University of Hartford

About: University of Hartford is a education organization based out in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 1244 authors who have published 2481 publications receiving 48973 citations. The organization is also known as: UHart.

Groups as problem‐solving units: Toward a new meaning of social cognition

Abstract: In this paper we take the position that cognition can be meaningfully understood at the group level of analysis. We refer to group-level cognitive activity as social cognition, a term that we apply collectively to those social processes involved in the acquisition, storage, transmission, manipulation and use of information for the purpose of creating a group-level intellective product. In this context, the word ‘social’ is used to denote how cognition is accomplished, not its content. It is proposed that at least some social cognition occurs in every kind of group problem-solving situation, though the amount and type depends on the specific problem-solving functions that need to be addressed in order to reach a problem solution. We examine a number of these functions, and consider how they are served by various group member actions. This analysis is informed (though not determined) by certain functional analogies that can be found between individual-level and group-level (i.e. social) cognition. The benefits of adopting a functional orientation to understanding group problem solving are discussed.

A Comparison of New Firm Financing by Gender: Evidence from the Kauffman Firm Survey Data

Abstract: This study uses data from the new Kauffman Firm Survey to explore gender differences in the use of start-up and follow-on capital by new firms. Our findings reveal that women rely heavily on personal rather than external sources of debt and equity. Further, our results demonstrate that women start their firms with significantly lower amounts of capital than men. Finally, women went on to raise significantly lower amounts of incremental debt and equity in years two and three even controlling for a variety of firm and owner characteristics including the level of initial start-up capital and firm sales.

Public Infrastructure Investment, Interstate Spatial Spillovers, and Manufacturing Costs

Abstract: Effects of public infrastructure investment on the costs and productivity of private enterprises have proven difficult to quantify empirically. One piece of this puzzle that has received little attention is spatial spillovers. We apply a cost-function model to 1982–1996 state-level U.S. manufacturing data, to untangle the private cost-saving effects of inter- and intrastate public infrastructure investment. We implement two spatial adaptations—including a spatial spillover index in the theoretical model, and allowing for spatial autocorrelation in the stochastic structure. Recognizing such spillovers both increases the estimated magnitude and significance of cost savings from intrastate public infrastructure, and augments these productive effects.

The Role of Culture in Health Literacy and Chronic Disease Screening and Management

Abstract: Cultural and language differences and socioeconomic status interact with and contribute to low health literacy, defined as the inability to understand or act on medical/therapeutic instructions. Health literacy is increasingly recognized as an important factor in patient compliance, cancer screening utilization, and chronic disease outcomes. Commendable efforts have been initiated by the American Medical Association and other organizations to address low health literacy among patients. Less work has been done, however, to place health literacy in the broader context of socioeconomic and cultural differences among patients and providers that hinder communication and compliance. This review examines cultural influences on health literacy, cancer screening and chronic disease outcomes. We argue that cultural beliefs around health and illness contribute to an individual's ability to understand and act on a health care provider's instructions. This paper proposes key aspects of the intersection between health literacy and culturally varying beliefs about health which merit further exploration.