Investigation of Chinese reading comprehension performance on mass rapid transit

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of display type, reading content, and background music on accuracy, change of critical fusion frequency (CFF) and subjective visual fatigue while performing a reading comprehension task on mass rapid transit (MRT). Thirty-two participants were recruited in a three-way mixed factorial experiment to investigate the influence of three types of display (liquid crystal display, electronic paper display, and plain paper), three types of reading content (science, literature, and magazine) and four types of background music (none, light music, pop music and heavy metal music). The results showed that display type was significant in all indices, where electronic paper displays and plain papers showed the better accuracy and lower change of CFF than liquid crystal displays. Plain papers demonstrated the lowest subjective visual fatigue. The results also indicated that reading content was significant on accuracy and subjective visual fatigue, where reading comprehension was better with magazines than with science- and literary-related texts. The results further demonstrated that background music was significant on subjective visual fatigue, where heavy metal music resulted in the greater visual fatigue than the three other kinds of music. Based on the results of this study, reading paper magazines and avoiding noisy music will lead to the lowest level of visual fatigue and, thus, enhance Chinese comprehension on MRT. Participants who are used to listening to music should be included as a test group in future studies.Relevance to industryThis study provides suggestions for using suitable displays while reading on MRT. This information could serve as a reference for mobile display manufacturers in designing their future products.     

The effect of stereoscopic viewing in a word‐search task with a layered background

Abstract— The benefits of stereoscopic viewing were explored in searching in words superimposed over a background. In the first experiment, eight participants searched for text in a normal 2‐D display, a 3‐D display using a parallax barrier, and a darkened 2‐D display of equivalent brightness to the 3‐D display. Word‐search performance was significantly faster for the bright 2‐D display vs. the 3‐D display, but when brightness was controlled, performance on the 3‐D display was better relative to the 2‐D (dim) display. In a second experiment, the effect of floating text vs. sinking background disparity was assessed across four background conditions. Twenty participants saw only the floating‐text (FT) condition and 20 participants saw only the sinking‐background (SB) condition. Performance of the SB group was significantly better than that of FT group, and the advantage of SB disparity was greater with the more‐complex backgrounds. Thus, when a parallax‐barrier 3‐D display is used to view text or other figural information overlaid on a background, it is proposed that the layer of primary interest (foreground) should be displayed with zero disparity (on the physical display surface) with the secondary layer (background) appearing to be sunk beneath that surface.     

Impact of background music on reaction test and visual pursuit test performance of introverts and extraverts

Previous research has found that the performance of introverts on complex cognitive tasks is more negatively affected by background music than that of extraverts. This study explored the impact of background music on cognitive performance by using the reaction test and the visual pursuit test of the Vienna Test System. A total of 15 introverts and 15 extraverts carried out the reaction test and visual pursuit test in silence and with the presence of background music. The results showed that there was significant interaction effect (Music*EPQ) on visual pursuit test performance. However, no significant interaction effect on reaction test performance was found. The visual pursuit test performance in silence was significantly higher than that in the presence of music. However, no significant difference was found in the results of the reaction test between the two conditions. Extraverts performed better than introverts on the visual pursuit test in the presence of music; but in silence, the performances of the two groups were the same. In traffic or sports area, the effects of background music on visual reaction and visual pursuit ability need to be paid more attention.     

Effects of an ontology display with history representation on organizational memory information systems

Ontologies, as a possible element of organizational memory information systems, appear to support organizational learning. Ontology tools can be used to share knowledge among the members of an organization. However, current ontology-viewing user interfaces of ontology tools do not fully support organizational learning, because most of them lack proper history representation in their display. In this study, a conceptual model was developed that emphasized the role of ontology in the organizational learning cycle and explored the integration of history representation in the ontology display. Based on the experimental results from a split-plot design with 30 participants, two conclusions were derived: first, appropriately selected history representations in the ontology display help users to identify changes in the ontologies; and second, compatibility between types of ontology display and history representation is more important than ontology display and history representation in themselves.     

Effects of an ontology display with history representation on organizational memory information systems

Ontologies, as a possible element of organizational memory information systems, appear to support organizational learning. Ontology tools can be used to share knowledge among the members of an organization. However, current ontology-viewing user interfaces of ontology tools do not fully support organizational learning, because most of them lack proper history representation in their display. In this study, a conceptual model was developed that emphasized the role of ontology in the organizational learning cycle and explored the integration of history representation in the ontology display. Based on the experimental results from a split-plot design with 30 participants, two conclusions were derived: first, appropriately selected history representations in the ontology display help users to identify changes in the ontologies; and second, compatibility between types of ontology display and history representation is more important than ontology display and history representation in themselves.     

FreesoundVR: soundscape composition in virtual reality using online sound repositories

Virtual Reality - The intersection between sound and music computing and Virtual Reality (VR) has grown significantly over the past decades, amounting to an established area of research today....     

The effects of background music on word processed writing

College students often listen to music while they use a computer. This experiment investigated whether background music disrupts their ability to word process fluently and effectively. Forty-five psychology undergraduates wrote brief expository essays. Background music significantly disrupted writing fluency (words generated per minute controlling for typing speed and including those words deleted before the final draft) even though no response to the music was required. Those with some musical training and high working memory span wrote better essays with longer sentences and were also more likely to pause at clause boundaries. Even unattended music places heavy demands on working memory and disrupts word processed writing.     

Effects of real‐time visual feedback on pre‐service teachers' singing

This pilot study focuses on the use real‐time visual feedback technology (VFT) in vocal training. The empirical research has two aims: to ascertain the effectiveness of the real‐time visual feedback software ‘Sing & See’ in the vocal training of pre‐service music teachers and the teachers' perspective on their experience with VFT. Forty participants from an undergraduate music teacher education programme were randomly assigned to three groups. The first two groups were assigned the teacher and student versions of Sing & See, respectively, and the third group served as a control group without access to the software. The experimental groups were given 12 weeks to use the software for vocal training on a self‐regulated basis. The technique of complex selections (TCS) was designed to assess the pitch accuracy and richness of vocal timbre. Pre‐ and post‐test singing tasks showed that the participants from the experimental groups significantly improved their vocal timbre. A questionnaire survey conducted after the training period found that most of the participants in the experimental s were positive about the effectiveness of VFT software in vocal training. As future leaders in the implementation of music education technology, pre‐service music teachers expressed a positive attitude towards the use of VFT as a technology‐enhanced learning (TEL) component in music education.     

PureMVC框架下的AR五线谱应用设计

针对五线谱与琴键间视觉属性不同、传统教学方式直观性有待提高的问题,利用PureMVC(一款基于MVC的开源框架)框架结合AR(Augmented Reality,增强现实)设计并实现五线谱教学应用。搭建UI界面引导逻辑,将高音谱表中五线谱与琴键间关系作为学习内容进行增强性显示;使用射线检测,实现人机交互;利用启发式评估法探究界面可用性,为增强现实在乐理教学领域的研究提供参考。     

增强现实技术综述

增强现实技术是将计算机渲染生成的虚拟场景与真实世界中的场景无缝融合起来的一种技术,它通过视频显示设备将虚实融合的场景呈现给用户,使人们与计算机之间的交互更加的自然,同时具有广泛的应用前景,因此成为近年来的一个研究热点。随着跟踪注册技术的进步、计算机性能的飞速发展、深度摄像机的普及,以及Light Field投影技术在增强现实中的应用,增强现实技术逐渐成为下一代人机交互的发展方向。该文章首先概述了增强现实的主要研究内容和发展情况,并详细介绍了增强现实的关键技术、开发工具,然后分类概述了增强现实应用案例。     

Mozart or metallica,who makes you more attractive? A mediated moderation test of music,gender, personality,and attractiveness in cyberspace

Computer-mediated communication environments such as personal websites enable users to use multimedia to construct their self-identities. How these multimedia elements in the cyberspace such as audios influence interpersonal impressions is somewhat unclear in the literature. Based on Brunswik’s lens model, this research aims to examine the impact of audio information on impression formation by testing: (a) how the background music of a personal website affects perceived attractiveness of the website owner and how gender moderates this effect, and (b) whether such an effect is mediated by perceived personality. A 2 × 2 full factorial experiment was conducted where participants (N = 122) were randomly assigned to view a cross-gender personal website with either classical or heavy metal background music. The experimental findings suggested a significant mediated moderation effect: gender moderated the relationship between music type and perceived attractiveness of the website owner such that male participants perceived the female website owner with classical background music as more attractive while female participants considered the male website owner with heavy metal background music to be more attractive, and this moderation was mediated by the website owner’s perceived agreeableness.     

基于网络的游戏型课件的设计与开发

游戏型课件是故事、艺术、音乐、声音效果、动画及程序设计技术的有机结合体,它以一种动态的、具有很强交互性的娱乐形式为载体,最终为学习者提供有趣的学习资源。本设计以寓教于乐的设计思想为知道,设计开发了一个基于网络的游戏型课件。     

The evaluation of visuospatial performance between screen and paper

This study evaluates the effect of presentation media (PC tablet versus pencil and paper) on the performance, level of visual fatigue, and subjective preference of those taking visuospatial tests. Fifty university students participated and performed three visuospatial short-term memory tests and three visuospatial ability tests by using both types of display media. The display medium substantially affected all of the measured variables (p < 0.01). On average, the paper–pencil test scores of the visuospatial short-term memory tests were about 10% higher and the answer time was about 20% shorter than those of the PC tablet tests. The average paper–pencil test score of the visuospatial ability tests was about 35% higher than the average test score of the PC tablet test. The visuospatial performance was substantially decreased under the PC tablet condition compared with that under the pencil–paper condition. In addition, visual fatigue was greater when participants used the PC tablet than when they used a pencil and paper.     

Controlling the slides: Does clicking help adults learn?

When utilizing screen media as an educational platform, maintaining control over one's experience may lead to more successful learning outcomes. In the current work, adults learned four new action sequences, each via a different slideshow type. The computer advanced slides automatically, but each version had a different pausing mechanism: (1) free pause (viewers could click the mouse at any point to pause the show), (2) subgoal pause (show paused after subgoals, viewer clicked to continue), (3) timed pause (show paused every 20 slides, viewer clicked to continue), and (4) no pause (no viewer interaction). Participants completed a written memory test, live performance test, cognitive load measures, and satisfaction measures. Results indicated that memory recall was significantly lower in the no pause version when compared to the versions with pause capability. Also, over half of participants reported that the no pause version was their least favorite format to learn from. Conversely, over half of participants selected the free pause as their favorite slideshow format, and participants reported that they felt most in control of the free pause version. These reports occurred in spite of only one-quarter of all participants actually using the click-to-pause feature in the free pause slideshow. Perhaps the mindset of being in control, rather than the pausing itself, increased likeability of the program. This research has implications for program design and education, pointing to flexible pacing features being helpful in enhancing users' enjoyment of the program and ability to extract novel information.     

Augmented places: An impact of embodied historical experience on attitudes towards places

AimThe purpose of this paper was to examine the possibility of using Augmented Reality to reduce memory-related ethnic bias towards places and to increase understanding of multicultural place meaning and change emotional attitudes towards historical sites.BackgroundTheoretical and empirical works suggest that the direct, embodied contact with place's history facilitates understanding of its past. Places which were deprived of historical continuity are less liked and threatened by ethnic bias in collective memory. AR technology gives a possibility of recreating past of such places and in a consequence tests an influence of experience of place's history on psychological aspects of the people-place relationship.MethodA between-subjects experiment was conducted, in which participants either walked with an AR application displaying historical photos in real environment or watched photos on computers. The chosen place was the former Jewish district in Warsaw, Poland.ResultsThe results of multiple regression analyses showed that the AR application can facilitate positive attitudes towards a place, reduce ethnic bias and enhance multicultural place meaning.ConclusionsWe argue that AR could be used as a method of reviving (multi)cultural heritage, but also as a tool of reducing prejudices and increasing openness to other cultures and traditions.     

Effects on driving performance of interacting with an in-vehicle music player: A comparison of three interface layout concepts for information presentation

Interface design is an important factor in assessing the potential effects on safety of interacting with an in-vehicle information system while driving. In the current study, the layout of information on a visual display was manipulated to explore its effect on driving performance in the context of music selection. The comparative effects of an auditory–verbal (cognitive) task were also explored. The driving performance of 30 participants was assessed under both baseline and dual task conditions using the Lane Change Test. Concurrent completion of the music selection task with driving resulted in significant impairment to lateral driving performance (mean lane deviation and percentage of correct lane changes) relative to the baseline, and significantly greater mean lane deviation relative to the combined driving and the cognitive task condition. The magnitude of these effects on driving performance was independent of layout concept, although significant differences in subjective workload estimates and performance on the music selection task across layout concepts highlights that potential uncertainty regarding design use as conveyed through layout concept could be disadvantageous. The implications of these results for interface design and safety are discussed.     

基于OpenInventor技术的虚拟展示商务系统设计及实现

随着网络时代宽带大规模应用的到来,市场对虚拟现实技术的需求十分迫切。OpenInventor是开发3D图形软件的强大工具,是实现虚拟现实的最佳选择之一。该文首先介绍了OpenInventor的背景及其体系结构,然后着重阐述了基于OpenInventor技术的虚拟展示商务系统的设计及其实现。     

Enhancing Musical Experience for the Hearing-Impaired Using Visual and Haptic Displays

This article addresses the broad question of understanding whether and how a combination of tactile and visual information could be used to enhance the experience of music by the hearing impaired. Initially, a background survey was conducted with hearing-impaired people to find out the techniques they used to “listen” to music and how their listening experience might be enhanced. Information obtained from this survey and feedback received from two profoundly deaf musicians were used to guide the initial concept of exploring haptic and visual channels to augment a musical experience.

The proposed solution consisted of a vibrating “Haptic Chair” and a computer display of informative visual effects. The Haptic Chair provided sensory input of vibrations via touch by amplifying vibrations produced by music. The visual display transcoded sequences of information about a piece of music into various visual sequences in real time. These visual sequences initially consisted of abstract animations corresponding to specific features of music such as beat, note onset, tonal context, and so forth. In addition, because most people with impaired hearing place emphasis on lip reading and body gestures to help understand speech and other social interactions, their experiences were explored when they were exposed to human gestures corresponding to musical input.

Rigorous user studies with hearing-impaired participants suggested that musical representation for the hearing impaired should focus on staying as close to the original as possible and is best accompanied by conveying the physics of the representation via an alternate channel of perception. All the hearing-impaired users preferred either the Haptic Chair alone or the Haptic Chair accompanied by a visual display. These results were further strengthened by the fact that user satisfaction was maintained even after continuous use of the system over a period of 3 weeks. One of the comments received from a profoundly deaf user when the Haptic Chair was no longer available (“I am going to be deaf again”), poignantly expressed the level of impact it had made.

The system described in this article has the potential to be a valuable aid in speech therapy, and a user study is being carried out to explore the effectiveness of the Haptic Chair for this purpose. It is also expected that the concepts presented in this paper would be useful in converting other types of environmental sounds into a visual display and/or a tactile input device that might, for example, enable a deaf person to hear a doorbell ring, footsteps approaching from behind, or a person calling him or her, or to make understanding conversations or watching television less stressful. Moreover, the prototype system could be used as an aid in learning to play a musical instrument or to sing in tune.

This research work has shown considerable potential in using existing technology to significantly change the way the deaf community experiences music. We believe the findings presented here will add to the knowledge base of researchers in the field of human–computer interaction interested in developing systems for the hearing impaired.     

Review visual attention and spatial memory in building inspection: Toward a cognition-driven information system

With the increasing complexity of modern buildings, it is becoming more challenging for the professionals in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry to effectively digest complex engineering and design information and develop an accurate spatial memory that is critical to their daily tasks. As emerging visualization technologies, such as Virtual Reality, are considered as a promising solution, there is a pressing need to understand the mechanism by which different information visualization methods affect AEC task performance. Cognition literature has discovered a strong relationship between attention and memory development, but little has been done to understand how the visual attention patterns during the design documents review affect the effectiveness of spatial memory in AEC tasks. To fill the knowledge gap, this paper presents a human-subject experiment (n = 63) to test how spatial knowledge is acquired in a building inspection task and how the different visual attention patterns affect the development of spatial memory. Participants were asked to review the design information of a real building on campus. To trigger different attention patterns, they were randomly assigned to one of the three groups based on the forms of information given in the review session, including 2D, 3D, and VR groups. After a brief review session, participants were asked to go to the real building to identify discrepancies (based on memory) that were intentionally inserted by the authors. The inspection performance was used to evaluate the spatial memory development. The results indicate that in general there is a positive relationship between test subjects’ visual attention (fixation time) and spatial memory, but the increasing rate varies across the three groups, suggesting that visual context plays a critical role in the development efficiency of spatial memory. The findings also indicate that the visual attention – spatial memory relationship may be mediated by the use of different spatial knowledge acquisition strategies. This study is expected to contribute to the construction information technology literature by setting the cornerstone of a cognition-driven information system that tailors into the spatial cognitive process of AEC professionals.     

Effects of music tempo and task difficulty on multi-attribute decision-making: An eye-tracking approach

This study examined the effects of music tempo and task difficulty on the performance of multi-attribute decision-making according two alternative perspectives: background music as the arousal inducer vs. the distractor. An eye-tracking based experiment was conducted. Our results supported the arousal inducer perspective that, with the same level of decision time, participants made decisions more accurately with the presentation of faster than slower tempo music. Further, faster tempo music was found to improve the accuracy of harder decision-making only, not that of easier decision-making. More interestingly, our exploratory analysis on eye fixations found the occurrence of adaptive behavior, namely, that the search pattern of participants became more intra-dimensional under the faster tempo music as compared with the slower tempo music.