A functional-cognitive framework for attitude research

In attitude research, behaviours are often used as proxies for attitudes and attitudinal processes. This practice is problematic because it conflates the behaviours that need to be explained (explanandum) with the mental constructs that are used to explain these behaviours (explanans). In the current chapter we propose a meta-theoretical framework that resolves this problem by distinguishing between two levels of analysis. According to the proposed framework, attitude research can be conceptualised as the scientific study of evaluation. Evaluation is defined not in terms of mental constructs but in terms of elements in the environment, more specifically, as the effect of stimuli on evaluative responses. From this perspective, attitude research provides answers to two questions: (1) Which elements in the environment moderate evaluation? (2) What mental processes and representations mediate evaluation? Research on the first question provides explanations of evaluative responses in terms of elements in the environment (functional level of analysis); research on the second question offers explanations of evaluation in terms of mental processes and representations (cognitive level of analysis). These two levels of analysis are mutually supportive, in that better explanations at one level lead to better explanations at the other level. However, their mutually supportive relation requires a clear distinction between the concepts of their explanans and explanandum, which are conflated if behaviours are treated as proxies for mental constructs. The value of this functional-cognitive framework is illustrated by applying it to four central questions of attitude research

Towards estimating computer users' mood from interaction behaviour with keyboard and mouse

The purpose of this exploratory research was to study the relationship between the mood of computer users and their use of keyboard and mouse to examine the possibility of creating a generic or individualized mood measure. To examine this, a field study (n = 26) and a controlled study (n = 16) were conducted. In the field study, interaction data and self-reported mood measurements were collected during normal PC use over several days. In the controlled study, participants worked on a programming task while listening to high or low arousing background music. Besides subjective mood measurement, galvanic skin response (GSR) data was also collected. Results found no generic relationship between the interaction data and the mood data. However, the results of the studies found significant average correlations between mood measurement and personalized regression models based on keyboard and mouse interaction data. Together the results suggest that individualized mood prediction is possible from interaction behaviour with keyboard and mouse

The communicative functions of metaphors between explanation and persuasion

In the literature, the pragmatic dimension of metaphors has been clearly acknowledged. Metaphors are regarded as having different possible uses, and in particular, they are commonly viewed as instruments for pursuing persuasion. However, an analysis of the specific conversational purposes that they can be aimed at achieving in a dialogue and their adequacy thereto is still missing. In this paper, we will address this issue focusing on the distinction between the explanatory and persuasive goal. The difference between explanation and persuasion is often blurred and controversial from a theoretical point of view. Building on the analysis of explanation in different theories and fields of study, we show how it can be conceived as characterized by a cognitive and a pragmatic dimension, where the transference of understanding is used pragmatically for different dialogical goals. This theoretical proposal will be applied to examples drawn from the medical context, to show how a pragmatic approach to explanation can account for the complexity of the cases that can be found in actual dialogical contexts

Refurbishment of a historic building in the center of Turin. Study of technical systems solutions and energy performance assessment through the LEED® certification protocol

The certification standards of building sustainability are proving to be more and more a fundamental guarantee of performance and accordingly they can make a project attractive to investors. A widely recognized protocol at international level is LEED®, with its various forms and translations in different contexts. Within the various versions of the protocol, the issue of energy is the most important in terms of score: for this reason it is widely considered by the designers who aspire to certification. A great challenge of LEED protocol in Italy is its contextualization in a scenario characterized by an extreme fragmentation of energy legislation and with a large number of historic buildings. In many cases such buildings require refurbishing, but also the architectural elements must be preserved for their special historical and artistic value. The study concerns the emblematic case of a historic building used as a research and teaching university, located in Turin. This building has been subject to an envelope and technical systems refurbishment, designed according to evaluation criteria addressed to sustainability certification. The building is candidate to become a case study for the new protocol for historic buildings (GBC Historic BuildingTM), currently being developed by the Green Building Council Italy. It is subjected to protection constraints for its special cultural interest, and, accordingly, the systems design choices are oriented to the preservation of the architectural elements. During the design activities a particular attention was given to the assessment of energy performance, by adopting two calculation models: quasi-stationary and dynamic. The comparison of the two methods allowed a series of considerations both about the design choices, and about the applicability of the different calculation models