Common Conceptual Framework Research Articles

Attachment and Interpersonal Theory and Group Therapy: Two Sides of the Same Coin

ABSTRACTAttachment and interpersonal theories and therapies have significant overlap, in terms of both theoretical underpinnings and overlapping factor structure of the instruments used. This article discusses how group theories and therapies utilize this common conceptual framework both in well-established and newer approaches.

A Taxonomic Analysis of Abstraction

An important characteristic of knowledge is that it exists at multiple levels of abstraction. This article illustrates how different levels of abstraction influence perception, comprehension, categorization, memory, and thought. Theories exist for how abstraction influences each of these cognitive processes, but there are few unifying principles for discussing these theories within a common conceptual framework. My proposed taxonomy examines three senses of abstraction: (a) an abstract entity is a concept that has no material referent, (b) abstraction focuses on only some attributes of multicomponent stimuli, and (c) an abstract idea applies to many particular instances of a category. The first refers to instances, the second to attributes of instances, and the third to classes of instances. Concrete mental representations consist of modal images for instances, equivalent attributes, and exemplars or episodes for categories. mental representations consist of amodal propositions for instances, distinctive attributes, and rules or prototypes or schema for categories. I first apply the taxonomy to words, pictures, and problems. The next section shows how categorization strategies combine with abstraction at the attribute, instance, and category levels. The subsequent section applies the taxonomy to hierarchical (subordinate, basic, superordinate) levels. A concluding section proposes directions for further development.

Determinants of rural out-migration in Ethiopia: Who stays and who goes?

1. Lack of knowledge on migration in rural EthiopiaMigration is a complex, multicausal, and nonlinear demographic phenomenon that has occurred throughout human history at a variety of scales and touches the lives of many people in sub-Saharan Africa (Adepoju 2008; Malmberg 2008; Naude 2010; de Brauw, Mueller, and Lee 2014). Empirical findings for Ethiopia indicate that large-scale out-migration can be triggered by natural population increase and insufficient access to food (Ezra and Kiros 2001), overall destitution of households (Gebru and Beyene 2012), inadequate income and limited access to farm land (Bezu and Holden 2014), ecological degradation and drought (Berhanu and White 2000; Ezra 2001; Mberu 2006; Gray and Mueller 2012), government resettlement policies (Belay 2004; Hammond 2008), and employment opportunities elsewhere (Kassie et al. 2008).Approximately 84% of Ethiopia's population lives in rural areas (CSA 2010) and largely depends on agricultural activity for both income and subsistence (Gray and Mueller 2012; Bezu and Holden 2014). Due to population pressure and the country's land tenure system, the livelihood of Ethiopia's rural population is particularly endangered by declining per-capita farm land (Rahmato 2004; Bezu and Holden 2014). As state authorities allocate land use rights, land is subject to neither sale nor long-term lease contracts.If the rightholders leave the village for an extended period, their land use rights can be redistributed to the landless (FDRE 2005). The associated land right insecurity discourages landholders from out-migration (Rahmato 2004; de Brauw and Mueller 2012). By contrast, others argue that Ethiopia's land use policy also triggers the out-migration of rural landless youth (Ezra and Kiros 2001; Bezu and Holden 2014). Migration allows rural households to diversify their income sources and to overcome livelihood risks and lack of credit, land, and insurance (Taylor and Martin 2001; Ellis 2003).Rural out-migration is a common phenomenon in Ethiopia and has become a concern of development planners, researchers, and policymakers. However, due to the lack of an effective registration system, the quantitative levels of migration in Ethiopia are still unclear (Hailemariam and Adugna 2011). Moreover, there is much uncertainty regarding the determinants shaping the patterns, levels, and choices of rural migration, such as the decision for short-term versus long-term migration.To bridge these gaps, we examine the determinants of rural migration decisions in general and the choice of short-term versus long-term migration in particular for the rural context of north-west Ethiopia. As in other parts of the country, households' migration strategies in the Amhara region are very heterogeneous with respect to duration and destination. Therefore, we consider the study site as representative of other rural areas in Ethiopia regarding the determinants of household migration decisions. However, when it comes to the proportion of migrant-sending households or the share of short-term and long-term migrants, misleading generalisations should be avoided.2. Challenges of migration studiesDue to people's complex, context-specific, and diverse migration experiences, there is no universal definition, comprehensive migration theory, or common conceptual framework that serves as a starting point for empirical research (King 2002, 2012; Castles 2010). Consequently, the literature emphasises the role of an interdisciplinary and context-sensitive approach in empirical migration studies (see Abreu 2012; King 2012; Brettell and Hollifield 2015). Despite the complexity and context-specificity of migration decisions, we - like other scholars (Mckenzie and Rapoport 2007; Mckenzie and Sasin 2007; Sabates-Wheeler, Sabates, and Castaldo 2008) - assume that migration is no random process, but rather a choice that is influenced by a range of observable and unobservable factors that distinguish migrants from non-migrants. …

Concept of JINR Corporate Information System

The article presents the concept of JINR Corporate Information System (JINR CIS). Special attention is given to the information support of scientific researches – Current Research Information System as a part of the corporate information system. The objectives of such a system are focused on ensuring an effective implementation and research by using the modern information technology, computer technology and automation, creation, development and integration of digital resources on a common conceptual framework. The project assumes continuous system development, introduction the new information technologies to ensure the technological system relevance.

Indicators of urban climate resilience: A contextual approach

As urban populations grow and climate exposure increases, more cities are introducing formal planning processes to adapt to climate change. This paper explains the process applied to eight cities in the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) for developing indicators for planning and monitoring local climate resilience. This process relied on transferring a common conceptual framework for climate resilience, together with a locally led iterative and collaborative process that engaged technical and planning authorities and vulnerable groups. The process varied slightly between cities and generated indicators that were chosen for their contextual fit and availability of data. The main benefit of developing resilience indicators in this way was the local capacity that the process built, in terms of understanding resilience, shared understanding of concepts and measurement and establishment of a common platform for future planning and monitoring of climate adaptation interventions at the city level.

Interval sets and three-way concept analysis in incomplete contexts

In situations with incomplete information, we may have only partial knowledge about a concept. This motivates the introduction of the notion of a partially-known concept represented by a set of known instances, a set of known non-instances, and a set of objects with unknown states. We present a common conceptual framework of the notions of interval sets and incomplete formal contexts for representing partially-known concepts. An interval set is interpreted as a family of sets bounded by a pair of sets, and any one in the family may possibly be the actual set of instances of the concept when the information or knowledge becomes complete. An incomplete formal context is interpreted as a family of complete formal contexts, and any one in the family may possibly be the actual formal context when the information or knowledge becomes complete. While a complete formal context is induced by a binary relation, an incomplete formal context is induced by an interval binary relation that is interpreted as a family of binary relations. Within the proposed framework, we identify four possible forms for representing partially-known concepts. We examine, interpret, and extend existing studies on concept analysis in complete formal contexts.

A Conceptual Framework for Graduate Teaching Assistant Professional Development Evaluation and Research.

Biology graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are significant contributors to the educational mission of universities, particularly in introductory courses, yet there is a lack of empirical data on how to best prepare them for their teaching roles. This essay proposes a conceptual framework for biology GTA teaching professional development (TPD) program evaluation and research with three overarching variable categories for consideration: outcome variables, contextual variables, and moderating variables. The framework's outcome variables go beyond GTA satisfaction and instead position GTA cognition, GTA teaching practice, and undergraduate learning outcomes as the foci of GTA TPD evaluation and research. For each GTA TPD outcome variable, key evaluation questions and example assessment instruments are introduced to demonstrate how the framework can be used to guide GTA TPD evaluation and research plans. A common conceptual framework is also essential to coordinating the collection and synthesis of empirical data on GTA TPD nationally. Thus, the proposed conceptual framework serves as both a guide for conducting GTA TPD evaluation at single institutions and as a means to coordinate research across institutions at a national level.

Towards a More Nuanced Theory of Elite Capture in Development Projects. The Importance of Context and Theories of Power

Elite capture in development projects is problematic across a wide range of cultures, governance contexts and geographical locations. The dominant development discourse suggests that elite capture can be addressed using principles of good governance and participatory democracy. We critique the notion that this is sufficient to challenge practices of elite domination that detrimentally affect the outcome of development projects. Using a Foucauldian notion of power we suggest that power relationships are more complex than current conceptualisations of elite capture allow. We offer some definitions and suggest a common conceptual framework to unify the concept of elite capture across cultures. This conceptual framework is used to analyse data from 2 case studies in south western Zambia. We conclude that the dominant discourse ignores complex power relationships and uses a simplistic notion of political legitimacy that may enhance elite capture rather than prevent it. The concept of political legitimacy needs to be expanded to include traditional institutions that are not elected, while still applying principles of participation and accountability to the design of institutions.

Relational Resilience in Māori, Pacific, and European Sole Parent Families: From Theory and Research to Social Policy.

This study reports findings and policy recommendations from a research project that applied a relational resilience framework to a study of 60 sole parent families in New Zealand, with approximately equal numbers of Māori, Pacific, and European (White) participants. The sole parent families involved were already known to be resilient and the study focused on identifying the relationships and strategies underlying the achievement and maintenance of their resilience. The study was carried out to provide an evidence base for the development and implementation of policies and interventions to both support sole parent families who have achieved resilience and assist those who struggle to do so. The three populations shared many similarities in their pathways to becoming sole parents and the challenges they faced as sole parents. The coping strategies underlying their demonstrated resilience were also broadly similar, but the ways in which they were carried out did vary in a manner that particularly reflected cultural practices in terms of their reliance upon extended family-based support or support from outside the family. The commonalities support the appropriateness of the common conceptual framework used, whereas the differences underline the importance of developing nuanced policy responses that take into account cultural differences between the various populations to which policy initiatives are directed.

All About Audio Equalization: Solutions and Frontiers

Audio equalization is a vast and active research area. The extent of research means that one often cannot identify the preferred technique for a particular problem. This review paper bridges those gaps, systemically providing a deep understanding of the problems and approaches in audio equalization, their relative merits and applications. Digital signal processing techniques for modifying the spectral balance in audio signals and applications of these techniques are reviewed, ranging from classic equalizers to emerging designs based on new advances in signal processing and machine learning. Emphasis is placed on putting the range of approaches within a common mathematical and conceptual framework. The application areas discussed herein are diverse, and include well-defined, solvable problems of filter design subject to constraints, as well as newly emerging challenges that touch on problems in semantics, perception and human computer interaction. Case studies are given in order to illustrate key concepts and how they are applied in practice. We also recommend preferred signal processing approaches for important audio equalization problems. Finally, we discuss current challenges and the uncharted frontiers in this field. The source code for methods discussed in this paper is made available at https://code.soundsoftware.ac.uk/projects/allaboutaudioeq.

Grand challenges in altmetrics: heterogeneity, data quality and dependencies

As uptake among researchers is constantly increasing, social media are finding their way into scholarly communication and, under the umbrella term altmetrics, were introduced to research evaluation. Fueled by technological possibilities and an increasing demand to demonstrate impact beyond the scientific community, altmetrics received great attention as potential democratizers of the scientific reward system and indicators of societal impact. This paper focuses on current challenges of altmetrics. Heterogeneity, data quality and particular dependencies are identified as the three major issues and discussed in detail with a particular emphasis on past developments in bibliometrics. The heterogeneity of altmetrics mirrors the diversity of the types of underlying acts, most of which take place on social media platforms. This heterogeneity has made it difficult to establish a common definition or conceptual framework. Data quality issues become apparent in the lack of accuracy, consistency and replicability of various altmetrics, which is largely affected by the dynamic nature of social media events. It is further highlighted that altmetrics are shaped by technical possibilities and depend particularly on the availability of APIs and DOIs, are strongly dependent on data providers and aggregators, and potentially influenced by technical affordances of underlying platforms.

A new model of information behavior based on semantic modeling

ABSTRACTThis poster proposes a general model of information behavior (GMIB) based on semantic models. It uses ideas extracted from concept maps, ontologies, semantic networks and artificial intelligence. It also explores topics such as hierarchy, heritance, conceptualization and properties. This form of approach, which differs from traditional approaches based on flowcharts and block diagrams, allows the development of a model that can be extended, tailored, shared, reused and may contribute to the creation of taxonomy and a common conceptual and theoretical framework for the field. It focuses on describing “how” and “why” the phenomenon occurs. The model captures the key concepts of information behavior (IB) from both professionals in their work environment and ordinary people in their daily lives. Built upon previous researches, the model reorganizes, redefines, and introduces some concepts. A characterization of some open‐ended aspects of other models is an important issue of this one and may lead to a more precise understanding of human information behavior.

Implementation of a model of a metainformation-controlled editor of information units with a complex structure

This paper describes the model and methods for implementing an extensible tool for editing information with a complex structure with different levels of abstraction and invariance to technological spaces (subject domains) in a common conceptual framework for carriers of this information; this makes it unnecessary to arrange specialized training for these carriers or involve professional intermediaries.

Frontopolar Resource Allocation in Human and Nonhuman Primates

A recent report suggested that monkey frontopolar cortex (FPC) is vital for the reallocation of cognitive resources among potential goals in complex underspecified situations. These findings nicely complement evidence from human neuroimaging and patient studies, leading to a common conceptual framework of FPC function across species.

Virtuousness and the Common Good as a Conceptual Framework for Harmonizing the Goals of the Individual, Organizations, and the Economy

Despite the expansion of the regulatory state, we continue to witness widespread unethical practices across society. This paper addresses these challenges of ethical failure, misalignment, and dissonance by developing a conceptual framework that provides an explicit basis for understanding virtuousness and the common good directed toward the goal of eudaimonia or human flourishing. While much of the literature on virtuousness has focused on the organization, this paper uses a more comprehensive understanding that also incorporates the agent and the economy examined through their relational order. The common good provides direction for guiding behavior of all the various stakeholders and the context for understanding virtuousness, while it is through virtuousness that the common good is effectively realized. Virtuousness and the common good are therefore in effect ‘two sides of the same coin.’ This paper develops a virtuousness–common good conceptual framework which explores the basis for harmonizing the goals of the individual, organization, and the economy.

A model for generation of directed graphs of information by the directed graph of metainformation for a two-level model of information units with a complex structure

A model for generation of directed graphs of information by the directed graph of metainformation for a two-level connected directed graph model of information units is described. It can be used as a basis in computer tools for editing information with a complex structure with different levels of abstraction and invariance to technological spaces (subject domains) in a common conceptual framework for carriers of this information, making it unnecessary to organize specialized training for these carriers or to involve professional intermediaries.

Microbiomes: unifying animal and plant systems through the lens of community ecology theory.

The field of microbiome research is arguably one of the fastest growing in biology. Bacteria feature prominently in studies on animal health, but fungi appear to be the more prominent functional symbionts for plants. Despite the similarities in the ecological organization and evolutionary importance of animal-bacterial and plant–fungal microbiomes, there is a general failure across disciplines to integrate the advances made in each system. Researchers studying bacterial symbionts in animals benefit from greater access to efficient sequencing pipelines and taxonomic reference databases, perhaps due to high medical and veterinary interest. However, researchers studying plant–fungal symbionts benefit from the relative tractability of fungi under laboratory conditions and ease of cultivation. Thus each system has strengths to offer, but both suffer from the lack of a common conceptual framework. We argue that community ecology best illuminates complex species interactions across space and time. In this synthesis we compare and contrast the animal-bacterial and plant–fungal microbiomes using six core theories in community ecology (i.e., succession, community assembly, metacommunities, multi-trophic interactions, disturbance, restoration). The examples and questions raised are meant to spark discussion amongst biologists and lead to the integration of these two systems, as well as more informative, manipulatory experiments on microbiomes research.

Auditory Scene Analysis

Albert Bregman’s (1990) book Auditory Scene Analysis: The Perceptual Organization of Sound has had a tremendous impact on research in auditory neuroscience. Here, we outline some of the accomplishments. This review is not meant to be exhaustive, but rather aims to highlight milestones in the brief history of auditory neuroscience. The steady increase in neuroscience research following the book’s pivotal publication has advanced knowledge about how the brain forms representations of auditory objects. This research has far-reaching societal implications on health and quality of life. For instance, it helped us understand why some people experience difficulties understanding speech in noise, which in turn has led to development of therapeutic interventions. Importantly, the book acts as a catalyst, providing scientists with a common conceptual framework for research in such diverse fields as speech perception, music perception, neurophysiology and computational neuroscience. This interdisciplinary approach to research in audition is one of this book’s legacies.

A two-level model of information units with complex structure that correspond to the questioning metaphor

A two-level model of information units is described. It can be used as a basis for computer tools for editing information with a complex structure with different levels of abstraction and invariance to technological spaces (subject domains) in a common conceptual framework for carriers of this information. Using editing tools which are based on this model makes it unnecessary to organize specialized training for these carriers or to involve professional intermediaries.

A Neuropsychological Approach to Auditory Verbal Hallucinations and Thought Insertion - Grounded in Normal Voice Perception.

A neuropsychological perspective on auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) links key phenomenological features of the experience, such as voice location and identity, to functionally separable pathways in normal human audition. Although this auditory processing stream (APS) framework has proven valuable for integrating research on phenomenology with cognitive and neural accounts of hallucinatory experiences, it has not yet been applied to other symptoms presumed to be closely related to AVH – such as thought insertion (TI). In this paper, I propose that an APS framework offers a useful way of thinking about the experience of TI as well as AVH, providing a common conceptual framework for both. I argue that previous self-monitoring theories struggle to account for both the differences and similarities in the characteristic features of AVH and TI, which can be readily accommodated within an APS framework. Furthermore, the APS framework can be integrated with predictive processing accounts of psychotic symptoms; makes predictions about potential sites of prediction error signals; and may offer a template for understanding a range of other symptoms beyond AVH and TI.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13164-015-0270-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.