No description available.

Acting is a process of pretending to be someone who the actor is not. While acting is often considered to be a specialized skill of trained professionals, a simple and perhaps universal form of acting occurs during oral storytelling, in which the storyteller acts out the characters of the story during the moments of dialogue and self-reflection. In order to examine this skill experimentally, we had both trained actors and untrained novices read four fairy tales aloud. The stories contained a series of contrastive characters that spanned age, gender, and species. The major dependent variables were the vocal parameters of pitch height, loudness, timbre, and speech rate. The results demonstrated that participants created distinguishable acoustic profiles for each character within a story, regardless of the story’s familiarity. Monotonic trend analyses revealed the sequential changes in vocal parameters that were produced as a function of the age, gender, and species of the represented characters. Linear mixed-effects models showed a significant effect of acting training on character portrayal, with actors showing more-expansive pitch depictions than novices. We argue that portraying characters during storytelling is one of the most fundamental forms of acting in human life. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Acting is a process of pretending to be someone who the actor is not. It is often thought of as a skill of trained professionals. We propose that oral storytelling is a form of everyday acting. When a storyteller reads aloud, they act out the characters of the story during moments of dialogue—when the characters themselves are speaking in the story. We explored the vocal portrayal of contrastive characters by both trained actors and non-actors as they read fairy tales aloud. The results revealed that participants, regardless of acting experience, portrayed the characters as predicted, performed the characters uniquely from each other, and remained consistent in their portrayal across a story. Actors were found to use a larger pitch range than non-actors, specifically for high-pitched characters. We argue that portraying characters during storytelling is one of the most fundamental forms of acting in human life.

Video game players demand a volume of content far in excess of the ability of game designers to create it. For example, a single quest might take a week to develop and test, which means that companies such as Blizzard are spending millions of dollars each month on new content for their games. As a result, both players and developers are frustrated with the inability to meet the demand for new content. By generating content on-demand, it is possible to create custom content for each player based on player preferences. It is also possible to make use of the current world state during generation, something which cannot be done with current techniques. Using developers to create rules and assets for a content generator instead of creating content directly will lower development costs as well as reduce the development time for new game content to seconds rather than days. This work is part of the field of computational creativity, and involves the use of computers to create aesthetically pleasing game content, such as terrain, characters, and quests. I demonstrate agent-based terrain generation, and economic modeling of game spaces. I also demonstrate the autonomous generation of quests for online role playing games, and the ability to play these quests using an emulated Everquest server.

Uma das principais vias de transformação no desenvolvimento humano ocorre através da busca pela intersubjetividade. O objetivo deste trabalho foi compreender alguns processos de construção de conhecimento acerca do outro e de si através de um estudo de relações intersubjetivas grupais. Para tanto, trabalhamos com a perspectiva construtivista semiótico-cultural, focalizando especialmente as ações simbólicas dos sujeitos ao buscarem momentos de protagonismo e de reconhecimento uns pelos outros. Procuramos estabelecer uma relação entre essa busca dos sujeitos e a noção levinasiana de desejo, entendido como um movimento da subjetividade ao buscar abrigar o que a excede na direção da alteridade. No processo de investigação, tomamos para exame uma situação empírica envolvendo interações de natureza lúdica, quais sejam, sessões de Role-Playing Game (RPG), que possuem uma dinâmica particular na construção de objetivos e desejos dos jogadores. A dinâmica das relações eu - outro nos jogos de RPG foi analisada a partir da assimetria de posições subjetivas, dialogicamente definidas. Realizamos um mapeamento dessas posições e vimos que nos jogos de representação de papéis há fruição de um mundo imaginário reduzido e presentificado no pensamento. Finalmente, chegamos à proposição de que o significado essencial das construções pessoais está no âmbito de outrem, presente ou ausente, real ou imaginário, em relação ao qual o eu procura constituir um plano de compartilhamento. / One of the main sources of transformation in human development is through the subjects quest for intersubjectivity. The objective of this work was to understand some aspects of the processes of knowledge construction concerning the self and the other. It was developed through a study focusing intersubjective group relationships. In order to achieve that, we worked with semiotic-cultural constructivist perspective, focusing specially, on the symbolic actions of subjects searching for moments of protagonism and of recognition of one by the others. We tried to establish a link between this search of the subjects and the levinasian notion of desire, though as a subjective movement trying to shelter what exceeds itself on the alterity direction. On the investigation process, we examined an empirical situation involving ludic interactions of Role-Playing Game (RPG) sessions. This game has a particular dynamic towards building objectives and desires by its players. The I-other dynamic relations in Role-Playing Games was analyzed observing the asymmetry of subjective positions, dialogically defined. We did a mapping of these positions and saw that in the role-playing games there is the fruition of an imaginary world reduced and made present in the thought. Finally, we arrived to the assertion that the essential meaning of personal constructions is related to otherness, either present or absent, real or imaginary, in relation to which the self tries to constitute a shared setting.

Nesta pesquisa é proposto o uso Role-Playing Game, mais conhecido como RPG, como uma estratégia no processo de ensino e aprendizagem no ambiente escolar. Os estudos com RPG e educação demonstram grande potencial como tecnologia educacional, proporcionando aprendizagem ativa e significativa modificando a forma como se ensina. Este trabalho teve como objetivos: investigar sobre as possibilidades educacionais da implementação do roleplaying game (RPG) no ambiente escolar como uma atividade pedagógica complementar e voluntária no ensino de ciências, verificar a aprendizagem de conceitos fundamentais de ciências que foram expostos aos alunos através do RPG, bem como analisar as impressões dos alunos quanto ao contato desses conteúdos de ciências por meio do RPG e também quanto à experiência de jogar RPG no ambiente escolar com o professor. Para tanto procurou-se inicialmente, um levantamento bibliográfico de algumas obras que discutem os problemas educacionais brasileiros e expõem estratégias para solucioná-los, dentre essas, destacou-se as que verificam a viabilidade da utilização de jogos didáticos. Em seguida, essa pesquisa sintetiza as publicações referentes ao uso de jogos de RPG, na educação em diversos níveis e faixas etárias. Em seguida, faz-se uma breve descrição do que é RPG, e da metodologia usada nesse trabalho, no qual foi realizado um experimento com alunos do oitavo ano do ensino fundamental que jogaram RPG no ambiente escolar, de maneira voluntária e fora do horário de aula, juntamente com o professor, que abordou por meio do jogo, conceitos de ciências, como: ácido, base, escala de pH, densidade, as três Leis de Newton e também morfologia de artrópodes - insetos. Para o levantamento dos dados foi utilizado uma pesquisa qualitativa exploratória por meio da observação, questionários e um teste para avaliar o aprendizado de ciências, principalmente dos conceitos de ácido, base e escala de pH. Os resultados apontam elevado potencial do uso do role-playing game na escola como uma atividade voluntária e complementar ao ensino de ciências, bem como a formação do aluno em geral, pois além da eficiência do uso pedagógico deste jogo para o ensino de ciências, observou-se que o RPG além de motivar os alunos, proporcionou um ambiente de cooperação, interação, construção conjunta do conhecimento e criatividade. / In this research it is proposed to use Role-Playing Game, better known as RPG, as a strategy in the process of teaching and learning in the school environment. Studies in RPG and education demonstrate great potential as an educational technology, providing active and meaningful learning by modifying the way it is taught. The objective of this study was to investigate about the educational possibilities of the role-playing game (RPG) in the school environment as a complementary and voluntary pedagogical activity in science teaching, to verify the learning of fundamental science concepts that were exposed to the students through RPG, as well as analyzing students\' impressions regarding the contact of these science contente through the RPG and also the experience of playing RPG in the school environment with the teacher. In order to do so, a bibliographical survey of some works that discuss Brazilian educational problems and strategies for solving them was presented, among them, those that verify the viability of the use of didactic games. Next, this research synthesizes publications regarding the use of RPG games in education at various levels and age groups. Next, a brief description of RPG is given, and the methodology used in this work, in which an experiment was carried out with eighth grade elementary students who played RPGs in the school environment, voluntarily and outside of school classroom hours, along with the teacher, who approached through the game, science concepts such as: acid, base, pH scale, density, the three Laws of Newton and also arthropods morphology - insects. For the data collection a qualitative exploratory research was used through observation, questionnaires and a test to evaluate the learning of sciences, aim at the learning of acid, base and pH scale concepts. The results point out a high potential of the use of role-playing game in school as a voluntary activity and complementary to the teaching of sciences, as well as the formation of the student in general, because besides the efficiency of the pedagogical use of this game for the science teaching, observed That the RPG besides motivating the students, provided an environment of cooperation, interaction, joint construction of knowledge and creativity.

Pesquisa realizada com alunos de graduação, na disciplina introdutória de Contabilidade e Análise de Balanço para economistas, com o objetivo de verificar se o emprego das modalidades didáticas do role-play comparativamente ao exercício grupal exerce influência no nível da percepção discente relativas ao desenvolvimento de habilidades (domínio psicomotor), satisfação (domínio afetivo) e aprendizagem (domínio cognitivo). A pesquisa usou o estilo do ?quase-experimento?, aplicado em duas turmas de 28 e 32 alunos. Considerando aspectos éticos relativos a possíveis prejuízos na aprendizagem discente, ambas modalidades didáticas (role-play e exercício grupal) foram aplicadas de maneira alternadas em cada uma das turmas, ocasionando que cada turma desempenhou a dupla função de grupo controle e grupo experimental ao mesmo tempo. Nas duas turmas controles foram aplicados um exercício grupal que tinha por objetivo buscar a reversão econômicofinanceira de uma Cia Aérea em dificuldades por meio da tomada de decisões. Nas turmas experimentais, os mesmos objetivos anteriores foram aplicados à modalidade didática do roleplay. Paralelamente, aplicou-se o questionário ILS desenvolvido por Kolb para identificar os estilos de aprendizagem dos alunos, cujo objetivo era verificar se havia alguma influência dos estilos e o nível da percepção discente. Por outro lado, o questionário da avaliação docente tinha por objetivo verificar se havia alguma diferença no nível da percepção discente antes (pré-teste) e depois do quase-experimento (pós-teste). Como instrumentos de coleta de dados foram utilizados questionários e um focus group. Os resultados demonstram: a) existência de diferenças ?entre as turmas? e ?turmas isoladas? no nível da percepção da aprendizagem, desenvolvimento de habilidades (analíticas e de pesquisa), satisfação com a participação e disposição em participar favoráveis a modalidade didática do role-play em relação ao exercício grupal. b) existência de uma ?pequena? influência no nível perceptivo discente com a inserção do role-play e exercício grupal quando segmentados nos estilos de aprendizagem. c) existência de diferença significativa no nível da avaliação docente aplicada antes do quaseexperimento e na avaliação docente após o quase-experimento relacionado ao estímulo do professor ao conteúdo do curso. Os resultados do focus group, evidenciam que o role-play é efetivamente recomendado para o aprendizado de atitudes (domínio afetivo) e desenvolvimento de habilidades de comunicação, interatividade, pesquisa e tomada de decisões (domínio psicomotor). Conclui-se, ainda, com base nos resultados alcançados, que o role-play deve ser utilizado em complementação a outras modalidades de forma a contemplar possibilidades de aprendizagem aos alunos. / This research was carried out with undergraduate students taking an introductory course on Accounting and Balance Sheet analysis for economists. It focused on verifying whether the use of role-play influenced students? level of perception as far as levels of development abilities (psychomotor domain), satisfaction (affective domes), and learning (cognitive development) go, when compared with group work. The research was conducted using ?quasi-experiment? applied to two groups ? one with 28 students and the other with 32 students. Having in mind the ethic aspects of possible harm to students? learning process, both strategies (role-play and group work) were alternatively used with the two groups, in such a way that both functioned not only as control group but also as experiment group. Both control groups performed group work aiming at finding economic and financial ways out for an Air Company in difficulty, using decision making as the means. In the experimental groups, the same activity should be carried out through role-play. Simultaneously, the researcher used the ILS questionnaire developed by Kolb to identify students? learning styles, with the objective of testing whether there was influence of different styles and the level of awareness by students. On the other hand, the questionnaire for professor evaluation sought verifying if there could be differences in the level of students? awareness before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the quasi-experiment. Questionnaires and a Focus Group were the means for the collection of data. The results showed: a) differences of perception ?among the groups? and ?isolated groups? in relation to level of awareness of learning; development of analytical and research abilities; satisfaction with participation and willingness to participate, all favoring the teaching technique of role-play over group work; b) a ?tiny? influence on student awareness level with the insertion of role-play and group work when segmented in learning styles; c) significant difference of the results in professor evaluation applied before the quasi-experiment, versus after the quasi-experiment, as far as professor incentive on course content goes. The results of the Focus Group show that role-play is effectively recommended not only for the learning of attitudes (affective domain), but also for the development of communication skills, interactivity, research and decision making (psychomotor domain). The results reached lead to the conclusion that role-playing should be used as a complement to other classroom techniques, so as to enhance students? learning possibilities.

Uma das principais vias de transformação no desenvolvimento humano ocorre através da busca pela intersubjetividade. O objetivo deste trabalho foi compreender alguns processos de construção de conhecimento acerca do outro e de si através de um estudo de relações intersubjetivas grupais. Para tanto, trabalhamos com a perspectiva construtivista semiótico-cultural, focalizando especialmente as ações simbólicas dos sujeitos ao buscarem momentos de protagonismo e de reconhecimento uns pelos outros. Procuramos estabelecer uma relação entre essa busca dos sujeitos e a noção levinasiana de desejo, entendido como um movimento da subjetividade ao buscar abrigar o que a excede na direção da alteridade. No processo de investigação, tomamos para exame uma situação empírica envolvendo interações de natureza lúdica, quais sejam, sessões de Role-Playing Game (RPG), que possuem uma dinâmica particular na construção de objetivos e desejos dos jogadores. A dinâmica das relações eu - outro nos jogos de RPG foi analisada a partir da assimetria de posições subjetivas, dialogicamente definidas. Realizamos um mapeamento dessas posições e vimos que nos jogos de representação de papéis há fruição de um mundo imaginário reduzido e presentificado no pensamento. Finalmente, chegamos à proposição de que o significado essencial das construções pessoais está no âmbito de outrem, presente ou ausente, real ou imaginário, em relação ao qual o eu procura constituir um plano de compartilhamento. / One of the main sources of transformation in human development is through the subjects quest for intersubjectivity. The objective of this work was to understand some aspects of the processes of knowledge construction concerning the self and the other. It was developed through a study focusing intersubjective group relationships. In order to achieve that, we worked with semiotic-cultural constructivist perspective, focusing specially, on the symbolic actions of subjects searching for moments of protagonism and of recognition of one by the others. We tried to establish a link between this search of the subjects and the levinasian notion of desire, though as a subjective movement trying to shelter what exceeds itself on the alterity direction. On the investigation process, we examined an empirical situation involving ludic interactions of Role-Playing Game (RPG) sessions. This game has a particular dynamic towards building objectives and desires by its players. The I-other dynamic relations in Role-Playing Games was analyzed observing the asymmetry of subjective positions, dialogically defined. We did a mapping of these positions and saw that in the role-playing games there is the fruition of an imaginary world reduced and made present in the thought. Finally, we arrived to the assertion that the essential meaning of personal constructions is related to otherness, either present or absent, real or imaginary, in relation to which the self tries to constitute a shared setting.

This investigation examined the effect of a modeling/role playing counseling technique upon the social adjustment of second-grade socially withdrawn children. The specific hypotheses investigated dealt with changes in the socially withdrawn child's social adjustment as measured by a peer sociometric instrument, teacher rating, trained observer rating, and self-rating which were administered one week prior to the initial session. A one-way analysis of covariance was employed to test the hypotheses. The following conclusions are presented as a result of these findings: 1. The symbolic modeling/role playing procedure as utilized in this study is effective in increasing the frequency of social interaction of socially withdrawn children. 2. The symbolic modeling/role playing -procedure as utilized in this investigation is effective in increasing the sociometric status of socially withdrawn children. 3. The symbolic modeling/role playing counseling procedure as utilized in this study appears to be ineffective with respect to changing children's self-perception.

Zugl.: München, Univ., Diss., 2009

Pesquisa realizada com alunos de graduação, na disciplina introdutória de Contabilidade e Análise de Balanço para economistas, com o objetivo de verificar se o emprego das modalidades didáticas do role-play comparativamente ao exercício grupal exerce influência no nível da percepção discente relativas ao desenvolvimento de habilidades (domínio psicomotor), satisfação (domínio afetivo) e aprendizagem (domínio cognitivo). A pesquisa usou o estilo do ?quase-experimento?, aplicado em duas turmas de 28 e 32 alunos. Considerando aspectos éticos relativos a possíveis prejuízos na aprendizagem discente, ambas modalidades didáticas (role-play e exercício grupal) foram aplicadas de maneira alternadas em cada uma das turmas, ocasionando que cada turma desempenhou a dupla função de grupo controle e grupo experimental ao mesmo tempo. Nas duas turmas controles foram aplicados um exercício grupal que tinha por objetivo buscar a reversão econômicofinanceira de uma Cia Aérea em dificuldades por meio da tomada de decisões. Nas turmas experimentais, os mesmos objetivos anteriores foram aplicados à modalidade didática do roleplay. Paralelamente, aplicou-se o questionário ILS desenvolvido por Kolb para identificar os estilos de aprendizagem dos alunos, cujo objetivo era verificar se havia alguma influência dos estilos e o nível da percepção discente. Por outro lado, o questionário da avaliação docente tinha por objetivo verificar se havia alguma diferença no nível da percepção discente antes (pré-teste) e depois do quase-experimento (pós-teste). Como instrumentos de coleta de dados foram utilizados questionários e um focus group. Os resultados demonstram: a) existência de diferenças ?entre as turmas? e ?turmas isoladas? no nível da percepção da aprendizagem, desenvolvimento de habilidades (analíticas e de pesquisa), satisfação com a participação e disposição em participar favoráveis a modalidade didática do role-play em relação ao exercício grupal. b) existência de uma ?pequena? influência no nível perceptivo discente com a inserção do role-play e exercício grupal quando segmentados nos estilos de aprendizagem. c) existência de diferença significativa no nível da avaliação docente aplicada antes do quaseexperimento e na avaliação docente após o quase-experimento relacionado ao estímulo do professor ao conteúdo do curso. Os resultados do focus group, evidenciam que o role-play é efetivamente recomendado para o aprendizado de atitudes (domínio afetivo) e desenvolvimento de habilidades de comunicação, interatividade, pesquisa e tomada de decisões (domínio psicomotor). Conclui-se, ainda, com base nos resultados alcançados, que o role-play deve ser utilizado em complementação a outras modalidades de forma a contemplar possibilidades de aprendizagem aos alunos. / This research was carried out with undergraduate students taking an introductory course on Accounting and Balance Sheet analysis for economists. It focused on verifying whether the use of role-play influenced students? level of perception as far as levels of development abilities (psychomotor domain), satisfaction (affective domes), and learning (cognitive development) go, when compared with group work. The research was conducted using ?quasi-experiment? applied to two groups ? one with 28 students and the other with 32 students. Having in mind the ethic aspects of possible harm to students? learning process, both strategies (role-play and group work) were alternatively used with the two groups, in such a way that both functioned not only as control group but also as experiment group. Both control groups performed group work aiming at finding economic and financial ways out for an Air Company in difficulty, using decision making as the means. In the experimental groups, the same activity should be carried out through role-play. Simultaneously, the researcher used the ILS questionnaire developed by Kolb to identify students? learning styles, with the objective of testing whether there was influence of different styles and the level of awareness by students. On the other hand, the questionnaire for professor evaluation sought verifying if there could be differences in the level of students? awareness before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the quasi-experiment. Questionnaires and a Focus Group were the means for the collection of data. The results showed: a) differences of perception ?among the groups? and ?isolated groups? in relation to level of awareness of learning; development of analytical and research abilities; satisfaction with participation and willingness to participate, all favoring the teaching technique of role-play over group work; b) a ?tiny? influence on student awareness level with the insertion of role-play and group work when segmented in learning styles; c) significant difference of the results in professor evaluation applied before the quasi-experiment, versus after the quasi-experiment, as far as professor incentive on course content goes. The results of the Focus Group show that role-play is effectively recommended not only for the learning of attitudes (affective domain), but also for the development of communication skills, interactivity, research and decision making (psychomotor domain). The results reached lead to the conclusion that role-playing should be used as a complement to other classroom techniques, so as to enhance students? learning possibilities.