Learning a second language (L2) presents a significant challenge to many people in adulthood. Pla... more Learning a second language (L2) presents a significant challenge to many people in adulthood. Platforms for effective L2 instruction have been developed in both academia and the industry. While real-life (RL) immersion is often lauded as a particularly effective L2 learning platform, little is known about the features of immersive contexts that contribute to the L2 learning process. Immersive virtual reality (iVR) offers a flexible platform to simulate an RL immersive learning situation, while allowing the researcher to have tight experimental control for stimulus delivery and learner interaction with the environment. Using a mixed counterbalanced design, the current study examines individual differences in L2 performance during learning of 60 Mandarin Chinese words across two learning sessions, with each participant learning 30 words in iVR and 30 words via word-word (WW) paired association. Behavioral performance was collected immediately after L2 learning via an alternative forced-choice recognition task. Our results indicate a main effect of L2 learning context, such that accuracy on trials learned via iVR was significantly higher as compared to trials learned in the WW condition. These effects are reflected especially in the differential effects of learning contexts, in that less successful learners show a significant benefit of iVR instruction as compared to WW, whereas successful learners do not show a significant benefit of either learning condition. Our findings have broad implications for L2 education, particularly for those who struggle in learning an L2.
ABSTRACT: Technologies for capturing large amounts of real-time and high-detail data about the en... more ABSTRACT: Technologies for capturing large amounts of real-time and high-detail data about the environment have advanced rapidly; our ability to use this data for understanding the monitored settings for decision-making has not. Visual analytics, creating suitable tools and interfaces that combine computational powers with the human's capabilities for visual sense making, is a promising approach.
Immersive technologies are now enabling better and more affordable immersive experiences, offerin... more Immersive technologies are now enabling better and more affordable immersive experiences, offering the opportunity to revisit their use in the architectural and landscape studio to gain site information. Considering when travel to a site is limited or not possible, immersive experiences can help with conveying site information by overcoming issues faced in earlier virtual studios. We focused on developing three applications to understand the workflow for incorporating site information to generate an immersive site experience. The applications were implemented in a semester-long joint architecture and landscape architecture studio focused on remotely designing for the Santa Marta informal settlement in Rio, Brazil. Preliminary results of implementing the applications indicate a positive outlook towards using immersive experiences for site information particularly when a site is remote.
Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Oct 1, 2012
ABSTRACT Topology is the most commonly used spatial construct to bridge the gap between formal sp... more ABSTRACT Topology is the most commonly used spatial construct to bridge the gap between formal spatial information theory and systems on the one side and (human) spatial cognition and thinking on the other. To this end, we find topological calculi in virtually all research areas pertinent to spatial information science such as ontological modeling, geographic information retrieval, or image analysis and classification. Manifold behavioral experiments have been conducted to assess the cognitive adequacy of topological calculi with varying results. Our contribution here is unique for two reasons: first, we are addressing, behaviorally, the role of topology in the crucial area of spatio-temporal information; second, we are evaluating the role of topology across different semantic domains. We report five experiments that were conducted in the framework we developed (Klippel and Li 2009), which combines critical constructs from spatial information theory and cognitive science. Topologically equivalent movement patterns were specified across five domains using paths through a conceptual neighborhood graph. This approach allows us to disentangle the role of topology from the influence of semantic context. The results show that topology plays an important yet not semantic-independent role in characterizing the cognitive conceptualization of geographic events.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 15420353 2011 622456, Jan 12, 2012
ABSTRACT The main library at the authors’ university campus, with its large size and multiple-lev... more ABSTRACT The main library at the authors’ university campus, with its large size and multiple-level structures, is challenging for patrons to navigate. Requests for directions are among the most frequently posed questions at help desks in this library. As a first step toward improving wayfinding aids, such as maps or signs, we took a spatial science perspective of combining spatial and behavioral approaches to reveal objectively areas where wayfinding problems occur. To this end, we employed formal spatial descriptions of the environment addressing visibility, layout complexity, and connectivity. The term coined in the literature for these methods is “space syntax.” Additionally, we used a behavioral approach to investigate actual wayfinding behaviors of library patrons and compared these behaviors with the results of the space syntax analysis. The results show that a building's layout complexity and visual access potentially predicts how well patrons find their goals (books and other materials). Other aspects such as signs or individual characteristics of patrons were also found to play a role in understanding human wayfinding performance. The goal of this study was to broadly explore wayfinding problems in relation to the environment and to individual characteristics of patrons, such as their familiarity and sense of direction. Our approach introduces an objective perspective to assess wayfinding problems in libraries. Thereby, it provides potentially valuable information for library administrators towards the improvement of the design of library wayfinding systems.
Page 1. Maps versus Sketches Alexander Klippel, Thomas Barkowsky and Christian Freksa fklippel, b... more Page 1. Maps versus Sketches Alexander Klippel, Thomas Barkowsky and Christian Freksa fklippel, barkowsky, freksag@informatik.uni-hamburg.de ... 35-55 Berendt, B., Barkowsky, T., Freksa, C. and Kelter, S. (1998): Spatial representation with aspect maps. ...
9th IEEE International Conference on Cognitive Informatics (ICCI'10), 2010
... research. The improvement of measuring landmark saliency serves an important role of providin... more ... research. The improvement of measuring landmark saliency serves an important role of providing insights on how environments can be differentiated by salientlandmarks and providing fuller account of legibility. The inclusion ...
Learning a second language (L2) presents a significant challenge to many people in adulthood. Pla... more Learning a second language (L2) presents a significant challenge to many people in adulthood. Platforms for effective L2 instruction have been developed in both academia and the industry. While real-life (RL) immersion is often lauded as a particularly effective L2 learning platform, little is known about the features of immersive contexts that contribute to the L2 learning process. Immersive virtual reality (iVR) offers a flexible platform to simulate an RL immersive learning situation, while allowing the researcher to have tight experimental control for stimulus delivery and learner interaction with the environment. Using a mixed counterbalanced design, the current study examines individual differences in L2 performance during learning of 60 Mandarin Chinese words across two learning sessions, with each participant learning 30 words in iVR and 30 words via word-word (WW) paired association. Behavioral performance was collected immediately after L2 learning via an alternative forced-choice recognition task. Our results indicate a main effect of L2 learning context, such that accuracy on trials learned via iVR was significantly higher as compared to trials learned in the WW condition. These effects are reflected especially in the differential effects of learning contexts, in that less successful learners show a significant benefit of iVR instruction as compared to WW, whereas successful learners do not show a significant benefit of either learning condition. Our findings have broad implications for L2 education, particularly for those who struggle in learning an L2.
ABSTRACT: Technologies for capturing large amounts of real-time and high-detail data about the en... more ABSTRACT: Technologies for capturing large amounts of real-time and high-detail data about the environment have advanced rapidly; our ability to use this data for understanding the monitored settings for decision-making has not. Visual analytics, creating suitable tools and interfaces that combine computational powers with the human's capabilities for visual sense making, is a promising approach.
Immersive technologies are now enabling better and more affordable immersive experiences, offerin... more Immersive technologies are now enabling better and more affordable immersive experiences, offering the opportunity to revisit their use in the architectural and landscape studio to gain site information. Considering when travel to a site is limited or not possible, immersive experiences can help with conveying site information by overcoming issues faced in earlier virtual studios. We focused on developing three applications to understand the workflow for incorporating site information to generate an immersive site experience. The applications were implemented in a semester-long joint architecture and landscape architecture studio focused on remotely designing for the Santa Marta informal settlement in Rio, Brazil. Preliminary results of implementing the applications indicate a positive outlook towards using immersive experiences for site information particularly when a site is remote.
Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Oct 1, 2012
ABSTRACT Topology is the most commonly used spatial construct to bridge the gap between formal sp... more ABSTRACT Topology is the most commonly used spatial construct to bridge the gap between formal spatial information theory and systems on the one side and (human) spatial cognition and thinking on the other. To this end, we find topological calculi in virtually all research areas pertinent to spatial information science such as ontological modeling, geographic information retrieval, or image analysis and classification. Manifold behavioral experiments have been conducted to assess the cognitive adequacy of topological calculi with varying results. Our contribution here is unique for two reasons: first, we are addressing, behaviorally, the role of topology in the crucial area of spatio-temporal information; second, we are evaluating the role of topology across different semantic domains. We report five experiments that were conducted in the framework we developed (Klippel and Li 2009), which combines critical constructs from spatial information theory and cognitive science. Topologically equivalent movement patterns were specified across five domains using paths through a conceptual neighborhood graph. This approach allows us to disentangle the role of topology from the influence of semantic context. The results show that topology plays an important yet not semantic-independent role in characterizing the cognitive conceptualization of geographic events.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 15420353 2011 622456, Jan 12, 2012
ABSTRACT The main library at the authors’ university campus, with its large size and multiple-lev... more ABSTRACT The main library at the authors’ university campus, with its large size and multiple-level structures, is challenging for patrons to navigate. Requests for directions are among the most frequently posed questions at help desks in this library. As a first step toward improving wayfinding aids, such as maps or signs, we took a spatial science perspective of combining spatial and behavioral approaches to reveal objectively areas where wayfinding problems occur. To this end, we employed formal spatial descriptions of the environment addressing visibility, layout complexity, and connectivity. The term coined in the literature for these methods is “space syntax.” Additionally, we used a behavioral approach to investigate actual wayfinding behaviors of library patrons and compared these behaviors with the results of the space syntax analysis. The results show that a building's layout complexity and visual access potentially predicts how well patrons find their goals (books and other materials). Other aspects such as signs or individual characteristics of patrons were also found to play a role in understanding human wayfinding performance. The goal of this study was to broadly explore wayfinding problems in relation to the environment and to individual characteristics of patrons, such as their familiarity and sense of direction. Our approach introduces an objective perspective to assess wayfinding problems in libraries. Thereby, it provides potentially valuable information for library administrators towards the improvement of the design of library wayfinding systems.
Page 1. Maps versus Sketches Alexander Klippel, Thomas Barkowsky and Christian Freksa fklippel, b... more Page 1. Maps versus Sketches Alexander Klippel, Thomas Barkowsky and Christian Freksa fklippel, barkowsky, freksag@informatik.uni-hamburg.de ... 35-55 Berendt, B., Barkowsky, T., Freksa, C. and Kelter, S. (1998): Spatial representation with aspect maps. ...
9th IEEE International Conference on Cognitive Informatics (ICCI'10), 2010
... research. The improvement of measuring landmark saliency serves an important role of providin... more ... research. The improvement of measuring landmark saliency serves an important role of providing insights on how environments can be differentiated by salientlandmarks and providing fuller account of legibility. The inclusion ...
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Papers by Alexander Klippel