Perceiving facial expression from varying face orientations: an eye-tracking study

We frequently encounter expressive faces from different viewing angles; invariant expression perception would be to our advantage in social interactions. Previous research is inconsistent about how face orientation affects expression categorization. It is also unknown how gaze behaviour accommodates this variable given diagnostic cues from local facial features for decoding expressions tend to vary with orientation. Here we manipulated orientation of faces (frontal, three-quarter and profile view) displaying six basic facial expressions of emotion, and measured participants’ expression categorization accuracy, perceived expression intensity and associated gaze patterns. The analysis of pooled data from all expressions showed that profile faces led to lower categorization accuracy and attracted fewer but longer fixations. The detailed gaze distribution at eyes, nose and mouth regions were also manipulated by face orientation, in line with the amount of available cues from a given feature at a given orientation. Further comparison between individual expressions revealed these orientation-induced perceptual and gaze behavioural changes were expressionspecific. The perceived expression intensity was affected by face orientation, even for those expressions with invariant categorization accuracy. The results suggest face orientation-invariant expression perception is categorical and is restricted to those expressions displaying expressive cues dominantly through eyes and/or mouth region

Determining typical smartphone usage:What data do we need?

Problematic smartphone use is an emerging issue in behavioural addiction research. At the same time, measuring smartphone use with mobile apps has become increasingly common. However, understanding how much data is necessary requires careful consideration if the field is to move forward. Here, we examine how much time should be spent measuring mobile phone operation in order to reliably infer general patterns of usage and repetitive checking behaviours. In a second analysis, we consider whether a self-report measure of problematic smartphone use is associated with real-time patterns of use. Results suggest that smartphone usage collected for a minimum of five days will reflect typical weekly usage (in hours), but habitual checking behaviours (uses lasting less than 15 seconds) can be reliably inferred within two days. These measurements did not reliably correlate with a self-reported measure. We conclude that patterns of smartphone use are repetitive and our results suggest that checking behaviour is a particularly consistent and efficient measure when quantifying typical and problematic smartphone usage

Examining individual differences through ‘everyday’ smartphone behaviours: Exploring theories and methods.

The mass adoption of digital technologies has instigated a transition whereby people are no longer ‘independent organic actors’ in society but have amalgamated with the technology they use on a daily basis. Consequently, people leave behind a ‘digital fingerprint’ whenever they use technologies such as smartphones, and the qualities of this trace can predict a variety of characteristics about the user. In this thesis, I explore how individual differences such as personality, demographics, and health relate to directly observable smartphone behaviours, that are logged ‘in situ’ via software installed on the device itself. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach between psychology and computer science, this thesis primarily considers the theoretical (chapter two), ethical (chapter three) and methodological (chapter four) underpinnings required to explore these human-smartphone relationships. Notably, traces of use do not have to be complex, as meta-data such as the smartphone operating system a person uses can reveal information regarding a user’s personality, as long as there is trace-to-trait relevance. Findings from chapters five and six also reveal that some individual differences can be better predicted from objective smartphone use than others. For example, age and gender can be discerned from smartphone usage logs whereas, mental health variables only had small positive correlations with smartphone screen time. However, an important contribution of this thesis resides in its methodological considerations, as self-reports of technology use can impact the relationships with individual differences and cannot be used as a substitute for objective logs. All the above has applied implications for security and health, which can benefit from the ability to infer characteristics about people, when self-reports are arduous, unfeasible or lack scientific rigour

Do smartphone usage scales predict behavior?

Understanding how people use technology remains important, particularly when measuring the impact this might have on individuals and society. However, despite a growing body of resources that can quantify smartphone use, research within psychology and social science overwhelmingly relies on self-reported assessments. These have yet to convincingly demonstrate an ability to predict objective behavior. Here, and for the first time, we compare a variety of smartphone use and ‘addiction’ scales with objective behaviors derived from Apple’s Screen Time application. While correlations between psychometric scales and objective behavior are generally poor, single estimates and measures that attempt to frame technology use as habitual rather than ‘addictive’ correlate more favorably with subsequent behavior. We conclude that existing self-report instruments are unlikely to be sensitive enough to accurately predict basic technology use related behaviors. As a result, conclusions regarding the psychological impact of technology are unreliable when relying solely on these measures to quantify typical usage

Promoting Economic Development with Tourism in Rural Communities: Destination Image and Motivation to Return or Recommend

Improving tourism is one means Extension professionals and other community stakeholders can use to build rural economic resiliency. The research reported in this article evaluates what motivates tourists to visit and how they perceive of Wisconsin\u27s Kickapoo Valley as a destination. Data are drawn from surveys collected from out-of-town visitors. Results show the motivation to find excitement and adventure, the perception that the area is clean and hospitable, and whether visitors have been to the area more than once significantly affect their likelihood of returning to or recommending the area. Recommendations for how Extension professionals might use these findings are discussed

Moderators of two Indicated Cognitive-Behavioral Depression Prevention Approaches for Adolescents in a School-Based Effectiveness Trial

Objective: Our aim was to identify moderators of the effects of a cognitive behavioral group-based prevention program (CB group) and CB bibliotherapy, relative to an educational brochure control condition and to one another, in a school-based effectiveness randomized controlled prevention trial. Method: 378 adolescents (M age ¼ 15.5, 68% female) with elevated depressive symptoms were randomized in one of three conditions and were assessed at pretest, posttest, and 6-month follow-up. We tested the moderating effect of three individual (baseline depressive symptoms, negative attributional style, substance use), three environmental (negative life events, parental support, peer support), and two sociodemographic (sex, age) characteristics. Results: Baseline depressive symptoms interacted with condition and time. Decomposition indicated that elevated baseline depressive symptoms amplified the effect of CB bibliotherapy at posttest (but not 6-month follow-up) relative to the control condition, but did not modify the effect of CB group relative to the control condition or relative to bibliotherapy. Specifically, CB bibliotherapy resulted in lower posttest depressive symptoms than the control condition in individuals with elevated, but not average or low baseline symptoms. We found no interaction effect for other putative moderators. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that bibliotherapy is effective only in participants who have elevated depressive symptoms at baseline. The fact that no study variable moderated the effects of CB group, which had a significant main effect in reducing depressive symptoms relative to the control condition, suggests that this indicated prevention intervention is effective for a wide range of adolescents

A Concept Analysis Relating to the Concept of Autonomy of Older People in Acute Care.

Despite living in an ageing population, ageist attitudes towards older people are common in society and even amongst those working in healthcare settings. Many Government policies and professional publications express the importance of older people’s right to autonomy; however this is as highly ambiguous concept. There also appears to be a paucity of evidence relating to the autonomy of this patient group in acute care. As such, this concept analysis aims to explore the concept of autonomy in adults aged over 65 in acute care in order to identify the defining attributes of autonomy, and determine a current definition of the concept in order to usefully inform practice. A range of sources were accessed including health and social care databases, internet sources, newspapers, television and books in order to identify all uses of the concept. From these sources the defining attributes of decision-making, the provision of information and choice were identified. It was discovered that when autonomy is present, individuals experience a greater sense of well-being, feel more empowered and enabled to provide informed consent and consequently care is patient-focused. In order for there to be autonomy in this particular patient group there needs to be a need to make a decision as an inpatient in acute care, the patient needs to participate in the decision-making process with individuality and freedom from coercion or restraint. It is also imperative that patients are listened to and their voice is heard. An awareness of what must and must not exist in order for patients to be autonomous is essential in helping nurses promote autonomy, recognise its existence and communicate effectively with others regarding the concept. A greater, and more consistent, understanding of the concept also gives meaning to policies and guidelines that express the importance of autonomy

Predicting smartphone operating system from personality and individual differences

Android and iPhone devices account for over 90% of all smartphones sold world-wide. Despite being very similar in functionality, current discourse and marketing campaigns suggest that key individual differences exist between users of these two devices; however, this has never been investigated empirically. This is surprising, as smartphones continue to gain momentum across a variety of research disciplines. In this paper we consider if individual differences exist between these two distinct groups. In comparison to Android users, we found that iPhone owners are more likely to be female, younger, and increasingly concerned about their smartphone being viewed as a status object. Key differences in personality were also observed with iPhone users displaying lower levels of honesty-humility and higher levels of emotionality. Following this analysis, we were also able to build and test a model that predicted smartphone ownership at above chance level based on these individual differences. In line with extended self theory, the type of smartphone owned provides some valuable information about its owner. These findings have implications for the increasing use of smartphones within research particularly for those working within Computational Social Science and PsychoInformatics, where data is typically collected from devices and applications running a single smartphone operating system