Goal-driven and bottom-up gaze in an active real-world search task

Mobile eye tracking has become a useful tool in studies of vision and attention in real-world tasks. However, there remains a disconnection between such studies and the laboratory paradigms used by cognitive psychology. In particular, visual search has been studied intensively, but lab search often differs from search in the real world in many respects (e.g., in reality one must walk and move head and eyes to find the target, target and distractors are not equally visible, and objects are frequently occluded). Here, we took a broader view of search behaviour and analyzed the gaze of participants who were asked to walk around within a building, find a room, and then locate a target mailbox. Our aim was to describe the differences in behaviour according to principles of (lab-based) visual search, and we did this by testing the effects of top-down instructions (i.e. having more or less information about where to go) and target saliency (i.e. having a more or less distinctive target to look for). These factors made a difference in a real world context by changing the frequency with which signs and cues in the environment were fixated, and by affecting head and eye movements in the mail-room. Bottom-up saliency had little effect on search time, but our approach revealed how it influenced the coordination of gaze, while still allowing us to make contact with laboratory paradigms

Where have eye been? Observers can recognise their own fixations

We are often not explicitly aware of the location of our spatial attention, despite its influence on our perception and cognition. During a picture memory task, we asked whether people could later recognise their eye fixations in a two-alternative test. In three separate experiments, participants performed above chance when discriminating their own fixation patterns from random locations or locations fixated in a different image. Recognition was much poorer when the task was to spot your own versus someone else?s fixations on the same stimulus, but performance remained better than chance. That we are sensitive to our own scan patterns has implications for perception, memory, and meta-cognition

‘Elephants must also fund their own upkeep…’

The purpose of the thesis is to analyse the tensions between the government and conservation NGOs regarding the mitigation of the elephant crisis in Zimbabwe. The thesis aims to examine their contrasting representations of the problem and the discourses/knowledges that inspire their arguments. This is done in order to canvass what subjects, effects, and socio-economic implication the representations of the problem produce. Analysis of empirical material will be done using Carol Bacchi’s “What’s the problem Represented to be?” approach. The method has the foundation on the notion that problems are not self-evident, but that policies create specific representations of the problem. The analysis demonstrates that the tensions over the management and mitigation of the elephant crisis in Zimbabwe are not over a self-evident elephant problem. It rather demonstrates that the tensions emanate from contrasting representations of the problem by the government and conservation NGOs. Such contrasts result from contrasting discourses and knowledges that these antagonists base their arguments on. This, in turn leads to tensions regarding the proposed solutions to the crisis

How do older adults understand and manage distress? A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Distress is an expected emotional response to a negative life event. Experiences common in later life may trigger distress such as bereavement or loss of physical mobility. Distress is considered to be distinct to anxiety and/or depression and is not diagnostically labelled as a mental health problem. Older adults will often manage their own distress. Previous literature has focused on how younger adults self-manage mental health problems, however little research has explored the self-management strategies used by older people. There is a need to clarify the role of primary care in the context of distressed older adults who may consult healthcare services. This study seeks to address these gaps through qualitative methods. METHODS: Keele University's ethical review panel approved this study. We recruited older adults who self-identified as distressed from community groups in North Staffordshire, England. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically using constant comparison methods. A patient and public involvement and engagement group contributed to development of the research questions and methods, and offered their perspectives on the findings. RESULTS: After 18 interviews data saturation was achieved. Key themes were: experiences of distress, actions taken, help-seeking from healthcare services and perceptions of treatments offered in primary care. Various forms of loss contributed to participants' distress. Participants initiated their own self-management strategies which included: pursuing independent activities, seeking social support and attending community groups and church. Five participants reported having consulted a GP when distressed but described a lack of acceptable treatments offered. CONCLUSIONS: To support older adults who are distressed, healthcare professionals in primary care should consider exploring how patients currently manage their mood problems, provide a broad range of information about potential management options and consider sign-posting older adults to community resources

Maternal six week postnatal check should assess for postnatal anxiety.

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Top-down and bottom-up aspects of active search in a real-world environment

Visual search has been studied intensively in the labouratory, but lab search often differs from search in the real world in many respects. Here, we used a mobile eye tracker to record the gaze of participants engaged in a realistic, active search task. Participants were asked to walk into a mailroom and locate a target mailbox among many similar mailboxes. This procedure allowed control of bottom-up cues (by making the target mailbox more salient; Experiment 1) and top-down instructions (by informing participants about the cue; Experiment 2). The bottom-up salience of the target had no effect on the overall time taken to search for the target, although the salient target was more likely to be fixated and found once it was within the central visual field. Top-down knowledge of target appearance had a larger effect, reducing the need for multiple head and body movements, and meaning that the target was fixated earlier and from further away. Although there remains much to be discovered in complex real-world search, this study demonstrates that principles from visual search in the labouratory influence gaze in natural behaviour, and provides a bridge between these labouratory studies and research examining vision in natural tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record © 2014 APA, all rights reserved)

Using Technology to Encourage Self-Directed Learning: The Collaborative Lecture Annotation System

The rapidly-developing 21st century world of work and knowledge calls for self-directed lifelong (SDL) learners. While higher education must embrace the types of pedagogies that foster SDL skills in graduates, the pace of change in education can be glacial. This paper describes a social annotation technology, the Collaborative Lecture Annotation System (CLAS), that can be used to leverage existing teaching and learning practices for acquisition of 21st Century SDL skills. CLAS was designed to build upon the artifacts of traditional didactic modes of teaching, create enriched opportunities for student engagement with peers and learning materials, and offer learners greater control and ownership of their individual learning strategies. Adoption of CLAS creates educational experiences that promote and foster SDL skills: motivation, self-management and self-monitoring. In addition, CLAS incorporates a suite of learning analytics for learners to evaluate their progress, and allow instructors to monitor the development of SDL skills and identify the need for learning support and guidance. CLAS stands as an example of a simple tool that can bridge the gap between traditional transmissive pedagogy and the creation of authentic and collaborative learning spaces

A pragmatic randomised controlled trial of healing therapy in a gastroenterology outpatient setting

Introduction: To determine the benefits of healing therapy (spiritual healing) as an adjunct to conventional management in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods: 200 outpatients with IBS or IBD were randomised to either conventional treatment (control) or conventional plus five sessions of healing therapy (intervention). After 12 weeks controls also had healing therapy. Outcomes used were, the Measure Yourself Medical Outcomes Profile (MYMOP). IBS-QOL, IBDQ, and symptom measures. Results: There was a significant improvement in the MYMOP score at week 6 (p < 0.001) which was maintained to week 12 (p < 0.001) and 24 (p < 0.001). Improvements in MYMOP were significantly greater in the intervention group at both 6 (p < 0.001) and 12 weeks (p < 0.001) with effect sizes of 0.7 (95% CI: 0.4–1.1) and 0.8 (95% CI: 0.4–1.2). Condition-specific data for IBS showed that most QoL dimensions had a significant minimum 10-point score improvement at 6 and 12 weeks. The overall score improvement was 12.9 units at week 6 (p < 0.001), 12.4 units at week 12 (p < 0.001) and 13.8 units at week 24 (p < 0.001). In IBD there was also similar score improvement, but only up to week 12 were there associations of improved social and bowel functions (p < 0.001, respectively). Between group differences were identified for QoL scores in IBS at both week 6 (p < 0.001) and 12 (p < 0.001) but only for week 12 (p < 0.001) in the IBD group. Conclusions: The addition of healing therapy to conventional treatment was associated with improvement in symptoms and QoL in IBS, and to a lesser extent in IBD