Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Publication
- Publication Type
Articles 1 - 12 of 12
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Pulse - A Consultation, Barry J. Mauer
Pulse - A Consultation, Barry J. Mauer
Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works
On June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen killed 49 people and injured 53 at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. We may never know or understand what was in Mateen’s mind, but we can situate his attack within the history of eliminationism in America. Islamist terrorism is just part of a larger phenomenon: right wing eliminationism. But despite centuries of right wing eliminationist words and deeds in the U.S., there is little or no mainstream recognition of the phenomenon. Instead, we are treated to more denial, more distraction, more obfuscation. Until we look this problem squarely in the face, it will …
Gamification Of Visual Search In Real World Scenes, Alyssa Hess
Gamification Of Visual Search In Real World Scenes, Alyssa Hess
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Gamification, or the application of game-like features in non-game contexts, has been growing in popularity over the last five years. Specifically, the successful gamification of applications (such as Waze, Foursquare, and Fitocracy) has begun a spike in gamification of more complex tasks, such as learning to use AutoCAD or Photoshop. However, much is unknown about the psychological mapping of gamification or how it translates to behavioral outcomes. This dissertation aims to compare three distinct styles of gamification (avatars, points and feedback, and leaderboards) onto the three basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness). It will assess behavioral outcomes on a …
Examining Energetic And Structural Components Of Knowledge Of Result Using A Vigilance Paradigm, Nicholas Fraulini
Examining Energetic And Structural Components Of Knowledge Of Result Using A Vigilance Paradigm, Nicholas Fraulini
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Vigilance, or the ability to maintain attention to stimuli over a prolonged period of time (Davies & Parasuraman, 1982; Warm & Jerison, 1984), has been a troublesome research topic since World War II. Scientists have sought to counteract performance declines in vigilance tasks by training observers on these tasks. Though an extensive literature has been developed to examine the effectiveness of these techniques, the mechanisms by which many forms of vigilance training help performance are largely unknown. The present dissertation seeks to further the understanding of how two forms of training for vigilance, practice and knowledge of result, function to …
Examining The Role Of Cardiovascular And Cognitive Fitness In Goal-Directed Aiming Across The Lifespan, Michael Rupp
Examining The Role Of Cardiovascular And Cognitive Fitness In Goal-Directed Aiming Across The Lifespan, Michael Rupp
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Older adults experience more difficulties completing goal directed movements than younger adults. The reasons for this have not been completely elucidated within the research literature; however, it is thought that age related movement differences are due to at least one of three possible reasons. The current study investigated the influence of these three hypotheses: (1) biomechanical changes (limbs, joints, or muscles), (2) sensory feedback processing ability, or (3) differences in overall movement strategy on movement kinematics. Additionally, physical activi-ty is known to improve both physical and cognitive functioning and staying cognitively active may also attenuate age-related declines in cognitive ability; …
The Role Of Accounts And Apologies In Mitigating Blame Toward Human And Machine Agents, Kimberly Stowers
The Role Of Accounts And Apologies In Mitigating Blame Toward Human And Machine Agents, Kimberly Stowers
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Would you trust a machine to make life-or-death decisions about your health and safety? Machines today are capable of achieving much more than they could 30 years ago—and the same will be said for machines that exist 30 years from now. The rise of intelligence in machines has resulted in humans entrusting them with ever-increasing responsibility. With this has arisen the question of whether machines should be given equal responsibility to humans—or if humans will ever perceive machines as being accountable for such responsibility. For example, if an intelligent machine accidentally harms a person, should it be blamed for its …
Beyond Compliance: Examining The Role Of Motivation In Vigilance Performance, Alexis Neigel
Beyond Compliance: Examining The Role Of Motivation In Vigilance Performance, Alexis Neigel
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Vigilance, or sustained attention, is the capacity to attend to information for a prolonged period of time (Davies & Parasuraman, 1982; Jerison, 1970; Warm, 1977). Due to limitations of the human nervous system, as well as the environmental context, attention can begin to wane over time. This results in a phenomenon referred to as the vigilance decrement, or a decline in vigilance performance as a function of time. The vigilance decrement can manifest as poorer attention and is thusly associated with poor performance, which is defined behaviorally as more lapses in the detection of critical signals and an increase in …
Do Multiple Conditions Elicit The Visual Redundant Signals Effect In Simple Response Times?, Ada Mishler
Do Multiple Conditions Elicit The Visual Redundant Signals Effect In Simple Response Times?, Ada Mishler
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The redundant signals effect, or redundancy gain, is an increase in human processing efficiency when target redundancy is introduced into a display. An advantage for two visual signals over one has been found in a wide variety of speeded response time tasks, but does not always occur and may be weakened by some task parameters. These disparate results suggest that visual redundancy gain is not a unitary effect, but is instead based on different underlying mechanisms in different tasks. The current study synthesizes previous theories applied to redundancy gain into the three-conditions hypothesis, which states that visual redundancy gain depends …
Real Loneliness And Artificial Companionship: Looking For Social Connections In Technology, Fernando L. Montalvo
Real Loneliness And Artificial Companionship: Looking For Social Connections In Technology, Fernando L. Montalvo
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Loneliness among older adults is a problem with severe consequences to individual health, quality of life, cognitive capacity, and life-expectancy. Although approaches towards improving the quality and quantity of social relationships are the prevailing model of therapy, older adults may not always be able to form these relationships due to either personality factors, decreased mobility, or isolation. Intelligent personal assistants (IPAs), virtual agents, and social robotics offer an opportunity for the development of technology that could potentially serve as social companions to older adults. The present study explored whether an IPA could potentially be used as a social companion to …
Comparing Sexual Cognition And Risk By Gender, Jacquelynne Dauk
Comparing Sexual Cognition And Risk By Gender, Jacquelynne Dauk
Honors Undergraduate Theses
The ways in which sexuality is perceived among members of society has substantial effects in regards to overall health and well-being. The current study investigates not only the nature of sexual cognition but also the differences in cognition in regards to participant genders. More specifically, this study seeks to investigate the differences in sexual attitudes and thoughts among different genders that may lead to different forms of sexual risk. In order to identify these differences, societal influences such as social roles, parenting styles, and sexual education are all examined in regards to gender. Factors such as age and demographics were …
The Relationship Between Sleep, Working Memory, And Decision Making In Young And Old Adult Populations, Melissa G. Merz
The Relationship Between Sleep, Working Memory, And Decision Making In Young And Old Adult Populations, Melissa G. Merz
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Sleep is known to influence basic tasks concerning working memory, reaction time and executive functioning (Silva, Wang, Ronda, Wyatt, & Duffy, 2010; Nebes, Buysse, Halligan, Houck, & Monk, 2009). However, the amount that sleep influences these functions varies from study to study possibly due to differences in age and task design. Aim 1A of this study is to determine if sleep quality affects working memory. Aim 1B of this study is to determine if age affects sleep quality and working memory in comparison of young and old adult populations. Finally, Aim 2 of this study is to determine if there …
An Exploration Of The Feasibility Of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy As A Neurofeedback Cueing System For The Mitigation Of The Vigilance Decrement, Gabriella Hancock
An Exploration Of The Feasibility Of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy As A Neurofeedback Cueing System For The Mitigation Of The Vigilance Decrement, Gabriella Hancock
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Vigilance is the capacity for observers to maintain attention over extended periods of time, and has most often been operationalized as the ability to detect rare and critical signals (Davies & Parasuraman, 1982; Parasuraman, 1979; Warm, 1984). Humans, however, have natural physical and cognitive limitations that preclude successful long-term vigilance performance and consequently, without some means of assistance, failures in operator vigilance are likely to occur. Such a decline in monitoring performance over time has been a robust finding in vigilance experiments for decades and has been called the vigilance decrement function (Davies & Parasuraman, 1982; Mackworth, 1948). One of …
Testing Of Wrist-Worn-Fitness-Tracking Devices During Cognitive Stress: A Validation Study, Nicole S. Chudy
Testing Of Wrist-Worn-Fitness-Tracking Devices During Cognitive Stress: A Validation Study, Nicole S. Chudy
Honors Undergraduate Theses
The intent of this thesis was to test if one of the many fitness-tracking devices, Microsoft’s Band 2 (MSB2), is accurate and reliable in detecting changes in Heart Rate (HR) and R-R intervals, during the repeated trial of two conditions of a working-memory test known as the N-Back. A 2 (devices: ECG, MSB2) × 4 (epochs: baseline 1, 1-back task, baseline 2, 3-back task) repeated measures factorial design was conducted. The participants were simultaneously equipped to the MSB2 and an electrocardiogram (ECG). The results of this study validated the MSB2 for the use in a cognitive task. The study suggests …