Journalistic image access : description, categorization and searching

The quantity of digital imagery continues to grow, creating a pressing need to develop efficient methods for organizing and retrieving images. Knowledge on user behavior in image description and search is required for creating effective and satisfying searching experiences. The nature of visual information and journalistic images creates challenges in representing and matching images with user needs. The goal of this dissertation was to understand the processes in journalistic image access (description, categorization, and searching), and the effects of contextual factors on preferred access points. These were studied using multiple data collection and analysis methods across several studies. Image attributes used to describe journalistic imagery were analyzed based on description tasks and compared to a typology developed through a meta-analysis of literature on image attributes. Journalistic image search processes and query types were analyzed through a field study and multimodal image retrieval experiment. Image categorization was studied via sorting experiments leading to a categorization model. Advances to research methods concerning search tasks and categorization procedures were implemented. Contextual effects on image access were found related to organizational contexts, work, and search tasks, as well as publication context. Image retrieval in a journalistic work context was contextual at the level of image needs and search process. While text queries, together with browsing, remained the key access mode to journalistic imagery, participants also used visual access modes in the experiment, constructing multimodal queries. Assigned search task type and searcher expertise had an effect on query modes utilized. Journalistic images were mostly described and queried for on the semantic level but also syntactic attributes were used. Constraining the description led to more abstract descriptions. Image similarity was evaluated mainly based on generic semantics. However, functionally oriented categories were also constructed, especially by domain experts. Availability of page context promoted thematic rather than object-based categorization. The findings increase our understanding of user behavior in image description, categorization, and searching, as well as have implications for future solutions in journalistic image access. The contexts of image production, use, and search merit more interest in research as these could be leveraged for supporting annotation and retrieval. Multiple access points should be created for journalistic images based on image content and function. Support for multimodal query formulation should also be offered. The contributions of this dissertation may be used to create evaluation criteria for journalistic image access systems

DesignSense: A Visual Analytics Interface for Navigating Generated Design Spaces

Generative Design (GD) produces many design alternatives and promises novel and performant solutions to architectural design problems. The success of GD rests on the ability to navigate the generated alternatives in a way that is unhindered by their number and in a manner that reflects design judgment, with its quantitative and qualitative dimensions. I address this challenge by critically analyzing the literature on design space navigation (DSN) tools through a set of iteratively developed lenses. The lenses are informed by domain experts\u27 feedback and behavioural studies on design navigation under choice-overload conditions. The lessons from the analysis shaped DesignSense, which is a DSN tool that relies on visual analytics techniques for selecting, inspecting, clustering and grouping alternatives. Furthermore, I present case studies of navigating realistic GD datasets from architecture and game design. Finally, I conduct a formative focus group evaluation with design professionals that shows the tool\u27s potential and highlights future directions

Core dimensions of human material perception

Visually categorizing and comparing materials is crucial for our everyday behaviour. Given the dramatic variability in their visual appearance and functional significance, what organizational principles underly the internal representation of materials? To address this question, here we use a large-scale data-driven approach to uncover the core latent dimensions in our mental representation of materials. In a first step, we assembled a new image dataset (STUFF dataset) consisting of 600 photographs of 200 systematically sampled material classes. Next, we used these images to crowdsource 1.87 million triplet similarity judgments. Based on the responses, we then modelled the assumed cognitive process underlying these choices by quantifying each image as a sparse, non-negative vector in a multidimensional embedding space. The resulting embedding predicted material similarity judgments in an independent test set close to the human noise ceiling and accurately reconstructed the similarity matrix of all 600 images in the STUFF dataset. We found that representations of individual material images were captured by a combination of 36 material dimensions that were highly reproducible and interpretable, comprising perceptual (e.g., “grainy”, “blue”) as well as conceptual (e.g., “mineral”, “viscous”) dimensions. These results have broad implications for understanding material perception, its natural dimensions, and our ability to organize materials into classes

On the importance of being flexible: early interrelations between affective flexibility, executive functions and anxiety symptoms in preschoolers

When children are confronted with an emotional problem, affective flexibility mobilizes their cognitive and emotional resources to optimally address it. We investigated the contribution of executive functions to cognitive and affective flexibility in preschoolers. We assessed affective flexibility in 67 preschoolers (30 girls; Mmonths = 61.77, SD = 11.08 months) using an innovative measure – the Emotional Flexible Item Selection Task (EM-FIST), plus cool measures of executive functions (working memory, inhibition and cognitive flexibility), anxiety symptoms and intelligence. Findings revealed that affective flexibility improves during the preschool years. While individual differences in age and proactive inhibition predicted cognitive flexibility, a different constellation of predictors (maternal education, proactive inhibition, working memory and age) were significant for affective flexibility. Cognitive flexibility didn’t contribute to affective flexibility beyond the predictors mentioned above. Anxiety exerted a negative effect on affective flexibility in a high anxious subgroup of preschoolers, but only when processing negative, relative to happy faces, supporting the Attentional Control Theory which predicts valence-related executive impairmentsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Randomized Study of Food Pictures-Influenced Decision-Making Under Ambiguity in Individuals With Morbid Obesity

Background and Aims In addition to craving responses to salient food cues, the anticipation of short-term rewarding consumption of palatable food may overrun the anticipation of long-term negative consequences of obesity. The present investigation addressed the potential interplay of food cravings and decision-making abilities in individuals with obesity. Method Study 1 included 107 bariatric surgery candidates with class 2/3 obesity (OB-group) and study 2 included 54 individuals with normal weight/pre-obesity (nonOB-group). In both studies, standardized questionnaires concerning food cravings, food addiction, and psychopathology were administered. A cue-reactivity paradigm was used to measure craving responses toward semi-individualized images of highly palatable, processed food/fruit (appetitive food cues) compared to images of raw vegetables (non-appetitive food cues). Decision-making was measured with a modified computerized version of the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) with food pictures. Both groups were divided into two subgroups that were randomized to different IGT conditions. In one IGT condition the advantageous IGT card decks were covered by pictures of palatable, processed food or fruit and the disadvantageous decks by images of raw vegetables (= congruent condition), and in the other IGT conditionvice versa. Results Participants in the OB-group admitted on average higher craving responses toward palatable, processed food or fruit cues compared to pictures of raw vegetables. This was not the case in the nonOB-group. Contrary to our hypothesis, decision-making performance in both groups was worse when pictures of palatable, processed food or fruit were associated with advantageous IGT card decks compared to performance when those pictures were linked to the disadvantageous decks. The interference effect of food pictures processing on advantageous decision-making has been observed particularly in those individuals of the OB-group who exhibited high craving responses toward palatable, processed food cues or high levels of food addiction. Discussion The results indicate that food pictures processing interferes with decision-making, regardless of weight status. Opposed to the hypothesis, stronger tendencies to avoid than to approach pictures presenting processed, tasty food were observed. Further research should examine how cognitive avoidance tendencies toward processed, high energy food and approach tendencies toward healthy food can be transferred to real life situations

Online consultation on experts’ views on digital competence

The objective of this investigation was to provide another perspective on what it means to be digitally competent today, in addition to reviews of literature and current frameworks for the development of digital competence, 5 all of which constitute part of the wider IPTS Digital Competence Project (DIGCOMP). Some common ground exists at a general level in defining digital competence in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, which may be hierarchically organised. However, this does not provide the clarity needed by teachers, employers, citizens – all those who are responsible for digital competence development, be it their own or other people’s ‐ to make informed decisions. Further work is needed to create a common language that helps to enhance understanding across the worlds of research, education, training, and work. This will make it easier for citizens and employers to see what digital competence entails and how it is relevant to their jobs and more generally, their lives

Valokuvaajasta katsojaan – mikä tekee toimituksellisista kuvista kiinnostavia?

The licentiate thesis focused on the editorial interestingness of photos. The term editorial interest was coined in the study; it refers to all factors that contribute to making a photograph editorially interesting in professional workflow. The thesis considered the whole process from taking, editing and selecting editorial photos to viewing the final, published photos. Three research questions were set for the study. The first concentrated on the factors that influ-ence the editorial interestingness of photos in the process of their creation and selection. The sec-ond question dealt with the factors, which affect the interestingness of editorial photos according to viewers. These two questions were approached through three case studies. The third research question analyzed what factors of editorial interest are overarching independent of the scenario. The two first cases examined the production perspective of news photos: the first with observa-tions and thematic interviews in a photo agency, the second through a survey integrated in the publishing system of four newspapers. The third case study was conducted as an interestingness evaluation with supporting interviews in a laboratory setting with amateur participants and maga-zine photos as material. All three cases had five factors of editorial interestingness in common; those factors were over-arching independent of test setting, photo genre, and role of evaluator. The factors were aesthetics, affect, novelty-complexity, semantics, and utility. The editorial interestingness of a photo was thus influenced by aesthetic criteria, the ability of the photo to evoke emotion, unexpectedness, con-tent-related criteria, and versatile possibilities of photo use. Viewers considered editorial interestingness to encompass two additional factors: the ability of the photo to attract and hold attention, and self-reference experienced by the viewer. These two were confirmed by literature, which suggested also one additional factor, so called coping potential, i.e. person’s ability to adapt and to cope with a novel, complex view.Lisensiaatintyön aiheena oli valokuvien toimituksellinen kiinnostavuus. Toimituksellinen kiinnostavuus asetettiin työssä kattotermiksi, jonka alle kuuluvat kaikki kuvan kiinnostavuuteen ammattilaistyönkulussa vaikuttavat tekijät. Työssä tarkasteltiin koko prosessia kuvan ottamisesta, käsittelystä ja valinnasta valmiin, julkaistun kuvan katseluun. Työlle asetettiin kolme tutkimuskysymystä. Ensimmäinen keskittyi tekijöihin, jotka vaikuttavat toimituksellisten kuvien kiinnostavuuteen niiden luonti- ja valintavaiheessa. Toinen kysymys selvitti, mitkä tekijät vaikuttavat toimituksellisten kuvien kiinnostavuuteen katsojan näkökulmasta. Näitä kahta tutkimuskysymystä lähestyttiin kolmen tapaustutkimuksen kautta. Kolmas kysymys analysoi, mitkä toimituksellisen kiinnostavuuden tekijät ovat yhdistäviä tilanteesta riippumatta. Kaksi ensimmäistä tutkimusta selvittelivät tuotantonäkökulmaa uutiskuvien puolella: ensimmäinen havainnointien ja teemahaastattelujen kautta kuvatoimistossa ja jälkimmäinen toimitusjärjestelmään integroidulla kyselyllä neljässä sanomalehdessä. Kolmas tapaustutkimus toteutettiin aikakauslehtikuvien kiinnostavuusarviointeina ja tarkentavina haastatteluina laboratoriossa, amatööreillä koehenkilöillä. Kaikissa kolmessa tutkimuksessa nousi esiin viisi toimituksellisten kuvien kiinnostavuuteen liittyvää osatekijää, jotka yhdistivät kaikkia tapauksia koeympäristöstä, kuvagenrestä, arvioijan ammattimaisuudesta riippumatta. Nämä tekijät olivat: affektiivisuus, estetiikka, käyttökelpoisuus, semantiikka ja uutuus-kompleksisuus. Kuvan toimitukselliseen kiinnostavuuteen siis vaikuttivat kuvan kyky herättää tunteita, esteettiset tekijät, monipuolinen käytettävyys, sisältöön liittyvät semanttiset tekijät, sekä ennennäkemättömyyteen ja monimutkaisuuteen liittyvät attribuutit. Katsojien näkökulmasta kuvan kiinnostavuudella oli kaksi muutakin tekijää: kuvan kyky kiinnittää ja ylläpitää katsojan huomio, sekä katsojan kokema omakohtaisuus. Nämä vahvistuivat kirjallisuuskatsauksessa, kirjallisuudesta löytyi lisäksi yksi tekijä, nk. selviytymispotentiaali, eli katsojan kyky sopeutua ja selvitä katselemastaan uudesta ja monimutkaisesta asiasta

Learning object metadata surrogates in search result interfaces: user evaluation, design and content

The purpose of this research was to evaluate user interaction with learning object metadata surrogates both in terms of content and presentation. The main objectives of this study were: (1) to review the literature on learning object metadata and user-centred evaluation of metadata surrogates in the context of cognitive information retrieval (including user-centred relevance and usability research); (2) to develop a framework for the evaluation of user interaction with learning object metadata surrogates in search result interfaces; (3) to investigate the usability of metadata surrogates in search result interfaces of learning object repositories (LORs) in terms of various presentation aspects (such as amount of information, structure and highlighting of query terms) as a means for facilitating the user relevance judgment process; (4) to investigate in-depth the type of content that should be included in learning object metadata surrogates in order to facilitate the process of relevance judgment; (5) to provide a set of recommendations—guidelines for the design of learning object metadata surrogates in search result interfaces both in terms of content and presentation. [Continues.

A Cognitive Process Approach to Interpreting Performance on the Booklet Category Test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test

Modified administration techniques that relied on patient verbalization of reasoning on each item were devised. For the WCST, verbalized scores correlated highly with conventional scores. However, patterns of age, education, and IQ covariates for each scoring condition were very different, raising questions concerning what such verbalized scores measured. Further research based upon a prospective research design was suggested to address this question. Factor analysis of WCST scores for each scoring condition resulted in almost identical three-factor solutions in each case: (a) ineffective, perseverative responding; (b) nonperseverative number errors; and (c) Maintaining Set. A three-part hierarchy of response determinants for the CT was utilized, consisting of (a) concrete perceptual attributes; (b) cognitive organization of perceptual attributes into abstract patterns; and (c) relating abstract patterns to the corresponding number responses. Decision trees were devised to prescribe a set of rules for coding each score. Utilization of this approach yielded adequate test-retest reliability for recoding responses. Sets of variables for each subtest were factor analyzed, with second order factor analysis of all factors from each subtest in order to determine if common cognitive process scores on each subtest described cognitive process scores on other subtests. Results revealed similar factor solutions for each subtest, but subtest-specific factors were not predictive of similar factor scores on other subtests, except for Subtests V and VI, which are based upon the same principle. Factors related to Maintaining Set predicted most of the variance in subtest error scores. Factor scores related to Determinant Shifting were predictive of error scores to a much lesser degree than Maintaining Set factor scores. Determinant Shifting factor scores appeared to be independent of Maintaining Set factor scores, and also showed much more independence from age, education, and IQ covariates. The relationship between CT and WCST factor scores was slightly lower than the relationship between CT error scores and WCST summary scores. Suggestions for further research were discussed