A Learning-Efficiency Explanation of Structure in Language

This paper proposes a learning-efficiency explanation of modular structure in language. An optimal grammar arises as the solution to the problem of learning a language from a minimal number of observations of instances of the use of the language. Agents face symmetry constraints that limit their ability to make a priori distinctions among symbols used in the language and among objects (interpreted as facts, events, speakers intentions) that are to be represented by messages in the language. It is shown that if it is commonly known that the object space is modular and messages are strings, then modularity of the language is sufficient and (essentially) necessary for learning efficiency. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Number: C72.I am grateful to Hsueh-Ling Huynh, Bart Lipman, Ariel Rubinstein and Birger Wernerfelt for stimulating discussions and comments. Many thanks are due to the anonymous referee for suggestions that have helped to improve the focus and presentation of the paper. I have benefitted from comments by seminar participants at Arizona State University, Boston University, the University of California-San Diego, the University of Pittsburgh, the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB), the Midwest Mathematical Economics Meetings, and the Summer in Tel Aviv (SITA). This research was supported by a Grant from the National Science Foundation.     

Stigmatisation of elite actors in corporate scandals: The role of meaning making in the media

Corporate scandals sometimes result in social devaluation and stigma for elite actors. This paper explores the linkage between the meaning-making processes that pertain to corporate scandals in the media and the outcome of stigma in two Swedish cases: the Skandia and ABB scandals. Several discursive strategies are identified that support two meaning-making processes that mediate between corporate acts and the stigmatisation of elite actors: the labelling of the acts as illegitimate and the transformation of the illegitimate act into evidence of some deeply discrediting attributes of elite organisational actors. The paper contributes to the literature on stigmatisation by elaborating on the concept of scandal-induced stigmatisation of elite actors, integrating a more sophisticated understanding of discursive legitimation, and introducing the characteristics of meaning making in the media as a mechanism that links corporate acts to the stigmatisation of elite corporate actors.     

Kinect-based choice reaching and stepping reaction time tests for clinical and in-home assessment of fall risk in older people: a prospective study

Background

Quick protective reactions such as reaching or stepping are important to avoid a fall or minimize injuries. We developed Kinect-based choice reaching and stepping reaction time tests (Kinect-based CRTs) and evaluated their ability to differentiate between older fallers and non-fallers and the feasibility of administering them at home.

Methods

A total of 94 community-dwelling older people were assessed on the Kinect-based CRTs in the laboratory and were followed-up for falls for 6 months. Additionally, a subgroup (n?=?20) conducted the Kinect-based CRTs at home. Signal processing algorithms were developed to extract features for reaction, movement and the total time from the Kinect skeleton data.

Results

Nineteen participants (20.2 %) reported a fall in the 6 months following the assessment. The reaction time (fallers: 797?±?136 ms, non-fallers: 714?±?89 ms), movement time (fallers: 392?±?50 ms, non-fallers: 358?±?51 ms) and total time (fallers: 1189?±?170 ms, non-fallers: 1072?±?109 ms) of the reaching reaction time test differentiated well between the fallers and non-fallers. The stepping reaction time test did not significantly discriminate between the two groups in the prospective study. The correlations between the laboratory and in-home assessments were 0.689 for the reaching reaction time and 0.860 for stepping reaction time.

Conclusion

The study findings indicate that the Kinect-based CRT tests are feasible to administer in clinical and in-home settings, and thus represents an important step towards the development of sensor-based fall risk self-assessments. With further validation, the assessments may prove useful as a fall risk screen and home-based assessment measures for monitoring changes over time and effects of fall prevention interventions.

     

An application of negative binomial distribution of order k in sensitive surveys

This article is an attempt to generalize some of the recent papers on randomized response techniques by using the negative binomial distribution of order k to randomize the responses in the randomization design where respondents can report outcome of one of two binary devices depending upon their actual status. The relative efficiency results are observed to be better than those of many recent and relevant randomized response techniques. The results are also better than those of the base line model used in this study, providing the sensitive attribute is rare. An extra advantage of the proposed technique is that it does not require any additional sampling and administrative cost.     

Ärgerberatung in Organisationen — systemische und strukturationstheoretische Implikationen

This essay presents, based on theoretical-structural perspectives and on the usage of a systemic approach, practical methods and implications for consultants dealing with anger in organisations. The goal of this essay is to make theoretical debates useful for the concrete consultancy practice. The topic of the first step deals with the following central question: Why do consultants need a theory anyway?! The heart of this essay deals with the chances and limits of a conflict resolution training based on the systemic approach using the structural theory as a baseline. Finally, the author presents a diagnostic and intervention method which shall enable new perspectives on anger episodes.