Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Information processing styles'

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2002.
Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 136-142). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between task-related attributes and the elicited cognitive processes of a human decision maker. Previous findings on the feasibility of using cognitive style as a guideline for information systems research and design were inconclusive. It is vital to design a system that meets users decision behavior, but the inherent hazards of information systems design based exclusively on user cognitive styles is suspect. This study provides a basis for understanding the potential variation of cognitive processes across different task environments.

This study attempted to combine the benefits of multimedia learning, adaptive interfaces, and learning style theory by constructing a novel e-learning environment. The environment was designed to accommodate individual learning styles while students progressed through a computer programming course. Despite the benefits of individualised instruction and a growing worldwide e-learning market, there is a paucity of guidance on how to effectively accommodate learning styles in an online environment. Several existing learning-style adaptive environments base their behaviour on an initial assessment of the learner's profile, which is then assumed to remain stable. Consequently, these environments rarely offer the learner choices between different versions of content. However, these choices could cater for flexible learning styles, promote cognitive flexibility, and increase learner control. The first research question underlying the project asked how learning styles could be accommodated in an adaptive e-learning environment. The second question asked whether a dynamically adaptive environment that provides the learner with a choice of media experiences is more beneficial than a statically adapted environment. To answer these questions, an adaptive e-learning environment named iWeaver was created and experimentally evaluated. iWeaver was based on an introductory course in Java programming and offered learning content as style-specific media experiences, assisted by additional learning tools. These experiences and tools were based on the perceptual and information processing dimension of an adapted version of the Dunn and Dunn learning styles model. An experimental evaluation of iWeaver was conducted with 63 multimedia students. The analysis investigated the effect of having a choice of multiple media experiences (compared to having just one static media experience) on learning gain, enjoyment, perceived progress, and motivation. In addition to these quantitative measurements, learners provided qualitative feedback at the end of each lesson. Data from 27 participants were sufficiently complete to be analysed. For the data analysis, participants were divided into two groups of high and low interest in programming and Java, then into two groups of high and low experience with computers and the Internet. Both group comparisons revealed statistically significant differences for the effect of choice. Having a choice of media experiences proved beneficial for learners with low experience but detrimental for learners with high experience or interest. These findings suggest that the effect of choice appears to be strongly influenced by the learner's background. It is hypothesised that encouraging a more active learner role in educational systems would expand the positive influence of choice to a wider range of learners. The study has contributed some weight to the argument that for certain groups of learners, it is more beneficial to view learning style as a flexible, rather than a stable construct. As a practical implication, it seems advisable to collect data on prior experience, interest, and the initial learning style distribution of the target audience before developing environments comparable to iWeaver. [See http://www.adaptive-learning.net/research/media.htm for media files associated with this thesis.]

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD
This study attempts to understand how distance education practices influence the learning of calculus. Understanding student learning in a distance education environment is an important factor to consider in improving the learning experiences of those students who for one reason or the other opt not to study in conventional institutions of higher education. On one hand, understanding student learning may illuminate the influences that the learning environment has on student learning and on the other hand, it may inform on how learning experiences can be improved. The aim of this study is to acquire a deeper understanding of the diverse manner in which distance students learn calculus. Specific focus is also placed on how the distance education context of the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) influences student learning. The study describes a group of students' experiences of learning calculus in the ZOU distance education environment. The study also describes the students' learning styles and relates these to their mathematical understanding of certain calculus concepts. The specific content topics of "limit of function" and "derivative of function" are used to view achievement and performance, thereby indicating the distance students' mathematical understanding. The information processing learning theory is used as the theoretical framework for this study. The constructs of learning styles and mathematical understanding are used to illuminate the student's learning processes. The study used the Felder-Silverman learning styles model and Hiebert and Carpenter's notion of mathematical understanding to expound these constructs. The distance education environment of the B.Sc. Mathematics and Statistics (BSMS) programme at the ZOU provided the context of the study and an interpretive case study approach was adopted. A group of students registered in a first year first semester calculus course were studied. Data were collected from students based in four ZOU regional centres; namely Harare, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West, and Masvingo. These regional centres were conveniently selected for the study on the basis of proximity and accessibility. A total sample of twenty six students was involved and data for the in-depth part of the study emanated from five students who were purposively selected to participate in interviews. The interviewees were selected on the basis of their performance in a written calculus test. Data for this study were collected through use of learning journals, learning styles preference questionnaires, calculus tests and interviews. The data on students' learning experiences were predominantly qualitative in nature though supported by some quantitative data. The data on learning styles and mathematical understanding were also qualitatively analysed and presented case by case for the five interviewees. The study established that in a distance education system, the type of learning environment has the potential to influence students' learning, both positively and negatively, of which the main contributing factor is the learning support system. The study found that the learning support system provided by the institution and distance educators can have an impact on student learning. With reference to the calculus course in the BSMS programme, the study identified specific aspects where the environment facilitated or deterred learning. The study also revealed that students have varied learning style preferences, and that the learning environment has the potential to impact on students' learning styles. Since learning styles occupy a central place when it comes to improving distance learning materials, the study further explored the relationship between the constructs of learning styles and mathematical understanding. The study revealed that students' learning styles can influence the students' mathematical understanding. Improving students' learning in a distance education environment rests mainly on improving the learning materials and the support systems. A carefully designed and well supported instructional distance learning package can facilitate learning. Implications of the findings point towards the improvement of the distance teaching processes through the improvement of learning materials and the learning support systems for the BSMS distance education programme.

Le 21ème siècle est considéré comme l’âge du numérique. Les TIC sont devenus des outils identitaires d’une génération désormais définie comme « native du numérique » (angl. digital natives). Equiper les établissements secondaires en matériels coûteux devient une nécessité pour faire face aux besoins nouveaux de la société. Les ressources numériques, qui ont complété puis évincé le manuel et ses périphériques traditionnels, demeurent un atout incontournable pour l’apprentissage d’une langue vivante étrangère, grâce à des contenus linguistiques et culturels le plus souvent authentiques, qui favorisent la mise en œuvre de l’approche actionnelle du Cadre Européen Commun de Référence pour les Langues. On peut néanmoins s’interroger sur la capacité du sujet apprenant à traiter cet input directement extrait d’Internet. La plus-value pédagogique présumée, didactique et motivationnelle, qui associée à ces outils technologiques ne saurait être acceptée sans un questionnement sincère sur les capacités cognitives effectives des apprenants ainsi que sur la réalité de leur engagement. L’accordage entre le sujet apprenant, les méthodes et méthodologies d’enseignement-apprentissage des langues, ainsi que les dispositifs numériques doivent être explorés. Il est nécessaire aujourd’hui de se situer dans un paradigme cognitiviste ou encore connexioniste en envisageant une construction de l’information et l’exposition des apprenants à un environnement stimulant et riche. En effet, en dépit de l’attractivité, de la non-linéarité et de l’interactivité de l’hypermédia, il convient de vérifier que l’apprenant possède bien les ressources cognitives nécessaires pour traiter efficacement l’information issue de l’hypertexte. Car l’enjeu du traitement de l’information ne se situe pas simplement au niveau de l’extraction d’input mais bien de la construction sémantique au sein de la mémoire de travail. Notre réflexion théorique fait donc entrer en dialogue des disciplines telles que la linguistique, la psycholinguistique, la didactique, les sciences cognitives. Elle fait également un état des lieux des différents outils numériques, afin de vérifier la compatibilité entre l’enseignement-apprentissage des langues étrangères et la technologie. Notre posture d’enseignant de terrain nous amène à considérer le numérique comme un facteur de motivation engageant fortement les usagers dans l’apprentissage de la langue étrangère. Cela d’autant plus que le public participant à notre étude est généralement peu motivé pour l’apprentissage des langues étrangères. La mise à disposition à des fins pédagogiques de tablettes tactiles, assimilables à des consoles de jeu, est-elle susceptible de les impliquer davantage et de modifier leur représentation de la langue cible? Pour répondre à cette question, nous menons deux expérimentations. Dans un premier temps, nous réalisons un pré-test permettant d’élaborer des hypothèses sur l’engagement cognitif des apprenants dans un environnement numérique. Nous observons l’usage réel et situé de tablettes numériques censées susciter la motivation par leur caractère ludique. Nous examinons également la posture des apprenants et leur capacité à exploiter l’information. A ce stade, la démarche conserve un caractère intuitif et les pratiques observées ne sont pas strictement encadrées. C’est pourquoi, dans un deuxième temps, nous procédons à une expérimentation plus structurée, en meilleure adéquation avec les critères de la recherche-action en langues vivantes étrangères. Nous en détaillons et en analysons les résultats
The 21st century is commonly known as the “digital age”. Information technology has become a defining component of a new generation of learners, the so-called “digital natives”. Massive investment in digital learning equipment for schools has become a priority to meet the rising demands of society. Digital technologies, initially intended to supplement traditional course book instruction are fast replacing printed books altogether. Instant access to (mostly) authentic language material is a definite asset for developing linguistic skills and implementing the action-based approach prescribed by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. However, learner ability does not necessarily match all requirements for processing input from the Internet. Educators who believe in the added value of information technology in language pedagogy should therefore consider more carefully the actual cognitive capacities and cognitive engagement shown by learners when exposed to rich stimulus. For digital devices to become efficient pedagogical tools in language pedagogy, learner ability, teaching strategies, and technological implements must be mutually adjusted and integrated within a consistent framework. Although hypermedia is attractive, non-linear and interactive, it is essential to verify that learners do possess the skills and efficiency to process the information obtained from hypertext documents. Information processing is indeed a major challenge since it involves not only searching and retrieving relevant pieces of information, but requires some cognitive processing—a semantic construction within working memory. The perspective adopted here is thus multidisciplinary, with multiple references to linguistics, education, psycholinguistics, and cognitive science. Also needed are an overview of the various digital devices available and an assessment of their true relevance to language pedagogy. As a professional EFL teacher working in a vocational school, I consider digital technologies to be precious in motivating and engaging learners. The secondary school students involved in the current research study usually show little concern for language learning in the first place. The practical issue can thus be framed as “How can the use of tablets engage them as learners and favourably alter their conceptions of the second language?” To answer this question, a pre-test is set up to form preliminary hypotheses on degrees of cognitive engagement in the language classroom whenever digital devices are put to pedagogical use. The concrete, situated use of tablets is observed, their playful nature and expected contribution to motivation assessed. Learning attitudes and the ability to process information are subject to close scrutiny. At this preliminary stage, methods remain largely intuitive, and the activities or learning processes not strictly characterized. A more structured experiment setup must thus be created, based on more established criteria of action-research, the details and results of which are analysed in this dissertation

There are two important trends in organizations today: 1) the increasing use of teams and 2) the increasing diversity in the workforce. The literature is in tune with these organizational trends, evidenced by a dramatic increase in research on team performance and the effects of diversity. However, there are still contradictory findings of the effects of team diversity on team processes and outcomes. To shed light on these inconsistencies, the cognitive construct of team mental model is introduced as a mediator of the relationship between team cognitive diversity and team performance. Team mental model is an emergent cognitive state that represents team members' organized understanding of their task environment (e.g., Klimoski&Mohammed, 1994) and has been shown to improve team performance (e.g., Edwards, Day, Arthur,&Bell, 2006; Mathieu, Heffner, Goodwin, Salas,&Cannon-Bowers, 2000). Specifically, with a sample of 94 student teams I investigated how team cognitive diversity affects team mental model similarity and accuracy, and through them, team performance. In addition, I examined team information processing mechanisms as moderators of the relationships between team cognitive diversity and team mental model similarity and accuracy. The results suggest that cognition at the team level plays an important role in the effective functioning of decision making teams. Specifically, the combination of team mental model similarity and accuracy predicts levels of team performance and information integration is an important moderator linking cognitive style diversity to task mental models, team processes, and team performance. The research model developed and tested seeks to advance understanding of the "black box" linking team diversity to team outcomes (Lawrence, 1997) and to provide guidance to managers leading cognitively diverse teams.

The purpose of this study was to examine the means of scores on three forms of a standardized reading comprehension test taken by community college students in developmental reading classes. The three forms of the test were administered as a timed multiple-choice test, a constructed response test, and an un-timed multiple-choice test. Scores on the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) were used to classify the students who participated in the study as having field dependent (LOW GEFT), mid-field dependent/independent (MID GEFT), or field independent (HIGH GEFT) tendencies. The paired samples test was used to analyze the scores among the students classified as LOW GEFT, MID GEFT, and HIGH GEFT for mean differences in scores on the three test formats. The data revealed that for LOW GEFT students, the format of the test impacted their scores, with the mean of the scores of the un-timed multiple-choice test being significantly higher than the timed multiple-choice test and the constructed response format. The data also showed that for the MID GEFT students the mean of the scores for the un-timed multiple-choice test was significantly higher than the means for the timed multiple-choice test scores and the constructed response test scores. However, no significant mean difference was found between the timed multiple-choice test scores and the constructed response test scores. For the HIGH GEFT students, significant mean difference existed only between the un-timed multiple-choice and the timed multiple- choice scores. The means of reading comprehension test scores on the three formats between the LOW GEFT, MID GEFT, and HIGH GEFT students indicated significant mean difference between the timed multiple choice test scores but not between the means of the scores for the constructed response and the un-timed multiple-choice test scores. Demographically, when the means of the reading test scores were analyzed with ethnicity as the controlling variable, the Hispanic students had a significantly higher mean on the scores for the constructed response test format. No other significant mean differences were found between the scores of the African American, Caucasian, Hispanic, or Native American students. When the means of the reading test scores were analyzed with gender as the controlling variable, no significant mean difference was found between the reading comprehension scores of the men and women. This study indicated that cognitive style had more impact on students' performance on a standardized test of reading comprehension than did ethnicity or gender. The un-timed multiple-choice format also had an equalizing effect on the means of the scores for these students.
Ed.D.
Department of Graduate Studies and Research
Education
Graduate Studies and Research

Due to the transformation of different recommendation system from contentbased to hybrid cross-domain-based, there is an urge to prepare a socialnetwork dataset which will provide sufficient data as well as detail-level annotation from a predefined hierarchical clothing category and attribute based vocabulary by considering user interactions. However, existing fashionbased datasets lack either in hierarchical-category based representation or user interactions of social network. The thesis intends to represent two datasets- one from photo-sharing platform Instagram which gathers fashionistas images with all possible user-interactions and another from online-shop Zalando with every cloths detail. We present a design of a customized crawler that enables the user to crawl data based on category or attributes. Moreover, an efficient and collaborative web-solution is designed and implemented to facilitate large-scale hierarchical category-based detaillevel annotation of Instagram data. By considering all user-interactions, the developed solution provides a detail-level annotation facility that reflects the user’s preference. The web-solution is evaluated by the team as well as the Amazon Turk Service. The annotated output from different users proofs the usability of the web-solution in terms of availability and clarity. In addition to data crawling and annotation web-solution development, this project analyzes the Instagram and Zalando data distribution in terms of cloth category, subcategory and pattern to provide meaningful insight over data. Researcher community will benefit by using these datasets if they intend to work on a rich annotated dataset that represents social network and resembles in-detail cloth information.
Med tanke på trenden inom forskning av rekommendationssystem, där allt fler rekommendationssystem blir hybrida och designade för flera domäner, så finns det ett behov att framställa en datamängd från sociala medier som innehåller detaljerad information om klädkategorier, klädattribut, samt användarinteraktioner. Nuvarande datasets med inriktning mot mode saknar antingen en hierarkisk kategoristruktur eller information om användarinteraktion från sociala nätverk. Detta projekt har syftet att ta fram två dataset, ett dataset som insamlats från fotodelningsplattformen Instagram, som innehåller foton, text och användarinteraktioner från fashionistas, samt ett dataset som insamlats från klädutbutdet som ges av onlinebutiken Zalando. Vi presenterar designen av en webbcrawler som är anpassad för att kunna hämta data från de nämnda domänerna och är optimiserad för mode och klädattribut. Vi presenterar även en effektiv webblösning som är designad och implementerad för att möjliggöra annotering av stora mängder data från Instagram med väldigt detaljerad information om kläder. Genom att vi inkluderar användarinteraktioner i applikationen så kan vår webblösning ge användaranpassad annotering av data. Webblösningen har utvärderats av utvecklarna samt genom AmazonTurk tjänsten. Den annoterade datan från olika användare demonstrerar användarvänligheten av webblösningen. Utöver insamling av data och utveckling av ett system för webb-baserad annotering av data så har datadistributionerna i två modedomäner, Instagram och Zalando, analyserats. Datadistributionerna analyserades utifrån klädkategorier och med syftet att ge datainsikter. Forskning inom detta område kan dra nytta av våra resultat och våra datasets. Specifikt så kan våra datasets användas i domäner som kräver information om detaljerad klädinformation och användarinteraktioner.

碩士
國立臺南大學
數位學習科技學系碩博士班
105
With the rise of the information explosion era, it was made difficult for us to keep up with the huge amount of information teeming in our life. However, infographic is able to integrate and simplify that myriads of information. Thus, the study aims to create a visual diet system with the use of infographic that showcases diet-related information in order to facilitate students’ understanding on their own diets and nutrition knowledge. Taking into consideration that cognitive preference and learning ability might differ among students, the study investigates how learners with two different learning styles - reading style and visual style – process the diet information that is either presented in graphic manner or reading manner through the diet management system. The study indicates that infographic platform can facilitate how the students learn the information better than pure reading one. Despite the fact that there are no significant differences for students between reading and visual learning style, through two-way analysis of variance on the interaction between different learning styles and different cognitive preferences, it was found that the system that fits students learning preference can generate better learning effect, improvement on their nutrient absorption and their willingness to use the system. In summary, it was proved that infographic can be used as a learning tool for obtaining nutrition knowledge. In the future, the system and the way the material is presented will be adjusted based on users of all ages and different groups, e.g. health class on nutrition education and patient’s diet control, and a more dynamic infographic design that is more eye-catching and more engaging for the users.

碩士
淡江大學
教育科技學系碩士班
98
The main purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics and preferences of learners with different learning styles, how plentifully flexible specialty multimedia display in digital materials, and to probe into the correlation between the study style and the display of multimedia. In this study, the learners are measured the learning styles and prior knowledge to understand the distribution of learner’s learning style and to exclude the learners who have the prior knowledge, then choose the learners by purposive sampling Felder-Silverman''s learning styles among the "Visual" and "Verbal" target, totally 46 learners join the experiments. Two multimedia teaching materials for the "linear multimedia teaching material" and "non-linear multimedia teaching materials" were designed to understand if the "Learning Understanding," the "Sequential" and "Global" learners that use learning materials which are consistent with their thinking are more conducive to their learning. The content of the learning materials is about “Lyme disease”, which is a rare disease in Taiwan. There are six main units is the course: the Symptoms, Causes, Tick borne co-infections, Prevention, Treatment, and History. Each unit was designed according to Clark and Mayer''s multimedia principles presentation, “Contiguity Principle”, “Modality Principle”, and “Coherence Principle”. The “Symptoms” unit is in accordance with the Contiguity Principle, the “Cause” unit is not in accordance with the Contiguity Principle, the “Tick borne co-infections” unit is to follow the Modality Principle, the “Prevention” unit is not in accordance with the Modality Principle, the “Treatment” unit is in accordance with the Coherence Principle, and the "History" unit is not in accordance with the Coherence Principle. After the course, the learners have to do the learning effectiveness and learning satisfaction test, and use the feedback to understand the effect of this material and learners’ satisfaction for this material. The results shows: 1. Learners in the learning style of the sensory clearly tendency for the "Visual." 2. The learners learning performances don’t have significant effects between "Linear steps multimedia teaching materials" and "multimedia teaching materials were not linked". 3. Visual and Verbal type of learners who use non-follow Contiguity Principle their learning performances are higher than others. 4. Visual and Verbal learners to non-follow the form of Modality Principle in accordance with Modality Principle than the high. 5. Visual and Verbal learners to non-follow Coherence Principle than in accordance with Coherence Principle of the high.

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2000. Graduate Programme in Psychology.
Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-67). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ67737.

博士
國立中山大學
企業管理學系研究所
95
The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of different types of web page design on browsers'' attitudes, figure out if the information processing styles play the moderating roles, and examine the relationship between attitude towards the web page and visit intention. Three web pages are designed specially for this research. They are created in different types, words only, pictures only, and combination of words and pictures. Respondents are undergraduate students, and answer questionnaires online. SPSS 14 is used to perform statistical analyses. Principal findings are summarized as follows. First, there is no significant difference between high and low NFC individuals about attitude towards the web page when the tourism web page presents in words (all-verbal) design. However, when the web page is only composed of pictures without any written description, NFC individuals, without respect to high or low NFC, show much lower level of attitude towards the web page and no differences appear between them. Second, the statistical analysis shows a higher level of attitude towards the web page is associated to high PFA individuals, compared with low PFA individuals, when the tourism web page presents in pictures (all-visual) design. When the tourism web page presents in words design, high and low PFA individuals show much lower level of attitude towards the web page and no differences appear between them. Third, we find that individuals with high NFC and high PFA are significantly different from the other groups when the tourism web page presents in combination (words and pictures) design. They show higher level of attitude towards the web page, compared with the other processor groups. Lastly, result shows that there is a positive correlation between attitude towards the web page and visit intention. Attitude towards the web page has a significant impact on visit intention, namely, higher level of Awp, then higher level of VI.

The objective of this project was to test the efficacy of using Extensible Markup Language (XML) - in particular the DocBook 5.0b5 schema - and Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT) to render electronic courseware that can be dynamically re-formatted according to a student’s individual learning style. The text of a typical lesson was marked up in XML according to the DocBook schema, and several XSLT stylesheets were created to transform the XML document into different versions, each according to particular learning needs. These learning needs were drawn from the Felder-Silverman learning style model. The notes had links to trigger JavaScript functions that allowed the student to reformat the notes to produce different views of the lesson. The dynamic notes were tested on twelve users who filled out a feedback questionnaire. Feedback was largely positive. It suggested that users were able to navigate according to their learning style. There were some usability issues caused by lack of compatibility of the program with some browsers. However, the user test is not the most critical part of the evaluation. It served to confirm that the notes were usable, but the analysis of the use of XSLT and DocBook is the key aspect of this project. It was found that XML, and in particular the DocBook schema, was a useful tool in these circumstances, being easy to learn, well supported and having the appropriate structure for a project of this type. The use of XSLT on the other hand was not so straightforward. Learning a declarative language was a challenge, as was using XSLT to transform the notes as necessary for this project. A particular problem was the need to move content from one area of the document to another - to hide it in some cases and reveal it in others. The solution was not straightforward to achieve using XSLT, and does not take proper advantage of the strengths of this technology. The fact that the XSLT processor uses the DOM API, which necessitates the loading of the entire XML document into memory, is particularly problematic in this instance where the document is constantly transformed and re-transformed. The manner in which stylesheets are assigned, as well as the need to use DOM objects to edit the source tree, necessitated the use of JavaScript to create the necessary usability. These mechanisms introduced a limitation in terms of compatibility with browsers and caused the program to freeze on older machines. The problems with browser compatibility and the synchronous loading of data are not insurmountable, and can be overcome with the appropriate use of JavaScript and the use of asynchronous data retrieval as is made possible by the use of AJAX.

The general purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between cognitive styles and personality types in order to gain insight into the placement of leaders within the context of current and future organisational demands. The study was conducted among 123 managers within the information technology environment of a South African financial institution. Data was collected by means of the Cognitive Process Profile (CPP) and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Supporting evidence, although not sufficient, indicates a probable relationship between cognitive styles and personality types. The assumption can therefore be made that the relationship between cognitive styles and personality types will be more pronounced among a more geographically distributed sample group which includes sufficient diverse respondents regarding the different cognitive styles and personality types.
Industrial and Organisational Psychology
MCOM (Industrial Psychology)

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Commerce,
Logistics is a management discipline that has been spoken about for years and is yet to deliver the full potential that it purports to bring about. Excellence in logistics has been identified as one of the major challenges that products related organisations currently face to ensure continued success in an increasingly competitive, global market. One of the key enablers to integration is the effective application of information technology. Most managers easily accept this as fact but few are clear in describing how this can be achieved. Two prime works used as reference for this research are Bowersox's research into logistics, providing a reference framework on the role of logistics in organisations, and Cilliers's study of logistics at ISO South African companies, providing a South African reference point, It is the combination of the Bowersox attributes and the Cilliers qualified sample of South African companies that provides the basis for an exciting research initiative establishing the role of information technology in achieving logistics excellence in South Africa Both successful and less successful organisations were measured against a set of attributes to determine which were most crucial in achieving logistics excellence: It is clear from the survey that logistics excellent companies have a marked difference in their approach to information teclmology as compared to those who are not logistics excellent. This is mapped out in the paper in some detail and some of the detailed responses may be somewhat of a surprise to the reader as they challenge conventional wisdom. The results of the survey were encapsulated into a simple model. This should act as a quick reference to IT professionals seeking to playa leading role in driving their company towards logistics excellence. Information technology plays a vital role in achieving logistics excellence. This paper provides some insight into the factors that are critical in achieving this goal.
Andrew Chakane 2018

Academic performance of first year university students in the international arena as well as locally, has been a point of concern for all stakeholders because of high dropout rates and failure. Although many explanations for this have been offered and accepted, all have located the problem external to the individual. This study examined the interplay between interpersonal and intrapersonal factors on academic performance of first year university students in South Africa. A sociocognitive perspective was employed by an investigation of student identity processing styles as a means to explain academic performance. A mixed sample of 419 first year psychology students at a South African university was randomly chosen. Berzonsky’s Identity Style Inventory (ISI3) was used to categorise students’ identity processing styles which was then correlated to students’ mid-year examination results. Although similar research was conducted overseas, the findings of the present study did not match previous results. Unlike any other known study the correlation between normative processing style and academic performance of first year university students was statistically significant but was negative. There was significant difference only between informational and normative identity processing styles on academic performance and between informational and diffuse-avoidant processing styles on academic performance. It was found in this study that culture and race played a role in student identity processing styles and in turn influenced student academic performance in the first year of university. A discussion of results, educational implications of findings, limitations of the study and recommendations for future research are included at the end of this study.

碩士
國立成功大學
創意產業設計研究所
102
This thesis studies the impact of one’s wholistic – analytical cognitive style preference on the performance of processing user interfaces. The author analyzes existing literature on cognitive styles and cultural dimensions and the connection between the two fields. This is put in relation with practices for internationalizing user interface design. One hypothesis of the thesis is that the wholistic thinkers will be faster at processing a user interface structures that are organized according to user interface structure and properties associated with wholistic thinking. Second hypothesis is complementary and posits that analytical thinkers are significantly faster at processing information organized according to user interface structure and properties associated with analytical thinking compared to wholistic thinkers. The hypotheses were tested in an experiment on a sample of subjects through a series of cognitive tests performed on a set of information structures and compared to the results of the ECSA-WA/VICS test. In the end, no significant correlation between the proposed structures and the wholistic – analytical cognitive style preference was found. This is attributed not only to the measured phenomenon but also the test software and other variables which are further analyzed in the last two chapters. Finally, the author proposes to further improve the test reliability of ECSA-WA/VICS software suite and to test the proposed information structures using other wholistic – analytical cognitive style theories.

This study investigated the interaction between test feedback style (interactive and delivered) and a client’s information processing style (experiential and rational) based on Cognitive Experiential Self-Theory (CEST) with a sample comprised of 39 clients from a university outpatient clinic and a community outpatient clinic in a midsized, midwestern city. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: interactive test feedback, delivered test feedback, and examiner attention control group. Participants attended three sessions (initial session, feedback session, follow-up session) with a doctoral-level examiner. Participants in the two experimental groups (interactive and delivered feedback) received test feedback on their MMPI-2 profiles based on their assigned feedback condition while participants in the control group were not provided with feedback until after the conclusion of the study. The instruments assessing client response to treatment over time consisted of process-oriented (client’s perception of counselor and session) and outcome-oriented (symptomatology and self-esteem) measures. The results of two MANCOVAs (one for process and one for outcome variables) found no difference between participants who received test feedback and the control group. Partial support was found for the attribute by treatment interactions. There was some support for the matching effect of experiential information processing and interactive test feedback. This interaction was significant for self-esteem; individuals with higher levels of experiential information processing who received interactive feedback reported higher levels of self-esteem over time than those participants receiving delivered feedback or examiner attention only. The interaction of experiential information processing and treatment group was also significant for symptomatic distress; however, this interaction was opposite to the hypothesized direction. A matching effect for rational information processing and delivered test feedback was not supported. Finally, the three-way interaction of test feedback style, information processing style, and time was not significant for the process- or outcome-oriented benefits. The current study is one of the first studies to examine personality feedback with a community outpatient population. The lack of support for the benefits of personality feedback is noteworthy. In part, the results may be explained by low statistical power. Further examination of beta weights and directions of effects, however, suggest that even with a larger sample support for the benefits of personality feedback may not be found. These findings suggest caution should be exercised in generalizing previous results to a more severely impaired community population. Other limitations are discussed and implication for theory, research, and practice are provided.
Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
Healthcare data visualization presents challenges due to its non-standard organizational structure and disparate record formats. Epidemiologists and clinicians currently lack the tools to discern patterns in large-scale data that would reveal valuable healthcare information at the granular level of individual patients and populations. Integrating geospatial and temporal healthcare data within a common visual context provides a twofold benefit: it allows clinicians to synthesize large-scale healthcare data to provide a context for local patient care decisions, and it better informs epidemiologists in making public health recommendations. Advanced implementations of the Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG), HyperText Markup Language version 5 (HTML5), and Cascading Style Sheets version 3 (CSS3) specifications in the latest versions of most major Web browsers brought hardware-accelerated graphics to the Web and opened the door for more intricate and interactive visualization techniques than have previously been possible. We developed a series of new geotemporal visualization techniques under a general healthcare data visualization framework in order to provide a real-time dashboard for analysis and exploration of complex healthcare data. This visualization framework, HealthTerrain, is a concept space constructed using text and data mining techniques, extracted concepts, and attributes associated with geographical locations. HealthTerrain's association graph serves two purposes. First, it is a powerful interactive visualization of the relationships among concept terms, allowing users to explore the concept space, discover correlations, and generate novel hypotheses. Second, it functions as a user interface, allowing selection of concept terms for further visual analysis. In addition to the association graph, concept terms can be compared across time and location using several new visualization techniques. A spatial-temporal choropleth map projection embeds rich textures to generate an integrated, two-dimensional visualization. Its key feature is a new offset contour method to visualize multidimensional and time-series data associated with different geographical regions. Additionally, a ring graph reveals patterns at the fine granularity of patient occurrences using a new radial coordinate-based time-series visualization technique.