scholarly journals Episodic curiosity for avoiding asteroids: Per-trial information gain for choice outcomes drive information seeking

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linus Holm ◽  
Gustaf Wadenholt ◽  
Paul Schrater

Humans often appear to desire information for its own sake, but it is presently unclear what drives this desire. The important role that resolving uncertainty plays in stimulating information seeking has suggested a tight coupling between the intrinsic motivation to gather information and performance gains, and has been construed as a drive for long-term learning. Using a simple asteroid-avoidance game that allows us to study learning and information seeking at an experimental time-scale, we show that we can separate the incentive for information-seeking from a long-term learning outcome, and show that information-seeking is best predicted by per-trial outcome uncertainty. Specifically, our 43 participants were more willing to take time penalties for feedback on trials with uncertain outcomes. We found strong group (R2 = .97) and individual level (mean R2 = .44) support for a linear relationship between feedback request rate and information gain as determined by per-trial outcome uncertainty. This information better reflects filling in the gaps of the episodic record of choice outcomes than long-term skill acquisition or assessment. Our results suggest that this easy to compute quantity can drive information-seeking, potentially allowing simple organisms to intelligently gather information without having to anticipate the impact on future performance.

Author(s):  
Puja Sareen ◽  
Parikshit Joshi

<em>Organizational learning has the potential to improve organizational performance. For any organization to sustain long term benefits it requires to establish a mechanism to tap the knowledge and use this knowledge in taking future decisions. This study tries to capture the role of Organizational Learning and Employee Motivation and its impact on the Employees’ Performance. The study is exploratory and descriptive in nature. The questionnaire used for primary data collection has its items collected and derived from various standardized questionnaires available. The analysis of the primary data shows that there is a positive correlation between Organizational Learning and Organizational Performance. On understanding Herzberg theory of motivation the study came to conclusion that employees consider hygiene factors of motivation more significant than the motivator factors. The motivation level of employees in an organization has positive impact on the overall performance of any organization. The study helps the organizations to understand the relationship between learning and performance considering motivation as a mediating variable. </em>


Author(s):  
Anne Danielsen ◽  
Kristian Nymoen ◽  
Martin Torvik Langerød ◽  
Eirik Jacobsen ◽  
Mats Johansson ◽  
...  

AbstractMusical expertise improves the precision of timing perception and performance – but is this expertise generic, or is it tied to the specific style(s) and genre(s) of one’s musical training? We asked expert musicians from three musical genres (folk, jazz, and EDM/hip-hop) to align click tracks and tap in synchrony with genre-specific and genre-neutral sound stimuli to determine the perceptual center (“P-center”) and variability (“beat bin”) for each group of experts. We had three stimulus categories – Organic, Electronic, and Neutral sounds – each of which had a 2 × 2 design of the acoustic factors Attack (fast/slow) and Duration (short/long). We found significant effects of Genre expertise, and a significant interaction for both P-center and P-center variability: folk and jazz musicians synchronize to sounds typical of folk and jazz in a different manner than the EDM/hip-hop producers. The results show that expertise in a specific musical genre affects our low-level perceptions of sounds as well as their affordance(s) for joint action/synchronization. The study provides new insights into the effects of active long-term musical enculturation and skill acquisition on basic sensorimotor synchronization and timing perception, shedding light on the important question of how nature and nurture intersect in the development of our perceptual systems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-142
Author(s):  
Kim Foong Jee ◽  
Jia En Joanne Ngui ◽  
Pei Pei Jessica Poh ◽  
Wai Loon Chan ◽  
Yet Siang Wong

This paper examines the relationship between capital structure and performance of firms. The study is confined to plantation sector companies in Malaysia and is based on a sample of 39 firms which listed in Bursa Malaysia for the period from 2009 to 2019. This study uses two performance measures which are ROA and ROE as the dependent variable. Besides, the capital structure measures are the short-term debt, long-term debt, total debt and firm growth, which as the independent variables. Size will be the control variable in this study. Moreover, a fixed-effect panel regression analysis has been used to analyse the impact of capital structure on firm performance. The results indicate that firm performance, which is in term of ROA, have an insignificant relationship with short-term debt (STD) and long-term debt (LTD). For the total debt (TD) and growth, there is a significant relationship with ROA. However, for the performance measured by ROE, it has an insignificant relationship with short-term debt (STD), long-term debt (LTD) and total debt (TD). Furthermore, there is a significant relationship between the growth and the performance firms from plantation sector in Malaysia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 47-55
Author(s):  
Olusegun Osho ◽  
Alexander Ehimare Omankhanlen ◽  
Mojisola Fasanmi ◽  
Victoria Akinjare

Considering the possibility of finding a gap and a room for improvement, so much have been written about liquidity and performance. Notwithstanding, the emphasis has been on profitability as a yardstick for performance and little has been done on other areas of performance measurement. The emphasis has also been more on various economic sectors with the exception of the manufacturing industry. This paper intends to look at the impact, if any, of liquidity provision and availability on Nigeria’s manufacturing firm’s performance from the perspective of Economic Value Added (EVA). Economic value-adding is beyond just profitability or liquidity. The firm's value to the stakeholders, its sustainability and long-term values are defined. The study would apply liquidity theories, profitability and the economic value-added theories as it applies to a manufacturing firm in a developing economy like Nigeria. On its methodology, the article data is obtained from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators-WDI and then a regression analysis will be run on the data using the SPSS software and then an analysis of the results of the regression. The last section of the article would conclude and make recommendations from the study outcome and the empirical analysis with respect to the theories.


2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Jackson ◽  
Gill Valentine

This article focuses on acts of resistance regarding reproductive politics in contemporary Britain. Drawing on empirical research this article investigates grassroots activism around a complex moral, social, and political problem. This article therefore focuses on a site of resistance in everyday urban environments, investigating the practice and performance involved. Identifying specifically the territory(ies) and territorialities of these specific sites of resistance, this article looks at how opposing groups negotiate conflict in public space in territorial, as well as habitual, ways. Second, the article focuses on questions around the impact, distinction, and novelty both in the immediate and long term of these acts of resistance for those in public space. Here, then, the focus shifts to the reactions to this particular form of protest and questions the “acceptability” of specific resistances in the public imaginary.


2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
G L Olson ◽  
L. Robine ◽  
L B Rosengren ◽  
C D Baker ◽  
M. Duggan ◽  
...  

Premature parturition induction may adversely affect postnatal health and performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of cloprostenol induction 2 d prior to term on piglet maturity (liver glycogen), postnatal productivity (birth weight, growth rate), and health (morbidity, mortality, passive antibody, fecal Clostridium perfringens). Two hundred and sixteen pregnant sows and their progeny (2827 piglets) were assigned to the study. Induction decreased gestation length 2.1 d (P < 0.0001), birth weight 107.2 g pig-1 (P = 0.0004), lactational growth 10.1 g d-1 (P = 0.05), and day 16 weight 0.30 kg pig-1 (P < 0.05). Liver glycogen concentration was 71.2 µg g-1 higher in the stillborns of induced sows (P = 0.03), suggesting the pre-term sows were catabolic. No group differences in post-weaning growth rate, pre-weaning mortality or morbidity, passive antibody transfer or fecal Clostridium perfringens level were found. Reduced lactational growth appeared attributable to the reductions in gestation length and birth weight, rather than in piglet maturity. In spite of reducing lactational growth and body weight at 16 d of age, the administration of cloprostenol 2 d prior to term, under the conditions of this study, resulted in no measureable long-term health or performance consequences. Key words: Porcine, parturition-induction, cloprostenol, prostaglandin F2α, glycogen, Clostridium perfringens


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 179-183
Author(s):  
Selin Tuysuzoglu Sagalowsky ◽  
Kimball A Prentiss ◽  
Robert J Vinci

IntroductionRepetitive paediatric simulation (scenario-debrief-scenario; RPS) is an instructional design that allows immediate application of learner-directed feedback, in contrast to standard simulation (scenario-debrief; STN). Our aim was to examine the impact of RPS embedded within a paediatric resident simulation curriculum, comparing it to STN.MethodsIn this prospective educational cohort study, paediatric residents were enrolled in STN (n=18) or RPS (n=15) groups from August 2012 through June 2013. Each group performed an initial high-fidelity simulation and another after 1–2 weeks. Attitudes, confidence and knowledge were assessed using anonymous surveys with each scenario and at 4–6 months. Skills were assessed in real time with a modified Tool for Resuscitation Assessment Using Computerised Simulation (TRACS). Two blinded reviewers assessed a subset of videotaped scenarios for TRACS inter-rater reliability.ResultsBoth STN and RPS designs were rated highly. The curriculum led to significant short-term and long-term improvements in confidence, knowledge and performance, with no significant differences between groups. All final respondents reported that they would prefer RPS to STN (n=6 STN, 4 RPS). TRACS intraclass correlation was 0.87 among all reviewers.ConclusionsPaediatric residents reported preference for RPS over STN, with comparable impacts on confidence, knowledge and performance. The modified TRACS was a reliable tool to assess individual resident performance. Further research is needed to determine whether RPS is a more effective instructional design for teaching resuscitation skills to paediatric residents.


Sports ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadja Walter ◽  
Lucie Nikoleizig ◽  
Dorothee Alfermann

(1) Background: Self-talk (ST) is used to influence athletes’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Samples of squad and competitive athletes are underrepresented, although research has proven the positive effects of ST in the context of sports. Thus, the present study focused on the impact of ST on psychological and performance outcomes of junior sub-elite athletes. (2) Methods: N = 117 athletes (55 females, 62 males; M = 16.0 years) were randomly assigned to either one of two experimental groups or to a control group (n = 30). The experimental groups received an ST intervention for either one week (n = 36) or eight weeks (n = 38), and the control group received no ST training. The dependent variables (competitive anxiety, volitional skills, self-efficacy, and coaches’ performance ratings) were assessed three times before and after the intervention. It was expected that (a) an ST intervention would reduce the competitive anxiety and increase volitional skills, self-efficacy, and performance; and, (b) long-term training would lead to higher effects than short-term training. (3) Results: As expected, ST training led to (less) somatic state anxiety and (higher) state self-confidence, self-optimization, self-efficacy, and performance. Additionally, long-term training was more effective than short-term training. (4) Conclusions: Targeted ST interventions may help to improve junior athletes’ psychological states and performance.


2020 ◽  
pp. 193896552097533
Author(s):  
Saram Han ◽  
Christopher K. Anderson

Owing to the impact of third-party commissions upon hotel profitability, many hotel brands have actively engaged in book direct campaigns, but to date, no large-scale longitudinal effort has been conducted to systematically evaluate direct booking behavior (i.e., direct versus online travel agency [OTA]). In this study, we use three years of transactional data from a large hotel brand to evaluate booking channel choices. To address the dynamic nature of the longitudinal individual-level data, we use a hidden Markov model (HMM), allowing us to evaluate both short- and long-term effects. Using the HMM, we evaluate the latent loyalty status of customers through their observed online booking channel behavior (i.e., direct versus OTA). As a result, we find that customer–manager engagement through guest satisfaction surveys (and managerial responses to those surveys) has a long-term effect on consumer propensities to book direct, gradually increasing customer loyalty to the brand. Specifically, we find that positive customer feedback signals a greater willingness to book direct in subsequent purchases. Moreover, managerial responses to the satisfied customer result in greater tendency to remain loyal and book direct. Second, the membership program tier of the customer has a significant short-term effect on the consumer’s propensity to book direct. Low-loyalty customers’ direct booking tendency increases as soon as they join the membership program. These findings not only illustrate the impact of membership status upon channel choice but also indicate the effect of the customer’s voice and the resulting managerial response upon booking behaviors over time.


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