Using Debated Definitions of Affordances for A Qualitative Discussion of Campus Affordances

The goal of human factors is to examine and improve the relationship between individuals and their environment. This presentation will be a qualitative review and discussion of everyday environmental cues and affordances located around the University of Central Florida campus. The goal will be to discuss the relationship between the design of perceptual affordances and the user’s interpretation of the object\u27s intention. In general, affordances explain how perception guides an individual to respond to an object or situation. The theory of affordances is widely debated in the literature. As a result, two definitions of affordances will be compared and contrasted. The main arguments of interest are the classic approach to affordances (Gibson, 1977) and the modern approach (Stoffregen, 2003). Gibson coined the term “affordances” and argued that objects have action potential with an inherent meaning and that the environment offers something to the person. Stoffregen, on the other hand, has argued that there are emergent properties in the human-environment system that result in behavior and that objects have no inherent meaning. Examples of affordances will be explained, compared, and contrasted under both viewpoints. Additionally, several examples of campus affordances will be shown that demonstrate good and poor design. The design aspect of affordances will be examined with Norman’s (1988, 1999, 2002) approach. Norman referred to affordances as “perceived affordances” and argued that the designer of objects concerns himself and controls the perceived affordances of the system. Norman urged for the usability of objects, including objects that have never been seen before by the user. Suggestions for design improvement will be discussed. Overall, the environment may be designed in ways that afford certain actions, but it is up to the individual to perceive the environmental cue and the intended action. I will argue that the intended action should be evident to the individual and if what the user perceives and what the designer intended mismatch, this can result in poor design. In summation, this presentation will review the debates about defining an affordance, provide examples of affordances from the University of Central Florida campus and how these definitions would vary in describing objects, and make an argument about the design and usability of the objects

Problematic Texting Behavior: A Look at Individual Differences

Problematic Texting Behavior: A Look at Individual Differences Bradford L. Schroeder & Valerie K. Sims University of Central Florida Text messaging (“texting”) is a communicative social behavior which is the most preferred form of social interaction among young adults (e.g., Harley et al., 2007; Haste, 2005; Lister, 2010; Sierkowski & Wood, 2011). Perhaps the greatest appeal of texting is its convenience – it is easily possible to communicate with anyone, regardless of either party’s location. However, the convenience of texting has opened a door to an important safety issue: texting while driving. The context of safety has been a prime focus for much of the recent research on texting (e.g., Drews, Yazdani, Godfrey, Cooper, & Strayer, 2009), but less attention has been focused on the consequences of other kinds of problematic texting. Although the safety implications of texting and driving are apparent, other texting behaviors may lead to adverse social, physical, health, or interpersonal consequences. Due to these potential effects, there is a need for other types of problematic texting to be better researched. In this study, we examined a variety of problematic texting behaviors in addition to those related to texting and driving, and analyzed them in the context of individual differences such as personality, need for cognition, and age. Previous work has minimally examined texting and individual differences, and because of this, the present findings are largely exploratory in nature. We argue that, to better understand a common and complex behavior such as texting, the relationships among texting behaviors and individual differences must be explored. Because young adults aged 18-25 tend to text most frequently (Ling, 2010), we surveyed 242 (55% female) undergraduate college students’ texting habits. In addition, we collected their responses to examine individual differences in age, gender, personality, and need for cognition. Generally, age showed a negative association with most of the problematic texting habits we measured, most notably texting in class, texting while walking, and texting to cheat on assignments. As compared to females, males tended to report higher rates of texting when in their vehicle (but not while driving), when bored, to send sexual messages (“sexting”), or to threaten others. Extraversion was generally positively associated with texting while driving, and neuroticism was positively associated with various socially problematic texting behaviors (such as during face-to-face conversations). These two dimensions of personality have been shown to be related to the types of text messages people send (Holtgraves, 2014). Need for cognition was negatively associated with a majority of the socially problematic texting behaviors we examined. Given that texting is more than just a social behavior, this study extends the previous research on texting with a look at less well-researched texting behaviors from an individual differences perspective. In addition to individual differences, these behaviors were examined in terms of participant endorsement rate. Participants showed high endorsement rates for dangerous behaviors, such as texting in the car when in traffic (65%), or while walking alone (89%). Further results and implications for human factors and future research are discussed

Middle Schoolers’ Texting Behaviors: A look at Individual Differences and Parental Attachment

The present study was conducted to assess individual differences in middle schoolers’ texting behaviors. Individual difference variables of interest were attachment to parents, gender, and age. Participants were recruited from a public middle school in Florida, and received permission from their parents to participate in this study. Once they provided their assent, they completed several self-reports which assessed the frequency and endorsement of texting behaviors, and their attachment to parents. The texting scale that was included for this study is based on a six sub-type texting scale which was normed on multiple groups of college students in Florida and derived from factor analyses. This scale included sub-types which were not relevant to middle school students (e.g., middle schoolers cannot drive, so questions specific to texting and driving were not included). For this study, the four relevant sub-types were included: (1) Social Connection Texting – texting to socially connect with others (2) Escapist Texting – texting to withdraw from the current environment or social situations, (3) Distracted Texting – texting in environments which distracts the user or others around them, (4) Audacious Texting – texting without regard for social or sexual norms which may be perceived as rude or aggressive. The attachment scale included questions that assess the degree to which participants show mutual trust with their parents and quality communication with parents, but also the degree to which they feel resentment or alienation from their parents. Also, participants were asked about their attitudes regarding parental influence on their technology habits, for example, “My parents ask to see my text messages,” or “If my parents read my text messages, I do not like it.” All research was conducted on-site at the middle school, so as to ensure that parental influence on participant responses was minimal. Results generally indicated that, as middle schoolers felt angrier with or alienated from their parents, they tended to text more across all four sub-types of texting that we measured. Additionally, students who did not like that their parents read their text messages reported higher frequency texting across all four sub-types of texting. Furthermore, female participants, and those higher in class rank (e.g., 8th grade) showed more frequent texting in general. Further analyses indicate that gender was a significant moderator variable for grade level, such that those who were female and higher in class rank tended to report disproportionately high texting frequencies as compared to the rest of the sample. These results provide a glimpse into an under-studied population, with most research gravitating toward problematic topics such as sexting and cyberbullying. Additionally, moderation analyses reveal some distinction among the four sub-types of texting with respect to individual differences, parent attachment, and attitudes toward parental involvement in technology use. Future research may seek to examine these differences in young populations with respect to other kinds of technology, such as video game play or social media use. In sum, this study supports the notion that technology behaviors reveal underlying psychological differences

Testing Modality Affects Performance on the Santa Barbara Solids Test

Spatial ability is associated with performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and has been used to predict the likelihood of success in these fields (Wai, Lubinski, & Benbow, 2009). Classically, spatial ability has been assessed by tests that measure general factors of spatial ability. However, these factors may be limited in that they were not developed with individual differences or cognitive theories in mind (Cohen & Hegarty, 2012). Although traditional measures of spatial ability give insight into a person’s general spatial processing, Cohen and Hegarty (2012) point out the need for theoretically motivated spatial ability tests that specifically relate to STEM performance. There are numerous spatial ability measures in use by researchers, yet there is a need for reliable and valid spatial ability measures that are directly applicable to STEM fields. One new measure of spatial ability developed theoretically with individual differences in mind is the Santa Barbara Solids Test (SBST; Cohen & Hegarty, 2012). In the SBST, participants must imagine what the bisection of three-dimensional forms will be when cut by a two-dimensional plane. This bisection can be horizontal, vertical, or oblique, and the shape can be a simple or complex three-dimensional form. The spatial skills involved in imagining a cross-section of a form have been linked with performance in STEM courses, such as anatomy (Rochford, 1985), biology (Russell-Gebbett, 1985), geology (Kali & Orion, 1996), geometry (Pittalis & Christou, 2010), engineering (Duesbury & O’Neil, 1996), and skills such as reading x-rays and MRIs (Hegarty, Keehner, Cohen, Montello, & Lippa, 2007). The SBST has been validated with undergraduate students with a range of spatial ability scores (Cohen & Hegarty, 2012), but additional studies of the SBST are needed to replicate and expand on the findings of this promising new measure. For example, it is important to determine the effects of testing modality on performance to highlight a potential confound in future spatial ability studies. Although computerized assessments are common and offer many conveniences (e.g., fast scoring, fewer resources) compared to other testing modalities (e.g., paper-based testing), participants may experience higher perceived workload in computer-based assessments (Mayes, Sims, & Koonce, 2001) or perform differently on the same test in another modality (c.f. Noyes & Garland, 2008). The current study (n = 241) compares the SBST with a traditional measure of spatial ability, the Paper Folding Test (PFT; Ekstrom, French, Harman, & Dermen, 1976), in two testing modalities: 1) computer-based, and 2) paper-based. Results showed there was a correlation between the spatial ability measures, indicating both were tapping the same underlying construct. There was not a difference in performance between testing modalities for the PFT. However, there was a difference in performance based on testing modality for the SBST such that participants in the paper-based condition performed better than those in the computerized condition. The implications of these results are that testing modality should be a consideration for future studies involving the SBST

Characterisation of the Stromal Microenvironment in Lobular Breast Cancer

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Invasive lobular breast cancer (ILC) accounts for approximately 5–15% of breast cancers, and although response rates to treatments are initially good, an ILC diagnosis is associated with adverse long-term outcomes; better treatments, specifically targeted to this sub-type of breast cancer, are required to improve patient survival. The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role in determining how cancers respond to treatment, and in this study, we carried out an in-depth analysis of the TME in ILC following laser-capture microdissection of the tumor stroma, and analysis of primary cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which comprise the majority of non-malignant cells within tumors. This identified changes in genes involved in regulation of the extracellular matrix and also growth factor signaling pathways that were differentially regulated in ILC. Further analysis of breast cancer datasets showed that two of these genes which encode a secreted metalloproteinase (PAPPA) and a metalloproteinase inhibitor (TIMP2) were associated with survival outcomes in ILC. ABSTRACT: Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the second most common histological subtype of breast cancer, and it exhibits a number of clinico-pathological characteristics distinct from the more common invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). We set out to identify alterations in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of ILC. We used laser-capture microdissection to separate tumor epithelium from stroma in 23 ER+ ILC primary tumors. Gene expression analysis identified 45 genes involved in regulation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) that were enriched in the non-immune stroma of ILC, but not in non-immune stroma from ER+ IDC or normal breast. Of these, 10 were expressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and were increased in ILC compared to IDC in bulk gene expression datasets, with PAPPA and TIMP2 being associated with better survival in ILC but not IDC. PAPPA, a gene involved in IGF-1 signaling, was the most enriched in the stroma compared to the tumor epithelial compartment in ILC. Analysis of PAPPA- and IGF1-associated genes identified a paracrine signaling pathway, and active PAPP-A was shown to be secreted from primary CAFs. This is the first study to demonstrate molecular differences in the TME between ILC and IDC identifying differences in matrix organization and growth factor signaling pathways

The Effects Of Anxiety And Seductive Details On Cognitive Load And Learning

This research seeks to understand the interaction between anxiety, seductive details, cognitive load, and learning. Research investigating the seductive details effect in learning and anxiety with relation to cognitive load has not reached a consistent conclusion. Additionally, to our knowledge, no previous study has looked at the relationship between anxiety and seductive details. Ninety five college students read a passage about lightning formation either with negative seductive details, neutral seductive details, or no seductive details. Learning performance was measured with transfer and retention tests, and cognitive load was measured by using NASA Task Load Index. The results indicated helpful effects of negative but not neutral seductive details on problem-solving test for individuals with higher fear from storms. Results showed no meaningful relationships between the seductive details effect, cognitive load, and learning performance. Anxiety producing information, in small amounts, can benefit higher order cognitive processing

Responsiveness And Perceived Intelligence As Predictors Of Speech Addressed To Cats

Speech addressed to a cat was examined to test whether the use of child-directed language (CDL) with a companion animal is related to perceived intelligence of a listener and/or listener responsiveness. Fifty-one undergraduates briefly entertained a cat using a toy, and the vast majority of these participants spoke to the animal. The language used was similar to CDL, and two aspects of this language (number of questions and attribution of thoughts to the animal) were positively related to ratings of the animal\u27s intelligence. The cat\u27s responsiveness, as measured by time spent in proximity of the participant during the interaction, was not strongly correlated with measures of speech use. The results suggest that speech used with companion animals follows a model in which the human first perceives a social interaction, and therefore uses speech. This speech is then modified, based on the perceived comprehension of the listener, regardless of who this listener may be. © 2002 International Society for Anthrozoology

The Mental Rotation Of Objects Presented In An Underwater Environment

Fifty-Six undergraduates completed a series of mental rotation exercises involving levels of underwater spatial mental model activation. The mental rotation exercises were performed after achieving ninety percent accuracy on a brief training exercise. It tested whether underwater experience had an effect on mental rotation performance. Same/different responses were measured using reaction time and accuracy. Results indicated differences based on background, stimulus type, position, and or gender. Future studies will explore types of training to alleviate the differences found in the current study. Copyright 2010 by Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Inc. All rights reserved