I argue in this thesis that qualitative duration (viewed in opposition to the construct of quantitative clock-time) can be experienced through performance encounters that challenge smooth consumption. In a socially accelerated culture, where to do more in less time is the measure of a productive life, one’s connection with the ‘real’ time of duration is diminished. To challenge this premise, I have used an autoethnographic approach to explore an experience of duration conceived via the work of French philosopher Henri Bergson, who posits that “pure duration [is that which] excludes all idea of juxtaposition, reciprocal externality, and extension” (Bergson, 1903/1999, p. 26). In other words, Bergson asserts that duration defies quantitative measurement. I argue that the Bergsonian experience of duration offers a pause from social acceleration and effects a transformation for the spectator in the form of peak-experience, flow, and communitas.

Tid är ett universellt tema som berör oss alla. Forskning visar att det finns en mängd olika perspektiv att förstå, betrakta och uppleva tid och tempo på. Perspektiv som lyfts i denna studie är objektiv och subjektiv tid, närvaro och mindfulness, autonomi och anpassning, den omgivande miljön, där perception, naturen och stadsmiljöer lyfts, samt tid som struktur och resurs. Nämnda perspektiv är av vikt då syftet har varit att f​å en djupare förståelse för hur människor kognitivt, emotionellt och beteendemässigt kan förhålla sig till inre och yttre tempon. Inre tempon avser en individs inneboende tempo som exempelvis hjärtslag, kroppsrörelser, tankar och känslor. Yttre tempon avser den subjektiva upplevelsen av tempon som ligger utanför den egna kroppen. Dessa kan exempelvis vara andra människors tempon och tempon i olika miljöer. ​En kvalitativ intervjustudie med åtta respondenter har genomförts, vilken sedan har analyserats utifrån tematisk analys, i sex olika steg. Urvalet gjordes med hänsyn till kön, bostadsort, sysselsättning och ålder eftersom dessa antogs färga upplevelserna av inre och yttre tempo. Analysen av intervjumaterialet resulterade i sju slutliga teman, vilka är närvaro, autonomi och anpassning, olika tidsrum, effektivitet, stress, kris och tid som en resurs. Sammanfattningsvis visar resultaten att upplevelser av sig själv, andra människor, platser och aktiviteter kan påverka upplevelsen av inre och yttre tempon. En tendens är att i miljöer som upplevs ha ett lugnare yttre tempo så möjliggörs närvaro med det egna inre tempot. Detta har även bidragit till möjligheten att möta andra människor med större närvaro. Att yttre tempon påverkar inre tempon har framträtt tydligare än motsatsen.

The experience of time is not fixed by a rigid mathematical measure, instead, it flows at vaying rates. There are certain occasions in which we would like to extend time with all our force, up to the limit of our stretched arms and further. Conversely there are moments which we'd like to last no more that the sparkle of a flash, but as we all have noticed, those are the longest in our life. How does the space that we inhabit influence on our perception of time? May we identify especial elements that contribute in one or other sense to accelerate or slowdown the time? It's said that time and space is an inseparable unity, as two aspects of the same thing. If this is so, then it also must be true that by shaping space in one way or another, we might influence the experience of time through it. Wouldn't it be delightful to believe that we may be magicians of time through manipulation of architecture? / Master of Architecture

A critical part of traffic safety is a driver’s ability to detect and respond to emergency roadway hazards. This thesis uses eye movements and motor responses to divide driver perception-response time in three stages: perception, inspection, and movement time. The effects of cognitive distraction and repeated exposure on each stage were investigated for three distinct hazards (left-turning vehicle, pedestrian, right-incursion vehicle). In general, there were varying effects of cognitive distraction observed depending on the hazard being responded to. Cognitive distraction resulted in a significant increase in perception times for the pedestrian and right-incursion vehicle hazards, whereas cognitive distraction resulted in significantly longer inspection times for the left-turning vehicle hazard. When considering the effect of repeated scenario exposure, perception times were the most greatly affected. Perception times were significantly shorter during the second exposure to the left-turning vehicle hazard in the baseline condition, and for all hazards in the distraction condition.

A critical part of traffic safety is a driver’s ability to detect and respond to emergency roadway hazards. This thesis uses eye movements and motor responses to divide driver perception-response time in three stages: perception, inspection, and movement time. The effects of cognitive distraction and repeated exposure on each stage were investigated for three distinct hazards (left-turning vehicle, pedestrian, right-incursion vehicle). In general, there were varying effects of cognitive distraction observed depending on the hazard being responded to. Cognitive distraction resulted in a significant increase in perception times for the pedestrian and right-incursion vehicle hazards, whereas cognitive distraction resulted in significantly longer inspection times for the left-turning vehicle hazard. When considering the effect of repeated scenario exposure, perception times were the most greatly affected. Perception times were significantly shorter during the second exposure to the left-turning vehicle hazard in the baseline condition, and for all hazards in the distraction condition.

The onset of a yellow indication is typically associated with the risk of vehicle crashes resulting from dilemma-zone and red-light-running problems. Such risk of vehicle crashes is greater for high-speed signalized intersection approaches. The research presented in this dissertation develops statistical as well as behavioral frameworks for modeling driver behavior while approaching high-speed signalized intersection approaches at the onset of a yellow indication. The analysis in this dissertation utilizes two sources of data. The main source is a new dataset that was collected as part of this research effort during the summer of 2008. This experiment includes two instructed speeds; 72.4 km/h (45 mph) with 1727 approaching trials (687 running and 1040 stopping), and 88.5 km/h (55 mph) with 1727 approaching trials (625 running and 1102 stopping). The complementary source is an existing dataset that was collected earlier in the spring of 2005 on the Virginia Smart Road facility. This dataset includes a total of 1186 yellow approaching trials (441 running and 745 stopping). The adopted analysis approach comprises four major parts that fulfill the objectives of this dissertation. The first part is concerned with the characterization of different driver behavioral attributes, including driver yellow/red light running behavior, driver stop-run decisions, driver perception-reaction times (PRT), and driver deceleration levels. The characterization of these attributes involves analysis of variance (ANOVA) and frequency distribution analyses, as well as the calibration of statistical models. The second part of the dissertation introduces a novel approach for computing the clearance interval duration that explicitly accounts for the reliability of the design (probability that drivers do not encounter a dilemma zone). Lookup tables are developed to assist practitioners in the design of yellow timings that reflects the stochastic nature of driver PRT and deceleration levels. An extension of the proposed approach is presented that can be integrated with the IntelliDriveSM initiative. Furthermore, the third part of the dissertation develops an agent-based Bayesian statistics approach to capture the stochastic nature of the driver stop-run decision. The Bayesian model parameters are calibrated using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) slice procedure implemented within the MATLAB® software. In addition, two procedures for the Bayesian model application are illustrated; namely Cascaded regression and Cholesky decomposition. Both procedures are demonstrated to produce replications that are consistent with the Bayesian model realizations, and capture the parameter correlations without the need to store the set of parameter realizations. The proposed Bayesian approach is ideal for modeling multi-agent systems in which each agent has its own unique set of parameters. Finally, the fourth part of the dissertation introduces and validates a state-of-the-art behavioral modeling framework that can be used as a tool to simulate driver behavior after the onset of a yellow indication until he/she reaches the intersection stop line. The behavioral model is able to track dilemma zone drivers and update the information available to them every time step until they reach a final decision. It is anticipated that this behavioral model will be implemented in microscopic traffic simulation software to enhance the modeling of driver behavior as they approach signalized intersections. / Ph. D.

Marknaden för e-handel växer i snabb takt och konkurrensen mellan hemsidor som bedriver e-handel blir allt tuffare. När man handlar via en e-handel utför man som konsument vissa uppgifter som kan framkalla både känslomässiga och kognitiva responser som sedan avgör konsumentens intention att återvända till e-handeln. Detta är något som måste tas i beaktande vid utveckling av e-handelssystem. Syftet med studien är att undersöka om, och isåfall hur, subjektivt upplevd tid korrelerar med upplevelsen av en e-handel. Arbetet är en kvantitativ studie av experimentell karaktär, som undersöker hypotesen: Det råder en negativ korrelation mellan låg upplevd tid i förhållande till verklig tid och positiv upplevelse. Sex observationer med efterföljande intervjuer genomfördes med studenter vid Uppsala Universitet. Den insamlande data har analyserats utifrån tidigare forskning inom området och olika perspektiv på upplevelse och tid som ramverk. Resultatet visar att det inte föreligger någon statistisk signifikant korrelation mellan låg upplevd tid i förhållande till verklig tid och positiv upplevelse. / The market for e-commerce is growing at a rapid pace and the competition between e-commerce websites is becoming increasingly tougher. A customer who is shopping via an e-commerce performs certain tasks that can evoke both emotional and cognitive responses that will determine the consumer's intention to return website. This is something one must take into consideration when developing e-commerce systems. The purpose of the study is to investigate if, and how, subjectively perceived time correlate with the experience of an e-commerce. This paper is a quantitative study of experimental character, which examines the hypothesis: There is a negative correlation between low perceived time in relation to real time and a positive experience. Six observations with subsequent interviews were conducted with students at Uppsala University. The data collected has been analyzed on the basis of previous research in the field and different views of experience and time as a framework. The result shows that there is no statistically significant correlation between low perceived time in relation to real time and a positive experience.

Esta pesquisa caracterizou o comportamento de motoristas em interseções semaforizadas sob três aspectos: (1) reação frente à mudança do verde para o amarelo; (2) comportamento durante a desaceleração para parar; e (3) comportamento durante a saída do cruzamento semaforizado. Os dados foram coletados em uma interseção localizada em pista de testes no Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, nos EUA. A amostra foi composta por 60 motoristas voluntários igualmente divididos em função do gênero; dos quais 32 tinham idade inferior a 65 anos (\"jovens\"). Foram investigados efeitos da idade, do gênero e da declividade da via sobre as seguintes situações: tomada de decisão entre parar ou prosseguir no amarelo; posição de parada em relação à faixa de retenção; tempo de percepção e reação (TPR) para frenagem e partida do cruzamento; efeito de zonas de opção e de dilema; taxa de desaceleração para parada na interseção; e taxa de aceleração para partida da interseção. As análises indicaram que: (1) os motoristas mais jovens invadiram mais a faixa de retenção que os idosos; (2) mulheres apresentam maiores TPR para decidir partir da interseção; e (3) o TPR é menor no declive tanto para a decisão de frear quanto para a partida do cruzamento. As taxas de desaceleração não apresentaram influência dos fatores avaliados. Por outro lado, constatou-se que a aceleração foi afetada pelo fator declividade. Como resultado final da pesquisa, foram propostos modelos, em função do tempo, que exprimem a desaceleração/aceleração usada pelos motoristas ao frear/acelerar. Foram propostos modelos para o motorista médio e para motoristas desagregados em três grupos em função da agressividade. / The objective of this research was to characterize driver behavior at signalized intersections according to three aspects: (1) reaction at the onset of the amber phase; (2) behavior during the deceleration to stop at the signal; and (3) behavior during the acceleration to leave the intersection at the onset of the green. The data were collected at a signalized intersection on a private highway, at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, in the USA. The sample consisted of 60 volunteer drivers, equally divided by gender. The sample was divided into two age groups: younger drivers (age was less than 65) and older drivers. Effects of gender, age group and roadway grade were investigated for the following aspects: decision making at the onset of amber; final stopping position with relation to the stop line; perception/reaction times (PRT) at the onset of the amber and the green lights; effects of dilemma and option zones; and deceleration and acceleration rates used by the drivers. The analyses suggest that: (1) younger drivers tend to stop farther past the stop line, compared to older drivers; (2) women have longer PRT at the onset of the green; and (3) PRT are shorter on downgrade at the onset of both amber and green lights. The observed deceleration rates were not affected by gender, age group or roadway grade. Acceleration rates were found to be influenced by the grade. A set of models that express the acceleration/deceleration rates as a function of time were proposed to represent the average behavior observed for drivers in the sample. Specific models were also proposed for aggressive, non-aggressive and intermediate drivers.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 219-233). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Les études qui se sont intéressées au temps dans la culture pharaonique se sont pour la plupart attachées à l’analyse des rythmes récurrents, à caractère religieux. Pourtant, à côté de ce temps cosmique, les sources, textuelles comme iconographiques, permettent d’entrevoir en filigrane un temps des hommes que nous nous proposons d’étudier, en nous restreignant cependant au moment de la journée, unité fondamentale du vécu. Cette thèse poursuit donc un double objectif, induit par le double sens du mot « quotidien » : outre la nuance temporelle qu’il possède, il en vient à caractériser par glissement de sens ce qui a trait à la vie de tous les jours, ce qui est habituel et familier. En raison de son iconicité, l’écriture hiéroglyphique fournit d’emblée des informations sur la perception du temps quotidien, dont le vocabulaire est caractérisé par le disque solaire ; cependant, cette image permet plus largement de conceptualiser la notion abstraite de temps, qui ne possède pas d’équivalent dans la langue. En outre, nous nous sommes attachée à l’aspect quantitatif du temps quotidien, soit son découpage, fondé sur des repères (mouvements du soleil, changements de luminosité, couleurs du ciel et de la terre ou projection des ombres pour les heures) perceptibles pour les uns dans l’étude du lexique, pour les autres dans celle des instruments de mesure. Enfin, nous avons cherché à mettre en évidence l’aspect qualitatif du temps quotidien, soit la manière de vivre la journée et, inévitablement, la nuit, en dressant un bilan-temps de l’homme égyptien et en montrant l’hétérogénéité des pratiques temporelles. / The studies which tried to deal with time in the pharaonic civilization were often limited to the analysis of recurring rhythms of religious character. However, aside of this cosmic time, textual as well as iconographical sources allow to get a glimpse at a men’s time which we want to consider here by restricting the subject to the frame of the day, the fundamental unit of the everyday life. This thesis pursues a double objective, led by the double meaning of the word « daily » : besides the undeniable temporal nuance that it possesses, it can also characterize the matters of daily life by a shift in meaning, namely what’s usual and familiar. Regarding its iconicity, the hieroglyphic writing gives direct information on perception of daily time, the vocabulary of which is characterized by the sun disc ; however, this image gives a larger idea of the notion of time for which there is no comparison in the language. Besides, we also tried to take account of the quantitative aspect of the daily time, its divisions, based on benchmarks (movements of the sun, light changing, colours of the sky and the earth or shadow projections for hours) visible for ones through the study of the vocabulary, for others through the study of the measuring instruments. Finally, we tried to underline the qualitative aspect of the daily time, namely the way the day was live and, inevitably, the night, by giving a typical daytime schedule of the Egyptian and by showing the heterogeneity of the daily activities