Technology-infused learning environments to support the development of empathy

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 190-202).This dissertation explores how technology-infused learning environments can be designed to support the development of empathy for others, and contains contributions across the theoretical, design, and empirical dimensions. From a theoretical perspective, Empathy Development Environments have been defined as technology-infused learning environments to support the cultivation of empathy. I have also developed a framework called Trajectories of Awareness that can be used as a guide for structuring activities to cultivate empathy through the simultaneous exploration of emotion and identity within a learning environment. This exploration takes place by first focusing on self and eventually moving into an understanding of others. From the design aspect, a model Empathy Development Environment called Beyond the Looking has been created in order to operationalize the conceptual foundations. Further, a platform called Affect as Index has been envisioned and implemented for supporting conversations around emotion that were previously intangible. Empirically, three iterations of a design-based research study have been carried out as a means to flesh out a set of guidelines for the implementation of Empathy Development Environments. For each of the three iterations, challenges to the implementation were utilized to refine the design of the model environment to progress to the next iteration. These three iterations are analyzed based on a framework proposed for the design and analysis of Empathy Development Environments. Analysis revealed that the environment supported participants in establishing a community that allowed them to practice the skills of empathy.by Shaundra Bryant Daily.Ph.D

Digital story explication as it relates to emotional needs and learning

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-81).Too often, efforts toward re-thinking learning environments focus solely on the cognitive aspects of education. By expanding our view to consider other aspects of adolescent development involved in education, we can begin to address the needs of the whole child. This research aims to 1) gain a better understanding of the effects of immediate emotions in middle school academic contexts and 2) create a system geared toward addressing the emotional needs of teenage girls. To support emotional self-awareness and empathy, a proactive emotional health was developed. This is a part of a long-term research plan for understanding the role that digital technology can play in helping address emotions and support learning for teenage girls. The system, G.I.R.L.S (Girls Involved in Real Life Sharing) Talk, allows users to reflect actively upon the emotions related to their situations through the construction of pictorial narratives. Users of this new system were able to gain new knowledge and understanding about themselves and others through the exploration of authentic and personal experiences. The system employs a new technology called common sense reasoning that enables it to infer affective content from the users' stories and support emotional reflection. This system has been evaluated with seventeen subjects; one group used the G.I.R.L.S. Talk system with emotional reflection support, while the control group used the system without the support. Over three weeks, the group supported with common sense reasoning about emotion increased the variety of emotion words used in their writing; the control group showed no such increase.(cont.) In both cases, the system enabled the subjects to express themselves freely in a comfortable and meaningful way. Overall, this thesis makes three main contributions: 1) new insights into the effects of immediate emotions in academic situations for adolescents, 2) a new system for supporting teenage girls' emotional self-awareness and empathy, and 3) new insight into the value of utilizing constructionist technologies in proactive emotional health systems.by Shaundra Bryant Daily.S.M

DIGITAL STORY EXPLICATION AS IT RELATES TO EMOTIONAL NEEDS AND LEARNING

often, efforts toward re-thinking learning environments focus solely on the cognitive aspects of education. By expanding our view to consider other aspects of adolescent development involved in education, we can begin to address the needs of the whole child. This research aims to 1) gain a better understanding of the effects of immediate emotions in middle school academic contexts and 2) create a system geared toward addressing the emotional needs of teenage girls. To support emotional self-awareness and empathy, a proactive emotional health was developed. This is a part of a long-term research plan for understanding the role that digital technology can play in helping address emotions and support learning for teenage girls. The system, G.I.R.L.S (Girls Involved in Real Life Sharing) Talk, allows users to reflect actively upon the emotions related to their situations through the construction of pictorial narratives. Users of this new system were able to gain new knowledge and understanding about themselves and others through the exploration of authentic and personal experiences. The system employs a new technology called common sense reasoning that enables it to infer affective content from the users ' stories and support emotional reflection

Automated Diet Capture Using Voice Alerts and Speech Recognition on Smartphones: Pilot Usability and Acceptability Study

BackgroundEffective monitoring of dietary habits is critical for promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing or delaying the onset and progression of diet-related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. Recent advances in speech recognition technologies and natural language processing present new possibilities for automated diet capture; however, further exploration is necessary to assess the usability and acceptability of such technologies for diet logging. ObjectiveThis study explores the usability and acceptability of speech recognition technologies and natural language processing for automated diet logging. MethodsWe designed and developed base2Diet—an iOS smartphone application that prompts users to log their food intake using voice or text. To compare the effectiveness of the 2 diet logging modes, we conducted a 28-day pilot study with 2 arms and 2 phases. A total of 18 participants were included in the study, with 9 participants in each arm (text: n=9, voice: n=9). During phase I of the study, all 18 participants received reminders for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at preselected times. At the beginning of phase II, all participants were given the option to choose 3 times during the day to receive 3 times daily reminders to log their food intake for the remainder of the phase, with the ability to modify the selected times at any point before the end of the study. ResultsThe total number of distinct diet logging events per participant was 1.7 times higher in the voice arm than in the text arm (P=.03, unpaired t test). Similarly, the total number of active days per participant was 1.5 times higher in the voice arm than in the text arm (P=.04, unpaired t test). Furthermore, the text arm had a higher attrition rate than the voice arm, with only 1 participant dropping out of the study in the voice arm, while 5 participants dropped out in the text arm. ConclusionsThe results of this pilot study demonstrate the potential of voice technologies in automated diet capturing using smartphones. Our findings suggest that voice-based diet logging is more effective and better received by users compared to traditional text-based methods, underscoring the need for further research in this area. These insights carry significant implications for the development of more effective and accessible tools for monitoring dietary habits and promoting healthy lifestyle choices

A Participatory Design Process for Developing a Tool to Visualize Classroom Engagement

Research indicates that student engagement while learning is positively correlated with academic performance. This projects aims to design an affective computing system that uses physiological measures gathered via wrist worn sensors to understand student engagement in the classroom. To address any possible social, political, or psychological obstacles to adoption, we have been utilizing a participatory process to co-design a software-based tool to support teachers in visualizing engagement in the classroom. Two groups, consisting of teachers, principals, and administrators are collaborating in this research study. Our focus groups have been divided into three sessions, held with each group. During session one, we first introduced stakeholders to electrodermal activity (i.e., an increase or decrease in sweat) as a measure, as well as the sensors for its measurement. Next, we familiarized ourselves with ways in which the teachers try and understand student engagement in the classroom, and how they could imagine improving their strategies.During the second session, we presented the paper-based prototype and asked for feedback. Based on feedback, we have created a digital prototype that displays color coded engagement data, aligned with video of classroom instruction.We will be going back to the teachers, to continue to refine our design

Effects of viewing a preferred nature image and hearing preferred music on engagement, agitation, and mental status in persons with dementia

Background: The purpose of the described exploratory study was to test proactive strategies for enhancing engagement and cognitive ability while diminishing dementia-related disordered behaviors of those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Study participants resided in an Memory Care unit of an assisted living community. Method: The researchers measured the effects of exposure to music and nature images on engagement using the Individualized Dementia Engagement and Activities Scale tool, on cognitive ability using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and on agitation using the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory. Result: The within-subject study design revealed that use of both music and nature images hold promise for reducing undesirable behaviors and improving engagement of residents. Conclusion: The authors suggest caregivers for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias can effectively use nature images and music to improve engagement and reduce disordered behaviors, thus potentially enhancing quality of life for the care recipient as well as the caregiver while possibly reducing the costs of medications used to control dementia-related undesirable behaviors