Non-intrusive quantification of performance and its relationship to mood

The number of jobs that takes place entirely or partially in a computer is nowadays very signi cant. These workplaces, as many others, often o er the key ingredients for the emergence of stress and the performance drop of its long-term e ects: long hours sitting, sustained cognitive e ort, pressure from competitiveness, among others. This has a toll on productivity and work quality, with signi cant costs for both organizations and workers. Moreover, a tired workforce is generally more susceptible to negative feelings and mood, which results in a negative environment. This paper contributes to the current need for the development of non-intrusive methods for monitoring and managing worker performance in real time. We propose a framework that assesses worker performance and a case study in which this approach was validated. We also show the relationship between performance and mood.This work has been supported by COMPETE: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043 and FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/2013. The work of Davide Carneiro is supported by a PostDoctoral Grant by FCT (SFRH/BPD/109070/2015).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Imaginary relish and exquisite torture: The elaborated intrusion theory of desire

The authors argue that human desire involves conscious cognition that has strong affective connotation and is potentially involved in the determination of appetitive behavior rather than being epiphenomenal to it. Intrusive thoughts about appetitive targets are triggered automatically by external or physiological cues and by cognitive associates. When intrusions elicit significant pleasure or relief, cognitive elaboration usually ensues. Elaboration competes with concurrent cognitive tasks through retrieval of target-related information and its retention in working memory. Sensory images are especially important products of intrusion and elaboration because they simulate the sensory and emotional qualities of target acquisition. Desire images are momentarily rewarding but amplify awareness of somatic and emotional deficits. Effects of desires on behavior are moderated by competing incentives, target availability, and skills. The theory provides a coherent account of existing data and suggests new directions for research and treatment

Mapping dynamic interactions among cognitive biases in depression

Depression is theorized to be caused in part by biased cognitive processing of emotional information. Yet, prior research has adopted a reductionist approach that does not characterize how biases in cognitive processes such as attention and memory work together to confer risk for this complex multifactorial disorder. Grounded in affective and cognitive science, we highlight four mechanisms to understand how attention biases, working memory difficulties, and long-term memory biases interact and contribute to depression. We review evidence for each mechanism and highlight time- and context-dependent dynamics. We outline methodological considerations and recommendations for research in this area. We conclude with directions to advance the understanding of depression risk, cognitive training interventions, and transdiagnostic properties of cognitive biases and their interactions

Problematising upstream technology through speculative design: the case of quantified cats and dogs

There is growing interest in technology that quantifies aspects of our lives. This paper draws on critical practice and speculative design to explore, question and problematise the ultimate consequences of such technology using the quantification of companion animals (pets) as a case study. We apply the concept of ‘moving upstream’ to study such technology and use a qualitative research approach in which both pet owners, and animal behavioural experts, were presented with, and asked to discuss, speculative designs for pet quantification applications, the design of which were extrapolated from contemporary trends. Our findings indicate a strong desire among pet owners for technology that has little scientific justification, whilst our experts caution that the use of technology to augment human-animal communication has the potential to disimprove animal welfare, undermine human-animal bonds, and create human-human conflicts. Our discussion informs wider debates regarding quantification technology

Cognitive control of attention, emotion, and memory : an ERP study

Unwanted retrieval of negative memories can be problematic for many clinical populations. The Think/No-Think (T/NT) task (Anderson & Green, 2001) is a new paradigm for studying cognitive control during cued recall. In this task participants view a cue item and are asked to consciously retrieve (think) or interrupt retrieval (no-think) of the associated target item. Eyer (2009) found that self-reported mindfulness was correlated with T/NT cued recall, suggesting a relationship between control of memory retrieval and a general cognitive control skill. The current study measured event-related potentials (ERPs; i.e., electrical brain responses time-locked to cue presentation) for negative and neutral stimuli on the TNT task to assess cognitive control during retrieval. Method: Participants (N = 35) completed questionnaires (e.g., mindfulness, intrusive thoughts) and cognitive tasks related to cognitive control (e.g., attention, working memory span). Then, ERPs were recorded during the TNT task, followed by a final cued recall test. Results: Analyses of ERPs found evidence to support somewhat separable neural networks for control of memory retrieval and for processing the emotional content of the target pictures, with some time windows only exhibiting a main effect of strategy or of emotional valence. However, there was widespread evidence for interactions of these subsystems across a range of time latencies post-cue presentation. Of particular note was a significant Strategy x Valence interaction for the early P1 component (125-164 ms). The overall size of the N2 (250–324 ms) peak was correlated with a wide range of self- report and cognitive test measures of cognitive control at frontal electrode sites. Discussion: The present study adds to knowledge of the timing of control processes during performance of the TNT task through its use of ERP methodology. The effect of the emotional valence of the to-be-recalled target on the early P1 ERP component suggests surprisingly early emotional processing during memory retrieval. The present results also suggest that at least some of the control processes used during the TNT task are part of a larger general-purpose cognitive control system. These results suggest that individual traits provide important and varying influences on the cognitive control of emotional memories

Acute effects of nicotine on visual search tasks in young adult smokers

Rationale Nicotine is known to improve performance on tests involving sustained attention and recent research suggests that nicotine may also improve performance on tests involving the strategic allocation of attention and working memory. Objectives We used measures of accuracy and response latency combined with eye-tracking techniques to examine the effects of nicotine on visual search tasks. Methods In experiment 1 smokers and non-smokers performed pop-out and serial search tasks. In experiment 2, we used a within-subject design and a more demanding search task for multiple targets. In both studies, 2-h abstinent smokers were asked to smoke one of their own cigarettes between baseline and tests. Results In experiment 1, pop-out search times were faster after nicotine, without a loss in accuracy. Similar effects were observed for serial searches, but these were significant only at a trend level. In experiment 2, nicotine facilitated a strategic change in eye movements resulting in a higher proportion of fixations on target letters. If the cigarette was smoked on the first trial (when the task was novel), nicotine additionally reduced the total number of fixations and refixations on all letters in the display. Conclusions Nicotine improves visual search performance by speeding up search time and enabling a better focus of attention on task relevant items. This appears to reflect more efficient inhibition of eye movements towards task irrelevant stimuli, and better active maintenance of task goals. When the task is novel, and therefore more difficult, nicotine lessens the need to refixate previously seen letters, suggesting an improvement in working memory

INTRUSIVE MEMORIES, COPING AND OUTCOME IN DEPRESSION: TOWARDS A TRAUMATIC PROCESSING MODEL?

Recent studies (e.g. Kuyken & Brewin, 1994a) have noted the presence of high levels of disturbing intrusive memories in depressed women. Intrusive memories are best known as a post-traumatic symptom and have received considerable attention from researchers in this field. The presence of a post-traumatic symptom in depression indicates that trauma models might be useful in refining our understanding and treatment of depression. Predictions based on theories of post-traumatic processing were tested in relation to the intrusive memories of a sample of 26 depressed women. The women showed a pattern of intrusive memory experiences which indicate that their memories are likely to be traumatic in nature. The equal availability of childhood and adulthood memories to depressed women contrasts the pattern observed in the 12 control participants, and in other non-clinical samples (e.g. Berntsen, 1996), and is interpreted as lending support to theoretical models of depression which emphasise the importance of childhood experiences to adult depression. The coping strategies deployed to deal with negative intrusive memories were assessed in both groups. The clinical group showed greater use of avoidant coping than controls, in line with predictions derived from the literature regarding coping and depression. The predictive power of coping style for outcome of depression and intrusion was tested by following up 20 of the 26 depressed participants, approximately four months after initial assessment. The data indicate that the use of approach coping, specifically of Positive Reappraisal, in relation to intrusive memories was significantly predictive of better outcome of depression. This finding is interpreted in the context of psychodynamic models of depression. The data also indicate that the use of avoidant coping, specifically of Cognitive Avoidance, is significantly predictive of the maintenance of disturbing intrusions. This finding is interpreted in the context of traumatic processing models. Finally, predictions based on the conceptualisation of dissociation as an avoidant coping mechanism, used to keep traumatic affects and experiences out of consciousness, were tested. Dissociation did not show the pattern of associations predicted, but rather seemed to be more closely allied with passive resignation than active avoidance. The pattern of results obtained in this study are interpreted as lending support to the conceptualisation of depression as a trauma-related disorder, and also as lending support to theoretical models which assign great importance to childhood experiences in the aetiology of adult disorder. Potential implications of the study for clinical practice are discussed, and suggestions made for future research.Frenchay Healthcare Trust, United Bristol Healthcare Trust and Weston Area Healthcare Trus

State of the art on measuring driver state and technology-based risk prevention and mitigation Findings from the i-DREAMS project

Advanced vehicle automation and the incorporation of more digital technologies in the task of driving, bring about new challenges in terms of the operator/vehicle/environment framework, where human factors play a crucial role. This paper attempts to consolidate the state-of-the-art in driver state measuring, as well as the corresponding technologies for risk assessment and mitigation, as part of the i-DREAMS project. Initially, the critical indicators for driver profiling with regards to safety risk are identified and the most prominent task complexity indicators are established. This is followed by linking the aforementioned indicators with efficient technologies for real-time measuring and risk assessment and finally a brief overview of interventions modules is outlined in order to prevent and mitigate collision risk. The results of this review will provide an overall multimodal set of factors and technologies for driver monitoring and risk mitigation, essential for road safety researchers and practitioners worldwide<br