Exploring the role of messenger effects and feedback frames in promoting uptake of energy-efficient technologies

The persuasive potential for varying messenger types and feedback frames to increase pro-environmental choice was explored in a 2 (feedback frame: financial vs. environmental) × 5 (messenger type: neighbour, government, industry, utilities vs. control) factorial design experiment. Using the context of home heating choice, 493 non-student participants were given information on either the financial or environmental benefits of selecting an energy-efficient heat pump versus a standard boiler, as described by one of four messenger types (versus a no-messenger control). Likelihood of selecting the ‘green’ technology was assessed, as well as any carry-over effects on real-life behavioural intentions. Additionally, we assessed the messenger attributes that appeared to be most important in this context, in terms of whether sources that were perceived to be trustworthy, knowledgeable, or a combination of both dimensions, would hold greater sway over preference formation. Overall, no evidence was found for any impact of messenger type on either preference formation or behavioural intentions. However, message content (i.e. how information on the benefits of pro-environmental choice was framed), was found to have substantial impact on behaviour; with the financial versus environmental decision frame being significantly more likely to encourage uptake of the energy-efficient versus standard technology. We suggest that the level of processing required for the kinds of large-scale purchase decisions we consider here may explain the lack of any messenger effect on choice behaviour. Implications for the development of behaviour change interventions designed to promote consideration of energy-efficient technologies in this context are discussed

Poking fun at the surface: exploring touch-point overloading on the multi-touch tabletop with child users

In this paper a collaborative game for children is used to explore touch-point overloading on a multi-touch tabletop. Understanding the occurrence of new interactional limitations, such as the situation of touch-point overloading in a multi-touch interface, is highly relevant for interaction designers working with emerging technologies. The game was designed for the Microsoft Surface 1.0 and during gameplay the number of simultaneous touch-points required gradually increases to beyond the physical capacity of the users. Studies were carried out involving a total of 42 children (from 2 different age groups) playing in groups of between 5-7 and all interactions were logged. From quantitative analysis of the interactions occurring during the game and observations made we explore the impact of overloading and identify other salient findings. This paper also highlights the need for empirical evaluation of the physical and cognitive limitations of interaction with emerging technologies

WHY WE SING ALONG: MEASURABLE TRAITS OF SUCCESSFUL CONGREGATIONAL SONGS

Songwriters have been creating music for the church for hundreds of years. The songs have gone through many stylistic changes from generation to generation, yet, each song has generated congregational participation. What measurable, traceable qualities of congregational songs exist from one generation to the next? This document explores the history and development of Congregational Christian Song (CCS), to discover and document the similarities between seemingly contrasting styles of music. The songs analyzed in this study were chosen because of their wide popularity and broad dissemination among non-denominational churches in the United States. While not an exhaustive study, this paper reviews over 200 songs spanning 300 years of CCS. The findings of the study are that songs that have proven to be successful in eliciting participation all contain five common elements. These elements encourage congregations to participate in singing when an anticipation cue is triggered and then realized. The anticipation/reward theory used in this study is based on David Huron’s ITPRA (Imagination-Tension-Prediction-Reaction-Appraisal) Theory of Expectation. This thesis is designed to aid songwriters and music theorists to quickly identify whether a CCS can be measured as successful (i.e., predictable)

The five games of Mr Edgar Allan Poe : a study of strategic thought in “The Purloined Letter”

This paper investigates strategic thinking in the fictional world of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Purloined Letter’. This short story has been rightly celebrated for its explicit analysis of strategic reasoning in which players attempt to outwit one another, which involves accounting for how they are all attempting to outwit one another. I differ from previous analyses by examining how the actors can often be wrong in their explicit analysis and consider the strategic actions they take rather than those they claim to take. Using elementary game theory, I describe the five games (and suggest a sixth) that make up the strategic heart of the story. These include games of signalling, screening, negotiation, revenge and a unique game called the ‘pincer’. I consider how literary sources like ‘The Purloined Letter’ can provide insights into the applicability of strategic analysis in the ‘real world’

Turning Up the Heat on Energy Monitoring in the Home

The use of domestic electrical energy monitoring systems is becoming more common however gas usage has received comparatively little attention. This paper presents a new technique for monitoring gas-powered heating and hot water usage in the home integrated into a prototype energy monitoring platform. Compared to usual meter-based approaches this technique provides finer-grained usage data and uses simple temperature sensors. The main motivation for this work is to provide more meaningful energy information to users for inclusion in novel mobile and embedded applications. This is part of ongoing work which aims to reduce energy use among teenagers in the UK and make lasting attitude changes. The development and findings from a prototype deployed in a typical UK house over 7 days are presented. The findings highlight the utility of the technique and simplicity of the sensing approach. The novel requirements that inspired the development of this technique are also presented

Constructing the Cool Wall: A Tool to Explore Teen Meanings of Cool

This paper describes the development and exploration of a tool designed to assist in investigating ‘cool’ as it applies to the design of interactive products for teenagers. The method involved the derivation of theoretical understandings of cool from literature that resulted in identification of seven core categories for cool, which were mapped to a hierarchy. The hierarchy includes having of cool things, the doing of cool activities and the being of cool. This paper focuses on a tool, the Cool Wall, developed to explore one specific facet of the hierarchy; exploring shared understanding of having cool things. The paper describes the development and construction of the tool, using a heavily participatory approach, and the results and analysis of a study carried out over 2 days in a school in the UK. The results of the study both provide clear insights into cool things and enable a refined understanding of cool in this context. Two additional studies are then used to identify potential shortcomings in the Cool Wall methodology. In the first study participants were able to populate a paper cool wall with anything they chose, this revealed two potential new categories of images and that the current set of images covered the majority of key themes. In the second study teenagers interpretations of the meaning of the images included in the Cool Wall were explored, this showed that the majority of meanings were as expected and a small number of unexpected interpretations provided some valuable insights

Electrical and magnetic properties of n-Cd(_1-x)Mn(_x) Te close to the metal-insulator transition

Electrical transport and magnetic measurements have been made on n-Cd(_1-x)Mn(_x) Te (0.047 50 mT) Efros-Shklovskii variable range hopping is observed in the insulating phase. These results are attributed to the formation of a hard gap in the density of states, having a magnetic origin. At higher fields an insulator-metal phase transition occurs. In the metallic phase the conductivity can be described by a quantum correction to the zero temperature conductivity due to the effect of electron-electron interactions. Results obtained before and after illumination are consistent with scaling theory of electron localisation, having a critical exponent close to unity, indicative of the importance of electron-electron interactions. A reduction in the value of the critical field is seen after increasing the carrier density (B(_c) = 2.0 and 1.3 T for n = 3.3 xl0(^17)cm(^-3) and 3.8 x10(^17) cm(^-3) respectively).At low temperatures an anisotropy in the resistivity has been measured for samples in the spin glass phase. Magnetoresistance measurements have shown results consistent with previous measurements, in addition to a large, low field component that is attributed to the effect of magnetic field on electrons in the variable range hopping regime

Individual variation in plant traits drives species interactions, ecosystem functioning, and responses to global change

Ecologists have long sought to understand the processes that lead to the riotous diversity in communities of organisms that inhabit disparate climates and landscapes. Such a diversity of traits leads to a diversity of interactions among species in natural communities, which in turn generates a diversity of potential responses to ongoing global change. In this dissertation, I do three things: I explore the forces that structure plant communities and the ecosystem functions that they mediate, I describe patterns of variation among communities, species, and individual organisms across environmental contexts, and I disentangle the direct effects of global change from the indirect, cascading effects that result from disruptions of species interactions. I accomplish these goals through the synthesis of global data, the development of statistical and mathematical models, and the manipulation of global change drivers in field experiments. In the first chapter, I present a globe-spanning meta-analysis of plant functional trait patterns along elevational gradients. This meta-analysis shows that the plant traits that drive ecosystem function follow predictable trends with elevation due to climate filtering, and that much of this variation is at the level of the individual organism. In the second chapter, I present simulated data sets and illustrative experimental case studies that quantify how important individual-level variation is for explaining patterns in nature. In the third chapter, I present results from intensive plant sampling across a wide range of mountain environments; even in these harsh environments where only the hardiest species can survive, individual-level variation is so high that it makes predictions based on species identity nearly impossible. The fourth and fifth chapters consist of experimental evidence that ongoing human-caused global change is affecting montane plant communities, that species interactions mediate many of these effects, and that variation in the abiotic environment causes variation in both species interactions and in global change response. I demonstrate this through an experiment that combines nitrogen fertilization with removal of a dominant plant species in a montane meadow, and an experiment replicated at low and high elevations crossing dominant species removal with simulation of global warming

Too Cool at School - Understanding Cool Teenagers

Cool can be thought about on three levels; the having of cool things, the doing of cool stuff and the being of cool. Whilst there is some understanding of cool products, the concept, of being cool is much more elusive to designers and developers of systems. This study examines this space by using a set of pre-prepared teenage personas as probes with a set of teenagers with the aim of better understanding what is, and isn’t cool about teenage behaviours. The study confirmed that teenagers are able to rank personas in order of cool and that the process of using personas can provide valuable insights around the phenomenon of cool. The findings confirm that cool is indeed about having cool things but in terms of behaviours cool can be a little bit, but not too, naughty

Using behavioural science to reduce littering : understanding, addressing and solving the problem of litter

The main objective of this article is to provide an overview of decision-making literature relevant to littering and to explain behavioural science be applied to tackling the problem of littering. We begin by explaining how littering is a commons dilemma and why, therefore, it is such a complex problem. We use this framework to show how policy-makers, social entrepreneurs and anyone else who wants to reduce littering, can approach the problem. We then move on to describing models and frameworks, taken from behavioural science theory and research, that can be helpful in designing effective anti-littering interventions. Finally, we apply all this knowledge and outline some ideas of such interventions