Emotion-oriented interventions for environment and the facilitation of pro-environmental behavior

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Ambiente, pela Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e TecnologiaThis research aimed at studying the facilitating pro-environmental behavior problem by approaching new pro-environmental interventions. The following elements make this study particularly relevant: a) the actual debate concerning the impact of scientific and technological innovations and b) the consideration of new emotional research findings, which stress that emotion is an essential part of information processing. However, the role of emotions is still largely absent from most pro-environmental studies. This situation highlights the importance of conceiving personal and professional initiatives aimed at encouraging reflection and supporting proenvironmental behaviors research while focusing on emotional issues. The study involved an interpretative approach of a qualitative nature, organized in two complementary phases. The first phase evaluated the possible impact of the purposed research. It involved different collaborations and the first experimental research study was implemented as a proof-of-concept approach. In addition, this phase research advanced a new model of proenvironmental behavior and a design framework. The second phase of the study, motivated by the results of the first phase, led to advancing emotion-oriented interventions scenarios and also planning and implementing their evaluation. This initiative showed two technological opportunities to consider for future developments: Affective images rewarding systems using digital material and sensorial feedback tools using non-digital material. The planned qualitative research included questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, panels, observation and the analysis of documents. The results of this study have several implications. Among the most relevant are: a) the potential of combined research methods in investigating individuals conceptions and perceptions about environmental behavior; b) the importance of discussions about new pro-environmental interventions for facilitating pro-environmental behavior; c) the importance of multi-disciplinary research approaches for advancing new technological options; and d) the relevance of considering an emotion-oriented approach.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT/MCTES)- (SFRH/BD/21408/2005

Earth as Interface: Exploring chemical senses with Multisensory HCI Design for Environmental Health Communication

As environmental problems intensify, the chemical senses -that is smell and taste, are the most relevantsenses to evidence them.As such, environmental exposure vectors that can reach human beings comprise air,food, soil and water[1].Within this context, understanding the link between environmental exposures andhealth[2]is crucial to make informed choices, protect the environment and adapt to new environmentalconditions[3].Smell and taste lead therefore to multi-sensorial experiences which convey multi-layered information aboutlocal and global events[4]. However, these senses are usually absent when those problems are represented indigital systems. The multisensory HCIdesign framework investigateschemical sense inclusion withdigital systems[5]. Ongoing efforts tackledigitalization of smell and taste for digital delivery, transmission or substitution [6]. Despite experimentsproved technological feasibility, its dissemination depends on relevant applicationdevelopment[7].This thesis aims to fillthose gaps by demonstratinghow chemical senses provide the means to link environment and health based on scientific andgeolocation narratives [8], [9],[10]. We present a Multisensory HCI design process which accomplished symbolicdisplaying smell and taste and led us to a new multi-sensorial interaction system presented herein. We describe the conceptualization, design and evaluation of Earthsensum, an exploratory case study project.Earthsensumoffered to 16 participants in the study, environmental smell and taste experiences about real geolocations to participants of the study. These experiences were represented digitally using mobilevirtual reality (MVR) and mobile augmented reality (MAR). Its technologies bridge the real and digital Worlds through digital representations where we can reproduce the multi-sensorial experiences. Our study findings showed that the purposed interaction system is intuitive and can lead not only to a betterunderstanding of smell and taste perception as also of environmental problems. Participants comprehensionabout the link between environmental exposures and health was successful and they would recommend thissystem as education tools. Our conceptual design approach was validated and further developments wereencouraged.In this thesis,we demonstratehow to applyMultisensory HCI methodology to design with chemical senses. Weconclude that the presented symbolic representation model of smell and taste allows communicatingtheseexperiences on digital platforms. Due to its context-dependency, MVR and MAR platforms are adequatetechnologies to be applied for this purpose.Future developments intend to explore further the conceptual approach. These developments are centredon the use of the system to induce hopefully behaviourchange. Thisthesisopens up new application possibilities of digital chemical sense communication,Multisensory HCI Design and environmental health communication.À medida que os problemas ambientais se intensificam, os sentidos químicos -isto é, o cheiroe sabor, são os sentidos mais relevantes para evidenciá-los. Como tais, os vetores de exposição ambiental que podem atingir os seres humanos compreendem o ar, alimentos, solo e água [1]. Neste contexto, compreender a ligação entre as exposições ambientais e a saúde [2] é crucial para exercerescolhas informadas, proteger o meio ambiente e adaptar a novas condições ambientais [3]. O cheiroe o saborconduzemassima experiências multissensoriais que transmitem informações de múltiplas camadas sobre eventos locais e globais [4]. No entanto, esses sentidos geralmente estão ausentes quando esses problemas são representados em sistemas digitais. A disciplina do design de Interação Humano-Computador(HCI)multissensorial investiga a inclusão dossentidos químicos em sistemas digitais [9]. O seu foco atual residena digitalização de cheirose sabores para o envio, transmissão ou substituiçãode sentidos[10]. Apesar dasexperimentaçõescomprovarem a viabilidade tecnológica, a sua disseminação está dependentedo desenvolvimento de aplicações relevantes [11]. Estatese pretendepreencher estas lacunas ao demonstrar como os sentidos químicos explicitama interconexãoentre o meio ambiente e a saúde, recorrendo a narrativas científicas econtextualizadasgeograficamente[12], [13], [14]. Apresentamos uma metodologiade design HCImultissensorial que concretizouum sistema de representação simbólica de cheiro e sabor e nos conduziu a um novo sistema de interação multissensorial, que aqui apresentamos. Descrevemos o nosso estudo exploratório Earthsensum, que integra aconceptualização, design e avaliação. Earthsensumofereceu a 16participantes do estudo experiências ambientais de cheiro e sabor relacionadas com localizações geográficasreais. Essas experiências foram representadas digitalmente através derealidade virtual(VR)e realidade aumentada(AR).Estas tecnologias conectamo mundo real e digital através de representações digitais onde podemos reproduzir as experiências multissensoriais. Os resultados do nosso estudo provaramque o sistema interativo proposto é intuitivo e pode levar não apenas a uma melhor compreensão da perceção do cheiroe sabor, como também dos problemas ambientais. O entendimentosobre a interdependência entre exposições ambientais e saúde teve êxitoe os participantes recomendariam este sistema como ferramenta para aeducação. A nossa abordagem conceptual foi positivamentevalidadae novos desenvolvimentos foram incentivados. Nesta tese, demonstramos como aplicar metodologiasde design HCImultissensorialpara projetar com ossentidos químicos. Comprovamosque o modelo apresentado de representação simbólica do cheiroe do saborpermite comunicar essas experiênciasem plataformas digitais. Por serem dependentesdocontexto, as plataformas de aplicações emVR e AR são tecnologias adequadaspara este fim.Desenvolvimentos futuros pretendem aprofundar a nossa abordagemconceptual. Em particular, aspiramos desenvolvera aplicaçãodo sistema para promover mudanças de comportamento. Esta tese propõenovas possibilidades de aplicação da comunicação dos sentidos químicos em plataformas digitais, dedesign multissensorial HCI e de comunicação de saúde ambiental

Aspectos motivacionais no design de tecnologia para mudanças sociais

Orientador: Maria Cecília Calani BaranauskasTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de ComputaçãoResumo: Conectando pessoas e presente em todos os aspectos da vida, quando projetadas para este fim, as tecnologias têm potencial de influenciar a forma com que pessoas em um grupo social percebem e se relacionam com as coisas no ambiente. Este estudo de doutorado em Interação Humano-Computador (IHC) investiga como elementos motivacionais da Psicologia podem ser aplicados para informar o design, explo- rando esse potencial da tecnologia em promover mudanças sociais. O estudo é instanciado no domínio de consumo de energia elétrica, lidando com o desafio contemporâneo de cons- cientizar a sociedade dos limites naturais do planeta no que diz respeito ao uso de recursos naturais. Informar o design com aspectos motivacionais é uma abordagem recente em IHC. Quando encontrada na literatura, comumente tem foco em aspectos individuais e intrín- secos da motivação. Contudo, como argumentado nessa pesquisa, o contexto sociocultural evidencia a importância de considerar também os fatores externos que motivam as pessoas a se engajarem com uma tecnologia e com uma determinada questão social. Por considerar tanto fontes intrínsecas quanto extrínsecas de motivação, a Teoria da Autodeterminação é então considerada o principal referencial teórico da Psicologia nessa investigação, e a Semiótica Organizacional é a base metodológica para analisar os elemen- tos socioculturais que influenciam a motivação extrínseca. A análise situada dos dados socioculturais por uma perspectiva motivacional levou ao design da Tecnologia Socialmente Informada para Eco-Feedback de Energia (sigla SEET, em inglês), uma arquitetura que tem por objetivo estabelecer um novo padrão de com- portamento, ou uma nova maneira de perceber o consumo de energia coletivamente. O SEET é composto por um sistema interativo que promove colaboração, e pela Árvore da Energia, um dispositivo de feedback tangível para locais onde há encontro de pessoas. O SEET é avaliado em dois cenários complementares: uma Escola de Ensino Funda- mental no Brasil, onde os dados socioculturais foram coletados, analisados e aplicados para informar o design; e no contexto de um departamento de uma universidade no Reino Unido. Aspectos motivacionais da arquitetura do SEET são então analisadas, assim como o impacto dessa tecnologia ao desencadear as esperadas mudanças sociaisAbstract: By connecting people and being present in almost all aspects of life, when properly de- signed for that, technology can potentially influence the way people in a social group perceive and relate with things in their environment. This PhD study in the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) field investigates how motivational elements from Psychology can be applied to inform the design aiming at exploring this potential of technology for promoting a social change. The study is in- stantiated in the energy consumption domain, coping with the contemporary challenge of raising awareness among the society of the planet¿s natural resources usage and limits. Informing the design with motivational aspects is a recent approach in HCI. When found in literature, it is mostly focused on individual and intrinsic aspects of motivation. However, as argued in this research, the sociocultural context evidences the importance of considering also the external factors that motivate people to be engaged with technology and the social issue. By taking into account both intrinsic and extrinsic sources of motivation, the Self- Determination Theory is then considered the main theoretical background from Psychol- ogy in this investigation, and the Organisational Semiotics the methodological basis to analyse sociocultural elements that influence extrinsic motivation. The situated analysis of sociocultural data with motivational lenses has led to the de- sign of a Socially-informed Energy Eco-feedback Technology (SEET), an architecture that aims at establishing a "new pattern of behaviour", or a new way of perceiving collective energy consumption. The SEET is composed by an interactive system that promotes collaboration and The Energy Tree, a tangible and public feedback device for gathering places. The SEET is evaluated in two complementary scenarios: an elementary school in Brazil, where the sociocultural data was collected, analysed and applied to inform design; and in the context of an university department in the United Kingdom. Motivational as- pects of the SEET architecture are then analysed, as well as the impact of this technology to trigger the desired social changeDoutoradoCiência da ComputaçãoDoutora em Ciência da Computaçã

Virtuaalreaalsus toetamas jätkusuutlikku turismi: Ida-Euroopa kogemused

A Thesis for applying for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental SciencesThis study is concerned with the questions: how tourism players perceive sustainable tourism and whether sustainable tourism planning practices include virtual travel as a means to improve visitor experiences. Furthermore, how efficient and satisfactory a substitute, virtual experience may be, as an alternative to a real visit to a nature destination. The goal was set to research the drivers that may favour tourists’ acceptance of virtual substitutions over real experiences. Travel often means transportation and need for place change, but travelling to a destination gives this sense of place change, and a VR facility in that place could provide tourist’s experiences that local nature could give. It is postulated that when compared to individuals with weaker pro-ecological attitudes, those with stronger pro-ecological attitudes are more likely to accept the virtual tourism (VT) opportunities, research suggests that there are some VT features which are not accepted and others which are accepted by tourists The study focussed on the issue of virtual travel advantages and disadvantages and the role of pro-ecological motivations behind the choices between real travel and virtual travel. Research questions: • How tourism managers’ perceptions of sustainable tourism affect sustainable tourism and sustainable tourism planning? (I, II) • How three-dimensional visualisation can facilitate sustainable tourism development and sustainable tourism planning? (I, II, III) • How tourist perceptions of virtual travel vary according to their individual need for emotional arousal from mediated experience, socio-demographic background, travel preferences, and pro-ecological motivations? (III) Documentary analysis (I) and interviews (I,II) were employed. Content analysis technique (I,II) was used. All answers were audio recorded, typed, divided into categories and sorted according to the main topic. 299 questionnaires were collected from tourists visiting Piusa Cave, GLM was employed to analyse results. This study indicated that comprehensive sustainable tourism practices are lacking in Russia. Russian tourism managers’ attitudes towards sustainable tourism are mostly influenced by their personal background in the industry and less by internationally adopted concepts. Even though Russian tourism managers personal attitudes varied significantly and our findings demonstrated contradictory understandings of sustainable tourism phenomena among them, the consensus search rounds showed that the managers do recognise the possible negative impact of tourism on nature, and see sustainable tourism as part of their future business development strategies. The observed lack of understanding about sustainable tourism principles and the perceived low demand for such initiatives in state regulations and among potential clients, are the key reasons for Russian tourism managers’ low motivation towards creating their own sustainable tourism initiatives. They also proposed that virtual travel may be a feasible strategy for destination management where carrying capacities are exceeded or where nature conservation measures are required (I). An individual’s motivation to take part in sustainable tourism planning using three-dimensional visualization may be derived from such social structures as interest, desire, challenge or curiosity. While inclusion of interest groups in three-dimensional visualisation planning may significantly influence the flow and the value of the results of sustainable tourism planning, the same also happens when actually using the three dimensional visualisation tool. Integration of three-dimensional visualisation into sustainable tourism planning from the initialisation of the participatory development process provides more opportunities for comprehensive planning outcomes (II). Provision of several alternative landscape three-dimensional visualisation scenarios provides better sustainable tourism planning results. Virtual travel plays a positive role as a sustainable tourism planning facilitator in participatory development. Factors to consider in maintaining a quality sustainable tourism planning experience include: precise selection of objects for three dimensional visualisation, idealization level and an intuitive user interface. A neutral moderator in three dimensional visualisation planning is thus a prerequisite and is especially important when dealing with the problem of conflicting interests in sustainable tourism planning. This study revealed that tourists accepting of a low level of arousal from virtual travel have lower socio-economic security, they are also less motivated by social interaction and adventure. Tourists most accepting of virtual travel are less striving, and less interested in the societal impact of their lives. It was proposed that virtual travel may serve as a substitute for nature-based travel. The study shows that at the current state of three dimensional visualization technologies, virtual travel is capable of satisfying sophisticated hedonic needs of tourists. Those who like active outdoors, are unsurprisingly, less satisfied with virtual travel. Virtual travel also could be instrumental in nature experiences to tourists with lower travel budgets. Sustainable tourism development within nature-based tourism may reduce damage to the natural environment and local culture by minimising the impact of physical tourism infrastructure (roads, path, buildings) construction in cases where tourists can be offered alternative experiences of virtual travel as complementarities to conventional tourism. Virtual travel may show landscapes and enable tourists to get an impression of natural sightseeing without physical visits to real destinations. This in turn may increase opportunities for virtual tourism activity and benefit local communities. An encountered weakness of virtual travel is that tourists may perceive such travel experiences as less satisfactory in comparison to real trips. This study revealed potential key strategies for overcoming the obstacles for sustainable tourism development in Eastern Europe. Firstly, significant cooperation is required among stakeholders (local authorities, tourism managers, tourists, local population) to tailor more effective international and local legislation in the field of sustainable tourism, and for ensuring proper enforcement of this legislation. Secondly, the promotion of environmental education, including sustainability training among Russian tourism players, is highly recommended. Thirdly, virtual travel even though not an equal substitute for real visits, is a potential solution for implementing sustainable tourism strategies. Thus, further research could aim to establish whether virtual travel derived from real destinations where carrying capacities are exceeded may benefit nature conservation, and could be a means to raising tourists’ awareness of tourism’s environmental and social impacts.Käesolev uurimus otsib vastust küsimusele: kuidas turismi huvirühmad tajuvad säästvat turismi ja säästva turismi planeerimispraktikate parendamist virtuaalse reisimise abiga. Lisaks uuritakse kui tõhusalt ja rahuldavalt asendab virtuaalne kogemus loodusliku sihtkoha tegelikku külastamist. Uurimuse eesmärgiks seati uurida ajendeid, mis soodustavad seda, et turistid eelistavad reaalsetele kogemustele nende virtuaalset asendust. Reisimine tähendab sageli transporti ja asukoha muutust, ning reisimine sihtkohta annab muutuse toimumise tunde ja virtuaalne külastus annab turistile võimaluse kogeda, mida kohalik loodus suudaks pakkuda. Töös postuleeritakse, et tugevama ökoloogilise hoiakuga isikud on suurema tõenäosusega avatud virtuaalse reisimise võimaluste kasutamisele võrreldes isikutega, kel ökoloogiline suhtumine on nõrgem. Uuringud on näidanud, et turistid aktsepteerivad mõningaid virtuaalse reisimise viise, kuid eitavad teisi. Uurimus keskendub virtuaalse reisimise eeliste ja puuduste uurimisele ja ökoloogiliste motiivide rollile, mis mõjutavad reaalse ja virtuaalse reisimise valikuid. Töö väljendab kolmes artiklis kajastatud uurimusi ja nende tulemusi, need on tähistatud vastavalt I, II ja III. Uurimisküsimused: • Kuidas turismi korraldajate säästva turismi tajumine mõjutab säästva turismi pakkumist ja säästva turismi planeerimist? (I, II) • Kuidas kolmemõõtmeline visualiseerimine (3D) soodustab säästva turismi arendamist ja säästva turismi planeerimist? (I, II, III) • Kuidas turistid tajuvad virtuaalset reisimist olenevalt nende elamusvajadusest , sotsiaal-demograafilisest taustast, reisimiseelistustest ja ökoloogilistest hoiakutest? (III) Metoodika Uurimisandmed koguti dokumendianalüüsist (I), süvaintervjuudes ja küsitlusest. Töö jaoks uuriti Venemaal praktiseeritavat säästva turismi korraldamist dokumentide (ametlikud turismitegevust suunavad dokumendid, arengustrateegiad, õigusaktid jt) analüüsi abil. Kasutati ka kontentanalüüsi (II). Intervjuud (I, II) turismiga seonduvate huvirühmade ja kohaliku kogukonna esindajatega lindistati, transkribeeriti, kodeeriti ja kategoriseeriti. Intervjueeriti Moskva (Venemaa) turismiettevõtjaid ja Eesti ettevõtjaid ja kogukonnaliikmeid. Lõuna-Eestis Piusa koobaste külastuskeskuses külastajate seas läbiviidud 299 küsitluse tulemusi analüüsiti üldistatud lineaarse mudeli abil (III). Virtuaalse reisimise vastuvõetavust kontrolliti rakendades väärtuste-uskumuste-normi teooria (Stern et al., 1995) edasiarendust, tuvastamaks, kuidas vastuvõetavust mõjutavad elamusvajadus, ökoloogilised väärtused, uskumused, normid ja kavatsused. Tulemused Uuring tõi välja, et Venemaal puuduvad komplekssed säästva turismi praktikad. Venemaa turismikorraldajate hoiakuid säästva turismi suhtes mõjutab peamiselt nende enda taust selles sektoris ja mitte nii palju rahvusvaheliselt omaksvõetud kontseptsioonid. Kuigi Venemaa turismikorraldajate isiklikud hoiakud varieerusid märgatavalt ja saadud tulemused demonstreerisid vastuolulisi arusaamu säästva turismi fenomeni olemusest, näitas Delphi meetodi rakendamine, et korraldajad tunnevad ära turismi võimaliku negatiivse mõju loodusele ja näevad säästvat turismi ühe osana oma tulevastest äri arendamise strateegiatest. Üksmeele puudumine säästva turismi põhimõtete suhtes ja tunnetatud vähene nõudlus selliste algatuste suhtes riiklikes õigusaktides ja võimalike klientide seas on peamised põhjused, miks vene turismikorraldajatel on madal motivatsioon ise säästva turismi algatustega välja tulla. Nad esitasid seisukoha, et virtuaalne reisimine on sihtkoha juhtimise puhul otstarbekas strateegia, kui piirkonna taluvusvõime on ületatud või vajaks looduskaitse alla võtmist (I). Üksikisiku motivatsioon säästva turismi planeerimises osalemiseks kui kasutatakse kolmemõõtmelist visualiseerimist tuleneb sellistest sotsiaalsetest motivatsiooni allikatest nagu osalussoov, väljakutse või uudishimu. Ehkki kolmemõõtmelise visualiseerimise planeerimise juures osalevad huvigrupid võivad märkimisväärselt mõjutada säästva turismi planeerimise kulgu ja väärtust, toimub sama ka siis, kui kasutatakse kolmemõõtmelise visualiseerimise tööriista. Kolmemõõtmelise visualiseerimise integreerimine säästva turismi planeerimisse kaasava arendamise protsessi algusest peale annab rohkem võimalusi igakülgsete planeerimistulemuste saamiseks (II). Mitme alternatiivse maastiku muutmise 3D-stsenaariumi kasutamine annab paremad säästva turismi planeerimise tulemused. Virtuaalne reisimine mängib kaasava arendamise protsessis soodustab säästva turismi planeerimist. Objektide täpne valimine kolmemõõtmelise visualiseerimise jaoks, detailsuse aste ja intuitiivne kasutaja liides on tegurid, mis teenivad kvaliteetse säästva turismi planeerimise eesmärki. Neutraalne moderaator on kolmemõõtmelise visualiseerimise planeerimise protsessi juures hädavajalik, eriti tähtis on ta siis, kui on tegu huvide konfliktiga säästva turismi planeerimises. Uurimus tõi välja, et virtuaalne reisimine on enam aktsepteeritav inimestele, kel on madal elamusvajadus, ja kes ei hooli sellest, et virtuaalne reisimine pakub vähem elavaid muljeid, koha vahetuse tunnet, ja kokkupuudet loodusega. Virtuaalne reisimine on aktsepteeritavam turistidele, kelle reisivalikute ajendite seas on sotsiaalne suhtlemine ja seikluslikkus vähem olulised. Virtuaalsest reisimisest enam huvitatud turistidväärtustavad vähem edasipüüdlikkust ja sotsiaalset mõjukust. Pakuti välja, et virtuaalne reisimine võiks olla looduspõhise reisimise asenduseks. Uurimus näitas, et kolmemõõtmeliste visualiseerimistehnoloogiate praeguses seisus on virtuaalne reisimine võimeline rahuldama hedonistlikumate, suurema mugavusvajadusega turistide vajadusi. Need, kellele meeldib aktiivne tegevus looduses, on vähem rahul virtuaalse reisimisega. Säästva turismi areng loodusturismi raames võib vähendada looduskeskkonnale ja kohalikule kultuurile tehtavat kahju, minimeerides kahju, mis tekib turismi füüsilise infrastruktuuri rajamisest (teed, rajad, hooned) neil juhtudel, kui turistidele saab pakkuda alternatiivseid kogemusi virtuaalsest reisimisest tavaturismi täiendusena. Virtuaalne reisimine saab näidata maastikke ja võimaldab turistidel koguda muljeid ilma reaalset sihtkohta füüsiliselt külastamata. See omakorda suurendab võimalusi virtuaalse turismi tegevusteks ja on soodne kohalikule kogukonnale. Virtuaalne reisimine on aktsepteeritav alternatiiv suurema mugavusvajadusega inimestele ja vanemaealistele inimestele. Uurimus tõi välja võimalikud peamised strateegiad, kuidas tulla toime takistustega säästva turismi arengus Ida-Euroopas. Esiteks on vaja märkimisväärset koostööd huvigruppide (kohalikud omavalitsused, turismikorraldajad, turistid, kohalikud elanikud) vahel, et luua tõhusamaid rahvusvahelisi ja kohalikke õigusakte säästva turismi valdkonnas ning tagada nende õigusaktide asjakohane ellurakendamine. Teiseks on äärmiselt vajalik edendada keskkonnaharidust, sh säästlikkuse koolituse pakkumist Venemaa turismitegijate seas. Kolmandaks, ehkki virtuaalne reisimine ei ole ehtsa reisimise samaväärne asendaja, on see ikkagi võimalik lahendus, et ellu viia säästva turismi strateegiaid. Seega võiks edaspidine uurimistöö püüda välja selgitada, kas virtuaalne reisimine, mis põhineb reaalsetel sihtkohtadel, kus taluvusvõime on ületatud, võiks tuua kasu loodushoiule ja olla vahend, millega tõsta turistide teadlikkust turismi keskkonna- ja sotsiaalsetest mõjudest.Publication of this thesis is supported by the Estonian University of Life Science and by the Doctoral School of Earth Science and Ecology created under the auspices of European Social Fund. This study was supported by the Estonian Ministry of Science and Education (institutional grant IUT-8-3), the European Commission through the European Regional Development Fund (Centre of Excellence EcolChange, TK 131), and the European Research Council (advanced grant 322603, SIP-VOL+)

A socially inspired energy feedback technology: challenges in a developing scenario

Raising awareness of the environmental impact of energy generation and consumption has been a recent concern of contemporary society worldwide. Underlying the awareness of energy consumption is an intricate network of perception and social interaction that can be mediated by technology. In this paper we argue that issues regarding energy, environment and technology are very much situated and involve tensions of sociocultural nature. This exploratory investigation addresses the subject by introducing the design of a Socially-inspired Energy Eco-Feedback Technology (SEET), which is composed of an interactive system to trigger and mediate collective savings and a tangible device as a public feedback. Results of an evaluation situated in the context of a school in a socially disadvantaged area in Brazil are discussed, shedding light on the sociocultural aspects related to the subject. The role of the SEET to motivate energy awareness collectively among the social group is assessed, as well as the design characteristics that contributed to that. Outcomes bring to light social aspects and dynamics that would hardly have been predicted, evidencing critical factors related to a socially inspired design approach in the energy awareness domain

KEER2022

Avanttítol: KEER2022. DiversitiesDescripció del recurs: 25 juliol 202

Optimising digital nature for wellbeing

The global burdens of negative psychological states such as stress, anxiety, and burnout represent a growing public health concern. As the incidence of these conditions has risen so too has awareness that natural environments might provide cognitive and affective benefits. Yet unrelenting urbanisation, unprecedented species extinction, and rampant ecological degradation are fostering a creeping extinction of experience, straining the links between people and planet. In an increasingly technologically mediated world, growing emphasis is being placed on how digital forms of nature could impact health. Understanding how simulated contact with the natural world might be optimised for positive wellbeing outcomes is vital if ‘virtual nature’ is to be used as a therapeutic tool. This thesis consists of three original studies – conducted with large samples and as part of national broadcast initiatives – that aimed to address this burgeoning need. We first investigated nuances in the way natural soundscapes are experienced. Through an award-winning collaboration with the BBC Natural History Unit, a novel podcast series and experiment generated responses from 7,596 participants. Results indicated how the composition of nature-based soundscapes can affect their restorative potential, demonstrated the crucial role that memories play in these relationships, and suggested that appraisals of restoration can exert an important mediating effect on pro-environmental behaviour. Next, a similar level of granularity was applied to landscape aesthetics. An online experiment probed how ephemeral features such as sunrise, sunsets, and storms can impact appraisals of virtual environments. Data from 2,509 people supported the familiar urban-nature dichotomy yet revealed substantial momentary and diurnal heterogeneity in measures of beauty and awe. Changes in these metrics also partially mediated participants’ willingness to pay to visit these locations in the ‘real world’. Partnering again with the BBC on a multi-platform broadcast initiative called Soundscapes for Wellbeing, our third experiment assessed how the visual and acoustic elements of a digital nature experience, including music, might influence viewer emotions. Analyses from 7,636 respondents suggested that whilst music could enhance high arousal feelings such as excitement, natural sounds were integral to eliciting restoration, calmness, awe, and nostalgia. Again, these data revealed a substantial moderating effect of memories, underlining the importance of lived experiences in determining outcomes. Taken together, these findings reveal important distinctions in the way natural soundscapes are perceived, demonstrate the potential for both ephemeral features and natural sounds to elicit the complex emotions of awe and nostalgia, and highlight the profound moderating effects of personal memories. Future work might focus on expanding understanding of how awe, nostalgia, and memories could represent a hitherto under-recognised depth to the therapeutic potential of encounters with nature in both virtual and real settings.Wellcome Trus

Detecting consumer emotions on social networking websites

The social networking environment goes beyond connecting friends. It also connects customers with companies and vice versa. Customers share their experience with friends, followers, and companies and these experiences carry sentiments and emotions thereby creating big data. There is an ocean of data that is available for companies to extract and make meaning out of it by applying to different business contexts such as consumer feedback analysis and marketing & communications. For companies to benefit from consumer emotion data, they must make use of computational methods that can save time and work consumed by traditional consumer research methods such as questionnaires and interviews. The objective of this research is to explore existing literatures on detecting consumer emotions from social networking data. The author carried out a systematic literature review on research articles from three bibliographic databases with the intent to find out social networking data extraction process, dataset sizes, computational methods used, consumer sentiments, emotions studied, limitations and its application in a managerial context. To further understand consumer emotion detection, a case study in the form of a Twitter marketing campaign was conducted to emulate the process of consumer emotion detection on a company that is selling stress management products and services. The results indicate that most companies use Twitter networking platform to carry out consumer emotion analysis. The dataset sizes range from small to very large. The studies have used variety of computational methods, some with accuracies to measure the performance. These methods have been applied in various industries such as travel, restaurant, healthcare, and finance to name a few. Managerial applications include marketing, supply chain, feedback analysis, product development, and customer satisfaction. There are few limitations that were identified from using these methods. The case study results and discussion with the case company CIO communicated the potential for the use of some of the methods for consumer behavior research. The valuable feedback from the CIO revealed that by customizing existing methods, their company can create new tools and methods to understand their customers by providing better recommendations and customize their offerings to individual customers

The Constructivistly-Organised Dimensional-Appraisal (CODA) Model and Evidence for the Role of Goal-directed Processes in Emotional Episodes Induced by Music

The study of affective responses to music is a flourishing field. Advancements in the study of this phenomena have been complemented by the introduction of several music-specific models of emotion, with two of the most well-cited ones being the BRECVEMA and the Multifactorial Process Model. These two models have undoubtedly contributed to the field. However, contemporary developments in the wider affective sciences (broadly described as the ‘rise of affectivism’) have yet to be incorporated into the music emotion literature. These developments in the affective sciences may aid in addressing remaining gaps in the music literature, in particular for acknowledging individual and contextual differences. The first aim of this thesis was to outline contemporary theories from the wider affective sciences and subsequently critique current popular models of musical emotions through the lens of these advancements. The second aim was to propose a new model based on this critique: the Constructivistly-Organised Dimensional-Appraisal (CODA) model. This CODA model draws together multiple competing models into a single framework centralised around goal-directed appraisal mechanisms which are key to the wider affective sciences but are a less commonly acknowledged component of musical affect. The third aim was to empirically test some of the core hypotheses of the CODA model. In particular, examining goal-directed mechanisms, their validity in a musical context, and their ability to address individual and contextual differences in musically induced affect. Across four experiments which include exploratory and lab-based designs through to real- world applications, the results are supportive of the role of goal-directed mechanisms in musically induced emotional episodes. Experiment one presents a first test battery of multiple appraisal dimensions developed for music. The results show that several of the hypothesised appraisal dimensions are valid dimensions is a musical context. Moreover, these mechanisms cluster into goal-directed latent variables. Experiment two develops a new set of stimuli annotations relating to musical goals, showing that music can be more or less appropriate for different musical goals (functions). Experiment three, using the new stimuli set from experiment two, tests the effects of different goals with more or less appropriate music on musically induced affect. These results show that goal-directed mechanisms can change induced core-affect (valence and arousal) and intensity, even for the same piece of music. Experiment four extends the study of goal-directed mechanisms into a real-world context through an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural design. The final experiment demonstrates how goal-directed mechanisms can be manipulated through different algorithms to induce negative affect in a Colombian population. The main conclusions of this thesis are that the CODA model, more specifically goal-directed mechanisms, provide a valuable, non-reductive, and more efficient approach to addressing individual and contextual differences for musically induced emotional episodes in the new era of affectivism

Trends in Sustainable Buildings and Infrastructure

The recently established Sustainable Development Goals call for a paradigm shift in the way that buildings and infrastructures are conceived. The construction industry is a major source of environmental impacts, given its great material consumption and energy demands. It is also a major contributor to the economic growth of regions, through the provision of useful infrastructure and generation of employment, among other factors. Conventional approaches underlying current building design practices fall short of covering the relevant environmental and social implications derived from inappropriate design, construction, and planning. The development of adequate sustainable design strategies is therefore becoming extremely relevant regarding the achievement of the United Nations 2030 Agenda Goals for Sustainable Development. This book comprises 11 chapters that highlight the actual research trends in the construction sector, aiming to increase the knowledge on sustainable design practices by highlighting the actual practices that explore efficient ways to reduce the environmental consequences related to the construction industry, while promoting social wellbeing and economic development. The chapters collect papers included in the Special Issue “Trends in Sustainable Buildings and Infrastructure” of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health