Visual interaction: models, systems, prototypes. The Pictorial Computing Laboratory at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”

This paper reports on the research activities performed by the Pictorial Computing Laboratory at the University of Rome, La Sapienza, during the last 5 years. Such work, essentially is based on the study of humancomputer interaction, spans from metamodels of interaction down to prototypes of interactive systems for both synchronous multimedia communication and groupwork, annotation systems for web pages, also encompassing theoretical and practical issues of visual languages and environments also including pattern recognition algorithms. Some applications are also considered like e-learning and collaborative work.     

Does Arguing from Coherence Make Sense?

In this paper the argument from coherence is submitted to a critical analysis. First, it is argued to be a complex form of coordinative argumentation, structured on various argumentative levels. Then, using the pragma-dialectical theory of argumentation a distinction is brought out between two basic forms of the argument from coherence: in one use this argument occurs as a sequence of two symptomatic arguments; in the other use we have a main symptomatic argument supported by a subordinate pragmatic argument. Finally, from an evaluative point of view it is assessed whether the argument from coherence can be found acceptable as a tool for settling disputes. It is claimed that in general, we can welcome this argumentative structure as sound and fully acceptable provided that we are aware of the interpretative discretion its use implies. A preliminary version of this essay was presented at the symposium organised by the Department of Speech Communication, Argumentation Theory, and Rhetoric at the University of Amsterdamon the 27/02/04. I wish to express my indebtedness to Dora Achourioti, Francesco Belvisi, Frans van Eemeren, Eveline Feteris, Bart Garssen, Jean Wagemans, Peter Houtlosser, and Henrike Jansen for their helpful remarks. Needless to say, the responsibility for the views expressed herein as well as for any errors of form or content rests solely with me.     

Real-life spatial skills, handedness, and family history of handedness

According to , pronounced left hemisphere lateralization for language abilities in women, as in female absolute right-handers, limits their right hemisphere capacity and spatial abilities. This study examines the degree of handedness and the family history of non-right-handedness with respect to real-life spatial abilities in women. Twenty-four women had, first, to learn a new route and, second, to orient themselves within a labyrinth. In the former task, the number of errors and completion time were evaluated; in the latter task, degree of error for orienting was recorded. The results show that, contrary to Annett's prediction, right-handers with and without a family history of non-right-handedness did not differ on these measures. In addition, and unexpectedly, absolute right-handers were found to surpass non-absolute ones in the spatial orientation task. These findings do not support Annett's hypothesis and are discussed in relation to functional cerebral organization.     

Detecting deception: adversarial problem solving in a low base-rate world

The work presented here investigates the process by which one group of individuals solves the problem of detecting deceptions created by other agents. A field experiment was conducted in which twenty-four auditors (partners in international public accounting firms) were asked to review four cases describing real companies that, unknown to the auditors, had perpetrated financial frauds. While many of the auditors failed to detect the manipulations in the cases, a small number of auditors were consistently successful. Since the detection of frauds occurs infrequently in the work of a given auditor, we explain success by the application of powerful heuristics gained from experience with deceptions in everyday life. These heuristics implement a variation of Dennett's intentional stance strategy, which is based on interpreting detected inconsistencies in the light of the Deceiver's (i.e., management's) goals and possible actions. We explain failure to detect deception by means of perturbations (bugs) in the domain knowledge of accounting needed to apply these heuristics to the specific context of financial statement fraud. We test our theory by showing that a computational model of fraud detection that employs the proposed heuristics successfully detects frauds in the cases given to the auditors. We then modify the model by introducing perturbations based on the errors made by each of the auditors in the four cases. The resulting models account for 84 of the 96 observations (i.e., 24 auditors × four cases) in our data.     

Synthesis of autonomous robots through evolution

Evolutionary robotics is the attempt to develop robots through a self-organized process based on artificial evolution. This approach stresses the importance of the study of systems that have a body and that are situated in a physical environment, and which autonomously develop their own skills in close interaction with the environment. In this review we briefly illustrate the method and the main concept of evolutionary robotics, and examine the most significant contribution in this area. We also discuss some of the contributions that this research area is making to the foundational debate in cognitive science.     

Die institutionelle und die innere Familie des Analytikers

The author postulates the existence of an intense interaction between the analyst’s two families, the historical one of his infancy and the institutional one of his psychoanalytic education. In his opinion they both step into the analyst’s work with his patient on the level of his inner fantasy and to different degrees according to the various moments in the work. He points out that the common element between the infantile experience and the analytic one is the enormous opportunity for profound introjection. There are important moments that favor introjection in the young analyst’s training course which establish and constitute the cultural, theoretical and clinical foundations of his working ego and of his working self. The importance of a thoroughly analyzed separation process from the personal analyst and from the supervisors during the analysis is strongly emphasized.     

Observation of large-scale inhomogeneities in a granular metal

Abstract

Thick films of granular aluminium dispersed in a tellurium-rich matrix have been formed by co-deposition of the pure elements. Correlation of Rutherford backscattering and superconducting critical-field measurements demonstrates that the films are subdivided into compositionally and electrically distinct layers typically 400–600 Å thick extending across large areas of the specimens. Comparison with the superconducting properties of granular Al: Al₂O₃ supports earlier suggestions that similar layering is present in that system.     

What do I Think of Others in Relation to Myself? Moral Identity and Moral Inclusion in Explaining Prejudice

The aim of this article is to analyze the effect of moral identity on prejudice in conjunction with moral inclusion/exclusion attitudes. In particular, the hypothesis is that even if high moral identity people tend to be less prejudicial than low moral identity people, this result can be explained with reference to moral inclusion/exclusion attitudes. A questionnaire was distributed to 192 Italian subjects. According to the hypothesis, results show that moral identity is negatively correlated with blatant prejudice, but that this effect is completely mediated by the perception of moral inclusion/exclusion with the other groups. These results suggest that it is not how morally you behave (symbolization), or the relevance you give to moral traits for your identity (internalization), that have an effect on prejudice, but rather it is who you include within the moral community within which moral values apply. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.