Set as an Instance of a Real‐World Visual‐Cognitive Task

Complex problem solving is often an integration of perceptual processing and deliberate planning. But what balances these two processes, and how do novices differ from experts? We investigate the interplay between these two in the game of SET. This article investigates how people combine bottom‐up visual processes and top‐down planning to succeed in this game. Using combinatorial and mixed‐effect regression analysis of eye‐movement protocols and a cognitive model of a human player, we show that SET players deploy both bottom‐up and top‐down processes in parallel to accomplish the same task. The combination of competition and cooperation of both types of processes is a major factor of success in the game. Finally, we explore strategies players use during the game. Our findings suggest that within‐trial strategy shifts can occur without the need of explicit meta‐cognitive control, but rather implicitly as a result of evolving memory activations.     

Drivers’ engagement level in Adaptive Cruise Control while distracted or impaired

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is designed for convenience to maintain a set speed and specified distance from a lead vehicle. However, use of ACC may change driving patterns and perceptions over time. Many drivers perceive safety benefits associated with ACC even though the safety implications are not always clear. This study examined the factors that can influence the frequency of ACC use with surveys distributed to ACC owners in Washington State. A cluster analysis was conducted to group drivers based on how often they activated and used ACC under various driving scenarios. Four clusters emerged that showed a range of use from those who rarely used ACC in any situation (low engagement group) to those who used it for almost all situations regardless of whether it is appropriate or not (high engagement group). An ordered logit model was used to predict the likelihood of being in one of the four clusters. Drivers that were less likely to use ACC in distracting or impaired situations tend to be older, were not willing to re-purchase a similar vehicle with ACC, and were generally confused on how to use the cruise speed setting. Drivers who reported higher overall use of ACC also used the system in situations that can be considered distracting or risky, which can negate the overall benefits of ACC.     

浅析现阶段大学生心理压力成因及对策

通过分析当代大学生心理压力问题产生的原因,并提出了相应的对策措施。     

Factors affecting perceived safety and enjoyment based on driver experience

A positive driving experience, especially for older drivers, increases the attention to the emotional dimensions of driving, such as the driver’s perceived safety. Therefore, this study empirically presents factors affecting driver experience and compares them between older and younger drivers. Consequently, we conducted a face-to-face survey on elderly and young drivers and analyzed the data of 246 drivers using structural equation modeling. The analysis presented measurements and structural model evaluations. Considering the analysis, it was found that driving-related information and car-exterior context affect the perceived safety and enjoyment of a driver’s experience. Additionally, car-exterior context exerts a greater influence on the perceived safety and enjoyment of the elderly drivers’ group than the young drivers’ group. The results of this study will empirically contribute to the satisfaction of driver experience and perceived safety improvement in the future. It also provides a basis for the development of driving interfaces to improve the quality of the driving experience of the elderly.     

Modeling the emergence of informational content by adaptive networks for temporal factorisation and criterial causation

Propagated activation of neurons through their network is an important process in the brain. Another crucial part of neural processing concerns adaptation over time of characteristics of this network such as connection strengths or excitability thresholds. This adaptation can be slow, as in learning from a multiple experiences, or it can be fast, as in memory formation. These adaptive network characteristics can be considered informational criteria for activation of a neuron. This then is viewed as a form of emergent information formation. Activation of neurons is determined by such information via a process termed criterial causation. In the current paper, the relationship of criterial causation with the principle of temporal factorisation for the dynamics of the world in general is explored. Temporal factorisation describes how the world represents information about its past in its present state, which then in turn determines the world’s future. In the paper, it is shown how these processes are analysed in more detail and modeled by (adaptive) network models.