Search

Policy measures to control the spread of COVID-19 imposed by different countries have a devastating impact on people's travel behaviors. Differing from the normal situation where general concerns on travel time and cost determine the travel choices, the uncertainty underlying behavior change in the case of a pandemic might be largely attributed to the latent aspects, i.e., social responsibility, risk perception, attitudes, which could diminish the effects of main attributes on travel decisions. Therefore, this paper examines the effects of COVID-19 related policies on individuals' travel choices influenced by the latent aspects. A stated choice experiment was designed to collect people's responses under policy measures to various transportation modes. Results of a hybrid choice model show that COVID-19 related policies significantly affect individuals' transportation mode choice decisions during pandemic situations. The attributes, like travel time and travel cost, which significantly impact travel behavior in normal situations, become less relevant. Moreover, the travel preferences during the pandemic are significantly associated with latent factors of social responsibility, fear of infection, perceived risk, and travel anxiety. In general, public transportation is identified as an insecure alternative compared with other private modes, and people who are more socially responsible tend to travel less during the pandemic. Outcomes of this study could be of value to policymakers and public health emergencies, e.g., government authorities to utilize such knowledge in providing social support for these COVID-19 countermeasures and designing customized policies for specific population groups.

Policy measures to control the spread of COVID-19 imposed by different countries have a devastating impact on people's travel behaviors. Differing from the normal situation where general concerns on travel time and cost determine the travel choices, the uncertainty underlying behavior change in the case of a pandemic might be largely attributed to the latent aspects, i.e., social responsibility, risk perception, attitudes, which could diminish the effects of main attributes on travel decisions. Therefore, this paper examines the effects of COVID-19 related policies on individuals' travel choices influenced by the latent aspects. A stated choice experiment was designed to collect people's responses under policy measures to various transportation modes. Results of a hybrid choice model show that COVID-19 related policies significantly affect individuals' transportation mode choice decisions during pandemic situations. The attributes, like travel time and travel cost, which significantly impact travel behavior in normal situations, become less relevant. Moreover, the travel preferences during the pandemic are significantly associated with latent factors of social responsibility, fear of infection, perceived risk, and travel anxiety. In general, public transportation is identified as an insecure alternative compared with other private modes, and people who are more socially responsible tend to travel less during the pandemic. Outcomes of this study could be of value to policymakers and public health emergencies, e.g., government authorities to utilize such knowledge in providing social support for these COVID-19 countermeasures and designing customized policies for specific population groups.

This study contributes to the understanding of the selection decision-making process as it applies to project management teams. It particularly focuses on the elements that influence selection decisions in alliance mega-project structures. It uses a significant Australian infrastructure mega project as a case and through a retroductive approach, which combines elements from deductive and inductive research (Downward & Mearman 2007) examines what is going on in the selection process for the hiring of the senior leadership team. Although people selection is commonplace in business, and businesses are more and more using project structures, the nuanced rationale of this study and its value lies is in asking what does the selection of project leadership teams mean - apart from the obvious (Alvesson 2003)? Decision-making literature recognises the critical role that organisational context plays in providing antecedent conditions for decisions. This study examines the situational, environmental and contextual settings in which project leadership team selections decisions are incubated. This study shows that complex factors influence the way senior leaders are chosen for mega infrastructure projects. Orthodox selection processes do not adequately explain how such appointments are made. This study, using a combination of semi-structured interviews, documentary evidence and insider observations of the project leadership team formation processes, asserts that latent factors affect selection decisions more so than the espoused traditional selection techniques. These latent factors, such as the relative power of key stakeholders, the commitment of key decision makers to long term learning from alliance partners, and the nature of the relationship between alliance partners, are rarely considered, often taken for granted, and difficult to measure but they are powerful forces that need to be considered in selection decision making processes in mega infrastructure projects.

We develop a parametrization of the multinomial probit model that yields greater insight into the underlying decision-making process, by decomposing the error terms of the utilities into latent factors and noise. The latent factors are identified without a measurement system, and they can be meaningfully linked to an economic model. We provide sufficient conditions that make this structure identified and interpretable. For inference, we design a Markov chain Monte Carlo sampler based on marginal data augmentation. A simulation exercise shows the good numerical performance of our sampler and reveals the practical importance of alternative identification restrictions. Our approach can generally be applied to any setting where researchers can specify an a priori structure on a few drivers of unobserved heterogeneity. One such example is the choice of combinations of two options, which we explore with real data on education and occupation pairs.

There is no consensus about what is meant by quality of life since this concept has a complex and multidimensional nature. In some cases, the satisfaction of life is equated with the Quality of Life and refers to the subjective evaluation performed an individual of the degree to which their needs, desires and goals more important are carried out. It is assumed that the total satisfaction of life of a person consists of a wide amount of satisfaction in particular areas of life that are valued or judged important, considering that this is a fluctuating state and not a constant feature [6]. [4] posits that the satisfaction of a person in a particular area integrates with various components that cover the various aspects of a person’s life and that are subjectively evaluated by the individuals in both the referred to the importance in the context of one’s life, and in relation to their happiness or welfare in these areas. In this work, assessing the validity of this theoretical model in the population of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, through the adjustment of a model of confirmatory factor analysis of second order, applied to the items in the ICV test that measures the quality of life perceived by the subject. The model is applied on a sample of 1336 subjects between 18 and 65years old and the results of the confirmatory factor analysis show that the quality of life perceived by the subject is in close relation to their level of satisfaction with a series dimensions or latent factors: Environment or habitat of the subject, his need for transcendence, the social networks that contain it, and their personal growth., Tanto a nivel teórico como práctico, no existe un consenso acerca de qué se entiende por Calidad de Vida dado que este concepto posee un carácter complejo y multidimensional. En algunos casos, la satisfacción de vida se equipara con la Calidad de Vida y se refiere a la evaluación subjetiva que realiza un individuo del grado en el cual sus necesidades, deseos y metas más importantes se encuentran realizadas. Se asume que la satisfacción de vida total de una persona consiste en una amplia suma de satisfacciones en áreas particulares de la vida que son valoradas o juzgadas importantes, considerando que es un estado fluctuante y no un rasgo constante [6]. Campbell [4] plantea que la satisfacción de una persona en un área particular se integra con diversas componentes que cubren los distintos aspectos de la vida de una persona y que son evaluados subjetivamente por los individuos tanto en lo referido a la importancia en su contexto vital, como en relación a su felicidad o bienestar en dichos aspectos. En este trabajo, se evalúa la validez de este modelo teórico en la población de la ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, mediante el ajuste de un modelo de Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio de segundo orden, aplicado a los ítems de una prueba que mide la calidad de vida percibida por los sujetos. El modelo se aplicó sobre una muestra de 1336 individuos de entre 18 y 65 años y los resultados del Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio muestran que la calidad de vida percibida por los sujetos está en estrecha relación con su nivel de satisfacción con una serie dimensiones o factores latentes: Ambiente o hábitat del sujeto, su Necesidad de trascendencia,las Redes sociales que lo contienen, y su Crecimiento Personal.

There is no consensus about what is meant by quality of life since this concept has a complex and multidimensional nature. In some cases, the satisfaction of life is equated with the Quality of Life and refers to the subjective evaluation performed an individual of the degree to which their needs, desires and goals more important are carried out. It is assumed that the total satisfaction of life of a person consists of a wide amount of satisfaction in particular areas of life that are valued or judged important, considering that this is a fluctuating state and not a constant feature [6]. [4] posits that the satisfaction of a person in a particular area integrates with various components that cover the various aspects of a person’s life and that are subjectively evaluated by the individuals in both the referred to the importance in the context of one’s life, and in relation to their happiness or welfare in these areas. In this work, assessing the validity of this theoretical model in the population of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, through the adjustment of a model of confirmatory factor analysis of second order, applied to the items in the ICV test that measures the quality of life perceived by the subject. The model is applied on a sample of 1336 subjects between 18 and 65years old and the results of the confirmatory factor analysis show that the quality of life perceived by the subject is in close relation to their level of satisfaction with a series dimensions or latent factors: Environment or habitat of the subject, his need for transcendence, the social networks that contain it, and their personal growth., Tanto a nivel teórico como práctico, no existe un consenso acerca de qué se entiende por Calidad de Vida dado que este concepto posee un carácter complejo y multidimensional. En algunos casos, la satisfacción de vida se equipara con la Calidad de Vida y se refiere a la evaluación subjetiva que realiza un individuo del grado en el cual sus necesidades, deseos y metas más importantes se encuentran realizadas. Se asume que la satisfacción de vida total de una persona consiste en una amplia suma de satisfacciones en áreas particulares de la vida que son valoradas o juzgadas importantes, considerando que es un estado fluctuante y no un rasgo constante [6]. Campbell [4] plantea que la satisfacción de una persona en un área particular se integra con diversas componentes que cubren los distintos aspectos de la vida de una persona y que son evaluados subjetivamente por los individuos tanto en lo referido a la importancia en su contexto vital, como en relación a su felicidad o bienestar en dichos aspectos. En este trabajo, se evalúa la validez de este modelo teórico en la población de la ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, mediante el ajuste de un modelo de Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio de segundo orden, aplicado a los ítems de una prueba que mide la calidad de vida percibida por los sujetos. El modelo se aplicó sobre una muestra de 1336 individuos de entre 18 y 65 años y los resultados del Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio muestran que la calidad de vida percibida por los sujetos está en estrecha relación con su nivel de satisfacción con una serie dimensiones o factores latentes: Ambiente o hábitat del sujeto, su Necesidad de trascendencia,las Redes sociales que lo contienen, y su Crecimiento Personal.

Individual risk models need to capture possible correlations as failing to do so typically results in an underestimation of extreme quantiles of the aggregate loss. Such dependence modelling is particularly important for managing credit risk, for instance, where joint defaults are a major cause of concern. Often, the dependence between the individual loss occurrence indicators is driven by a small number of unobservable factors. Conditional loss probabilities are then expressed as monotone functions of linear combinations of these hidden factors. However, combining the factors in a linear way allows for some compensation between them. Such diversification effects are not always desirable and this is why the present work proposes a new model replacing linear combinations with maxima. These max-factor models give more insight into which of the factors is dominant.

Based on a meta analysis, Redick and Lindsey 120131 found that complex span and n-back tasks show an average correlation of r = 0.20, and concluded that complex span and n-back tasks cannot be used interchangeably as working memory measures in research applications (p. 1102). Here, we comment on this conclusion from a psychometric perspective. In addition to construct variance, performance on a test contains measurement error, task specific variance, and paradigm specific variance. Hence, low correlations among dissimilar indicators do not provide strong evidence for the existence, or absence, of a construct common to both indicators. One way to arrive at such evidence is to fit hierarchical latent factors that model task-specific, paradigm-specific, and construct variance. We report analyses for 101 younger and 103 older adults who worked on nine different working memory tasks. The data are consistent with a hierarchical model of working memory, according to which both complex span and n-back tasks are valid indicators of working memory. The working memory factor predicts 71% of the variance in a factor of reasoning among younger adults (83% for among older adults). When the working memory factor was restricted to any possible triplet of working memory tasks, the correlation between working memory and reasoning was inversely related to the average magnitude of the correlations among the indicators, indicating that more highly intercorrelated indicators may provide poorer coverage of the construct space. We stress the need to go beyond specific tasks and paradigms when studying higher order cognitive constructs, such as working memory., AuthorCount:3

Gesichterkognition ist eine wichtige Fähigkeit für soziale Interaktionen. Obwohl große interindividuelle Unterschiede in der Gesichterkognition festgestellt wurden, gibt es bisher wenige Bestrebungen, diese Fertigkeit zu trainieren. In den vorliegenden Studien habe ich Trainingsverfahren für das Gesichtergedächtnis und die Geschwindigkeit der Gesichterkognition entwickelt und untersucht, welche auf dem Modell von Wilhelm et al. (2010) beruhen. In Studie 1 wurden Trainingseffekte bei gesunden Probanden mittleren Alters behavioral untersucht. Das Training des Gesichtergedächtnisses zeigte einen Trend zur Leistungsverbesserung in der trainierten Aufgabe. Das Training der Geschwindigkeit der Gesichterkognition verkürzte signifikant die Reaktionszeiten in allen Geschwindigkeitsaufgaben der Gesichterkognition, der Objektkognition sowie der mentalen Geschwindigkeit. Daher wird angenommen, dass das Geschwindigkeitstraining eine allgemeine Fähigkeit, komplexe visuelle Stimuli zu verarbeiten, beeinflusst hat. In Studie 2 wurden nach einem Re-Training die psychophysiologischen Grundlagen der trainingsbedingten Veränderungen untersucht. Das Geschwindigkeitstraining verkürzte zwar die Reaktionszeiten im Verlauf des Re-Trainings, jedoch unterschieden sich die beiden Trainingsgruppen nicht im folgenden Posttest. Die Auswertung der ereigniskorrelierten Potentiale wies auf eine Reduktion der strukturellen Repräsentationen aus dem Langzeitgedächtnis zur Erkennung von Individuen (N250r) durch das Geschwindigkeitstraining und auf eine Verstärkung der semantischen Verarbeitung von bekannten Gesichtern (N400) durch das Gedächtnistraining hin. Die vorliegende Arbeit zeigt die Plastizität der Verarbeitungsgeschwindigkeit für komplexe visuelle Stimuli auf., Face cognition is a crucial skill for social interaction. Large individual differences in face cognition have been shown for healthy adults, suggesting that there might be a need for improvement, yet training of this ability has seldom been attempted. In the present studies, I developed and tested training procedures for face memory and for speed of face cognition, based on the model developed by Wilhelm et al. (2010). In Study 1, training effects were studied with healthy middle-aged participants at the behavioural level. Both training procedures enhanced performance over the course of the training. For facial speed, this improvement was significant as were the faster reaction times on all tasks for facial speed, for object speed, and for general processing speed. Thus, training of facial speed influenced a more general ability to process complex visual stimuli more quickly. Study 2 was conducted to investigate the psychophysiological underpinnings of training effects after a re-training. The facial speed training enhanced performance over the course of the re-training. In the post-test conducted directly after the re-training, the two groups did not differ in reaction times. Results within event-related components suggested that the facial speed training reduced the contributions of structural representations from long-term memory to identity recognition (N250r) and that face memory training enhanced the semantic processing of familiar faces (N400). This dissertation demonstrates the plasticity of the speed of processing complex visual stimuli. The versatility of the results and the limitations of the studies are discussed along with suggestions for future research.

L'objectiu principal del projecte és el desenvolupament d'una llibreria que permeti crear sistemes recomanadors escalables, eficients i que s'adaptin en temps real als gustos dels usuaris. Un cop implementada la llibreria, s'utilitzarà per a desenvolupar un sistema recomanador concret.

Gesichterkognition ist eine wichtige Fähigkeit für soziale Interaktionen. Obwohl große interindividuelle Unterschiede in der Gesichterkognition festgestellt wurden, gibt es bisher wenige Bestrebungen, diese Fertigkeit zu trainieren. In den vorliegenden Studien habe ich Trainingsverfahren für das Gesichtergedächtnis und die Geschwindigkeit der Gesichterkognition entwickelt und untersucht, welche auf dem Modell von Wilhelm et al. (2010) beruhen. In Studie 1 wurden Trainingseffekte bei gesunden Probanden mittleren Alters behavioral untersucht. Das Training des Gesichtergedächtnisses zeigte einen Trend zur Leistungsverbesserung in der trainierten Aufgabe. Das Training der Geschwindigkeit der Gesichterkognition verkürzte signifikant die Reaktionszeiten in allen Geschwindigkeitsaufgaben der Gesichterkognition, der Objektkognition sowie der mentalen Geschwindigkeit. Daher wird angenommen, dass das Geschwindigkeitstraining eine allgemeine Fähigkeit, komplexe visuelle Stimuli zu verarbeiten, beeinflusst hat. In Studie 2 wurden nach einem Re-Training die psychophysiologischen Grundlagen der trainingsbedingten Veränderungen untersucht. Das Geschwindigkeitstraining verkürzte zwar die Reaktionszeiten im Verlauf des Re-Trainings, jedoch unterschieden sich die beiden Trainingsgruppen nicht im folgenden Posttest. Die Auswertung der ereigniskorrelierten Potentiale wies auf eine Reduktion der strukturellen Repräsentationen aus dem Langzeitgedächtnis zur Erkennung von Individuen (N250r) durch das Geschwindigkeitstraining und auf eine Verstärkung der semantischen Verarbeitung von bekannten Gesichtern (N400) durch das Gedächtnistraining hin. Die vorliegende Arbeit zeigt die Plastizität der Verarbeitungsgeschwindigkeit für komplexe visuelle Stimuli auf., Face cognition is a crucial skill for social interaction. Large individual differences in face cognition have been shown for healthy adults, suggesting that there might be a need for improvement, yet training of this ability has seldom been attempted. In the present studies, I developed and tested training procedures for face memory and for speed of face cognition, based on the model developed by Wilhelm et al. (2010). In Study 1, training effects were studied with healthy middle-aged participants at the behavioural level. Both training procedures enhanced performance over the course of the training. For facial speed, this improvement was significant as were the faster reaction times on all tasks for facial speed, for object speed, and for general processing speed. Thus, training of facial speed influenced a more general ability to process complex visual stimuli more quickly. Study 2 was conducted to investigate the psychophysiological underpinnings of training effects after a re-training. The facial speed training enhanced performance over the course of the re-training. In the post-test conducted directly after the re-training, the two groups did not differ in reaction times. Results within event-related components suggested that the facial speed training reduced the contributions of structural representations from long-term memory to identity recognition (N250r) and that face memory training enhanced the semantic processing of familiar faces (N400). This dissertation demonstrates the plasticity of the speed of processing complex visual stimuli. The versatility of the results and the limitations of the studies are discussed along with suggestions for future research.