An Agent-Based Model for Refined Cognitive Load and Reading Performance in Reading Companion Robot

This paper presents the importance of modeling dynamical behaviors of human cognitive states that serves as a core foundation in creating intelligent and responsive systems. It discusses in detail the development of a dynamical model of cognitive load and reading performance which acts as the central component of creating a reading companion robot. Simulations results show realistic behaviour patterns that adhere to the literature. Finally, the results produced from an automated verification approach to validate the internal correctness of the proposed model using Temporal Trace Language (TTL) are shown

Computational animal welfare: Towards cognitive architecture models of animal sentience, emotion and wellbeing

To understand animal wellbeing, we need to consider subjective phenomena and sentience. This is challenging, since these properties are private and cannot be observed directly. Certain motivations, emotions and related internal states can be inferred in animals through experiments that involve choice, learning, generalization and decision-making. Yet, even though there is significant progress in elucidating the neurobiology of human consciousness, animal consciousness is still a mystery. We propose that computational animal welfare science emerges at the intersection of animal behaviour, welfare and computational cognition. By using ideas from cognitive science, we develop a functional and generic definition of subjective phenomena as any process or state of the organism that exists from the first-person perspective and cannot be isolated from the animal subject. We then outline a general cognitive architecture to model simple forms of subjective processes and sentience. This includes evolutionary adaptation which contains top-down attention modulation, predictive processing and subjective simulation by re-entrant (recursive) computations. Thereafter, we show how this approach uses major characteristics of the subjective experience: elementary self-awareness, global workspace and qualia with unity and continuity. This provides a formal framework for process-based modelling of animal needs, subjective states, sentience and wellbeing.publishedVersio

A formal model for analyzing manager’s performance during stress

Managers who are exposed to stress have the risk of taking insufficient decisions, which will affect their performance levels. The affect could be either positive or negative, depending on the individual’s perception on stress. Many inadequate conventional studies have been conducted for analyzing the complicated relationship of stress and performance. Hence this study introduces a formal model supports managers’ performance during stress. This model can be encapsulated within an intelligent agent or robots that can be used to support managers. The methodology was used to explore human cognitive processes during stress consisted of four phases: identification of local and non-local properties, conceptualization of the model of these properties, formalization, and evaluation. Deferential equations have been used in formalizing the properties. The developed model has been simulated by applying it to different scenarios. Mathematical analysis has been used for the evaluation of the model. Results showed that the formal model was able to show the effects of different levels of stress on managers’ performance

Investigating the Embodied Effect in Drivers’ Safe Headway Learning

abstract: Safe headway learning plays a core role in driving education. Traditional safe headway education just use the oral and literal methods to educate drivers the concept of safe headway time, while with the limitation of combining drivers subject and situational domains for drivers to learn. This study investigated that whether using ego-moving metaphor to embody driver's self-awareness can help to solve this problem. This study used multiple treatments (ego-moving and time-moving instruction of safe time headway) and controls with pretest experimental design to investigate the embody self-awareness effect in a car-following task. Drivers (N=40) were asked to follow a lead car at a 2-seconds safe time headway. Results found that using embodied-based instructions in safe headway learning can help to improve driver's headway time accuracy and performance stability in the car-following task, which supports the hypothesis that using embodied-based instructions help to facilitate safe headway learning. However, there are still some issues needed to be solved using embodied-based instructions for the drivers' safe headway education. This study serves as a new method for the safe headway education while providing empirical evidence for the embodied theories and their applications.Dissertation/ThesisMasters Thesis Applied Psychology 201

Enhancing Leadership effectiveness in Virtual Teams: The Moderating Role of Transformational Leadership on Exhaustion and Job Satisfaction

Fremveksten av virtuelt arbeid og bruken av virtuelle teams i organisasjoner, ble intensivert av den nylige globale COVID-19-pandemien, og derved også behovet for å forstå hvordan en leders effektivitet kan bli påvirket i virtuelle arbeids kontekster. Denne studien undersøker den potensielt modererende rollen til transformasjonsledelse på forholdet mellom virtuelle teams og leder effektivitet, gjennom linsen til de medierende rollene av utmattelse og arbeidstilfredshet. For å undersøke dette gjennomførte vi en spørreundersøkelse blant 90 ansatte som utfører arbeid i virtuelle arbeidsmiljøer. Data som ble samlet inn ble analysert gjennom Process analyser fra enkle regresjons analyser til moderert mediering. Resultatene viser at arbeidstilfredshet er positivt relatert til leder effektivitet, men studien fant ikke støtte for den modererende rollen til transformasjonelt lederskap. For bedre å forstå utfordringer ved å lede virtuelle teams, bør fremtidig forskning se på de komplekse aspektene ved virtuelle arbeidsmiljøer, med mål om å lage strategier som reduserer utmattelse, øker arbeidstilfredshet og forbedrer leder effektivitet. Nøkkelord: virtuelle teams, leder effektivitet, utmattelse, arbeidstilfredshet, transformasjonsledelse

Research note: Complying with frustration, the experience of equality and diversity practitioners

The Equality and Diversity (E&D) role in Higher Education (HE) in the UK ensures that universities are compliant with equalities legislation and that they fulfil their duty to promote equality as these relate to employees and the institution as a whole. Hunter and Swan (2007) call for more research to explore how equality and diversity practitioners handle these complex and contradictory (E&D) duties (Healy et al, 2010). We also argue that, as the UK university context itself faces severe financial challenges, understanding the experiences of HE E&D practitioners/managers becomes more urgent. The purpose of the research is to explain the experience of equality practitioners in the HE context, an under-explored area of equality practice. Meyerson and Scully’s concept (1995) of the ‘tempered radical’ has been used to give us greater insight into how the challenges of this role are played out in the HE context

Emotions in business-to-business service relationships

Emotion in business-to-business service relationships regarding cargo services is explored. The service relationship is characterised by mutual trust and cooperation. Contact is mainly via telephone or e-mail with some face-to-face interactions and participants providing a complex, multi-skilled seamless service. Experience rather than training plays a vital role with long-term service relationships built up and maintained. Emotional sensitivity is acquired partly by experience and a repeat customer base but mainly through a genuine desire to help and get to know others. In contrast to the view of emotional labour bringing managerial control or adverse affects to service staff, the emotion engendered by this work is authentic expression bringing personal satisfaction

An ambient agent architecture exploiting automated cognitive analysis

In this paper an agent-based ambient agent architecture is presented based on monitoring human's interaction with his or her environment and performing cognitive analysis of the causes of observed or predicted behaviour. Within this agent architecture, a cognitive model for the human is taken as a point of departure. From the cognitive model it is automatically derived how internal cognitive states affect human's performance aspects. Furthermore, for these cognitive states representation relations are derived from the cognitive model, expressed by temporal specifications involving events that will be monitored. The representation relations are verified on the monitoring information automatically, resulting in the identification of cognitive states, which affect the performance aspects. In such a way the ambient agent model is able to provide a more in depth cognitive analysis of causes of (un)satisfactory performance and based on this analysis to generate interventions in a knowledgeable manner. The application of the architecture proposed is demonstrated by two examples from the ambient-assisted living domain and the computer-assisted instruction domain. © 2011 The Author(s)

An Agent-Based Model for Refined Cognitive Load and Reading Performance in Reading Companion Robot

This paper presents the importance of modeling dynamical behaviors of human cognitive states that serves as a core foundation in creating intelligent and responsive systems.It discusses in detail the development of a dynamical model of cognitive load and reading performance which acts as the central component of creating a reading companion robot.Simulations results show realistic behaviour patterns that adhere to the literature. Finally, the results produced from an automated verification approach to validate the internal correctness of the proposed model using Temporal Trace Language (TTL) are shown