title: The Effect of Caffeine Deprivation on Decisions about Future Events in Humans

authors: Frankish, Rosanna P.J.

subjects: Delay Discounting

abstract: The current study used the stimulant model, caffeine, to assess the effects of stimulant deprivation on impulsivity in humans. Previous research has found substance abusers express greater preference for immediate outcomes and this effect is increased with deprivation from the substance. A delay discounting method was used to examine the effects of stimulant deprivation on caffeine-dependents and non-dependents. Experiment 1 looked at the effects of 12 hour's abstinence from caffeine on High and Low caffeine consumers' decision making, using a pen-and-paper delay discounting method. Experiment 1 produced area under the curve values which showed the largest effect in the Low caffeine consumers, Low caffeine consumers increased discounting when under the influence of caffeine. Experiment 2 used a well supported computer-based, hypothetical monetary, delay discounting task in hope of generating a magnitude effect. Experiment 2 was used to determine the task mode in Experiment 1 was not responsible for the unexpected pattern of results. A magnitude effect was found between the $1000 and $10,000 tasks in the delay discounting procedure. Experiment 3 used the established computer-based, hypothetical monetary amounts, delay discounting task from Experiment 2 to assess the effects of 24 hours abstinence from caffeine in High and Low caffeine consumers. The k values revealed a significant increase in discounting when participants were caffeine deprived for all groups except the High caffeine group in the $10,000 condition. These mixed results were discussed in terms of weaknesses revealed about the common mathematical measures used to analyse delay discounting data. Most importantly, the practice regularly employed by delay discounting researchers to exclude data which does not conform to discounting functions. The exponential, hyperbolic, extended hyperbolic models and the area under the curve measure were compared. The area under the curve was found to be the only measure to not exclude data, and sub-sequentially was preferred. Further research is required to establish if the area under the curve behaved in similar ways to other measures of discounting data as correlations in this study are not clear.

text: The Effect of Caffeine Deprivation on Decisions about Future Events in Humans The current study used the stimulant model, caffeine, to assess the effects of stimulant deprivation on impulsivity in humans. Previous research has found substance abusers express greater preference for immediate outcomes and this effect is increased with deprivation from the substance. A delay discounting method was used to examine the effects of stimulant deprivation on caffeine-dependents and non-dependents. Experiment 1 looked at the effects of 12 hour's abstinence from caffeine on High and Low caffeine consumers' decision making, using a pen-and-paper delay discounting method. Experiment 1 produced area under the curve values which showed the largest effect in the Low caffeine consumers, Low caffeine consumers increased discounting when under the influence of caffeine. Experiment 2 used a well supported computer-based, hypothetical monetary, delay discounting task in hope of generating a magnitude effect. Experiment 2 was used to determine the task mode in Experiment 1 was not responsible for the unexpected pattern of results. A magnitude effect was found between the $1000 and $10,000 tasks in the delay discounting procedure. Experiment 3 used the established computer-based, hypothetical monetary amounts, delay discounting task from Experiment 2 to assess the effects of 24 hours abstinence from caffeine in High and Low caffeine consumers. The k values revealed a significant increase in discounting when participants were caffeine deprived for all groups except the High caffeine group in the $10,000 condition. These mixed results were discussed in terms of weaknesses revealed about the common mathematical measures used to analyse delay discounting data. Most importantly, the practice regularly employed by delay discounting researchers to exclude data which does not conform to discounting functions. The exponential, hyperbolic, extended hyperbolic models and the area under the curve measure were compared. The area under the curve was found to be the only measure to not exclude data, and sub-sequentially was preferred. Further research is required to establish if the area under the curve behaved in similar ways to other measures of discounting data as correlations in this study are not clear.

year: 2011

title: Eliciting informative priors by modeling expert decision making

authors: Falconer, Julia Ruth

abstract: There are significant limitations to current methods for eliciting the prior beliefs of experts. To combat some of these limitations, this paper proposes an alternative approach that infers an expert’s prior beliefs about an uncertain event, A, from the expert’s past decisions. We show that an analyst can use past information on an expert’s decision-making task, contingent on an expert’s prior of A, to model the decision-making process and infer an approximation of the prior for A. This concept is illustrated by an application to recidivism. We conclude this work by highlighting important directions for future research. Funding: J. R. Falconer’s research is funded through the University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarship.

text: Eliciting informative priors by modeling expert decision making There are significant limitations to current methods for eliciting the prior beliefs of experts. To combat some of these limitations, this paper proposes an alternative approach that infers an expert’s prior beliefs about an uncertain event, A, from the expert’s past decisions. We show that an analyst can use past information on an expert’s decision-making task, contingent on an expert’s prior of A, to model the decision-making process and infer an approximation of the prior for A. This concept is illustrated by an application to recidivism. We conclude this work by highlighting important directions for future research. Funding: J. R. Falconer’s research is funded through the University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarship.

year: 2023

title: Restoring the flow: Challenging the existing management frameworks to integrate Mātauranga Māori

authors: Hall, Tredegar Rangiātea

subjects: tangata whenua water management

abstract: Within the context of the current regimes of fresh water management in Aotearoa, this thesis is an exploration of the significance of freshwater to Māori; our rangatiratanga, Treaty rights and ownership. The Māori world view and the way this relates to fresh water is described and contrasted with the principles and practices of water management in the contemporary neo-liberal governance structures of this country. The impacts of the commodification of water through ownership rights, the limited monitoring capacity and the inability to provide a governance structure that will work across diverse environments are seen to threaten the sustainability of a critical part of our environment. The primary focus of on this research is on the relationship between the exclusion of tangata whenua from decision making in resource management and the degradation of the environment.
 
The thesis comments on the development of resource management legislation and actions of the state in Aotearoa, and uses post-colonial theory as a starting point to document the subordinate relationship of Māori within contemporary governance. This has privileged mono-cultural and neoliberal forms of water management that has scarred Papatūānuku and threatens human sustainability into the future.
    
The recent co-management agreement for the Waikato River is the specific case study against which a recent effort to reduce the alienation of Māori is viewed. A kaupapa Māori methodology is used to acquire and understand the importance of mātauranga Māori/ Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and what is required for these principles to enhance water management practices within the case study area. The original contribution of the work is drawn from interviews conducted with Māori and others who are involved in or informed by the commitment to explore co-management sustainable management options. These views are woven into a substantial and interpretative commentary on the role of Māori in future water governance.

The thesis argues that the best way to enhance water management and environmental protection is by inducing a planning paradigm shift where tangata whenua are given greater influence in environmental decision making that resembles an equal Treaty of Waitangi partnership, where the ethic of kaitiakitanga is empowered. Such a strategy would allow decision making regarding water and environmental management to be more focused on what is best for the resource and its survival rather than what most cost effective for some owners of water rights. Encouraging the acceptance of mātauranga Māori and incorporating more efficient and sustainable innovative technologies can restore the mauri of water in our place.

text: Restoring the flow: Challenging the existing management frameworks to integrate Mātauranga Māori Within the context of the current regimes of fresh water management in Aotearoa, this thesis is an exploration of the significance of freshwater to Māori; our rangatiratanga, Treaty rights and ownership. The Māori world view and the way this relates to fresh water is described and contrasted with the principles and practices of water management in the contemporary neo-liberal governance structures of this country. The impacts of the commodification of water through ownership rights, the limited monitoring capacity and the inability to provide a governance structure that will work across diverse environments are seen to threaten the sustainability of a critical part of our environment. The primary focus of on this research is on the relationship between the exclusion of tangata whenua from decision making in resource management and the degradation of the environment.
 
The thesis comments on the development of resource management legislation and actions of the state in Aotearoa, and uses post-colonial theory as a starting point to document the subordinate relationship of Māori within contemporary governance. This has privileged mono-cultural and neoliberal forms of water management that has scarred Papatūānuku and threatens human sustainability into the future.
    
The recent co-management agreement for the Waikato River is the specific case study against which a recent effort to reduce the alienation of Māori is viewed. A kaupapa Māori methodology is used to acquire and understand the importance of mātauranga Māori/ Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and what is required for these principles to enhance water management practices within the case study area. The original contribution of the work is drawn from interviews conducted with Māori and others who are involved in or informed by the commitment to explore co-management sustainable management options. These views are woven into a substantial and interpretative commentary on the role of Māori in future water governance.

The thesis argues that the best way to enhance water management and environmental protection is by inducing a planning paradigm shift where tangata whenua are given greater influence in environmental decision making that resembles an equal Treaty of Waitangi partnership, where the ethic of kaitiakitanga is empowered. Such a strategy would allow decision making regarding water and environmental management to be more focused on what is best for the resource and its survival rather than what most cost effective for some owners of water rights. Encouraging the acceptance of mātauranga Māori and incorporating more efficient and sustainable innovative technologies can restore the mauri of water in our place.

year: 2012