title: The Effects of Food Deprivation on Memory Performance

authors: Kerewaro, Jacob Louis

abstract: Previous research has noted that pigeon weights fluctuate over a calendar year with birds being heavier during the winter than the summer months. Given that food deprivation can be a motivator of behaviour, it is possible that the fluctuations in animals’ weights might impact performance in operant research, for example accuracy in a DMTS memory task. The effects of two different amounts of food deprivation on roosters performance in a delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS) procedure was measured. There were two conditions 75% and 95% ad libitum free feeding body weight. I attempted to assess whether a lower body weight produces more correct responses in a DMTS procedure. The results indicated that the roosters performed better when less food deprived. The last 10 sessions and the last 400 trials of both conditions was used to describe the memory performance and accuracy. There was a significant difference in the slope of the forgetting function when comparing the two conditions for the last 10 sessions, with no significant differences in the intercept. For the last 400 trials there was no significant difference for the slope or intercept when comparing the two conditions. A ceiling effect was seen to occur with some of the birds. The results from some of the roosters suggest that improved performance might occur due to exposure to the task. More accurate remembering occurred when the roosters changed from one condition to the other condition, suggesting that repeated exposure to the task increased memory performance and accuracy.

text: The Effects of Food Deprivation on Memory Performance Previous research has noted that pigeon weights fluctuate over a calendar year with birds being heavier during the winter than the summer months. Given that food deprivation can be a motivator of behaviour, it is possible that the fluctuations in animals’ weights might impact performance in operant research, for example accuracy in a DMTS memory task. The effects of two different amounts of food deprivation on roosters performance in a delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS) procedure was measured. There were two conditions 75% and 95% ad libitum free feeding body weight. I attempted to assess whether a lower body weight produces more correct responses in a DMTS procedure. The results indicated that the roosters performed better when less food deprived. The last 10 sessions and the last 400 trials of both conditions was used to describe the memory performance and accuracy. There was a significant difference in the slope of the forgetting function when comparing the two conditions for the last 10 sessions, with no significant differences in the intercept. For the last 400 trials there was no significant difference for the slope or intercept when comparing the two conditions. A ceiling effect was seen to occur with some of the birds. The results from some of the roosters suggest that improved performance might occur due to exposure to the task. More accurate remembering occurred when the roosters changed from one condition to the other condition, suggesting that repeated exposure to the task increased memory performance and accuracy.

year: 2017

title: The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: A critical analysis of its impact on a sample of teachers and curricula within and beyond Europe

authors: Valax, Philippe

subjects: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

abstract: The situation facing European countries after World War II provided the social and political context in which the Council of Europe began its deliberations on language and culture, deliberations that eventually led (in 2001) to the release of the current version of The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment (CEFR). Since then, the influence of the CEFR has increased steadily both within and outside of Europe. Following an introduction to the research and the rationale for it (Chapter 1), an outline of the CEFR and the political and social context out of which it emerged (Chapter 2) and a critical review of selected critiques of the CEFR (Chapter 3), this thesis reports on a questionnaire-based survey of responses to the CEFR of a sample of language teachers (Chapter 4) and an analysis of the impact of the CEFR in the area of curriculum design in two different contexts (Chapters 5 and 6), ending with and an overview of the research findings (Chapter 7). Of the 164 participants (from France, the UK, Taiwan, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia) who were involved in the questionnaire-based survey, only just over 20% claimed to have read the CEFR (26% in the case of those working in Europe). Over half claimed never to have heard of it (34%), to know of it by name only (5%) or to have only a vague idea of its content (19%). Of those with a view on the subject, only 31 agreed that it is becoming impossible to avoid the CEFR in the field of language teaching / learning (as opposed to 42 who did not). Asked to evaluate the overall impact of the CEFR in the countries where they worked on a six point scale (from 1 (very positive) to 6 (very negative)), 105 participants responded, with 57 (54%) selecting ‘I don’t know’. Among the remaining 47, the average rating was 3.23. Asked to evaluate the usefulness of the CEFR in the countries where they worked in a number of areas (on a six point scale - from 1 (very useful) to 6 (not useful at all)), just over 100 participants responded in each case, with just under half selecting ‘I don’t know’. For the remainder, the overall average rating was 3. These findings suggest there is little interest in, or enthusiasm for the CEFR among those frontline professionals who will ultimately determine whether it has any real impact on the teaching and learning of languages. Curriculum design was rated second in terms of usefulness in the survey (with a rating of 3.08). In order to determine how useful the CEFR actually is in this area, two different CEFR-influenced national, school-based language curriculum projects were analysed (one within Europe; the other outside of Europe). That analysis revealed a number of significant problems, particularly in relation to the articulation of achievement objectives and the association between achievement objectives and language-specific realizations. It was therefore concluded that the CEFR promises considerably more in the area of language curriculum design than it is capable of delivering.

text: The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: A critical analysis of its impact on a sample of teachers and curricula within and beyond Europe The situation facing European countries after World War II provided the social and political context in which the Council of Europe began its deliberations on language and culture, deliberations that eventually led (in 2001) to the release of the current version of The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment (CEFR). Since then, the influence of the CEFR has increased steadily both within and outside of Europe. Following an introduction to the research and the rationale for it (Chapter 1), an outline of the CEFR and the political and social context out of which it emerged (Chapter 2) and a critical review of selected critiques of the CEFR (Chapter 3), this thesis reports on a questionnaire-based survey of responses to the CEFR of a sample of language teachers (Chapter 4) and an analysis of the impact of the CEFR in the area of curriculum design in two different contexts (Chapters 5 and 6), ending with and an overview of the research findings (Chapter 7). Of the 164 participants (from France, the UK, Taiwan, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia) who were involved in the questionnaire-based survey, only just over 20% claimed to have read the CEFR (26% in the case of those working in Europe). Over half claimed never to have heard of it (34%), to know of it by name only (5%) or to have only a vague idea of its content (19%). Of those with a view on the subject, only 31 agreed that it is becoming impossible to avoid the CEFR in the field of language teaching / learning (as opposed to 42 who did not). Asked to evaluate the overall impact of the CEFR in the countries where they worked on a six point scale (from 1 (very positive) to 6 (very negative)), 105 participants responded, with 57 (54%) selecting ‘I don’t know’. Among the remaining 47, the average rating was 3.23. Asked to evaluate the usefulness of the CEFR in the countries where they worked in a number of areas (on a six point scale - from 1 (very useful) to 6 (not useful at all)), just over 100 participants responded in each case, with just under half selecting ‘I don’t know’. For the remainder, the overall average rating was 3. These findings suggest there is little interest in, or enthusiasm for the CEFR among those frontline professionals who will ultimately determine whether it has any real impact on the teaching and learning of languages. Curriculum design was rated second in terms of usefulness in the survey (with a rating of 3.08). In order to determine how useful the CEFR actually is in this area, two different CEFR-influenced national, school-based language curriculum projects were analysed (one within Europe; the other outside of Europe). That analysis revealed a number of significant problems, particularly in relation to the articulation of achievement objectives and the association between achievement objectives and language-specific realizations. It was therefore concluded that the CEFR promises considerably more in the area of language curriculum design than it is capable of delivering.

year: 2011

title: Estimated catchment loads of nitrogen and phosphorus to the Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes

authors: McBride, Chris G.

abstract: The Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes are central to the identity of their region, of immense historical and cultural importance, and provide ecosystem services that underpin biodiversity, conservation and socioeconomic aspirations of the community. The diversity of water quality in the lakes reflects their catchments, which are diverse in topography, hydrogeology and intensity of land use, ranging from the largely undeveloped land around lakes Tikitapu and Okataina, to highly developed forestry and pastoral land around lakes Rerewhakaaitu, Rotorua and Okaro. Lake water quality is strongly linked to nutrients received by each lake from surface flows and groundwater springs. It therefore follows that management of lake water quality requires a good understanding of nutrient loads derived from the landscape, as does the assessment or prediction of the in-lake effects of catchment-based management initiatives aimed at improving lake water quality.

text: Estimated catchment loads of nitrogen and phosphorus to the Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes The Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes are central to the identity of their region, of immense historical and cultural importance, and provide ecosystem services that underpin biodiversity, conservation and socioeconomic aspirations of the community. The diversity of water quality in the lakes reflects their catchments, which are diverse in topography, hydrogeology and intensity of land use, ranging from the largely undeveloped land around lakes Tikitapu and Okataina, to highly developed forestry and pastoral land around lakes Rerewhakaaitu, Rotorua and Okaro. Lake water quality is strongly linked to nutrients received by each lake from surface flows and groundwater springs. It therefore follows that management of lake water quality requires a good understanding of nutrient loads derived from the landscape, as does the assessment or prediction of the in-lake effects of catchment-based management initiatives aimed at improving lake water quality.

year: 2021