Using knowledge from human research to improve understanding of contest theory and contest dynamics

Our understanding of animal contests and the factors that affect contest dynamics and decisions stems from a long and prosperous collaboration between empiricists and theoreticians. Over the last two decades, however, theoretical predictions regarding the factors that affect individual decisions before, during and after a contest are becoming increasingly difficult to test empirically. Extremely large sample sizes are necessary to experimentally test the nuanced theoretical assumptions surrounding how information is used by animals during a contest, how context changes the information used, and how individuals change behaviour as a result of both the information available and the context in which the information is acquired. In this review, we discuss how the investigation of contests in humans through the collaboration of biologists and psychologists may advance contest theory and dynamics in general. We argue that a long and productive history exploring human behaviour and psychology combined with technological advancements provide a unique opportunity to manipulate human perception during contests and collect unbiased data, allowing more targeted examinations of particular aspects of contest theory (e.g. winner/loser effects, information use as a function of age). We hope that our perspective provides the impetus for many future collaborations between biologists and psychologists.

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Improving Crisis Communication Efficiency Through Nudging

10.4018/978-1-7998-7503-1.ch007 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 142-160

Author(s):

Till Neuhaus

Keyword(s):

Human Behavior ◽

Crisis Communication ◽

Critical Reflection ◽

Communication Strategies ◽

Human Perception ◽

Human Action ◽

Communication Tool ◽

Theoretical Assumptions ◽

Intentional Change ◽

Communication Efficiency

Human action is not rational, and this irrationality manifests itself especially in decisions under uncertainty – the COVID-19 pandemic is one example of many in this respect. At the same time, various branches of research have been able to identify systematic patterns in irrational human behavior, and these have been attempted to be subsumed under the umbrella term of 'nudging'. Nudging describes the intentional change of decision architectures with the purpose of transforming irrationalities and/or distortions of human perception into predictable action. Thus, nudging represents a potent communication tool, especially in crisis communication scenarios. After presenting the basic theoretical assumptions of nudging, two examples of highly effective crisis communication strategies employed during the COVID-19 pandemic will be used to illustrate, contextualize, and reflect on central mechanisms and workings of nudging. This chapter ends with a summary of the most central findings as well as a critical reflection on potential future fields of action.

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Do financial constraints impact the technical efficiency of agricultural cooperatives? evidence from Brazil

Enfoque Reflexão Contábil ◽

10.4025/enfoque.v40i3.51484 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 40 (3) ◽

pp. 79-95

Author(s):

Vanessa Schaefer ◽

João Paulo Augusto Eça ◽

Marcelo Botelho da Costa Moraes ◽

Amaury José Rezende

Keyword(s):

Empirical Evidence ◽

Technical Efficiency ◽

Financial Constraints ◽

Foreign Capital ◽

Agricultural Cooperatives ◽

Financial Constraint ◽

Theoretical Assumptions ◽

Theoretical Predictions ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Agricultural cooperatives have the main goals of meeting the economic, social and cultural needs of their members. Although they do not seek profits, they must be competitive since they compete with other cooperatives and companies in the market. In this sense, the search for technical efficiency to give cooperatives a better market position contrasts with the difficulty these organizations face in obtaining foreign capital to enable greater investments. There is little empirical evidence, however, of the relationship between financial constraints and technical efficiency in these organizations. According to theoretical assumptions, this relationship could be positive or negative. Thus, this paper analyzes the impact of financial constraints on the technical efficiency of Brazilian agricultural cooperatives. For this, we used two metrics to measure financial constraint and analyzed panel data on 68 Brazilian agricultural cooperatives for the 2005-2014 period. Despite the theoretical predictions, our main results suggest there is no evidence that financial constraints affect technical efficiency. This result can be explained by the characteristics attributed to Brazilian cooperatives, that is, the fact they deal with different commodities (multi-purpose) and do not have strong demand for investments (technology). This paper contributes to the literature both by providing new empirical evidence regarding the relationship between technical efficiency and financial constraints and by introducing a new metric for analyzing financial constraint in the context of cooperatives.

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NON-REASONED DECISION-MAKING

Economics and Philosophy ◽

10.1017/s0266267114000169 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 195-214 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Peter Stone

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Human Behaviour ◽

Human Beings ◽

Theoretical Assumptions

Human behaviour, like everything else, has causes. Most of the time, those causes can be described as reasons. Human beings perform actions because they have reasons for performing them. They are capable of surveying the options available and then selecting one based upon those reasons. But invariably occasions arise in which the reasons known to the agent fail to single out a determinate option. When reasons cannot determine the option to select on their own, the agent must resort to some form of non-reasoned decision-making (NRDM). This paper distinguishes four different forms of NRDM – picking, randomizing, deferring and judging. Each form may be appropriate under different circumstances. The paper concludes by laying out the theoretical assumptions upon which this account of NRDM rests.

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Incongruencies between phonological theory and phonetic measurement

Phonology ◽

10.1017/s0952675720000068 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 133-170 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Doris Mücke ◽

Anne Hermes ◽

Sam Tilsen

Keyword(s):

Theoretical Model ◽

Articulatory Phonology ◽

Phonological Representations ◽

Phonological Categories ◽

Theoretical Assumptions ◽

Surface Variation ◽

Theoretical Predictions

To assess a phonological theory, we often compare its predictions to phonetic observations. This can be complicated, however, because it requires a theoretical model that maps from phonological representations to articulatory and acoustic observations. In this study we are concerned with the question of how phonetic observations are interpreted in relation to phonological theories. Specifically, we argue that deviations of observations from theoretical predictions do not necessitate the rejection of the theoretical assumptions. We critically discuss the problem of overinterpretation of phonetic measures by using syllable coordination for different speaker groups within Articulatory Phonology. It is shown that surface variation can be explained without necessitating substantial revision of the underlying phonological theory. These results are discussed with respect to two types of interpretational errors in the literature. The first involves the proliferation of phonological categories in order to accommodate variation, and the second the rejection of a phonological theory because the model which generates its predictions is overly simplified.

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Microcalorimeters for X-Ray Spectroscopy

International Astronomical Union Colloquium ◽

10.1017/s0252921100107365 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 102 ◽

pp. 41

Author(s):

E. Silver ◽

C. Hailey ◽

S. Labov ◽

N. Madden ◽

D. Landis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Thermal Response ◽

Low Noise ◽

High Resolution Spectroscopy ◽

Superconducting Transition ◽

Sapphire Substrates ◽

Laboratory Plasmas ◽

Adiabatic Demagnetization ◽

Theoretical Predictions

The merits of microcalorimetry below 1°K for high resolution spectroscopy has become widely recognized on theoretical grounds. By combining the high efficiency, broadband spectral sensitivity of traditional photoelectric detectors with the high resolution capabilities characteristic of dispersive spectrometers, the microcalorimeter could potentially revolutionize spectroscopic measurements of astrophysical and laboratory plasmas. In actuality, however, the performance of prototype instruments has fallen short of theoretical predictions and practical detectors are still unavailable for use as laboratory and space-based instruments. These issues are currently being addressed by the new collaborative initiative between LLNL, LBL, U.C.I., U.C.B., and U.C.D.. Microcalorimeters of various types are being developed and tested at temperatures of 1.4, 0.3, and 0.1°K. These include monolithic devices made from NTD Germanium and composite configurations using sapphire substrates with temperature sensors fabricated from NTD Germanium, evaporative films of Germanium-Gold alloy, or material with superconducting transition edges. A new approache to low noise pulse counting electronics has been developed that allows the ultimate speed of the device to be determined solely by the detector thermal response and geometry. Our laboratory studies of the thermal and resistive properties of these and other candidate materials should enable us to characterize the pulse shape and subsequently predict the ultimate performance. We are building a compact adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator for conveniently reaching 0.1°K in the laboratory and for use in future satellite-borne missions. A description of this instrument together with results from our most recent experiments will be presented.

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A crystallographic analysis of the CoSi/Si(111) interface using Transmission Electron Microscopy

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100176009 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 574-575

Author(s):

A.C. Daykin ◽

C.J. Kiely ◽

R.C. Pond ◽

J.L. Batstone

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Transmission Electron Microscopy ◽

Defect Structure ◽

Room Temperature ◽

Theoretical Method ◽

Crystallographic Analysis ◽

Si Substrate ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Theoretical Predictions

When CoSi2 is grown onto a Si(111) surface it can form in two distinct orientations. A-type CoSi2 has the same orientation as the Si substrate and B-type is rotated by 180° degrees about the [111] surface normal.One method of producing epitaxial CoSi2 is to deposit Co at room temperature and anneal to 650°C.If greater than 10Å of Co is deposited then both A and B-type CoSi2 form via a number of intermediate silicides .The literature suggests that the co-existence of A and B-type CoSi2 is in some way linked to these intermediate silicides analogous to the NiSi2/Si(111) system. The phase which forms prior to complete CoSi2 formation is CoSi. This paper is a crystallographic analysis of the CoSi2/Si(l11) bicrystal using a theoretical method developed by Pond. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been used to verify the theoretical predictions and to characterise the defect structure at the interface.

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