This dissertation investigated the effects of spatialized auditory cues on the development of situation awareness for teams. Based on extant research, it was hypothesized that 3-D spatialized auditory cues can be utilized by teams to develop knowledge about team member location in addition to supporting the usage of team behaviors for developing and maintaining situation awareness. Accordingly, the study examined how situation awareness would be differentially influenced by varying the type of auditory cues incorporated into virtual environment (VE) team training scenarios within the context of a MOUT team task. In general, the results of this study provided partial support for the beneficial effects of 3-D audio cues in facilitating the development of situation awareness and reducing workload. Implications are discussed in the context of design guidance for VE training systems.

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While consumers are shifting towards online clothing purchases globally, South Africa, a developing economy with well-developed infrastructure, is lagging in this regard. This research highlights significant drawbacks that may jeopardise the growth of online shopping despite the multiple advantages that consumers and retailers could benefit from. The key to the issue is that a consumer is not physically present in the store, and that online consumers’ experiences are limited to the technological capabilities of existing digital platforms. Inevitably, consumers’ online experiences would be framed in terms of what they are accustomed to in physical stores, therefore, sensory-rich, captivating environments. Creating well-designed mobile phone applications, which incorporate multiple sensory cues, is consequently crucial to capture online shoppers’ attention, and to ensure online retailers’ success. Millennials, the largest generational consumer group presently worldwide, is particularly important to online clothing retailers due to their potential buying power, interest in clothing as a product category, as well as their extensive use of mobile technologies. This study was conducted in the context of an emerging economy and aimed to examine the real-time influence of visual and auditory cues - that could viably be incorporated with available technology into a custom-designed mobile phone application for a fictitious clothing retailer - on millennials’ sensory experience and purchase intentions when purchasing clothing online. Clothing is a rather complex product category where sensory cues in combination with a range of extrinsic and intrinsic product characteristics are highly relevant during product evaluation. To accommodate the realities of physical store experience, three moderating influences were examined within the chosen stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theoretical framework, namely, the effects of telepresence, customisation, and available clothing product information. A positivistic, quantitative, descripto-explanatory, cross-sectional study was designed, presenting a two-phase electronic survey. It presented a vignette design that exposed respondents to the capabilities of the custom-designed mobile phone application before completing a questionnaire. Convenient, online snowball sampling through social media produced a sample size of 842 millennial respondents, from the Gauteng province in South Africa. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, covariance-based structural equation modelling, moderation analyses, and multivariate analyses of variance. The findings confirmed the significant influence of visual and auditory cues on millennials’ online sensory experience, as well as the significant positive moderating role of telepresence and customisation respectively, in facilitating millennials’ purchase intentions when shopping online. Failure to affirm the moderating influence of product information on consumers' purchase intentions, may be ascribed to the absence of intrinsic product characteristics such as fit, feel, and comfort, which are highly relevant but can not yet be incorporated into an online platform. This elevates the importance of how existing sensory cues are presented, and how they could counteract shortcomings of online shopping encounters. Considering what has been achieved by the gaming industry, in terms of visuals and sound when playing online, retail store mobile phone applications have not yet optimised their potential. Gender differences in online shoppers’ sensory experience, purchase intention and use of product information suggest that millennial men's purchase decisions may be more rational inclined compared to their female counterparts. The study indicates how millennials’ online clothing purchase endeavours could be enhanced in developing countries like South Africa, where online shopping has not yet reached first-world levels. Empirical evidence is also provided on how online sensory experiences and effective mobile phone app designs could enhance clothing retailers’ online apps to boost online sales. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / PhD / Unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to determine the relative efficacy of cueing modalities employed in Integral Stimulation (IS) treatment for childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Previous literature has supported the use of IS for children with CAS, though there are no studies that evaluate the active ingredients of IS. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of single- and multi-modality cues in IS treatment. The experiment was administered as a single-case, alternating treatments design consisting of three conditions (auditory-only, visual-only, and simultaneous auditory and visual). Two participants with CAS received IS treatment in every condition during each session. Probes were administered prior to starting every other session (once per week), consisting of practiced and control targets that were balanced for complexity and functionality. Perceptual accuracy of productions was rated on a 3-point scale and standardized effect sizes were calculated for each condition. Each participant demonstrated different effects in regard to modality and treatment effects. The visual-only condition yielded the greatest effect for one participant, followed by the auditory-only cues. The other participant displayed no significant effects in any condition nor a treatment effect. The results of this study suggest that single-modality cues may be more beneficial for some children with CAS than the clinically used simultaneous auditory-visual multi-modality cue. The significant effect of the visual-only condition in one participant indicates that visual-only cues may bypass an impaired auditory feedback system and support speech motor learning, though more research is required. / Public Health

Increasingly, virtual reality therapy (VRT) technologies are being used to augment pediatric rehabilitation. The mechanisms underlying success/failure of VRTs are not well understood. This thesis proposed an innovative 3-phase framework for evaluating VRT technologies with respect to neuroplasticity based on results of a scoping review of 21 studies. A case study was undertaken to demonstrate use of the framework to design and evaluate ‘Musical Steps’, a VRT technology aimed at promoting heel contact in toe-walking children. 5 therapists and 4 children were engaged in this study. The system accurately detected 88%(SD=7%) of heel contacts and was rated positively in usability testing (phase 1). Feasibility studies indicated that, while enjoyable, children did not understand the feedback provided and hence, heel contact was not increased (phase 2). These findings will direct future reiterations prior to evaluating clinical impact (phase 3). The proposed framework may enhance design and translation of therapeutically relevant VRTs.

Increasingly, virtual reality therapy (VRT) technologies are being used to augment pediatric rehabilitation. The mechanisms underlying success/failure of VRTs are not well understood. This thesis proposed an innovative 3-phase framework for evaluating VRT technologies with respect to neuroplasticity based on results of a scoping review of 21 studies. A case study was undertaken to demonstrate use of the framework to design and evaluate ‘Musical Steps’, a VRT technology aimed at promoting heel contact in toe-walking children. 5 therapists and 4 children were engaged in this study. The system accurately detected 88%(SD=7%) of heel contacts and was rated positively in usability testing (phase 1). Feasibility studies indicated that, while enjoyable, children did not understand the feedback provided and hence, heel contact was not increased (phase 2). These findings will direct future reiterations prior to evaluating clinical impact (phase 3). The proposed framework may enhance design and translation of therapeutically relevant VRTs.