The goal of this research was to assess the ability of readers to determine the emotion of a passage of text, be it fictional or non-fictional. The research includes examining how genre (fiction and non-fiction) and emotion (positive emotion, such as happiness, and negative emotion, such as anger) interact to form a reading experience. Reading is an activity that many, if not most, humans undertake in either a professional or leisure capacity. Researchers are thus interested in the effect reading has on the individual, particularly with regards to empathy. Some researchers believe reading fosters empathy; others think empathy might already be present in those who enjoy reading. A greater understanding of this dispute could be provided by general recognition theory (GRT). GRT allows researchers to investigate how stimulus dimensions interact in an observer's mind: on a perceptual or decisional level. In the context of reading, this allows researchers to look at how emotion is tied in with (or inseparable from) genre, or if the ability to determine the emotion of a passage is independent from the genre of the passage. In the reported studies, participants read passages and responded to questions on the passages and their content. Empathy scores significantly predicted discriminability of passage categories, as did reported hours spent reading per week. Non-fiction passages were easier to identify than fiction, and positive emotion classification was affiliated with non-fiction classification.

This dissertation focuses on a human operator's ability to perform rotational control of a three-dimensional object using two-degrees of freedom (DOF) interface devices. Although input devices designed specifically for 3D interaction exist, devices traditionally used for two-dimensional user interaction, such as a mouse or joystick, have become ubiquitous to computer tasks. This research examines a particular human-computer interaction issue that arises from stimulus-response compatibility between three-dimensional stimuli spaces and 2-DOF response sets. The focal point of this research is a phenomenon referred to here as accidental inversion. Accidental inversions occur when an operator erroneously moves a three-dimensional object in a direction opposite than was intended. Thus, the effect of accidental inversion results from a mismatch between the operator's intended and actual input. A key assumption in diagnosing the causal factors involved in the accidental inversion effect is contribution from both internal (i.e., having to do with the individual) and external (i.e., having to do with the environment) influences. Three experiments were conducted to study accidental inversion. The first examined population stereotype, a measure of a target population's natural response tendencies to particular stimuli for a particular task. Results indicated a strong population stereotype for horizontal rotations (i.e., yaw) and weak stereotype for vertical rotations (i.e., pitch). This effect was mediated by whether the task was in the context of flight or ground-based movement. The second experiment analyzed the subjective preference for two opposite input-response (I-R) mappings (i.e., how the system responds to different input into the controlling device) for a task requiring control over vertical rotation. Results indicated that subjective preferences for I-R mappings were not heavily polarized. The third experiment also focused on vertical rotational control and examined how subjective preference for a particular I-R mapping affected performance. Furthermore, this experiment also examined performance when interference was introduced in the form of a temporary interruption where the participant had to conduct the task using an opposite I-R mapping. Results indicated that, upon being interrupted with the opposite I-R mapping, the group who used the mapping they subjectively preferred did worse than the group who used the mapping they did not prefer. This research has implications for the design of human-machine systems requiring human-in-the-loop three-dimensional rotational control. Some human-machine systems can have significant consequences from even a single mistake caused by a human-operator accidentally providing the wrong input. Findings from this research lead to two primary recommendations to the design of human-machine systems: a) an easily accessible and clearly indicated method to select input-response mapping which is provided before beginning the actual task, b) be informed of the current input-response mapping in use.

The rapid growth of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) use in both the military and civil sectors has uncovered an array of challenges within the field. In terms of human factors and ergonomics, the influence of the unique physical design of the control stations used to pilot the unmanned aircraft on local muscular fatigue and discomfort are of great concern. This study was conducted to assess the influence of two display configurations, Side-by-Side (SS) and Stacked (ST), and two chairs, Ergonomic (EC) and Captain’s (CC), on mean and median power frequencies, root mean square amplitude, posture, discomfort, workload, and seat pressure. Sixteen participants [age: 24.75 ± 2.96 years; gender: 4 female/ 12 male; height: 177.56 ± 9.09 cm; weight: 81.37 ± 16.43 kg] completed four, 2-hour simulated UAS flights for all chair/display combinations. Eight participants piloted one, 6-hour simulated UAS flight in the display/chair combination which best minimized discomfort and fatigue in the two-hour flights, EC/SS. During the two-hour flights, muscle activity, discomfort, posture, workload, and seat pressure findings indicated increased muscular fatigue and discomfort over time. Generally, the EC/SS condition appeared to best mitigate muscular fatigue and postures associated with increased risk for the development of musculoskeletal disorders. Six-hour flight data failed to provide additional insights on the influence of extended duration flights on the dependent variables of this study. Finally, linear regression analysis revealed muscle activity can likely be predicted during UAS piloting tasks using the dependent variables in this study; however, the study failed to provide evidence that models built from two-hour data can accurately predict muscle activity out to six hours.

No / Presents the results of a joint National Science Foundation and European Commission Workshop, set up to identify directions for the future of human-centered computing, online communities and virtual environments. Discusses ways to meet the ultimate goal of facilitating human-computer interaction centered around human needs and capabilities.

There are over 5 million reported motor vehicle collisions annually in the United States, and while crash rates and fatality rates have declined in the past decades, rates in work zones are disproportionately high. There are strict standards for evaluating the crashworthiness of temporary traffic control devices, but not for evaluating drivers’ comprehension of existing or novel device deployments. This dissertation presents a series of three experiments evaluating driver comprehension for existing and novel traffic control devices conducted in a work zone setting. This evaluation is further expanded by decomposing the task of comprehending traffic control into the three subtasks of detection, localization, and identification. Methods are proposed for conducting a computer-based experiment with still image stimuli to measure participant performance at each of these subtasks. Next, procedures for categorizing localization responses and accounting for variation in participants physical responses are explored. Lastly, an application of Item Response Theory toward the evaluation and comparison of participant comprehension is demonstrated. It is hoped that these methods and procedures can be used by future researchers and experimenters to compare novel temporary traffic control devices and systems to inform future design.

No description available.

Synchronous distributed groupware is a class of software applications allowing a geographically distributed group of people to collaborate in real time. There are different types of groupware, e.g., collaborative editing software, distributed meeting support tools, and multiplayer games. However, collaborators in groupware can become disconnected from the session. Disconnections can range in duration from a few seconds (e.g., due to a network outage) to hours or days (e.g., stowing a laptop while flying). Disconnection causes information loss and makes it difficult for users to understand both the state of the workspace and the current activities of other people upon reconnection. Thus, it is important to handle disconnection in groupware. However, handling disconnection is difficult for groupware developers. They need to determine varieties of strategies in order to address different disconnection scenarios. These strategies determine how stored information can be manipulated as the system waits for a disconnected user to rejoin, and how information should be replayed upon reconnection. If disconnection lasts for a long time, developers need to select and combine strategies in order to manage a trade-off between performance requirements (e.g., delivering stored information as quickly as possible upon reconnection) and understandability requirements (e.g., allowing users to watch missed information in an understandable manner). Developers might not know how to implement such strategies in a reusable manner. Because of this lack of knowledge in handling disconnection, developers might build disconnection-aware groupware applications that will not address the range of wide variety of user-level requirements that arise from different disconnection scenarios. Moreover, as there are a few disconnection-aware groupware applications, developers might not know the overhead (e.g., additional message transmission time, memory usage and programming complexity) of handling disconnection in synchronous groupware in practice. In order to mitigate developers’ problems to handle disconnection in synchronous groupware, this thesis provides codified solutions that capture and organize a wide range of strategies for handling disconnection, that manage the performance and understandability trade-off through selecting and combining suitable strategies and that show how to implement the strategies in a reusable manner. In order to determine the overhead of handling disconnection, a toolkit is developed following the designed solutions, and different applications are constructed using the toolkit. User studies and performance analyses are conducted that evaluate the toolkit and demonstrate its quality goals, such as offering simple application programming interface (API), high performance, and supporting different disconnection scenarios and timeframes. / Thesis (Ph.D, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2013-04-29 17:52:00.165

In order to develop a better understanding of the process of development and deployment of automated systems, this thesis examines aspects of project execution and knowledge transfer in the context of a large automation project. <br /><br /> Background issues of project execution are examined, including the challenges of knowledge sharing in project development, as well as a brief discussion of measures of project success. The lifecycle of a large automation project is presented, including aspects of development and the development team, as well as design challenges inherent in the development process of a successful automation project which consisted of approximately 11,000 hours of combined effort by vendor and customer development teams. <br /><br /> Human factors aspects of large automation projects are explored, including an investigation of the workings of a large project team, by examining the cognitive aspects of the project team, as well as ecological aspects of the automation development process. <br /><br /> Using an interview methodology that can be termed the "echo method", project team members were interviewed in order to elicit helpful and unhelpful behaviours exhibited by other team members throughout the project. The results of these interviews are categorized and examined in the context of both knowledge management and social networks. Common themes in interview comments are identified, and related to both the areas of knowledge management and social networks. <br /><br /> Results indicated that team member experience and availability affect overall team performance. However, overlapping capabilities within a team were found to allow the team to adapt to changing circumstances, as well as to overcome weaknesses in team member availability. Better understanding of team interactions and capabilities supports improvements in project performance, ultimately delivering higher quality automation and streamlining the development process.

This thesis has focused on the development of a design process to strengthen the human-environment relationship through emphasizing the identity of place. By exploring and researching a comjnunity's cultural context, some sense of societal identity can be uncovered. However, it is in identifying a culture's values and traditions through its folklore that architects can begin to comprehend the meanings behind the symbols, stories, myths, music and rituals present within a community.Secondary research into the cultural-architectural relationship revealed what was coined in the 1960's and 70's by such scholars as Ian McHarg, Amos Rapoport, Christopher Alexander, and John Zeisel as "man-environment relationships." This research spoke of timelessness and connections of architecture to anthropology, archaeology and sociology.The question that arose from this investigation was, "How does one find the identity or spirit of a p/ace?" Through its people? Through its relics? What is missing as an important piece of the puzzle in the connection? Merely looking at a context or culture does not provide one with the underlying meanings of symbols, gestures, rituals, building practices and social values. One needs to see, listen, comprehend and internalize the culture and context of a place if one is to understand the culture in which the building exists. The connection with folklore and folklore studies became an avenue to be researched in finding this missing piece of the puzzle.The research method used to identify folklore within a given parameter was of the participatory-observation approach. Living for six months in the community started to unveil traits, customs and actions only primary research can reveal. Music, art, stories, rituals, and myths are the means by which people cannot otherwise explain values, thoughts and messages. These instruments. of folklore are the segways into understanding the people of a place. The primary and secondary sources of research set the stage for the conceptual design development of a civic structure within the cultural context of the community. What evolved from this architectural design experience is a scenario for this process to be integrated into architectural curricula at the college level. In creating designers that value unique identities of "place," the building of unique places respective of cultural context foster identity and meaning in an ever-changing global society.Architects have the challenge of designing in areas of the world that possess a variety of differing cultural contexts. How architects respond through creating the built environment in the 21St century will have lasting affects upon the identity of those cultures and their communities. / Department of Architecture

by Song, Jingyan. / "January 1999." / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 110-118). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese.