title: An empirically grounded theory of conscientiousness as an Aristotelian virtue

authors: McManus, James

subjects: Virtue Theory

abstract: This thesis is an interdisciplinary project; I develop a new philosophical theory of conscientiousness as a neo-Aristotelian virtue. I then go on to develop two psychometric measures (one general measure and one student-specific measure) to investigate whether there is empirical evidence in support of the theory. In doing so, I contribute to a vastly under researched area of virtue theory ― the science of Aristotelian virtues. As discussed in Chapter Two, there are currently no validated measures of any of the Aristotelian virtues. Thus, this area of research is not only of interest to philosophers; it also contributes to the general and scientific understanding of people’s psychology, specifically, their traits, and how these traits influence important factors related to human flourishing. 
In this thesis I first explore important theory and research relating to the virtues; this includes both philosophical theories of virtue and the psychological methods used to investigate them. Of particular importance, I also discuss the differences in terminology and approach taken by philosophers and psychologists in their study of traits generally. This then informs my account of the virtue of conscientiousness (or what I refer to as Virtue Conscientiousness), and the related scales of Character Conscientiousness used to measure it. Finally, the methods and results used to assess Character Conscientiousness are presented and discussed. The findings suggest that, as a character trait, conscientiousness consists of two facets: a virtue facet (Virtue Conscientiousness) and an excess facet (Excessive Conscientiousness). This factor structure was replicated between the two scales which were applied to two different samples. Each Facet (in both scales) displayed meaningful relationships with other variables, with Virtue Conscientiousness positively correlating with life satisfaction and with Excessive Conscientiousness positively correlating with depression, anxiety, and stress. Though preliminary, these findings are promising. They support my theory of Character Conscientiousness, and of the claim that conscientiousness is a virtue.

text: An empirically grounded theory of conscientiousness as an Aristotelian virtue This thesis is an interdisciplinary project; I develop a new philosophical theory of conscientiousness as a neo-Aristotelian virtue. I then go on to develop two psychometric measures (one general measure and one student-specific measure) to investigate whether there is empirical evidence in support of the theory. In doing so, I contribute to a vastly under researched area of virtue theory ― the science of Aristotelian virtues. As discussed in Chapter Two, there are currently no validated measures of any of the Aristotelian virtues. Thus, this area of research is not only of interest to philosophers; it also contributes to the general and scientific understanding of people’s psychology, specifically, their traits, and how these traits influence important factors related to human flourishing. 
In this thesis I first explore important theory and research relating to the virtues; this includes both philosophical theories of virtue and the psychological methods used to investigate them. Of particular importance, I also discuss the differences in terminology and approach taken by philosophers and psychologists in their study of traits generally. This then informs my account of the virtue of conscientiousness (or what I refer to as Virtue Conscientiousness), and the related scales of Character Conscientiousness used to measure it. Finally, the methods and results used to assess Character Conscientiousness are presented and discussed. The findings suggest that, as a character trait, conscientiousness consists of two facets: a virtue facet (Virtue Conscientiousness) and an excess facet (Excessive Conscientiousness). This factor structure was replicated between the two scales which were applied to two different samples. Each Facet (in both scales) displayed meaningful relationships with other variables, with Virtue Conscientiousness positively correlating with life satisfaction and with Excessive Conscientiousness positively correlating with depression, anxiety, and stress. Though preliminary, these findings are promising. They support my theory of Character Conscientiousness, and of the claim that conscientiousness is a virtue.

year: 2022

title: Orthogonal trades in complete sets of MOLS

authors: Cavenagh, Nicholas J.

subjects: mathematics

abstract: Let Bₚ be the Latin square given by the addition table for the integers modulo an odd prime p (i.e. the Cayley table for (Zₚ, +)). Here we consider the properties of Latin trades in Bₚ which preserve orthogonality with one of the p−1 MOLS given by the finite field construction. We show that for certain choices of the orthogonal mate, there is a lower bound logarithmic in p for the number of times each symbol occurs in such a trade, with an overall lower bound of (log p)² / log log p for the size of such a trade. Such trades imply the existence of orthomorphisms of the cyclic group which differ from a linear orthomorphism by a small amount. We also show that any transversal in Bₚ hits the main diagonal either p or at most p − log₂ p – 1 times. Finally, if p ≡ 1 (mod 6) we show the existence of a Latin square which is orthogonal to Bₚ and which contains a 2 × 2 subsquare.

text: Orthogonal trades in complete sets of MOLS Let Bₚ be the Latin square given by the addition table for the integers modulo an odd prime p (i.e. the Cayley table for (Zₚ, +)). Here we consider the properties of Latin trades in Bₚ which preserve orthogonality with one of the p−1 MOLS given by the finite field construction. We show that for certain choices of the orthogonal mate, there is a lower bound logarithmic in p for the number of times each symbol occurs in such a trade, with an overall lower bound of (log p)² / log log p for the size of such a trade. Such trades imply the existence of orthomorphisms of the cyclic group which differ from a linear orthomorphism by a small amount. We also show that any transversal in Bₚ hits the main diagonal either p or at most p − log₂ p – 1 times. Finally, if p ≡ 1 (mod 6) we show the existence of a Latin square which is orthogonal to Bₚ and which contains a 2 × 2 subsquare.

year: 2017

title: Tracking patterns of tribal identification in the New Zealand census, 1991 to 2006

authors: Kukutai, Tahu

abstract: Despite the growing political and economic importance of iwi in New Zealand, little attention has been given to their changing demography. Using data from the New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings, we analyse the growth trajectories of four iwi - Ngāi Tahu, Waikato, Ngāti Awa and Tūhoe - between 1991 and 2006. We find a great deal of variation in iwi growth between censuses and over the entire focal period. In most instances, iwi birth cohorts increased rather than decreased in size, and gains from “new” members were especially marked among children, the middle-aged and women. The findings confirm the importance of accounting for non-demographic factors when projecting and planning for future iwi population growth.

text: Tracking patterns of tribal identification in the New Zealand census, 1991 to 2006 Despite the growing political and economic importance of iwi in New Zealand, little attention has been given to their changing demography. Using data from the New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings, we analyse the growth trajectories of four iwi - Ngāi Tahu, Waikato, Ngāti Awa and Tūhoe - between 1991 and 2006. We find a great deal of variation in iwi growth between censuses and over the entire focal period. In most instances, iwi birth cohorts increased rather than decreased in size, and gains from “new” members were especially marked among children, the middle-aged and women. The findings confirm the importance of accounting for non-demographic factors when projecting and planning for future iwi population growth.

year: 2013