Analysing the influence of attitude and habit on bicycle commuting

New transport trends have emerged in developing countries to promote bicycling due to its individual and societal benefits. Although bicycle infrastructure provision has been one of the most utilised strategies to encourage bicycling, it has had a limited immediate impact on the bicycling modal share. Published research indicates the need to incorporate the psychosocial dimension to understand commuters' transport behaviour and explain why bicycling infrastructure usage is lower than expected. This study highlights the processes behind bicycle mode choice decisions, explicitly incorporating pro-bicycle attitudes and habits, while also considering the influence of socioeconomic, bicycle facilities and bicycling experience variables on shaping that attitude. For this purpose, an online survey was designed and sent to students, faculty members and staff of two Chilean universities to collect ad-hoc data. The modelling used an approach based on an integrated choice and latent variable model. The main findings are: attitude in itself is a relevant construct to explain behaviour; bicycling infrastructure contribute to explain bicycle choice but only indirectly through attitude; socioeconomic characteristics, bicycling familiarity and practical issues have both a direct effect on bicycle choice decision and an indirect one by fostering pro-bicycling attitudes. Additionally, results show that the explicit inclusion of habit reduces the contribution of pro-bicycle attitude in explaining bicycle choice. This might be due to interaction and reinforcement between habit and attitude.     

An adaptive network model covering metacognition to control adaptation for multiple mental models

Learning processes can be described by adaptive mental (or neural) network models. If metacognition is used to regulate learning, the adaptation of the mental network becomes itself adaptive as well: second-order adaptation. In this paper, a second-order adaptive mental network model is introduced for metacognitive regulation of learning processes. The focus is on the role of multiple internal mental models, in particular, the case of visualisation to support learning of numerical or symbolic skills. The second-order adaptive network model is illustrated by a case scenario for the role of visualisation to support learning multiplication at the primary school.     

A two-part evaluation approach for measuring the usability and user experience of an Augmented Reality-based assistance system to support the temporal coordination of spatially dispersed teams

One key predictor of team performance and productivity is the teams’ ability to coordinate its subtasks as precisely as possible over time. Thereby, the quality of the temporal coordination in teams is highly dependent on several cognitive team skills, like for instance the ability to build a precise and stable mental model of the situation (shared situation awareness) and of the team task process (task state awareness/ TSA). To support these cognitive skills in teams, various methods and trainings already exist. However, considering teams that work de-located, the prerequisites and therefore the requirements for team supportive methods change. This work presents the results of an empirical usability and user experience (UX) study of an interface for an Augmented Reality-based assistance system for spatially dispersed teams, called Ambient Awareness Tool (AAT). The AAT interface consists of graphical information about the teamwork process and aims at enhancing the TSA of the team, thereby supporting its temporal coordination. Within the framework of a participatory design process we conducted a two-part expert-user-study, comprising a laboratory experiment for the evaluation of the interface usability and a follow-up online survey to additionally investigate the UX. By means of the usability scores we first inferred three interface configuration clusters. A subsequent UX evaluation then allowed us to designate the configuration cluster with the highest usability and UX scores. As a result, we defined one interface configuration that will be investigated concerning its actual impact on the temporal coordination of spatially dispersed teams in a further study.     

Decision-making bioinspired model for target definition and “satisfactor” selection for physiological needs

Every person, from an early age, has to make decisions to resolve situations that arise in life. In general, different people make different decisions in the same situation, since decision-making takes into account different factors such as age, emotional state, experience, among others. We can make decisions about situations that we classify as: more important than others, routine, unexpected, or trivial. However, making the correct decision(s) in a timely manner for these situations is one of the most complex and delicate challenges that human beings face. This is due to the arduous mental process required to be carried out. Providing such behavior to a virtual entity is possible through the use of Cognitive Architectures (CAs). CAs are an approach for modeling human intelligence and behavior. This paper presents an functional bioinspired computational decision-making model to satisfy the physiological needs of hunger and thirst. Our proposal considers as black boxes other cognitive functions that are part of a general CA (named Cuäyöllötl or brain in Nahuatl). In the proposed case study, it is proved that the decision-making process plays an essential role in determining the objective and selecting the object that satisfies the established need.     

Declarative working memory: A bio-inspired cognitive architecture proposal

Memory is considered one of the most important functions since it allows us to code, store and retrieve knowledge. These qualities make it an indispensable function for a virtual creature. In general, memory can be classified based on the durability of the stored data in working memory and long-term memory. Working memory refers to the capacity to maintain temporarily a limited amount of information in mind, which can then be used to support various abilities, including learning, reasoning, planning and decision-making. Unlike short-term memory, working memory is not only a storage site, but it is also a framework of interacting processes that involve the temporary storage and manipulation of information in the service of performing complex cognitive activities. Declarative memory is a type of long-term memory related with the storage of facts and events. This research focuses on the development of a cognitive architecture for the type of working memory that maintains and manipulates declarative information. The construction of the model was grounded in theoretical evidence taken from cognitive sciences such as neuroscience and psychology, which gave us the components and their processes. The model was evaluated through a case study that covers the encoding, storing, and retrieval stages. Our hypothesis is that a virtual creature endowed with our working memory model will provide faster access to the information needed for the ongoing task. Therefore, it improves the planning and decision-making processes.     

神经美学视角的审美愉悦加工机制

审美对象特有的刺激属性会唤起观赏者特定的情绪或情感反应。个体在欣赏自然、艺术品和其他人类作品时会产生审美愉悦体验。审美愉悦-兴趣模型(PIA)认为, 审美愉悦体验包含审美过程中自动化加工阶段的审美愉悦和控制加工阶段的审美兴趣。近年来, 神经美学研究表明, 负责愉悦和奖赏的眶额叶皮层在审美过程中广泛激活, 是自动化加工阶段初级审美愉悦奖赏的神经基础, 而审美过程中纹状体亚回路中不同的连接和功能作用与两个阶段中审美愉悦的产生都有关联; 上述结果支持了审美愉悦-兴趣模型。但审美高峰体验时默认模式网络(DMN)相关脑区的激活和负责控制与理性思维的外侧前额叶皮层等脑区的失活, 提示在PIA模型强调的自动化加工阶段审美愉悦和控制加工阶段审美兴趣之上, 还有整合升华阶段的审美沉浸愉悦, PIA模型需得到进一步的扩展。未来研究应进一步检验审美愉悦认知加工模型及神经机制, 探索审美对创造力的影响机制和神经基础, 探讨不同审美经验愉悦机制的异同。     

不患不均？容忍和支持经济不平等的心理学解释

不断加剧的经济不平等问题对个体和社会有着巨大危害,然而人们对经济不平等却有着较高的容忍性。基于个体心理的研究证据,本文提出认知和动机双重路径模型来解释个体容忍和支持经济不平等问题。在认知路径上,个体倾向于低估当前社会的经济不平等程度和将经济不平等评价为公平的;在动机路径上,个体预期经济不平等将带来自我利益的增加。未来研究应进一步整合多重心理机制间的关系,并探索有效干预手段以增加人们对减少经济不平等的支持。     

混合情绪能促进心理健康吗？

摘 要 积极和消极情绪的同时体验,即混合情绪,是生活中常见的情绪状态。健康应对的共激活模型、情绪动态模型和积极比模型一致认为混合情绪与心理健康之间呈现非线性的关系,适当的混合情绪有利于个体在困境中全面加工和整合信息,寻求意义,获得控制感,进而实现健康应对和心理症状改善,获得幸福感。未来研究应关注对非线性关系的精确描述;低压力或非压力情境下混合情绪的意义;进一步研究混合情绪促进心理健康的内部机制和影响因素。     

不同空间构型下邻近性对视觉工作记忆中相似性效应的影响

相似性对视觉工作记忆表征的促进被称为相似性效应。以相似项目间的距离和是否插入其他项目改变邻近性,并操纵记忆项空间构型有序性,探讨邻近性对相似性效应的影响。结果发现,不同空间构型和邻近性条件下相似项目的记忆正确率高于非相似项目;在空间构型有序下,相似项目距离远时,插入其他项目时的相似性效应值低于不插入,而空间构型无序下未发现显著差异。这表明相似性促进视觉工作记忆表征,空间构型在邻近性对相似性效应的影响中起重要作用。