This is a study of the influence of the familiarity of students with the narrator of video tutorials, in a blended learning situation, on both the perceived and actual effectiveness of the learning materials, in terms of students’ learning efficiency – where a course is traditional in format and online learning is carried out with the help of Narrated Video Screen Captures (NVSCs). The study also focused on the interaction of student-narrator gender similarity and students’ individual differences (conscientiousness and test-anxiety) with voice familiarity. Thus, the study sought to fill a gap in knowledge regarding the influence of familiarity with the narrator in multimedia learning material on the efficiency of learning within a blended learning context. The research paradigm was deductive, employing a mixed methods and a case study research and using quasi-experiments. In order to compare the relational efficiency of the different instructional conditions, a calculative approach was used that combined measurement of mental effort with task performance. In addition to the mental effort questionnaires and task performance, students completed an assessment questionnaire for the NVSCs. In addition, semi-structured interviews and a follow-up questionnaire were used for collection of corroborative data, in order to shed more light on this matter. Findings showed significant influence of voice familiarity on most of the learning efficiency indices and on perceived effectiveness of NVSCs. Gender similarity was significant only with unfamiliar voice and there was no significant interaction between conscientiousness and test anxiety and voice familiarity. Thus, it was concluded that when students have a personal relationship with the class teacher, exposure to multimedia learning materials with an unfamiliar narrator has an adverse influence on their learning efficiency. These findings add to the established voice related principles of Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning and Social Agency Theory. Contribution to knowledge was made by filling the gap in knowledge in the area of multimedia instructional design.

Studies investigating aspects of social influence or power in counseling settings have examined the relationship between nonverbal cues and social influence or power. This study investigated perceptions of power, responsiveness, attractiveness, expertness, and trustworthiness by manipulating posture, facial expression and sex of therapist. After viewing photographs of stimulus therapists and listening to audio tapes, 96 male and 98 female undergraduates completed the Counselor Rating Form and a questionnaire measuring therapists' power and responsiveness. Results indicated that facial expression was more salient than posture. Smiling decreased ratings of power and increased ratings of attractiveness, responsiveness, and trustworthiness. Open posture was seen as more attractive and more powerful than closed posture. Surprisingly, females were viewed as more powerful than males. Other gender differences were found only in interaction with other variables.

<p>Visitors’ expectations of museums in the modern world consist of both utilitarian and hedonic aspects. Given visitors’ diverse expectations and demands, traditional museums have taken actions to attract more visitors. Taking advantage of new technologies is the current action and trend in the museum industry. The emergence of digital museums is the reflection of this tendency, which use digital technologies such as projectors, surrounded sound, ambient lights, and multisensory cues to present a virtual environment. In the virtual environment, emotional state and sense of presence are considered to be useful to provide a more engaging experience. Therefore, this research empirically investigated digital museum visitor experience perceptions and the influence of emotional state and sense of presence on experience perceptions. The different impact of multisensory cues on experience and the relative mediation effect were also examined.</p> <p>Data were collected with a scenario-based online survey conducted through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). A split-sample approach with a total of 382 respondents was used for analysis. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to explore visitor experience perceptions of the digital museum. Structural equation modeling was used to discover the impact of emotional state and sense of presence. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the difference in impact of multisensory cues on overall visitor experience. This research also employed the PROCESS macro in SPSS for demonstrating the mediating effect of emotional state and sense of presence through the impact of multisensory cues on overall visitor experience. The findings of this study revealed three experience perceptions—respectively, joviality, personal escapism, and localness experiences—of digital museums. Also, this research presented the positive effect of emotional state on joviality experience and negative effect of emotional state on localness experience. In addition, a notable positive impact of sense of presence on joviality, personal escapism, and localness experience perceptions was found. No significant effect of emotional state on personal escapism was found in this research. Moreover, visual and auditory cues together were confirmed as the most powerful indicator for triggering the greatest experience level. The impact was found to be valid due to the mediating role of emotional state and sense of presence.</p> <p>This research contributed theoretically and practically to museum literature and experience research. Theoretical implications were discussed to indicate this research as the framework to measure digital museum visitor experience based on the proposed three-factor structure. Practical implications were provided for museum managers. Limitations and future research were discussed.</p>

Thesis advisor: Callista Roy / Assessing pain in nonverbal children with intellectual disability (ID) is challenging. These children are at risk for having pain from complex medical conditions and treatments for these conditions (Breau, Camfield, McGrath, Finley, 2004). Compounding this, their pain cues are often misunderstood, given that they are nonverbal and limited by their physical abilities. Although, pain assessment tools for this population exist, there is a need for tools appropriate for a range of exhibited pain expressions. The general purpose of this study was to examine the words that parents of children with ID use to describe their child's pain responses in order to improve pain recognition and management. Specifically, the aims were to: 1) Identify common pain responses; 2) Examine the relationship between type of pain response and demographic characteristics; 3) Compare common pain responses to cues in the literature. A non-directed summative content analysis identified patterns in 335 parent described pain responses of 50 nonverbal children with ID ages 6-18 years. The relationships between type of pain response and selected demographic factors were examined. Then pain responses were compared to items of pain tools for this population. Seven distinct categories of pain expression were identified in the content analysis. The greatest percentage of pain cues were within the categories of vocalization (39.4%), social behavior (21.8%) and facial expressions (16%). Four categories: vocalization, social behavior, muscle tone and activity level included opposite responses to pain. Significant relationships between type of parent described pain expression and 1) pain severity; 2) causes of ID and; 3) the gender of the child found that type of pain expression changes with severity; that patients with seizure disorders expressed pain with vocal pain expression; and that females expressed pain with more social pain expression while males expressed with more vocalizations. The results support published evidence that parents can articulate their child's pain responses. The study also provides evidence of: 1) opposite pain responses within general categories of pain; 2) a significant relationship between type of pain responses and severity of pain, cause of ID and child gender and; 3) the comprehensiveness of pain assessment tools vary greatly. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Connell School of Nursing. / Discipline: Nursing.

Rodent commensal species produce great damage in agriculture and urban areas. As invasive species they can endanger local species and are carriers and vectors of several important zoonoses. Control methods rely mainly on the use of warfarins, which can be inadvertently be taken up by untargeted species. Warfarins have also lost their efficacy in rodents due to the development of genetic resistance. In addition, these methods are considered inhumane as they cause a slow and painful death due to haemorrhages. Olfaction is a main source for environmental risk assessment by rodents, and it can be used to modify their use of space. My aim in this thesis was to identify behavioural reactions of the house mouse (Mus musculus), using laboratory strains as models of wild animals, to ecologically meaningful chemical messages, including predator and plant chemical olfactory cues. My results showed that mice avoided complex ferret olfactory cues and ethanol which is a ubiquitous chemical related to fruit rotting and ripening. The feline protein Fel d 1, which belongs to the secretoglobin family and is a major cat allergen in humans, did not elicit significant avoidance or alter foraging behaviour in mice. However, Trimethylthiazoline purified from fox faeces, elicited clear avoidance behaviour and stress responses. I carried out a bibliographic review to evaluate and discuss rodent pest control methods from an ethical standpoint. This literature showed that many of the current methods of pest control are considered inhumane, and do not tally with current society concerns and welfare standards in other domains such as farms or laboratory animals. These results raise new research questions to identify ferret and plant chemical compounds that can induce rodent avoidance, and to carry out next stage of research with wild animals both under laboratory and field conditions.

Previous studies support that the relative width of the upper face (facial width-to-height ratio; fWHR) has evolved to signal threat, but these studies rely greatly on subjective facial ratings and measurements prone to confounds. The present study objectively quantifies threat perception to the magnitude of the observers’ electrophysiological reaction, specifically the event-related potential (ERP) called the late positive potential (LPP), and investigate if brow height and jaw width could have confounded previous fWHR studies. Swedish and international students (N = 30, females = 11, Mage = 24 years, SDage = 2.9) were shown computer-generated neutral faces created with the underlying skeletal morphology varying in brow ridge height, cheekbone width and jaw width. Participants first rated how threatening each face was and then viewed 12 blocks of 64 faces while their electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. The results supported that the LPP could be used to index threat perception and showed that only brow height significantly affected both facial ratings (p &lt; .001, ɳp2 = .698) and magnitude of the LPP within the 400 to 800 ms latency (p = .02, d = .542). Hence, brow height, not facial width, could explain previous findings. The results contradict the hypothesis that fWHR is an evolved cue of threat and instead support the overgeneralisation hypothesis in that faces with similar features to anger will be perceived as more threatening.

O teste de atenção encoberta descrito por Posner (1980) vem sendo intensamente utilizado em estudos sobre orientação da atenção visuo-espacial em seres humanos. Mais recentemente, esse teste foi adaptado para avaliação da atenção em ratos, com resultados entusiasmantes, pois parece haver uma analogia entre os fenômenos atencionais envolvendo seres humanos e ratos (ROSNER; MITTLEMAN, 1996; WARD; BROWN, 1996; LUCK E VECERA, 2002). A distinção entre orientação exógena (ou \"automática\", na literatura envolvendo humanos) e endógena (ou \"voluntária\", na literatura envolvendo humanos) da atenção, postuladas principalmente com base nas diferenças do curso temporal da resposta ao alvo visual, foram em parte descritas em ratos; esses trabalhos iniciais sugeriam apenas a ocorrência de respostas automáticas em ratos. Porém, Marote e Xavier (2011) mostraram efeito de validade quando pistas preditivas e não-preditivas precediam o alvo em 200, 400 e 800 ms; porém, esse efeito foi maior quando as pistas preditivas precederam o alvo em 800 ms, o que em humanos é tido como efeito da orientação voluntária da atenção. Dado que na maioria dos estudos envolvendo ratos a pista utilizada é periférica, torna-se difícil distinguir claramente entre a ocorrência de efeitos exógenos e efeitos endógenos da orientação da atenção. No presente estudo avaliamos a orientação encoberta da atenção visuo-espacial em ratos empregando pistas simbólicas preditivas, isto é, um tipo de pista que, em seres humanos, restringiria a orientação da atenção apenas ao componente voluntário. Os resultados mostraram que ratos exibem redução do tempo de reação e aumento na percentagem de respostas corretas a um alvo visual precedido por pista simbólica auditiva preditiva válida em relação à pista inválida. Esse efeito manifestou-se quando o intervalo entre a pista e o alvo foi de 100 ou de 700 ms, mas não quando foi de 400 ms. Esses resultados sugerem a existência de dois tipos de fenômenos usualmente atribuídos à orientação da atenção visuo-espacial, o primeiro determinado pelos efeitos do pareamento repetitivo entre a pista e o alvo (que talvez envolva condicionamento clássico), que se manifesta quando o intervalo entre esses estímulos é da ordem de 100 ms, e o segundo determinado pela orientação endógena da atenção, que se manifesta quando o intervalo é igual ou maior que 700 ms. / The covert orienting of attention task described by Posner (1980) has been extensively used for investigating orientation of visuo-spatial attention in humans. There have been attempts to adapt it for rats, with encouraging results; data revealed that attentional phenomena in humans and rats are partially analogous (ROSNER, MITTLEMAN, 1996; WARD, BROWN, 1996; LUCK and VECERA, 2002). The distinction between exogenous (or \"automatic\", in human literature) and endogenous (or \"voluntary\", in human literature) orienting of attention, relying mainly on differences in the time course of the reaction time to the visual target, was partially described for rats; these early studies indicated that rats exhibited only the automated component of orienting. However, Marote and Xavier (2011) showed validity effects when using either predictive or non-predictive cues preceding the target by 200, 400 and 800 ms; however, this validity effect was greater for predictive cues preceding the target by 800 ms, a result that in human studies is taken as evidence of voluntary orienting of attention. Most of rat studies using this task employ peripheral cues, rendering difficult to distinguish exogenous and endogenous effects of orienting of attention. In the present study orienting of visuo-spatial attention was investigated in rats by using symbolic predictive cues, a kind of cue usually considered to engage voluntary attention in humans. The results showed that rats exhibit a reduction of reaction times and an increase in percentage of correct responses to a visual target preceded by a valid symbolic auditory predictive cue as compared to an invalid cue, when the stimulus onset asynchrony was either 100 or 700 ms, but not when it was 400 ms. These figures suggest that the validity effect in rats is underlied by at least two processes, the first determined by repetitive and contingent cue-target pairings (that might involve classical conditioning) that occurs when the cue-target time interval is about 100 ms, and the second determined by endogenous orienting of attention that occurs when the cue-target time interval is about 700 ms.

Teve-se por objetivo investigar se o tempo de exposição das informações de profundidade afeta a comparação de tamanho de objetos pictóricos. Para isso, 120 participantes distribuídos aleatoriamente em 12 grupos julgaram qual de duas barras verticais, uma a teste e outra a padrão, era maior. Usando o método dos estímulos constantes, estas barras podiam ser apresentadas simultaneamente por 50ms, 100ms ou 200ms em quatro condições de fundo de tela: (1) sem textura, (2) com apenas a linha do horizonte, (3) com o horizonte e o gradiente de linhas de compressão, e (4) com o horizonte e o gradiente de linhas de perspectiva. A inclinação das curvas psicométricas, os pontos de igualdade subjetiva (PIS) e o erro relativo foram calculados. A análise dos erros relativos indicou uma diferença significativa entre o gradiente de perspectiva e outras duas condições (controle e horizonte). Embora os tempos de exposição não tenham apresentado diferenças significativas entre si, observou-se uma maior superestimação do tamanho com apresentações de 100ms nas condições com indícios de profundidade (perspectiva e compressão). A análise das inclinações das curvas psicométricas mostrou uma maior sensibilidade dos participantes para efetuarem as comparações sob um tempo de 200ms em relação ao de 50ms, independentemente do fundo de tela. Os erros relativos maiores para a condição com linhas de perspectiva confirmam evidências de que esta é uma informação de profundidade eficiente na modulação do tamanho percebido. Além disso, é possível que essa eficiência seja maximizada nas condições em que os estímulos são expostos em torno dos 100ms. / The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the duration of pictorial depth cue exposures on perceived sizes of stimuli. For this, 120 volunteers distributed randomly in 12 groups compared two vertical bars, one the test and other the standard, in to order to report which one was bigger. Using the method of constant stimuli, these bars could be presented simultaneously for 50, 100 or 200ms in four background conditions: (1) without depth cues, (2) with only the horizon, (3) with the horizon and compression line gradient, and (4) with the horizon and perspective line gradient. The slope of the psychometric curves, the points of subjectivity equality (PSE) and relative errors were calculated. The analysis of relative errors indicated a significant difference among the perspective gradient and other two conditions (without texture and horizon). Although exposure time had not presented significant differences among them, it was observed size overestimation during the 100ms exposure in depth cues conditions (compression and perspective). The analysis of slopes psychometric function showed a greater sensibility in the participants who made comparisons with 200ms than the ones who made with 50ms, independently of depth cue background. Pronounced relative errors in comparisons with perspective gradient tend to agree with previous studies, which demonstrate higher influence of this cue in perceived size modulation. Besides, this efficiency seems to be maximized when stimuli exposure time was 100ms.

Much previous research concerning the effects of the in-store experience on customers’ decision-making has been laboratory-based. There is a need for empirical research in a real store context to determine the impact of product, service and in-store environment perceptions on customer satisfaction and behaviour. This study is based on a literature review (Project 1) and a large scale empirical study (Projects 2/3) combining two sources of secondary data from the largest retailer in the UK, Tesco, and their loyalty ‘Clubcard’ provider, Dunnhumby. Data includes customer responses to an online self-completion survey of the customers’ shopping experience combined with customer demographic and behavioural data from a loyalty card programme for the same individual. The total sample comprised n=30,696 Tesco shoppers. The online survey measured aspects of the in-store experience. These items were subjected to factor analysis to identify the influences on the in-store experience with four factors emerging: assortment, retail atmosphere, personalised customer service and checkout customer service. These factors were then matched for each individual with behavioural and demographic data collected via the Tesco Clubcard loyalty program. Regression and sensitivity analyses were then conducted to determine the relative impact of the in-store customer experience dimensions on customer behaviour. Findings include that perceptions of customer service have a strong positive impact on customers’ overall shopping satisfaction and spending behaviour. Perceptions of the in-store environment and product quality/ availability positively influence customer satisfaction but negatively influence the amount of money spent during their shopping trip. Furthermore, personalised customer service has a strong positive impact on spend and overall shopping satisfaction, which also positively influences the number of store visits the week after. However, an increase in shopping satisfaction coming from positive perceptions of the in-store environment and product quality/ availability factors helps to reduce their negative impact on spend week after. A key contribution of this study is to suggest a priority order for investment; retailers should prioritise personalised customer service and checkout customer service, followed by the in-store environment together with product quality and availability. These findings are very important in the context of the many initiatives the majority of retail operators undertake. Many retailers focus on cost-optimisation plans like implementing self-service check outs or easy to operate and clinical in-store environment. This research clearly and solidly shows which approach should be followed and what really matters for customers. That is why the findings are important for both retailers and academics, contributing to and expanding knowledge and practice on the impact of the in-store environment on the customer experience.

O presente trabalho investiga a relação entre a prática consciente e sua influência na prevenção do desencadeamento e no enfrentamento do processo de prejuízo da performance musical em condições de pressão (choking). Participaram do estudo três estudantes do Curso Superior de Instrumento da Escola de Música e Belas Artes do Paraná – Campus I – UNESPAR, Curitiba, PR. Foram utilizados os Guias de Execução (performance cues) propostos por Chaffin e colaboradores (2002, 2006, 2008) como suporte para o desenvolvimento de habilidades cognitivas. Os procedimentos metodológicos utilizados para coleta de dados consistiram de questionários, relatos verbais obtidos de entrevistas semiestruturadas, relatos de estudo, registro em áudio e vídeo da obra escolhida e relatos de guias de execução assinalados nas partituras como registro de decisões interpretativas deliberadas. O suporte cognitivo fornecido pelo trabalho com os Guias de Execução proporcionou segurança emocional suficiente para o enfrentamento das situações de estresse de exposição e principalmente de avaliação e autoavaliação. A partir da compreensão dos elementos teóricos encontrados na literatura e dos resultados deste trabalho com a abordagem metodológica de Chaffin, proponho um modelo conceitual de performance musical afetada pela ansiedade e centrado nos processos de controle e gerenciamento da informação durante a performance musical. Relacionado à hipótese levantada nos estágios iniciais de elaboração da pesquisa, esse modelo permite explorar a presença e manutenção de afetos e pensamentos negativos durante a prática instrumental individual e sua relação com a ocorrência de eventos de choking, e a suposição de que o desenvolvimento de habilidades cognitivas, relacionadas ao planejamento, monitoração e avaliação da prática instrumental, possa reforçar os processos de controle e gerenciamento do estado ansioso, ao permitir um suporte cognitivo que minimize o sentimento de vulnerabilidade, incontrolabilidade e imprevisibilidade inerentes ao estado ansioso, contribuindo, assim, para a melhoria e prevenção de eventos de déficits cognitivo-motores em performance sob pressão. / This study investigates the relationship between conscious practice, and its influence in prevention and coping with the decrement process in musical performance under pressure (choking under pressure). The study included three students of the bachelor degree of instrument in Escola de Música e Belas Artes do Paraná – Campus I – UNESPAR, Curitiba, PR. Performance Cues proposed by Chaffin and colleagues (2002, 2006, 2008) were used as support for the development of cognitive skills. Methodological procedures used for data collection consisted of questionnaires, verbal reports obtained from semi-structured interviews, practice reports, audio and video records of the chosen work and analysis of performance cues assigned in the scores as records of deliberate interpretative decisions. Cognitive support provided by working with Performance Cues provide enough emotional security for dealing with stress exposure situations and especially with evaluation and self-evaluation. Based on the understanding of theoretical elements found in the literature and the results of this study with the Chaffin methodological approach, I propose a conceptual model of musical performance affected by anxiety focused on process control and information management during the musical performance. Related to the hypothesis in the early stages of the research, this model explores the presence and maintenance of negative feelings and thoughts during the individual instrumental practice and its relation to the occurrence of choking event. The model also explores the assumption that the development of metacognitive skills, related to planning, monitoring and evaluation of instrumental practice can improve the control and management process of the anxious state. This control can be achieved by allowing a cognitive support that minimizes the feeling of vulnerability, uncontrollability and unpredictability, thus contributing to the improvement and prevention of cognitive-motor deficits events in performance under pressure.