Differences in the Between‐Person and Within‐Person Structures of Affect Are a Matter of Degree

This study tested whether the structure of affect observed on the basis of between‐person (BP) differences is equivalent to the affect structures that organize the variability of affective states within persons (WP) over time. Further aims were to identify individual differences in the degree of divergence between the WP and BP structure and examine its association to dispositional and contextual variables (neuroticism, extraversion, well‐being and stress). In 100 daily sessions, 101 younger adults rated their mood on the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Variability of five negative affect items across time was so low that they were excluded from the analyses. We thus worked with a modified negative affect subscale. WP affect structures diverged reliably from the BP structure, with individual differences in the degree of divergence. Differences in the WP structural characteristics and the degree of divergence could be predicted by well‐being and stress. We conclude that BP and WP structures of affect are not equivalent and that BP and WP variation should be considered as distinct phenomena. It would be wrong, for example, to conceive of positive and negative affect as independent at the WP level, as suggested by BP findings. Yet, individual differences in WP structural characteristics are related to stable BP differences, and the degree to which individuals' affect structures diverge from the BP structure can provide important insights into intraindividual functioning. Copyright © 2014 European Association of Personality Psychology     

Behavioural analysis of interactions between pedestrians and vehicles in street designs with elements of shared space

This paper describes the development and implementation of qualitative behavioural criteria in order to analyse the conduct of pedestrians and vehicles when they are required to interact with each other, with particular interest to street designs with elements of shared space. The new behavioural analysis technique is developed by identifying the fundamental principles that underpin existing traffic analyses, such as traffic conflicts techniques, and adapting those to a qualitative framework that describes the mindset and rationale of road users. The technique is then applied to a case study in London, using video data from periods before and after the redevelopment of the Exhibition Road site from a conventional dual carriageway to a modern design with some elements of shared space. With the main goals being to assess the pedestrians’ confidence and the vehicles’ tolerance/patience when forced to interact with each other, behavioural trends are related to instantaneous characteristics of the vehicle flow (vehicle approach speed and traffic density). The data produced are used to develop and validate qualitative behavioural relationships for pedestrian–vehicle interactions, as well as location-specific conclusions for the Exhibition Road site.     

THE MODERN INVENTION OF “SCIENCE‐AND‐RELIGION”: WHAT FOLLOWS?

I am grateful to the four reviewers of The Territories of Science and Religion for their careful and insightful readings of the book, and their kind words about it. They all got the central arguments pretty much right, and thus any critical comments are not the result of fundamental misunderstandings. While there are some common themes in the assessments, each reviewer, happily, has offered a distinct perspective on the book. For this reason I will deal with their comments in turn, but with a focus throughout on a generally expressed concern about the broader implications of the book's historical analysis, and what positive or concrete proposals might follow from it.     

Applying Evidence-Centered Design for the Development of Game-Based Assessments in Physics Playground

Game-based assessment (GBA) is a specific use of educational games that employs game activities to elicit evidence for educationally valuable skills and knowledge. While this approach can provide individualized and diagnostic information about students, the design and development of assessment mechanics for a GBA is a nontrivial task. In this article, we describe the 10-step procedure that the design team of Physics Playground (formerly known as Newton's Playground) has established by adapting evidence-centered design to address unique challenges of GBA. The scaling method used for Physics Playground was Bayesian networks; thus this article describes specific actions taken for the iterative process of constructing and revising Bayesian networks in the context of the game Physics Playground.     

Personality change via work: A job demand–control model of Big-five personality changes

Based on the job demand–control model and Gray's biopsychological theory of personality, the author proposed a model to suggest that time demand and job control can drive changes in Big-five personality traits, especially neuroticism and extroversion, by shaping an individual's stress experiences at work. Five waves of data from 1814 employees over a five-year period from the Household, Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia Survey were analyzed. Time demand, job control and job stress were measured in all five waves, and Big-five personality was assessed in the first and last waves. The results showed that time demand and job control shaped job stress positively and negatively at a given time; and over time, an increase in time demand predicted an increase in job stress, which subsequently predicted an increase in neuroticism and a decrease in extroversion and conscientiousness. Results also showed that an increase in job control predicted an increase in agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness directly, but did not predict change in neuroticism and extroversion. Finally, the buffering effect of job control on the association between time demand and job stress was only observed in two of five waves and such buffering effect was not observed in a change process. The implications on personality development and work design research are discussed.     

Toward integrating cognitive components with computational models of emotion using software design patterns

Computational models of emotion (CMEs) are software systems designed to imitate particular aspects of human emotions. The main purpose of this type of computational model is to capture the complexity of the human emotion process in a software system that is incorporated into a cognitive agent architecture. However, creating a CME that closely imitates the actual functioning of emotions demands to address some challenges such as (i) sharing information among independently developed cognitive and affective components, and (ii) interconnecting complex cognitive and affective components that must interact with one another in order to generate realistic emotions, which may even affect agents’ decision making. This paper proposes an architectural pattern aimed at cataloging and describing fundamental components of CMEs and their interrelationships with cognitive components. In this architectural pattern, external cognitive components and internal affective components of CMEs do not interact directly but are extended by including message exchange methods in order to use a publish-subscribe channel, which enables their intercommunication, thus attenuating issues such as software heterogeneity. This structural approach centralizes communication management and separates the inherent complexity of the cognitive and affective processes from the complexity of their interaction mechanisms. In so doing, it enables the design of CMEs’ architectures composed of independently developed affective and cognitive components. The proposed architectural pattern attempts to make progress in capturing the complex process of human emotions in a software system that adheres to software engineering best practices and that incorporates quality attributes such as flexibility and interoperability.     

A cluster randomized trial to evaluate need-supportive teaching in physical education on physical activity of sixth-grade girls: A mixed method study

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of need-supportive teaching in physical education on girls' daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity using a mixed method evaluation.Methods507 sixth-grade girls aged 9–14 years of 33 single-sex physical education classes participated in the cluster randomized control trial. During the 16-week intervention period, trained teachers conducted enhanced physical education lessons which were designed based on self-determination theory. In a randomized process, independent researchers using a computer-based algorithm allocated classes to the trial groups (IG n = 19 classes, CG n = 14). These lessons were subject to repeated systematic observations. The students' perceptions of basic psychological need support and satisfaction in physical education were measured using repeated self-report questionnaires. Students' daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was assessed by accelerometry. Semi-structured interviews provided a deeper understanding of how purposively sampled focus groups perceived teacher behavior in physical education. After a separate analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, results were merged to investigate the intervention's efficacy and treatment fidelity.FindingsThroughout the school year, the girls' MVPA levels decreased in both groups. Girls who reported their complete physical activity data had a lower body mass index than girls who reported no, or only one or two sets of physical activity data. Results of mixed measures converge on the finding that the teachers in the intervention group provided slightly stronger need support than the control teachers, however, intervention components were not delivered consistently. Therefore, a significant intervention effect on daily MVPA could not be quantified. Autonomy satisfaction significantly predicted MVPA.ConclusionQualitative insights of teaching behavior in PE underlined the importance of need support and revealed structural barriers, which compromised the implementation quality.Trial registrationEthics Committee of the Technical University of Munich 155/16S; Bavarian Ministry of Education IV.8-BO6106/52/12.FundingGerman Research Foundation grant DE2680/3-1.     

Sandstorm animations on rural expressways: The impact of variable message sign strategies on driver behavior in low visibility conditions

Problem: Evolving sandstorms on rural expressways in desert countries impair drivers' contrast vision and increase the risk of serious crashes due to delayed speed adjustments. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) such as Variable Message Signs (VMS) conveying warnings can be activated to address drivers’ speed adaptation before entering a low visibility zone. To improve drivers’ understanding of the hazard, a sandstorm animation visualizing turbulent sand and its consequences was designed and compared with a general warning pictogram, which is applied if no specific weather pictogram is available. Moreover, minimum warning distances of the VMS to the low visibility zone were tested (e.g., 300 m or 500 m).MethodSixty-three participants from the State of Qatar drove in a driving simulator through clear, transition, and low visibility conditions on a rural expressway. A repeated analysis of variances was conducted to examine the impact of the two on-road warning displays on driving behavior.ResultsThe results showed that the sandstorm animation was similarly effective as a generic warning pictogram in reducing driving speeds before entering the transition and low visibility zone, irrespective of being displayed 500 m or 300 m away. However, the sandstorm animation resulted in consistent similar speed reductions within the low visibility zone, whereas the generic warning pictogram did either perform better or worse after several encounters with a sandstorm. Drivers did strongly agree that the animation is clearly referring to the issue of low visibility, which can be beneficial for recurring low visibility conditions.Practical applications: 1.) Displaying a sandstorm animation is beneficial for rural expressway sections with recurring degrading visibility and low traffic densities, whereas a warning pictogram can be more effective in speed reductions if drivers expect additional traffic hazards. 2.) Roadway authorities have the flexibility to activate a VMS sandstorm warning even for minimum warning distances.     

基于游戏的心理测评

基于游戏的心理测评是指通过游戏或游戏化的活动, 对一个人的能力、人格等心理特性和行为进行量化测评。早期主要用于评估教育和训练的效果, 而后发展成对心理特性的测评。基于游戏的测评作为一项新技术在测评形式、测评过程和测评结果上均具有优势。目前基于游戏的测评形成了以证据中心设计为基础的范式, 用于指导建立测评工具和开展实证研究, 并在测评个体认知能力和非认知能力方面均有实践。然而当前该技术仍处于起步阶段, 未来研究可以在任务设计、结果分析及实践应用方面进一步拓展深入。