Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis, Youngstown State University, 2022, Department of Psychological Sciences and Counseling

Stimulus equivalence is a behavior analytic term that refers to the emergence of untrained relations between stimuli after training on some relations between them. After this training and emergence of untrained relations, the stimuli are said to function symbolically for one another. Equivalence-based instruction (EBI) is an approach to instruction that utilizes stimulus equivalence procedures to facilitate emergent relations in educational settings. EBI has been implemented in a variety of contexts with a variety of subjects. However, the extent to which EBI is used among practicing behavior analysts and the training experiences of those who do use EBI in practice has yet to be assessed. Practicing behavior analysts were surveyed on their use of EBI in clinical settings and were asked questions about their training and perceived barriers to implementing the procedures. Results indicated that most behavior analysts reported using EBI but also identified barriers to greater use or consideration of implementing EBI in their program design. Limitation and directions for future research are discussed.

Committee: Kristopher Brown PsyD (Advisor); Matthew Lindberg PhD (Committee Member); David Chilkotowsky MS (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Educational Psychology; Psychology

Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis, Youngstown State University, 2022, Department of Psychological Sciences and Counseling

Stimulus equivalence refers to when emergent relations develop between stimuli after training occurs for other conditional relations among those stimuli without direct training or reinforcement (Leader et al., 2001). The stimulus pairing observation procedure (SPOP) is a procedure utilized to teach relations between stimuli before tests for emergent relations in stimulus equivalence research. SPOP has been shown to facilitate the emergence of stimulus equivalence and unlearned relations between stimuli. Instead of making participants respond during training to teach relations between stimuli, SPOP pairs stimuli via temporal presentation of stimuli between pairs of stimuli (within pair delay) that are class consistent. Shorter delays within pairs of stimuli occur than between pairs of stimuli that are not class consistent. However, the effects of differing lengths and types of within pair delays have not been systematically investigated for their effect on equivalence class yield when using SPOP. This study expanded the literature by investigating the effects of various within pair delay preparations (no delay, overlap, long-delay) between stimuli using undergraduate students. Results indicated statistically significantly differences between the overlap and delay groups and between the control and delay group. Overall, scores were highest in the overlap group. Limitations and future directions for research are discussed.

Committee: Kristopher Brown PsyD (Advisor); Mary Brown MS (Committee Member); Cristina Cole MS (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Psychology

PHD, Kent State University, 2019, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies

The purpose of this study was to establish the reliability and validity of the construct map for students' conception of equivalence with special emphasis on investigating the impact of structure of equation on students'conception of equivalence. The study examined the role of structure of equations in identifying students' conception of equivalence; specifically, in regard to the role of place value and position of an unknown in an equation. An equivalence assessment was designed which comprise items of different numeric structures to assess knowledge associated with each level of construct map. A mixed method sequential explanatory design was used. In the first phase, 114 second and third grade students participated in a written equivalence assessment. Based upon students' performance on the written assessment, 9 students from the first phase were selected to participate in one-on-one clinical interviews. Results from the quantitative phase provide evidence for reliability and validity of the equivalence assessment. Results suggest that the place value and position of the box in equivalence equations play a significant role in adequately assessing students' level of conception of equivalence. Qualitative findings aided in identifying and describing the cognitive processes underlying the students' responses on the written assessment items and provide confirmatory evidence for validity. These results provide useful guidelines for instructors and curriculum designers. Specifically, findings suggest more attention be paid to the role of place value in the teaching and learning of equivalence.

Committee: Karl Kosko Dr. (Advisor); Julie Nurnberger-Haag Dr. (Committee Member); Bradley Morris Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Curriculum Development; Elementary Education; Mathematics Education

Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis, Youngstown State University, 2024, Department of Psychological Sciences and Counseling

Society heavily promotes the need to “get your eight hours” when referring to getting adequate sleep. Alas, research does recommend and support at least seven hours of sleep for individuals 18 years and older. There is a litany of negative effects when sleep is lacking, especially in cognitive function. One such form, relational memory, has been heavily researched and continuously supported in the benefits of sleep to forming complex relations with new information. There is very little, if any, research investigating whether sleep quantity or sleep quality has a more significant effect on relational responding. This study aimed to answer this question by using a match-to-sample task. Participants took a pre-test, were trained in A-B and B-C relations, and then tested again in a post-test task before answering a ten-question sleep survey about the quantity and quality of their sleep. Results of the task and survey show that although self-reported sleep quality did not have a significant effect on relational responding, perceived sleep quantity did with a negative correlation between scores on the sleep quantity portion of the survey and participant scores on the relational responding task. College students, who often suffer from sleep loss for a multitude of reasons, may benefit greatly from research on the effects that sleep has on relational responding. Likewise, those working with ASD clients in behavioral therapy settings may find this research relevant as well. Studies have shown that ASD populations are often plagued by sleep problems and relational responding tasks such as stimulus equivalence are often used in behavior therapies such as applied behavior analysis.

Committee: Jeffrey Coldren PhD (Advisor); James Juergensen PhD (Committee Member); Cris Cole MS, BCBA, COBA (Committee Member) Subjects: Cognitive Psychology; Psychology

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Engineering and Applied Science: Aerospace Engineering

This thesis studies the effect of equivalence ratio and mass flow rates on the near-field acoustic properties of a Rotating Detonation Engine. Two experiments were carried out to study this. Experiment one had mainly cases with no detonation and cases with unstable detonation, while experiment two had all stable detonations. The acoustic modes of the combustor used in experiment one were explored and the correlation between the acoustic modes and the peak frequencies were examined. This study shows a clear trend in acoustics with change in equivalence ratio. These trends also differ with detonation modes. Unstable detonations and stable detonations saw highest amplitude and frequency around stoichiometry equivalence values while test cases without detonations did not follow this trend. Instead, amplitude continued to increase as equivalence ratio increased. These results helped to build on the existing information about the acoustics of rotating detonation engines.

Committee: Ephraim Gutmark Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Paul Orkwis Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jeffrey Kastner Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Aerospace Materials

PHD, Kent State University, 2022, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Mathematical Sciences

This work is concerned with the development of accurate and efficient iterative methods for the solution of linear discrete ill-posed problems when the matrix involved is nonsymmetric. These problems often arise in science and engineering through the discretization of Fredholm integral equations of the first kind. The matrices that define these problems are typically severely ill-conditioned and may be rank-deficient. Because of this, the solution of linear discrete ill-posed problems may not exist or are very sensitive to perturbations caused by errors in the available data. These difficulties can be reduced, for example, by applying iterative regularization techniques. Krylov subspace projection strategies have been used in tandem with iterative methods to form efficient and accurate solution methods. Specifically, the Arnoldi iteration is a well known iterative process that constructs an orthonormal basis of a Krylov subspace. The opening focus is on the development of a novel "approximate Tikhonov regularization" method based on constructing a low-rank approximation to the matrix in the linear discrete ill-posed problem by carrying out a few steps of the Arnoldi process. The subsequent chapter focuses on the description of three iterative methods that modify the generalized minimum residual (GMRES), block GMRES, and global GMRES methods for the solution of appropriate linear systems of equations. The primary contribution to this field of this work is through the introduction of two block variants for when there are multiple right-hand sides in the linear system. In the final chapter the limitations of applying block GMRES methods to linear discrete ill-posed problems are discussed. While block algorithms can be executed efficiently on many computers, the work herein shows that available block algorithms may yield computed approximate solutions of unnecessarily poor quality. A termed "local'' block GMRES method that can overcome the problems associated with b (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Alessandro Buccini (Advisor); Lothar Reichel (Advisor) Subjects: Applied Mathematics

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Electrical and Computer Engineering

This dissertation is concerned with the efficient computation of Nash equilibria (solutions) in nonzero-sum two player normal-form (bimatrix) games. It has long been believed that solutions to games in this class are hard, and recent results have indicated that this is indeed true. Thus, in this dissertation we focus on identifying subclasses of bimatrix games which can be solved efficiently. Our first result is an algorithm that identifies nonzero-sum bimatrix games which are strategically equivalent to zero-sum games via a positive affine transformation. Games in this class can then be solved efficiently by well-known techniques for solving zero-sum games. The algorithm that we propose runs in linear time to identify games in this class, representing a significant improvement compared to existing techniques. The second result uses the theory of matrix pencils and the Wedderburn rank reduction formula to develop a generalized theory of rank reduction in bimatrix games. The rank of a bimatrix game is defined as the rank of the sum of the payoff matrices of the two players. Under certain conditions on the payoff matrices of the game, we devise a method that reduces the rank of the game without changing the equilibrium of the game. The final result applies the general theory to the subclass of strategically equivalent rank-1 games. We show that for this subclass, which may include games of full rank, it is possible to identify games in the subclass and compute a strategically equivalent rank-1 game in linear time. These games can then be solved in polynomial time by relatively recent results for solving rank-1 games. Overall, our results significantly expand the class of bimatrix games that can be solved efficiently (in polynomial time).

Committee: Abhishek Gupta (Advisor); Atilla Eryilmaz (Committee Member); Kevin Passino (Committee Member); Ness Shroff (Committee Member) Subjects: Applied Mathematics; Computer Science; Economics; Electrical Engineering

Master of Arts in Theology, Mount St. Mary's Seminary & School of Theology, 2019, School of Theology

The Second Vatican Council ushered in an era of liturgical renewal in many ways unlike any renewal in the centuries that preceded it. Perhaps the most obvious and challenging expression of this renewal presented itself in the widespread introduction of the vernacular into the Liturgy. Throughout its history the Church has been honing its theology and worship through precise language within liturgical prayer, and with the promulgation of Sacrosanctum Concilium the work of liturgical theologians became yoked in a radical way to linguistics as they attempted to communicate this same theology in the vernacular. This thesis examines the ongoing process and development of the principles of translation theory that have governed the work of translators over the course of the past six decades. In doing so, it seeks to show that the Church's preference for the principles of formal equivalence (adopted into the instruction Liturgiam Authenticam) over those of dynamic equivalence (adopted into the document Comme le Prevoit) is not rooted in opposition to the principle of participatio actuosa. Rather, this preference is deeply rooted in a philosophical and theological worldview that centers on the presence of the Logos. Undergirded by the philosophy of George Steiner, who argues for a fundamental Presence that makes all language intelligible, and the liturgical theology of Pope Benedict XVI, which is shaped by the Word, this thesis argues for the primacy of the Logos over anthropos as the only manner in which to faithfully and adequately translate liturgical texts into vernacular tongues.

Committee: Ryan T. Ruiz S.L.D. (Advisor) Subjects: Linguistics; Religion; Theology

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2018, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: School Psychology

The current study examined the effectiveness of a novel method of delivering classwide literacy instruction in preschool. The need to improve preschool instruction with evidenced based techniques, especially around literacy instruction is warranted. Four preschool classrooms were involved in the study for a total of 95 students and 4 teachers. Data was collected using AIMSweb Letter Naming Fluency (LNF), AIMSweb Letter Sound Fluency (LSF), and a researcher-created accuracy probe. The classwide matching to sample instruction occurred four days a week for 3-6 minutes. It was implemented during opening circle time. Each session consisted of 1 letter that involved a series of steps that were completed within the matching to sample instructional technique. There were two matching to sample instructions delivered in a week: letter naming and letter sound. Each session consisted of a stimulus being presented with three comparative stimuli, a stimulus being paired with a verbal word, or a stimulus being paired with a verbal sound. Overall, A = print, B = picture, C = letter name, and D = letter sound. Results from the current study provide preliminary support for matching-to sample instruction to be used to improve letter name and sound acquisition, letter naming fluency, and letter sound fluency with preschool students. The current study highlights the effectiveness using scaffolding techniques, frequent practice opportunities, visual aids, and specific feedback when activating prior knowledge to teach an academic skill.

Committee: Tai Collins Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Renee Hawkins Ph.D. (Committee Member); Stephen Kroeger Ed.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Social Psychology

Master of Science in Engineering, University of Akron, 2015, Electrical Engineering

A premixed mixture for a combustion process is said to be stoichiometric when the amount of air provided is just enough to burn the fuel completely. A parameter called the equivalence ratio gives a measure of the closeness of the combustion system to stoichiometric combustion. In practice, excess air is provided in a combustion system to avoid production of harmful flue gases. The amount of fuel and air intake in a combustion process along with their degree of mixing affects its efficiency. This thesis describes the design of a mass airflow sensor and a flame temperature sensor that can be used to estimate mass airflow rate and equivalence ratio respectively, thereby enabling control of the efficiency of combustion systems. The mass airflow sensor designed for this thesis is an inline airflow sensor that can be used to measure combustion intake air in the temperature range between -40°F to 140°F and mass airflow rate between 0 kg/hr to 120 kg/hr. The mass airflow sensor is based on the principle of constant temperature difference thermal mass airflow meter. Thermistors are used as resistive elements for the mass airflow meter discussed in this thesis. The sensor was calibrated considering the wide range of operation of temperature; and mechanical and electrical tolerance of thermistors used in the sensor. The performance of the sensor with disturbances in combustion air intake and the effect of dust being deposited on the sensor were also studied. The flame temperature sensor is based on using Silicon Nitride hot surface igniter as a dual purpose sensor for both ignition and temperature measurement. The flame temperature measurement is based on resistance variation property of the Silicon Nitride hot surface igniter with temperature. The flame temperature of the combustion system along with the knowledge of mass airflow rate of air intake was employed to calculate the equivalence ratio of the system between 0.6 and 1. Different types of sensors from Kyocera and Coor (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Nathan Ida (Advisor); Joan Carletta (Committee Member); Kye-Shin Lee (Committee Member) Subjects: Electrical Engineering

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2015, Psychology/Industrial-Organizational

This study investigated potential causes of extant group mean differences of self-reported levels of burnout across sex. Based on the origins of burnout as an interpersonal construct, combined with research showing differences in how men and women perceive and resolve interpersonal conflict and stress, it was hypothesized that statistical artifacts, namely violations of the measurement invariance assumption, were present. It was further hypothesized that these artifacts were causing differences in the prevalence of self-reported burnout and that removing them would reduce the size of such differences. Participants (n = 579) completed three separate measures of burnout: the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory, as well as several measures of nomological correlates of burnout. The data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory approaches to measurement invariance. Results indicated that no violations of measurement invariance were present. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Committee: Michael Zickar (Committee Chair); Steve Jex (Committee Member); William O'Brien (Committee Member) Subjects: Occupational Psychology; Organizational Behavior; Psychological Tests; Psychology

Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis, Youngstown State University, 2014, Department of Psychological Sciences and Counseling

The stimulus equivalence paradigm is an empirically supported procedure that has been used to teach various populations and subject matter. Several methodological issues exist within this paradigm including differing definitions and various types of stimulus equivalence procedures. This particular study compared two types of stimulus equivalence procedures (i.e., compound vs. simple stimuli). Results of this study indicated that the simple stimuli procedure was more effective in deriving relations, but the compound stimuli procedure was more time-efficient in terms of reaching mastery criterion.

Committee: Michael Clayton PhD (Advisor); Julie Boron PhD (Committee Member); Jane Kestner PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Language

Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis, Youngstown State University, 2014, Department of Psychological Sciences and Counseling

Blocking occurs when previous conditioning with one stimulus reduces, or blocks, conditioning to a second stimulus when the stimuli are later presented as a compound. Basic research has suggested blocking may occur during equivalence class formation. Although both match-to-sample and respondent-type training are procedures used to facilitate emergent relations, research on blocking within equivalence classes has only been conducted using match-to-sample procedures. Since the two procedures are based on different types of conditioning, information on the presence of blocking in respondent-type equivalence classes would contribute to a more coherent explanation of equivalence class formation. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to compare match-to-sample and respondent-type training for their susceptibility to blocking in three-member equivalence classes. Results for the four participants who formed equivalence classes in the match-to-sample condition were mixed, with some displaying evidence of blocking and others displaying the formation of four-member equivalence classes. The two participants who formed equivalence classes in respondent-type training both showed the inclusion of the stimulus used in the blocking preparation and subsequent formation of four-member equivalence classes. Results are discussed with regard to implications for applied practitioners and directions for future research.

Committee: Michael Clayton PhD (Advisor); Stephen Flora PhD (Committee Member); Karen Giorgetti PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Psychology

Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis, Youngstown State University, 2013, Department of Psychological Sciences and Counseling

The purpose of the present study was to compare simple and complex samples during conditional discrimination training to teach spelling and typing on a keyboard to students with a diagnosis of autism. Two students, ages 5 and 8, were recruited. Using an adapted alternating treatment design, participants were exposed to a simple sample (visual image) and complex sample (image and word) stimulus set to determine the effectiveness of both procedures to establish untrained relations. Participants were directly trained in two relations during the simple sample condition: 1) matching words to their corresponding pictures, and 2) typing letters to spell words presented on the computer screen. Participants were directly trained in one relation during the complex sample condition: typing letters when given the corresponding picture and word on the computer screen. Three untrained relations were assessed using a pre-posttest design: 1) typing words when shown corresponding pictures, 2) typing words when provided with the dictated name of the picture, and 3) matching pictures to their corresponding words. Results indicate both simple and complex samples were effective in producing the untrained relation, but the use of complex samples required fewer trials to meet mastery criterion for both participants.

Committee: Rocio Rosales Ph.D. (Advisor); Stephen Flora Ph.D. (Committee Member); Karen Giorgetti Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Families and Family Life

Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis, Youngstown State University, 2012, Department of Psychological Sciences and Counseling

Stimulus equivalence is a teaching paradigm with empirical evidence for the establishment of a variety of skills (i.e., letter and number recognition, sight word reading, face-name recognition, etc.) in typically developing and non-typically developing children and adults with different levels of functioning. Simple and complex conditional discrimination training have both been demonstrated to be effective. However, the effectiveness of the two procedures has not been directly compared. The present study investigated the relative effectiveness of these two procedures to establish sight word reading and rudimentary reading comprehension to one typically developing children and two children with autism. An adapted alternating treatments design was implemented, whereby stimulus sets were assigned to either a simple-sample or complex-sample condition. The percentage of correct responses was scored for each training condition, and the number of trial blocks required to reach criterion was compared to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the two conditions. Generalization probes were conducted for all three participants, and maintenance probes were conducted two weeks following the end of training for two of the three participants. Results indicate that complex sample training was more efficient than simple sample training with all three participants. Also, all participants scored higher on their post-training probes compared to their pre-training probes in both conditions which demonstrates utility of stimulus equivalence.

Committee: Rocio Rosales Ph.D. (Advisor); Michael Clayton Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jane Kestner Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Educational Psychology; Reading Instruction; Special Education

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Wright State University, 2012, Computer Science and Engineering PhD

Throughout its design process (from specification to implementation) a digital circuit goes through a variety of structural changes. These changes are introduced primarily due to the use of automated tools in the design process. Checking whether the Boolean functions representing the two designs are equivalent is thus necessary to verify if a design implementation adheres to its specification. Combinational Equivalence Checking (CEC) - a process of determining whether two combinational design functions are equiv-alent, has been one of the most researched Boolean matching problems. The well-known CEC techniques that have been proposed adopt some kind of a formal approach such as Canonical Form (ROBDD, BMDs, etc.) isomorphism or Boolean Satisfiability in order to prove or disprove equivalence. Hybrid techniques that adopt a combination of the above mentioned two techniques have also been proposed. Knowing the exact nature of variable mappings / correspondences between the two designs a priori is advantageous during the CEC process. However, situations may arise arise wherein the knowledge of these mappings is unknown or lost. Not knowing the variable mappings between the two designs a priori increases the computational complexity of CEC techniques. The CEC problem, under unknown variable mappings, is a more complex Boolean matching problem - the problem of determining if an input and an output variable mapping/permutation exists under which the two designs are functionally equivalent. The use of signatures/filters has proven to be a well-known approach taken by the design verification community quickly detect and prune those variable mappings that do not make the two designs equivalent. In our work we propose and implement three novel output behavior based signatures known as Behavioral signatures. Behavioral signatures are computed solely based on the binary output behavior exhibited by the designs and thus distance themselves from relying on Boolean equations, cano (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Travis Doom PhD (Committee Chair); John Gallagher PhD (Committee Member); Meilin Liu PhD (Committee Member); Henry Chen PhD (Committee Member); Sridhar Ramachandran PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Computer Engineering; Computer Science; Electrical Engineering

Bachelor of Arts, University of Toledo, 2007, Linguistics

I argue that as Bible translators worked in non-Western cultures and languages, they, along with the people in these cultures, realized that some words cannot be divorced from their cultural context and connotations. This idea inevitably led them to conclude that each culture also has their own unique viewpoint of God, faith, and reality, which was essentially the birth of contextual theology. This was a major shift from classical theological thought which saw theology as more of a scientific description of God and faith, which implies that it is universal, the same for every person in every culture. I begin by discussing the issue of meaning within the context of translation. What actually happens during translation? Can the meaning of a text actually be transferred to another language? To investigate this idea, I examine two key ideas within translation studies: untranslatability and equivalence, namely what aspects of a text may be untranslatable and what type of equivalence between the source and target language texts is possible and desirable. I conclude that the way in which a translator solves these problems leads to a unique new work of art. Next, I relate this conclusion to the key premise of contextual theology, that theology cannot be separated from cultural context, although each person can gain a deeper, fuller view of God by studying other cultures' theologies. I will particularly focus on the synthesis model of contextual theology, as described by Stephen Bevans, which is particularly well suited to showing the influence of translation theory. Ultimately I conclude that the development of contextual theology would not have occurred without the changes in translation theory prompted by the act of Bible translation.

Committee: Dorothy Siegel PhD (Advisor); Richard Gaillardetz PhD (Advisor); Melissa Gregory PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Linguistics; Theology

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2012, Arts and Sciences: Political Science

For over fifty years the American National Election Studies (ANES) program has been measuring citizens' evaluations of the trustworthiness of the “government in Washington.” The longitudinal dynamic of political trust attitude, suggests that in the last fifty years, Americans have generally become less positive and more critical towards the national government. This dissertation empirically explores the causes and consequences of changes in the level and components of political trust attitude over time. This research challenges the prevalent idea that public trust in government shifts in response to the changes in government performance. Building on the scholarship of cognitively oriented public opinion scholars, I instead advocate the view that people judge about the trustworthiness of the “government in Washington” based on the problems they consider important at any given point in time—a process defined as cognitive priming. The change in political trust is modeled using the ANES cross-sectional time-series (1964-2000) dataset augmented by the context level data, replicating the state of the national- and media agendas at the time of survey response. These contextual data include the macro-level measures of unemployment, inflation, consumer confidence, and the measures of media attention to the national economy and defense. Results from the multilevel structural equation models (SEM) with Bayesian MCMC estimation method suggest that issue priming plays a key role in the longitudinal dynamic of trust. First, I establish that priming occurs through the change in respondents' national importance judgments and economic evaluations. These mediators significantly carry the priming effect of mass media and real-world cues on political trust. Second, I demonstrate that change in the volume of media attention to economic and international affairs and national defense issue domains increases the weight people place on these issues when making judgments about the trustw (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Stephen Mockabee PhD (Committee Chair); Marc Hetherington PhD (Committee Member); Patrick Miller PhD (Committee Member); Barbara Bardes PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Political Science

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2006, Arts and Sciences : Psychology

Transcranial Doppler sonography was used to examine the effects of the sensory modality of signals and event asynchrony on blood flow velocity (CBFV) in the cerebral hemispheres during the performance of a 40 –min vigilance task. Observers monitored pulses of light or sound for changes in duration under conditions in which the stimulus events to be scrutinized for the presence of critical signals occurred in a temporally regular (synchronous) or irregular (asynchronous) manner. Consistent with expectations derived from a sensory equivalence model of vigilance performance, overall signal detections and CBFV declined linearly over time in a manner that was independent of the sensory channels employed for stimulus delivery. Hemispheric differences in the overall decline in CBFV and in temporal changes in CBFV associated with the synchronous and asynchronous event conditions suggest that a cooperative interaction model may best describe the role of cerebral functioning in the control of vigilance performance.

Committee: Dr. Joel Warm (Advisor) Subjects: Psychology, Experimental

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2006, Statistics

The problems of combinatorial and geometric equivalence of symmetric factorial experiments, as well as characterization and ranking of two-level Split-plot and Split-lot designs are considered. Two fractional factorial symmetric designs with qualitative factors are said to be combinatorially equivalent if one can be obtained from the other by reordering the runs, relabeling the factors and relabeling factor levels. If the only permissible relabeling of factors levels is reversal of symbols, geometric equivalence is obtained. Existing criteria for detecting combinatorial and geometric equivalence or non-equivalence of symmetric factorial designs are described and evaluated via computer algorithms. Some new necessary and sufficient criteria for both types of equivalence are presented. All results generalize to designs with factors having different number of levels. A characterization method for two-level Split-plot and Split-lot designs based on nonregular fractional factorial designs is given. As an application, a new ranking method is proposed for general two-level Split-plot and Split-lot designs which suggests that existing ranking criteria overlook some aspects of the designs.

Committee: Angela Dean (Advisor) Subjects: Statistics