1,721,024 research outputs found
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Self-Determination Theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour Applied to Substance Abuse Treatment in a Therapeutic Community Setting
No full textIn the 21st century drug and alcohol abuse presents one of the most serious problems worldwide. Of particular concern is the strong relationship between drug use and crime. While law enforcement strategies, including incarceration, have been revealed to contribute little to break the vicious cycle of drug use and crime, substance abuse treatment has been shown to represent an effective form of intervention. Substantial research on the effectiveness of drug treatment has demonstrated the importance of motivation in predicting treatment retention and success. However, substance users are frequently coerced into therapy by external sources, including the criminal justice system, therefore, typically exhibiting little motivation to enter and remain in treatment long enough to overcome their substance addiction. Although past research investigating the effects of treatment-entry coercion indicates positive treatment results, the vast majority of these studies are seriously impeded by extensive conceptual and methodological problems, questioning the postulated value of coercion in substance abuse treatment. Following the call for a shift in the methodological focus of future studies made by some researchers, the author of the present study tested three models that were based on well-established theories. The first model was based on Self Determination Theory (SDT), a motivational theory, while the second model was based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), an expectancy-value theory. The third model consisted of a combination of the two theories, which was argued to provide a more complete and comprehensive model than each theory on its own. The testing of the models allowed the exploration of the dynamic interplay and relationships between a number of variables including perceptions of coercion, motivation, perceived autonomy support, and behavioural intentions in an effort to explain and predict retention and treatment outcomes amongst drug and alcohol abusers. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 involved the development of a 29-item instrument called the Perceived Coercion Questionnaire, which was designed to assess participants' perceptions of coercion to enter drug and alcohol treatment originating from six different sources. The scale was shown to be a valid and reliable measure of the coercion construct. Phase 2 involved the testing of the three models longitudinally by using a sample of 350 substance abusers from six therapeutic communities across Australia. Participants were asked to complete a battery of standardised measures within the first two weeks of treatment admission (Time 1), two months into treatment (Time 2), and at completion of the treatment program (Time 3). The models were tested cross-sectionally and longitudinally employing hierarchical multiple regression analysis. In addition, change scores were calculated to test whether changes in predictor variables would predict outcomes and changes in outcomes cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Analyses of Time 1 and Time 2 cross-sectional data revealed that the SDT model, compared to the TPB and the combined model, provided a better and more parsimonious account of the factors that influence outcomes in therapeutic community treatment. Given the complexity of the study, it was decided to resume the analysis by focusing on the investigation of the SDT model alone. To highlight some of the most important findings, results demonstrated that motivation was a key factor in the treatment and rehabilitation of substance users. As anticipated, intrinsic motivation was consistently predictive of retention and more positive treatment outcomes, while external motivation and amotivation were associated with more negative outcomes. Results also revealed that clients who entered treatment as the result of a legal mandate experienced substantially higher levels of legal coercion compared to clients who entered treatment voluntarily. Legal coercion, in turn, was found to exert a negative impact on substance users' motivation for treatment, thereby indirectly resulting in more negative treatment outcomes. In contrast, self coercion (i.e., feelings of pain and suffering) and health-related pressures seemed to facilitate the development of a more intrinsic motivational attitude towards treatment. Besides, perceptions of competence and control in relation to the therapeutic regime emerged as consistent and important predictors of motivation and treatment outcomes. Finally, findings suggested that treatment staff who employed more autonomous and non-coercive strategies that guided substance users through the change process directly influenced individuals' treatment motivation and thereby facilitated more positive treatment outcomes. In sum, findings provided support for the usefulness of the SDT model in predicting dropout as well as processes and outcomes in therapeutic community drug and alcohol treatment. Implications for residential substance abuse treatment were discussed, as well as the strengths and limitations of the study. The discussion concludes with implications for practice and suggestions for future research.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)School of PsychologyFull Tex
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Physical Activity in Older Adults: Influences and Intervention Strategies using an Integrative Theory-based Approach
No full textPopulation ageing presents a challenge for individuals and health systems globally. While physical activity (PA) has been associated with a range of health benefits, including reducing the risk of age-related illness and disability, older adults are a group at risk for physical inactivity. The significance of this research program is in focusing on the multiple social-cognitive factors influencing PA in older adults specifically. Literature to date has tended to focus on conscious, reflective decision-making processes impacting PA. However, PA is also influenced by non-conscious, automatic processes. Furthermore, research applying multiple theoretical frameworks to understanding PA in older adults is limited. Currently, no comprehensive and theoretically integrative studies investigating PA in older adults have been conducted, which undermines efforts to facilitate PA in this population. Given that interventions aiming to promote PA in younger populations may not generalise to older individuals and that existing interventions targeting older adults produce only small effects, it is important to develop programs that are based on theory and that are also acceptable and feasible for older adults. Moreover, although the use of theory has been associated with intervention effectiveness, there is currently limited understanding of which behaviour change techniques (BCTs) are most appropriate to target specific theory-based constructs and for specific population groups. In addition, there is poor understanding of the best strategies to implement such techniques so that they are most useful for older adultsThesis (PhD Doctorate)Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)School of Applied PsychologyGriffith HealthFull Tex
Effects of Relational Outcomes on Customer Loyalty
No full textCustomer loyalty in services is the focus of the research. The research problem sought to determine both indirect and indirect effects of relational outcomes on customer loyalty, conceptualised as a psychological state. Relational outcomes are defined as: the thoughts, feelings, and relationships perceived by customers arising from the interaction with a service employee. This class of variable is differentiated from other relational factors such as the characteristics of the actors in the interaction and their behaviours. The effects of relational outcome antecedents were compared to service evaluation antecedents such as customer satisfaction, quality, and value. Customer loyalty was modelled as a psychological state and grounded in the unique characteristics of services. The pioneering work of Kingstrom (1983) was used as a basis for extending the literature. Customer loyalty is an important variable for both services marketing researchers and industry. Accordingly, the research was justified on both theoretical and managerial grounds. Four factors inspired the identification of the research gap: a lack of service loyalty research grounded in service characteristics, lack of studies that conceptualised loyalty as a psychological state, inadequacy of service evaluation measures to predict customer loyalty, and the perceived importance of social interaction to service outcomes. Data collection included pilot studies, re-analysis of published literature, and three major studies. In the first major study, 23 informants provided insights into the nature of three specific relational outcomes: friendship, social comfort, and social regard. The second study was a cross-sectional survey of 190 hair-dressing customers. The specific relationships between friendship, social regard, social comfort, value for money, service encounter satisfaction, perceived core service quality, and customer loyalty were established in this study. New scales were also developed for friendship, social regard, social comfort, and customer loyalty. A third study collected survey data from 406 customers of hairdressing salons, cafes, and naturopathic clinics. Hypothesised relationships were tested through three nested structural equation models. The results indicate that relational outcomes in general are important to customer loyalty. Their effects on loyalty as a psychological state are both direct and indirect. The strength of the effects of relational outcomes on loyalty compares favourably with the effects of service evaluation measures on loyalty. The construct of friendship between individual customer and service employee was found to be related significantly and positively with customer loyalty. The effect of personal friendship appears to have as strong an effect as perceptions of core quality and service encounter satisfaction. Another major finding was that the two relational outcomes of social comfort and social regard both had an indirect influence on customer loyalty. This effect was mediated through the service evaluation constructs of perceived core service quality and service encounter satisfaction. Social comfort affected both quality and satisfaction whereas social regard only influenced quality. However, the impact of social regard on core quality was substantial. Friendship was not found to have a significant relationship with either quality or satisfaction. These findings suggest that there is a temporal dimension to the influence of relational outcomes. Both social regard and social comfort appear to be more important in the early stages of customer-service provider interaction. It also appears that customers evaluate the core quality of everyday services such as hair salons, cafes, and naturopaths using social cues such as feeling well regarded. A further major finding was the lack of a significant relationship between value for money and psychological loyalty in both quantitative studies. Effects of quality, satisfaction, and friendship appear to be important to loyalty development whereas customer value is not. This finding suggests that value for money may be related directly to actual purchase behaviour or repurchase intentions rather than mediated through psychological feelings of loyalty. Hence, evaluations which reflect pricing considerations are less likely to be associated with psychological loyalty than more relationally oriented constructs. The findings indicate important implications for both marketers and researchers. Marketing strategists need to be clear about pursuing either a loyalty or a value for money strategy. The former may not result from the latter. Relational outcomes lead to psychological loyalty but their interactive effects operate differently. Friendship with a service employee provides a direct contribution to loyalty development. Whereas social regard and social comfort affect customers' evaluation of the service. Pursuing a relational strategy will have implications for the way frontline staff are selected and trained. Theoretical implications include: using the relational outcomes as a basis for middle range theory development, support for the linear-additive measurement approach, use of laddering techniques to determine relevant influencing variables, and additional explanatory power to the service recovery literature. In conclusion, a unidimensional construct of psychological loyalty, grounded in service characteristics, was developed, tested, and evaluated for wide application to service industries. Three specific relational antecedents: Friendship, social regard, and social comfort were found to be important to the development of customer loyalty. The research highlighted how these relational outcomes interacted with service evaluation measures to produce loyal customers. Accordingly, Kingstrom's (1983) work has been extended.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)School of Tourism and Hotel ManagementFull Tex
Developmental Dyslexia and/or co-occurring Attention Deficit: Investigation of prevalence, underlying cognitive deficits, and family risk in a self-selected sample of parents and children
No full textReading acquisition is a major developmental achievement and plays a critical role in determining academic achievement. Developmental dyslexia is a heritable disorder with up to 66% of at-risk children later diagnosed with the disorder. Children with dyslexia represent a vulnerable group at high risk of underachievement at school, as well as for poorer socio-emotional outcomes. Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) commonly co-occur, and recent theories hypothesise that it is the inattentive (AD) symptom domain that is most closely associated with literacy problems. Despite an extensive overlap in symptoms, and a close genetic association, they have primarily been investigated as distinct disorders. However, recent theoretical models propose a multiple deficit framework to examine shared cognitive deficits as an explanation for their co-occurrence.
This research had seven aims: (1) investigate the prevalence of single and multiple developmental disorders, in a sample of children with a previous diagnosis of dyslexia or attention deficit, with or without hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, AD), or who had been identified by parents as underachieving in school; (2) determine whether the severity of the deficits found would be greater in children with more than one disorder compared to a single disorder; (3) validate an adult self-report protocol used to screen for dyslexia and ADHD, and use this measure to estimate family risk of each disorder; (4) determine the prevalence of symptoms of dyslexia, ADHD or AD in children with and without a family risk of dyslexia, ADHD or AD; (5) determine whether a single, double, multiple, or an intergenerational multiple deficit model is the best predictor of reading fluency; (6) examine the extent that difficulties with phonological awareness and rapid automatic naming differentiate dyslexia, and difficulties with interference control differentiate ADHD and AD; and (7) examine the Multiple Deficit Model as an explanation of the co-occurrence between dyslexia + ADHD, and dyslexia + AD using cognitive variables identified in the literature as common to both disorders. Seventy-two children aged 9 to 11 years of age, were assessed on a broad range of cognitive, reading, language, motor and attention measures. In Study 1 (Chapter 3), prevalence rates were estimated for the single and multiple developmental disorders using the clinical and subclinical scores from the reading, attention, language and motor measures. The hypothesis that most children would show evidence of more than one developmental disorder was not met using clinical criteria, as the overall prevalence rates for single and multiple disorders were similar. However, when subclinical symptoms were included, most children diagnosed with one disorder had subclinical symptoms of at least one other disorder. Results from one-way ANOVAs showed the groups with co-occurring dyslexia + AD, or dyslexia + ADHD were not more impaired than the single disorder groups, indicating that the severity of each disorder was not influenced by the number of disorders experienced by each child.
The Adult Reading Questionnaire (ARQ) and Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) are self-report protocols designed to evaluate reading, writing and spelling proficiency, expressive language difficulties (word finding), as well as problems of organization, attention and hyperactivity in adults. One hundred and seventeen parents (64 mothers and 53 fathers) completed the self-report questionnaire and the data was used to replicate the factor structures of the ARQ and ASRS separately (Study 2, Chapter 4). The parent data was then used to estimate family risk of dyslexia and ADHD or AD in the child sample, and the results supported the hypothesis that children from a family with parent-reported reading difficulties were significantly more likely to have clinical symptoms of dyslexia than children without family risk. Similarly, children whose parents reported symptoms of ADHD were more likely to have clinical and subclinical symptoms of ADHD, than children coming from a family without parental report of these disorders. Correlation, regression, logistic regression analyses, and odds ratios indicated a strong influence of parent-reported reading difficulties on child reading difficulties, as 70.4% of children at family risk of dyslexia had scores in the clinical range on the reading measure. The association between parent-reported symptoms and a child diagnosis was weaker for ADHD, as less than half (42.9%) the children at family risk met criteria for a clinical diagnosis, however, when subclinical symptoms were included, the children of parents with self-rated symptoms of ADHD were more likely to have clinical or subclinical symptoms than children from no-risk families. No significant association was found between parent-reported symptoms and a child diagnosis of AD.
In Study 3 (Chapter 5), correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate a number of cognitive variables (phonological awareness, rapid naming, and expressive language) identified in the research literature to be impaired in individuals with dyslexia. Single, double, and multiple deficit frameworks were used to determine which model best predicted reading fluency, with the results showing that children presented with a combination of deficits, indicating various pathways to dyslexia. Using the intergenerational multiple deficit model to examine the association between parent-reported reading difficulties and children’s reading fluency, it was shown that parent self-reported difficulties accounted for a substantial proportion (18.6%) of the variance in children’s reading fluency scores. After controlling for parent self-reported reading skills, phonological awareness and rapid letter naming each made additional contributions to the explanation of children’s reading fluency.
Finally, a multiple deficit model was used to achieve the final research aim (Study 4, Chapter 6). Mixed factorial ANOVAs, and moderated regression analyses were conducted to determine if impairments in phonological awareness and rapid automatic naming were unique to dyslexia, and if impairments in interference control were unique to ADHD and AD. The contribution of working memory and reading comprehension were examined as explanations of the co-occurrence between dyslexia and ADHD or AD. The ability to inhibit distractors (interference control) was found to be impaired in each of the three groups, however some differences were noted. The group with dyslexia responded more slowly on the incongruent Flanker condition, and the ADHD group was less accurate on both the congruent and incongruent conditions, while the AD group were found to be both slower and less accurate on each of the conditions. Phonological awareness and reading comprehension were found to be unique predictors of dyslexia. The relationship between reading fluency and working memory was moderated by AD and ADHD. When symptoms of AD and ADHD were low, working memory improved as reading fluency improved, however this was not the case when symptoms of AD and ADHD were high, where an increase in reading fluency was not accompanied by increases in working memory capacity. Although weaker, reading fluency and rapid naming was moderated by AD, however no association was found for ADHD.
From a theoretical perspective, this research advances our understanding of the co-occurrence between dyslexia, ADHD and AD in school age children, as well as the associations between some of the cognitive variables associated with the disorders. This research highlights the high prevalence of dyslexia among children at family risk, and the important contribution of parent-reported difficulties to the explanation of their children’s reading fluency. At a practical level this research is expected to contribute to the better identification of children with reading and attention difficulties. The findings demonstrate the substantial overlap between the symptoms of dyslexia and inattention, and the importance of assessing for both disorders. The success of reading interventions has been found to be limited, and this may be due to the high prevalence of attention deficits which co-occur with dyslexia and that may interfere with remediation. When underlying attentional difficulties are identified, appropriate cognitive training programs can be implemented in conjunction with reading remediation to improve academic performance in school.Thesis (Professional Doctorate)Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology (PhD ClinPsych)School of Applied PsychologyGriffith HealthFull Tex
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