Frequency of stuttering during challenging and supportive virtual reality job interviews

This paper seeks to demonstrate the possibility of manipulating the frequency of stuttering using virtual reality environments (VREs). If stuttering manifests itself in VREs similarly to the way it manifests itself in real world interactions, then VREs can provide a controlled, safe, and confidential method for treatment practice and generalization. Though many researchers and clinicians recognize the need for generalization activities in the treatment of stuttering, achieving generalization in a clinical setting poses challenges to client confidentiality, safety, and the efficient use of a professionals’ time. Virtual reality (VR) technology may allow professionals the opportunity to enhance and assess treatment generalization while protecting the safety and confidentiality of their clients. In this study, we developed a VR job interview environment which allowed experimental control over communication style and gender of interviewers. In this first trial, persons who stutter (PWS) experienced both challenging and supportive VR job interview conditions. The percentage of stuttered syllables was calculated for both interviews for each participant. Self-reported ratings of communication apprehension and confidence were also obtained, and were not significantly correlated with stuttering severity. Results indicated that interviewer communication style affected the amount of stuttering produced by participants, with more stuttering observed during challenging virtual interviews. Additionally, the amount of stuttering observed during the VR job interviews was significantly, positively correlated with the amount of stuttering observed during an interview with the investigator prior to VR exposure. Participants’ subjective reports of the VR experience indicate reactions similar to those they report experiencing in the real world. Possible implications for the use of VR in the assessment and treatment of stuttering are discussed.

Educational objectives: After reading this article, the reader will be able to—(1) list some of the challenges to treatment generalization; (2) describe how virtual reality technology can assist in alleviating some of these challenges; (3) describe how the frequency of stuttering varies across two different virtual environments.     

Segment routing based energy aware routing for software defined data center

Despite the fact that most of the data centers are software-defined, the multifaceted network architecture and increase in network traffic make data centers to suffer from overhead. Multipath TCP supports multiple paths for a single routing session and ensures proper utilization of bandwidth over all available links. As rise in number of nodes in data center is frequent and drastic, scalability issue limits the performance of many existing techniques. Segment Routing is vibrant in reducing scalability disputes and routing overhead. Segment routing approach combined with MPTCP traffic result in efficient routing approach. The downfall of the link capacity due to drastic incoming traffic remains as a major concern in data center network which enforces preventing link energy depletion due to high network traffic. Our proposed work, segment routing based energy aware routing approach for software defined data center aims to achieve throughput maximization through preserving link residual capacity and proper utilization of links. As well, our approach shows a decrease in length of segment label stack with respect to maximum segment label depth. Analysis is done by comparing the executions of other existing approaches in a single-controller environment with our energy-aware routing approach in a distributed environment. Distributed controller setup prevents network from single point of failure. It helps to prevent controller overhead and provides improved network performance through throughput.     

A Field-Tested Task Analysis for Creating Single-Subject Graphs Using Microsoft<Superscript>®</Superscript> Office Excel

Creating single-subject (SS) graphs is challenging for many researchers and practitioners because it is a complex task with many steps. Although several authors have introduced guidelines for creating SS graphs, many users continue to experience frustration. The purpose of this article is to minimize these frustrations by providing a field-tested task analysis for creating SS graphs using Microsoft^® Office Excel. Results from the field test are presented and the task analysis, which includes steps for creating a variety of SS graphs, is provided. The article includes various illustrations, a list of prerequisite skills, tips, and troubleshooting items.     

PyHab: Open-source real time infant gaze coding and stimulus presentation software

Infant looking-time paradigms often use specialized software for real time manual coding of infant gaze. Here, I introduce PyHab, the first open-source looking-time coding and stimulus presentation solution designed specifically with open science in mind. PyHab is built on the libraries of PsychoPy (Peirce, 2007). PyHab has its own graphical interface for building studies and requires no programming experience to use. When creating a study, PyHab saves a folder that contains all of the code required to run the study and all of the stimuli, making each experiment a self-contained, easily shared package. This feature guarantees the ability to replicate a PyHab experiment exactly as it was run. PyHab also has several features designed to support rigorous methodology, such as experimenter blinding and automatic stimulus control. In addition, because it is open-source, PyHab can be modified and improved not only by its developer but by anyone who knows Python.     

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.     

控制方法与认知方式对个别辅导型课件学习的影响

采用二因素混合实验设计对不同控制方式(程序控制、学习者控制、有建议的学习者控制)与学生认知方式(场依存型、中间型、场独立型)对个别辅导型课件学习效果的影响进行研究,结果表明个别辅导型课件的效果受不同控制方式和学生认知方式的影响,且两个因素的交互作用显著。     

Development of computational models of emotions: A software engineering perspective

Computational Models of Emotions (CMEs) are software systems designed to explain the phenomenon of emotions. The mechanisms implemented in this type of computational models are based on human emotion theories reported in the literature and designed to provide intelligent agents with affective capabilities and improve human-computer interaction. However, despite the growing interest in this type of models, the development process of CMEs does not seem to follow formal software methodologies. In this paper, we present an analysis of CMEs from a software engineering perspective. We aim to identify what elements of software engineering are used in the development process of CMEs and to demonstrate how some software engineering techniques may support and improve their development process. We discuss a series of challenges to be addressed in order to take advantage of software engineering techniques: (1) definition of guidelines to help decide which emotion theories should be implemented computationally, (2) homogenization of terms about human emotions, their components, phases, and cycles implemented in CMEs, (3) design of CMEs whose components can be reusable, (4) definition of standard criteria for comparative analysis between CMEs, (5) identification of software engineering principles, concepts, and design practices useful in the construction of CMEs, and (6) definition of standard frameworks to validate CMEs.     

A Critique of Positive Responsibility in Computing

It has been claimed that (1) computer professionals should be held responsible for an undisclosed list of "undesirable events" associated with their work and (2) most if not all computer disasters can be avoided by truly understanding responsibility. Programmers, software developers, and other computer professionals should be defended against such vague, counterproductive, and impossible ideals because these imply the mandatory satisfaction of social needs and the equation of ethics with a kind of altruism. The concept of social needs is debatable with no one possessing the authority to impose their version of them. Similarly, the notion of "positive responsibility" is difficult to apply, does not effectively change computing practice, and confuses good (i.e., efficient) computer engineering with good (i.e. moral) computer engineering.     

Deontic action logic, atomic boolean algebras and fault-tolerance

We introduce a deontic action logic and its axiomatization. This logic has some useful properties (soundness, completeness, compactness and decidability), extending the properties usually associated with such logics. Though the propositional version of the logic is quite expressive, we augment it with temporal operators, and we outline an axiomatic system for this more expressive framework. An important characteristic of this deontic action logic is that we use boolean combinators on actions, and, because of finiteness restrictions, the generated boolean algebra is atomic, which is a crucial point in proving the completeness of the axiomatic system. As our main goal is to use this logic for reasoning about fault-tolerant systems, we provide a complete example of a simple application, with an attempt at formalization of some concepts usually associated with fault-tolerance.     

Occupational specialty congruence: New data and future directions

The present research examined the relationship between within-occupational congruence and satisfaction, and attempted to integrate hypotheses and findings of prior studies with the conceptual implications of occupational specialty congruence. Correspondence between vocational interests within occupations and specialty choice has shown higher correlations with satisfaction than with congruence (Assouline & Meir, 1987). Occupational specialty congruence was derived by comparing preferred functions with the actual functions characterizing a given occupational specialty. In the present study, involving 120 computer software professionals, occupational specialty congruence correlated approximately .45 with satisfaction, using core job function dimensions. Specialty change within occupation, rather than occupational change, may help in cases of poor occupational choice, burnout, or a change in health. Further research should explore the generalizability of the function dimensions employed herein. Identifying core dimensions can aid in designing both career tracks and certification exams.