Decerno is a software consultancy company who designs and builds large software information systems. They are interested in more knowledge and insight in the benefits and limitations of touch-enabled interfaces as a means of incorporating these into their own products. The aim of this study is to find advice on how to design touch-enabled functionality that would work in a company’s main computer system to be used by staff on a daily basis in order to fulfill their work tasks.Comparing a touch interface to a conventional mouse interface exposes differences in use that need to be kept in mind when designing for touch interaction usability. With a simple flick of the mouse you are able to dart your mouse-pointer across the screen on your conventional mouse interface, but a touch interface requires you to both lift and extend your arm in order to point your finger at the far corner of the touch screen. Extensive use of large or monotonous movements might cause muscle fatigue, which requires you to adapt your interface design to allow for effective touch-interaction use.The main research question in this study has been to derive guidelines and advice on how to present a set of dynamic information making it possible for the user to effectively find and select a specific target by touch interaction. For this purpose a set of sub questions were identified and a test interface was produced in order to evaluate the users touch interaction and their feedback. The results from these user tests have formed the foundation of the concluding guidelines.This has been evaluated both quantitatively and qualitatively in a user study. Measurements was taken on how the users performed, such as number of errors and time to finish the user task. The users were also asked to perform a think-aloud evaluation which collected information on how they used the interface and their thoughts and reactions while doing it. The user tests were concluded with open-ended questions in which the users were asked to reflect on their actions, how user-effective the interface was and to compare different test setups.The results conclude that most users does not like horizontal scrolling. The horizontal movement make the text much harder to follow. Habit also seems to be an important factor as several users expressed the fact that they are much more used to scrolling vertically.Most users preferred the display with both images and text as it made the page more interesting and pleasant to look at, this is in contrast with the fact that most users stated that locating an item is faster and easier without images and only minimal text information, limited to only the search task answer. The aesthetical features of an interface seem to be equally important as the functionality.Another important conclusion is the difference in hand-position when the tablet is placed on the table compared to when it is hand-held. When designing a touch interface, some consideration should be taken to how the user might be working with the interface. The button placement might need to be different depending on if they are likely to be holding the tablet while using it (perhaps in a more informal setting, standing up or moving around) or will they be using it while it is placed on the table.

With the continued expansion in access to touchscreen devices, the question of whether such interactions are beneficial to the preschool user is increasingly important. Touchscreens allow for contingent responses from the viewer, a feature that is now utilized by the new modality of interactive television. This dissertation study investigates whether the addition of full interactivity to an educational cartoon facilitates narrative comprehension and learning of STEM-based curriculum. Forty-seven 4- to 5- year-olds watched a researcher-developed cartoon about two characters who were learning about the concept of rotation in outer space. Same-gender and age matched pairs individually watched the cartoon and were assessed on measures of narrative comprehension and, after a two-week delay, on a measure of rotation knowledge learning. Participants in the active condition watched the cartoon with the ability to make 5 character decisions at different points throughout the video. Those children in the passive condition saw the same path determined by their active pair, without any choice points. Results indicated that learning, as demonstrated on transfer items, was enhanced by the addition of choice, albeit no immediate gains in story understanding. The implications for interactive cartoons targeted to the age range in the context of differential access to family resources are discussed.

Reactive attachment disorder (RAD), a disorder marked by a severe disruption in developmental attachment, is most often diagnosed in youth who have received substandard or negligent care from their primary caregiver. Such youth have increased risk of behavioral and emotional issues as well as future relationship problems; they generally do not respond to traditional evidence-based practices of therapy. The present study examined the use of the biofield energy practice of Healing Touch (HT) as a viable therapeutic option for improved quality of life for youth diagnosed with RAD. A quantitative, quasi-experimental research study using secondary data was conducted. Eligible participants were 40 children between the ages of 6and 21 residing at a residential facility and having the diagnosis of RAD. Half of the participants received HT therapy while the other half did not. Dependent variables of frequencies of seclusion, aggression, self-injury/self-harm, property damage in excess of $50, and running away from the facility were assessed at set intervals before and after implementation of HT therapy. Findings from a 2 x 2 mixed factorial design using mixed ANOVAs lacked statistical significance; therefore, the alternative hypotheses were not supported. However, the potential remains for positive social change. Clinical importance was evidenced in several variables demonstrating improvement in behaviors for many participants. In addition, while statistical significance was not obtained, the study contributes to the knowledge base regarding the use of HT therapy for future studies.

Touch--both touching another and being touched--is a primary form of communication. By old age, both the need and the desire for specific amounts and kinds of touching are well established for the individual. The present study was designed to obtain information about what elderly women in nursing and retirement homes report to be liked and disliked types of touching. Participants who volunteered for this study were 32 ambulatory females 65 years of age or older who were living in nursing or retirement homes. Each participant was shown a set of 20 photos and sketches depicting a staff person touching an elderly woman in various ways, and asked to rate their liking for the particular type of touching on a one to five scale ranging from "like very much" to "dislike very much." The set of photos and sketches included ten comparable scenes with one-half showing a male staff member and the other half showing a female staff member touching an elderly woman. Scenes included: foot massage, helping to stand, back rub, brushing hair, arm around shoulder, holding hand, helping to dress, stroking cheek, helping with toileting, and helping with a shower.

Studies concerning tactile short-term memory (short-term memory or the sense of touch) have often been contradictory. Some of these studies support the existence of modality-specific tactile memory, a separate, independent storage system for tactile information. Other studies do not support such a system. Further, confusion has arisen regarding the tactile test materials, since many of them use common shapes which are easily labeled verbally. It is hypothesized that information which can be labeled is stored in material-specific verbal memory in the left hemisphere, while patterned or spatial information is stored in material-specific nonverbal memory in the right hemisphere. This paper reports two studies conducted to demonstrate both verbal and nonverbal material-specific memory using tactile test materials. The first experiment utilized the Seguin Formboard, which has wooden shapes that are easily labeled verbally. The test was administered to brain damaged patients and to normal controls. Results showed that the performance of the people with left hemisphere brain damage was significantly impaired relative to the normal controls. This was expected since verbal material is processed in the left hemisphere. People with damage in this area have difficulty naming objects and storing the names. The second experiment utilized wooden shapes that were presumed difficult to label. This test was again administered to brain damaged subjects as well us to normal controls. The results were not significant. This may have been because the test was too difficult or because it did not tap nonverbal spatial information. Thus, people with right hemisphere damage were expected to have difficulty processing this type of material. The right damaged group did tend to do more poorly than the other groups. It is not known if this difference would be significant were the test simplified, or if there were actually no group differences. The first study suggests that the Seguin Formboard, thought to be a nonverbal tactile memory test, is actually verbally mediated. The second study did not yield significant results, but suggests a line of further research into the area of nonverbal material-specific memory tested in the tactile modality. These experiments suggest the importance of carefully evaluating test materials to determine what abilities they actually measure in order to obtain a fine analysis of memory function.

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A soft, light-weight, beige, stuffed toy was placed in direct body contact with stable, 30-34 wk gestation infants. Length of hospitalization, l activity level, length of time to return to birth weight, and parent visiting rate were recorded for the randomly assigned 10 experimental and 10 control infants. Contrary to predictions, significant differences were found in the length of hospitalization and weight gain, with the control group being discharged sooner and returning to birth weight faster. No significant differences occurred in the parent visiting rate, and only minimal positive results were seen in the activity level for the experimental group. The disproportionate number of younger, smaller, sicker infants in the experimental group was believed to be a reason for these unexpected results.

The purposes of this study were to evaluate the effects touches per play, post touches per play, and dribbles to end a play (DEP) have on points per play, field goal percentage, turnovers, and fouls. This was done to provide empirical evidence on anecdotal theories held by coaches concerning ball movement, dribbles, and post touches. The data collected were statistically analyzed using Bayesian hierarchical models. This study reports some intriguing trends. First, exceeding nine passes and three dribbles to end a play results in a decrease in points per play and field goal percentage. Second, up to three dribbles into a shot was more productive and efficient than shooting with no dribbles. Third, post play does not have as big an effect on offensive basketball as previously expected. Lastly, offensive rebounds seem to universally have a positive effect upon offensive basketball. This study supported some anecdotal beliefs about basketball, while not others, supporting the idea for statistically based studies to be conducted on anecdotal beliefs held about basketball.