The literature in reading comprehension has demonstrated that both domain-specific knowledge and strategic knowledge are vital to good comprehension. However, few studies have actually compared the effects of the two types of knowledge on reading comprehension. Fewer studies have examined the effects of combining the two strategies even though cognitive theories indicate that true comprehension occurs when certain procedures act upon knowledge constructed from the text being read and "link" that knowledge with knowledge in the long-term memory. This study compared subjects receiving strategic knowledge and content knowledge to subjects receiving strategic knowledge only, subjects receiving content-knowledge only, and a control group. Subjects were 9- and 10-year-old students in four fourth-grade classrooms. The design was a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. Subjects were given the comprehension and verbal subtests of the Stanford Achievement Test. Based on these tests, subjects were identified as high- or low-ability readers. In addition, they were given a comprehension pretest designed by the instructor before intervention began. The intervention took place over a 4-week period and consisted of a different series of lessons presented by an independent instructor. After the intervention, subjects took the posttest. SAT subtest scores and pretest scores were used as covariates in the final analysis. Results showed a decrease in the posttest means and no differences among the four experimental groups. Lack of findings was attributed to several factors, including lack of interest in the reading material on the comprehension tests and brevity of the intervention.

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This practice-led PhD project consists of two sections: the first examines a breakdown of the components of film genre to be used as practical guideposts for my own creative practice as a screenwriter and (hopefully in the future) for other screenwriters; the second section contains my practical application – first acts of three screenplays that are constructed utilizing my research and subsequent assessments. Using a theoretic construct presented in the area of philosophy in the 1990s by cognitive theorist Gilles Fauconnier called ‘mental space’, a concept exploring a person’s natural inclination to construct a comprehensible idealized cognitive model (ICM) of any given situation in order to understand his or her role in it (Fauconnier 1994:8), I examine how Fauconnier’s concept can be applied to building a film narrative and specifically how it can be applied to a screenwriter’s understanding and breaking down of the components of film genre. I also employ the work of scholars focused on the audience’s reception, especially the reception of film genre. In the practical section of my practice-led PhD, the writing of the first acts of three screenplays that share location, similar core cast of characters and plot points but are constructed in three distinctly different film genres (western, horror, romantic comedy), I endeavor to apply elements I have termed the ‘mental space of film genre’ in order to determine the adjustments and changes necessary to move narrative from one genre to another in order to fulfill various genre perimeters and genre expectations. This work is meant to increase a screenwriter’s technical skills in the craft of screenwriting.

This thesis investigates the performance of Swedish listed family-controlled firms using re-turn on assets (ROA) and Tobin’s Q as performance measures. Results show that found-ing-family firms perform 6.1 % better than other firms for ROA. Firm-specific knowledge of the founder-CEO is the main cause of the enhanced performance. The results are not robust to residual testing which suggests caution when drawing conclusions from these re-sults. The main contribution of this thesis is an empirical analysis of family insider repre-sentation and the relation to ROA and Tobin’s Q in a sample consisting entirely of Swedish firms.

This thesis discusses applying AI planning tools for generating plans for manual operations. Expertise of motion economy domain is used to select good plans among feasible ones. Motion economy is a field of industrial engineering, which deals with observing, reporting and improving manual operations. Motion economy knowledge is organized in principles regarding the sequences and characteristics of motions, arrangement of workspace, design of tools etc. A representation scheme is developed for products, workspace and hand motions of manual operations. Operation plans are generated using a forward chaining planner (TLPLAN). Planner and representation of domain have extensions compared to a standard forward chaining planner, for supporting concurrency, actions with resources and actions with durations. We formulated principles of motion economy as search control temporal formulas. In addition to motion economy rules, we developed rules for simulating common sense of humans and goal-related rules for preventing absurd sequences of actions in the plans. Search control rules constrain the problem and reduce search complexity. Plans are evaluated during search. Paths, which are not in conformity with the principles of motion economy, are pruned with motion economy rules. Sample problems are represented and solved. Diversity of types of these problems shows the generality of representation scheme. In experimental runs, effects of motion economy principles on the generation of plans are observed and analyzed.

La représentation du mouvement – Representational Momentum (Freyd & Finke, 1984) – est la tendance qu’a un observateur à se souvenir de la position spatiale d’une cible en mouvement plus loin dans la direction du mouvement qu'elle ne l'est en réalité. La conséquence de la représentation du mouvement (RM) est donc une anticipation. La question de recherche qui traverse l’ensemble de cette thèse concerne l’impact des connaissances acquises ontogénétiquement sur la RM. Les recherches expérimentales réalisées abordent la RM en se focalisant sur la familiarité ou l’expertise de l’observateur vis-à-vis de situations dynamiques naturelles dans lesquelles il est immergé. Cette thèse comprend quatre articles : une revue de question et trois articles expérimentaux. Les résultats expérimentaux obtenus dans ces travaux montrent que les connaissances spécifiques développées par l’observateur sont décisives pour élaborer une RM efficace. En effet, moins ces connaissances sont disponibles moins l’anticipation est importante. Cependant, les connaissances spécifiques n'ont une influence sur la RM que si les scènes dynamiques sont suffisamment proches des situations qui en ont permis le développement. Enfin, ces connaissances spécifiques apparaissent en partie liées à l’action, car plus l'observateur est impliqué dans l’action, plus il anticipe la dynamique des scènes perçues. L’ensemble de ces travaux suggère que la RM est composée, non seulement de processus génériques, mais aussi de processus spécifiques élaborés à partir des situations qui sont régulièrement rencontrées. / Representational Momentum (RM) refers to the tendency of participants to "remember" the stopping point of an event as being farther along in the direction of movement than it was in reality (Freyd & Finke, 1984). The consequence of RM is anticipation. The research question that runs through this thesis concerns the impact of knowledge ontogenetically acquired on RM. The experimental research undertaken in this thesis addresses the RM focusing on the observers' familiarity or expertise about natural dynamic situations in which they are immersed. This thesis includes four articles: a review of literature and three experimental papers. The experimental results obtained show that specific knowledge developed by the observers is crucial for developing an efficient RM. The more specific knowledge is available, the stronger the anticipation. However, specific knowledge has an influence on RM only if the dynamic scenes are sufficiently similar to the situations that have led to its development. Finally, specific knowledge seems partly linked to action because the more the observer is involved in action, the more he anticipates the dynamics of the scenes. As a whole this work suggests that RM is composed of generic processes, as well as specific ones that are built up from the situations regularly encountered.

Avancerad fastighetsautomation intog marknaden under 2000-talets första år. Visionen var att skapa smarta byggnader där fastighetsövervakning, klimatstyrning och belysning sammankopplades mot en central huvuddator för att eliminera manuell styrning. Syftet med examensarbetet är att undersöka funktionalitet och reell brukbarhet hos ett av de första installationsobjekten, PostNords huvudkontor. Rapporten presenterar fastighetens övergripande funktioner samt analyserar hur systemstyrningen kan optimeras för bättre lönsamhet respektive komfort. Exemplifieringen påvisar generella risker och potential med avancerade styrsystem i förvaltningsskedet. Arbetet har begränsat sig till fastighetens kontorsytor som stället högst krav på inomhusklimat och användarvänlighet. För att nå uppsatt mål har litteraturstudier, intervjuer, egna observationer samt en genomgång av fastighetsdokumentation genomförts. Resultatet visar att den höga teknikgraden gjort förvaltarna beroende av inhyrd spetskompetens. Det avancerade språket har försvårat kommunikationen mellan parterna vilket begränsat möjligheten att optimera systemet. Förbättring av inomhusklimat och energiprestanda kan först ske när man förstår en helhet. Förvaltarna borde tillsätta en samlad kartläggning av hela systemet istället för att experimentera med ytterligare ny teknik. / Advanced building automation reached the market in the early 2000s. The vision was to create smart buildings where property surveillance, climate control and lightning where to be linked through a main computer to eliminate manual control. The purpose with this thesis is to investigate the functionality and real serviceability of one of the first objects of installation, the PostNord headquarters. This thesis presents the overall features of the real estate and also analyses how the control system can be optimized for higher profitability and comfort. The exemplification shows general risks and potential with advanced control systems in real estate management. This work is limited to the real estates office spaces that demand the highest standards of indoor environment and convenience. To reach set goal, studies of literature, interviews, observations and reviews of property documentation have been executed. The result shows that a high level of technical complexity has made the property managers dependent on hiring expert consultants. The advanced use of language has made the communication between the parts difficult, which has limited the opportunity to optimize the system. Improvement of indoor climate and energy efficiency can only be reached when the entire case is grasped. The real estate managers should start a complete mapping of the system instead of experimenting with additional technology.

As we move further into the 21st century there are few processes that are more important for us to understand than the creative process. The aim of this thesis is to assist in deepening that understanding. To achieve this a review of the literature is first undertaken. Combining the many different streams of research from the literature results in the development of a four-stage model of the creative thinking process. The four stages are problem definition, idea generation, internal evaluation, and idea expression. While a large range of factors influence the various stages in this model, two factors are identified for further analysis as their effect on creativity is unclear. These two factors are domain-specific knowledge and creative thinking techniques. The first of these factors relates to the first stage of the creative thinking process (problem definition), specifically the extent to which informational cues prime domain specific knowledge that then sets the starting point for the creative combination process. The second factor relates to stage two of the model (idea generation), and the proposition by some researchers and practitioners that creative output can be significantly improved through the use of techniques. While the semantics of these techniques differ, fundamentally all techniques encourage the use of divergent thinking by providing remote associative cues as the basis for idea generation. These creative thinking techniques appear to result in the opening of unusual memory categories to be used in the creative combination process. These two potential influences on the creative outcomes of individuals: 1) domain specific knowledge, and 2) creative thinking techniques, form the basis for an experimental design. Qualitative and quantitative research is undertaken at two of the world's leading advertising agencies, and with two student samples, to identify how creative thinking techniques and domain-specific knowledge, when primed, influence creative outcomes. In order to measure these effects a creative thinking measurement instrument is developed. Results found that both domain-specific knowledge and creative thinking techniques are key influences on creative outcomes. More importantly, results also found interaction effects that significantly extend our current understanding of the effects of both primed domain-specific knowledge and creativity techniques on different sample populations. Importantly, it is found that there is no 'one size fits all' for the use of creative thinking techniques, and to be effectively applied, creative thinking techniques must be developed based upon the respondent's current domain and technique expertise. Moreover, the influence of existing domain-specific knowledge on individual creativity is also dependent upon how that information is primed and the respondent's knowledge of cognitive thinking strategies.

Wissensanalysen besitzen arbeitspsychologische Relevanz, da kompetentes Arbeitshandeln das Beherrschen eines gesicherten Basiswissens voraussetzt. In der arbeitspsychologischen Praxis werden Wissensdiagnosen beispielsweise eingesetzt in Wissensmanagementprozessen, zur Evaluation von Weiterbildungsmaßnahmen oder zur Entwicklung wissensbasierter Systeme. Der Wortassoziationsversuch als ein Verfahren zur Verbalisation fachspezifischen Wissens kann dazu einen Beitrag leisten. Dabei werden Probanden Stimuli aus einer umschriebenen Domäne des Fachwissenbereichs vorgegeben, auf welche diese stichwortartig alle Assoziationen benennen sollen, welche ihnen einfallen. Je mehr jemand assoziiert, desto größer ist – gemäß der Annahme einer netzwerkanalogen Repräsentation – dessen Wissensbesitz. Da die Verfahrensgüte des Wortassoziationsversuchs bisher ungeklärt war, sollten anhand von insgesamt 17 Feldstudien die Haupt- und Nebengütekriterien bestimmt werden. Es zeigte sich, daß der Wortassoziationsversuch in der Lage ist, explizites, deklaratives Fachwissen von Probanden zu erheben, und somit ein brauchbares wissensdiagnostisches Instrument darstellt. Die Reliabilität des Wortassoziationsversuchs konnte belegt werden, somit ist eine wichtige Voraussetzung zur Beurteilung der Validität sowie der Veränderungssensitivität gegeben. Auch die Prüfung der Validität anhand der Außenkriterien Geschäftsführerbeurteilung sowie Klausurleistung erbrachte zufriedenstellende Koeffizienten und kann daher ebenfalls als belegt angesehen werden. Ebenso konnte i.S. der diskriminanten Validierung gezeigt werden, daß mittels der Assoziationstechnik tatsächlich das Konstrukt des Fachwissens und nicht der generellen Fähigkeit zur Wortflüssigkeit erfaßt wird. Insgesamt zeigt sich der Wortassoziationsversuch damit als ein valides, reliables, m.E. Objektives, veränderungssensitves, von den Probanden akzeptiertes, ökonomisches und damit für die arbeitspsychologische Praxis nützliches Verfahren. / Providing methods and instruments to assess the elicitation of domain-specific knowledge from (working) persons is of major relevance for occupational psychology, since basic knowledge is a precondition for competent work performance. In occupational practice, knowledge elicitation methods are realised in organisational knowledge management processes, for training evaluations or for developing knowledge based systems. Free term entry (FTE), which helps to verbalise domain specific knowledge, can contribute greatly in this context. The method involves presenting subjects with stimuli from a specific domain, then the subjects have to list in note form all associations that come to their minds. The more the subject associates, the grater his knowledge – assuming a network-analog representation. Since the quality of the performance data of FTE tests has as of yet been inconclusive, I identified primary and secondary quality criteria using a total of 17 field studies. I was able to show that FTE is able to elicit explicit, declarative domain specific knowledge, and thus is a useful tool for this purpose. Its reliability, an important precondition for validity and sensitivity, was proved. An assessment of the validity on the basis of two external criteria (an appraisal of the subject's vocational expertise by the managing director as a performance measure performance and the subject´s exam performance as a measure of individual domain-specific knowledge) leads to good coefficients. Assessment of the discriminant validity shows that the FTE method captures the construct of domain specific knowledge instead of the general word fluency ability. Overall, the mean frequency of associations is a sensitive measurement for the extent of the individual domain-specific knowledge as well as the extent of vocational expertise – the FTE method is a valid, reliable, objective, economical instrument accepted by the subjects, and therefore is useful for the practice of occupational psychology.

Internationalization is one of the most complicated elements in Small- and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) expansion. Researchers seem to agree more and more that none of the theories in this field can solely explain the dynamics of the internationalization of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises particularly small knowledge- and service-intensive firms. There are different theories and approaches toward the SMEs‘ internationalization; however there is one predictor in common among them: Firm‟s knowledge resources (Yli-Renko, Autio, & Tontti, 2002).Since the value-adding processes of firms are increasingly based on the creation and exploitation of knowledge, the natural focus of attention shifts from the control of static, firm-specific resources to the acquisition, assimilation, and exploitation of firm-specific knowledge (Bettis & Hitt, 1995; Grant, 1996; J.Nahapiet & Ghoshal, 1998). In today‘s global competitive landscape, firms succeed not because they have control over scarce resources, but because they have the ability to gain the knowledge, learn and use this learning more efficiently than others. In comparison with big companies SMEs have relatively less resources, which make knowledge very vital for their survival and growth. (Mejri & Umemoto, 2010)There has not been much empirical research on knowledge resources and capabilities although the importance of knowledge-related process is widely acknowledged. There is a notable limitation in SME literature on influence of knowledge that can only offer limited insight into firm‘s foreign market operations. In other words, there is a gap in the literature about the different types of knowledge and their role in the internationalization process and therefor this research has set it goal to answer the aforementioned issues.This research has used qualitative approach and case study research design, and six semistructured interviews were conducted with small Swedish firms that involved in international activities. Since this is an exploratory study, the data from the six cases was quite managable. Analysis was conducted by coding the interviews and categorization of the codes. The codes were interpreted and three types of knowledge were extracted based on both the data and theories; Technological Knowledge, Business Knowledge and Market-specific Knowledge. The main characteristics of each company were put together with regard to the three types of knowledge. The next step in analysis was to find out if there were any differences or similarities between the companies when it came to internationalization process. By using the aforementioned results a farmework was developed. The framework presents the role of each Knowledge in the internationalization process and is the key finding of this research.The results from this study indicate the significant role of different types of knowledge as the main source of competitive advantage for SMEs to go to international markets. However the result of this study also designates that the role of knowledge in the internationalization process must be understood in the context of the industry, the company and the people involved.