Academic literature on the topic 'Objectification of evaluation'

Given the limitations of existing measures of self-objectification, the purpose of the two studies presented in this article was to develop and validate a new measure of self-objectification, the Self-Objectification Beliefs and Behaviors Scale (SOBBS). In Study 1, a total of 654 women completed an online questionnaire including a pool of items designed to measure self-objectification. The item pool was constructed through focus groups and consultation with subject matter experts. Participants also completed existing measures of self-objectification and related constructs. A subset of participants completed the item pool at a 2-week interval to allow for assessment of test–retest reliability. A 14-item, two-factor measure of self-objectification was derived through exploratory factor analysis. Data provided evidence for the SOBBS’s internal consistency and test–retest reliability as well as its convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity via its relations with interpersonal sexual objectification, body image, disordered eating, and depression. In Study 2, the factor structure of the SOBBS was reevaluated using confirmatory factor analysis and validity was again evaluated; SOBBS scores correlated with public body consciousness, private and public self-consciousness, self-esteem, and sexual functioning. We discuss implications for assessment of self-objectification as part of efforts in prevention and treatment of body image and eating disturbances. We hope the development of a new measure of self-objectification prompts further study of the topic and that increased knowledge about self-objectification allows clinicians and researchers to develop interventions that foster greater resilience against sexual objectification.

The specific narrative feature of ‘evaluation’, as described by Labov and Waletzky (1967/97), is not a discrete and secondary structure, but rather is embedded in the continuous acts of description that constitute a story, as well in the second-order evaluations provided by reported speech. Making use of Bakhtin’s (1984) concepts of polyphony and dialogism and recent work on ‘active voicing’, it is argued that (a) evaluation is a continuous and constantly shifting process within the narrative encounter; and (b) within this process, polyphony becomes a means towards the objectification of personal experience. Narratives are not the static discourses of literary theory and structuralist analysis, but dialogically evolving episodes of interaction, in which evaluations are frequently co-constructed between speaker and listener. (Narrative, Evaluation, Polyphony, Dialogic, Co-constructed, Objectification)

Using objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997), this study tested the interaction between self-objectification, appearance evaluation, and self-esteem in predicting body satisfaction and mood states. Participants (N = 93) were physically active female university students. State self-objectification was manipulated by participants wearing tight revealing exercise attire (experimental condition) or baggy exercise clothes (control condition). Significant interactions emerged predicting depression, anger, fatness, and satisfaction with body shape and size. For participants in the self-objectification condition who had low (as opposed to high) appearance evaluation, low self-esteem was associated with high depression, anger, and fatness and low satisfaction with body shape and size. In contrast, for participants with high self-esteem, these mood and body satisfaction states were more favorable irrespective of their levels of appearance evaluation. For female exercisers, self-esteem-enhancing strategies may protect against some of the negative outcomes of self-objectification.

This study reports on the development and psychometric evaluation of the Interpersonal Sexual Objectification Scale (ISOS). Data from 576 college women were collected in three studies. Exploratory factor analysis uncovered two factors: Body Evaluation and Unwanted Explicit Sexual Advances; confirmatory factor analysis supported this factor structure. ISOS scores were internally consistent and stable over a 3-week period. Supporting its construct validity, ISOS scores were (a) strongly related to sexist degradation; (b) slightly to moderately related to other sexist events, self-objectification (i.e., body surveillance and internalization of the thin-ideal), and body shame; and (c) unrelated to socially desirable responding. The relationship between ISOS scores and body shame was fully mediated by self-objectification, providing additional evidence for its construct validity. Furthermore, the ISOS garnered incremental validity, as it predicted self-objectification above and beyond the variance accounted for by sexist events.

The article discusses the problem of quality evaluation. Evaluation is a response to the desire for unequivocal evaluations and comparisons, and ultimately, objectification of project value and quality. Transition to the ‘measurable’ world forces the contractor’s need to become aware of the factors conditioning the value and the quality of project processes and outcomes and the need for their comprehensive and coherent validation.

Objectification has been found to have negative consequences on how women are perceived by others. However in an even more sexualized world being a sexual object has become a standard of physical attractiveness for women and objectification could foster a positive evaluation increasing attractiveness. Although Objectification Theory was originally grounded in women?s experiences, some research points to the promise of Objectification Theory for understanding men?s experiences as well. The aim of the paper was investigating the effects of objectification on gender stereotypes and perceived attractiveness. Two experimental studies were conducted. Study 1 (N=139) investigated the effects of objectification on female targets. Study 2 (N=146) investigated the effects on male targets. In both studies three dependent variables were considered: communality, agency, and attractiveness. Results of Study 1 revealed that objectified women were considered less communal and more attractive. Moreover, men perceived objectified women less agentic than the non-objectified ones, whereas women showed the opposite perception. Concerning men, objectification has a limited impact, as it interacted with participants? gender only on communality: men considered objectified males more communal than the non-objectified ones, while women revealed the opposite perception.

Sexual objectification as a form of sexist discrimination accounts for the higher prevalence of psychological problems among women. More specifically, sexual objectification manifests itself in different ways with different intensities, in turn affecting women’s psychological well-being differently. On one hand, experiences of body evaluation are more subtle and work by perpetuating sexist attitudes among women themselves. On the other hand, more explicit forms of sexual objectification (unwanted explicit sexual advances) are linked to higher levels of anxiety and lower levels of self-esteem. The first study, on a sample of 343 Spanish women, aims to analyze the consequences of different forms of sexual objectification on women’s psychological well-being and the effect of sexism and enjoyment of objectification on these consequences. The second study, on a sample of 144 Spanish women, focuses on analyzing the ideological variables that have an effect on response to acts of sexist discrimination. Both studies reveal the significance of the more subtle experiences of sexual objectification as a mechanism that plays a part in keeping women in a subordinate position, where they end up feeling that this process is positive or pleasing.

AbstractDocimology is based on knowledge from the field of psychology and pedagogy. There are several functions of the didactic evaluation, related to their social and personal relevance. The interpretive evaluation involves a degree of subjectivism which, however, can be diminished by experience, patience and permanent self-control. The proposed evaluation methods will be applied simultaneously, with the objectification of the relevance of each one and with maximum sense of responsibility on the part of the evaluator.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2007.
"Department of Psychology." Keywords: Men, Masculinity, Attitudes toward women, Sexual Objectification Scale, Psychometric Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-113). Also available online.

Thesis (Honors)--Ohio State University, 2005.
Title from first page of PDF file. Document formattted into pages: contains 43 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 22-25). Available online via Ohio State University's Knowledge Bank.

U.S. sociocultural expectations regarding women's bodies have been linked with women's psychological distress. In an effort to reveal the transformative ways in which women may be subverting systems of oppression, the current study surrounds development and validation of a quantitative measurement tool centered on resistance to sociocultural beauty ideals and physical standards of appearance. Theoretical reviews, focus group interviews (n =33), and expert feedback formed the basis for item development and modification. An initial pilot sample (n = 169) offered data for initial examination of reliability, while a subsequent validation sample (n = 342) provided data for investigation of factor structure as well as evaluation of reliability and validity performance. A final 63-item Resistance to Sociocultural Appearance Standards (RSAS) Scale was developed. Exploratory factor analytic findings suggested a 3-factor solution represented the data well. Good reliability and mixed evidence for validity of the overall scale and individual subscales derived from the factor analysis were demonstrated. Strengths and limitations as well as directions for future research are discussed.

Researchers have traditionally used two measures of self-objectification, the Self-Objectification Questionnaire (Noll & Fredrickson, 1998) and the Objectified Body Consciousness Body Surveillance subscale (McKinley & Hyde, 1996), to demonstrate that self-objectification is related to body shame and dissatisfaction, appearance anxiety, decreased awareness of internal states, decreased flow experiences, disordered eating, depression and sexual dysfunction. Although the SOQ and OBC have been used widely, they also have several limitations, including problems with missing data, lack of generalizability, and concerns about content validity. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a new measure of self-objectification called the Self-Objectification Beliefs and Behaviors Scale (SOBBS). Male and female college students (473 women and 202 men) completed an online questionnaire including a pool of items designed to measure self-objectification. The item pool was constructed through focus groups and consultation with subject matter experts. Participants also completed two existing measures of self-objectification and related constructs (i.e., interpersonal sexual objectification, body image, disordered eating behavior, depressive symptoms, and sexual functioning), and a subset of participants completed the new measure at a two-week interval. A 12-item, 2-factor measure of self-objectification was derived through exploratory factor analysis. Overall, the newly developed measure demonstrated excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Data also supported the convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity of the scale as a measure of self-objectification for women and men. Implications for research in the area of self-objectification and for the prevention and treatment of eating disorders will be discussed.
Ph.D.
Doctorate
Psychology
Sciences
Psychology; Clinical Psychology

As technology progresses, we become surrounded with an ever increasing number of devices. Information can now be persistently represented beyond a single screen and a single session. In the educational context, we see a rapid adoption of the panoply of devices, but often without any careful thought. Devices in isolation are unlikely to enable effective learning. This research explores how devices function in technological display and device ecologies or ecosystems to support human thinking, learning and sensemaking. Based on the theories of Vygotsky's sign mediation triangle, we contribute a method that may allow one to evaluate how technology configurations support (or hinder) students' thinking. Our method proposes the concept of objectification as a way to identify the potential or opportunity for learning in technology ecologies. The significance of such an evaluation methodology is considerable, given the nascent field of sensemaking and the lack of consensus on evaluation in such contexts: our research advances a principled approach by which device ecologies can be examined for their potential to provide 'learning experiences', and enables one to articulate affordances for the design of technological spatial environments that can help to support higher thought. Our contribution thus is in terms of methodology, theory, evaluation and the design of technology ecologies.
Master of Science

The first aim of this study was to develop a research based, integrated, secondary prevention programme, called the Weight Over-concern and Well-being (WOW) programme, for the reduction of Subclinical Eating Disorder (SED) symptoms, associated traits and negative mood states, and the promotion of psychological well-being (PWB) in female students. Consequently the second aim was to determine the effectiveness of the WOW-programme on its own, in comparison with a combined Tomatis Method of sound stimulation (Tomatis, 1990) and WOW-programme, regarding the reduction of SED-symptoms, associated traits and negative mood states; the promotion of PWB; and outcome maintenance. The last aim was to obtain a deeper understanding and "insiders' perspective" of the lived experience of SED, through an interpretative phenomenological inquiry (Smith & Osborn, 2003). The motivation for the current study is a need for research based, integrated, risk-protective, secondary prevention programmes from a social-developmental perspective for female university students (Garner, 2004; Phelps, Sapia, Nathanson & Nelson, 2000; Polivy & Herman, 2002), given their risk status (Edwards & Moldan, 2004; Senekal, Steyn, Mashego & Nel, 2001; Wassenaar, Le Grange, Winship & Lachenicht, 2000). Concurrently in-depth descriptions from an "insiders' perspective" on the lived experience of SED are non-existent and require interpretative phenomenological study (Brocki & Wearden, 2006). Consequently this thesis consists of three articles, namely: (i) Development of a secondary prevention programme for female university students with Subclinical Eating Disorder, (ii) A secondary prevention programme for female students with Subclinical Eating Disorder: a comparative evaluation; and (iii) Lived experiences of Subclinical Eating Disorder: female students' perceptions. The research context comprised Subclinical Eating Disorder, secondary prevention and Positive Psychology. The first article, Development of a secondary prevention programme for female university students with Subclinical Eating Disorder (Kirsten, Du Plessis & Du Toit, 2007a), is qualitative in nature, and narrates a process of participatory action research followed to develop the WOW-programme. This social process of knowledge construction, embedded in Social Constructivist theory (Koch, Selim & Kralik, 2002), gradually revealed best clinical practice, and in retrospect, evolved over four phases. Phase One comprised experiential learning based on personal experiences with SED as undergraduate student and interaction with "participant researchers" as scientist practitioner (Strieker, 2002), resulting in a provisional risk model of intervention. Phase Two, a formal pilot study (Du Plessis, Vermeulen & Kirsten, 2004), afforded an evaluation of ideas generated in Phase One through a three-group pre-post-test design. Outcomes of Phase Two informed Phase Three, an integration of prior learning with Positive Psychology theory and clinical practice, resulting in a risk-protective model of prevention. Theoretical assumptions previously constructed were integrated and operationalised during Phase Four, into the final 9-session WOW-programme. In conclusion the process of knowledge construction was rigorous, despite the small overall sample size (n=28), since data saturation occurred within that sample. Although the multitude of aims involved in each session of the WOW-programme could be seen as unrealistic, in some direct or indirect way, they were addressed by means of relevant interventions due to the integrative approach. Thus future refinement is essential. Finally, despite aforementioned concerns, the WOW-programme proved to be robust on its own in reducing SED-symptoms and associated traits and enhancing PWB, as described in the second article of this thesis. The second article, A secondary prevention programme for female students with Subclinical Eating Disorder: a comparative evaluation (Kirsten, Du Plessis & Du Toit, 2007b), describes the outcomes of the WOW-programme on its own, evaluated comparatively with a combined Tomatis sound stimulation and WOW-programme. In this article the research aims were to determine: (i) whether participation in the combined sound stimulation and WOW-programme (Group 1); and (ii) participation in a WOW-programme only (Group 2), would lead to statistically significant reductions in SED-symptoms, psychological traits associated with eating disorders and negative mood states, and enhancement of PWB; (iii) whether results of Groups 1 and 2 would exceed results of a non-intervention control group (Group 3) practically significantly; and (iv) whether programme outcomes for Groups 1 and 2 would be retained at four-month follow-up evaluation. A mixed method design (Creswell, 2003; Morse, 2003) was used, including a three-group pre-post-test (n=45) and multiple case study (n=30) design. Various questionnaires measuring SED-symptoms, associated traits, negative mood states and PWB were completed. Qualitative data were obtained by means of metaphor drawings, letters to and from the "SED-problem", focus group interviews, the researchers' reflective field notes and individual semi-structured feedback questionnaires (Morse, 2003). Participation in Groups 1 and 2 proved effective, since decreases in SED-symptoms, associated traits, most negative mood states, and increases in PWB differed practically significantly from the results of Group 3. Outcomes for Groups 1 and 2 were maintained at four-month follow-up evaluation. Qualitative findings provided depth, support and trustworthiness to quantitative findings in light of the small sample size, and highlighted the value of using a mixed method design in prevention programming. It was concluded that the WOW-programme on its own, was an effective secondary prevention programme, since it led to reduced SED-symptoms, associated psychological traits and enhanced PWB, with retention of gains at four-months follow-up evaluation. The combined programme involving Tomatis stimulation and WOW-intervention proved to be even more effective, thus the complimentary role of Tomatis stimulation was demonstrated. However, the cost-effectiveness and comparative brevity of the WOW-programme rendered it the programme of choice regarding individuals with SED. Findings showed that conceptually, pathogenic and salutogenic perspectives can be successfully combined into a risk-protective model of secondary prevention. Lastly, the WOW-programme may even prove useful as an enrichment programme for female students in general. The third article, Lived experiences of Subclinical Eating Disorder: female students' perceptions (Kirsten, Du Plessis & Du Toit, 2007c), provides a qualitative, in-depth perspective on the lived experience of SED of 30 white, undergraduate females, purposively sampled. In this interpretative phenomenological, multiple case study (Brocki & Wearden, 2006), Groups 1 and 2 of the aforementioned primary study in the second article were used, since they fitted the criteria of "good informants" and were able to answer the research question (Morse, 2003). Further sampling was deemed unnecessary since data saturation occurred within their written and verbal responses and no negative cases were found. Rich individual qualitative data, further clarified through focus groups, emerged from graphic colour representations of lived SED, explanatory written records and "correspondence" with and from their "SED problem" (Gilligan, 2000; Loock, Myburgh, & Poggenpoel, 2003; White & Epston, 1990). Four main categories, characterised by serious intra-, interpersonal, existential and body image concerns were subdivided into seven subcategories, namely: Personal Brokenness, Personal Shame, Perceived Personal Inadequacy and Enslavement, Existential Vacuum, Perceived Social Pressure, Perceived Social Isolation and Body-image Dysfunction. Results were indicative of underestimation of SED-severity, its comprehensive detrimental impact on participants' PWB and high risk for escalation into full-blown eating disorders. It was concluded that the lived experiences of SED depicted the severity of SED-symptoms; descriptions resonated well with most of their pre-programme mean scores; and their risk status and need for contextually and developmentally relevant secondary prevention programmes were highlighted by the findings.
Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Test 3F is used to diagnose the extent of motor speech disorder – dysarthria for czech speakers. The evaluation of dysarthric speech is distorted by subjective assessment. The motivation behind this thesis is that there are not many automatic and objective analysis tools that can be used to evaluate phonation, articulation, prosody and respiration of speech disorder. The aim of this diploma thesis is to identify, implement and test acoustic features of speech that could be used to objectify and automate the evaluation. These features should be easily interpretable by the clinician. It is assumed that the evaluation could be more precise because of the detailed analysis that acoustic features provide. The performance of these features was tested on database of 151 czech speakers that consists of 51 healthy speakers and 100 patients. Statistical analysis and methods of machine learning were used to identify the correlation between features and subjective assesment. 27 of total 30 speech tasks of Test 3F were identified as suitable for automatic evaluation. Within the scope of this thesis only 10 tasks of Test 3F were tested because only a limited part of the database could be preprocessed. The result of statistical analysis is 14 features that were most useful for the test evaluation. The most significant features are: MET (respiration), relF0SD (intonation), relSEOVR (voice intensity – prosody). The lowest prediction error of the machine learning regression models was 7.14 %. The conclusion is that the evaluation of most of the tasks of Test 3F can be automated. The results of analysis of 10 tasks shows that the most significant factor in dysarthria evaluation is limited expiration, monotone voice and low variabilty of speech intensity.

This thesis is submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). This study developed an experimental small group teaching method in the Realistic Mathematics Education tradition for teaching fractions using models and contexts to year 7 children in Brunei (N=89) whose effectiveness was evaluated using a treatment-control design: the E1 group was given the experimental lessons, the E2 group who was given “normal” lessons taught by the experimenter, and a whole class (E3) group which acted as the control group. The experimental teaching was video recorded and subject to semiotic analysis, aiming to describe the objectifications that realized ‘learning of fractions’ by the groups.The research addresses two research questions:1. How effective was the experimental teaching in helping learners make sense of fractions, with respect to equivalence of fractions and flexibility of unitizing?2. What were the semiotic learning and teaching processes in the experimental group of the RME-like lessons? This study used a mixed method approach with a quasi-experimental design (QED) for the quantitative side, and a semiotic analysis for the qualitative side. Quantitatively, the experimental teachings proved to be relatively effective with an effect size of 0.6 from the pre- to the delayed post-teaching test, compared to the E2 and the control groups.The basic findings pertaining to the semiotic analyses were:a. The mediation of the production of fractions in terms of length, from the production of fractions in terms of the number of parts which led to equivalence of fractions;b. The use of language and gesture help to objectify the equivalence of fractions and the flexibility of unitizing–in some case it involved gesturing to the self;c. The role of the Hour-Foot clock (HFC) as a model in a realistic context; andd. The complexity of the required chains of objectifications reflects the difficulties of the topic.

Objectification is a recurrent criticism of psychiatry. But what is it more precisely? In the absence of a general theory, this chapter draws on various strands in the history of ideas, including Marxism and feminism, to distil key features. Central to objectification is the disregard for subjectivity and the reduction of persons to bodies. These elements also characterize biological psychiatry. Neurobiological explanations of disorders are to some degree inherently insensitive for the mental, as they presuppose the ‘real’ problem lies at the neurobiological level. Neurointerventions fall short of engaging with the subjectivity of recipients through a second-person stance. Accordingly, neurobiological explanations and interventions tend to objectify persons. This claim does not presuppose dubious mind–brain dualisms and might be sustained to some extent even if some form of neuroreductionism were true. However, the current emphasis on neurobiology and the supposed primacy of the brain in explaining and treating disorders is unfounded. No more than an indeed exciting research hypothesis, it should neither guide treatment decisions nor their ethical evaluation.

This study focused on evaluating the effectiveness of the different presentation formats (text, photographs; video and simulations) used in an exhibit at a science center in Singapore to communicate the message of sea level rise, an important manifestation of climate change. Interviews with visitors were used to obtain their views on the exhibit, the influence the message behind the exhibit had on them, and the implications of sea level rise for the tiny island state. The findings suggest that simulations are more effective in communicating abstract phenomena, provided the objectification is rendered effectively.

This article presents a systematic procedure and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) based tool for comfort objectification and customer classification, to support drive train developer during the product development process. In this case, the term “comfort objectification” can be clarified as reproduction of subjectively sensed convenience of a passenger through objectively measurable values. Many factors, such as noise, vibration, physical or psychological condition of a passenger generally influence the ride comfort. The main purpose of this project is to develop the drive train and his assemblies which can sustain customers’ demand of vibration comfort. The presented methods enable the identification and the evaluation of vehicle dynamic properties from the passengers’ point of view during start-up, shifting, steering as well as other procedures in the early stage of the product development process. For instance, this tool is developed for the evaluation of ride comfort during a start-up of a front-drive, intermediate-class car. To estimate the subjective sensation, the new driver modeling tool based on ANN is developed from the way individual drivers make their assessment. This paper presents a user-friendly interface which allows both experts and users who are still short of experience in the ANN field, to create different network structures depending on the task. By means of this tool, the modeling process can be effectively simplified and shortened. As a result, the objective values captured during each drive test are efficiently correlated with the subjective sensation. Consequently, the high performance of comfort prediction can be achieved. By using self organizing map as a tool for driver classification, the different types of drivers can be considered due to their comfort expectation and style of driving. The comfort prediction concerning each driver group can then be carried out. According to the approach of virtual drive train development, in this study, the elaborated multi-body simulation models are primarily used to generate several virtual start-up processes. This enables the determination of NVH properties of the future product and allows the developer to investigate the effect of vibration like judder and jerking on the degree of ride comfort. By applying objective data from the simulation, the comfort assessment using the presented tools can be executed. In the long run, costly drive tests and cost-intensive prototypes can be partially replaced.