Search results for "Social environment"
showing 10 items of 328 documents
Agent-based Social Gaming with AMUSE
2014
Abstract This paper describes the core features and the multi-agent architecture of AMUSE (Agent-based Multi-User Social Environment), a novel agent-based platform for social gaming. AMUSE is designed to offer game developers readymade solutions to many issues that are common to social games like, e.g., advanced management of matches, turns and players. AMUSE is developed on top of WADE to leverage the scalable and solid agent-based deployment environment and the PaaS approach that it provides. This paper first outlines some of the motivations that originated the development of AMUSE. Then, it presents the multi-agent architecture of AMUSE and it enumerates the major applicative features th…
Subjective appraisal of music: neuroimaging evidence.
2009
In the neurosciences of music, a consensus on the nature of affective states during music listening has not been reached. What is undeniable is that subjective affective states can be triggered by various and even opposite musical events. Here we review the few recent studies on the neural determinants of subjective affective processes of music, contrasted with early automatic neural processes linked to the objective universal properties of music. In particular, we focus on the evaluative judgments of music by subjects according to its aesthetic and structural values, on music-specific emotions felt by listeners, and on conscious liking. We then discuss and seek to stimulate further researc…
Unemployment and health in Spain
1994
We present the results of a study on the association between unemployment and health and the use of health services, exploring the influence of the socio-economic environment on these relationships. With this aim, data from the Spanish National Health Survey (SNHS) were used. Health was measured by subjective health status, presence of chronic illnesses and psychological symptoms. The use of health services was measured by drug consumption (over the counter and/or prescribed drugs), doctor consultation, hospital admission and casualty attendance. A total of 13,344 individuals aged between 16 and 65 years were included. Results were analysed for all of Spain and for 3 regions with different …
The effects of collaboration and punishment on prospective memory performance in a group setting
2020
Contains fulltext : 225210.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Remembering to perform a delayed intention is termed prospective memory (PM). Often delayed intentions are shared by more than one person; however, there is a dearth of studies examining PM in social settings. We aimed to investigate whether the potential consequences of one's behavior across diverse group settings influence PM performance in event- and time-based tasks. A total of 207 participants were randomly allocated to either an individual, collaborative, or collaborative plus penalty motivation condition and were tested in a 2- or 3-person setting. For the time-based PM task, participants responded less timely in the…
Staff reports of psychosocial climate at school and adolescents' health, truancy and health education in Finland.
2009
Background: Psychosocial climate at school reported by school personnel may be related to pupils’ reports of being heard at school, depression, physical and psychological symptoms, truancy and received health education. Methods: Cross-sectional study combining data from two independent surveys conducted between 2004 and 2005 in 136 public schools in Finland. The pupil sample comprised 11 583 boys and 12 706 girls from the eighth and ninth grades of lower secondary school and first and second grades of upper secondary school. A personnel survey ( n = 1946) was used to measure psychosocial climate indexed by trust and opportunity for participation, support for innovation, orientation towards…
How to make head or tail of ‘bridging’ and ‘bonding’?: addressing the methodological ambiguity1
2008
A distinction has recently been proposed between bridging (or encompassing) and bonding (or inward-looking) social networks. However, existing theoretical contributions remain vague as to the fundamental meaning of both concepts. As a consequence, two distinct interpretations have developed alongside each other. In the present paper, we employ data on voluntary association membership in Flanders to empirically illustrate that both approaches can lead to substantially different outcomes and therefore appear to tap into different dimensions of bridging versus bonding. These findings underline the problematic nature of the current conceptual ambiguity. We conclude that should the bridging/bond…
Hypochondriasis and somatization: two distinct aspects of somatoform disorders?
2000
We investigated boundaries and overlap between somatization and hypochondriasis on different levels of psychopathology: (1) comorbidity between hypochondriasis and somatization on the level of diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994): (2) comorbidity with other mental disorders; (3) differences in clinical characteristics: and (4) overlap on the level of psychometric measures. The sample consisted of 120 psycho somatic inpatients. Somatoform, hypochondriacal, and depressive symptomatology, cognitions about body and health, and further aspects of general symptomatology were investigated. Diagnoses …
Collective stress and coping in the context of organizational culture
2000
We examined from a cultural perspective how well-being was collectively defined, what were the sources of collective stress, and what kind of collective coping mechanisms were used to alleviate such stress in three divisions of a multinational company. In the first phase of the study we collected data on organizational culture by using individual thematic interviews ( N = 63). Applying the grounded theory methodology and an inductive analysis, specific cultures describing the divisions were identified. In terms of co-operation we found the following fundamental cultural recipes: joint focused efforts on money-making, despite the awareness of the common goals employees interested only in ful…
The effects of organizational and individual factors on occupational accidents
2002
This study examined the relationships between individual psychological, work environment and organizational variables and occupational accidents using structural equation modelling with latent variables. A series of nested explicative models of the relationships between these variables was derived. Data were collected from a wide range of industrial sectors in the Valencia region of Spain using structured interviews. In total, 525 valid questionnaires were completed and these formed the basis for the subsequent analyses. Analysis showed that the model in the series that proposed relationships between all the latent variables provided the best representation of the data. This supported the b…
Practice-based learning and innovation in nursing homes
2020
Purpose This paper aims to investigate the conditions under which learning and innovation occur within nursing homes by focusing on how the dynamics of the distribution and transformation of ideas and knowledge may be viewed as a prerequisite for innovation in both formal, planned learning situations and informal, everyday practices. Design/methodology/approach Data was produced via fieldwork, which included participant observations, conversations and research interviews with staff and managers at a Norwegian nursing home. The paper is inspired by situated learning theories and communities of practice, as the social context emerges as the site where learning and innovation are cultivated. …