Cultural differences in preference of auditory emoticons: USA and South Korea

For the last two decades, research on auditory displays and sonification has continuously increased. However, most research has focused on cognitive and functional mapping rather than emotional mapping. Moreover, there has not been much research on cultural differences on auditory displays. The present study compared user preference of auditory emoticons in two countries: USA and South Korea. Seventy students evaluated 112 auditory icons and 115 earcons regarding 30 emotional adjectives. Results indicated that they showed similar preference in the same category (auditory icons or earcons), but they showed different patterns when they were asked to select the best sound between the two categorical sounds. Implications for cultural differences in preference and directions for future design and research of auditory emoticons are discussed

Temperature-dependent ff-electron evolution in CeCoIn5_5 via a comparative infrared study with LaCoIn5_5

We investigated CeCoIn$_5$ and LaCoIn$_5$ single crystals, which have the same HoCoGa$_5$-type tetragonal crystal structure, using infrared spectroscopy. However, while CeCoIn$_5$ has 4$f$ electrons, LaCoIn$_5$ does not. By comparing these two material systems, we extracted the temperature-dependent electronic evolution of the $f$ electrons of CeCoIn$_5$. We observed that the differences caused by the $f$ electrons are more obvious in low-energy optical spectra at low temperatures. We introduced a complex optical resistivity and obtained a magnetic optical resistivity from the difference in the optical resistivity spectra of the two material systems. From the temperature-dependent average magnetic resistivity, we found that the onset temperature of the Kondo effect is much higher than the known onset temperature of Kondo scattering ($\simeq$ 200 K) of CeCoIn$_5$. Based on momentum-dependent hybridization, the periodic Anderson model, and a maximum entropy approach, we obtained the hybridization gap distribution function of CeCoIn$_5$ and found that the resulting gap distribution function of CeCoIn$_5$ was mainly composed of two (small and large) components (or gaps). We assigned the small and large gaps to the in-plane and out-of-plane hybridization gaps, respectively. We expect that our results will provide useful information for understanding the temperature-dependent electronic evolution of $f$-electron systems near Fermi level.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figure

Design of Single-modal Take-over Request in SAE Level 2 & 3 Automated Vehicle

Recently, cutting-edge technology has led to the development of automated vehicles, but the limitations of the related technology may lead to hazardous situations. This resulted in the remarkable significance of the interaction between automated vehicles and drivers. In particular, the transition between the driver and the automated vehicle in accordance with Level 3 of SAE J3016 is inevitable, and guidelines or standards regarding the takeover should be provided. Therefore, we aim to prepare the safety guidelines for the takeover and to conduct a comparative test. First, guidelines for visual, auditory, and haptic displays in existing vehicles were examined. Second, preliminary research was conducted on the modality of automated vehicles. Third, we carried out a modality investigation regarding the partially automated vehicle. Based on this, we proposed visual, auditory, and haptic signals for each modality. This will serve as a significant starting point for future research based on multimodal methods

“Play Your Anger”: A report on the empathic in-vehicle interface workshop

Empathic in-vehicle interfaces are critical in improving user safety and experiences. There has been much research on how to estimate drivers’ affective states, whereas little research has investigated intervention methods that mitigate potential impacts from the driver’s affective states on their driving performance and user experiences. To enhance the development of in-vehicle interfaces considering emotional aspects, we have organized a workshop series to gather automotive user interface experts to discuss this topic at the International ACM Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications (AutoUI). The present paper focuses particularly on the intervention methods created by the experts and proposes design recommendations for future empathic in-vehicle interfaces. We hope this work can spark lively discussions on the importance of drivers’ affective states in their user experience of automated vehicles and pose the right direction

Report on the In-vehicle Auditory Interactions Workshop: Taxonomy, Challenges, and Approaches

Jeon M, Hermann T, Bazilinskyy P, et al. Report on the In-vehicle Auditory Interactions Workshop: Taxonomy, Challenges, and Approaches. In: Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications - Automotive'UI 15. 2015: 1-5.As driving is mainly a visual task, auditory displays play a critical role for in-vehicle interactions.To improve in-vehicle auditory interactions to the advanced level, auditory display researchers and automotive user interface researchers came together to discuss this timely topic at an in-vehicle auditory interactions workshop at the International Conference on Auditory Display (ICAD).The present paper reports discussion outcomes from the workshop for more discussions at the AutoUI conference

The ecological AUI (Auditory User Interface) design and evaluation of user acceptance for various tasks on smartphones

With the rapid development of the touch screen technology, some usability issues of smartphones have been reported [1]. To tackle those user experience issues, there has been research on the use of non-speech sounds on the mobile devices [e.g., 2, 3-7]. However, most of them have focused on a single specific task of the device. Given the varying functions of the smartphone, the present study designed plausibly integrated auditory cues for diverse functions and evaluated user acceptance levels from the ecological interface design perspective. Results showed that sophisticated auditory design could change users’ preference and acceptance of the interface and the extent depended on usage contexts. Overall, participants gave significantly higher scores on the functional satisfaction and the fun scales in the sonically-enhanced smartphones than in the no-sound condition. The balanced sound design may free users from auditory pollution and allow them to use their devices more pleasantly

Factors Influencing Fertility Intentions of Newlyweds in South Korea: Focus on Demographics, Socioeconomics, Housing Situation, Residential Satisfaction, and Housing Expectation

Since 2001, South Korea has experienced sustained lowest-low fertility. This phenomenon has persisted despite the implementation of several social policies aimed at increasing fertility rates. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively analyze the demographics, socioeconomics, housing situation, residential environment, and housing expectation of newlyweds in terms of their fertility intentions in South Korea (within 5 years of marriage) in order to help the development of more effective housing policies. We extracted the factors on the basis of fertility theories and previous related studies and identified differential characteristics of the impact on fertility intentions for the first and for additional child(ren). The results show that fertility intention was higher in non-metropolitan and rental households. There was also a significant relationship between the anticipated period of a home purchase and fertility intention. In particular, for one-child families, the second child fertility intention was significantly affected. In conclusion, we quantitatively confirmed various factors that significantly impact the fertility plans of newlyweds. We suggest that the government implements housing policies on the basis of economic stability, the number of children, and the residential environment of newlywed couples