Browsing by Department "Behavioural Cognitive and Social Science"

Many countries conduct regular national time use surveys, some of which date back as far as the 1960s. Time use surveys potentially provide more detailed and accurate national estimates of the prevalence of sedentary and physical activity behavior than more traditional self-report surveillance systems. In this study, the authors determined the reliability and validity of time use surveys for assessing sedentary and physical activity behavior. In 2006 and 2007, participants (n = 134) were recruited from work sites in the Australian state of New South Wales. Participants completed a 2-day time use diary twice, 7 days apart, and wore an accelerometer. The 2 diaries were compared for test-retest reliability, and comparison with the accelerometer determined concurrent validity. Participants with similar activity patterns during the 2 diary periods showed reliability intraclass correlations of 0.74 and 0.73 for nonoccupational sedentary behavior and moderate/vigorous physical activity, respectively. Comparison of the diary with the accelerometer showed Spearman correlations of 0.57–0.59 and 0.45–0.69 for nonoccupational sedentary behavior and moderate/vigorous physical activity, respectively. Time use surveys appear to be more valid for population surveillance of nonoccupational sedentary behavior and health-enhancing physical activity than more traditional surveillance systems. National time use surveys could be used to retrospectively study nonoccupational sedentary and physical activity behavior over the past 5 decades.

We have carried out a thorough mineralogical analysis of 16 pottery samples from the Lapita site of Bourwera in Fiji, using micromorphological techniques with optical and polarising microscopes. While the overall mineralogy of all of the samples is similar the samples clearly divide into two groups, namely those with or without the mineral calcite. Our findings are backed up by chemical analysis using SEM-EDX and FTIR. SEM-EDX shows the clear presence of inclusions of calcite in some of the samples; FTIR shows bands arising from calcite in these samples. The study suggests that it is likely that more than one clay source was used for production of this pottery, but that most of the pottery comes from a single source. This finding is in line with previous studies which suggest some trading of pottery between the Fijian islands but a single source of clay for most of the pottery found at Bouwera. We found no evidence for the destruction of CaCO₃ by heating upon production of the pottery in line with the known technology of the 'Lapita' people who produced earthenware pottery but not high temperature ceramics.

The claustrum is a small structure of poorly understood function situated subcortically in the basal forebrain. The fact that it is extensively and reciprocally connected with the cerebral cortex has led to suggestions that it is involved in coordination of cortical activity. In this study, we created excitotoxic lesions to the anterior claustrum of rats and tested performance on three tasks that involve neural processing in one or more frontal and limbic cortical structures. We tested reversal learning and spatial working memory in a water maze and tested latent inhibition using conditioned taste aversion. Lesioned rats were not impaired at acquiring the initial location of the platform in a water maze, but were impaired at acquiring a switched location in the reversal phase. The lesioned rats also exhibited an increased rate of perseverance errors compared to control rats during reversal. Lesioned rats were not impaired in the working memory task or latent inhibition. These results indicate that cell loss in the claustrum may lead to deficits in behavioral flexibility, and are consistent with theories of claustral function that suggest it may help coordinate information necessary for at least some cortical-dependent tasks.

80 radiocarbon dates are presented for Lapita-era sites on the Rove Peninsula, southwest Viti Levu Island, Fiji. Of these, 67 are from the Bourewa site which is the largest and probably the earliest in the area. Of these, 10 are rejected as not being demonstrably associated with its Lapita occupation. Constraints on date interpretation arising from sample materials are highlighted. In particular, charcoals that have not been identified to short-lived tree species, twigs or seeds are evaluated according to observed contextual associations and established understanding of inbuilt age offsets using Bayesian outlier analysis. It is concluded that many of the dates on charcoal are imprecise indicators of settlement age and have an average offset of 150 years. Shell radiocarbon results are similarly evaluated and it is concluded that the majority have 14C values that are in equilibrium with the marine radiocarbon reservoir and therefore yield ages that are accurate indicators of Lapita occupation of Bourewa. Results suggest that initial occupation at Bourewa occurred 2814±25 calBP (2837-2786 calBP [68.2% prob.]; 2865-2770 [95.4% prob.]) and ended 2657±20 calBP (2677-2641 calBP [68.2% prob.]; 2690-2614 calBP [95.4% prob.]). Similar analyses applied to other dated Lapita sites in Fiji shows that, while Bourewa is among the earliest, the Matanamuani (VL 21/5) site on Naigani Island remains the earliest to be securely dated.

Pacific Island Countries are highly exposed to climate change. Most impact studies have focused on the most densely populated core areas where top-down governance is most effective. In contrast, this research looks at peripheral (rural/outer-island) communities where long-established systems of environmental governance exist that contrast markedly with those which governments and their donor partners in this region favour. Peripheral communities in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, and Vanuatu were studied. Traditional systems of environmental governance are described, and three common barriers to effective and sustainable climate-change adaptation identified. The first is lack of awareness among key community decision makers about climate change and associated environmental sustainability that could be lessened by targeted awareness raising. The second is the inappropriateness of traditional decision-making structures for dealing with both the complexity and pace of climate-driven environmental changes. The third is the short-term views of resource management and sustainability held by many community decision makers. Despite 30 years of assistance, there has been negligible effective and sustainable adaptation for climate change in peripheral parts of Pacific Island Countries, something that is explicable by both the ineffectiveness of top-down approaches in such places as well as a lack of attention to the nature and the context of adaptation communications. It is timely for interventions to be made at community level where the greatest disconnect lies between the science and stakeholder awareness of climate change.

There can be little doubt that the cell phone is one of the most rapidly diffused devices in the history of technological innovation. Worldwide there are now over 1.7 billion cell phone accounts, 600 million more cell phones services than fixed lines (Castells et al. 2007). Many contemporary social scientists have seen the social effects of diffusion of portable information and communication technologies (ICTs) as signaling a historical watershed. For example, Virilio (2000) has asserted that ICTs, including the cell phone have transformed proximity, so that it is now based on time rather than place. The capacity of cell phones to operate regardless of location gives rise to new patterns of continuous mediated interactions (Agar 2003; Katz and Aakhus 2002; Licoppe and Smoreda 2006). While Nicola Green (2002) argues that mobile technologies afford novel opportunities for intensifying strong ties, others presume these technologies encourage work problems to 'spillover' and colonize the social spaces and times once reserved for family life (Fligstein and Sharone 2002; Chesley 2005; Duxbury et al. 2006). ... This paper sets out to examine three propositions about cell phones and time pressure. The first proposition is that the cell phone has been instrumental in accelerating the pace of life. Concretely, the analysis presented here tests the hypotheses that: 1. Frequent cell phone use will be associated with a heightened sense of time pressure (H1). 2. The cell phone as a 'work extension technology' (tested by examining whether cell phone use, out of business hours, is predominantly or substantially connected with work tasks) (H2). 3. Cell phones contribute to the intensification of work effort (tested by examining whether greater cell phone for work increases people's experience of time pressure) (H3).

As in most parts of the world, the proportion of coastal lands (relative to non-coastal lands) varies immensely throughout the Asia-Pacific region. For example, in some of the most distant parts of this vast region such as the tropical Indian Ocean or Pacific Islands, every piece of land is coastal in the sense that it is affected directly by coastal processes. Yet for the largest land areas in the region, coasts by any definition comprise only a small proportion of the total land area. Such statements may be misleading, however, because, in terms of their importance to humans as locations for settlement, economic activities, and food production, coasts are generally more valuable than most other land areas of comparable size in the Asia-Pacific region. At the same time, coasts are more vulnerable to change than other land types, whose degree of natural resilience is commonly greater. As elsewhere in the world, the positions and the characters of Asia Pacific coasts have changed through time. These changes have sometimes brought about profound alterations to the lifestyles of coastal-dwelling humans in the region, yet also presented new opportunities for their descendants. In the same way, it is clear that changes within the past 100 years--a time of unprecedented increases in human population pressure on most parts of the Asia-Pacific coastal zone--have been more rapid than at most earlier times, causing widespread disruption to human lifestyles and posing significant challenges for the next hundred years; challenges this book is trying to help solve. Coastal changes can occur at a variety of scales, but it is useful, when assessing coastal history, to separate local from regional changes.

Archaeological excavations at the Bourewa site in southwestern Viti Levu, the Fiji Islands, produced some important achievements to understand the prehistory of the Lapita peoples in Oceania. Radiocarbon dates showed the antiquity of the site around 1200 BC, which is contemporary with some earlier Lapita sites in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, the western regions of the Lapita distribution. An obsidian artifact obtained from the site was sourced to the Kutau-Bao quarry in Papua New Guinea, 4200 km away in a straight line. These evidences suggest that the initial settlement of the site was founded by direct colonizer from Papua New Guinea. Thus, these finds support the 'express-train' model presented by J. Diamond, in which the Lapita peoples arrived from the west and spread rapidly eastwards without measurable pause.

In a recent article [Journal of Pacific Archaeology, vol 1(2), 2010], Scott Fitzpatrick contends that the AD 1300 event model is unhelpful as a key to understanding environmental and societal change in the Pacific during the past 1500 years. We reject this contention on the grounds that there are ample and persuasive grounds for supposing otherwise. The AD 1300 event model proposes that climate change (especially cooling) and sea-level fall affected most of the Pacific Basin during the transition between the Medieval Warm Period and Little Ice Age, and that the impacts of these changes on food resources were so profound that they led to enduring impacts on human societies in this region, particularly Pacific Islands. We aver that the AD 1300 event model remains a powerful tool for understanding last-millennium environmental and societal change in the Pacific Islands and that all the charges Fitzpatrick levels against it can be readily dismissed.

In December 2003, with funding from the University of the South Pacific, a 17-person team led by the three authors conducted research into the early human occupation of the beach and the adjoining coastal flat at Rove, a few kilometres northwest of Natadola in the southwest part of Viti Levu Island. The site at Rove was not selected randomly. In the preceding 18 months, it had been visited twice by Roselyn Kumar who had recovered three pieces of Lapita pottery from the shore flat at low tide. The Lapita era is the earliest in the human history of Fiji (and many other western Pacific island groups), and is often recognized by the distinctively-decorated (so-called dentate-stamped) pottery that was made during that time. The three pieces of Lapita pottery from Rove were described by Kumar et al. (2004a) and were sufficient to make the area worth excavating. Yet the excavations we carried out in December 2003 at Rove were a little disappointing. There was certainly a Lapita settlement at Rove, and it was located on a tiny island off the main island at the time, but the radiocarbon dates showed that it was probably established only quite late in the Lapita history of Fiji, perhaps around 700 BC.

Starch residue, pollen and phytolith analysis was carried out on coralline deposits from a c. 3050–2500 cal. yr BP Lapita site at Bourewa, Viti Levu, Fiji. Starch grains, calcium oxalate crystals and xylem cells of introduced Colocasia esculenta and Dioscorea esculenta were identified, involving a process of elimination of possible taxa by cross-correlation of microfossil types. The data provide an eastward extension of direct evidence of Lapita horticulture in Remote Oceania previously identified in Vanuatu.

How do families juggle the competing demands of paid employment and care for one another? The ways that people spend their time are surely as important as the ways they spend their money. Opportunities for close personal and emotional interaction are key to the quality of life and the development of human capabilities. Yet, modern accounting systems devote far more attention to money than to time. National statistical agencies have only recently begun to collect systematic time-use diaries that allow for accurate cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons. The growing availability of these important data intensifies the need to develop strong conceptual frameworks for understanding the ways people allocate their time. In this volume, we bring together critical analyses of the social organization of time devoted to the care of family members, especially young children and the elderly. Gary Becker and many economists influenced by the Chicago school of neoclassical economic theory express confidence that individuals make efficient decisions regarding time allocation that lead to socially desirable results. We are less optimistic, pointing to ways that the structure of social institutions and altruistic commitments can lead to inefficient and unfair outcomes. Public policies that have evolved without much consideration of their consequences for family life impose significant constraints on individual choices.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a childhood condition whose characteristic behaviours of hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity are salient in school settings. Teachers' actions and decisions when working with children who demonstrate behaviours consistent with ADHD can be expected to be impacted by their knowledge of ADHD, and their attitude toward teaching such children. Teachers are exposed to numerous sources of inconsistent information about ADHD during their training and classroom experience. The formation of attitudes in response to such complexity is poorly understood. The present research used models of attitude content, structure and strength to investigate the formation of teachers' knowledge of ADHD and attitudes toward teaching children who display its characteristics. The results are reported in journal article form comprising studies reported in Chapters 2 to 4. ... The findings from this project carry practical implications for teacher training on ADHD, and for school psychologists. Strong attitudes were shown to develop via combinations of direct, indirect and personal experiences with ADHD, and via amount and structural consistency of information and thought about ADHD. The results highlight the need to investigate such complex attitudes in ecologically valid ways. The development of models of attitude strength is important for understanding attitudes toward other social issues that polarise opinions and have enduring consequences, such as global warming or genetic modification of crops. Like ADHD, these topics are based on large amounts of structurally inconsistent information. Thus, the research reported in this thesis pertains to the formation of complex, real-life attitudes and may generalise to other multifaceted, personally relevant attitude objects.

Extremes of climate occur globally but for the low-latitude Pacific the most common, threatening and destructive extremes come in the form of tropical cyclones and droughts. They occur regularly and both types of event have destructive and debilitating impacts on certain countries and islands within the region. Tropical cyclones and droughts periodically impact islands located in parts of the Pacific that are not usually affected by such events. The most important factor influencing the incidence of these extremes of climatic variability across the Pacific Ocean is the EI Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. Occurring at present every 3-5 years, this large-scale ocean atmosphere interaction involves the fluctuation of pressure systems on either side of the Pacific which alter temperature, rainfall, wind and pressure distribution across the region and in tum influence the distribution of criteria required for the formation of tropical cyclones and occurrence of droughts. In addition to coping with current impacts of tropical cyclones and droughts, decision-makers of Pacific island countries now have to contend with the prospect of such events, including ENSO, becoming more frequent if global climate changes in the future as predicted. In order to understand present climatic characteristics there is a need to gain a greater understanding of climate in the more recent past.

Part of the central Solomon Islands island arc is uncommonly vulnerable to a range of geohazards that are related to the southwards convergence of the Pacific Plate along the North Solomons Trench. Among these hazards is likely to be collapses of the flanks of islands resulting from the steep angles, perhaps triggered by earthquakes. A study of oral traditions in the area, principally on the islands Ulawa, Makira and Maramasike (eastern Malaita), targeted those relating to islands alleged to have disappeared. The most widespread tradition refers to Teonimanu that probably slipped down the sides of the wall of the nearby Cape Johnson Trench. Another tradition refers to the Ta'aluapuala group that may have, by analogy with geophysical observations, sunk in the area off northeast Maramasike. Other traditions may refer mostly to low sand islands washed by large waves. It is clear that the study of myths has much to contribute to an understanding and assessment of geohazards in parts of the Pacific like Solomon Islands.

Understanding of the geological history of the Pacific, especially its geohazard potential, can be improved using details in ancient and properly-authenticated Pacific Islander myths. To demonstrate this, a synthesis of Pacific Island origin myths involving islands having been either 'fished up' or 'thrown down' is presented, with an account of origin myths for the island Niue used as a case study. A discussion of geohazards and myths in the Pacific focuses on tsunami, coseismic uplift, and island flank collapse, the last being illustrated by the first analysis of myths recalling 'vanished islands' in the Pacific.

For the first time, a sediment core spanning the entire Holocene has been analysed from Fiji. The 6 m core was obtained from the floor of an ancient coastal lagoon (palaeolagoon) adjacent to Bourewa, the site of the earliest known human settlement in this island group. The basal sediments, just above bedrock, date from 11 470 cal bp. A major transition occurs around 8000 cal bp where marine influences on palaeolagoon sedimentation increase sharply. Full shallow-water marine conditions are attained around 4630 cal bp and last until 3480 cal bp after which there is a regressive phase. The results agree with the area-specific predictions of sea level in the ICE-4G model, particularly in the timing of the highstand. In addition, the results support the ideas (a) that early human colonisation of Fiji occurred during the late Holocene regression, (b) that the first inhabitants of Bourewa utilised both nearshore marine (reefal) and brackish lagoon food sources, and (c) that the abrupt human abandonment of the area around 2500 cal bp could have been prompted by a reduction in these resources driven largely by sea-level fall.

Geoarchaeological investigations of limestone caves along the Rove Peninsula, where several Lapita-era (1150-750 BC) sites dating from the earliest period of Fiji's human history have been found, was undertaken by a team from the University of the South Pacific and the Fiji Museum. Surface collection and excavation in the largest cave – Qaranibourewa – was hindered by large amounts of ceiling collapse and no trace of human occupation earlier than about AD 1000 was found. The second-largest cave – Qaramatatolu – had a cave fill 190 cm thick but this was determined to be all of recent origin, having accumulated as a result of being washed down through a hole in the cave roof from a settlement above that probably existed AD 750-1250. The shell faunal remains from the Qaramatatolu excavation all suggest an open-coast location, quite different from the mangrove forest that fronts the area today. This mangrove forest probably formed only within the last few hundred years.

In the Sigatoka Valley on Viti Levu Island in Fiji, three independent studies of last-millennium environmental and human-societal changes suggest that these were driven largely by the climate and sea-level changes of the AD 1300 Event. Establishment dates for interior fortified hilltop (or cave) settlements show that a significant number were established during or shortly after the AD 1300 Event, probably in response to primarily food shortages arising from sea-level fall (affecting coastal populations) and water-table fall (affecting coastal and inland populations). Charcoal concentrations in valley-floor sediments formed as a result of largely human burning of vegetation associated with the establishment of inland hilltop settlements; radiocarbon dates from these charcoals also suggest significant numbers of such settlements being established during or shortly after the AD 1300 Event. The main dune at the Sigatoka River mouth is underlain by the 'Level 3' palaeosol, dated to the AD 1300 Event, which implies that thereafter an abrupt and sustained increase in suspended fluvial sediment, associated in increased inland population, began to build the high dunes visible today. This study provides a well-constrained example of the effects that the AD 1300 Event had on Pacific Islands and their people.

As coasts have changed in the past-for whatever reason-this shift has commonly elicited a response from local inhabitants. Clearly the nature of the human response depends on both the nature and the magnitude of the change. Swifter and more profound changes, such as tsunami or tropical-cyclone (typhoon) effects, will generally have more immediate impacts on affected coastal populations. In contrast, a slower change of temperature, sea level, or even urbanization, for example, may produce only slow or delayed change as a human system's natural resilience absorbs short-term stresses. The introductory section of Chapter 6 looks at the overall picture of human-environment interactions in the Asia-Pacific region. The section moves from the context of modern interaction- by far the most visible imprint on most coasts in this region- in section 6.1.1, through a discussion of early (section 6.1.2), late Holocene (section 6.1.3), and modern (section 6.1.4) interactions, to a brief consideration of future interactions (section 6.1.5). This chapter then goes on to describe the changes that took place along Asia-Pacific coasts within the period of human occupation (section 6.2) and to examine how humans responded to coastal changes (section 6.3). Section 6.4 highlights thematic and geographic areas that have been the focus of research and identifies research gaps. Finally, section 6.5 suggests research priorities for the future.

In 2003 the authors discovered and excavated a Lapita site at Naitabale close to the southern end of Moturiki Island (central Fiji). Today the site is 350 m inland from the coast, but in Lapita times it was located behind the active beach ridge. A large collection of potsherds (including 92 dentate-stamped or incised Lapita sherds), shell, and animal bones was recovered, together with a human burial. Sherd decorations show affinities with the Western Lapita Province rather than the Eastern Lapita Province (which includes Fiji). Temper analyses of 45 Lapita sherds do not show any unmistakably exotic (to Fiji) pottery, but 29 percent are nonlocal to Moturiki and nearby islands. Fish bones are mostly from inshore species (dominated by Scaridae), while nonfish vertebrates are dominated by turtle and include dog and chicken. Shellfish remains are dominated by gastropods, mostly 'Strombus' spp. (43 percent of gastropod MNI). The surf clam ('Atactodea striata') accounts for 38 percent of bivalve MNI, with 'Anadara antiquata' and 'Gafrarium peetinatum' each representing 14 percent of the bivalve MNI. The skeleton is that of a woman (Mana) 161-164 cm tall who died at 40-60 years of age. Six radiocarbon dates from bones overlap 2740-2739 cal. years B.P. (790-789 B.C.). The mandible lacks antegonial notches but is not a proper rocker jaw. The cranium was better preserved than any Lapita-associated skeleton hitherto described, which allowed the head to be reconstructed. Stable-isotope analyses show that her diet contained significant amounts of reef foods but was probably dominated by terrestrial plants. The Lapita occupation of Naitabale is likely to have begun by 2850 cal. years B.P. (900 B.C.). Radiocarbon dates and pottery decorative styles both suggest Naitabale was first occupied within the early part of the Lapita history of Fiji.

In November–December 2004 a research team from the University of the South Pacific and the Fiji Museum undertook geoarchaeological investigations along the coast of the Rove Peninsula, part of southwest Viti Levu Island (Figure 1A) where evidence for Lapita-era occupation had been found on previous occasions (Kumar et al., 2004; Nunn et al., 2004). The main target was the extensive, early-period site at Bourewa but we were also shown a collection of pottery from nearby Qoqo Island (by owner Peter Jones) that included a dentate-stamped sherd that led to mapping and excavation of that island's coastal flat. Qoqo is a bedrock island (40,000 m²) reaching 32 m above sea level, located in the 7.3 km² mangrove swamp at the mouth of the Tuva River (Figure 1B). The island comprises two hills surrounded, particularly along their eastern side, by a 20-50 m broad coastal flat that also connects them (Figure 1C). At the time of Lapita arrival in Fiji, sea level was higher (+1.5 m, cal 3000 BP, Nunn 2005) and the hills on Qoqo are interpreted as recently-separated islands connected by a tombolo, the approximate form of which can be reconstructed today (Figure 1C).

In his news and analysis piece reporting on the newly released fifth assessment report (AR5) by Working Group I (WGI) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ("A Stronger IPCC Report," 4 October, p. 23), R. A. Kerr highlights three fundamental conclusions about climate change that were assessed with equal or greater confi dence than in previous IPCC reports. He also points to three "contentious points" on which he states that the AR5 "took a moderate line." Kerr includes sea-level projections among these points, and reports "a rise of 40 to 60 centimeters by late in the century and a worst case of 1 meter by 2100, [which is] higher than in 2007 but far below the meter or two of sea-level rise that some expect." As the authors of the IPCC WGI AR5 chapter on "Sea-Level Change," we wish to clarify that for the highest emission scenario considered (RCP8.5), the AR5 reported a "likely" range of 0.45 to 0.82 m for sea-level projections for the late 21st century (average over 2081 to 2100) and of 0.52 to 0.98 m by 2100. The difference in sea level between these two periods is large because in 2081 to 2100, the "likely" rate of rise is 8 to 16 mm per year, which is up to about 10 times the average rate of rise during the 20th century.

Care for people with a disability or the frail elderly can be provided either formally (through organized services and special residential facilities) or informally by relatives, friends, or others within the home. Interest in the situation of informal caregivers arises from two sources – theoretical issues and practical policy concerns. In the theoretical realm, the development of feminist analyses of social policy led to the "discovery" of the informal care routinely supplied by women in families (Land 1978; Ungerson and Kember 1997). This coincided with a change in policy direction, away from institutional care toward "care in the community." Since the late 1970s, governments have become increasingly aware of the value of informal caring. As populations have aged and the costs of social support systems for the oldest members of society have increased, national policies across Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries increased the proportion of care provided by informal (and therefore less expensive) caregivers in the home (Hennessy 1995; Jacobzone 1999; Jenson and Jacobzone 2000; Neysmith 2000). The public discussion of informal care has simultaneously emphasized its social and financial benefits and revealed anxiety about the hidden demands placed on women caregivers (Brody 1981; Finch and Groves 1983). Time-diaries offer a potentially unique opportunity to capture the daily labor process of caring and to study how caregiving affects day-to-day activities.

Mobile phone services are now universally diffused, creating the possibility of perpetual contact, regardless of time and location. Many think the impossibility of being 'out of touch' leads to increased time pressure. In addition to claims that the mobile phone has led to harried leisure, others have argued that perpetual contact extends work into the home or intensifies work in other ways. In this article, these issues are explored using survey data employing some novel methodologies - combining a questionnaire with logs of phone traffic recovered from respondents' handsets and a purpose-designed time-diary of technology use. Overall, results show that mobile phone use is not associated with more harried leisure. Fears of work intruding into home life appear to be exaggerated. However, there is some evidence that frequent use of mobiles during working hours is associated with work intensification, at least among men.

Language production theories differ in their assumptions about the information flow between levels. Serial models hypothesise that different types of information, such as conceptual factors and morphophonological make up, would have an effect at different points during the implementation of agreement and would, therefore, not interact. Constraint-based models, on the other hand, entail an interplay of these two types of factors. Here, we present data from an experiment designed to test whether a conceptual factor (notional number) interacts with a morphophonological factor (determiner number ambiguity) resulting in an increased number of subject-verb agreement errors in Dutch. Analyses showed main effects of both factors but no interaction. We also carried out simulations of one specific serial model for production of subject-verb number agreement, the Marking and Morphing model. Our simulations in Dutch yielded an excellent fit between the model and these data (as well as other previously collected data). In conclusion, our results argue in favour of independent processing of these two types of information during agreement production and, more specifically, offer support for the Marking and Morphing model.

Two upland sites from the Vatia Peninsula, northern Viti Levu Island, Fiji, were excavated as part of a larger project investigating the settlement history of this area. These sites represent the first intensive survey and excavation program in this part of Fiji. The sites are a cave (Matanigaga), which acted as a short-term shelter, and a ring-wall mound (Drautana), one of a number of similar sites interpreted as likely precursors to complex ridge-top fortifications. Both sites suggest that occupation in this area began in the last millennium and involved exploitation of near shore marine resources. The number of fortified hilltops on the Vatia Peninsula suggests that conflict may have been endemic in this area of Fiji during the latter part of the last millennium. Site descriptions and the analysis of ceramic, lithic, and mollusk remains are presented here.

To investigate the possibility that knowledge of two languages influences the nature of semantic representations, bilinguals and monolinguals were compared in a word association task. In Experiment 1, bilinguals produced less typical responses relative to monolinguals when given cues with a very common associate (e.g., given bride, bilinguals said "dress" instead of "groom"). In Experiment 2, bilinguals produced responses as typical as those of monolinguals when given cues with high-frequency associates, but not when given cues with low-frequency associates. Bilinguals' responses were also affected, to a certain extent, by the cognate status of the stimulus word pairs: They were more similar to monolinguals' responses when the cue and its strongest associate were both cognates (e.g., minute-second is minuto-segundo in Spanish), as opposed to both being noncognates. Experiment 3 confirmed the presence of a robust frequency effect on bilingual but not on monolingual association responses. These findings imply a lexical locus for the bilingual effect on association responses and reveal the association task to be not quite as purely semantic as was previously assumed.

Three experiments in which errors of subject–verb agreement were elicited assessed the effects of syntactic function and part of speech of the constituent appearing immediately before the verb. Bock and Miller (1991) have shown that constituents modifying the subject exert an "attraction effect," an increased rate of agreement errors when that constituent has a grammatical number different from that of the subject head noun. Experiment 1a, conducted in Dutch, showed that such an attraction effect is not restricted to sentences in which the number mismatching information is embedded within the subject: Direct-object noun phrases exert an attraction effect as well, although a smaller one than subject modifier noun phrases. Experiment 1b replicated this effect with new materials, excluding a possible confound with plausibility of the sentences. Experiment 2 showed that direct-object 'pronouns' exert an attraction effect about as strong as that observed with nouns, unless the pronoun is explicitly case-marked. In such circumstances no attraction effect obtains. These results are interpreted within the hypothesis that the number of phrasal nodes intervening between "attractor" and subject head noun determines the strength of attraction effects.

Very little is known about the nature of the first humans to occupy the western South Pacific Islands, the so-called Lapita people. This is a final report on the osteological analysis of the skeleton named Mana, which was excavated at a Lapita Culture Complex site called Naitable on Moturiki Island in central Fiji in 2002. The Mana skeleton was reasonably well preserved. The skull is without doubt the best preserved of the Lapita-associated human skeletons ever described. Its major parts were nearly intact and reconstructed to an almost complete state. The skeleton proved to be an approximately 40-60 year old female. Radiocarbon dating of bone from the skeleton, and other archaeological considerations, place the burial around the middle of the first millennium BC (around 700 BC). In the present paper, osteological features of the cranium, mandible and infracranial skeleton of Mana are described very precisely for detailed comparative studies in the future.

Covering nearly one-third of the Earth's surface, the Pacific Ocean is largely water yet also contains myriads of islands (Figure 12.1): a few larger ones like Hokkaido (Japan) and New Caledonia, and a host of smaller ones. Most smaller islands are arranged in clusters, many classified as archipelagic (such as Fiji and the Galapagos), others within groups that are more linear (like the Hawaiian Islands and most in French Polynesia). Only a few islands are truly isolated (like Nauru and Niue). Most islands are located in the southwest quadrant of the Pacific and in lower latitudes, where the processes by which islands originate and endure are most active (Nunn, 1994). Owing to this concentration, most smaller islands have tropical climates and, largely on account of their comparative smallness and remoteness, most such islands are also considered part of the 'developing world'. Islands are innately more vulnerable to many of the most powerful forces of environmental changes because of their insularity. Islands have larger coastal length to land area ratios than continents. On account of their shapes, many smaller Pacific Islands have some of the highest such ratios of any of the world's landmasses (Table 12.1).

Questions concerning the earliest human occupation of northern Fiji were addressed by geoarchaeological survey on the island of Yadua. Yadua lies at the entrance to an ocean passage that early seafarers might have followed into central Fiji where some early Lapita sites exist. Evidence for a Lapita presence was discovered on Yadua at a small coastal flat called Vagairiki, likely to have been occupied by Lapita people around 2600 cal yr BP because of available freshwater and one of the few fringing reefs existing in the area at the time. It is concluded that the Lapita people reached Yadua and other parts of northern Fiji in a post-founder phase of Fiji history.

Time scarcity and the paucity of leisure time are at the center of discussions about the quality of contemporary life (Schor 1991; Nowotny 1994; Adam 1995; Hochschild 1997; Robinson and Godbey 1997). A number of recent developments contribute to this concern. Standard working hours, which assumed a forty-hour week over five working days, are no longer the norm. The increasing incidence of dual-earner families has spawned a vast literature on the "dual burden" or the "second shift." Working patterns are increasingly dominated by a drive for "flexibility" that can create severe difficulties for those seeking to combine work and family life. All these developments appear to be placing increased pressure on leisure time. According to most evidence, people feel leisure time has become scarcer and more harried (Linder 1970; Frederick 1995; Robinson and Godbey 1997). This is especially the case for women, who juggle work, family, and leisure (Bryant and Zick 1996). Indeed, it has been suggested that women are suffering from time poverty (Vickery 1977; Hochschild and Machung 1989; Schor 1991; Hochschild 1997). The fear has been that, following the emergence of the dual-earner family as the norm, women will simply add a shift of paid employment to their existing responsibilities for housework and childcare. This problem has come to be known by various names – the "dual burden," the "double burden," the "double day," and the "second shift." There is now talk of a gender gap in leisure.

Objective: For evaluation of audiological service outcomes, the primary objective was to determine baseline and target profiles on the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ); a secondary objective was to test a short form of the SSQ; opportunity was also taken to compare responses of samples providing consistent versus inconsistent self-assessments. Design: 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design crossed age, reported presence versus absence of hearing difficulty, and low versus high self-rated hearing ability. Study sample: Eight samples (total, n = 413), representing two age ranges; a response of "yes" or "no" to a question about having hearing difficulty, and either low or high self-rated hearing ability on six items from the SSQ. Results: Using present and previous results, baseline SSQ profiles were determined indicating the pattern of response likely to be observed prior to clinical intervention, and both an achieved outcome and "ideal" target outcome from such intervention. The six-item SSQ yielded better test-retest results in consistent versus inconsistent samples. The inconsistent samples showed signs of different interpretations of "hearing difficulty". Conclusions: Baseline, and both actual and ideal target outcomes can guide comparative appraisal of clinical achievements; more research is needed to determine a robust short form of the SSQ.

'Lexical bias' is the tendency for phonological errors to form existing words at a rate above chance. This effect has been observed in experiments and corpus analyses in Germanic languages, but S. del Viso, J. M. Igoa, and J. E. García-Albea (1991) found no effect in a Spanish corpus study. Because lexical bias plays an important role in the debate on interactivity in language production, the authors reconsidered its absence in Spanish. A corpus analysis, which considered relatively many errors and which used a method of estimating chance rate that is relatively independent of total error number, and a speech-error elicitation experiment provided converging evidence for lexical bias in Spanish. The authors conclude that the processing mechanisms underlying this effect hold cross-linguistically.

This thesis investigates L2 structural priming in learners of English and the possible role of structural priming in second language acquisition. Three picture description production priming experiments were carried out in which speakers were exposed to prime sentences exhibiting a specific target structure. A pre- and post-test design was deployed to measure learning effects. In Experiment 1, fifty two L2 English speakers took part in a structural priming experiment targeting the production of get passives (e.g., the woman got arrested). Priming and learning effects were weak and were manifested in production of non-get passives. In contrast, in Experiment 2, where thirty eight L2 English speakers took part in another structural priming experiment targeting the production of stranded prepositions in relative clauses (e.g., a bed is something you sleep on), priming and learning effects were strong. The findings of learning through structural priming are interpreted as evidence of implicit learning of L2 structure. However, when the stranded preposition structure was primed in a different sentential context (i.e., the bed was too uncomfortable to sleep on) in a third experiment (n=40) only a weak priming effect emerged and there appeared to be no significant learning effect. These disparate findings suggest that the strength of L2 structural priming and subsequent learning effects might be modulated by the target structure. Implications for second language teaching and learning and theories of second language acquisition are discussed.

During the last millennium in the Pacific Basin (islands and continental rim) there was a marked contrast between 'times of plenty' and 'times of less' for its human societies. This contrast is attributable to climate and sea-level variations, notably the Medieval Warm Period (a.d. 700–1250) and the Little Ice Age (a.d. 1350–1800) separated by a time of rapid cooling and sea-level fall called the 'a.d. 1300 Event.' Outlines of the times of plenty during the Medieval Warm Period and the times of less during the Little Ice Age are given, supported by a number of examples. These confirm a general picture of societal collapse as a result of the a.d. 1300 Event. Well-dated human responses to the a.d. 1300 Event (establishment of fortified settlements, end of ocean voyaging) allow links to potential nonhuman causes to be strengthened. Although more data referring to both (natural) changes and their human effects are needed, a conclusion involving environmental determinism is inescapable.

The orthodox archaeological sequence at the Sigatoka Dunes site (VL 16/1) in Fiji proposes three phases of occupation spanning Fijian prehistory, each associated with a period of dune stability. It has been taken as the standard model of Fijian prehistory for more than 30 years. Recently, however, it has been argued that there is no stratigraphic support for three discrete levels and that the occupation history was fragmented, complex, and continuous within a volatile dune system. We present new data, from optical and radiocarbon dating, to argue that a three-phase model, although somewhat more complex in detail, remains the most robust interpretation of site history. The longest stable phase (Level 2) began 2500–2300 cal yr B.P. and is possibly associated with relatively low ENSO frequency. Substantial sand dune accumulation began after ~1300 cal yr B.P.

Tinnitus and hyperacusis are two of the more challenging issues in audiology, Patients can be desperate, and there are no cures. Nonetheless, several forms of treatment are available, and audiologists possess a good educational foundation to provide the diagnosis and management of tinnitus and hyperacusis based on their knowledge of hearing loss, hearing measurement, and rehabilitation. We advocate a flexible approach, as appropriate, that includes collaboration with informed psychologists and physicians. Tinnitus has been defined by McFadden (1982) as follows: • A perception of sound (it must be heard) • Involuntary (not produced intentionally) • Originates in the head (not an externally produced sound) Hyperacusis docs not have a single widely accepted definition. Hyperacusis can involve perceptions and reactions of loudness, annoyance, and fear to acoustic stimuli. The link between the two conditions is not clear, but Tyler and Conrad-Armes (1983) noted that tinnitus is often accompanied by hyperacusis, and many current sound therapy protocols treat tinnitus and hyperacusis in parallel.

Objectives: Habituation to tinnitus cannot occur with total masking, an argument made by proponents of "tinnitus retraining therapy." We also compared the effectiveness of retraining therapy with mixing-point masking, total masking, and with counseling alone. Design: Forty-eight tinnitus patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups: counseling, counseling plus bilateral noise generators set to completely mask the tinnitus, or counseling plus bilateral noise generators with a focus on the mixing point (partial masking just below total masking). A picture-based counseling protocol was used to assist in providing similar counseling among all three groups. The Tinnitus Handicap Questionnaire was administered before and after about 12 months of treatment. Results: After 12 months, in the counseling group, three of 18 patients benefited significantly, in the mixing-point group, six of 19 patients benefited, and in the total masking group, four of 11 patients benefited from the treatment. The average decrease in the questionnaire was 16.7% for the counseling group, 31.6% for the retraining group, and 36.4% for the total masking group. No significant average differences among groups were observed. Conclusions: One premise of retraining therapy is incorrect; a focus on mixing-point masking is not required for habituation.