña, se dedican a la pesca y el turismo. Con base en la etnografía realizada entre el 2010 y el 2011, el presente trabajo analiza la forma en que los isleños se relacionan con su entorno, incluyendo las islas, el mar y el litoral. El Islote es un terreno construido en su totalidad: no tiene zonas de cultivo, ni playas, ni palmeras. Su apariencia se interpreta desde la perspectiva de los lugareños, como de un “barrio” en medio del mar. Para habitar este lugar, los isleños amplían su red de relaciones hacia las otras islas y el litoral. Estos se mueven continuamente hacia corregimientos y municipios donde construyen casas en las que residen por temporadas. Además, tienen estrecha relación con otros poblados de la costa, que les han permitido acceder a bienes, servicios e intercambios. A diferencia de otros lugares del Caribe, donde las relaciones se expanden mediante la diversificación de parentelas en varios lugares, y con diferentes mujeres, en el Islote se privilegian las alianzas entre los miembros del grupo. La cohesión se interpreta aquí, como una forma de reforzar las relaciones internas y así poder vivir en distintos lugares sin perder los vínculos que los atan. Esta tesis pretende aportar en el estudio de las interrelaciones caribeñas, mostrando que estas presentan dinámicas sociales y culturales propias.

This study evaluated whether therapist terminations of social interactions would decrease social terminations and increase social initiations during play activities with a child with autism. The assessment took place in two conditions. The first condition, instructed involved social interactions with instructions delivered, and the second, uninstructed, involved social interactions without instructions delivered. These conditions were analyzed with a multiple baseline across-conditions design. Interaction duration, initiations, instructions, and child terminations were recorded. This study showed that the therapist-removal procedure resulted in a complete decrease in child terminations, and an increase in the number of initiations and the duration of the child-therapist interactions during the uninstructed condition. Similar effects were seen in the instructed condition, but to a lesser degree.

Play is an important part of supporting social interactions with children, and these interactions are an imperative part of a child’s social development. Social development is a significant challenge for children with disabilities, making play an important component in helping with their development. Different play environments may be better than others in terms of supporting social interactions. In order to determine what types of play environments were best at supporting social interaction, children between 33 and 36 months of age were observed in three different settings. Children that were part of the Lil’ Aggies program—an early intervention program that helps children under the age of 3 with disabilities transition into community and district preschools—were observed on the playground, in the classroom, and in the gym. The social interactions in each of these environments were compared to see if one environment promoted more social interactions than another. A time-sampling procedure was used for the observations in each of the settings. Following the observations, the data were analyzed using an independent sample t-test procedure. It was found that children are more likely to interact with peers on the playground, and more likely to interact with adults in the classroom. It was also found that interactions on the playground were more likely to be positive.

Socially withdrawn children are at increased risk for various maladaptive outcomes. One intervention suggested to mediate these outcomes is the use of peermediated social skills training. However, little research supports its use with socially withdrawn children; even less research has investigated the role of peer mediators in the generalization of treatment effects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a generalization training package on the generalization of socially withdrawn students and their peer mediators' interactions. This study compared the effectiveness of various procedures in a peer-mediated intervention on the generalization of prosocial interactions with socially withdrawn students and examined how students' perceptions of social support, bullying experiences, and intervention acceptability changed as a result of the peer-mediated social skills training intervention. Results indicated that the socially withdrawn participants engaged in more prosocial behavior following the intervention and that it generalized to a highly unstructured, novel setting with multiple students.

This dissertation analyzes the complex relationships between language, immigration, and labor and housing market outcomes. First, I model the urban labor market as segmented by language barriers. The prediction of this segmentation theory is confirmed by Canadian Census data, which allow me to identify a worker's labor market segment by her work language. Second, I explore whether the housing market reflects people's willingness to pay for higher quality social-ethnic interactions. By combining housing transaction data and Census information, I am able to test such a relationship with positive results. Finally, I ask what properties housing price series have if some people have better knowledge of the future immigration/migration flows to a city. Under this setup, the price series become serially correlated and the price volatility varies over time. The model also explains the long-standing price-volume relationship in housing transaction data.

Phocid seals (true seals, Order Carnivora, Family Phocidae) use a diverse array of breeding habitats and strategies, and produce many vocalizations. Therefore, phocids are well suited as subjects for study of reproductive strategies and the role of vocalizations in species mating at sea. However, the amount of information is still limited for aquatically breeding pinnipeds. Using underwater audio and video recordings of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) interacting in McMurdo Sound, I compared the frequencies of vocalizations and behaviors of males and females during the mating season. I also investigated differences in these frequencies based on the social context. Finally, I identified patterns of vocalizations and behaviors to help determine the behavioral context of calls and used this information as a basis for considering the degree of ritualization in Weddell seal displays. Mews, growls, knocks, and trills were found to be almost exclusively male-specific. The territorial male produced chirps more often when another male was present in its territory; whereas, mews and growls were more frequent when one or more free-ranging females were present. Several vocal and behavioral padeparture of the territorial male into or from the breathing hole. In the context of an evolutionary-based model of communication, these findings suggest that low-frequency vocalizations and stereotyped displays produced by territorial males may have been favored by sexual selection: they may provide reliable information to females about the fitness of the signaler and influence their choice of mate. They may also help in limiting conflicts between the territorial male and females over access to the breathing hole.

This dissertation analyzes the complex relationships between language, immigration, and labor and housing market outcomes. First, I model the urban labor market as segmented by language barriers. The prediction of this segmentation theory is confirmed by Canadian Census data, which allow me to identify a worker's labor market segment by her work language. Second, I explore whether the housing market reflects people's willingness to pay for higher quality social-ethnic interactions. By combining housing transaction data and Census information, I am able to test such a relationship with positive results. Finally, I ask what properties housing price series have if some people have better knowledge of the future immigration/migration flows to a city. Under this setup, the price series become serially correlated and the price volatility varies over time. The model also explains the long-standing price-volume relationship in housing transaction data.