Investigating The Effects Of Simulation On Transfer In A High Risk Confrontational Setting

Individuals, who work in high risk confrontational (HRC) settings in which a conflict exists, experience high-stress levels in their jobs and are known to have a high level of decreased performance and decreased survival. Individuals being trained to handle such conflicts should be trained effectively to accomplish the ultimate objective, staying alive. The problem is the lack of research and program evaluations examining effectiveness of training simulations in the transfer of skills under HRC settings. The purpose of my study was to test if the skill of target acquisition could be effectively transferred to a real environment (RE) after exposure within a virtual environment (VE). Ackerman\u27s (1988) Theory of Ability Determinants of Skill Acquisition supports the progression participants advance through in the transfer of learning. A randomized posttest only comparison group design was used. The population involved 24 novice paintball players. Participants were randomly assigned to a simulation treatment or a non-simulation comparison application. Two days after receiving the intervention, participants engaged in live practice sessions (game 1 and game 2) in a RE where target acquisition skills were measured. Evidence suggests significant differences were found between novice players in the type of intervention received and the number of targets acquired in a RE, whereas, no significant change in scores was found between practice sessions, and no interaction was found between intervention received and practice. Recommendations for replicating studies include: (a) focusing on the manipulation of specific variables within the training context, (b) using different live environments, (c) examining factors that influence teaming and strategy formation, and (d) combining experts and novice players for a closer representation of a population in an HRC setting

SiMAMT: A Framework for Strategy-Based Multi-Agent Multi-Team Systems

Multi-agent multi-team systems are commonly seen in environments where hierarchical layers of goals are at play. For example, theater-wide combat scenarios where multiple levels of command and control are required for proper execution of goals from the general to the foot soldier. Similar structures can be seen in game environments, where agents work together as teams to compete with other teams. The different agents within the same team must, while maintaining their own ‘personality’, work together and coordinate with each other to achieve a common team goal. This research develops strategy-based multi-agent multi-team systems, where strategy is framed as an instrument at the team level to coordinate the multiple agents of a team in a cohesive way. A formal specification of strategy and strategy-based multi-agent multi-team systems is provided. A framework is developed called SiMAMT (strategy- based multi-agent multi-team systems). The different components of the framework, including strategy simulation, strategy inference, strategy evaluation, and strategy selection are described. A graph-matching approximation algorithm is also developed to support effective and efficient strategy inference. Examples and experimental results are given throughout to illustrate the proposed framework, including each of its composite elements, and its overall efficacy. This research make several contributions to the field of multi-agent multi-team systems: a specification for strategy and strategy-based systems, and a framework for implementing them in real-world, interactive-time scenarios; a robust simulation space for such complex and intricate interaction; an approximation algorithm that allows for strategy inference within these systems in interactive-time; experimental results that verify the various sub-elements along with a full-scale integration experiment showing the efficacy of the proposed framework

Understanding personal and contextual factors to increase motivation in gamified systems

Gamification, the use of game elements in non-game contexts, has been shown to help people reaching their goals, affect people's behavior and enhance the users' experience within interactive systems. However, past research has shown that gamification is not always successful. In fact, literature reviews revealed that almost half of the interventions were only partially successful or even unsuccessful. Therefore, understanding the factors that have an influence on psychological measures and behavioral outcomes of gamified systems is much in need. In this thesis, we contribute to this by considering the context in which gamified systems are applied and by understanding personal factors of users interacting with the system. Guided by Self-Determination Theory, a major theory on human motivation, we investigate gamification and its effects on motivation and behavior in behavior change contexts, provide insights on contextual factors, contribute knowledge on the effect of personal factors on both the perception and effectiveness of gamification elements and lay out ways of utilizing this knowledge to implement personalized gamified systems. Our contribution is manifold: We show that gamification affects motivation through need satisfaction and by evoking positive affective experiences, ultimately leading to changes in people's behavior. Moreover, we show that age, the intention to change behavior, and Hexad user types play an important role in explaining interpersonal differences in the perception of gamification elements and that tailoring gamified systems based on these personal factors has beneficial effects on both psychological and behavioral outcomes. Lastly, we show that Hexad user types can be partially predicted by smartphone data and interaction behavior in gamified systems and that they can be assessed in a gameful way, allowing to utilize our findings in gamification practice. Finally, we propose a conceptual framework to increase motivation in gamified systems, which builds upon our findings and outlines the importance of considering both contextual and personal factors. Based on these contributions, this thesis advances the field of gamification by contributing knowledge to the open questions of how and why gamification works and which factors play a role in this regard.Gamification, die Nutzung von Spielelementen in spielfremden Kontexten, kann nachweislich Menschen helfen, ihre Ziele zu erreichen, das Verhalten von Menschen zu beeinflussen und die Erfahrung der User in interaktiven Systemen zu verbessern. Allerdings hat die bisherige Forschung gezeigt, dass Gamification nicht immer erfolgreich ist. So haben Literaturübersichten ergeben, dass fast die Hälfte der Interventionen nur teilweise erfolgreich oder sogar erfolglos waren. Daher besteht ein großer Bedarf, die Faktoren zu verstehen, die einen Einfluss auf psychologische Maße sowie auf das Verhalten von Usern in gamifizierten Systemen haben. In dieser Arbeit tragen wir dazu bei, indem wir den Kontext, in dem gamifizierte Systeme eingesetzt werden, betrachten und persönliche Faktoren von Usern, die mit dem System interagieren, verstehen. Geleitet von der Selbstbestimmungstheorie, einer der wichtigsten Theorien zur menschlichen Motivation, untersuchen wir Gamification und dessen Auswirkungen auf Motivation und Verhalten in Kontexten zur Verhaltensänderung. Wir liefern Erkenntnisse über kontextuelle Faktoren, tragen Wissen über den Einfluss persönlicher Faktoren auf die Wahrnehmung und Effektivität von Gamification-Elementen bei und bieten Möglichkeiten, dieses Wissen für die Implementierung personalisierter gamifizierter Systeme zu nutzen. Unser Beitrag ist mannigfaltig: Wir zeigen, dass Gamification die Motivation durch Bedürfnisbefriedigung und durch das Hervorrufen positiver affektiver Erfahrungen beeinflusst, was letztlich zu Verhaltensänderungen führen kann. Darüber hinaus zeigen wir, dass das Alter, die Absicht, das Verhalten zu ändern, und Hexad-Usertypen eine wichtige Rolle bei der Erklärung von interpersonellen Unterschieden in der Wahrnehmung von Gamification-Elementen spielen. Ebenso zeigen unsere Resultate dass die Anpassung von gamifizierten Systemen auf Basis dieser persönlichen Faktoren positive Auswirkungen auf psychologische und verhaltensbezogene Ergebnisse hat. Letztlich zeigen wir, dass Hexad-Usertypen teilweise durch Smartphone-Daten und Interaktionsverhalten in gamifizierten Systemen vorhergesagt werden können und dass sie auf spielerische Art und Weise erhoben werden können. Dies ermöglicht, unsere Erkenntnisse in der Gamification-Praxis zu nutzen. Auf Basis dieser Ergebnisse schlagen wir ein konzeptuelles Framework zur Steigerung der Motivation in gamifizierten Systemen vor, das die Wichtigkeit der Berücksichtigung sowohl kontextueller als auch persönlicher Faktoren hervorhebt. Diese Erkenntnisse bereichern das Forschungsfeld Gamification, indem sie Wissen zu den offenen Fragen, wie und warum Gamification funktioniert und welche Faktoren in diesem Zusammenhang eine Rolle spielen, beitragen

Cognitive Architectures for Serious Games

This dissertation summarises a research path aimed at fostering the use of Cognitive Architectures in Serious Games research field. Cognitive Architectures are an embodiment of scientific hypotheses and theories aimed at capturing the mechanisms of cognition that are considered consistent over time and independent of specific tasks or domains. The theoretical approaches provided by the research in computational cognitive modelling have been used to formalise a methodological framework to guide researchers and experts in the game-based education sector in designing, implementing, and evaluating Serious Games. The investigation of cognitive processes involved during the game experience represents the fundamental step of the pro- posed approach. Two different case studies are described to discuss the possible use of the suggested framework. In the first case study, the aim was to design a modified version of the Tetris game with the intention of making the game more effective in training the visual-spatial skill called mental rotation. In the second scenario, the frame- work was used as a basis for creating an innovative persuasive game. This case study provides an example of adopting cognitive architectures for implementing a non-player character with human-like behaviour developed using targeted cognitive theories

What is the Avatar? Fiction and Embodiment in Avatar-Based Singleplayer Computer Games: Revised and Commented Edition

What are the characteristic features of avatar-based singleplayer videogames, from Super Mario Bros. to Grand Theft Auto? The author examines this question with a particular focus on issues of fictionality and realism, and their relation to cinema and Virtual Reality. Through close-up analysis and philosophical discussion, the author argues that avatar-based gaming is a distinctive and dominant form of virtual self-embodiment in digital culture. This book is a revised edition of Rune Klevjer's pioneering work from 2007, featuring a new introduction by the author and afterword by Stephan Günzel, Jörg Sternagel, and Dieter Mersch

A Player’s Sense of Place: Computer Games as Anatopistic Medium

This project works to understand how open-world computer games help generate a sense of place from the player. Since their development over a half century ago, computer games have primarily been discussed in terms of space. Yet the way we think about space today is much different than how those scientists calculated space as a construction of time, mass, and location. But as computer games have evolved, the language has failed to accommodate the more nuanced qualities of game spaces. This project aims at articulating the nuances of place through phenomenological methods to objectively analyze the player experience as performed through various behaviors. Using a conceptual model that partially illustrates sense of place, I demonstrate how players create out of place—or anatopistic—places through play. After a historical survey of play as it is manifested through interaction with miniaturized environments, I turn to computer games as they have helped embody their creators’ sense of place. The third and fourth chapters offer a pair of case studies that reflect upon the experiences of the individual player and player groups. First, I compare virtual photography with tourism to reveal an array of sensibilities suggestive of the pursuit of place. This is followed with a look at Niantic’s Pokémon Go and how player groups use the game to act out ritualistic forms of play. Positioning the player as a “ludopilgrim,” I demonstrate how players perform individual or intersubjectively meaningful places as a form of transgressive placemaking

What is the Avatar?

What are the characteristic features of avatar-based singleplayer videogames, from Super Mario Bros. to Grand Theft Auto? Rune Klevjer examines this question with a particular focus on issues of fictionality and realism, and their relation to cinema and Virtual Reality. Through close-up analysis and philosophical discussion, Klevjer argues that avatar-based gaming is a distinctive and dominant form of virtual self-embodiment in digital culture. This book is a revised edition of Rune Klevjer's pioneering work from 2007, featuring a new introduction by the author and afterword by Stephan Günzel, Jörg Sternagel, and Dieter Mersch

Animal welfare for wild herbivore management

This thesis describes an approach for scientific assessment of animal welfare relevant to the management of wild herbivores. The research identifies animal welfare risks and uses quantified animal-based measures to examine welfare outcomes. The requirement for evidence-based approaches is emphasised, particularly through transparent, independent assessments. The thesis is presented as a series of case studies assessing a variety of management techniques (lethal and non-lethal) applied to wild Australian herbivores. Case study species include European rabbits, feral horses, free-ranging cattle, and eastern grey kangaroos. Management techniques examined include ground-based and helicopter-based shooting, chemical immobilisation and fertility control. Quantifying the duration of stress experienced by animals and the frequency of adverse animal welfare events for several management techniques permitted robust welfare assessment and comparison. Analysis of large datasets of animal-based measures allowed identification of explanatory variables (e.g. the skill of shooters) that may influence welfare outcomes. Limitations were identified for approaches currently used to assess welfare impacts, particularly for wildlife fertility control. An improved welfare assessment framework was developed that emphasised consideration of positive welfare states and the importance of natural behaviour. Animal welfare regulation was examined, and limitations were identified for a popular approach in wildlife management, use of procedural documents. Two key recommendations are made for future studies in this field. Firstly, animal welfare assessment should be evidence-based and outcomes should be quantified using animalbased measures, rather than the eminence-based subjectivity inherent in deeming practices to be either humane or inhumane. Secondly, the duration of stress and frequency of adverse welfare events offer a robust template for quantifying welfare outcomes. This approach does not attempt to quantify intensity of stress (which is not easily measured) but is practical for field studies and could be used to compare techniques, to designate desirable welfare standards, and to facilitate incremental improvements

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN ROMANIA

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main opportunities and limitations of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The survey was defined with the aim to involve the highest possible number of relevant CSR topics and give the issue a more wholesome perspective. It provides a basis for further comprehension and deeper analyses of specific CSR areas. The conditions determining the success of CSR in Romania have been defined in the paper on the basis of the previously cumulative knowledge as well as the results of various researches. This paper provides knowledge which may be useful in the programs promoting CSR.Corporate social responsibility, Supportive policies, Romania