Emotional and behavioral reactions to social undermining: A closer look at perceived offender motives

This study examined how perceptions of underlying offender motives affect victims’ emotional and behavioral reactions toward their offender. Perceived offender motives of malice and greed were embedded in a cognition–emotion–behavior model based on theories of attribution, forgiveness and revenge, and tested in the context of social undermining. Findings suggested that victims distinguished between offender malice and greed, and that these attributions shaped subsequent emotional reactions, which in turn demonstrated independent relations with revenge, avoidance, and reconciliation.     

Modeling Customer Loyalty from an Integrative Perspective of Self-Determination Theory and Expectation–Confirmation Theory

Purpose  This research conceptualizes and tests an integrative model of customer loyalty by linking two important theories: expectation–confirmation theory and self-determination theory. Design/Methodology/Approach  The model is examined using data obtained from 207 part-time students who have encountered the service of a skincare and beauty salon in Taiwan. These students work as full-time professionals in a variety of industries during the daytime and are financially independent for their daily consumption. Findings  The empirical results of this study indicate that loyalty is positively influenced by both intrinsic regulation and identified regulation, while introjected regulation and external regulation are insignificantly related to loyalty. Affected positively by service expectation and service confirmation, satisfaction has positive influences on all four dimensions of self-determined motivation—namely, intrinsic regulation, identified regulation, introjected regulation, and external regulation. Implications  The findings of this study show that the proposed model helps to learn about loyalty formation and its mediating mechanism in service contexts. Intrinsic regulation and identified regulation may be applied as two potential checkpoints for management to learn the actual status of customer loyalty based on a constant service quality offered by the service provider. Originality/Value  This study is one of the earliest to integrate expectation–confirmation theory and self-determination theory to explore loyalty. Besides, this study transplants the traditional application of self-determination theory from educational service to commercial service in general so that efficient strategies can be made for boosting loyalty.     

Reduction of false recognition through haptic presentation of objects

False recognition of an item that is not presented (the lure) can occur when participants study and are tested on their recognition of items related to the lure. False recognition is reduced when the study and test modalities are congruent (e.g., both visual) rather than different (e.g., visual study and auditory test). The present study examined whether such a congruency effect occurs for haptic and auditory modalities. After studying items presented haptically or auditorily, participants took a haptic or auditory recognition test. False recognition was reduced when both the study and test were haptic, but not when the study was auditory and the test was haptic. These results indicate that cues encoded through the haptic modality can reduce false recognition.     

The influence of attentional focus on the development of skill representation in a complex action

ObjectivesRecent research has indicated that performers' mental representation of a motor skill changes over the course of learning. In the present study, we sought to ascertain whether the type of instructions (instructions that emphasize either an internal or external focus of attention) influences the development of skill representation during motor learning.DesignParticipants without golf experience were recruited to practice a golf putting task over the course of three training days. Participants were randomly assigned to either an internal focus (focus on the swing of the arms; n = 10) or external focus (focus on the speed of the ball roll; n = 10) learning group. Changes in putting performance and mental representation structure were assessed over the course of learning, as well as during a follow-up retention test two days after practice.MethodsMental representation structure was measured employing the structural dimensional analysis of mental representations (SDA-M), which provided psychometric data on the structure of the mental representation in long-term memory. Additionally, the change in putting accuracy and consistency was recorded over the course of learning.ResultsFindings indicated that the external focus group performed with greater accuracy and consistency during training, and revealed a larger degree of development in their mental representation of the putting task.ConclusionsOverall, our findings suggest that facilitating the link between an action and its effect by means of an external focus is crucial for motor performance as well as the development of skill representation.     

Pedestrian interaction with automated vehicles at uncontrolled intersections

Automated Vehicles (AVs) are being developed rapidly and tested on public roads, but pedestrians’ interaction with AV is not comprehensively understood or thoroughly investigated to ensure safe operations and the public’s trust of AVs. In this study, we aimed to provide another research evidence to enhance such understanding with the use of external interfaces for facilitating the interaction between pedestrians and AVs. We developed five external interfaces, including text, symbol, animated-eye, a combination of text and symbol, and speed. These interfaces communicated five types of information, including (1) intent of AV; 2) advice to pedestrians of what to do, (3) AV’s awareness of pedestrians, (4) combination of intent and advice, and (5) vehicle movement (i.e., speed). We tested the interfaces through two field studies at uncontrolled intersections with crosswalks. The Wizard of Oz method was used, in which an experimenter worked as a driver in an instrumented vehicle and wore an outfit to be invisible to the pedestrians, thus rendering the set-up to simulate an AV interacting with a pedestrian. The interfaces were displayed on an LED panel mounted on the AV. Results showed that the AV’s external interface did not change pedestrians’ response time in comparison with the baseline without any interface. There was no statistically significant difference in response time among the external interfaces either. According to the post-experimental interview, vehicle movement pattern (e.g., vehicle speed) continued to be a significant cue for pedestrians to decide when to cross the intersections. Participants perceived the communication of the AV’s intent and vehicle speed as more beneficial than the communication of AV’s awareness. The subjective ratings showed positive effects of those interfaces that were easy to understand (e.g., text interface and speed interface), which also helped pedestrians feel safer when interacting with the AV.     

Interaction between pedestrians and automated vehicles: Exploring a motion-based approach for virtual reality experiments

External human machine interfaces (eHMI) might contribute to an enhanced traffic flow and road safety by providing relevant information to surrounding road users. To quantify the effect of eHMI on traffic flow, the majority of studies required participants to indicate their crossing decision in an explicit manner, such as pressing a button. While this approach proved to be efficient, the transfer to real-world behavior is unclear. Here, we propose a more realistic, motion-based approach allowing pedestrians to actually cross the road in front of a vehicle in a virtual reality environment. Participants (N = 51) encountered simulated automated vehicles (AVs) in two scenarios. We investigated the effect of different eHMIs on traffic flow and road safety. Pedestrians’́ body movements were obtained using a motion capturing system with six sensors. Our approach was validated using a two-step procedure. First, we assessed crossing behavior and subjective safety feeling while approaching AVs with and without eHMI. Second, we tested to which extent objective crossing behavior matched self-reported safety feeling. For this purpose, we evaluated if subjective safety feeling can be reliably predicted from actual crossing behavior using a functional data analysis. The proposed motion-based approach proved a valid investigation method for eHMI designs. The results indicated that eHMIs have a beneficial effect on traffic flow and road safety. Regarding traffic flow, participants crossed the road earlier and felt significantly safer when encountering an AV with an eHMI compared to no eHMI. In addition, in situations in which only some of the AVs were equipped with an eHMI, participants’ crossing behavior and safety feeling became more conservative for encounters without eHMI, indicating higher road safety. Further, subjective safety feeling was significantly predicted from actual crossing behavior. These findings highlight that eHMIs are beneficial for pedestrians’ crossing decision, both from an objective and subjective perspective.     

Do cyclists need HMIs in future automated traffic? An interview study

Cyclists are expected to interact with automated vehicles (AVs) in future traffic, yet we know little about the nature of this interaction and the safety implications of AVs on cyclists. On-bike human–machine interfaces (HMIs) and connecting cyclists to AVs and the road infrastructure may have the potential to enhance the safety of cyclists. This study aimed to identify cyclists’ needs in today’s and future traffic, and explore on-bike HMI functionality and the implications of equipping cyclists with devices to communicate with AVs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 cyclists in Norway and 15 cyclists in the Netherlands. Thematic analysis was used to identify and contextualise the factors of cyclist-AV interaction and on-bike HMIs. From the analysis, seven themes were identified: Interaction, Bicycles, Culture, Infrastructure, Legislation, AVs, and HMI. These themes are diverse and overlap with factors grouped in sub-themes. The results indicated that the cyclists prefer segregated future infrastructure, and in mixed urban traffic, they need confirmation of detection by AVs. External on-vehicle or on-bike HMIs might be solutions to fulfil the cyclists’ need for recognition. However, the analysis suggested that cyclists are hesitant about being equipped with devices to communicate with AVs: Responsibility for safety should lie with AV technology rather than with cyclists. A device requirement might become a barrier to cycling, as bicycles are traditionally cheap and simple, and additional costs might deter people from choosing cycling as a transport mode. Future studies should investigate user acceptance of on-bike HMIs among cyclists on a larger scale to test the findings’ generalisability, and explore other, perhaps more viable solutions than on-bike HMIs for enhancing AV-cyclist interaction.     

Manual drivers’ experience and driving behavior in repeated interactions with automated Level 3 vehicles in mixed traffic on the highway

In the near future, conditionally automated vehicles (CAVs; SAE Level 3) will travel alongside manual drivers (≤ SAE level 2) in mixed traffic on the highway. It is yet unclear how manual drivers will react to these vehicles beyond first contact when they interact repeatedly with multiple CAVs on longer highway sections or even during entire highway trips. In a driving simulator study, we investigated the subjective experience and behavioral reactions of N = 51 manual drivers aged 22 to 74 years (M = 41.5 years, SD = 18.1, 22 female) to driving in mixed traffic in repeated interactions with first-generation Level 3 vehicles on four highway sections (each 35 km long), each of which included three typical speed limits (80 km/h, 100 km/h, 130 km/h) on German highways. Moreover, the highway sections differed regarding the penetration rate of CAVs in mixed traffic (within-subjects factor; 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%). The drivers were assigned to one of three experimental groups, in which the CAVs differed regarding their external marking, (1) status eHMI, (2) no eHMI, and (3) a control group without information about the mixed traffic. After each highway section, drivers rated perceived safety, comfort, and perceived efficiency. Drivers were also asked to estimate the penetration rate of CAVs on the previous highway section. In addition, we analyzed drivers’ average speed and their minimum time headways to lead vehicles for each speed zone (80 km/h, 100 km/h, 130 km/h) as well as the percentage of safety critical interactions with lead vehicles (< 1 s time headway). Results showed that manual drivers experienced driving in mixed traffic, on average, as more uncomfortable, less safe and less efficient than driving in manual traffic, but not as dangerous. A status eHMI helps manual drivers identify CAVs in mixed traffic, but the eHMI had no effect on manual drivers’ subjective ratings or driving behavior. Starting at a level of 25% Level 3 vehicles in mixed traffic, participants' average speed decreased significantly. At the same time, the percentage of safety critical interactions with lead vehicles increased with an increasing penetration rate of CAVs. Accordingly, additional measures may be necessary in order to at least keep the existing safety level of driving on the highway.     

An Eye‐Tracking Study of Exploitations of Spatial Constraints in Diagrammatic Reasoning

Semantic studies on diagrammatic notations (Barwise & Etchemendy, 1990 ; Shimojima, 1995 ; Stenning & Lemon, 2001 ) have revealed that the “non‐deductive,” “emergent,” or “perceptual” effects of diagrams (Chandrasekaran, Kurup, Banerjee, Josephson, & Winkler, 2004 ; Kulpa, 2003 ; Larkin & Simon, 1987 ; Lindsay, 1988 ) are all rooted in the exploitation of spatial constraints on graphical structures. Thus, theoretically, this process is a key factor in inference with diagrams, explaining the frequently observed reduction of inferential load. The purpose of this study was to examine the empirical basis for this theoretical suggestion, focusing on the reality of the constraint‐exploitation strategy in actual practices of diagrammatic reasoning. Eye movements were recorded while participants used simple position diagrams to solve three‐ or four‐term transitive inference problems. Our experiments revealed that the participants could exploit spatial constraints on graphical structures even when (a) they were not in the position of actually manipulating diagrams, (b) the semantic rule for the provided diagrams did not match their preferences, and (c) the constraint‐exploitation strategy invited a partly adverse effect. These findings indicate that the hypothesized process is in fact robust, with the potential to broadly account for the inferential advantage of diagrams.     

'Gonnae no' dae that!'1 the internal and external worlds of the delinquent adolescent

In understanding delinquency in adolescence the key theoretical papers on the role of oedipal resolution and superego development remain essential and are summarized. To this we need to add our knowledge of trauma and of developmental deficit if we are to offer appropriate strategies for young delinquents and to be able to select those for whom therapy, intervention with the network or containment are appropriate. The defence of activity, commonplace in adolescence, becomes too easily enacted in the network around the delinquent and in the public domain, and thoughts are given on this process and on the roles open to the psychotherapist.

Afin de mieux cerner la délinquance chez l'adolescent, l'auteur passe en revue certains textes théoriques fondamentaux et toujours d'actualité sur l'importance de la dissolution du complexe d'?dipe et de la mise en place du Surmoi. À ces thèmes il convient d'ajouter ce que nous connaissons de l'impact des traumatismes et des défaillances développementales si nous voulons offrir au jeune délinquant des stratégies adéquates et identifier ceux pour qui une modalité particulière d'intervention - thérapie, prise en charge en réseau, structure contenante - semble la mieux indiquée. La défense par mise en acte, fréquente À l'adolescence, trouve trop facilement un écho dans le réseau d'intervenants autour de l'adolescent et dans le champ social ; l'auteur développe ses réflexions À ce sujet et explore les rôles que le thérapeute peut être amené À jouer.