The Metrics for Human-Robot Interaction 2008 workshop at the 3rd ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction was initiated and organized to further discussion and community progress towards metrics for human-robot... more
The Metrics for Human-Robot Interaction 2008 workshop at the 3rd ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction was initiated and organized to further discussion and community progress towards metrics for human-robot interaction (HRI). This report contains the papers presented at the workshop, background information on the workshop itself, and future directions underway within the community.
Exploring unknown models or scenes is a highly interactive and dynamic process. Systems for automatic presentation of models or scenes either require cinematographic rules, direct human interaction, framesets, or precalculation of paths... more
Exploring unknown models or scenes is a highly interactive and dynamic process. Systems for automatic presentation of models or scenes either require cinematographic rules, direct human interaction, framesets, or precalculation of paths to a known goal. In this paper we present a system which can deal with rapidly changing user interest in objects of a scene or model as well as with dynamic models and changes of the camera position introduced interactively by the user or through cuts. We describe CubicalPath, a new potential field-based camera control system that helps with the exploration of virtual environments.
In daily human interactions spatial reasoning occupies an important place. With this ability we can build relations between objects and people, and we can predict the capabilities and the knowledge of the people around us. An interactive... more
In daily human interactions spatial reasoning occupies an important place. With this ability we can build relations between objects and people, and we can predict the capabilities and the knowledge of the people around us. An interactive robot is also expected to have these abilities in order to establish an efficient and natural interaction.
This paper surveys work within the Computer Algebra community (and elsewhere) directed towards improving user interfaces for scientific computation during the period 1963-1994. It is intended to be useful to two groups of people: those... more
This paper surveys work within the Computer Algebra community (and elsewhere) directed towards improving user interfaces for scientific computation during the period 1963-1994. It is intended to be useful to two groups of people: those who wish to know what work has been done and those who would like to do work in the field. It contains an extensive bibliography to assist readers in exploring the field in more depth. Work related to improving human interaction with computer algebra systems is the main focus of the paper. However, the paper includes additional materials on some closely related issues such as structured document editing, graphics, and communication protocols.
Since 1990 the DRA Speech Research Unit has conducted research into applications of speech recognition technology to speech and language development for young children. This has been done in collaboration wirh Hereford and Worcester... more
Since 1990 the DRA Speech Research Unit has conducted research into applications of speech recognition technology to speech and language development for young children. This has been done in collaboration wirh Hereford and Worcester County Council Education ...
This article argues that attempting to overcome moral silence in organizations will require management to move beyond a compliance-oriented organizational culture toward a culture based on integrity. Such cultural change is part of good... more
This article argues that attempting to overcome moral silence in organizations will require management to move beyond a compliance-oriented organizational culture toward a culture based on integrity. Such cultural change is part of good corporate governance that aims to steer an organization to enhance creativity and moral excellence, and thus organizational value. Governance mechanisms can be either formal or informal. Formal codes and other internal formal regulations that emphasize compliance are necessary, although informal mechanisms that are based on relationship-building are more likely to achieve moral excellence. Such a shift can be viewed as a transformative strategy for overcoming the destructive side effects and business risks of the tendency within corporate cultures to remain mute when faced with issues that violate personal or corporate values. Genuine dialogues and appropriate ethical decision-making training can deepen the understanding and create a mindful awarenes...
Purpose -Tacit knowledge is perceived as the most strategically important resource of the construction organisation, and the only renewable and sustainable base for its activities and competitiveness. Knowledge management (KM) activities... more
Purpose -Tacit knowledge is perceived as the most strategically important resource of the construction organisation, and the only renewable and sustainable base for its activities and competitiveness. Knowledge management (KM) activities that deal with tacit knowledge are essential in helping an organisation to achieve its long-term organisational objectives. The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence for the stronger strategic role of tacit KM in comparison to explicit KM. Design/methodology/approach -A questionnaire survey was administered in 2005 to a sample of construction contractors operating in Hong Kong to elicit opinions on the internal business environment, intensity of KM activities as executed by targeted organisations, and contribution of these activities to business performance (BP). A total of 149 usable responses were received from 99 organisations representing about 38 per cent of the sampling frame. The statistical analyses helped to map the reported KM activities into two groups that, respectively, deal with tacit and explicit knowledge. The sensitivity to variations of organisational policies and strength of association with BP in relation to the two groups of KM activities were also compared empirically. A total of 15 interviews with the managerial and professional staff of leading contractors was undertaken to provide insightful narratives of KM implementations. Findings -The effective implementation of organisational policies, such as encouraging innovations and strengthening strategic guidance for KM, would facilitate human interactions of tacit KM. Higher intensity of activities in managing tacit knowledge would ultimately help the organisations to achieve economic gain in the long run. Originality/value -The stronger strategic role of tacit KM is empirically investigated and established within the context of construction organisations.
This article presents a constrained review of human factors issues relevant to adaptive automation (AA), including designing complex system interfaces to support AA, facilitating human-computer interaction and crew interactions in... more
This article presents a constrained review of human factors issues relevant to adaptive automation (AA), including designing complex system interfaces to support AA, facilitating human-computer interaction and crew interactions in adaptive system operations, and considering workload associated with AA management in the design of human roles in adaptive systems. Unfortunately, these issues have received limited attention in earlier reviews of AA. This work is aimed at supporting a general theory of human-centered automation advocating humans as active information processors in complex system control loops to support situation awareness and effective performance. The review demonstrates the need for research into user-centered design of dynamic displays in adaptive systems. It also points to the need for discretion in designing transparent interfaces to facilitate human awareness of modes of automated systems. Finally, the review identifies the need to consider critical human-human interactions in designing adaptive systems. This work describes important branches of a developing framework of AA research and contributes to the general theory of human-centered automation.
Image vibration is a typical type of degradation that is difficult to restore in an automatic film restoration system. It is usually caused by improper film transportation during the copying or the digitization process. We have developed... more
Image vibration is a typical type of degradation that is difficult to restore in an automatic film restoration system. It is usually caused by improper film transportation during the copying or the digitization process. We have developed a method for automatic image stabilization consisting of two main steps: estimating vibration then correction by drifting the whole frame. Earlier automatic stabilization algorithms are unsuccessful in cases of multiple motions and human interaction is necessary to achieve satisfactory results. The proposed technique is automatic and avoids false results for most difficult situations as shown in examples. Our paper describes the technique used for motion estimation of regions; the selection of image regions adequate for vibration estimation; and the method of stabilization.
Background: Successful malaria vector control depends on understanding behavioural interactions between mosquitoes and humans, which are highly setting-specific and may have characteristic features in urban environments. Here mosquito... more
Background: Successful malaria vector control depends on understanding behavioural interactions between mosquitoes and humans, which are highly setting-specific and may have characteristic features in urban environments. Here mosquito biting patterns in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania are examined and the protection against exposure to malaria transmission that is afforded to residents by using an insecticide-treated net (ITN) is estimated.
The paper reviews work on informal technical help giving between colleagues. It concentrates on the process of how colleagues help each other to use a computer application to achieve a specific work task, contrasting this with the focus... more
The paper reviews work on informal technical help giving between colleagues. It concentrates on the process of how colleagues help each other to use a computer application to achieve a specific work task, contrasting this with the focus of much prior work on surrounding issues like the choice of whom to ask, information re-use and the larger work context of encouragement or otherwise of such learning. By an analysis of the literature and a study of office activity, some strengths and weaknesses of the method are identified. The difficulties of talking about the process of performing graphical user interface actions are explored. Various design implications for functionalities to improve the efficiency of informal help giving are explored. A consideration of informal learning can help in designing more effective, learnable, robust and acceptable CSCW systems. It also provides a different perspective on interface design as an exploration of features to support human–human interaction, using the computer screen as a shared resource to support this. In this way CSCW research may contribute to HCI research, since during such help giving, all computer systems are at least temporarily collaborative applications.
This paper describes an experiment on the "linguistic" synthesis of a controller for a model industrial plant (a steam engine). Fuzzy logic is used to convert heuristic control rules stated by a human operator into an automatic control... more
This paper describes an experiment on the "linguistic" synthesis of a controller for a model industrial plant (a steam engine). Fuzzy logic is used to convert heuristic control rules stated by a human operator into an automatic control strategy. The experiment was initiated to investigate the possibility of human interaction with a learning controller. However, the control strategy set up linguistically proved to be far better than expected in its own right, and the basic experiment of linguistic control synthesis in a non-learning controller is reported here.
This paper describes an experiment on the "linguistic" synthesis of a controller for a model industrial plant (a steam engine). Fuzzy logic is used to convert heuristic control rules stated by a human operator into an automatic control... more
This paper describes an experiment on the "linguistic" synthesis of a controller for a model industrial plant (a steam engine). Fuzzy logic is used to convert heuristic control rules stated by a human operator into an automatic control strategy. The experiment was initiated to investigate the possibility of human interaction with a learning controller. However, the control strategy set up linguistically proved to be far better than expected in its own right, and the basic experiment of linguistic control synthesis in a non-learning controller is reported here.
One of the major problems of doctors when dealing with children is to capture and maintain their attention. This is particularly true for oculists that must test children eyes, especially if they are very young. In this paper we present... more
One of the major problems of doctors when dealing with children is to capture and maintain their attention. This is particularly true for oculists that must test children eyes, especially if they are very young. In this paper we present PlayWithEyes, a serious game that aims at testing the children eyes while they are having fun playing with Lea symbols and images taken from popular cartoons, using a touch interface. PlayWithEyes was created to perform screening of visual acuity of very young children, since early diagnosis is very important for some sight defects like amblyopia (lazy eye).
Online virtual worlds such as Second Life provide a rich medium for unstructured human interaction in a shared simulated 3D environment. However, many human interactions take place in a structured social context where participants are... more
Online virtual worlds such as Second Life provide a rich medium for unstructured human interaction in a shared simulated 3D environment. However, many human interactions take place in a structured social context where participants are subject to expectations governing their behaviour, and current virtual worlds do not provide any support for this type of interaction. There is therefore an opportunity to adapt the tools developed in the multi-agent systems community for structured social interactions between software agents (inspired by human society) and adapt these for use with the computer-mediated human communication provided by virtual worlds. This paper describes the integration of one such tool with Second Life. A model checker for monitoring social expectations defined in temporal logic has been integrated with Second Life, allowing users to be notified when their expectations of others have been fulfilled or violated.
The heart rates (HR) of horses and the people leading them (10 horses, 20 people), and riding them (17 horses, 17 people), were recorded in an indoor arena. The horses were Swedish leisure horses of mixed ages, sex and breed. All except... more
The heart rates (HR) of horses and the people leading them (10 horses, 20 people), and riding them (17 horses, 17 people), were recorded in an indoor arena. The horses were Swedish leisure horses of mixed ages, sex and breed. All except two of the people were female and all were of mixed age and riding experience. Each horse-human pair walked or rode between points A and B (30 m) four times on each test occasion. However, just before the fourth pass, participants were told that an umbrella would be opened as they rode, or led, the horse past the assistant. The umbrella was not opened, so this pass was no different to the previous control occasions, but nevertheless there was an increase in HR for both the person (leading, P = 0.06; riding, P < 0.05) and the horse (being led, P < 0.05; being ridden, P < 0.05). The findings indicate that analysis of HR recorded simultaneously from people and horses under different experimental handling or riding conditions presents a useful tool to investigate horse-human interactions.
ognitive engineering-a multidisciplinary field that focuses on improving the fit between humans and the systems they operate-emerged in the early 1980s and has many applications, including intelligence analysis and command and control.... more
ognitive engineering-a multidisciplinary field that focuses on improving the fit between humans and the systems they operate-emerged in the early 1980s and has many applications, including intelligence analysis and command and control. The ApL cognitive engineering program leverages the Laboratory's strengths in both cognitive engineering research and human-system integration. The challenge is to implement those strengths through changes in ApL's culture, organization, engineering policy and practices, and a course of action toward implementing these changes.
The emergence of the internet as a commercial phenomenon has resulted in an explosion of interest in Online Dispute Resolution. Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) consists of a variety of settlement methods, which use the electronic... more
The emergence of the internet as a commercial phenomenon has resulted in an explosion of interest in Online Dispute Resolution. Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) consists of a variety of settlement methods, which use the electronic environment to resolve conflicts. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the economic performance of a specific process elaborated by one of the main
This paper describes an experiment on the "linguistic" synthesis of a controller for a model industrial plant (a steam engine). Fuzzy logic is used to convert heuristic control rules stated by a human operator into an automatic control... more
This paper describes an experiment on the "linguistic" synthesis of a controller for a model industrial plant (a steam engine). Fuzzy logic is used to convert heuristic control rules stated by a human operator into an automatic control strategy. The experiment was initiated to investigate the possibility of human interaction with a learning controller. However, the control strategy set up linguistically proved to be far better than expected in its own right, and the basic experiment of linguistic control synthesis in a non-learning controller is reported here.
understanding of the complex and multifaceted relationship between the president and Congress (p. 131).'' Shull uses the Epilogue to offer some highly educated speculation concerning the Clinton years to a date closer to publication, and... more
understanding of the complex and multifaceted relationship between the president and Congress (p. 131).'' Shull uses the Epilogue to offer some highly educated speculation concerning the Clinton years to a date closer to publication, and then he points out directions for additional research. Statistics lovers will appreciate the inclusion of coding schemes and data dictionaries in the two appendixes. This paperback is a reprinting of the 1997 hardbound edition and was released shortly after one of Shull's other publications on the same general topic (Shull & Shaw, 1999). In the 1999 work, Shull and Thomas C. Shaw cover similar territory but go on to address budget agreement and presidents' propensity to veto legislation; the authors also employ a greater diversity of variables, sources of information and methods of analysis. Although there is indeed overlap between the two books, the publication under review is more focused in addressing policy and time approaches only and apparently utilizing fewer data sets. While this volume will not find its way into reference sections, it is a fine political science addition to any medium to large academic library. A quick web search reveals that the book and some of its individual chapters are already being assigned as required reading at several universities. Notes
Over the last ten years the basic knowledge of brain structure and function has vastly expanded, and its incorporation into the developmental sciences is now allowing for more complex and heuristic models of human infancy. In a... more
Over the last ten years the basic knowledge of brain structure and function has vastly expanded, and its incorporation into the developmental sciences is now allowing for more complex and heuristic models of human infancy. In a continuation of this effort, in this two-part work I integrate current interdisciplinary data from attachment studies on dyadic affective communications, neuroscience on the early developing right brain, psychophysiology on stress systems, and psychiatry on psychopathogenesis to provide a deeper understanding of the psychoneurobiological mechanisms that underlie infant mental health. In this article I detail the neurobiology of a secure attachment, an exemplar of adaptive infant mental health, and focus upon the primary caregiver's psychobiological regulation of the infant's maturing limbic system, the brain areas specialized for adapting to a rapidly changing environment. The infant's early developing right hemisphere has deep connections into the limbic and autonomic nervous systems and is dominant for the human stress response, and in this manner the attachment relationship facilitates the expansion of the child's coping capcities. This model suggests that adaptive infant mental health can be fundamentally defined as the earliest expression of flexible strategies for coping with the novelty and stress that is inherent in human interactions. This efficient right brain function is a resilience factor for optimal development over the later stages of the life cycle.
This article argues that attempting to overcome moral silence in organizations will require management to move beyond a compliance-oriented organizational culture toward a culture based on integrity. Such cultural change is part of good... more
This article argues that attempting to overcome moral silence in organizations will require management to move beyond a compliance-oriented organizational culture toward a culture based on integrity. Such cultural change is part of good corporate governance that aims to steer an organization to enhance creativity and moral excellence, and thus organizational value. Governance mechanisms can be either formal or informal. Formal codes and other internal formal regulations that emphasize compliance are necessary, although informal mechanisms that are based on relationship-building are more likely to achieve moral excellence. Such a shift can be viewed as a transformative strategy for overcoming the destructive side effects and business risks of the tendency within corporate cultures to remain mute when faced with issues that violate personal or corporate values. Genuine dialogues and appropriate ethical decision-making training can deepen the understanding and create a mindful awareness (of ethical values) and induce trust that embrace both complying with rules and regulations, as well as inciting creative “ethical innovation” with respect to human interaction in multinational companies.
Although there already exist traditional metaphors influencing human-computer interaction (HCI) such as the human-human interaction metaphor, some applications emerging in areas from intelligent agents to wearable and context-aware... more
Although there already exist traditional metaphors influencing human-computer interaction (HCI) such as the human-human interaction metaphor, some applications emerging in areas from intelligent agents to wearable and context-aware computing have prompted the authors to identify a new metaphor implicitly emerging in HCI. This will be referred to as the conscious-subconscious (C-S) metaphor. The explicit elucidation of this C-S metaphor poises HCI to speak to and leverage research in philosophy and cognitive science pertaining to consciousness and cognition.
ABSTRACTBioregionalists have championed the utility ofthe concept ofthe watershed as an organizingframeworkfor thought and action directed to understanding and implementing appropriate and respectful human interaction with particular... more
ABSTRACTBioregionalists have championed the utility ofthe concept ofthe watershed as an organizingframeworkfor thought and action directed to understanding and implementing appropriate and respectful human interaction with particular pieces of land. In a creative analogue to the watershed, permaculturist Arthur Cetz has recently introduced the term "foodshed" to facilitate critical thought about where our food is coming from and how it is getting to us. We find the 'joodshed" to be a particularly rich and evocative metaphor; but it is much more than metaphor. Like its analogue the watershed, the foodshed can serve us as a conceptual and methodological unit of analysis that provides a frame for action as well as thought. Food comes to most of us now through a global food system that is destructive of both natural and social communities. In this article we explore a variety of routes for the conceptual and practical elaboration of the foodshed. While corporations that are the principal beneficiaries of a global food system now dominate the production. processing, distribution, and consumption offood. alternatives are emerging that together could form the basis for foodshed development. Just as many farmers are recognizing the social and environmental advantages to sustainable agriculture, so are many consumers coming to appreciate the benefits offresh and sustainably produced food. Such producers and consumers are being linked through such innovative arrangements as community supported agriculture and farmers markets. Alternative producers, alternative consumers, and alternative small entrepreneurs are rediscovering community and finding common ground in municipal and community food councils. Recognition of one's residence within afoodshed can confer a sense of connection and responsibility to a particular locality. The foodshed can provide a place for us to ground ourselves in the biological and social realities of living on the land andfrom the land in a place that we can call home, a place to which we are or can become native.
In this paper, we discuss the role of digital actors in Virtual Environments. We describe the integration of motion control techniques with autonomy based on synthetic sensors. In particular, we emphasize the synthetic vision, audition... more
In this paper, we discuss the role of digital actors in Virtual Environments. We describe the integration of motion control techniques with autonomy based on synthetic sensors. In particular, we emphasize the synthetic vision, audition and tactile system. We also discuss how to introduce the sensors of real humans in the Virtual Space in order to have a communication between digital actors and real humans.
As we move about and interact in the world, we keep track of different spaces, among them the space of navigation, the space immediately around the body, and the space of the body. We review research showing that these spaces are... more
As we move about and interact in the world, we keep track of different spaces, among them the space of navigation, the space immediately around the body, and the space of the body. We review research showing that these spaces are conceptualized differently. Knowledge of the space of navigation is systematically distorted. For example, people mentally rotate roads and land masses to greater correspondence with global reference frames, they mentally align roads and land masses, they overestimate distances near the viewpoint relative to those far from it. These and other distortions indicate that the space of navigation is schematized to elements and spatial relations relative to reference frames and perspective. The space around the body is organized into a mental framework consisting of extensions of the major axes of the body. Times to report objects around the body suggest that the relative accessibility of the axes depends on their perceptual and functional properties and the relation of the body to the world. Finally, times to verify named or depicted body parts indicate that body schemas depend on perceptual and functional significance. Thus, these spaces (and they are not the only ones important to human interaction) differ from one another and are not conceptualized as Euclidean. Rather they are schematized into elements and spatial relations that reflect perceptual and conceptual significance. Key Words: cognitive map, body schema, mental model, spatial thinking.
Purpose -This paper aims to determine the importance of the human touch in customer service interactions. Design/methodology/approach -The paper is based on two original studies using tech-savvy respondents, utilizing a survey and... more
Purpose -This paper aims to determine the importance of the human touch in customer service interactions. Design/methodology/approach -The paper is based on two original studies using tech-savvy respondents, utilizing a survey and scenario-based research. Findings -The paper finds that, even for tech-savvy customers, human touch is an important factor in both customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions.
The focus of this project is to create research in teacher education that positively impacts teacher recruitment, preparation and retention in urban environments. The novel approach we are using to attack this problem is that of... more
The focus of this project is to create research in teacher education that positively impacts teacher recruitment, preparation and retention in urban environments. The novel approach we are using to attack this problem is that of capturing, analyzing, synthesizing and simulating human interactions in Mixed Reality (part real, part synthetic) environments, thereby creating training/screening settings that are realistic and yet
A heightened awareness of the fundamental behavioral science principles underlying human interactions can be translated directly into service design. Service encounter design can be approached with the same depth and rigor found in goods... more
A heightened awareness of the fundamental behavioral science principles underlying human interactions can be translated directly into service design. Service encounter design can be approached with the same depth and rigor found in goods production. Service encounters can be designed to enhance the customer's experience during the process and their recollection of the process after it is completed. This paper summarizes the key concepts from a panel discussion at the DSI National Meeting in Orlando in November 2000. The panel brought together a number of leading academic researchers to investigate current research questions relating to the human side of the design, development and deployment of new service technologies. Human issues from the customer and service provider vantage are illustrated and challenges to researchers for exploring this perspective are presented.
This study explores the consumer experience by examining empirical data collected via a series of in-depth, semistructured interviews with luxury hotel guests. The study findings indicate that hotel guest experiences constitute both... more
This study explores the consumer experience by examining empirical data collected via a series of in-depth, semistructured interviews with luxury hotel guests. The study findings indicate that hotel guest experiences constitute both physical environment and human interaction dimensions. The research findings suggest that luxury hotel experiences are affected by trip-related factors and personal characteristics of consumers, which impact perceived experience dimensions. The research findings provide specific implications for hotel executives looking for ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors through using experience marketing strategies. In particular, the proposed framework in this study can help practicing managers understand how different factors play a role in consumer experiences. This article contributes to the overall understanding of consumer experience by illuminating the experience perceptions of consumers within the luxury hotel segment.
Information technology currently supports the development of human interaction with virtual environment, this development will continue in developing in the form of Human Computer Interaction (HCI). In this study, how the environment 3D... more
Information technology currently supports the development of human interaction with virtual environment, this development will continue in developing in the form of Human Computer Interaction (HCI). In this study, how the environment 3D virtual computer should be able to recognize human hand as part as virtual object, so it can interact with virtual environment. HCI is a study in which the relationship between humans and computing technology and how computers are designed for easy to use by human, more practical and more intuitive. HCI emphasizes how human interaction with computer technology. This research is using interaction technique in virtual environment to interact between human hand and virtual object. Tracker is needed in virtual interaction by using Augmented Reality (AR), the problem that arise in AR is how to read marker, so it can display a virtual object that has been computed before, basically is how to read the geometry model of human hand, then the result from the processing of the human hand model geometry is used as a marker, so it can interact with a virtual environment on AR as one of the HCI model implementation. This process is intended for the movement of human hands that have been read as a virtual object can communicate virtually using image processing.
Context: Software development depends significantly on team performance, as does any process that involves human interaction. Objective: Most current development methods argue that teams should self-manage. Our objective is thus to... more
Context: Software development depends significantly on team performance, as does any process that involves human interaction. Objective: Most current development methods argue that teams should self-manage. Our objective is thus to provide a better understanding of the nature of self-managing agile teams, and the teamwork challenges that arise when introducing such teams. Method: We conducted extensive fieldwork for 9 months in a software development company that introduced Scrum. We focused on the human sensemaking, on how mechanisms of teamwork were understood by the people involved. Results: We describe a project through Dickinson and McIntyre's teamwork model, focusing on the interrelations between essential teamwork components. Problems with team orientation, team leadership and coordination in addition to highly specialized skills and corresponding division of work were important barriers for achieving team effectiveness. Conclusion: Transitioning from individual work to self-managing teams requires a reorientation not only by developers but also by management. This transition takes time and resources, but should not be neglected. In addition to Dickinson and McIntyre's teamwork components, we found trust and shared mental models to be of fundamental importance.
The paper reviews work on informal technical help giving between colleagues. It concentrates on the process of how colleagues help each other to use a computer application to achieve a specific work task, contrasting this with the focus... more
The paper reviews work on informal technical help giving between colleagues. It concentrates on the process of how colleagues help each other to use a computer application to achieve a specific work task, contrasting this with the focus of much prior work on surrounding issues like the choice of whom to ask, information re-use and the larger work context of encouragement or otherwise of such learning. By an analysis of the literature and a study of office activity, some strengths and weaknesses of the method are identified. The difficulties of talking about the process of performing graphical user interface actions are explored. Various design implications for functionalities to improve the efficiency of informal help giving are explored. A consideration of informal learning can help in designing more effective, learnable, robust and acceptable CSCW systems. It also provides a different perspective on interface design as an exploration of features to support human-human interaction, using the computer screen as a shared resource to support this. In this way CSCW research may contribute to HCI research, since during such help giving, all computer systems are at least temporarily collaborative applications.
Although the literature on human-animal interactions has documented the physical, psychological, and social benefits resulting from positive relationships with dogs, cats, and other kinds of companion animals, many attachment instruments... more
Although the literature on human-animal interactions has documented the physical, psychological, and social benefits resulting from positive relationships with dogs, cats, and other kinds of companion animals, many attachment instruments include items that pertain to specific kinds of interactions with dogs. For this reason, dog owners attain higher scores on these measures than owners of cats and other types of pets. This study introduces a scale for measuring attachment in terms of the perceived comfort received from a pet. A sample of 87 cat owners and 58 dog owners completed the Comfort from Companion Animals Scale. The results showed that, when two items pertaining to dogs were included, dog owners showed a significantly higher degree of attachment. When only the 11 items pertaining to the emotional nature of the relationship were included, however, there were no differences in the scores of the two groups. The results indicate the importance of clarifying both the commonalities and differences of human interactions with various companion animal species.
To minimize or at least substantially reduce damage to the natural resource sustenance-base we urgently need institutional reform within modern society. Environmental sociologists have different views as to which institutional traits can... more
To minimize or at least substantially reduce damage to the natural resource sustenance-base we urgently need institutional reform within modern society. Environmental sociologists have different views as to which institutional traits can be held primarily responsible for the environmental crisis. Examples include its capitalistic or industrial character as well as the complex, highly administrated technological system of modern society. We discuss these matters in the context of the theory of "ecological modernization" as developed by the German sociologist Joseph Huber, among others. To analyze the institutional reforms required for bringing human interaction with the sustenance-base under rational ecological control, however, the theory needs to be substantially modified and complemented in several respects. However, restructuring the processes of production and consumption is only half the story. The change to ecologically sound patterns of production and consumption is limited by the dimension of the environmental crisis that has to do with nature as sustenancebase and does not provide a solution to problems related to what we call the second dimension of the environmental crisis: the changing role of nature as "intuited nature" and the way people "deal with" these aspects of the environmental crisis within everyday life. In this respect we propose that theories of modern society as a risk-society should be given greater attention within environmental sociology.
After almost three centuries of investigations into the question of what it means to be human and the historical processes of becoming human, archaeologists have amassed a huge volume of data on prehistoric human interactions. One of the... more
After almost three centuries of investigations into the question of what it means to be human and the historical processes of becoming human, archaeologists have amassed a huge volume of data on prehistoric human interactions. One of the largest data sets available is on the global distribution and exchange of materials and commodities. What still remains insufficiently understood is the precise nature of these interactions and their role in shaping the diverse cultures that make up the human family as we know it. A plethora of theoretical models combined with a multitude of methodological approaches exist to explain one important aspect of human interaction—trade—and its role and place in shaping humanity. We argue that trade parallels political, religious, and social processes as one of the most significant factors to have affected our evolution. Here we review published literature on archaeological approaches to trade, including the primitivist-modernist and substantivist-formalist-Marxist debates. We also discuss economic, historical, and ethnographic research that directly addresses the role of traders and trade in both past and contemporary societies. In keeping with the complexities of interaction between trade and other aspects of human behavior, we suggest moving away from the either/or perspective or strong identification with any particular paradigm and suggest a return to the middle through a combinational approach to the study of trade in past societies.
In relation to open spaces, Malaysia has received little attention from researchers. It is strongly believe that aspects such as amount of public green open spaces per inhabitant, public parks and recreation areas are often mentioned as... more
In relation to open spaces, Malaysia has received little attention from researchers. It is strongly believe that aspects such as amount of public green open spaces per inhabitant, public parks and recreation areas are often mentioned as important factors to make the city liveable for its citizens. To develop sustainable cities, relevant urban indicators need to be in place for the purpose of measurement of urban sustainability. In Malaysia, the indicators for urban sustainability are provided under Malaysian Urban Rural Indicators Network on Sustainable Development (MURNInets). However, most of the indicators used in MURNInets are more focusing on the development efficiency and people's quality of life. In relation to open spaces, the only indicator provided is the total public open space for 1000 population. However, it can be argued that the total public green open spaces allocated at one area does not mean anything if the green area is not being fully utilized and use by the people from the surrounding areas. This paper is undertaken to fill this knowledge gap. It is vital to study on how human interactions towards open spaces which will then promote sustainability of the city.
This article reviews the literature on the complex and variable nature of the dog-human dyad and describes the influence of terms such as ''dominance'' on attitudes that humans have toward dogs. It highlights a legacy of tension between... more
This article reviews the literature on the complex and variable nature of the dog-human dyad and describes the influence of terms such as ''dominance'' on attitudes that humans have toward dogs. It highlights a legacy of tension between ethology and psychology and notes that some practitioners have skills with dogs that elude the best learning theorists. Despite the widespread appeal of being able to communicate with dogs as dogs do with one another, attempting to apply the intraspecific dog ethogram to human-dog and dog-human interactions may have limited scope. The balance of learning theory and ethology on our interactions with dogs is sometimes elusive but should spur the scientific community to examine skills deployed by the most effective humane practitioners. This process will demystify the so-called whispering techniques and permit discourse on the reasons some training and handling techniques are more effective, relevant, and humane than others. This article explores the mismatch between the use of nonverbal communication of 2 species and offers a framework for future studies in this domain. Technologies emerging from equitation science may help to disclose confusing interventions through the collar and lead and thus define effective and humane use of negative reinforcement. The case for a validated intraspecific and interspecific canid ethogram is also made.