This research effort first characterizes the trucks traveling along US highways by analyzing data from Interstate 81. It is hypothesized that I-81 is typical of US highways and thus can provide some insight into typical truck characteristics. These truck characteristics are important for the development of an exhaustive vehicle performance procedure. Analysis was done based on data collected at the Troutville weigh station. The characterization involves an analysis of vehicle class distribution, GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) distribution, vehicle volume distribution, Average Weight on Tractive Axle (AWTA), and typical weight-to-power ratios. The thesis then assembles a database of systematic field data that can be utilized for the validation of vehicle performance models. This database is unique because it was conducted in a controlled field environment where the vehicle is only constrained by its dynamics. Using the assembled field database, a simple constant power vehicle dynamics model for estimating maximum vehicle acceleration levels based on a vehicle's tractive effort and aerodynamic, rolling, and grade resistance forces was tested and validated. In addition, typical model input parameters for different vehicle, pavement, and tire characteristics are included in the thesis. The model was found to predict vehicle speeds at the conclusion of the travel along the section to within 5 km/h (3.1 mi/h) of field measurements, thus demonstrating the validity and applicability of the model. Finally, the research effort introduces the concept of variable power in order to enhance current state-of-the-art vehicle dynamics models and capture the build-up of power as a vehicle engages in gearshifts at low travel speeds. The proposed enhancement to the current state-of-practice vehicle dynamics model allows the model to reflect typical vehicle acceleration behavior more accurately. Subsequently, the model parameters are calibrated using field measurements along a test roadway facility. / Master of Science

The aim of this study was to explore how flow theory could be applied to improve the process for completing an application process to a creative education program. This was done by first formulating an approach inspired by flow theory and characteristics that promotes creativity in digital tools. The question was then explored using research through design with the goal of formulating the aspects of the flow theory inspired approach as generative intermediate level knowledge in the form of guidelines. User centered design was applied during the design process, starting with an empathizing phase where fundamental information about the application process and the users was attained. It went on to explore design implementations based on the flow theory inspired approach during a workshop and then on to creating an interactive prototype which was evaluated by six participants, iterated and tested in a second user evaluation. The findings of the study implicate that incorporating the guidelines in the flow theory inspired approach could be helpful when designing supportive achievement-oriented environments. / Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur flow teorin kan implementeras i syfte att förbättra ansökningsprocessen till ett kreativt utbildningsprogram. Detta undersöktes genom att först formulera ett antal riktlinjer inspirerade av aspekter ur flow teorin samt faktorer som främjar kreativitet i digitala verktyg. Forskningsfrågan utvärderades genom en användarcentrerad designprocess, processen började med att förstå användarnas upplevelse och skolans mål med ansökningsprocessen. Under en workshop undersöktes det hur de framtagna riktlinjerna kunde appliceras i ett gränssnitt. Efter denna workshop påbörjades arbetet med att generera en prototyp som sedan utvärderades i ett användartest, itererades och utvärderades i ett andra användartest. Målet med designprocessen var att undersöka huruvida riktlinjerna som formulerats hade potential att användas som generella riktlinjer vid gränssnittsdesign. Resultaten från studien tyder på att riktlinjerna som formulerades har potential att skapa bättre, mer stöttande, upplevelser i prestationsinriktade miljöer.

Participants were 20 (14 females and 6 males) first-time marathon runners registered for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in Chicago, IL on October 7th, 2013. Participants were recruited for the purpose of exploring the effects of a 4-week individualized imagery training program on mental toughness and flow and asked to complete a demographics survey, the Movement Imagery Questionnaire (MIQ), the Sport Imagery Questionnaire (SIQ), Short Flow States Scale-2 (Short FSS-2), Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ), and a Pre-Imagery Training Interview and then be divided into an experimental and control group (prior to running the marathon). Participants in the experimental group received a modified copy of a Chicago marathon training video and a tailored 10-15 minute imagery training session while participants in the control group received only the Chicago marathon training video. Next, participants ran in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and, after the race, met with the researcher to complete the SIQ, Short FSS-2, SMTQ, and a post-imagery interview. Several themes emerged concerning the runners' understanding of the marathon course, race concerns, race goals, and race strategies at pretest as well as both positive and negative experiences during the marathon and their methods for coping and using the imagery during the marathon (reported at posttest). The experimental group had a moderate positive correlation between the imagery subscales of cognitive general (CG) and motivational-general mastery (MG-M) and mental toughness (MT) (r(6) = .761 and r(6)= .685, p < .05 respectively). There was a moderate positive correlation between the imagery subscales of CG and MG-M and flow (r(6) = .719 and r(6) = .783, p < .05 respectively). This would indicate that individuals high in using imagery as a means to goal set as well as master the course tended to have high flow scores. Cognitive specific (CS), motivational specific (MS), and motivational-general arousal (MG-A) had a small, non-significant correlation with MT (r(6) = .492, r(6) = .321, r(6) = .341, p < .05) and a moderate relationship with flow (r(6) = .522, r(6) = .593, r(6) = .529, p < .05). There is a high positive relationship between flow and MT (r(6) = .906, p < .05), indicating that individuals who experienced high levels of flow also experienced high levels of MT. Control group participants had a moderate inverse relationship between CG and MT (r(4) = -.659, p < .05) and moderate positive relationships between CG, MS, and MG-A and flow (r(4) = .662, r(4) = .710, and r(4) = .552, p < .05 respectively) within control participants. For the control participants, flow and MT were not found to have a significant relationship (r(4) = .310, p < .05); these results are consistent with the control participants' imagery, flow, and MT scores suggesting that flow did not have any effect on MT. Overall, the tailored imagery script training was found to be helpful for both flow and mental toughness. Recommendations for future research should focus on developing a 6-week psychological skills training program for first time marathon runners and developing research that focuses on periodizing imagery to coincide with runners' marathon training programs. / Kinesiology

The flow experience refers to a state characterized by complete involvement in a task. According to flow theory, the flow state is preceded by three antecedents, skill-task match, goals, and feedback. These antecedents lead to a flow state, which is exemplified by six components, merging of action and awareness, centering of attention, loss of self-consciousness, temporal distortion, sense of control, and autotelic nature. In a flow state, individuals persist on a task without regard or awareness of themselves or their surroundings. Currently, flow is a two-stage model in which the three antecedents lead to a flow state. Flow theory is severely limited as no mediating processes have been specified between flow antecedents and the flow state. The missing mediating processes in flow theory do not allow for empirically examining testable a priori predictions. Further, failure to specify a mediator brings into question the current flow antecedents and components. The aim of this study was to recast flow theory within a self-regulation framework to ameliorate these issues. I borrow from the self-regulation literature and propose that “feeling right” mediates the relationship between flow antecedents and components. Feeling right is a positive cognitive experience that arises from successful regulatory fit. I further posit that the antecedents of flow are the antecedents of feeling right, motivational orientation and goal pursuit strategies. Finally, I propose that the flow state only be characterized by four components, merging of action and awareness, centering of attention, loss of self-consciousness, and temporal distortion. Thus, in my revised model of flow, alignment between motivational orientation and goal pursuit will lead to feeling right, which will then lead to a flow state, characterized by the four aforementioned components. A secondary goal of this study was to examine the relationship between flow and task performance. I hypothesized that individuals in a state of regulatory fit would experience flow, operationalized by intense concentration, time distortion, and loss of self-consciousness. I further hypothesized that flow would mediate the relationship between regulatory fit and performance and that type of fit would influence performance quality or quantity. I utilized an experiment design to test this revised flow model in the context of a computer game. A path model was conducted to test these predictions. Results revealed that individuals in a state of regulatory fit exhibited greater time distortion and loss of self-consciousness. However, flow did not mediate the relationship between fit and performance. Based on these results, flow can successfully be applied to a self-regulatory framework. There is initial evidence that motivational orientation and goal pursuit, i.e., regulatory fit, are causal antecedents to a flow state. There was stronger evidence for the relationship between regulatory fit and flow when behavioral flow indicators were used. Future research should focus on identifying behavioral flow indicators and continue to explore the flow construct within a self-regulatory framework. / Ph. D.

The built environment should facilitate a meaningful experience for a user by intellectually engaging their perceptual and cognitive abilities. In 1983, Howard Gardner published his cognitive theory of multiple intelligences. Gardner theorizes that human intelligence is not one single capacity, but is comprised of multiple capacities. Many teachers use the multiple intelligences theory as a tool to reach a larger number of students by engaging their unique learning styles. The theory of multiple intelligences is one way to interpret how an individual might understand, perceive or experience their surroundings. I used Gardner's theory as a framework to develop design criteria that can be used by designers to create landscapes or environments that engage people in an intellectual and meaningful way. By designing a site that will engage different individuals' unique methods of understanding, a landscape architect can create landscapes that will capture attention and promote a unique personal experience through the creation of sense of place. I believe that this in turn can also be used as a tool for articulating design ideas and analyzing current landscapes. My research begins with a review of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's theory of flow and what is needed to achieve this playful state. The answer is to engage a user with a challenge. This led me to Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. After a review of his work, I used his theory to analyze several case study landscapes. Based on this research, I developed a set of preliminary design criteria that can be used as an outline or a starting point for designers. I chose the Joe L. Evins Appalachian Center for Crafts (ACC) in Smithville, Tennessee as my site for beginning my understanding of the range of uses that the multiple intelligences possess within a landscape. The ACC is a visual arts school whose mission is to preserve and educate people about the culture and techniques of Appalachian crafts. The mediums that are taught are clay, glass, metal, fibers, and wood. My design exploration lead me to concluded that the outcome of a multiple intelligences landscape will be shaped by several factors: the personal strengths and weaknesses within the multiple intelligences of the designer, the sites will determine which intelligences should be designed for, and that the design process should be a collaborative effort. Therefore, the design solution produced is not the strength of this research project, but rather the development, process, and conclusions that reveal a strong case for the inclusion of engaging users' intellectually. / Master of Landscape Architecture

Motivated by the desire to explore future traffic flows that will consist of a mixture of classical vehicles and vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance systems, new mathematical theories and models are developed. The basis for this theory was borrowed from the kinetic description of gas flows, where we replaced the behaviour of the molecules by typical human driving behaviour. From a methodological point of view, this 'human-kinetic' traffic flow theory provides two major improvements with respect to existing theory. Firstly, the model builds exclusively on a mathematical description of individual driver behaviour, whereas traditionally field measurements of traffic flow variables like flow rate and average speed of the flow are needed. This is of major importance for the exploration of future traffic flows with vehicles and equipment that are not yet on the market, and for which at best individual test results from driving simulator experiments or small scale field trials are available. Secondly, the model accounts for the more refined aspects of individual driver behaviour by considering the 'internal' state of the driver (active/passive, aware/unaware,...) and the variations of driving strategy that occur during driving. This is important when the ambition is to capture refined congestion patterns like the occurrence of stop-and-go waves, oscillating congestion and long jams, where the driving strategy may depend for instance on the motivation of the driver to follow closely. This new theory links together the worlds of traffic engineers and behavioural scientists. As such, it is a promising tool that increases the insight in the human behaviour as a basis of various dynamic congestion patterns, and it facilitates the design and evaluation of electronic systems in the vehicle that assist the driver to behave safer, more comfortable and more efficient in busy traffic flows. Herewith, the results of this research are relevant, both for the theoretical interest of the TRAIL research school, and for the more practically oriented work of TNO, who provided financing for this research in the joint T3 research program.

How to best develop educational computer games is an open question and an active area of research. It is clear that computer games are able to instill the desire for players to rise to challenges, learn new and complex skills, and most of all to be entertained. Researchers are now trying to identify the underlying motivational nature of computer gameplay to harness it for teaching and learning. This research explores the world of educational game design and development within the field of Serious Games, and presents the Structural Playability Process (SPP) for educational game design and implementation. Serious Games are games designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment. The development of the Structural Playability Process was undertaken through the design and production of two serious games; GeoThermal World, which provides a virtual geothermal field‐trip experience; and Ora – Save the Forest!, a simulation‐driven game for pest management in New Zealand forests. Using these games as case studies we describe the four SPP spaces of; education, translation, design, and engine, in support of research into the delivery of effective game design methods that facilitate engagement with educational topics. The main contributions of this research are in the development of a new, generalisable model of educational game design combined with a practical method for implementing the design into a game engine. The results infer that the SPP approach provides a means for ‘designing‐in’ conditions that can support motivation through ‘gameflow’ mapping, and provide support for the impact of serious games on learning; the games designed with the new model increased learning gains post‐play and supported knowledge retention. Finally, this research contributes empirical evidence to the field, as the SPP allows for the measurement of learning outcomes which are tracked throughout the design and development process.

No description available.

Master of Science / Department of Journalism and Mass Communications / Louise Benjamin / In 2013, creating a 57-second video can lead to more than $150,000 in profit for the creator and the creator can be anyone. This money-making opportunity comes from a recent popular trend known as a “viral video,” defined as a phenomenon of a video becoming highly popular through rapid, user-led distribution via the internet. However, research has not determined a clear model for creating a non-professional viral video. Interviews and YouTube analytics revealed how the video “I’m Farming and I Grow It,” a non-professional video created by three Kansas boys, was spread. Using the theories Uses and Gratifications and Two-Step Flow, this case study then analyzed the comments posted on the viral video and a content analysis of the comments identified the key factors mentioned by users, which contributed to the videos’ millions of views. The results conclude the key components for making a non-professional video go viral are “opinion leaders” spreading the message and video content that elicits positive feelings such as joy, humor, or praise. This study also provides a model to help a non-professional video go viral based on previous research and this case study.

Denna uppsats avser undersöka sambandet mellan användarupplevelser och beroenden inom spel och vadhållning. Ett beroende i sig kan tillskrivas många egenskaper och orsaker, vilket gör det till en dynamisk term, och kan således undersökas och definieras i många avseenden. Viktigt att notera är att beroende kan vara närvarande trots att det inte utgör ett problem. En användarupplevelse kan vara alla intryck och känslor vilka infinner sig vid interaktion med en produkt eller tjänst, och utgör en slags referenspunkt i utvecklingsarbeten. Syftet med denna designattityd innebär att utforma och tillhandahålla en upplevelse snarare än en produkt, där resultatet blir en artefakt vilken förmedlar denna känsla. Uppsatsen undersöker även Hedonic-Motivation System Adoption Model, vidare benämnt HMSAM, vilken är ett slags verktyg avsett att kartlägga upplevelser och konkretisera vad som motiverar användning. Vidare tillämpas teorin om Flow, då tidigare studier om spelberoende ligger i nära anslutning till allt vad den innefattar. Med denna teori som utgångspunkt genomfördes fem semi-strukturerade där informanten ombads redogöra för tidigare och nuvarande upplevelser av speltjänster. Syftet med dessa intervjuer var primärt att undersöka och söka ytterligare förståelse för spelandets motivation, för att tydliggöra sambandet mellan beroende och användarupplevelse, men även att förstå vad en upplevelse och ett beroende innebär för användaren. Utfallet avslöjar om en utspridd uppfattning gällande beroendets befattning och utsträckning, samt att spänning utgör en betydande del av motivationen. Utöver det tydliggörs även att en eventuell förtjänst av pengar ligger centralt i spelandet, men att det för vissa endast uppfattas som en bonus. Vad detta innebär för uppsatsen är att medan beroendet i sig har flera definitioner kan spelandets motivation konkretiseras och i viss mån generaliseras. Spelberoendets vara eller icke-vara hos en individ är i sin tur beroende av alltför många faktorer för att abstrahera, vilket till stor beror på att beroende inte nödvändigtvis betingar en negativ händelseutveckling. Modellen HMSAM visar sig också vara hjälpsam när upplevelser ska kartläggas och kvantifieras, vilket är nödvändigt om spelberoende och dess orsaker ska undersökas i vidare utsträckning. / This research aims at investigating the relationship between user experiences and addiction in gambling and betting. An addiction can be attributed to many traits and causes, making it a dynamic term, and can thus be investigated and defined in many respects. One important note is that addiction might be present despite it not posing a problem. A user experience could be all the impressions and emotions that occur while interacting with a product or service, and forms a point of reference in product developments. The purpose of this design attitude involves designing and providing an experience rather than a product, where the result is an artifact capable of conveying this feeling. This paper also examines the Hedonic-Motivation System Adoption Model, further abbreviated HMSAM, which is a tool capable of mapping experiences and concretizing what motivates use of a service or product. Furthermore, the theory of flow is applied, with previous studies about gambling addiction being closely related to all that it includes. With this theory as a basis, five semi-structured interviews were conducted, where the informant was asked to account for past and present experiences from betting services. The purpose of these interviews were to investigate and understand what betting motivation consists of, in order to enable a clarification of the relationship between addiction and user experience, but also to learn what an experience and an addiction means to the user. The outcome reports of a widespread perception of the dependencies and extent to which an addiction exists, and that excitement composes a significant part of motivation. In addition, it is clarified that a feasible profit is central to betting, it is however perceived by some as solely a bonus. What this means for the research is that while the addiction itself might have several definitions, the player's motivation can be made concrete and to some extent generalized. The actuality of an addiction with an individual is, in turn, dependent on too many factors to discern, which in large depends on addiction not necessarily leading to a sequence of negative events. The model HMSAM also proves to be helpful when assessing and quantifying experiences, which is necessary for further investigation of gambling addiction and its origins.