Proximity Hypothesis Research Articles

Using Interval Cycles to Model Krumhansl's Tonal Hierarchies

The analyses presented in this paper use interval-cycle profiles to show that there is a statistical link between interval cycles and Krumhansl and Kessler's (1982) major- and minor-key tonal hierarchies. An interval cycle is the minimum number of additive iterations of an interval that are required for the original pitch classes to be restated—a formal property that we hypothesize leads to perceptual grouping referred to as interval-cycle proximity. The interval cycles that best explain the extent to which any chord's interval-cycle profile correlates with the tonal hierarchies are found to be those belonging to dominant harmonies, particularly the dominant seventh. The results of the analyses and the interval-cycle proximity hypothesis are discussed with respect to Browne's (1981) rare-interval hypothesis and Brower's (2000) musical pattern mapping schema.

Prehension synergy: Effects of static constraints on multi-finger prehension

Previous studies have shown that the interactions of human hand digits are influenced by internal constraints, i.e., biomechanical and central constraints. However, little is currently known about the influence of externally imposed mechanical constraints on multi-finger behavior. This study investigates maximal digit force production during fixed object and free object prehension in statics. The results from the fixed object prehension indicated that the closer the non-task finger was positioned to the task finger, the greater the force produced by the non-task finger, which supports the proximity hypothesis. Conversely, the non-task fingers with longer moment arms showed greater force production during free object prehension, which supports the mechanical advantage hypothesis. During the free object prehension, equal and opposite torques were produced by the digit normal forces and tangential forces, while this phenomenon was not observed in the fixed object prehension. The results also showed that the thumb normal force had a positive linear relationship with task-finger normal forces during fixed object prehension while the thumb normal force remained constant during free object prehension tasks. We concluded that the CNS employed different strategies when different sets of internal and external constraints are provided during multi-digit prehension tasks.

Differential Effects of Different Peers: Further Evidence of the Peer Proximity Thesis in Perceived Peer Influence on College Students' Smoking

This study tests the extent to which people’s different conceptions of peers have differential effects on college students’ smoking intention. These prominent peer perceptions (i.e., descriptive and injunctive norms, perceived positive and negative media influence on peers) are drawn from normative theories in social psychology and communication literature. Analysis of a cross-sectional survey among current nonsmokers (N = 519) suggests that injunctive norms and perceived influence of cigarette ads on peers seem to be significant predictors of college students’ smoking intention. In addition, the roles of peer perceptions appear significant only for those who thought about ‘‘close peers,’’ which supports the peer proximity hypothesis. Respondents’ self-reported exposure to cigarette ads (but not antismoking campaigns) appears to have indirect effects on their smoking intention by forming perceptions that their peers are influenced by cigarette ads. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications are further discussed.

Primeiro registro de Evandromyia (Aldamyia) sericea (Floch & Abonnenc) (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) para a região Sudeste do Brasil

Esse é o primeiro registro de Evandromyia (Aldamyia) sericea para o Sudeste do Brasil e, até então, o registro mais ao sul da espécie no mundo. Os espécimes foram coletados na Reserva Biológica de Duas Bocas, município de Cariacica, estado do Espírito Santo. As capturas de flebotomíneos foram feitas mensalmente de abril a junho de 2008 durante quatro noites consecutivas usando duas armadilhas automáticas do tipo CDC e uma armadilha de Shannon modificada para cada noite. O encontro dessa espécie é consistente com a hipótese de proximidade filogeográfica entre a Floresta Amazônica e a Mata Atlântica.

Investors in Private Equity Funds: Large-Scale Performance Analysis and the Question if Location Matters

I ask if different types of institutional investors, e.g. pension funds, insurances or endowments etc., differ in their performances when investing in private equity (PE) funds. To approach this question, I use a new data set that includes more than 12,343 global investment observations in PE funds, from 1991 until 2003, to analyze returns by nine separate investor types. First, I show that investor types differ markedly in their returns from individual PE fund types. For instance, endowments seem particularly well equipped to invest in VC funds, while large institutional investors, particularly insurances and banks, appear to be better at investing in buyout funds. However, when analyzed over longer time periods and including the entire private equity fund type family, differences in returns by investor type converge to the average, as differences by fund type fluctuate over time. I also document that this decade, lack of investor experience was probably no longer an impediment to PE investment success. This suggests that even inexperienced investors had access to successful, ever larger buyout funds seen over the last few years. In addition, I find some, albeit limited return differences for investors in different global regions, be it in the USA, Europe or the rest of the world. Second, I probe an interesting hypothesis with regard to the success of LPs in their VC investments: The LP proximity hypothesis. I find evidence that LP proximity matters significantly and that there are presumably geographically confined knowledge spill-overs that also affect LP investments. Specifically, I document that public pension funds that were geographically close to the most successful VC firms of the nineties enjoyed significantly higher returns than their peers located farther away, in other cities or states.

Reproductive Schedules of Female Microcebus rufus at Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar

I examined the reproductive status of female brown mouse lemurs (Microcebus rufus) from October 2005 to early January, 2006 at Ranomafana National Park, an eastern rain forest in Madagascar. I employed intensive capture/mark/recapture techniques to track individual changes in vaginal morphology and body mass and collected vaginal smears for individuals with open vaginas. I observed moderate estrous synchrony (vaginal openings between October 11 and November 18), with clusters of females showing strong estrous synchrony (6 of 15 on or around October 15, and 3 of 15 on or around October 25). My findings weakly support the proximity hypothesis—that closer females will enter estrus simultaneously—and offer virtually no support for the notion that body mass influences the timing of estrus in brown mouse lemurs. Females gave birth during the second and third weeks of December. Two females showing signs of abortion or perinatal death of offspring also showed renewed vaginal swelling in late December, suggesting that some form of polyestry, i.e., as reproductive compensation for infant loss, exists at Ranomafana. I discuss the implications of the data, in conjunction with other evidence of polyestry in wild mouse lemurs, in light of data on patterns of seasonality at Ranomafana and other sites. More data are needed to determine the frequency and pattern of polyestry in Microcebus rufus.

Using Geographic Information Systems to Reconceptualize Spatial Relationships and Ecological Context.

In this article, the author demonstrates how geographic information system (GIS) software can be used to reconceptualize spatial relationships and ecological context and address the modifiable areal unit problem. In order to do this, the author uses GIS to (1) test an important category of spatial hypotheses (spatial proximity hypotheses), (2) overcome methodological problems that arise when data sets are not spatially comparable, and (3) measure ecological context. The author introduces a set of GIS variable construction techniques that are designed to accomplish these tasks, illustrates these techniques empirically by using them to test spatial proximity hypotheses drawn from the literature on environmental inequality, and demonstrates that results obtained using these techniques are methodologically superior to and substantively different from results obtained using traditional techniques. Finally, the author demonstrates that these techniques are the product of an alternative conceptualization of physical space that allows sociologists to develop new ways to think about and measure spatial relationships, ecological context, and place-based social inequality and that gives them the ability to reconceptualize spatially based methodological problems that have confronted them for years.

Signalling and phosphorus: correlations between mate signalling effort and body elemental composition in crickets

Recent findings in the field of ecological stoichiometry indicate that the relationships among key macronutrient elements (e.g. carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus) of organisms and their resources may underlie variation in fitness-conferring behaviours. The amount of phosphorus in an individual’s body is often correlated with its rate of growth and reproduction, and low-phosphorus diets are known to reduce growth in a number of insect and crustacean herbivores. These findings suggest that the stoichiometric imbalance between organismal biomass requirements and the relative scarcity of nutrients in nature may underlie variation in condition-dependent behaviours. Here we investigate relationships between body elemental composition and long-distance mate attraction signals produced by male Texas field crickets, Gryllus texensis. Signalling was strongly and positively correlated with the percentage of phosphorus present in the body, but was not correlated with the percentage of carbon or nitrogen present. We also found evidence suggesting that callers and noncalling satellites differ in their elemental composition. To our knowledge, our data are the first to indicate that there may be a relationship between total body phosphorus content and a sexually selected trait. We present a preliminary evaluation of proximate hypotheses to account for the observed patterns. Our results indicate that a stoichiometric perspective may help us to understand the causes of variation in behaviour.

A modeling approach to swarming in honey bees (Apis mellifera)

Identifying the mechanisms of colony reproduction is essential to understanding the sociobiology of honey bees. Although several proximate causes leading to the initiation of queen rearing – an essential prerequisite to swarming – have been proposed, none have received unequivocal empirical support. Here we model the main proximate hypotheses (colony size, brood comb congestion, and worker age distribution) and show that all proposed swarming triggers occur as a function of the ultimate cause of a colony reaching replacement stability, the point at which the queen has been laying eggs at her maximal rate. We thus present a reproductive optimization model of colony swarming based on evolutionary principles. All models produce results remarkably similar both to each other and to empirically-determined swarming patterns. An examination of the fit between the individual models and swarm-preventing techniques used by beekeepers indicates that the reproductive optimization model has a relatively broad explanatory range. These results suggest that an examination into the behavioral correlates of a queen’s maximum egg laying rate may provide a unified proximate mechanistic trigger leading predictably to colony fission. Generating a predictive model for this very well studied animal is the first step in producing a model of colony fission applicable to other swarm-founding eusocial animals.

When do altricial birds reach maximum of their brood defence intensity?

It has been suggested that the brood defence by parents of altricial birds should increase during the breeding attempt until the young depart from the nest. The two proximate hypotheses provide alternative predictions about the peak of brood defence intensity: (1) the vulnerability hypothesis predicts a rapid rise in brood defence after hatching of the chicks, with maximum defence intensity just before fledging and strong decline afterwards; (2) the feedback hypothesis predicts that brood defence intensity will, after a rapid rise, reach a plateau at the end of the nestling period and early after fledging and then slowly decline. I compared brood defence behaviour of altricial meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis) breeding in the Czech Republic during the late nestling stage and during the fledging time. A stuffed stoat (Mustela erminea) was placed 5 m from a meadow pipit nest and the defence behaviour of parents was recorded for 10 min from a hide. Brood defence intensity was higher during the fledgling time than during the late nestling stage, and this trend was more evident in males than in females. Regardless of the proportion of already fledged chicks and those still present in the nest, brood defence did not significantly decrease during the fledgling time in males or females. The results do not agree with the predictions of the vulnerability hypothesis and support the predictions of the feedback hypothesis.

Religion and Core Values: A Reformulation of the Funnel of Causality

This study reformulates the classic funnel of causality proposed in The American Voter. where The American Voter suggests that group aftiliation and values are equally influential in candidate choice, the foundational sociological literature suggest that values are derived from group aflliation, and therefore The American Voter has misconceptualized the ordering of these influences. We concur with the sociological literature, which suggests that values are more proximate to that decision than is group affiliation. Examining data from a 2002 statewide survey of Florida residents, and using religious aftiliation as a measure of group aftiliation, we explore the effects of political core values, such as egalitarianism and moral traditionalism, and religious affiliation on support for Florida Governor Jeb Bush and vote intentions. We employ ordered logistical models to test our Proximity Hypothesis, finding support for the contention that in the process offorming an attitude about a political candidate, core values are more proximate to the final attitude than is group aftiliation. This finding is an important contribution to the debate in political behavior over the relative influence of individual belief systems and groups.

Ecological and Phylogenetic Effects on Song Sharing in Songbirds

AbstractAs a consequence of vocal learning, the songs of male songbirds often vary geographically. We examined three proximate hypotheses that predict variation in the incidence of local song sharing among species: the annual cycle, breeding season duration, and epiphenomenon hypotheses. To test these hypotheses, we compiled data from the literature on local song sharing, annual cycle, breeding location isophane (an index of breeding season duration), repertoire size, and phylogenetic relationships of 65 populations in the family Fringillidae. Mapping characters on the phylogenetic tree revealed that local song sharing, migratory status, and breeding location isophane were randomly distributed on the phylogeny. Breeding isophane and migratory status were themselves correlated and had significant effects on the probability of sharing local songs. As predicted by the annual cycle and breeding season duration hypotheses, males in sedentary populations and populations breeding at low isophanes were more likely to share local songs. In subsets of the data, the annual cycle hypothesis received more support than did the breeding season duration hypothesis. Neither hypothesis explained more than 17% of the variation in the incidence of song sharing, and we suggest that detailed information on song function, male dispersal, and constraints on the timing of song learning will be needed to better predict the occurrence of local song sharing.

Conclusion

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Notes 1. The work used in this article is based on the research carried out for a Leverhulme-funded project (F/00094/O) on ‘Policy Transfer and Programmatic Change in the Communist Successor Parties of East Central Europe’ 2. See, for example, R. Rose, Lesson-Drawing in Public Policy: A Guide to Learning across Time and Space (Chatham, NJ: Chatham House, 1993); D. Dolowitz and D. Marsh, ‘Who Learns What from Whom: A Review of the Policy Transfer Literature’, Political Studies, Vol.44 (1996), pp.343–57; C. Bennett, ‘Understanding Ripple Effects: The Cross-National Adoption of Policy Instruments for Bureaucratic Accountability’, Governance, Vol.10, No.3 (1997), pp.213–33l; D. Stone, ‘Learning Lessons and Transferring Policy across Time, Space and Disciplines’, Politics, Vol.19, No.1 (1999), pp.51–9; M. Evans and J. Davies, ‘Understanding Policy Transfer: A Multi-Level, Multi-Disciplinary Perspective’, Public Administration, Vol.77, No.2 (1999), pp.361–85; E. Page, ‘Future Governance and the Literature on Policy Transfer and Lesson Drawing’, prepared for the ESRC Future Governance Workshop on Policy Transfer, 2000, available at <http://www.hull.ac.uk/futgov/Papers/EdPagePaper1.pdf>, accessed 18 Nov. 2004; K. Mossberger and H. Wolman, ‘Policy Transfer as a Form of Prospective Policy Evaluation’, Future Governance Paper 2 (2001), available at <http://www.hull.ac.uk/futgov/Papers/PubPapers/KMPaper2.pdf>, accessed 18 Nov. 2004; W. Jacoby, ‘Tutors and Pupils: International Organizations, Central European Elites, and Western Models’, Governance, Vol.14, No.2 (2001), pp.169–200; H. Wolman and E. Page, ‘Policy Diffusion Among Local Governments: An Information-Theory Approach’, Governance, Vol.15, No.4 (2002), pp.477–501; S. Padgett, ‘Between Synthesis and Emulation: EU Policy Transfer in the Power Sector’, Journal of European Public Policy, Vol.10, No.2 (2003), pp.227–45. 3. For a similar typology of Europeanization, see I. Bache, ‘Europeanization: A Governance Approach’, ESRC/UACES Series of Seminars on EBPP, available at <http://www.shef.ac.uk/ebpp/bache.pdf>, accessed 18 Nov. 2004. 4. Stone, ‘Learning Lessons’. 5. Wolman and Page, ‘Policy Diffusion’. 6. Dolowitz and Marsh, ‘Who Learns What from Whom’. 7. The finding that the Austrian Social Democrats were the German Social Democrats' main rival for influence in the centre-left parties of Eastern and Central Europe further supports the geographical proximity hypothesis. 8. This analogy is used by Wade Jacoby with respect to the external influences on the states of Eastern and Central Europe: W. Jacoby, The Enlargement of the European Union and NATO: Ordering from the Menu in Central Europe (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004). 9. The PDS was a keen advocate of the creation of the Party of the European Left in 2004, and this is likely to provide an opportunity for intensified interaction through policy networks and the diffusion of policy through policy transfer and policy learning. 10. D. Dolowitz, ‘A Policy-maker's Guide to Policy Transfer’, Political Quarterly, Vol.74, No.1 (2003), pp.101–8. Additional informationNotes on contributorsJames SloamJames Sloam is Lecturer in European Studies at King's College London, and an honorary Research Fellow in the Institute of German Studies, University of Birmingham.

Nest site fidelity of leatherback turtles at Playa Grande, Costa Rica

The possibility of nest site fidelity of leatherback turtles, Dermochelys coriacea, raises concerns about the merit of translocating poorly located clutches to a safe hatchery. Specifically, if some females habitually nest in areas where the probability of egg survival is low because of tidal inundation, nest relocation may inadvertently select for turtles that make poor nest site selections. We investigate the nest site fidelity of leatherbacks by studying consecutive nest site selections by leatherbacks at Playa Grande, Costa Rica, from 1993 to 2001. Along the ocean-to-vegetation axis, consecutive nest placements were independent ( G 4 2=4.737, P=0.315). Regardless of previous zone choices, leatherbacks typically nested in the open beach above the high tide line and away from vegetation. Thus, concerns about translocation of poorly located nests are unfounded. Along the coastal axis, however, an independence model was rejected ( G 36 2=145.179, P < 0.001 ). The log-linear model-based analysis we developed and applied indicated that the pattern of dependence in nest site locations is more consistent with a hypothesis of spatial proximity in which leatherbacks simply nest close to the site of the previous nest than it is with a hypothesis of intrinsic fidelity to a specific location on the beach. Our model-based approach is suitable for other settings where longitudinal nesting data are available.

Nest site fidelity of leatherback turtles at Playa Grande, Costa Rica

The possibility of nest site fidelity of leatherback turtles, Dermochelys coriacea, raises concerns about the merit of translocating poorly located clutches to a safe hatchery. Specifically, if some females habitually nest in areas where the probability of egg survival is low because of tidal inundation, nest relocation may inadvertently select for turtles that make poor nest site selections. We investigate the nest site fidelity of leatherbacks by studying consecutive nest site selections by leatherbacks at Playa Grande, Costa Rica, from 1993 to 2001. Along the ocean-to-vegetation axis, consecutive nest placements were independent (G42=4.737, P=0.315). Regardless of previous zone choices, leatherbacks typically nested in the open beach above the high tide line and away from vegetation. Thus, concerns about translocation of poorly located nests are unfounded. Along the coastal axis, however, an independence model was rejected (G362=145.179, P<0.001). The log-linear model-based analysis we developed and applied indicated that the pattern of dependence in nest site locations is more consistent with a hypothesis of spatial proximity in which leatherbacks simply nest close to the site of the previous nest than it is with a hypothesis of intrinsic fidelity to a specific location on the beach. Our model-based approach is suitable for other settings where longitudinal nesting data are available.

Representation in Congressional Campaigns: Evidence for Discounting/Directional Voting in U.S. Senate Elections

Several recent studies suggest that voters may prefer candidates who propose policies that are similar to, but more extreme than, the voters’ sincere policy preferences. This may arise either because voters vote directionally based on the direction and intensity of candidates’ proposals or, alternatively, because voters recognize that elected officials face obstacles to implementing their policy agenda and therefore discount the candidates’ policy promises. Using data from the Pooled Senate Election Study, we evaluate the discounting/directional hypothesis versus the alternative proximity hypothesis, by conducting individual-level and aggregate-level analyses of voting in 95 Senate races held in 1988–90–92. Our results support the discounting/directional hypothesis, that voters reward candidates when they present distinctly noncentrist positions on the side of the issue (liberal or conservative) favored by their constituency. These findings have important implications for understanding voting behavior, policy representation, and candidate strategies in Senate elections.

Infant mouthing behavior: the immunocalibration hypothesis

Avid mouthing, the propensity of infants to suck objects and put them in their mouths, is a pattern characteristic of the first 2-3 years of life, with its most intensive manifestation occurring during the first year. Although traditional accounts explain infant mouthing as a source of sensual gratification and/or environmental exploration, these proximate hypotheses are inconsistent with the high costs of mouthing, including choking, poisoning, and exposure to pathogens. We propose that mouthing serves to proactively expose the naive gastrointestinal tract to environmental antigens and commensal bacteria while under the sheltering umbrella of breastfeeding. Mouthing functions to accurately calibrate the developing immune system, including antibody production and mucosal immunity, to the local disease ecology. The critical exposure period is not open-ended, as failure to expose the gut to an adequate number of antigens early in life is associated with an increased risk of allergies, asthma, and atopy. Weaning initiates a number of immune changes that may program the neonatal immune system into certain life-long responses.

Organizational commitment, supervisory commitment, and employee outcomes in the Chinese context: proximal hypothesis or global hypothesis?

AbstractThis study examines the relationship between organizational commitment and supervisory commitment (commitment to supervisor) in terms of their effects on employee outcomes in the Chinese context. Based on the principle of compatibility, we hypothesized that organizational commitment and supervisory commitment served as logical mediators (global hypothesis and proximal hypothesis) for predicting organization‐relevant and leader‐relevant outcomes respectively. Moreover, because of the impact of personalism in Chinese culture, we predicted that supervisory commitment also significantly influenced organization‐relevant outcomes, in addition to its effect on leader‐relevant outcomes. Two separate questionnaires were administered to 538 subordinates and their supervisors in Taiwanese companies. Structural equation modeling and hierarchical block regression analysis shows that the principle of compatibility and personalism can explain the proposed relationship in this study. Implications and research directions are discussed in light of Chinese culture for future investigation into organizational commitment and supervisory commitment. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Guided Participation in a Cooking Activity over Time

In order to examine changes in maternal guidance over time, fourteen mothers and their preschoolers participated in a baking activity on two occasions over the course of one year. Maternal scaffolding and guidance, as well as parent and child engagement in the task, were assessed both times. Both scaffolding and guidance decreased at the second observation, supporting the premise that parental support is lessened as the child's experience and abilities increase. Results thus provided support for the zone of proximal development hypothesis. Children's engagement in the cooking activity was positively associated with parental guidance, though negatively associated with high amounts of scaffolding, or direct intervention. Parental guidance may have been associated with the child's greater participation and involvement in the on-going activity, whereas higher levels of scaffolding reflected more parental control of the activity. Finally, when asked how they normally provide help to their child in various contexts, mothers mentioned the importance of positive encouragement, verbal instruction, asking questions, and modeling appropriate behaviors.

Prospective and retrospective evaluations of experiences: how you evaluate an experience depends on when you evaluate it

AbstractPrior research (cf. Soman &amp; Shi, 2001) has shown that obstacles and periods of low progress in an experience reduce the evaluation of that experience. In this research, we propose that the temporal distance between the obstacle and the time of making the evaluation moderates the effect of the obstacle. Consequently, an early (late) obstacle reduces prospective (retrospective) evaluation more significantly than a late (early) obstacle. In two experiments, we find support for this temporal proximity hypothesis. Further, differences between prospective and retrospective evaluations disappeared when the data were analyzed in terms of temporal distance, suggesting that the judgment policies underlying prospective and retrospective evaluations were the same. We also show that it is possible to create pairs of paths such that one of the two paths would be preferred when viewed in prospect, but the other path might be preferred in retrospect. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.