Using Stories to Reframe the Social Construction of Reality: A Trio of Activities

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, Sandra; Dennehy, Robert F.

2004-01-01

This article first presents the theoretical grounding for both storytelling and the social construction of reality. A sequence of classroom-tested tools for combining stories with reality construction is then described. Two tools for framing reality are offered: One is an actual frame that students take out of the classroom to frame a scene in…

Précis of Social Perception and Social Reality: Why accuracy dominates bias and self-fulfilling prophecy.

Science.gov (United States)

Jussim, Lee

2017-01-01

Social Perception and Social Reality (Jussim 2012) reviews the evidence in social psychology and related fields and reaches three conclusions: (1) Although errors, biases, and self-fulfilling prophecies in person perception are real, reliable, and occasionally quite powerful, on average, they tend to be weak, fragile, and fleeting. (2) Perceptions of individuals and groups tend to be at least moderately, and often highly accurate. (3) Conclusions based on the research on error, bias, and self-fulfilling prophecies routinely greatly overstate their power and pervasiveness, and consistently ignore evidence of accuracy, agreement, and rationality in social perception. The weight of the evidence - including some of the most classic research widely interpreted as testifying to the power of biased and self-fulfilling processes - is that interpersonal expectations relate to social reality primarily because they reflect rather than cause social reality. This is the case not only for teacher expectations, but also for social stereotypes, both as perceptions of groups, and as the bases of expectations regarding individuals. The time is long overdue to replace cherry-picked and unjustified stories emphasizing error, bias, the power of self-fulfilling prophecies, and the inaccuracy of stereotypes, with conclusions that more closely correspond to the full range of empirical findings, which includes multiple failed replications of classic expectancy studies, meta-analyses consistently demonstrating small or at best moderate expectancy effects, and high accuracy in social perception.

Virtual Reality Social Cognition Training for Young Adults with High-Functioning Autism

Science.gov (United States)

Kandalaft, Michelle R.; Didehbani, Nyaz; Krawczyk, Daniel C.; Allen, Tandra T.; Chapman, Sandra B.

2013-01-01

Few evidence-based social interventions exist for young adults with high-functioning autism, many of whom encounter significant challenges during the transition into adulthood. The current study investigated the feasibility of an engaging Virtual Reality Social Cognition Training intervention focused on enhancing social skills, social cognition,…

VIRTUAL REALITY AS A TOOL FOR THE STUDY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL PHENOMENA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Aymerich-Franch

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Virtual reality is a technology that drastically alters the environment and self-representation through the creation of virtual worlds and avatars. These transformations facilitate the analysis of social and psychological phenomena hardly observable in a real environment. The paper presents the virtual reality as a methodological tool and describes the possibilities this technology offers to researchers in the field of Social Sciences presenting the results of the most relevant studies that have used this tool following the paradigm of Transformed Social Interaction and presents a case study.

Social environments and interpersonal distance regulation in psychosis : A virtual reality study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Geraets, Chris N W; van Beilen, Marije; Pot-Kolder, Roos; Counotte, Jacqueline; van der Gaag, Mark; Veling, Wim

BACKGROUND: Experimentally studying the influence of social environments on mental health and behavior is challenging, as social context is difficult to standardize in laboratory settings. Virtual Reality (VR) enables studying social interaction in terms of interpersonal distance in a more

Virtual reality exposure therapy for social anxiety disorder: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Page L; Price, Matthew; Edwards, Shannan M; Obasaju, Mayowa A; Schmertz, Stefan K; Zimand, Elana; Calamaras, Martha R

2013-10-01

This is the first randomized trial comparing virtual reality exposure therapy to in vivo exposure for social anxiety disorder. Participants with a principal diagnosis of social anxiety disorder who identified public speaking as their primary fear (N = 97) were recruited from the community, resulting in an ethnically diverse sample (M age = 39 years) of mostly women (62%). Participants were randomly assigned to and completed 8 sessions of manualized virtual reality exposure therapy, exposure group therapy, or wait list. Standardized self-report measures were collected at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 12-month follow-up, and process measures were collected during treatment. A standardized speech task was delivered at pre- and posttreatment, and diagnostic status was reassessed at 3-month follow-up. Analysis of covariance showed that, relative to wait list, people completing either active treatment significantly improved on all but one measure (length of speech for exposure group therapy and self-reported fear of negative evaluation for virtual reality exposure therapy). At 12-month follow-up, people showed significant improvement from pretreatment on all measures. There were no differences between the active treatments on any process or outcome measure at any time, nor differences on achieving partial or full remission. Virtual reality exposure therapy is effective for treating social fears, and improvement is maintained for 1 year. Virtual reality exposure therapy is equally effective as exposure group therapy; further research with a larger sample is needed, however, to better control and statistically test differences between the treatments.

Feasibility of Virtual Reality Environments for Adolescent Social Anxiety Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Parrish, Danielle E.; Oxhandler, Holly K.; Duron, Jacuelynn F.; Swank, Paul; Bordnick, Patrick

2016-01-01

Purpose: This study assessed the feasibility of virtual reality (VR) exposure as an assessment and treatment modality for youth with social anxiety disorder (SAD). Methods: Forty-one adolescents, 20 of which were identified as having SAD, were recruited from a community sample. Youth with and without SAD were exposed to two social virtual…

Social Augmented Reality: Enhancing Context-Dependent Communication and Informal Learning at Work

Science.gov (United States)

Pejoska, Jana; Bauters, Merja; Purma, Jukka; Leinonen, Teemu

2016-01-01

Our design proposal of social augmented reality (SoAR) grows from the observed difficulties of practical applications of augmented reality (AR) in workplace learning. In our research we investigated construction workers doing physical work in the field and analyzed the data using qualitative methods in various workshops. The challenges related to…

social justice in nigeria: the dialectics of ideas and reality

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper set out to critically look into the gap that has existed between ideas and reality in the realm of social justice in Nigeria. To realize this objective, the paper examined the dynamics of the Nigerian political economy and how this impinges on the practice and implementation of social justice. The paper subsequently ...

Social Construction Theory of Reality: A Case Study of Anti Anorexia Campaign Poster

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aris Darisman

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Although Constructivism Theory of reality is categorized as a Subjective Theory, in terms of the construction process, it also had an objective feel. This could be observed in the three forms of realities that became the entry concept, namely: Objective Reality, Symbolic Reality, and Subjective Reality. The aim of this study was to analyze and understand a cultural tendency today's society through the lens of a philosophical. The philosophical theory of culture which had been regarded as something far beyond the reach became clear glasses in a tendency to see and understand the socio-cultural community. This research told about the dangerous of socio-culture community that could affect someone’s life. In this case was people who suffer anorexia and bulimia. This phenomenon could be avoided by doing campaign and some advertisement about the danger of this disease. The research method was assessing visual data in the form of a social campaign poster, study or library research, strengthened with the supporting theoretical basis study. In this research, the data obtained from photo documentation, literature study through books and scientific studies regarding social issues related to the theme. This research finds out that society, in general, is associated with the philosophical and socio-cultural studies. It is expected to occur a parallel relationship between disciplines (social, cultural, philosophical and practices that occur in people's daily behavior. 

Sociological theory and social reality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J Díez Nicolás

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This paper pretends to demonstrate the complementary relations between three relatively recent sociological theories, each one of which explains a different aspect of the same social object: the origin, diffusion and change of social and cultural values, aiming at demonstrating that there is not such a thing as a sociological theory that explains all, but rather diverse theories that offer partial explanations of social reality. To that effect, and on the basis of the necessary relationship between theory and research, three different theories are evaluated separately: Hawley’s and Duncan’s theory of the social ecosystem, Galtung’s centre-periphery theory, and Inglehart’s theory of values’ change in modern-industrial societies, offering theoretical and empirical evidence of their complementary relations, based on Spanish and international data. Social ecosystem and centre-periphery theories show a high level of generalization (through space and time and a high level of abstraction, though both can easily operationalize their main concepts through valid and reliable indicators. The theory of values’ change, however, though showing a high level of generalization, is limited in time to the historical period after World War II, and also shows a high level of abstraction. Centre-periphery theory and values’ change theory use individual and collective units of analysis, but social ecosystem theory only uses collective units, by definition. The three theories lead to the conclusion that ‘security’ values will gain a growing importance in present societies.

Adolescents' Construction of Social Reality: The Impact of Television and Peers.

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Gary W.; Peters, David F.

1983-01-01

Draws upon ideas about "television effects" and the adolescent peer group to illustrate how interconnections between these two socializing agents contribute to the adolescent's "construction of social reality." Examines how gender, sexual, consumer, and occupational roles as enacted by teenagers are a product of media and peer group influences.…

From the Theory of Mind to the Construction of Social Reality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

G. Boella (Guido); L.W.N. van der Torre (Leon)

2005-01-01

htmlabstractIn this paper we argue that the hypothesis of the theory of mind advanced in cognitive science can be the basis not only of the social abilities which allow interaction among individuals, but also of the construction of social reality. The theory of mind is the attribution, via the

Environmental Social Stress, Paranoia and Psychosis Liability: A Virtual Reality Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Veling, Wim; Pot-Kolder, Roos; Counotte, Jacqueline; van Os, Jim; van der Gaag, Mark

2016-11-01

The impact of social environments on mental states is difficult to assess, limiting the understanding of which aspects of the social environment contribute to the onset of psychotic symptoms and how individual characteristics moderate this outcome. This study aimed to test sensitivity to environmental social stress as a mechanism of psychosis using Virtual Reality (VR) experiments. Fifty-five patients with recent onset psychotic disorder, 20 patients at ultra high risk for psychosis, 42 siblings of patients with psychosis, and 53 controls walked 5 times in a virtual bar with different levels of environmental social stress. Virtual social stressors were population density, ethnic density and hostility. Paranoia about virtual humans and subjective distress in response to virtual social stress exposures were measured with State Social Paranoia Scale (SSPS) and self-rated momentary subjective distress (SUD), respectively. Pre-existing (subclinical) symptoms were assessed with the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE), Green Paranoid Thoughts Scale (GPTS) and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS). Paranoia and subjective distress increased with degree of social stress in the environment. Psychosis liability and pre-existing symptoms, in particular negative affect, positively impacted the level of paranoia and distress in response to social stress. These results provide experimental evidence that heightened sensitivity to environmental social stress may play an important role in the onset and course of psychosis. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Features of pupils’ and students’ perception of the future profession image as a part of social reality

OpenAIRE

Suvorova I.Yu.,

2014-01-01

We discuss the question of the relationship of man’s place in the social system and his perception of social reality. Awareness of the place in the system of social relations implies acceptance of its norms and values, which provides a systematic perception of social reality and the ability to plan the future. If the inclusion into the system of social relations is limited, this leads to difficulty of the world systematization and future plans making. We present the study of the perceptual im...

Mixed reality temporal bone surgical dissector: mechanical design.

Science.gov (United States)

Hochman, Jordan Brent; Sepehri, Nariman; Rampersad, Vivek; Kraut, Jay; Khazraee, Milad; Pisa, Justyn; Unger, Bertram

2014-08-08

The Development of a Novel Mixed Reality (MR) Simulation. An evolving training environment emphasizes the importance of simulation. Current haptic temporal bone simulators have difficulty representing realistic contact forces and while 3D printed models convincingly represent vibrational properties of bone, they cannot reproduce soft tissue. This paper introduces a mixed reality model, where the effective elements of both simulations are combined; haptic rendering of soft tissue directly interacts with a printed bone model. This paper addresses one aspect in a series of challenges, specifically the mechanical merger of a haptic device with an otic drill. This further necessitates gravity cancelation of the work assembly gripper mechanism. In this system, the haptic end-effector is replaced by a high-speed drill and the virtual contact forces need to be repositioned to the drill tip from the mid wand. Previous publications detail generation of both the requisite printed and haptic simulations. Custom software was developed to reposition the haptic interaction point to the drill tip. A custom fitting, to hold the otic drill, was developed and its weight was offset using the haptic device. The robustness of the system to disturbances and its stable performance during drilling were tested. The experiments were performed on a mixed reality model consisting of two drillable rapid-prototyped layers separated by a free-space. Within the free-space, a linear virtual force model is applied to simulate drill contact with soft tissue. Testing illustrated the effectiveness of gravity cancellation. Additionally, the system exhibited excellent performance given random inputs and during the drill's passage between real and virtual components of the model. No issues with registration at model boundaries were encountered. These tests provide a proof of concept for the initial stages in the development of a novel mixed-reality temporal bone simulator.

Characteristics of social perception assessed in schizophrenia using virtual reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kwanguk; Kim, Jae-Jin; Kim, Jaehun; Park, Da-Eun; Jang, Hee Jeong; Ku, Jeonghun; Kim, Chan-Hyung; Kim, In Young; Kim, Sun I

2007-04-01

Impairment in social skills is one of the few criteria that all individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia must meet. Successful social skills require the coordination of many abilities, including social perception, which involves the decoding and interpretation of social cues from others. In this study, we examined the potential for virtual reality (VR) in social skill training. We attempted to determine if VR can be used to measure social skills and social perception, and to determine which VR parameters are related to schizophrenic symptoms. Some of these results have clear clinical relevance, while other observations need further study. The VR system appears to be useful in assessing the social perception of schizophrenics and normal people, and could be more widely used in the future for social training and in the assessment of social problem-solving abilities, assertiveness skills, and general social skills.

Social mechanisms and social causation

OpenAIRE

Friedel Weinert

2014-01-01

The aim of this paper is to examine the notion of social mechanisms by comparison with the notions of evolutionary and physical mechanisms. It is argued that social mechanisms are based on trends, and not lawlike regularities, so that social mechanisms are different from mechanisms in the natural sciences. Taking as an example of social causation the abolition of the slave trade, this paper argues that social mechanisms should be incorporated in Weber’s wider ...

Sociological Theory and Social Reality [ENG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JUAN DÍEZ NICOLÁS

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper pretends to demonstrate the complementary relations between three relatively recent sociological theories, each one of which explains a different aspect of the same social object: the origin, diffusion and change of social and cultural values, aiming at demonstrating that there is not such a thing as a sociological theory that explains all, but rather diverse theories that offer partial explanations of social reality. To that effect, and on the basis of the necessary relationship between theory and research, three different theories are evaluated separately: Hawley?s and Duncan?s theory of the social ecosystem, Galtung?s centre-periphery theory, and Inglehart?s theory of values? change in modern-industrial societies, offering theoretical and empirical evidence of their complementary relations, based on Spanish and international data. Social ecosystem and centre-periphery theories show a high level of generalization (through space and time and a high level of abstraction, though both can easily operationalize their main concepts through valid and reliable indicators. The theory of values? change, however, though showing a high level of generalization, is limited in time to the historical period after World War II, and also shows a high level of abstraction. Centre-periphery theory and values? change theory use individual and collective units of analysis, but social ecosystem theory only uses collective units, by definition. The three theories lead to the conclusion that ?security? values will gain a growing importance in present societies.

Controlling social stress in virtual reality environments.

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Dwi Hartanto

Full Text Available Virtual reality exposure therapy has been proposed as a viable alternative in the treatment of anxiety disorders, including social anxiety disorder. Therapists could benefit from extensive control of anxiety eliciting stimuli during virtual exposure. Two stimuli controls are studied in this study: the social dialogue situation, and the dialogue feedback responses (negative or positive between a human and a virtual character. In the first study, 16 participants were exposed in three virtual reality scenarios: a neutral virtual world, blind date scenario, and job interview scenario. Results showed a significant difference between the three virtual scenarios in the level of self-reported anxiety and heart rate. In the second study, 24 participants were exposed to a job interview scenario in a virtual environment where the ratio between negative and positive dialogue feedback responses of a virtual character was systematically varied on-the-fly. Results yielded that within a dialogue the more positive dialogue feedback resulted in less self-reported anxiety, lower heart rate, and longer answers, while more negative dialogue feedback of the virtual character resulted in the opposite. The correlations between on the one hand the dialogue stressor ratio and on the other hand the means of SUD score, heart rate and audio length in the eight dialogue conditions showed a strong relationship: r(6 = 0.91, p = 0.002; r(6 = 0.76, p = 0.028 and r(6 = -0.94, p = 0.001 respectively. Furthermore, more anticipatory anxiety reported before exposure was found to coincide with more self-reported anxiety, and shorter answers during the virtual exposure. These results demonstrate that social dialogues in a virtual environment can be effectively manipulated for therapeutic purposes.

Controlling social stress in virtual reality environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartanto, Dwi; Kampmann, Isabel L; Morina, Nexhmedin; Emmelkamp, Paul G M; Neerincx, Mark A; Brinkman, Willem-Paul

2014-01-01

Virtual reality exposure therapy has been proposed as a viable alternative in the treatment of anxiety disorders, including social anxiety disorder. Therapists could benefit from extensive control of anxiety eliciting stimuli during virtual exposure. Two stimuli controls are studied in this study: the social dialogue situation, and the dialogue feedback responses (negative or positive) between a human and a virtual character. In the first study, 16 participants were exposed in three virtual reality scenarios: a neutral virtual world, blind date scenario, and job interview scenario. Results showed a significant difference between the three virtual scenarios in the level of self-reported anxiety and heart rate. In the second study, 24 participants were exposed to a job interview scenario in a virtual environment where the ratio between negative and positive dialogue feedback responses of a virtual character was systematically varied on-the-fly. Results yielded that within a dialogue the more positive dialogue feedback resulted in less self-reported anxiety, lower heart rate, and longer answers, while more negative dialogue feedback of the virtual character resulted in the opposite. The correlations between on the one hand the dialogue stressor ratio and on the other hand the means of SUD score, heart rate and audio length in the eight dialogue conditions showed a strong relationship: r(6) = 0.91, p = 0.002; r(6) = 0.76, p = 0.028 and r(6) = -0.94, p = 0.001 respectively. Furthermore, more anticipatory anxiety reported before exposure was found to coincide with more self-reported anxiety, and shorter answers during the virtual exposure. These results demonstrate that social dialogues in a virtual environment can be effectively manipulated for therapeutic purposes.

Controlling Social Stress in Virtual Reality Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Hartanto, Dwi; Kampmann, Isabel L.; Morina, Nexhmedin; Emmelkamp, Paul G. M.; Neerincx, Mark A.; Brinkman, Willem-Paul

2014-01-01

Virtual reality exposure therapy has been proposed as a viable alternative in the treatment of anxiety disorders, including social anxiety disorder. Therapists could benefit from extensive control of anxiety eliciting stimuli during virtual exposure. Two stimuli controls are studied in this study: the social dialogue situation, and the dialogue feedback responses (negative or positive) between a human and a virtual character. In the first study, 16 participants were exposed in three virtual reality scenarios: a neutral virtual world, blind date scenario, and job interview scenario. Results showed a significant difference between the three virtual scenarios in the level of self-reported anxiety and heart rate. In the second study, 24 participants were exposed to a job interview scenario in a virtual environment where the ratio between negative and positive dialogue feedback responses of a virtual character was systematically varied on-the-fly. Results yielded that within a dialogue the more positive dialogue feedback resulted in less self-reported anxiety, lower heart rate, and longer answers, while more negative dialogue feedback of the virtual character resulted in the opposite. The correlations between on the one hand the dialogue stressor ratio and on the other hand the means of SUD score, heart rate and audio length in the eight dialogue conditions showed a strong relationship: r(6) = 0.91, p = 0.002; r(6) = 0.76, p = 0.028 and r(6) = −0.94, p = 0.001 respectively. Furthermore, more anticipatory anxiety reported before exposure was found to coincide with more self-reported anxiety, and shorter answers during the virtual exposure. These results demonstrate that social dialogues in a virtual environment can be effectively manipulated for therapeutic purposes. PMID:24671006

Using Virtual Reality to Help Students with Social Interaction Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Beach, Jason; Wendt, Jeremy

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if participants could improve their social interaction skills by participating in a virtual immersive environment. The participants used a developing virtual reality head-mounted display to engage themselves in a fully-immersive environment. While in the environment, participants had an opportunity to…

TEACHER GOVERNANCE REFORMS AND SOCIAL COHESION IN SOUTH AFRICA: FROM INTENTION TO REALITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Salmon

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The governance of teachers during apartheid in South Africa was characterised by high levels of disparity in teacher distribution and in conditions of labour. In the post-apartheid context policies and interventions that govern teachers are critical, and teachers can be seen to be placed in a central role as actors whose distribution, employment, recruitment and deployment can serve to redress the past, promote equity and build trust for social cohesion. In this context, this paper examines several teacher governance mechanisms and interventions, namely the post provisioning norm and standards (PPNs, the Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme (FLBP, and the South African Council of Educators. The analysis suggests that undifferentiated policy frameworks for teacher governance result in measures that weakly account for differing contextual realities and persistent inequality. Additionally, the emphasis on technocratic measures of accountability in teacher governance interventions constrains teachers’ agency to promote peace and social cohesion.

Neural mechanisms of behavioral change in young adults with high-functioning autism receiving virtual reality social cognition training: A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Y J Daniel; Allen, Tandra; Abdullahi, Sebiha M; Pelphrey, Kevin A; Volkmar, Fred R; Chapman, Sandra B

2018-05-01

Measuring treatment efficacy in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) relies primarily on behaviors, with limited evidence as to the neural mechanisms underlying these behavioral gains. This pilot study addresses this void by investigating neural and behavioral changes in a Phase I trial in young adults with high-functioning ASD who received an evidence-based behavioral intervention, Virtual Reality-Social Cognition Training over 5 weeks for a total of 10 hr. The participants were tested pre- and post-training with a validated biological/social versus scrambled/nonsocial motion neuroimaging task, previously shown to activate regions within the social brain networks. Three significant brain-behavior changes were identified. First, the right posterior superior temporal sulcus, a hub for socio-cognitive processing, showed increased brain activation to social versus nonsocial stimuli in individuals with greater gains on a theory-of-mind measure. Second, the left inferior frontal gyrus, a region for socio-emotional processing, tracked individual gains in emotion recognition with decreased activation to social versus nonsocial stimuli. Finally, the left superior parietal lobule, a region for visual attention, showed significantly decreased activation to nonsocial versus social stimuli across all participants, where heightened attention to nonsocial contingencies has been considered a disabling aspect of ASD. This study provides, albeit preliminary, some of the first evidence of the harnessable neuroplasticity in adults with ASD through an age-appropriate intervention in brain regions tightly linked to social abilities. This pilot trial motivates future efforts to develop and test social interventions to improve behaviors and supporting brain networks in adults with ASD. Autism Res 2018, 11: 713-725. © 2018 The Authors Autism Research published by International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. This study addresses how the behavioral

Exploring the social reality of waqf community using social media: the Netnography approach

Science.gov (United States)

Azmi, Ahmad Shazrin Mohamed; Rosly Hanif, Noor; Mashitoh Mahamood, Siti

2018-02-01

The emergence of waqf institutions in Malaysia has attracted the attention of many. Considerable attention has been paid by various parties including the Federal government. In tandem with the revival of waqf, it has driven the emergence of a group of people who are passionate in matters pertaining to the development of Waqf (herein referred to as the waqf community). According to the Theory of Structuration, interaction between the agency and structure would induce changes. Therefore, this waqf community, being a part of the agency, is capable to influence the structure and bring about changes. Triggered by the existence of this waqf community, this study is interested in exploring their social reality. Having observed that a majority of people from this Waqf community had formed a specialized Whatsapp group dedicated to discussing matters pertaining to waqf, this study has considered the usage of netnography as an instrument to observe their social reality. Despite having limitations in narrowing down the research, this study was able to extract nine findings on their behaviour namely; their sensitivities, unity, spirit, willingness, commitment, the disclosure of information, influence, focus, gaps and frictions. Overall, the approach can be improved further by strategizing a refinement on the scope and technique in making observations.

Quantum mechanics and the physical reality concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

von Borzeszkowski, H.H.; Wahsner, R.

1988-01-01

The difference between the measurement bases of classical and quantum mechanics is often interpreted as a loss of reality arising in quantum mechanics. In this paper it is shown that this apparent loss occurs only if one believes that refined everyday experience determines the Euclidean space as the real space, instead of considering this space, both in classical and quantum mechanics, as a theoretical construction needed for measurement and representing one part of a dualistic space conception. From this point of view, Einstein's program of a unified field theory can be interpreted as the attempt to find a physical theory that is less dualistic. However, if one regards this dualism as resulting from the requirements of measurements, one can hope for a weakening of the dualism but not expect to remove it completely

Social conditioning and extinction paradigm: A translational study in virtual reality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Youssef eShiban

2015-04-01

Full Text Available In human beings, experiments investigating fear conditioning with social stimuli are rare. The current study aims at translating an animal model for social fear conditioning (SFC to a human sample using an operant SFC paradigm in virtual reality (VR. Forty participants actively (using a joystick approached virtual male agents that served as conditioned stimuli (CS. During the acquisition phase, unconditioned stimuli (US, a combination of an air blast (5 bar, 10 ms and a female scream (95 dB, 40 ms, were presented when participants reached a defined proximity to the agent with a contingency of 75% for CS+ agents and never for CS- agents. During the extinction and the test phases, no US was delivered. Outcome variables were pleasantness ratings and physiological reactions in heart rate and fear-potentiated startle. Additionally, the influence of social anxiety, which was measured with the Social Phobia Inventory scale, was evaluated. As expected after the acquisition phase the CS+ was rated clearly less pleasant than the CS-. This difference vanished during extinction. Furthermore, the HR remained high for the CS+, while the HR for the CS- was clearly lower after than before the acquisition. Furthermore, a clear difference between CS+ and CS- after the acquisition indicated successful conditioning on this translational measure. Contrariwise extinction was not observed on the physiological variables. Importantly, at the generalization test, higher socially fearful participants rated pleasantness of all agents as low whereas the lower socially fearful participants rated pleasantness as low only for the CS+. SFC was successfully induced and extinguished confirming operant conditioning in this SFC paradigm. These findings suggest that the paradigm is suitable to expand the knowledge about the learning and unlearning of social fears. Further studies should investigate the operant mechanisms of development and treatment of social anxiety disorder.

Social conditioning and extinction paradigm: a translational study in virtual reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiban, Youssef; Reichenberger, Jonas; Neumann, Inga D; Mühlberger, Andreas

2015-01-01

In human beings, experiments investigating fear conditioning with social stimuli are rare. The current study aims at translating an animal model for social fear conditioning (SFC) to a human sample using an operant SFC paradigm in virtual reality. Forty participants actively (using a joystick) approached virtual male agents that served as conditioned stimuli (CS). During the acquisition phase, unconditioned stimuli (US), a combination of an air blast (5 bar, 10 ms) and a female scream (95 dB, 40 ms), were presented when participants reached a defined proximity to the agent with a contingency of 75% for CS+ agents and never for CS- agents. During the extinction and the test phases, no US was delivered. Outcome variables were pleasantness ratings and physiological reactions in heart rate (HR) and fear-potentiated startle. Additionally, the influence of social anxiety, which was measured with the Social Phobia Inventory scale, was evaluated. As expected after the acquisition phase the CS+ was rated clearly less pleasant than the CS-. This difference vanished during extinction. Furthermore, the HR remained high for the CS+, while the HR for the CS- was clearly lower after than before the acquisition. Furthermore, a clear difference between CS+ and CS- after the acquisition indicated successful conditioning on this translational measure. Contrariwise no CS+/CS- differences were observed in the physiological variables during extinction. Importantly, at the generalization test, higher socially fearful participants rated pleasantness of all agents as low whereas the lower socially fearful participants rated pleasantness as low only for the CS+. SFC was successfully induced and extinguished confirming operant conditioning in this SFC paradigm. These findings suggest that the paradigm is suitable to expand the knowledge about the learning and unlearning of social fears. Further studies should investigate the operant mechanisms of development and treatment of social anxiety

Childhood trauma, psychosis liability and social stress reactivity: a virtual reality study.

Science.gov (United States)

Veling, W; Counotte, J; Pot-Kolder, R; van Os, J; van der Gaag, M

2016-12-01

Childhood trauma is associated with higher risk for mental disorders, including psychosis. Heightened sensitivity to social stress may be a mechanism. This virtual reality study tested the effect of childhood trauma on level of paranoid ideations and distress in response to social stress, in interaction with psychosis liability and level of social stress exposure. Seventy-five individuals with higher psychosis liability (55 with recent onset psychotic disorder and 20 at ultra-high risk for psychosis) and 95 individuals with lower psychosis liability (42 siblings and 53 controls) were exposed to a virtual café in five experiments with 0-3 social stressors (crowded, other ethnicity and hostility). Paranoid ideation was measured after each experiment. Subjective distress was self-rated before and after experiments. Multilevel random regression analyses were used to test main effects of childhood trauma and interaction effects. Childhood trauma was more prevalent in individuals with higher psychosis liability, and was associated with higher level of (subclinical) psychotic and affective symptoms. Individuals with a history of childhood trauma responded with more subjective distress to virtual social stress exposures. The effects of childhood trauma on paranoia and subjective distress were significantly stronger when the number of virtual environmental stressors increased. Higher psychosis liability increased the effect of childhood trauma on peak subjective distress and stress reactivity during experiments. Childhood trauma is associated with heightened social stress sensitivity and may contribute to psychotic and affective dysregulation later in life, through a sensitized paranoid and stress response to social stressors.

Death: the ultimate social construction of reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Brabant, Sarah

Using Berger and Luckmann's thesis (1966) on the social construction of reality as rationale, this research analyzes the death drawings of 946 university students enrolled in a Death and Dying course between 1985 and 2004 to investigate the basic constructs elicited by the word "death": dying, moment of death, after death, after life, and bereavement. Consistent with earlier research, gender, race, religion, and religiosity proved to be significant factors. As expected, personal experience with grief was strongly correlated with drawings focused on bereavement. In contrast to earlier studies, fear of death was not significantly related to a particular construct. Implications for research, education, and counseling are discussed.

Realities of War: Using Picture Books to Teach the Social Effects of Armed Conflicts

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Tadayuki; Huss, Jeanine; Fiehn, Barbara; Spencer, Roxanne Myers

2015-01-01

Teachers regularly evaluate children's literature for literary quality and age-appropriate information. Today's picture books address issues such as world population, homelessness, climate change, and other socially important themes, but when faced with social studies lessons on sensitive topics such as war and its reality, elementary teachers may…

I'm Not a Real Doctor, but I Play One in Virtual Reality: Implications of Virtual Reality for Judgments about Reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, Michael A.; McDonald, Daniel G.

1992-01-01

Shows that communication and social psychology research in the past 100 years have identified 2 different aspects of reality evaluation. Outlines the critical elements to form a theory of media reality effects. Extends that theory to include virtual reality, and shows how virtual reality will be an important tool for investigating these effects.…

Students’ Professional Self-Determination in the Context of the Socially Conditioned Conflicting Realities

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E. F. Zeyer

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The paper discusses the peculiarities of students’ professional identity in the context of socially conditioned conflicting realities. The individual social position is of a particular importance for the professional identity formation, so the authors carried out the research into the students professional self-determination with the reference to their socio-metric status in the academic group; the interpersonal relations were considered as conflict- generating – provoking the conflicting realities of students’ professional self- determination. The theoretical basis of the study involves the concept of personal professional growth with the emphasis on the students’ self-determination in the conflict situations. The research methodology combines the diagnostics of professional self-determination and socio-metric methods. The analysis and synthesis of the acquired empirical data reveal the differences in the expressed levels of components of the students’ professional identity according to their socio-metric status in the group. The research findings include the conformity of conflicting realities arising in interpersonal relationships in the academic process and reflected in the professional identity transformation. The above results can be used for psychological facilitation of students’ successful professional growth. 

Virtual-Reality-Based Social Interaction Training for Children with High-Functioning Autism

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Ke, Fengfeng; Im, Tami

2013-01-01

Employing the multiple-baseline across-subjects design, the authors examined the implementation and potential effect of a virtual-reality-based social interaction program on the interaction and communication performance of children with high functioning autism. The data were collected via behavior observation and analysis, questionnaires, and…

Brain mechanisms for social perception: lessons from autism and typical development.

Science.gov (United States)

Pelphrey, Kevin A; Carter, Elizabeth J

2008-12-01

In this review, we summarize our research program, which has as its goal charting the typical and atypical development of the social brain in children, adolescents, and adults with and without autism. We highlight recent work using virtual reality stimuli, eye tracking, and functional magnetic resonance imaging that has implicated the superior temporal sulcus (STS) region as an important component of the network of brain regions that support various aspects of social cognition and social perception. Our work in typically developing adults has led to the conclusion that the STS region is involved in social perception via its role in the visual analysis of others' actions and intentions from biological-motion cues. Our work in high-functioning adolescents and adults with autism has implicated the STS region as a mechanism underlying social perception dysfunction in this neurodevelopmental disorder. We also report novel findings from a study of biological-motion perception in young children with and without autism.

DEFORMATION PRACTICES OF SOCIAL REALITY INTEGRITY: OBJECTIFICATION OF DESIRES AS THE INHERITANCE OF CIVILIZATION PROGRESS

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Yu. Yu. Brodetskaya

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Objective. The interest of the article focuses on the analysis of the social integrity phenomenon and its deformation practices in the modern society. The character’s sociality of the modern era indicates serious problems and contradictions that actualize the possibility of social integrity. The cultural crisis, spiritual vacuum, updated existential problems of the modern humanity forces to turn to the problem of the integrity constructing and maintaining and social reality functioning, as well as to the mechanisms and practices of its deformation. Methodology. Thus, in the analysis of the above mentioned points the problem of desires is getting more relevant, and these desires are actively being invested by the civilization progress in the human life. As simulacra of the natural mechanisms of individual activity (needs desires help to transform the personality harmonious development process (cultural consumption in a destructive civilization strategy – consumerism. Under these conditions consumption is losing its traditional meaning. From the natural processes of meeting the needs and developing the world it is transforming into a total destructive act that implements certain desires. Consumption grows borders of the traditional practice (it has not been already determined only by food, clothes, car, etc.. It is turning into an active mass orientation; practice of the materialization that is aimed to transform the surrounding world into a thing, a symbol of use. Thus, consumption transforms into a practice of total consumerism. The scientific novelty. In this context, the aim of the research is to analyze the destructive potential of consumerism, which nature is getting a real threat to the integrity of both individual world and social reality. This pattern of consumption determines the gap between a real purpose of the things and their contrived sense that gives them the desired effect (prestige, power, material wealth, etc.. In this

Virtual reality therapy versus cognitive behavior therapy for social phobia: a preliminary controlled study.

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Klinger, E; Bouchard, S; Légeron, P; Roy, S; Lauer, F; Chemin, I; Nugues, P

2005-02-01

Social phobia is one of the most frequent mental disorders and is accessible to two forms of scientifically validated treatments: anti-depressant drugs and cognitive behavior therapies (CBT). In this last case, graded exposure to feared social situations is one of the fundamental therapeutic ingredients. Virtual reality technologies are an interesting alternative to the standard exposure in social phobia, especially since studies have shown its usefulness for the fear of public speaking. This paper reports a preliminary study in which a virtual reality therapy (VRT), based on exposure to virtual environments, was used to treat social phobia. The sample consisted of 36 participants diagnosed with social phobia assigned to either VRT or a group-CBT (control condition). The virtual environments used in the treatment recreate four situations dealing with social anxiety: performance, intimacy, scrutiny, and assertiveness. With the help of the therapist, the patient learns adapted cognitions and behaviors in order to reduce anxiety in the corresponding real situations. Both treatments lasted 12 weeks, and sessions were delivered according to a treatment manual. Results showed statistically and clinically significant improvement in both conditions. The effect-sizes comparing the efficacy of VRT to the control traditional group-CBT revealed that the differences between the two treatments are trivial.

Social facilitation in virtual reality-enhanced exercise: competitiveness moderates exercise effort of older adults

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Anderson-Hanley C

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Cay Anderson-Hanley1,2, Amanda L Snyder1, Joseph P Nimon1, Paul J Arciero1,21Healthy Aging and Neuropsychology Lab, Department of Psychology, Union College, Schenectady, NY, USA; 2Health and Exercise Sciences Department, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY, USAAbstract: This study examined the effect of virtual social facilitation and competitiveness on exercise effort in exergaming older adults. Fourteen exergaming older adults participated. Competitiveness was assessed prior to the start of exercise. Participants were trained to ride a “cybercycle;” a virtual reality-enhanced stationary bike with interactive competition. After establishing a cybercycling baseline, competitive avatars were introduced. Pedaling effort (watts was assessed. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant group (high vs low competitiveness X time (pre- to post-avatar interaction (F[1,12] = 13.1, P = 0.003. Virtual social facilitation increased exercise effort among more competitive exercisers. Exercise programs that match competitiveness may maximize exercise effort.Keywords: exercise, aging, virtual reality, competitiveness, social facilitation, exercise intensity

High psychosis liability is associated with altered autonomic balance during exposure to Virtual Reality social stressors

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Counotte, Jacqueline; Pot-Kolder, Roos; van Roon, Arie M.; Hoskam, Olivier; van der Gaag, Mark; Veling, Wim

Background: Social stressors are associated with an increased risk of psychosis. Stress sensitisation is thought to be an underlying mechanismand may be reflected in an altered autonomic stress response. Using an experimental Virtual Reality design, the autonomic stress response to social

"Inventing Hysteria" An Investigation on How Social Constructivism Uses Technology to Define Reality

OpenAIRE

Stadler, Doris

2016-01-01

In my paper I want to focus on the social constructivists and their approach of using technology to define (constructed) reality. Based on this, constructivists argue that technology can be a means to define social roles. Furthermore, I want to analyze this theory on the practical example of the photographs of women in different phases of hysteria, based on Georges Didi-Huberman’s book Invention of Hysteria (1982)

Virtual reality rehabilitation from social cognitive and motor learning theoretical perspectives in stroke population.

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Imam, Bita; Jarus, Tal

2014-01-01

Objectives. To identify the virtual reality (VR) interventions used for the lower extremity rehabilitation in stroke population and to explain their underlying training mechanisms using Social Cognitive (SCT) and Motor Learning (MLT) theoretical frameworks. Methods. Medline, Embase, Cinahl, and Cochrane databases were searched up to July 11, 2013. Randomized controlled trials that included a VR intervention for lower extremity rehabilitation in stroke population were included. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was used to assess the quality of the included studies. The underlying training mechanisms involved in each VR intervention were explained according to the principles of SCT (vicarious learning, performance accomplishment, and verbal persuasion) and MLT (focus of attention, order and predictability of practice, augmented feedback, and feedback fading). Results. Eleven studies were included. PEDro scores varied from 3 to 7/10. All studies but one showed significant improvement in outcomes in favour of the VR group (P learning through providing a task-oriented and graduated learning under a variable and unpredictable practice.

Interpretation of Social and Natural Reality in Western and Eastern Philosophy

OpenAIRE

E. K. Bulyga; E. S. Logovaya

2004-01-01

Taking Eastern and Western cultural and philosophical traditions as an example the paper analyzes historical- and philosophical and historical- and typological notion of «social and natural reality». Evident tendencies of world globalization pose a problem to work out a strategy for the whole civilization. This strategy should involve in itself all the best that have been created by Eastern and Western cultures.

Interpretation of Social and Natural Reality in Western and Eastern Philosophy

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E. K. Bulyga

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Taking Eastern and Western cultural and philosophical traditions as an example the paper analyzes historical- and philosophical and historical- and typological notion of «social and natural reality». Evident tendencies of world globalization pose a problem to work out a strategy for the whole civilization. This strategy should involve in itself all the best that have been created by Eastern and Western cultures.

Control and Virtual Reality Simulation of Tendon Driven Mechanisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Londi, Fabio; Pennestri, Ettore; Valentini, Pier Paolo; Vita, Leonardo

2004-01-01

In this paper the authors present a control strategy for tendon driven mechanisms. The aim of the control system is to find the correct torques which the motors have to exert to make the end effector describe a specific trajectory. In robotic assemblies this problem is often solved with closed loop algorithm, but here a simpler method, based on a open loop strategy, is developed. The difficulties in the actuation are in keeping the belt tight during all working conditions. So an innovative solution of this problem is presented here. This methodology can be easily applied in real time monitoring or very fast operations. For this reason several virtual reality simulations, developed using codes written in Virtual Reality Markup Language, are also presented. This approach is very efficient because it requires a very low cpu computation time, small size files, and the manipulator can be easily put into different simulated scenarios

Interpretations of virtual reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Voiskounsky, Alexander

2011-01-01

University students were surveyed to learn what they know about virtual realities. The two studies were administered with a half-year interval in which the students (N=90, specializing either in mathematics and science, or in social science and humanities) were asked to name particular examples of virtual realities. The second, but not the first study, was administered after the participants had the chance to see the movie "Avatar" (no investigation was held into whether they really saw it). While the students in both studies widely believed that activities such as social networking and online gaming represent virtual realities, some other examples provided by the students in the two studies differ: in the second study the participants expressed a better understanding of the items related to virtual realities. At the same time, not a single participant reported particular psychological states (either regular or altered) as examples of virtual realities. Profound popularization efforts need to be done to acquaint the public, including college students, with virtual realities and let the public adequately understand how such systems work.

Student Interns' Socially Constructed Work Realities: Narrowing the Work Expectation-Reality Gap

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Barnett, Kathy

2012-01-01

New employees, including college students, often experience expectation-reality gaps about work, making the assimilation process more difficult for all. This qualitative study explores the role of the internship in narrowing the work expectation-reality gap. This article addresses two research questions: (a) What do students learn about work…

Media and the ethics of 'reality' construction

OpenAIRE

Nick Couldry

2006-01-01

This article argues that we have neglected the ethical implications of the recent explosion in reality TV, and indeed that some writing about reality TV has diverted our attention from those issues through excessive attention to the myth that reality TV is socially compulsive. In contrast this article moves towards a framework for thinking about reality TV as a social process, that draws on ethical thought (originally derived from Aristotle) rather than the deontological tradition of moral ph...

PHENOMENOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF BIOETHICAL REALITY (THE SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS)

OpenAIRE

Nikulina Marina Alekseevna

2012-01-01

The interpretation of social reality is a classical problem of sociology, which solution helps perception and understanding of social phenomena. In the article phenomenological interpretation of bioethical reality is shown. Phenomenological sociology, being one of the perspective directions of development of social knowledge, it is characterized by aspiration to show «artificial», that is designed, nature of bioethical reality, its semantic structure, and thus, to «humanize» bioethical realit...

Regenerative medicine through a crisis: social perception and the financial reality.

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Brindley, David; Davie, Natasha

2009-12-01

The aim of this perspective piece is to highlight how the "social perception" and "financial reality" of regenerative medicine may act to hinder its evolution into the principal health-care option for the future. We also consider the role of the consumer and the need for increased public awareness. Furthermore, we consider the effects of the changing social attitudes toward the field, as well as taking into account the influence of current and future political thinking. From a financial viewpoint, we analyze the compatibility of the current venture capital model with regenerative medicine start-ups and explore approaches to ensure sufficient funding and support throughout all stages of product development, for example, the modularization of funding.

Cross-cultural perspectives on framing social reality: A comparative study of Brazilian and Spanish TV news contents

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Paz, A.

2013-01-01

The current essay draws upon the problem of visibility of social reality generated by Brazilian and Spanish TV news broadcasts through the selection and production of the same news contents that represent the social space of both countries. Given this scenario, we aim both to develop a methodology

How social opinion influences syntactic processing-An investigation using virtual reality.

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Evelien Heyselaar

Full Text Available The extent to which you adapt your grammatical choices to match that of your interlocutor's (structural priming can be influenced by the social opinion you have of your interlocutor. However, the direction and reliability of this effect is unclear as different studies have reported seemingly contradictory results. We have operationalized social perception as the ratings of strangeness for different avatars in a virtual reality study. The use of avatars ensured maximal control over the interlocutor's behaviour and a clear dimension along which to manipulate social perceptions toward this interlocutor. Our results suggest an inverted U-shaped curve in structural priming magnitude for passives as a function of strangeness: the participants showed the largest priming effects for the intermediately strange, with a decrease when interacting with the least- or most-strange avatars. The relationship between social perception and priming magnitude may thus be non-linear. There seems to be a 'happy medium' in strangeness, evoking the largest priming effect. We did not find a significant interaction of priming magnitude with any social perception.

How social opinion influences syntactic processing-An investigation using virtual reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Heyselaar, Evelien; Hagoort, Peter; Segaert, Katrien

2017-01-01

The extent to which you adapt your grammatical choices to match that of your interlocutor's (structural priming) can be influenced by the social opinion you have of your interlocutor. However, the direction and reliability of this effect is unclear as different studies have reported seemingly contradictory results. We have operationalized social perception as the ratings of strangeness for different avatars in a virtual reality study. The use of avatars ensured maximal control over the interlocutor's behaviour and a clear dimension along which to manipulate social perceptions toward this interlocutor. Our results suggest an inverted U-shaped curve in structural priming magnitude for passives as a function of strangeness: the participants showed the largest priming effects for the intermediately strange, with a decrease when interacting with the least- or most-strange avatars. The relationship between social perception and priming magnitude may thus be non-linear. There seems to be a 'happy medium' in strangeness, evoking the largest priming effect. We did not find a significant interaction of priming magnitude with any social perception.

A Comparison of Active and Passive Virtual Reality Exposure Scenarios to Elicit Social Anxiety

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Yoones A. Sekhavat

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Social phobia is an anxiety disorder that results in an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. As a safe and controlled tool, Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET has been used to treat anxiety disorders and phobias. This paper aims to study whether VRET with active scenarios can challenge a person more than passive scenarios. By comparing participants who were exposed to active and passive scenarios in VRET, we show that active scenarios are more effective than passive scenarios to elicit social anxiety in healthy participants. We focus on eliciting social anxiety and creating the sense of presence as two parameters enhancing the efficacy of VRET scenarios.

Bell's inequalities and physical reality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chylinski, Z.

1985-01-01

Bell's theory proves the nonlocal character of quantum mechanics alien to the theory of relativity, which shows how essential were the objections of Einstein against quantum mechanics. Since the experiment on Bell's inequalities favours quantum mechanics, this forces one to revise the notion of physical reality. According to Heisenberg one should distinguish between the quantum-potential reality of relations and the classical-actual reality of events. The hypothesis of internal space-time put forward in previous papers supplies the geometrical framework of such a philosophy. Consequently, relations between the constituents of isolated systems precede the space-time events, which fact essentially modifies the meaning of quantum nonlocality and the physical reality itself. 19 refs. (author)

Virtual reality as a new trend in mechanical and electrical engineering education

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Kamińska Dorota

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In their daily practice, academics frequently face lack of access to modern equipment and devices, which are currently in use on the market. Moreover, many students have problems with understanding issues connected to mechanical and electrical engineering due to the complexity, necessity of abstract thinking and the fact that those concepts are not fully tangible. Many studies indicate that virtual reality can be successfully used as a training tool in various domains, such as development, health-care, the military or school education. In this paper, an interactive training strategy for mechanical and electrical engineering education shall be proposed. The prototype of the software consists of a simple interface, meaning it is easy for comprehension and use. Additionally, the main part of the prototype allows the user to virtually manipulate a 3D object that should be analyzed and studied. Initial studies indicate that the use of virtual reality can contribute to improving the quality and efficiency of higher education, as well as qualifications, competencies and the skills of graduates, and increase their competitiveness in the labour market.

Virtual reality as a new trend in mechanical and electrical engineering education

Science.gov (United States)

Kamińska, Dorota; Sapiński, Tomasz; Aitken, Nicola; Rocca, Andreas Della; Barańska, Maja; Wietsma, Remco

2017-12-01

In their daily practice, academics frequently face lack of access to modern equipment and devices, which are currently in use on the market. Moreover, many students have problems with understanding issues connected to mechanical and electrical engineering due to the complexity, necessity of abstract thinking and the fact that those concepts are not fully tangible. Many studies indicate that virtual reality can be successfully used as a training tool in various domains, such as development, health-care, the military or school education. In this paper, an interactive training strategy for mechanical and electrical engineering education shall be proposed. The prototype of the software consists of a simple interface, meaning it is easy for comprehension and use. Additionally, the main part of the prototype allows the user to virtually manipulate a 3D object that should be analyzed and studied. Initial studies indicate that the use of virtual reality can contribute to improving the quality and efficiency of higher education, as well as qualifications, competencies and the skills of graduates, and increase their competitiveness in the labour market.

The distortion of social identity structure as a result of social exclusion

OpenAIRE

Suvorova I.Yu.

2016-01-01

The article describes the mechanism of human’s interaction with social system through the analysis of its distortion as a result of social exclusion. It was assumed that the impossibility to satisfy basic social needs destroys symbolic links between an individual and a social system. It causes the distortion of the structure of social identity and control over social reality. Third year students of Ecological faculty of People’s Friendship University of Rus- sia participated in the experiment...

Towards Integrating Realities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, Lars Bo

2017-01-01

The pragmatic constructivist approach provides us with a social science theory, the theory of reality, and its associated method, the conceptualising method. A key aspect in both the theory of reality and its associated conceptualising method is on the necessity of integratingfour dimensionsof...... conceptualisation of the process of integration is itself not analysed or conceptualised to the same substantive extent as are the other elements ofthe theory of reality.The key questionaddressed here thereforebecomes: how might we betteranalyse and describe this process of integration? To address this question......, Iidentify, albeit in skeletal outline,usefulsocial theoreticalcorrespondences between Arendt’s conceptualisation of action in The Human Condition(1958) and key attributes ofthe theory of reality, which, Iclaim, couldpossibly guide an entry into the ‘how’ of this elusive integration process....

Expectation vs Reality: Cosmopolitan and Insular Social Capital among Malaysian Chinese Youth

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Rachel Chan Suet Kay

2015-10-01

Full Text Available This article discusses the form of social capital present among Malaysian Chinese youth, comparing across those who are Chinese-medium educated and English-medium educated. The reason for comparison is because of the dichotomy of Confucian values in Chinese-medium education and Western liberal democratic values in English-medium education, which may influence their choice of social network. Using a self-designed survey questionnaire, I assessed whether Putnam’s two forms of social capital, the bridging and the bonding social capital, are found in these two sub-ethnic groups. In terms of face-to-face interaction, it is found that ethnic identification remains a strong influence on respondents’ choice of social network. However, respondents also demonstrate an aspiration to network on a more global scale if facilitated by information communication technology. Given Malaysia’s present globalised environment, with strong migratory flows inside and outside, the reality of respondents’ social capital does not match the expectations respondents have of themselves. While they express a desire to network in a global nexus, in order to be more connected to the rest of the world, they are still restrained by attributes like ethnic identification and language preference.

Experience of Adult Facilitators in a Virtual-Reality-Based Social Interaction Program for Children with Autism

Science.gov (United States)

Ke, Fengfeng; Im, Tami; Xue, Xinrong; Xu, Xinhao; Kim, Namju; Lee, Sungwoong

2015-01-01

This phenomenological study explored and described the experiences and perceptions of adult facilitators who facilitated virtual-reality-based social interaction for children with autism. Extensive data were collected from iterative, in-depth interviews; online activities observation; and video analysis. Four salient themes emerged through the…

Bayreuther festspiele as a field for application of Peter Berger’s and Thomas Luckmann’s Theory of social construction of reality

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Jeremić-Molnar Dragana

2006-01-01

Full Text Available The Stage festival in Bauyeuth (Bayreuther Festspiele, established in 1876. by German composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883, is, even nowadays, a complex and unique phenomenon which continually attracts the attention of scholars from various (mainly humanistic and social scientific fields. In many different methodological approaches to Bayreuther Festspiele, including those made by social scientists, one can not find the application of the sociological theory of Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann. However, one has to bare in mind the important fact that Richard Wagner founded his completely innovative festive institution mainly in order to carry out and to spread his regenerative Weltanschauung - already formulated in his numerous theoretical writings and incorporated into his musical dramas. The fact that Wagner’s Weltanschauung was based on the idea of changing the reality of everyday life by constructing the new reality, is of equal importance. Considering all this, it becomes appropriate to explain Wagner’s motivation for establishing the stage festival, as well as his idea of festival, from the standpoint of the theory of social construction of reality.

A Foreign Language Learning Application using Mobile Augmented Reality

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Florentin-Alexandru DITA

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper is described a foreign language learning application using mobile augmented reality based on gamification method and text recognition. The mobile augmented reality is a technology that extends the real world elements with 2D or 3D computer generated objects and lets the users interact with them. A Gamification system is based on different mechanisms that increase the motivation of students, due to the impact that videogames have in their emotional, cognitive and social areas. The proposed solution applies Optical Character Recognition technique, using the camera of the mobile device, in order to identify the text written on a card. The implementation combines the features of gamification system and mobile augmented reality in order to make the learning process more easy and fun. This paper aims to present the results after testing the foreign language learning application in different scenarios.

Confronting an augmented reality

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John Hedberg

2012-08-01

Full Text Available How can educators make use of augmented reality technologies and practices to enhance learning and why would we want to embrace such technologies anyway? How can an augmented reality help a learner confront, interpret and ultimately comprehend reality itself? In this article, we seek to initiate a discussion that focuses on these questions, and suggest that they be used as drivers for research into effective educational applications of augmented reality. We discuss how multi-modal, sensorial augmentation of reality links to existing theories of education and learning, focusing on ideas of cognitive dissonance and the confrontation of new realities implied by exposure to new and varied perspectives. We also discuss connections with broader debates brought on by the social and cultural changes wrought by the increased digitalisation of our lives, especially the concept of the extended mind. Rather than offer a prescription for augmentation, our intention is to throw open debate and to provoke deep thinking about what interacting with and creating an augmented reality might mean for both teacher and learner.

Theoretical and methodological bases of studying the symbolization of social and political reality in transit societies

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O. V. Slavina

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This article is an attempt to form a methodological foundation to explore the process of symbolic constructioning of reality in the political systems in a state of democratic transition. From the author’s point of view, such transit systems differ with the phenomenal features of transitional type of sign-symbolic context. There are the most significant of them: the confrontation of symbols of old and new, and the formation of public anxiety due to violation of the established values (significant symbols. The result of these processes is the emergence of the conditions for increasing capacity of perception of new symbols (re-symbolization, transmigration of symbolic forms, the appearance of spontaneous symbolic interactions in the community in the form of political protests, rallies, and panic. In this regard, it is necessary to understand the possibilities of the productive management of the collective consciousness in transit period to achieve mental solidarity of concrete society with democratic values. To perform this task, author develops the appropriate tools, which are based on the phenomenological theory, the Schutz’s theory of the constitution of the multiple realities, the philosophy of symbolic forms of E. Cassirer, the theory of social construction of P. Berger and T. Luckmann, as well as Lotman’s semiotic concept. It is concluded that in the collision of alternative symbolic projects of social order it is advisable to resort to controlled symbolization (the production of special symbolic codes of political legitimation. At the same time it is important to understand the mechanisms of auto- symbolization of the society (changing of mass consciousness by virtue of the progressive development of the political culture of people. Careless use of these technologies in the countries with non-consolidated democracy may become a factor of destabilization and formation of the conditions for authoritarian rollback.

Virtual-reality-based cognitive behavioural therapy versus waiting list control for paranoid ideation and social avoidance in patients with psychotic disorders:

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pot-Kolder, Roos M.C.A.; Geraets, Chris N.W.; Veling, Wim; van Beilen, Marije; Staring, Anton B.P.; Gijsman, Harm J.; Delespaul, Philippe A.E.G.; van der Gaag, Mark

Background: Many patients with psychotic disorders have persistent paranoid ideation and avoid social situations because of suspiciousness and anxiety. We investigated the effects of virtual-reality-based cognitive behavioural therapy (VR-CBT) on paranoid thoughts and social participation. Methods:

Emotional Expression in Reality TV

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Tove Arendt

Reality TV has been disputed and discussed along many lines for the last 20 years; the media themselves always with a twist of concern about reality programs crossing moral borderlines while research has put more interest in questions of genre and representation of more or less useful and maybe...... empowering social identities. In the latest generation of reality TV which Misha Kava has described as the “celebrity generation”, it seems that reality creates new standards for mixing facts and fiction and even different “realities” as participants become media stars while more traditional celebrities...... are being treated as ordinary people. My article will discuss different presentations of selves and especially the emotional verbal and nonverbal expressions in reality TV communication. Aspects of the intimate self and its emotional expressions seem to be strategically managed in reality TV and even...

Simulation Of Social Reality Through New Media Study On YOGYAKARTA Students Smartphones Users (Simulasi Realitas Sosial melalui New Media Studi pada Mahasiswa YOGYAKARTA Pengguna Smartphone)

OpenAIRE

Astuti, Yanti Dwi

2017-01-01

This research is tries to uncover the simulation of social reality of social media and instant messaging application through smartphone that removed the student communication landscape become borderless in Yogyakarta. Smartphone application has creating a new space which brought a second reality for the student to communicate. Transformation phenomena from the real interaction society towards virtual society are important and interesting study further. In terms of analyzing this study uses th...

Are there common mechanisms in sensation seeking and reality distortion in schizophrenia? A study using memory event-related potentials.

Science.gov (United States)

Guillem, François; Pampoulova, Tania; Stip, Emmanuel; Todorov, Christo; Lalonde, Pierre

2005-05-15

A growing literature suggests that the characteristics of sensation seeking and reality distortion expressed in schizophrenia share several mechanisms. In a previous study, the comparison of patients with high vs. low reality distortion using event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded in a recognition memory task for unfamiliar faces identified neural and cognitive anomalies specifically related to the expression of these symptoms. As a follow-up, this study investigated the ERP correlates of sensation seeking in schizophrenia using the same recognition memory protocol. ERPs have been recorded in controls (N=21) and schizophrenia patients separated into high (HSS; N=13) and low (LSS; N=17) scorers according to Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale. The results show a reduced P2a that was found unrelated to reality distortion in the previous study of reality distortion. It identifies interference inhibition impairment as being specifically related to sensation seeking. On the other hand, HSS scorers display enhanced fronto-central and normal P600 effects also found in high reality distortion patients. These results indicate inappropriate context processing and mnemonic binding common to sensation seeking and reality distortion. LSS scorers also display a reduced temporal N300 similar to that found in low reality distortion patients. This anomaly could reflect the lower reactivity to emotionally significant stimuli that underlies anhedonia symptoms. Finally, the N400 effect and a late frontal effect are found in both HSS and LSS. Since they were unrelated to reality distortion, these indices have been related to basic aspects of schizophrenia, e.g., deficient knowledge integration, or other mechanisms, e.g. anxiety or impulsivity. In summary, the present study examines the strategy of investigating variables, such as temperamental characteristics, in addition to symptoms, to show how discrete impairments may contribute to the expression of the illness.

Social facilitation in virtual reality-enhanced exercise: competitiveness moderates exercise effort of older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson-Hanley, Cay; Snyder, Amanda L; Nimon, Joseph P; Arciero, Paul J

2011-01-01

This study examined the effect of virtual social facilitation and competitiveness on exercise effort in exergaming older adults. Fourteen exergaming older adults participated. Competitiveness was assessed prior to the start of exercise. Participants were trained to ride a "cybercycle;" a virtual reality-enhanced stationary bike with interactive competition. After establishing a cybercycling baseline, competitive avatars were introduced. Pedaling effort (watts) was assessed. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant group (high vs low competitiveness) × time (pre- to post-avatar) interaction (F[1,12] = 13.1, P = 0.003). Virtual social facilitation increased exercise effort among more competitive exercisers. Exercise programs that match competitiveness may maximize exercise effort.

Social environments and interpersonal distance regulation in psychosis: A virtual reality study.

Science.gov (United States)

Geraets, Chris N W; van Beilen, Marije; Pot-Kolder, Roos; Counotte, Jacqueline; van der Gaag, Mark; Veling, Wim

2018-02-01

Experimentally studying the influence of social environments on mental health and behavior is challenging, as social context is difficult to standardize in laboratory settings. Virtual Reality (VR) enables studying social interaction in terms of interpersonal distance in a more ecologically valid manner. Regulation of interpersonal distance may be abnormal in patients with psychotic disorders and influenced by environmental stress, symptoms or distress. To investigate interpersonal distance in people with a psychotic disorder and at ultrahigh risk for psychosis (UHR) compared to siblings and controls in virtual social environments, and explore the relationship between clinical characteristics and interpersonal distance. Nineteen UHR patients, 52 patients with psychotic disorders, 40 siblings of patients with a psychotic disorder and 47 controls were exposed to virtual cafés. In five virtual café visits, participants were exposed to different levels of social stress, in terms of crowdedness, ethnicity and hostility. Measures on interpersonal distance, distress and state paranoia were obtained. Baseline measures included trait paranoia, social anxiety, depressive, positive and negative symptoms. Interpersonal distance increased when social stressors were present in the environment. No difference in interpersonal distance regulation was found between the groups. Social anxiety and distress were positively associated with interpersonal distance in the total sample. This VR paradigm indicates that interpersonal distance regulation in response to environmental social stressors is unaltered in people with psychosis or UHR. Environmental stress, social anxiety and distress trigger both people with and without psychosis to maintain larger interpersonal distances in social situations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Virtual Reality for Enhanced Ecological Validity and Experimental Control in the Clinical, Affective and Social Neurosciences

Science.gov (United States)

Parsons, Thomas D.

2015-01-01

An essential tension can be found between researchers interested in ecological validity and those concerned with maintaining experimental control. Research in the human neurosciences often involves the use of simple and static stimuli lacking many of the potentially important aspects of real world activities and interactions. While this research is valuable, there is a growing interest in the human neurosciences to use cues about target states in the real world via multimodal scenarios that involve visual, semantic, and prosodic information. These scenarios should include dynamic stimuli presented concurrently or serially in a manner that allows researchers to assess the integrative processes carried out by perceivers over time. Furthermore, there is growing interest in contextually embedded stimuli that can constrain participant interpretations of cues about a target’s internal states. Virtual reality environments proffer assessment paradigms that combine the experimental control of laboratory measures with emotionally engaging background narratives to enhance affective experience and social interactions. The present review highlights the potential of virtual reality environments for enhanced ecological validity in the clinical, affective, and social neurosciences. PMID:26696869

Psychometric Properties of Virtual Reality Vignette Performance Measures: A Novel Approach for Assessing Adolescents' Social Competency Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Paschall, Mallie J.; Fishbein, Diana H.; Hubal, Robert C.; Eldreth, Diana

2005-01-01

This study examined the psychometric properties of performance measures for three novel, interactive virtual reality vignette exercises developed to assess social competency skills of at-risk adolescents. Performance data were collected from 117 African-American male 15-17 year olds. Data for 18 performance measures were obtained, based on…

Virtual reality in pediatric psychology

OpenAIRE

Parsons, T. D.; Riva, G.; Parsons, S. J.; Mantovani, F.; Newbutt, N.; Lin, L.; Venturini, E.; Hall, T.

2017-01-01

Virtual reality technologies allow for controlled simulations of affectively engaging background narratives. These virtual environments offer promise for enhancing emotionally relevant experiences and social interactions. Within this context virtual reality can allow instructors, therapists, neuropsychologists, and service providers to offer safe, repeatable, and diversifiable interventions that can benefit assessments and learning in both typically developing children and children with disab...

Holistic Education: The Social Reality of Engineering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

HELENA TRBUŠIĆ

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Over the last few decades, scientists exploring the aspects of engineering education and investigating the strong connection between the engineering profession and society have argued for a more rounded, holistic approach to the engineering curriculum. In addition to fundamental technical subjects, they have proposed the inclusion of a broad range of social subjects in order to equip young engineers with social and communication skills relevant for teamwork, and to enhance their awareness about both the way social changes influence the implementation of certain engineering solutions and about the way developments in engineering have a considerable impact on society in general. This paper presents the results of a two-year qualitative study of the importance of social subjects within the engineering academic curriculum at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Zagreb, Croatia.

Virtual Reality Rehabilitation from Social Cognitive and Motor Learning Theoretical Perspectives in Stroke Population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bita Imam

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives. To identify the virtual reality (VR interventions used for the lower extremity rehabilitation in stroke population and to explain their underlying training mechanisms using Social Cognitive (SCT and Motor Learning (MLT theoretical frameworks. Methods. Medline, Embase, Cinahl, and Cochrane databases were searched up to July 11, 2013. Randomized controlled trials that included a VR intervention for lower extremity rehabilitation in stroke population were included. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro scale was used to assess the quality of the included studies. The underlying training mechanisms involved in each VR intervention were explained according to the principles of SCT (vicarious learning, performance accomplishment, and verbal persuasion and MLT (focus of attention, order and predictability of practice, augmented feedback, and feedback fading. Results. Eleven studies were included. PEDro scores varied from 3 to 7/10. All studies but one showed significant improvement in outcomes in favour of the VR group (P<0.05. Ten VR interventions followed the principle of performance accomplishment. All the eleven VR interventions directed subject’s attention externally, whereas nine provided training in an unpredictable and variable fashion. Conclusions. The results of this review suggest that VR applications used for lower extremity rehabilitation in stroke population predominantly mediate learning through providing a task-oriented and graduated learning under a variable and unpredictable practice.

Towards augmented reality: The dialectics of physical and virtual space

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guga Jelena

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Spaces generated by new media technologies, no matter how abstract they may be, represent a qualitatively new form of the media environment. Moreover, they are integrated into everyday life in a way that they have become the constituents of social reality. Based on dualistic Cartesian understanding of real and virtual space, virtuality still carries a connotation of 'other' world, which is ontologically and phenomenologically different from 'reality'. However, virtuality as a characteristic of new media technologies should neither be equated with illusion, deception or fiction nor set in opposition to reality, given that it embodies real interactions. Instead, we could say that there are different types or levels of reality and that the virtual exists as reality qualitatively different from that of physical reality. Today, when every place on the planet, as well as social, political, and cultural activities, have their digital manifestations, can we still talk about virtual space as an isolated phenomenon? The ubiquitous use of new media technologies such as smartphones or wearables has profoundly transformed the experience of modern man. It is more and more determined by technologically mediated reality, i.e. augmented reality. In this regard, the key issues that will be addressed in this article are the ways technologically mediated spaces redefine not only the social relationships, but also the notions of identity, embodiment, and the self.

Social Gaming and Learning Applications: A Driving Force for the Future of Virtual and Augmented Reality?

Science.gov (United States)

Dörner, Ralf; Lok, Benjamin; Broll, Wolfgang

Backed by a large consumer market, entertainment and education applications have spurred developments in the fields of real-time rendering and interactive computer graphics. Relying on Computer Graphics methodologies, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality benefited indirectly from this; however, there is no large scale demand for VR and AR in gaming and learning. What are the shortcomings of current VR/AR technology that prevent a widespread use in these application areas? What advances in VR/AR will be necessary? And what might future “VR-enhanced” gaming and learning look like? Which role can and will Virtual Humans play? Concerning these questions, this article analyzes the current situation and provides an outlook on future developments. The focus is on social gaming and learning.

Construction of Interactive Teaching System for Course of Mechanical Drawing Based on Mobile Augmented Reality Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Cheng

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The teaching aim of Mechanical Drawing is to cultivate the students' graphics interpreting ability, plotting ability, inter-space imagination and innovation ability. For engineering students in China Universities, Mechanical Drawing course with the characteristics of 3D and 2D inter-space transformation, is often difficult to master. The ordinary dull teaching method is not enough for stimulating students’ spatial imagination capability, interest in learning, and cannot meet teachers’ teaching needs to explain complicated graphs relationships. In this paper, we design an interactive teaching system based on mobile augmented reality to improve the learning efficiency of Mechanical Drawing course. To check the effect of the proposed system, we carried out a case study of course teaching of Mechanical Drawing. The results demonstrate that the class for which interactive teaching system based on mobile augmented reality technology was adopted is significantly superior to the class for which the ordinary dull teaching approach was adopted with regard to the degree of proficiency of course key and difficult points content，spatial imagination capability, students’ interest in learning and study after class, especially in respect of students’ learning interest and spatial imagination capability.

Effect of virtual reality exposure therapy on social participation in people with a psychotic disorder (VRETp): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

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Pot-Kolder, Roos; Veling, Wim; Geraets, Chris; van der Gaag, Mark

2016-01-13

Many patients with a psychotic disorder participate poorly in society. When psychotic disorders are in partial remission, feelings of paranoia, delusions of reference, social anxiety and self-stigmatization often remain at diminished severity and may lead to avoidance of places and people. Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) is an evidence-based treatment for several anxiety disorders. For patients with a psychotic disorder, the VRETp was developed to help them experience exposure to feared social situations. The present study aims to investigate the effects of VRETp on social participation in real life among patients with a psychotic disorder. The study is a single-blind randomized controlled trial with two conditions: the active condition, in which participants receive the virtual reality treatment together with treatment as usual (TAU), and the waiting list condition, in which participants receive TAU only. The two groups are compared at baseline, at 3 months posttreatment and at 6 months follow-up. All participants on the waiting list are also offered the virtual reality treatment after the follow-up measurements are completed. The primary outcome is social participation. Secondary outcomes are quality of life, interaction anxiety, depression and social functioning in general. Moderator and mediator analyses are conducted with stigma, cognitive schemata, cognitive biases, medication adherence, simulator sickness and presence in virtual reality. If effective, a cost-effectiveness analysis will be conducted. Results from the posttreatment measurement can be considered strong empirical indicators of the effectiveness of VRETp. The 6-month follow-up data may provide reliable documentation of the long-term effects of the treatment on the outcome variables. Data from pre-treatment and mid-treatment can be used to reveal possible pathways of change. Current Controlled Trials: ISRCTN12929657 . Date of registration: 8 September 2015.

Social pressure-induced craving in patients with alcohol dependence: application of virtual reality to coping skill training.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jung Suk; Namkoong, Kee; Ku, Jeonghun; Cho, Sangwoo; Park, Ji Yeon; Choi, You Kyong; Kim, Jae-Jin; Kim, In Young; Kim, Sun I; Jung, Young-Chul

2008-12-01

This study was conducted to assess the interaction between alcohol cues and social pressure in the induction of alcohol craving. Fourteen male patients with alcohol dependence and 14 age-matched social drinkers completed a virtual reality coping skill training program composed of four blocks according to the presence of alcohol cues (x2) and social pressure (x2). Before and after each block, the craving levels were measured using a visual analogue scale. Patients with alcohol dependence reported extremely high levels of craving immediately upon exposure to a virtual environment with alcohol cues, regardless of social pressure. In contrast, the craving levels of social drinkers were influenced by social pressure from virtual avatars. Our findings imply that an alcohol cue-laden environment should interfere with the ability to use coping skills against social pressure in real-life situations.

Social responsibility of business: Ukrainian realities and challenges

OpenAIRE

Golovinov, O.

2014-01-01

The article analyzes the essential questions of social responsibility of business, theoretical study of mechanisms of functioning in the market economy system. Defined trends of development of social responsibility of business in Ukraine, forms of implementation, objectives, as a basis for sustainable development of the national economy, institutional elements and their interaction with institutional practices and strategies of Ukrainian business. The perspective development of the system of ...

Designing Shared Virtual Reality Gaming Experiences in Local Multi-platform Games

OpenAIRE

Liszio , Stefan; Masuch , Maic

2016-01-01

Part 4: Short Papers; International audience; Designing multiplayer virtual reality games is a challenging task since immersion is easily destroyed by real world influences. However, providing fun and social virtual reality experiences is inevitable for establishing virtual reality gaming as a convincing new medium. We propose a design approach to integrate social interactions into the game design while retaining immersion, and present design methods to implement this approach. Furthermore, w...

Selections of Reality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Järvinen, Margaretha; Miller, Gale

2014-01-01

substitution (methadone) treatment to users. Burke's dramatistic perspective calls attention to the recurring relationships among rhetorical elements within accounts of social reality. The elements form a pentad: scene, purpose, agent, agency and acts. Our analysis examines how the ideal of governmentality...

Engaging With Reality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bondebjerg, Ib

to engage us with reality. Engaging with Reality investigates some of the major global themes as they are reflected in documentaries from the USA, UK and Denmark. Engaging with Reality is a contribution to comparative, transnational studies of documentary in contemporary media culture. By comparing......Documentaries play an important role in the increasingly global media culture that has been developing over the last few decades. Despite its many different forms and genres, all documentaries claim a special relation to the way things are in the world, and they each attempt in their own way...... documentaries in three different countries dealing with the same global themes, the book contributes to a broader and deeper understanding of our global media culture. The book deals with documentaries as part of a new form of cosmopolitan narratives, as part of new, global forms of social imagination...

Virtual Reality for Anxiety Disorders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elif Uzumcu

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Virtual reality is a relatively new exposure tool that uses three-dimensional computer-graphics-based technologies which allow the individual to feel as if they are physically inside the virtual environment by misleading their senses. As virtual reality studies have become popular in the field of clinical psychology in recent years, it has been observed that virtual-reality-based therapies have a wide range of application areas, especially on anxiety disorders. Studies indicate that virtual reality can be more realistic than mental imagery and can create a stronger feeling of ԰resenceԻ that it is a safer starting point compared to in vivo exposure; and that it can be applied in a more practical and controlled manner. The aim of this review is to investigate exposure studies based on virtual reality in anxiety disorders (specific phobias, panic disorder and agoraphobias, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, posttraumatic stress disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.

Anticipation of public speaking in virtual reality reveals a relationship between trait social anxiety and startle reactivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Cornwell, Brian R; Johnson, Linda; Berardi, Luciano; Grillon, Christian

2006-04-01

Startle reflex modification has become valuable to the study of fear and anxiety, but few studies have explored startle reactivity in socially threatening situations. Healthy participants ranging in trait social anxiety entered virtual reality (VR) that simulates standing center-stage in front of an audience to anticipate giving a speech and count backward. We measured startle and autonomic reactivity during anticipation of both tasks inside VR after a single baseline recording outside VR. Trait social anxiety, but not general trait anxiety, was positively correlated with startle before entering VR and most clearly during speech anticipation inside VR. Speech anticipation inside VR also elicited stronger physiologic responses relative to anticipation of counting. Under social-evaluative threat, startle reactivity showed robust relationships with fear of negative evaluation, a central aspect of social anxiety and clinical social phobia. Context-specific startle modification may be an endophenotype for subtypes of pathological anxiety.

Simulating Social Situations in Immersive Virtual Reality - A Study of Bystander Responses to Violent Emergencies

OpenAIRE

Rovira i Pérez, A.

2016-01-01

The goal of this research is to show how immersive virtual reality (IVR) can be used to study human responses to extreme emergencies in social situations. Participants interact realistically with animated virtual humans. We show this through experimental studies of bystander responses to a violent confrontation, and find that there are conditions under which people intervene to help virtual characters that are threatened. We go on to show that a reinforcement learning (RL) method can capture ...

Neurogenomic mechanisms of social plasticity.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardoso, Sara D; Teles, Magda C; Oliveira, Rui F

2015-01-01

Group-living animals must adjust the expression of their social behaviour to changes in their social environment and to transitions between life-history stages, and this social plasticity can be seen as an adaptive trait that can be under positive selection when changes in the environment outpace the rate of genetic evolutionary change. Here, we propose a conceptual framework for understanding the neuromolecular mechanisms of social plasticity. According to this framework, social plasticity is achieved by rewiring or by biochemically switching nodes of a neural network underlying social behaviour in response to perceived social information. Therefore, at the molecular level, it depends on the social regulation of gene expression, so that different genomic and epigenetic states of this brain network correspond to different behavioural states, and the switches between states are orchestrated by signalling pathways that interface the social environment and the genotype. Different types of social plasticity can be recognized based on the observed patterns of inter- versus intra-individual occurrence, time scale and reversibility. It is proposed that these different types of social plasticity rely on different proximate mechanisms at the physiological, neural and genomic level. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Alternative realities : from augmented reality to mobile mixed reality

OpenAIRE

Claydon, Mark

2015-01-01

This thesis provides an overview of (mobile) augmented and mixed reality by clarifying the different concepts of reality, briefly covering the technology behind mobile augmented and mixed reality systems, conducting a concise survey of existing and emerging mobile augmented and mixed reality applications and devices. Based on the previous analysis and the survey, this work will next attempt to assess what mobile augmented and mixed reality could make possible, and what related applications an...

Fra onlinefællesskaber til onlinenetværk: Facebook som augmentering af den sociale virkelighed [From online communities to online networks: Facebook as an augmentation of social reality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jakob Linaa Jensen

2009-06-01

Full Text Available This article discusses the Facebook phenomenon, using it as an example of how the most dominant social use of the Internet today is network-based rather than community-based. In the early years of the Internet, online communities were popular fora for meeting new people with related interests or opinions. Today, the dominant social use is to create and maintain relationships with your existing social network. It is also demonstrated that the success of Facebook, is dependent, among other factors, upon the fulfilment of five social functions for the users: self-presentation, friendship, object sharing, publication, and having a “sixth sense”. Thus, Facebook contributes to an enhancement of existing social relationships offline, what I call an augmentation of social reality.

An augmented reality C-arm for intraoperative assessment of the mechanical axis: a preclinical study.

Science.gov (United States)

Fallavollita, Pascal; Brand, Alexander; Wang, Lejing; Euler, Ekkehard; Thaller, Peter; Navab, Nassir; Weidert, Simon

2016-11-01

Determination of lower limb alignment is a prerequisite for successful orthopedic surgical treatment. Traditional methods include the electrocautery cord, alignment rod, or axis board which rely solely on C-arm fluoroscopy navigation and are radiation intensive. To assess a new augmented reality technology in determining lower limb alignment. A camera-augmented mobile C-arm (CamC) technology was used to create a panorama image consisting of hip, knee, and ankle X-rays. Twenty-five human cadaver legs were used for validation with random varus or valgus deformations. Five clinicians performed experiments that consisted in achieving acceptable mechanical axis deviation. The applicability of the CamC technology was assessed with direct comparison to ground-truth CT. A t test, Pearson's correlation, and ANOVA were used to determine statistical significance. The value of Pearson's correlation coefficient R was 0.979 which demonstrates a strong positive correlation between the CamC and ground-truth CT data. The analysis of variance produced a p value equal to 0.911 signifying that clinician expertise differences were not significant with regard to the type of system used to assess mechanical axis deviation. All described measurements demonstrated valid measurement of lower limb alignment. With minimal effort, clinicians required only 3 X-ray image acquisitions using the augmented reality technology to achieve reliable mechanical axis deviation.

Virtual Reality-Based Attention Bias Modification Training for Social Anxiety: A Feasibility and Proof of Concept Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Urech, Antoine; Krieger, Tobias; Chesham, Alvin; Mast, Fred W; Berger, Thomas

2015-01-01

Attention bias modification (ABM) programs have been considered as a promising new approach for the treatment of various disorders, including social anxiety disorder (SAD). However, previous studies yielded ambiguous results regarding the efficacy of ABM in SAD. The present proof-of-concept study investigates the feasibility of a newly developed virtual reality (VR)-based dot-probe training paradigm. It was designed to facilitate attentional disengagement from threatening stimuli in socially anxious individuals (N = 15). The following outcomes were examined: (a) self-reports of enjoyment, motivation, flow, and presence; (b) attentional bias for social stimuli; and (c) social anxiety symptoms. Results showed that ABM training is associated with high scores in enjoyment, motivation, flow, and presence. Furthermore, significant improvements in terms of attention bias and social anxiety symptoms were observed from pre- to follow-up assessment. The study suggests that VR is a feasible and presumably a promising new medium for ABM trainings. Controlled studies will need to be carried out.

Virtual Reality-Based Attention Bias Modification Training for Social Anxiety: A Feasibility and Proof of Concept Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antoine eUrech

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Attention bias modification (ABM programs have been considered as a promising new approach for the treatment of various disorders, including social anxiety disorder (SAD. However, previous studies yielded ambiguous results regarding the efficacy of ABM in SAD. The present proof-of-concept study investigates the feasibility of a newly developed virtual reality (VR-based dot-probe training paradigm. It was designed to facilitate attentional disengagement from threatening stimuli in socially anxious individuals (N=15. The following outcomes were examined: (a self-reports of enjoyment, motivation, flow and presence, (b attentional bias for social stimuli, and (c social anxiety symptoms. Results showed that ABM training is associated with high scores in enjoyment, motivation, flow and presence. Furthermore, significant improvements in terms of attention bias and social anxiety symptoms were observed from pre- to follow-up assessment. The study suggests that VR is a feasible and presumably a promising new medium for ABM trainings. Controlled studies will need to be carried out.

The embodied spaces of children with complex care needs: Effects on the social realities and power negotiations of families.

Science.gov (United States)

Woodgate, Roberta L; Zurba, Melanie; Edwards, Marie; Ripat, Jacquie D; Rempel, Gina

2017-07-01

This paper presents research findings that advance knowledge around the power and agency families with children with complex care needs (CCN). Our conceptual framework uses concepts from geography towards situating the experiences and social realities of family carers within the 'embodied space of care'. The data originate from a longitudinal qualitative study of Canadian families with children with CCN. Findings reveal that interactions and decision-making processes relating to health and everyday life were complex and socially interconnected, and emphasize the need for provisions for family-based decision-making and enhanced social inclusion of families and the importance of the renegotiation of power. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Virtual and augmented reality for training on maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez, F.

2001-01-01

This paper presents two projects focused to support training on maintenance using new technologies. Both projects aims at specifying. designing, developing, and demonstrating prototypes allowing computer guided maintenance of complex mechanical elements using Virtual Reality (VIRMAN) and Augmented Reality (STARMATE) techniques. VIRMAN project is dedicated to training course development on maintenance using Virtual Reality. It based in the animation of three dimension images for component assembly/de-assembly or equipment movements. STARMATE will rely on Augmented Reality techniques which is a growing area in virtual Reality research. The idea of Augmented Reality is to combine a real scene, viewed by the user, with a virtual scene generated by a computer augmenting the reality with additional information. (Author)

Empathic Cyberactivism: The Potential of Hyperconnected Social Media Networks and Empathic Virtual Reality for Feminism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Penelope Kemekenidou

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The rise of misogyny on social networks feels both devastating and endless. Whether one believes that misogyny has risen to a new level, or that it has simply become more visible through the internet, one thing is clear: with the ubiquity and accessibility of ‘immortal’ online information, harassment and discrimination, shared via hyperconnected social media networks, can be taken to a new, much more visible level. Hyperconnectivity enables sexism to multiply on the web – but it can also be the solution to fight it. In the context of activism, hyperconnectivity can be a major force to combat inequality—given that this hyperconnectivity is linked to empathy and not aggression. If this is the case, I argue, new technologies, for example virtual reality, open up new spaces of empathetic interaction.

Mobile devices, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Digital Geoscience Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Crompton, H.; De Paor, D. G.; Whitmeyer, S. J.; Bentley, C.

2016-12-01

Mobile devices are playing an increasing role in geoscience education. Affordances include instructor-student communication and class management in large classrooms, virtual and augmented reality applications, digital mapping, and crowd-sourcing. Mobile technologies have spawned the sub field of mobile learning or m-learning, which is defined as learning across multiple contexts, through social and content interactions. Geoscientists have traditionally engaged in non-digital mobile learning via fieldwork, but digital devices are greatly extending the possibilities, especially for non-traditional students. Smartphones and tablets are the most common devices but smart glasses such as Pivothead enable live streaming of a first-person view (see for example, https://youtu.be/gWrDaYP5w58). Virtual reality headsets such as Google Cardboard create an immersive virtual field experience and digital imagery such as GigaPan and Structure from Motion enables instructors and/or students to create virtual specimens and outcrops that are sharable across the globe. Whereas virtual reality (VR) replaces the real world with a virtual representation, augmented reality (AR) overlays digital data on the live scene visible to the user in real time. We have previously reported on our use of the AR application called FreshAiR for geoscientific "egg hunts." The popularity of Pokémon Go demonstrates the potential of AR for mobile learning in the geosciences.

The Construction of Social Reality through the Use of the English Language: A Study with Argentinean Pre-Service Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Luchini, Pedro Luis

2010-01-01

This case study aims at replicating a study conducted in 2007 with a group of ten trainees at the English Teacher Training Program at Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. In 2007, the participants recorded a dyadic interactive task. Speech data were analyzed to see how, through the use of language, learners construed their social reality. In the…

Enabling Robotic Social Intelligence by Engineering Human Social-Cognitive Mechanisms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wiltshire, Travis; Warta, Samantha F.; Barber, Daniel

2017-01-01

for artificial cognitive systems. We discuss a recent integrative perspective of social cognition to provide a systematic theoretical underpinning for computational instantiations of these mechanisms. We highlight several commitments of our approach that we refer to as Engineering Human Social Cognition. We...... then provide a series of recommendations to facilitate the development of the perceptual, motor, and cognitive architecture for this proposed artificial cognitive system in future work. For each recommendation, we highlight their relation to the discussed social-cognitive mechanisms, provide the rationale...

Virtual-reality-based cognitive behavioural therapy versus waiting list control for paranoid ideation and social avoidance in patients with psychotic disorders : A single-blind randomised controlled trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pot-Kolder, Roos M C A; Geraets, Chris N W; Veling, Wim; van Beilen, Marije; Staring, Anton B P; Gijsman, Harm J; Delespaul, Philippe A E G; van der Gaag, Mark

2018-01-01

BACKGROUND: Many patients with psychotic disorders have persistent paranoid ideation and avoid social situations because of suspiciousness and anxiety. We investigated the effects of virtual-reality-based cognitive behavioural therapy (VR-CBT) on paranoid thoughts and social participation. METHODS:

Virtual Reality for Artificial Intelligence: human-centered simulation for social science.

Science.gov (United States)

Cipresso, Pietro; Riva, Giuseppe

2015-01-01

There is a long last tradition in Artificial Intelligence as use of Robots endowing human peculiarities, from a cognitive and emotional point of view, and not only in shape. Today Artificial Intelligence is more oriented to several form of collective intelligence, also building robot simulators (hardware or software) to deeply understand collective behaviors in human beings and society as a whole. Modeling has also been crucial in the social sciences, to understand how complex systems can arise from simple rules. However, while engineers' simulations can be performed in the physical world using robots, for social scientist this is impossible. For decades, researchers tried to improve simulations by endowing artificial agents with simple and complex rules that emulated human behavior also by using artificial intelligence (AI). To include human beings and their real intelligence within artificial societies is now the big challenge. We present an hybrid (human-artificial) platform where experiments can be performed by simulated artificial worlds in the following manner: 1) agents' behaviors are regulated by the behaviors shown in Virtual Reality involving real human beings exposed to specific situations to simulate, and 2) technology transfers these rules into the artificial world. These form a closed-loop of real behaviors inserted into artificial agents, which can be used to study real society.

Virtual reality and hallucination: a technoetic perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Slattery, Diana R.

2008-02-01

Virtual Reality (VR), especially in a technologically focused discourse, is defined by a class of hardware and software, among them head-mounted displays (HMDs), navigation and pointing devices; and stereoscopic imaging. This presentation examines the experiential aspect of VR. Putting "virtual" in front of "reality" modifies the ontological status of a class of experience-that of "reality." Reality has also been modified [by artists, new media theorists, technologists and philosophers] as augmented, mixed, simulated, artificial, layered, and enhanced. Modifications of reality are closely tied to modifications of perception. Media theorist Roy Ascott creates a model of three "VR's": Verifiable Reality, Virtual Reality, and Vegetal (entheogenically induced) Reality. The ways in which we shift our perceptual assumptions, create and verify illusions, and enter "the willing suspension of disbelief" that allows us entry into imaginal worlds is central to the experience of VR worlds, whether those worlds are explicitly representational (robotic manipulations by VR) or explicitly imaginal (VR artistic creations). The early rhetoric surrounding VR was interwoven with psychedelics, a perception amplified by Timothy Leary's presence on the historic SIGGRAPH panel, and the Wall Street Journal's tag of VR as "electronic LSD." This paper discusses the connections-philosophical, social-historical, and psychological-perceptual between these two domains.

Planos de realidad, identidad virtual y discurso en las redes sociales

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesús Portillo Fernández

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to describe the levels of reality in the use of social networks and instant messaging services, the user’s identity and some key discursive mechanisms of communication on the web. An analysis of the parallel relationship between physical reality and virtual enviroments; static identity and e-showcasing on social networks; and the role of the monologue, the context and topoi in cyber-speech was conducted. The study of the tools for interaction in social networks as well as the discursive intentions highlighted the development of projection and participation strategies, a change of identity (an ongoing replacement of physical identity with virtual identity and massive information rather than knowledge. There seemed to be a need to manage massive data because of the plural, emerging reality, the possibility to create an immutable digital identity and the use of virtual environments as communicative launchers rather than as interactive environments.

Reality, Causality, and Probability, from Quantum Mechanics to Quantum Field Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Plotnitsky, Arkady

2015-10-01

These three lectures consider the questions of reality, causality, and probability in quantum theory, from quantum mechanics to quantum field theory. They do so in part by exploring the ideas of the key founding figures of the theory, such N. Bohr, W. Heisenberg, E. Schrödinger, or P. A. M. Dirac. However, while my discussion of these figures aims to be faithful to their thinking and writings, and while these lectures are motivated by my belief in the helpfulness of their thinking for understanding and advancing quantum theory, this project is not driven by loyalty to their ideas. In part for that reason, these lectures also present different and even conflicting ways of thinking in quantum theory, such as that of Bohr or Heisenberg vs. that of Schrödinger. The lectures, most especially the third one, also consider new physical, mathematical, and philosophical complexities brought in by quantum field theory vis-à-vis quantum mechanics. I close by briefly addressing some of the implications of the argument presented here for the current state of fundamental physics.

Global aspirations, local realities: the role of social science research in controlling neglected tropical diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Bardosh, Kevin

2014-01-01

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are both drivers and manifestations of poverty and social inequality. Increased advocacy efforts since the mid-2000s have led to ambitious new control and elimination targets set for 2020 by the World Health Organisation. While these global aspirations represent significant policy momentum, there are multifaceted challenges in controlling infectious diseases in resource-poor local contexts that need to be acknowledged, understood and engaged. However a number of recent publications have emphasised the "neglected" status of applied social science research on NTDs. In light of the 2020 targets, this paper explores the social science/NTD literature and unpacks some of the ways in which social inquiry can help support effective and sustainable interventions. Five priority areas are discussed, including on policy processes, health systems capacity, compliance and resistance to interventions, education and behaviour change, and community participation. The paper shows that despite the multifaceted value of having anthropological and sociological perspectives integrated into NTD programmes, contemporary efforts underutilise this potential. This is reflective of the dominance of top-down information flows and technocratic approaches in global health. To counter this tendency, social research needs to be more than an afterthought; integrating social inquiry into the planning, monitoring and evaluating process will help ensure that flexibility and adaptability to local realities are built into interventions. More emphasis on social science perspectives can also help link NTD control to broader social determinants of health, especially important given the major social and economic inequalities that continue to underpin transmission in endemic countries.

Sharing tacit knowledge to understand reality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klostermann, J.E.M.

2003-01-01

The author gives her answer to the question of knowledge production in science and society, according to a theoretical framework (The social construction of reality: a treatise in the sociology of knowledge; Berger, Luckmann, 1966)

Immersive realities: articulating the shift from VR to mobile AR through artistic practice

Science.gov (United States)

Margolis, Todd; Cornish, Tracy; Berry, Rodney; DeFanti, Thomas A.

2012-03-01

Our contemporary imaginings of technological engagement with digital environments has transitioned from flying through Virtual Reality to mobile interactions with the physical world through personal media devices. Experiences technologically mediated through social interactivity within physical environments are now being preferenced over isolated environments such as CAVEs or HMDs. Examples of this trend can be seen in early tele-collaborative artworks which strove to use advanced networking to join multiple participants in shared virtual environments. Recent developments in mobile AR allow untethered access to such shared realities in places far removed from labs and home entertainment environments, and without the bulky and expensive technologies attached to our bodies that accompany most VR. This paper addresses the emerging trend favoring socially immersive artworks via mobile Augmented Reality rather than sensorially immersive Virtual Reality installations. With particular focus on AR as a mobile, locative technology, we will discuss how concepts of immersion and interactivity are evolving with this new medium. Immersion in context of mobile AR can be redefined to describe socially interactive experiences. Having distinctly different sensory, spatial and situational properties, mobile AR offers a new form for remixing elements from traditional virtual reality with physically based social experiences. This type of immersion offers a wide array of potential for mobile AR art forms. We are beginning to see examples of how artists can use mobile AR to create social immersive and interactive experiences.

Effects of traumatic brain injury on a virtual reality social problem solving task and relations to cortical thickness in adolescence.

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Hanten, Gerri; Cook, Lori; Orsten, Kimberley; Chapman, Sandra B; Li, Xiaoqi; Wilde, Elisabeth A; Schnelle, Kathleen P; Levin, Harvey S

2011-02-01

Social problem solving was assessed in 28 youth ages 12-19 years (15 with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), 13 uninjured) using a naturalistic, computerized virtual reality (VR) version of the Interpersonal Negotiations Strategy interview (Yeates, Schultz, & Selman, 1991). In each scenario, processing load condition was varied in terms of number of characters and amount of information. Adolescents viewed animated scenarios depicting social conflict in a virtual microworld environment from an avatar's viewpoint, and were questioned on four problem solving steps: defining the problem, generating solutions, selecting solutions, and evaluating the likely outcome. Scoring was based on a developmental scale in which responses were judged as impulsive, unilateral, reciprocal, or collaborative, in order of increasing score. Adolescents with TBI were significantly impaired on the summary VR-Social Problem Solving (VR-SPS) score in Condition A (2 speakers, no irrelevant information), p=0.005; in Condition B (2 speakers+irrelevant information), p=0.035; and Condition C (4 speakers+irrelevant information), p=0.008. Effect sizes (Cohen's D) were large (A=1.40, B=0.96, C=1.23). Significant group differences were strongest and most consistent for defining the problems and evaluating outcomes. The relation of task performance to cortical thickness of specific brain regions was also explored, with significant relations found with orbitofrontal regions, the frontal pole, the cuneus, and the temporal pole. Results are discussed in the context of specific cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying social problem solving deficits after childhood TBI. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Utilization of Virtual Reality Content in Grade 6 Social Studies Using Affordable Virtual Reality Technology

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Lee Steven O. Zantua

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Virtual Reality is fast becoming a breakthrough in education technology and is headed towards a path where learning has become immersive. Virtual reality (VR offers both learners and educators a great opportunity to bridge gaps in the pedagogical sense. With the emergence of the Google Cardboard (GCB platform, a low-cost, virtual reality gadget comes a wide range of opportunities for educators and institutions to bring about an immersive type of learning environment for the 21st-century learner. Using Grade 6 Middle school students, this research explores the learning outcomes and student reactions using the GCB and Google Expeditions application. The study showed no significant difference in pre-test scores of the control and experimental group. There is however, a significant difference in the scores of the experimental group compared to the control group after post-test. Utilizing t-test in comparing the two groups, it was found that the mean of the post-test scores for Group A (experimental was significantly higher than Group B(control. The result of the independent samples t-test was significant, t(18 = 2.33, p = .032, suggesting that the mean of posttest score was significantly different between Groups A and B. This difference in score performance gives light to how VR can be used as a tool that enhances the learning experience. By using VR technology that is low cost and effective, more institutions will be able to help students learn better.

Design of a virtual reality based adaptive response technology for children with autism.

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Lahiri, Uttama; Bekele, Esubalew; Dohrmann, Elizabeth; Warren, Zachary; Sarkar, Nilanjan

2013-01-01

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate potent impairments in social communication skills including atypical viewing patterns during social interactions. Recently, several assistive technologies, particularly virtual reality (VR), have been investigated to address specific social deficits in this population. Some studies have coupled eye-gaze monitoring mechanisms to design intervention strategies. However, presently available systems are designed to primarily chain learning via aspects of one's performance only which affords restricted range of individualization. The presented work seeks to bridge this gap by developing a novel VR-based interactive system with Gaze-sensitive adaptive response technology that can seamlessly integrate VR-based tasks with eye-tracking techniques to intelligently facilitate engagement in tasks relevant to advancing social communication skills. Specifically, such a system is capable of objectively identifying and quantifying one's engagement level by measuring real-time viewing patterns, subtle changes in eye physiological responses, as well as performance metrics in order to adaptively respond in an individualized manner to foster improved social communication skills among the participants. The developed system was tested through a usability study with eight adolescents with ASD. The results indicate the potential of the system to promote improved social task performance along with socially-appropriate mechanisms during VR-based social conversation tasks.

Social mechanisms of media institutions: The genesis of recipient’s preferences

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V L Mouzykant

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Within the framework of sociology of media the author explains the behavior of target audiences in the nowadays media environment, analyzes the changing nature of the relationship between the sender and the recipient of the message. The article considers the social mechanisms of the contemporary media institutions and changes in media consumption preferences of different social strata under the growing influence of communication technologies. The author believes that the digitalization determines the audience’s need for explanation instead of just information. The virtual reality as a new communication platform becomes a common practice, and the audience becomes its passive participant demanding new ways of real-time access to information. The print media audience is gradually moving from constant reading of one or two mass editions to the study of a large number of specialized media. There is the same trend of the declining share of main television channels in advertising budgets due to the increasing share of specialized network channels. At the same time, advertising budgets are transferred to the mobile platforms for there is a growing need in ‘big data’ in real time due to the fast development of mobile electronic devices. Tablets and smartphones are attributes of the emerging media ecology that are gradually replacing television for digital generations prefer to watch the same TV content ‘outside’ the traditional TV environment.

Whistland: An Augmented Reality Crowd-Mapping System for Civil Protection and Emergency Management

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Gioele Luchetti

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The prevention and correct management of natural disaster event sequences play a key role in saving human lives. The availability of embedded and mobile smart computing systems opens new roads for the management of land and infrastructures by civil protection operators. To date, research has explored the use of social networks for the management of disasters connected to meteorological/hydrogeological events or earthquakes, but without emphasis on the importance of an integrated system. The main feature of the Whistland system proposed in this paper is to make synergistic use of augmented reality (AR, crowd-mapping (CM, social networks, the Internet of Things (IoT and wireless sensor networks (WSN by exploiting technologies and frameworks of Web 2.0 and GIS 2.0 to make informed decisions about the chain of events. The Whistland system is composed of a geo-server, a mobile application with AR and an analytics dashboard. The geo-server acts as the hub of the sensor and social networks. The abstracted concept in this sense is the transformation of the user domain into “intelligent sensors” for the whole scope of crisis management. The social network integration is made through an efficient pointer-like mechanism that keeps the storage requirement low through a mobile application based on an augmented reality engine and provides qualitative information that sensors are unable to capture. Real-time analyses, geo-searches and the capability to examine event histories with an augmented reality engine all help the stakeholders to understand better the state of the resources under observation/monitoring. The system has been extensively tested in the programmed maintenance of river basins, where it is necessary to log maintenance activities in order to keep the riverbank clean: a significant use-case in many countries affected by hydro-geological instability.

Cultural realities of being

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cultural Realities of Being offers a dialogue between academic activity and everyday lives by providing an interface between several perspectives on human conduct. Very often, academic pursuits are arcane and obscure for ordinary people, this book will attempt to disentangle these dialogues, lift...... fresh light on the everyday events presented in the text. Cultural Realities of Being will be essential reading for those studying Cross Cultural Psychology as well as those interested in social representation and identity......., lifting everyday discourse and providing a forum for advancing discussion and dialogue. Nandita Chaudhary, S. Anandalakshmy and Jaan Valsiner bring together contributors from the field of cultural psychology to consider how people living within social groups, regardless of how liberal, are guided...... of cultural psychology. The book builds upon rich cultural traditions present in India, and precisely because of this focus, the book has much larger implications and relevance to the field and aims to orient the academic reader from around the world to viewing India and Indian society as a valuable area...

Human Pacman: A Mobile Augmented Reality Entertainment System Based on Physical, Social, and Ubiquitous Computing

Science.gov (United States)

Cheok, Adrian David

This chapter details the Human Pacman system to illuminate entertainment computing which ventures to embed the natural physical world seamlessly with a fantasy virtual playground by capitalizing on infrastructure provided by mobile computing, wireless LAN, and ubiquitous computing. With Human Pacman, we have a physical role-playing computer fantasy together with real human-social and mobile-gaming that emphasizes on collaboration and competition between players in a wide outdoor physical area that allows natural wide-area human-physical movements. Pacmen and Ghosts are now real human players in the real world experiencing mixed computer graphics fantasy-reality provided by using the wearable computers on them. Virtual cookies and actual tangible physical objects are incorporated into the game play to provide novel experiences of seamless transitions between the real and virtual worlds. This is an example of a new form of gaming that anchors on physicality, mobility, social interaction, and ubiquitous computing.

A Narrative Criticism of Lifestyle Reality Programs

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Travis Loof

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This article seeks to understand and explain the relationship between lifestyle reality television programs and consumers. Specifically, this article outlines this relationship from a critical narrative perspective by interrogating two common story structures within lifestyle reality programming. By analyzing these narratives, conclusions are drawn about the role of story in consumer behavior. Additionally, this article argues that through the combination of the rhetorical situation of the housing collapse and narrative storytelling, consumers are taught how to perceive and interact when considering the purchase of a house. Finally, this article synthesizes Social Cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986 in conjunction with Narrative theory (Fisher, 1984 to explore how rhetorical criticism can use social science to better understand lived, mediated, experience.

Reality Television Programs Are Associated With Illegal Drug Use and Prescription Drug Misuse Among College Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Fogel, Joshua; Shlivko, Alexander

2016-01-02

Reality television watching and social media use are popular activities. Reality television can include mention of illegal drug use and prescription drug misuse. To determine if reality television and social media use of Twitter are associated with either illegal drug use or prescription drug misuse. Survey of 576 college students in 2011. Independent variables included watching reality television (social cognitive theory), parasocial interaction (parasocial interaction theory), television hours watched (cultivation theory), following a reality television character on Twitter, and demographics. Outcome variables were illegal drug use and prescription drug misuse. Watching reality television and also identifying with reality TV program characters were each associated with greater odds for illegal drug use. Also, following a reality TV character on Twitter had greater odds for illegal drug use and also in one analytical model for prescription drug misuse. No support was seen for cultivation theory. Those born in the United States had greater odds for illegal drug use and prescription drug misuse. Women and Asians had lower odds for illegal drug use. African Americans and Asians had lower odds for prescription drug misuse. Physicians, psychologists, and other healthcare practitioners may find it useful to include questions in their clinical interview about reality television watching and Twitter use. Physician and psychology groups, public health practitioners, and government health agencies should consider discussing with television broadcasting companies the potential negative impact of including content with illegal drugs and prescription drug misuse on reality television programs.

Models of Reality.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown-VanHoozer, S. A.

1999-06-02

Conscious awareness of our environment is based on a feedback loop comprised of sensory input transmitted to the central nervous system leading to construction of our ''model of the world,'' (Lewis et al, 1982). We then assimilate the neurological model at the unconscious level into information we can later consciously consider useful in identifying belief systems and behaviors for designing diverse systems. Thus, we can avoid potential problems based on our open-to-error perceived reality of the world. By understanding how our model of reality is organized, we allow ourselves to transcend content and develop insight into how effective choices and belief systems are generated through sensory derived processes. These are the processes which provide the designer the ability to meta model (build a model of a model) the user; consequently, matching the mental model of the user with that of the designer's and, coincidentally, forming rapport between the two participants. The information shared between the participants is neither assumed nor generalized, it is closer to equivocal; thus minimizing error through a sharing of each other's model of reality. How to identify individual mental mechanisms or processes, how to organize the individual strategies of these mechanisms into useful patterns, and to formulate these into models for success and knowledge based outcomes is the subject of the discussion that follows.

Perceived realism and Twitter use are associated with increased acceptance of cosmetic surgery among those watching reality television cosmetic surgery programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Fogel, Joshua; King, Kahlil

2014-08-01

Reality television programming is a popular type of television programming, and features shows about cosmetic surgery. Social media such as Facebook and Twitter are increasingly popular methods of sharing information. The authors surveyed college students to determine among those watching reality television cosmetic surgery programs whether perceived realism or social media use was associated with attitudes toward cosmetic surgery. Participants (n=126) were surveyed about their reality television cosmetic surgery program viewing habits, their perception of the realism of reality television programming, and social media topics of Twitter and Facebook. Outcome variables were the Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scales of social, intrapersonal, and consider. Perceived realism was significantly associated with increased scores on the Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale subscales of social (p=0.004), intrapersonal (p=0.03), and consider (p=0.03). Following a character from a reality television program on Twitter was significantly associated with increased social scores (p=0.04). There was no significant association of Facebook behavior with attitudes toward cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic plastic surgeons may benefit by advertising their services on cosmetic surgery reality television programs. These reality television programs portray cosmetic surgery in a positive manner, and viewers with increased perceived realism will be a potential receptive audience toward such advertising. Also, advertising cosmetic surgery services on Twitter feeds that discuss cosmetic surgery reality television programs would be potentially beneficial.

Feasibility of an Autism-Focused Augmented Reality Smartglasses System for Social Communication and Behavioral Coaching.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Runpeng; Salisbury, Joseph P; Vahabzadeh, Arshya; Sahin, Ned T

2017-01-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder with a rapidly rising prevalence, currently affecting 1 in 68 children, and over 3.5 million people in the United States. Current ASD interventions are primarily based on in-person behavioral therapies that are both costly and difficult to access. These interventions aim to address some of the fundamental deficits that clinically characterize ASD, including deficits in social communication, and the presence of stereotypies, and other autism-related behaviors. Current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches seldom rely on quantitative data measures of symptomatology, severity, or condition trajectory. Given the current situation, we report on the Brain Power System (BPS), a digital behavioral aid with quantitative data gathering and reporting features. The BPS includes customized smartglasses, providing targeted personalized coaching experiences through a family of gamified augmented-reality applications utilizing artificial intelligence. These applications provide children and adults with coaching for emotion recognition, face directed gaze, eye contact, and behavioral self-regulation. This preliminary case report, part of a larger set of upcoming research reports, explores the feasibility of the BPS to provide coaching in two boys with clinically diagnosed ASD, aged 8 and 9 years. The coaching intervention was found to be well tolerated and rated as being both engaging and fun. Both males could easily use the system, and no technical problems were noted. During the intervention, caregivers reported improved non-verbal communication, eye contact, and social engagement during the intervention. Both boys demonstrated decreased symptoms of ASD, as measured by the aberrant behavior checklist at 24-h post-intervention. Specifically, both cases demonstrated improvements in irritability, lethargy, stereotypy, hyperactivity/non-compliance, and inappropriate speech. Smartglasses using augmented

Augmented Reality Simulations on Handheld Computers

Science.gov (United States)

Squire, Kurt; Klopfer, Eric

2007-01-01

Advancements in handheld computing, particularly its portability, social interactivity, context sensitivity, connectivity, and individuality, open new opportunities for immersive learning environments. This article articulates the pedagogical potential of augmented reality simulations in environmental engineering education by immersing students in…

The Relationship of Perceived Reality of Sinetron Anak Jalanan and Anti Social Behavior

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Sri Widowati Herieningsih

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The research was conducted to explain a potential link between antisocial behavior and how children made sense of television program, Anak Jalanan. A survey was conducted on 248 children from 10-12 years old in Semarang with a non-random sampling technique. Besides, a correlation technique was used to examine a relationship. The results confirm that perceived reality on the show is related to children’s anti-social behavior. The findings bring about a warning alert to families, communities, and organizations that have concerns about the impact of media on children. They should reunite their efforts to do a more massive movement to make the media content more children-friendly. Parents also need to employ parental mediation at home to reduce the negative impact of such television programs on their children.

Content and Methodological Formation Model of a Younger Pupil Value-Oriented Attitude to Reality Based on Historical and Social Science Knowledge

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Zakirova, Ranija R.; Shamigulova, Oksana ?.

2016-01-01

One of the most important functions of historical and pedagogical education in modern educational the system is connected with a pupil's character features development, a value apprehension of social events and a formation of a value-oriented attitude to reality. The main aim of the present article is to describe and analyze the results of a…

Education and knowledge production in social reality: an analysis based on historical and dialectical materialism

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Rose Cléia Ramos da Silva

2010-07-01

Full Text Available This paper analyses education and knowledge production taking into account the social relationships that originate them and the philosophical categories of historical and dialectical materialism. In order to do so, two elements are adopted as references: knowledge society (a reflection of capitalist society in its actual stage of development, which is expressed by productivism and, as a counterpart, education as a form of humanisation and critical knowledge (freedom expression that underlies the educational process. The conclusion is that historical and dialectical materialism contributes to analysing reality, as it unveils it and at the same time potentiates transforming actions by showing the libertarian sense of education.

Reality of auditory verbal hallucinations.

Science.gov (United States)

Raij, Tuukka T; Valkonen-Korhonen, Minna; Holi, Matti; Therman, Sebastian; Lehtonen, Johannes; Hari, Riitta

2009-11-01

Distortion of the sense of reality, actualized in delusions and hallucinations, is the key feature of psychosis but the underlying neuronal correlates remain largely unknown. We studied 11 highly functioning subjects with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder while they rated the reality of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The subjective reality of AVH correlated strongly and specifically with the hallucination-related activation strength of the inferior frontal gyri (IFG), including the Broca's language region. Furthermore, how real the hallucination that subjects experienced was depended on the hallucination-related coupling between the IFG, the ventral striatum, the auditory cortex, the right posterior temporal lobe, and the cingulate cortex. Our findings suggest that the subjective reality of AVH is related to motor mechanisms of speech comprehension, with contributions from sensory and salience-detection-related brain regions as well as circuitries related to self-monitoring and the experience of agency.

Film, Parable, Reciprocity. Frederick Wiseman’s “Reality Fictions” and Social Change

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Alyda Faber

2016-11-01

Full Text Available This essay argues that social criticism may be an effect of Frederick Wiseman’s “re¬ality fiction” films only if that effect is understood as analogous to that of parable, an awakened responsiveness to the unknown and the unresolved. The irresolution witnessed repeatedly in his films is the reality of “radical inequality” within institu¬tions in democracy, with domination ranging from explicit exploitative relations to subtle aural and bodily cues. Within those relations, Wiseman opens up the space of parable as a vision and practice of reciprocity and more-than-reciprocity through, among others, filmic strategies of “lyric portraiture” and expressive “democratic noise”. Furthermore, Wiseman’s camera extends more-than-reciprocity to animals in a filmic style that shows human and animal relations as visceral markers of what otherwise might remain unseen in human-to-human relations.

The Ethics of Virtual Reality Technology: Social Hazards and Public Policy Recommendations.

Science.gov (United States)

Spiegel, James S

2017-09-23

This article explores four major areas of moral concern regarding virtual reality (VR) technologies. First, VR poses potential mental health risks, including Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder. Second, VR technology raises serious concerns related to personal neglect of users' own actual bodies and real physical environments. Third, VR technologies may be used to record personal data which could be deployed in ways that threaten personal privacy and present a danger related to manipulation of users' beliefs, emotions, and behaviors. Finally, there are other moral and social risks associated with the way VR blurs the distinction between the real and illusory. These concerns regarding VR naturally raise questions about public policy. The article makes several recommendations for legal regulations of VR that together address each of the above concerns. It is argued that these regulations would not seriously threaten personal liberty but rather would protect and enhance the autonomy of VR consumers.

The Convergence of Virtual Reality and Social Networks: Threats to Privacy and Autonomy.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Brolcháin, Fiachra; Jacquemard, Tim; Monaghan, David; O'Connor, Noel; Novitzky, Peter; Gordijn, Bert

2016-02-01

The rapid evolution of information, communication and entertainment technologies will transform the lives of citizens and ultimately transform society. This paper focuses on ethical issues associated with the likely convergence of virtual realities (VR) and social networks (SNs), hereafter VRSNs. We examine a scenario in which a significant segment of the world's population has a presence in a VRSN. Given the pace of technological development and the popularity of these new forms of social interaction, this scenario is plausible. However, it brings with it ethical problems. Two central ethical issues are addressed: those of privacy and those of autonomy. VRSNs pose threats to both privacy and autonomy. The threats to privacy can be broadly categorized as threats to informational privacy, threats to physical privacy, and threats to associational privacy. Each of these threats is further subdivided. The threats to autonomy can be broadly categorized as threats to freedom, to knowledge and to authenticity. Again, these three threats are divided into subcategories. Having categorized the main threats posed by VRSNs, a number of recommendations are provided so that policy-makers, developers, and users can make the best possible use of VRSNs.

The ethnography of virtual reality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gavrilović Ljiljana 1

2004-01-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses possible application of ethnographic research in the realm of virtual reality, especially in the relationship between cultures in virtual communities. This represents an entirely new area of ethnographic research and therefore many adjustments in the research design are needed for example, a development of a specific method of data gathering and tools for their verification. A virtual, cyber space is a version of social space more or less synchronous with it, but without the, "real", that is, physical presence of the people who create it. This virtual reality, defined and bounded by virtual space, is in fact real - and though we are not able to observe real, physical parameters of its existence, we can perceive its consequences. In sum, an innovative ethnographic research method is fully applicable for exploring the realm of virtual reality; in order to do so we need to expand, in addition to the new research design and methods, the field of science itself.

From genogram to genograph: Using narrative means to contextualize social reality in the counselling session

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P. J.M van Niekerk

2006-04-01

Full Text Available This article addresses a process that occurs when applying narrative therapy during a counselling session, namely moving away from the genogram towards the more effective genograph. Narrative therapy implies that we often talk and share stories about ourselves and that these stories are usually within a social context, whether it is our families, personal relationships or work. Stories are an important aspect in narrative therapy and therefore the counsellor must be aware of a family’s different contexts both as a family system, and as a group of individual members. The article takes as point of departure the thoughts of Charles Horton Cooley and George Herbert Mead and their influence on the development of the ‘self’ and the construction of our social reality within this process. It further argues in favour of the use of a genograph as a symbolic representation of the personal meanings of a family member’s experience of the dominant and alternative stories with which they live.

A virtual reality-integrated program for improving social skills in patients with schizophrenia: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Rus-Calafell, Mar; Gutiérrez-Maldonado, José; Ribas-Sabaté, Joan

2014-03-01

Social skills training (SST) intervention has shown its efficacy to improve social dysfunction in patients with psychosis; however the implementation of new skills into patients' everyday functioning is difficult to achieve. In this study, we report results from the application of a virtual reality (VR) integrated program as an adjunct technique to a brief social skills intervention for patients with schizophrenia. It was predicted that the intervention would improve social cognition and performance of patients as well as generalisation of the learned responses into patient's daily life. Twelve patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder completed the study. They attended sixteen individual one-hour sessions, and outcome assessments were conducted at pre-treatment, post-treatment and four-month follow-up. The results of a series of repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant improvement in negative symptoms, psychopathology, social anxiety and discomfort, avoidance and social functioning. Objective scores obtained through the use of the VR program showed a pattern of learning in emotion perception, assertive behaviours and time spent in a conversation. Most of these gains were maintained at four-month follow-up. The reported results are based on a small, uncontrolled pilot study. Although there was an independent rater for the self-reported and informant questionnaires, assessments were not blinded. The results showed that the intervention may be effective for improving social dysfunction. The use of the VR program contributed to the generalisation of new skills into the patient's everyday functioning. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Demo - Talk2Me: A Framework for Device–to–Device Augmented Reality Social Network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shu, Jiayu; Kosta, Sokol; Zheng, Rui

2018-01-01

–to–Device fashion. When a user looks at nearby persons through her camera–enabled wearable devices (e.g., Google Glass), the framework automatically extracts the face–signature of the person of interest, compares it with the previously captured signatures, and presents the information shared by this person......In this demo, we present Talk2Me, an augmented reality social network framework that enables users to disseminate information in a distributed way and view others’ information instantly. Talk2Me advertises users’ messages, together with their face–signatures, to every nearby device in a Device...... to the user. We design a lightweight and yet accurate face recognition algorithm, together with an efficient distributed dissemination protocol. We integrate their implementations in an Android prototype....

Augmented Reality 2.0

Science.gov (United States)

Schmalstieg, Dieter; Langlotz, Tobias; Billinghurst, Mark

Augmented Reality (AR) was first demonstrated in the 1960s, but only recently have technologies emerged that can be used to easily deploy AR applications to many users. Camera-equipped cell phones with significant processing power and graphics abilities provide an inexpensive and versatile platform for AR applications, while the social networking technology of Web 2.0 provides a large-scale infrastructure for collaboratively producing and distributing geo-referenced AR content. This combination of widely used mobile hardware and Web 2.0 software allows the development of a new type of AR platform that can be used on a global scale. In this paper we describe the Augmented Reality 2.0 concept and present existing work on mobile AR and web technologies that could be used to create AR 2.0 applications.

[The virtual reality simulation research of China Mechanical Virtual Human based on the Creator/Vega].

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Gaofeng; Tang, Gang; Fu, Zengliang; Sun, Qiuming; Tian, Feng

2010-10-01

The China Mechanical Virtual Human (CMVH) is a human musculoskeletal biomechanical simulation platform based on China Visible Human slice images; it has great realistic application significance. In this paper is introduced the construction method of CMVH 3D models. Then a simulation system solution based on Creator/Vega is put forward for the complex and gigantic data characteristics of the 3D models. At last, combined with MFC technology, the CMVH simulation system is developed and a running simulation scene is given. This paper provides a new way for the virtual reality application of CMVH.

Social carry-over effects on non-social behavioral variation: mechanisms and consequences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petri Toivo Niemelä

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The field of animal personality is interested in decomposing behaviors into different levels of variation, with its present focus on the ecological and evolutionary causes and consequences of expressed variation. Recently the role of the social environment, i.e. social partners, has been suggested to affect behavioral variation and induce selection on animal personality. Social partner effects exist because characters of social partners (e.g. size, behavior, affect the behavioral expression of a focal individual. Here, we 1 first review the proximate mechanisms underlying the social partner effects on behavioral expression and the timescales at which such effects might take place. We then 2 discuss how within- and among-individual variation in single behaviors and covariation between multiple behaviors, caused by social partners, can carry-over to non-social behaviors expressed outside the social context. Finally, we 3 highlight evolutionary consequences of social carry-over effects to non-social behaviors and 4 suggest study designs and statistical approaches which can be applied to study the nature and evolutionary consequences of social carry-over effects on non-social behaviors. Understanding the proximate mechanisms underpinning the social partner effects is important since it opens a door for deeper understanding of how social environments can affect behavioral variation and covariation at multiple levels, and the evolution of non-social behaviors (i.e. exploration, activity, boldness that are affected by social interactions.

Talk2Me: A Framework for Device–to–Device Augmented Reality Social Network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shu, Jiayu; Kosta, Sokol; Zheng, Rui

2018-01-01

, an augmented reality social network framework that enables users to disseminate information in a distributed way and view others’ information instantly. Talk2Me advertises users’ messages, together with their face–signature, to every nearby device in a Device–to–Device fashion. When a user looks at nearby...... persons through her camera–enabled wearable devices (e.g., Google Glass), the framework automatically extracts the face–signature of the person of interest, compares it with the previously captured signatures, and presents the information shared by this person to the user. We design and implement Talk2Me...... a novel face recognition algorithm for this specific scenario with a small number of face features and limited computing capability. Evaluation results of the prototype with real users and extensive simulations validate the performance and usability of our design, showing the potentials of the augmented...

Special Experiences for Exceptional Students: Integrating Virtual Reality into Special Education Classrooms.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Erez Cedric

This paper discusses some of the potential benefits and hazards that virtual reality holds for exceptional children in the special education system. Topics addressed include (1) applications of virtual reality, including developing academic skills via cyberspace, vocational training, and social learning in cyberspace; (2) telepresence and distance…

Group Freedom : A Social Mechanism Account

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hindriks, Frank

2017-01-01

Many existing defenses of group rights seem to rely on the notion of group freedom. To date, however, no adequate analysis of this notion has been offered. Group freedom is best understood in terms of processes of social categorization that are embedded in social mechanisms. Such processes often

Virtual Reality Conferencing: Multi-user immersive VR experiences on the web

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gunkel, S.N.B.; Stokking, H.M.; Prins, M.J.; Stap, N. van der; Haar, F.B. ter; Niamut, O.A.

2018-01-01

Virtual Reality (VR) and 360-degree video are set to become part of the future social environment, enriching and enhancing the way we share experiences and collaborate remotely. While Social VR applications are getting more momentum, most services regarding Social VR focus on animated avatars. In

Augmented Reality Video Games: New Possibilities and Implications for Children and Adolescents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prithwijit Das

2017-04-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the video game market has embraced augmented reality video games, a class of video games that is set to grow as gaming technologies develop. Given the widespread use of video games among children and adolescents, the health implications of augmented reality technology must be closely examined. Augmented reality technology shows a potential for the promotion of healthy behaviors and social interaction among children. However, the full immersion and physical movement required in augmented reality video games may also put users at risk for physical and mental harm. Our review article and commentary emphasizes both the benefits and dangers of augmented reality video games for children and adolescents.

Virtual reality in the treatment of persecutory delusions: randomised controlled experimental study testing how to reduce delusional conviction

Science.gov (United States)

Freeman, Daniel; Bradley, Jonathan; Antley, Angus; Bourke, Emilie; DeWeever, Natalie; Evans, Nicole; Černis, Emma; Sheaves, Bryony; Waite, Felicity; Dunn, Graham; Slater, Mel; Clark, David M.

2016-01-01

Background Persecutory delusions may be unfounded threat beliefs maintained by safety-seeking behaviours that prevent disconfirmatory evidence being successfully processed. Use of virtual reality could facilitate new learning. Aims To test the hypothesis that enabling patients to test the threat predictions of persecutory delusions in virtual reality social environments with the dropping of safety-seeking behaviours (virtual reality cognitive therapy) would lead to greater delusion reduction than exposure alone (virtual reality exposure). Method Conviction in delusions and distress in a real-world situation were assessed in 30 patients with persecutory delusions. Patients were then randomised to virtual reality cognitive therapy or virtual reality exposure, both with 30 min in graded virtual reality social environments. Delusion conviction and real-world distress were then reassessed. Results In comparison with exposure, virtual reality cognitive therapy led to large reductions in delusional conviction (reduction 22.0%, P = 0.024, Cohen's d = 1.3) and real-world distress (reduction 19.6%, P = 0.020, Cohen's d = 0.8). Conclusion Cognitive therapy using virtual reality could prove highly effective in treating delusions. PMID:27151071

Оnтоlоgiсal foundation of social reality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. S. Kravtsov

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The article reveals the ontological foundations of the of social reality. Consideration of this issue, in authors  opinion, should begin with the analysis of the ontological knowledge. Traditionally, if you ask what is an ontology, it is usually followed by an answer: the doctrine of being. The author believes that in modern philosophy there is no single definition of ontology and existence, and there are different types of ontological systems in which the notion of being received different interpretations. Differences in interpretatijns really are not the result of self­will, or a matter of taste of this or that author. They are not accidental, because they are the result of those units of consciousness that lie at the basis of our understanding of reality and there is usually a «default».   The importance of the more detailed analysis of developments in the subjective foundation of information space. Hense, his model has a priori importance, because it incorporated all rational isolated situations where it may be. Innovation will be held jnly if they are arranged in a definite integral structure (conceptualization. The author notes that, in contrast to the axioms and theoretical principles, the settings are not entered a free thinker, not substantiate and approved by the scientific community and play a role sammer absolute preconditions, which are usually not articulated and defined in a certain way. The author points out that it is this type of installation are constitutive of consciousness bases, the fundamental principles upon which formed ontological concept. Our ontological orientation determines the depth of mental structures and meanings, which are not always ochevdny for ourselves and rationally conclusive. That is, the very choice of ontology defined procedure that goes beyond ratsіonalnogo discourse and argumentation. At the reason for the virtualization of postmodern society is an objective need for the transition of

Feasibility of an Autism-Focused Augmented Reality Smartglasses System for Social Communication and Behavioral Coaching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Runpeng Liu

2017-06-01

Full Text Available BackgroundAutism spectrum disorder (ASD is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder with a rapidly rising prevalence, currently affecting 1 in 68 children, and over 3.5 million people in the United States. Current ASD interventions are primarily based on in-person behavioral therapies that are both costly and difficult to access. These interventions aim to address some of the fundamental deficits that clinically characterize ASD, including deficits in social communication, and the presence of stereotypies, and other autism-related behaviors. Current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches seldom rely on quantitative data measures of symptomatology, severity, or condition trajectory.MethodsGiven the current situation, we report on the Brain Power System (BPS, a digital behavioral aid with quantitative data gathering and reporting features. The BPS includes customized smartglasses, providing targeted personalized coaching experiences through a family of gamified augmented-reality applications utilizing artificial intelligence. These applications provide children and adults with coaching for emotion recognition, face directed gaze, eye contact, and behavioral self-regulation. This preliminary case report, part of a larger set of upcoming research reports, explores the feasibility of the BPS to provide coaching in two boys with clinically diagnosed ASD, aged 8 and 9 years.ResultsThe coaching intervention was found to be well tolerated and rated as being both engaging and fun. Both males could easily use the system, and no technical problems were noted. During the intervention, caregivers reported improved non-verbal communication, eye contact, and social engagement during the intervention. Both boys demonstrated decreased symptoms of ASD, as measured by the aberrant behavior checklist at 24-h post-intervention. Specifically, both cases demonstrated improvements in irritability, lethargy, stereotypy, hyperactivity/non-compliance, and

Attentional mechanisms of social perception are biased in social phobia.

Science.gov (United States)

Boll, Sabrina; Bartholomaeus, Marie; Peter, Ulrike; Lupke, Ulrike; Gamer, Matthias

2016-05-01

Previous studies of social phobia have reported an increased vigilance to social threat cues but also an avoidance of socially relevant stimuli such as eye gaze. The primary aim of this study was to examine attentional mechanisms relevant for perceiving social cues by means of abnormalities in scanning of facial features in patients with social phobia. In two novel experimental paradigms, patients with social phobia and healthy controls matched on age, gender and education were compared regarding their gazing behavior towards facial cues. The first experiment was an emotion classification paradigm which allowed for differentiating reflexive attentional shifts from sustained attention towards diagnostically relevant facial features. In the second experiment, attentional orienting by gaze direction was assessed in a gaze-cueing paradigm in which non-predictive gaze cues shifted attention towards or away from subsequently presented targets. We found that patients as compared to controls reflexively oriented their attention more frequently towards the eyes of emotional faces in the emotion classification paradigm. This initial hypervigilance for the eye region was observed at very early attentional stages when faces were presented for 150ms, and persisted when facial stimuli were shown for 3s. Moreover, a delayed attentional orienting into the direction of eye gaze was observed in individuals with social phobia suggesting a differential time course of eye gaze processing in patients and controls. Our findings suggest that basic mechanisms of early attentional exploration of social cues are biased in social phobia and might contribute to the development and maintenance of the disorder. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Mixed Reality with HoloLens: Where Virtual Reality Meets Augmented Reality in the Operating Room.

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Tepper, Oren M; Rudy, Hayeem L; Lefkowitz, Aaron; Weimer, Katie A; Marks, Shelby M; Stern, Carrie S; Garfein, Evan S

2017-11-01

Virtual reality and augmented reality devices have recently been described in the surgical literature. The authors have previously explored various iterations of these devices, and although they show promise, it has become clear that virtual reality and/or augmented reality devices alone do not adequately meet the demands of surgeons. The solution may lie in a hybrid technology known as mixed reality, which merges many virtual reality and augmented realty features. Microsoft's HoloLens, the first commercially available mixed reality device, provides surgeons intraoperative hands-free access to complex data, the real environment, and bidirectional communication. This report describes the use of HoloLens in the operating room to improve decision-making and surgical workflow. The pace of mixed reality-related technological development will undoubtedly be rapid in the coming years, and plastic surgeons are ideally suited to both lead and benefit from this advance.

Virtual reality in assessment and treatment of schizophrenia: a systematic review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mônica Macedo

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Objective To conduct a systematic review about the use of virtual reality (VR for evaluation, treatment and/or rehabilitation of patients with schizophrenia, focused on: areas, fields and objectives; methodological issues; features of the VR used; viability and efficiency of this resource. Methods Searches were performed about schizophrenia and virtual reality in PsycINFO, Academic Search Complete, MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL with Full Text, Web of Science and Business Source Premier databases, using the following keywords: [“schizophrenia”] AND [“virtual reality” OR “serious game”] AND [“treatment” OR “therapy” OR “rehabilitation”]. The search was carried out between November 2013 and June 2014 without using any search limiters. Results A total of 101 papers were identified, and after the application of exclusion criteria, 33 papers remained. The studies analysed focused on the use of VR for the evaluation of cognitive, social, perceptual and sensory skills, and the vast majority were experimental studies, with virtual reality specifically created for them. All the reviewed papers point towards a reliable and safe use of VR for evaluating and treating cognitive and social deficits in patients with schizophrenia, with different results in terms of generalisation, motivation, assertiveness and task participation rate. Some problems were highlighted, such as its high cost and a constant need for software maintenance. Conclusion The studies show that using the virtual reality may streamline traditional evaluation/rehabilitation programmes, allowing to enhance the results achieved, both in the cognitive and in the social field, helping for the legitimisation of this population’s psycho-social inclusion.

Neural Circuit Mechanisms of Social Behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Patrick; Hong, Weizhe

2018-04-04

We live in a world that is largely socially constructed, and we are constantly involved in and fundamentally influenced by a broad array of complex social interactions. Social behaviors among conspecifics, either conflictive or cooperative, are exhibited by all sexually reproducing animal species and are essential for the health, survival, and reproduction of animals. Conversely, impairment in social function is a prominent feature of several neuropsychiatric disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. Despite the importance of social behaviors, many fundamental questions remain unanswered. How is social sensory information processed and integrated in the nervous system? How are different social behavioral decisions selected and modulated in brain circuits? Here we discuss conceptual issues and recent advances in our understanding of brain regions and neural circuit mechanisms underlying the regulation of social behaviors. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Experiments in mixed reality

Science.gov (United States)

Krum, David M.; Sadek, Ramy; Kohli, Luv; Olson, Logan; Bolas, Mark

2010-01-01

As part of the Institute for Creative Technologies and the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, the Mixed Reality lab develops technologies and techniques for presenting realistic immersive training experiences. Such experiences typically place users within a complex ecology of social actors, physical objects, and collections of intents, motivations, relationships, and other psychological constructs. Currently, it remains infeasible to completely synthesize the interactivity and sensory signatures of such ecologies. For this reason, the lab advocates mixed reality methods for training and conducts experiments exploring such methods. Currently, the lab focuses on understanding and exploiting the elasticity of human perception with respect to representational differences between real and virtual environments. This paper presents an overview of three projects: techniques for redirected walking, displays for the representation of virtual humans, and audio processing to increase stress.

Big Data and reality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryan Shaw

2015-11-01

Full Text Available DNA sequencers, Twitter, MRIs, Facebook, particle accelerators, Google Books, radio telescopes, Tumblr: what do these things have in common? According to the evangelists of “data science,” all of these are instruments for observing reality at unprecedentedly large scales and fine granularities. This perspective ignores the social reality of these very different technological systems, ignoring how they are made, how they work, and what they mean in favor of an exclusive focus on what they generate: Big Data. But no data, big or small, can be interpreted without an understanding of the process that generated them. Statistical data science is applicable to systems that have been designed as scientific instruments, but is likely to lead to confusion when applied to systems that have not. In those cases, a historical inquiry is preferable.

Integrating light-sheet imaging with virtual reality to recapitulate developmental cardiac mechanics.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Yichen; Abiri, Arash; Abiri, Parinaz; Li, Shuoran; Chang, Chih-Chiang; Baek, Kyung In; Hsu, Jeffrey J; Sideris, Elias; Li, Yilei; Lee, Juhyun; Segura, Tatiana; Nguyen, Thao P; Bui, Alexander; Sevag Packard, René R; Fei, Peng; Hsiai, Tzung K

2017-11-16

Currently, there is a limited ability to interactively study developmental cardiac mechanics and physiology. We therefore combined light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) with virtual reality (VR) to provide a hybrid platform for 3D architecture and time-dependent cardiac contractile function characterization. By taking advantage of the rapid acquisition, high axial resolution, low phototoxicity, and high fidelity in 3D and 4D (3D spatial + 1D time or spectra), this VR-LSFM hybrid methodology enables interactive visualization and quantification otherwise not available by conventional methods, such as routine optical microscopes. We hereby demonstrate multiscale applicability of VR-LSFM to (a) interrogate skin fibroblasts interacting with a hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel, (b) navigate through the endocardial trabecular network during zebrafish development, and (c) localize gene therapy-mediated potassium channel expression in adult murine hearts. We further combined our batch intensity normalized segmentation algorithm with deformable image registration to interface a VR environment with imaging computation for the analysis of cardiac contraction. Thus, the VR-LSFM hybrid platform demonstrates an efficient and robust framework for creating a user-directed microenvironment in which we uncovered developmental cardiac mechanics and physiology with high spatiotemporal resolution.

Yet Unborn Realities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johannessen, Runa

2016-01-01

The scope of this paper is to inquire into a moment of friction between reality and possibility; the present and the future; the actual and the fictional, in a context pertaining to the Israel-Palestine conflict. The point of departure is an artwork by the Palestinian artist Khaled Jarrar. My enc...... encounter with his work evoked an aesthetic experience of hesitant uncertainty parallel to particular encounters with a mechanism invoking such uncertainties in real life, namely the passport control......The scope of this paper is to inquire into a moment of friction between reality and possibility; the present and the future; the actual and the fictional, in a context pertaining to the Israel-Palestine conflict. The point of departure is an artwork by the Palestinian artist Khaled Jarrar. My...

Moving from virtual reality exposure-based therapy to augmented reality exposure-based therapy: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Baus, Oliver; Bouchard, Stéphane

2014-01-01

This paper reviews the move from virtual reality exposure-based therapy to augmented reality exposure-based therapy (ARET). Unlike virtual reality (VR), which entails a complete virtual environment (VE), augmented reality (AR) limits itself to producing certain virtual elements to then merge them into the view of the physical world. Although, the general public may only have become aware of AR in the last few years, AR type applications have been around since beginning of the twentieth century. Since, then, technological developments have enabled an ever increasing level of seamless integration of virtual and physical elements into one view. Like VR, AR allows the exposure to stimuli which, due to various reasons, may not be suitable for real-life scenarios. As such, AR has proven itself to be a medium through which individuals suffering from specific phobia can be exposed "safely" to the object(s) of their fear, without the costs associated with programing complete VEs. Thus, ARET can offer an efficacious alternative to some less advantageous exposure-based therapies. Above and beyond presenting what has been accomplished in ARET, this paper covers some less well-known aspects of the history of AR, raises some ARET related issues, and proposes potential avenues to be followed. These include the type of measures to be used to qualify the user's experience in an augmented reality environment, the exclusion of certain AR-type functionalities from the definition of AR, as well as the potential use of ARET to treat non-small animal phobias, such as social phobia.

Moving from Virtual Reality Exposure-Based Therapy to Augmented Reality Exposure-Based Therapy: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Baus, Oliver; Bouchard, Stéphane

2014-01-01

This paper reviews the move from virtual reality exposure-based therapy to augmented reality exposure-based therapy (ARET). Unlike virtual reality (VR), which entails a complete virtual environment (VE), augmented reality (AR) limits itself to producing certain virtual elements to then merge them into the view of the physical world. Although, the general public may only have become aware of AR in the last few years, AR type applications have been around since beginning of the twentieth century. Since, then, technological developments have enabled an ever increasing level of seamless integration of virtual and physical elements into one view. Like VR, AR allows the exposure to stimuli which, due to various reasons, may not be suitable for real-life scenarios. As such, AR has proven itself to be a medium through which individuals suffering from specific phobia can be exposed “safely” to the object(s) of their fear, without the costs associated with programing complete VEs. Thus, ARET can offer an efficacious alternative to some less advantageous exposure-based therapies. Above and beyond presenting what has been accomplished in ARET, this paper covers some less well-known aspects of the history of AR, raises some ARET related issues, and proposes potential avenues to be followed. These include the type of measures to be used to qualify the user’s experience in an augmented reality environment, the exclusion of certain AR-type functionalities from the definition of AR, as well as the potential use of ARET to treat non-small animal phobias, such as social phobia. PMID:24624073

We create our own reality

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

" Yes, we create our own reality. This is one of the most fundamental tenets of the ancient oriental religions, such as Buddhism. And during the last century, modern particle physics or quantum mechanics has discovered exactly the same thing" (1 page).

Supporting Optimal Aging through the Innovative Use of Virtual Reality Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sally Hughes

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Although virtual reality (VR technology has been implemented as a tool to address the health issues of older adults, its applicability to social connectedness is underrepresented in the literature, and less is known about its efficacy in this area in contributing to overall wellness and well-being in later life. Expanding the VR possibilities beyond traditional entertainment purposes holds considerable potential for the older adult market. Technological tools have been employed in the elder health care field for many years, and cutting-edge developments such as virtual and augmented reality have begun to be used to facilitate optimal wellness in aging. Such technological advances have the potential to significantly impact one of the most important issues that older people face: social isolation and loneliness. This paper will serve as an introductory exploration of what is currently known about the use of virtual reality technology with an older cohort.

The realities people live by: A critical reflection on the value of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

contributes to construct social reality. The study will show that religious texts construct the reality(ies) in which people interact and try to make sense of everyday existence. Two stories contemporary to the writer of the article are employed to show that in a certain sense male perceptions about women have not changed ...

Using critical realism as a framework in pharmacy education and social pharmacy research.

Science.gov (United States)

Oltmann, Carmen; Boughey, Chrissie

2012-01-01

This article challenges the idea that positivism is capable of representing the complexity of social pharmacy and pharmacy education. It is argued that critical realism provides a framework that allows researchers to look at the nature of reality and at mechanisms that produce, or have the tendency to produce, events and experiences of those events. Critical realism is a framework, not a method. It allows researchers to make observations about phenomena and explain the relationships and connections involved. The researcher has to look for mechanisms and structures that could explain why the phenomena, the connections, and the relationships exist (or do not) and then try to show that these mechanisms do exist. This article first contextualizes critical realism, then briefly describes it, and lastly exemplifies the use of critical realism in a discussion of a research project conducted in pharmacy education. Critical realism may be particularly useful in interdisciplinary research, for example, where practitioners and researchers are working together in a social pharmacy or pharmacy education setting. Critical realism requires the practitioners and the researchers to question and make known their assumptions about their own realities and to think of a complex problem or phenomenon in terms of a stratified reality, generative mechanisms, and tendencies. Critical realism may make research more rigorous and also allow researchers to conceive of a greater breadth of research designs for their work. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Augmented reality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrik Pucer

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Today we can obtain in a simple and rapid way most of the information that we need. Devices, such as personal computers and mobile phones, enable access to information in different formats (written, pictorial, audio or video whenever and wherever. Daily we use and encounter information that can be seen as virtual objects or objects that are part of the virtual world of computers. Everyone, at least once, wanted to bring these virtual objects from the virtual world of computers into real environments and thus mix virtual and real worlds. In such a mixed reality, real and virtual objects coexist in the same environment. The reality, where users watch and use the real environment upgraded with virtual objects is called augmented reality. In this article we describe the main properties of augmented reality. In addition to the basic properties that define a reality as augmented reality, we present the various building elements (possible hardware and software that provide an insight into such a reality and practical applications of augmented reality. The applications are divided into three groups depending on the information and functions that augmented reality offers, such as help, guide and simulator.

Chile's Medical-Social Reality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salvador Allende

2006-12-01

Full Text Available "To govern is to educate and provide health to the people." Pedro Aguirre Cerda Our country is going through a moment in its history in which it struggles to unshackle itself from the old economic methods, autocratic and based on free competition, channeling its social life into a course of cooperation and well-being covering all social strata. To His Excellency the President of the Republic, the Socialist Party and its ministers, this is the fundamental significance of the Popular Front government, established by the people only a year ago; to reclaim the social wealth and the economic potential of the nation, control it, direct it, foster it in the service of all the inhabitants of the republic, without privileges nor exclusions. Also, and as a consequence, restore for the people, for the working man, his physical vitality, his virility and health, which were once his outstanding qualities; to reacquire the physiological capacity of a strong people, recover its immunity against epidemics; all of which will allow a better performance in national production while also providing a better disposition and spirit to live and appreciate life.

Virtual reality, augmented reality…I call it i-Reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Grossmann, Rafael J

2015-01-01

The new term improved reality (i-Reality) is suggested to include virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). It refers to a real world that includes improved, enhanced and digitally created features that would offer an advantage on a particular occasion (i.e., a medical act). I-Reality may help us bridge the gap between the high demand for medical providers and the low supply of them by improving the interaction between providers and patients.

Towards Pervasive Augmented Reality: Context-Awareness in Augmented Reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Grubert, Jens; Langlotz, Tobias; Zollmann, Stefanie; Regenbrecht, Holger

2017-06-01

Augmented Reality is a technique that enables users to interact with their physical environment through the overlay of digital information. While being researched for decades, more recently, Augmented Reality moved out of the research labs and into the field. While most of the applications are used sporadically and for one particular task only, current and future scenarios will provide a continuous and multi-purpose user experience. Therefore, in this paper, we present the concept of Pervasive Augmented Reality, aiming to provide such an experience by sensing the user's current context and adapting the AR system based on the changing requirements and constraints. We present a taxonomy for Pervasive Augmented Reality and context-aware Augmented Reality, which classifies context sources and context targets relevant for implementing such a context-aware, continuous Augmented Reality experience. We further summarize existing approaches that contribute towards Pervasive Augmented Reality. Based our taxonomy and survey, we identify challenges for future research directions in Pervasive Augmented Reality.

EL FORO SOCIAL MUNDIAL ANTE EL RETO DE LA EMANCIPACIÓN

OpenAIRE

Cartaya Fabregat, Raúl

2012-01-01

The current challenge of initiating processes of emancipation, confronted with the multifaceted capitalist reality extended throughout the globe and the strong depoliticization of our present day societies, appears to be an impossible task. Biopolitics and technologies of control are finding more and more fine-tuned and sophisticated mechanisms to both administrate and depoliticize. The World Social Forum, which presents itself as a social politicization model, emerged out of the rise in prot...

Automatic Mechanisms for Social Attention Are Culturally Penetrable.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Adam S; Sasaki, Joni Y; German, Tamsin C; Kim, Heejung S

2017-01-01

Are mechanisms for social attention influenced by culture? Evidence that social attention is triggered automatically by bottom-up gaze cues and is uninfluenced by top-down verbal instructions may suggest it operates in the same way everywhere. Yet considerations from evolutionary and cultural psychology suggest that specific aspects of one's cultural background may have consequence for the way mechanisms for social attention develop and operate. In more interdependent cultures, the scope of social attention may be broader, focusing on more individuals and relations between those individuals. We administered a multi-gaze cueing task requiring participants to fixate a foreground face flanked by background faces and measured shifts in attention using eye tracking. For European Americans, gaze cueing did not depend on the direction of background gaze cues, suggesting foreground gaze alone drives automatic attention shifting; for East Asians, cueing patterns differed depending on whether the foreground cue matched or mismatched background cues, suggesting foreground and background gaze information were integrated. These results demonstrate that cultural background influences the social attention system by shifting it into a narrow or broad mode of operation and, importantly, provides evidence challenging the assumption that mechanisms underlying automatic social attention are necessarily rigid and impenetrable to culture. Copyright © 2015 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Virtual reality for treatment compliance for people with serious mental illness.

Science.gov (United States)

Välimäki, Maritta; Hätönen, Heli M; Lahti, Mari E; Kurki, Marjo; Hottinen, Anja; Metsäranta, Kiki; Riihimäki, Tanja; Adams, Clive E

2014-10-08

Virtual reality (VR) is computerised real-time technology, which can be used an alternative assessment and treatment tool in the mental health field. Virtual reality may take different forms to simulate real-life activities and support treatment. To investigate the effects of virtual reality to support treatment compliance in people with serious mental illness. We searched the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group Trials Register (most recent, 17th September 2013) and relevant reference lists. All relevant randomised studies comparing virtual reality with standard care for those with serious mental illnesses. We defined virtual reality as a computerised real-time technology using graphics, sound and other sensory input, which creates the interactive computer-mediated world as a therapeutic tool. All review authors independently selected studies and extracted data. For homogeneous dichotomous data the risk difference (RD) and the 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated on an intention-to-treat basis. For continuous data, we calculated mean differences (MD). We assessed risk of bias and created a 'Summary of findings' table using the GRADE approach. We identified three short-term trials (total of 156 participants, duration five to 12 weeks). Outcomes were prone to at least a moderate risk of overestimating positive effects. We found that virtual reality had little effects regarding compliance (3 RCTs, n = 156, RD loss to follow-up 0.02 CI -0.08 to 0.12, low quality evidence), cognitive functioning (1 RCT, n = 27, MD average score on Cognistat 4.67 CI -1.76 to 11.10, low quality evidence), social skills (1 RCT, n = 64, MD average score on social problem solving SPSI-R (Social Problem Solving Inventory - Revised) -2.30 CI -8.13 to 3.53, low quality evidence), or acceptability of intervention (2 RCTs, n = 92, RD 0.05 CI -0.09 to 0.19, low quality evidence). There were no data reported on mental state, insight, behaviour, quality of life, costs, service utilisation, or

Cardiovascular and cortisol reactivity and habituation to a virtual reality version of the Trier Social Stress Test: a pilot study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jönsson, Peter; Wallergård, Mattias; Osterberg, Kai

2010-01-01

reactivity and habituation to repeated stress provocations using a virtual reality (VR) version of TSST. The VR system was a CAVE™ system with three rear projected walls (4 m×3 m), and one floor projection. The system also included a head tracking system and passive stereoscopy. The virtual audience...... studies using the real-life TSST. If these results can be replicated with larger samples, VR technology may be used as a simple and standardized tool for social stress induction in experimental settings....

An evolutionary framework for studying mechanisms of social behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Hofmann, Hans A; Beery, Annaliese K; Blumstein, Daniel T; Couzin, Iain D; Earley, Ryan L; Hayes, Loren D; Hurd, Peter L; Lacey, Eileen A; Phelps, Steven M; Solomon, Nancy G; Taborsky, Michael; Young, Larry J; Rubenstein, Dustin R

2014-10-01

Social interactions are central to most animals and have a fundamental impact upon the phenotype of an individual. Social behavior (social interactions among conspecifics) represents a central challenge to the integration of the functional and mechanistic bases of complex behavior. Traditionally, studies of proximate and ultimate elements of social behavior have been conducted by distinct groups of researchers, with little communication across perceived disciplinary boundaries. However, recent technological advances, coupled with increased recognition of the substantial variation in mechanisms underlying social interactions, should compel investigators from divergent disciplines to pursue more integrative analyses of social behavior. We propose an integrative conceptual framework intended to guide researchers towards a comprehensive understanding of the evolution and maintenance of mechanisms governing variation in sociality. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combining Shape-Changing Interfaces and Spatial Augmented Reality Enables Extended Object Appearance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindlbauer, David; Grønbæk, Jens Emil; Birk, Morten

2016-01-01

We propose combining shape-changing interfaces and spatial augmented reality for extending the space of appearances and interactions of actuated interfaces. While shape-changing interfaces can dynamically alter the physical appearance of objects, the integration of spatial augmented reality...... for increasing the realism of 3D objects such as bump mapping. This extensible framework helps us identify challenges of the two techniques and benefits of their combination. We utilize our prototype shape-changing device enriched with spatial augmented reality through projection mapping to demonstrate...... the concept. We present a novel mechanical distance-fields algorithm for real-time fitting of mechanically constrained shape-changing devices to arbitrary 3D graphics. Furthermore, we present a technique for increasing effective screen real estate for spatial augmented reality through view-dependent shape...

Reality Check: Basics of Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed Reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Brigham, Tara J

2017-01-01

Augmented, virtual, and mixed reality applications all aim to enhance a user's current experience or reality. While variations of this technology are not new, within the last few years there has been a significant increase in the number of artificial reality devices or applications available to the general public. This column will explain the difference between augmented, virtual, and mixed reality and how each application might be useful in libraries. It will also provide an overview of the concerns surrounding these different reality applications and describe how and where they are currently being used.

Virtual reality: A new track in psychological research.

Science.gov (United States)

de la Rosa, Stephan; Breidt, Martin

2018-05-10

One major challenge of social interaction research is to achieve high experimental control over social interactions to allow for rigorous scientific reasoning. Virtual reality (VR) promises this level of control. Pan and Hamilton guide us with a detailed review on existing and future possibilities and challenges of using VR for social interaction research. Here, we extend the discussion to methodological and practical implications when using VR. © 2018 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.

Manufacturing a Better Planet: Challenges Arising from the Gap between the Best Intentions and Social Realities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darrin Durant

2018-05-01

Full Text Available With rising concerns about the social and environmental impacts of industrial and manufacturing waste, scientists and engineers have sought solutions to the burdens of waste which do not simply involve burying, burning, dumping or diluting. Our purpose here is to sketch how social science perspectives can illuminate aspects of the waste problem which are not routinely grappled with within science and engineering perspectives. We argue that if one is concerned about the burdens of waste, it is crucial to understand the way political and cultural contexts shape what happens (or does not happen in regards to reuse. We sketch some of the challenges facing green manufacturing; challenges that hinge on the gap between the best laid plans and social realities. Rather than imply green manufacturing is simply a post hoc move to hide the excesses of industrial capitalism in the green cloth of sustainability, we hope our discussion can assist those who hope to use green manufacturing as a pre-emptive move to build sustainability into industrial capitalism. We suggest that a socio-political conception of technology can bring greater depth to understandings of the industrial, political and consumer environments into which green manufacturing researchers hope to insert their efforts.

Theory of Systems and Social-Political Realities of Modern Russia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V A Annikova

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The article examines the process of forming the theory of systems as a scientific paradigm of social-humanitarian cognition. Focusing their attention on the interpretations of the structural composition of a political system, the authors analyze the relations between the state and the citizens of modern Russia, the actually effective mechanisms of interaction between the authorities and public associations.

Embodied social interaction constitutes social cognition in pairs of humans: a minimalist virtual reality experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Froese, Tom; Iizuka, Hiroyuki; Ikegami, Takashi

2014-01-14

Scientists have traditionally limited the mechanisms of social cognition to one brain, but recent approaches claim that interaction also realizes cognitive work. Experiments under constrained virtual settings revealed that interaction dynamics implicitly guide social cognition. Here we show that embodied social interaction can be constitutive of agency detection and of experiencing another's presence. Pairs of participants moved their "avatars" along an invisible virtual line and could make haptic contact with three identical objects, two of which embodied the other's motions, but only one, the other's avatar, also embodied the other's contact sensor and thereby enabled responsive interaction. Co-regulated interactions were significantly correlated with identifications of the other's avatar and reports of the clearest awareness of the other's presence. These results challenge folk psychological notions about the boundaries of mind, but make sense from evolutionary and developmental perspectives: an extendible mind can offload cognitive work into its environment.

Virtual Reality

Science.gov (United States)

1993-04-01

until exhausted. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE All other editions are obsolete. UNCLASSIFIED " VIRTUAL REALITY JAMES F. DAILEY, LIEUTENANT COLONEL...US" This paper reviews the exciting field of virtual reality . The author describes the basic concepts of virtual reality and finds that its numerous...potential benefits to society could revolutionize everyday life. The various components that make up a virtual reality system are described in detail

Social Mechanisms in Elaborating Russian Educational Policy: Legal Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Gostev, Aleksandr N.; Turko, Tamara I.; Shchepanskiy, Sergey B.

2016-01-01

The article presents the results of legal monitoring and those of a sociological research on the efficiency of social mechanisms in Russian Federation education policy. The data obtained substantiates: the need for systematic improvement of Russian legislation in the education sector; revised notions and content of social mechanisms in Russian…

Producing Reality Stardom: Constructing, Programming, and Branding Celebrity on Reality Television

OpenAIRE

Giggey, Lindsay Nicole

2017-01-01

The popular preoccupation with celebrity in American culture in the past decade has been bolstered by a corresponding increase in the amount of reality programming across cable and broadcast networks that centers either on established celebrities or on celebrities in the making. This dissertation examines the questions: How is celebrity constructed, scheduled, and branded by networks, production companies, and individual participants, and how do the constructions and mechanisms of celebrity i...

Experimental variation of social stress in virtual reality - Feasibility and first results in patients with psychotic disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Hesse, Klaus; Schroeder, Philipp A; Scheeff, Jonathan; Klingberg, Stefan; Plewnia, Christian

2017-09-01

Social interaction might lead to increased stress levels in patients with psychotic disorders. Impaired social stress tolerance is critical for social functioning and closely linked with symptom relapse and hospitalization. We present an interactive office built-up in virtual reality (VR). Patients with psychotic disorders (PP, N = 26 including N = 5 dropouts) and matched healthy controls (HC, N = 20) were examined with a VR simulating an open-plan office. In a randomized, controlled cross-over design, participants were introduced to virtual co-workers (avatars) and requested to ask them for task assistance. Social feedback in each of the two sessions was either cooperative or rejective in randomized order. The office environment was tolerable for most PP and all HC, five PP and none of the HC dropped out for any reason. Drop-outs reported simulator sickness, influence on thoughts and symptom exacerbations. Statistical trends indicated heightened paranoid ideations for PP after social rejection. State measures of paranoid ideations showed high convergent validity with conventional measures of delusions. Of note, measures of presence were higher for PP than for HC. The exploratory design limits the robustness of the findings. Only statistical trends on paranoid ideation were found. The use of VR to assess the effects of social rejection is feasible and tolerable for most PP (87%). However, its implementation for PP is challenged by increased simulator sickness and an additional stress load for some patients. Further studies continuing on these first results that point towards an increased paranoid ideation evoked by negative social feedback and generally higher subjective presence are needed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of Society Conditions/Reality During Chinese Feudal Era in the Novel Liaozhai Zhiyi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen Chongjie

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Liaozhai Zhiyi is a compilation of short stories created by the Qing Dynasty novelist, Pu Songling. The main concept is not centered on regular ghost stories, but the author told a story on real life and the fantasy world by describing realities of society life in the feudal era. The author, through stories in Liaozhai Zhiyi, analyses social reality in their education, politics, love, economic and moral aspects. The author of Liaozhai Zhiyi uses of a lot of stories concerning fox spirits, ghosts, and other types of spirits in portraying his critics and anger towards incidents happening in feudal China. Analysis shows that Liaozhai Zhiyi broadly depicts social reality happening in feudal era in education, politics, love, economic and moral aspects. Liaozhai Zhiyi also criticizes the corrupt government official examination scheme, and the crime and decadence of the feudal government. In contrast, the stories also praised the freedom of young men and women seeking love in marriage, endorsing young men and women to reject arranged marriages, showing women in the economic independence and social advancement, and summed up the lessons of social life.

The mechanisms for social and environmentally responsible agricultural land use

OpenAIRE

Ye. Mishenin; I. Yarova

2015-01-01

This paper deals with arguments that the most effective mechanism for greening use of land resources is to increase the level of social and environmental responsibility. The mechanisms for social and environmentally responsible agricultural land use are formed.

Political realities and economic realities towards a Kyoto protocol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bourdaire, J.M.

1997-01-01

The current climate change commitments and the negotiating positions of Annex I countries were discussed. It was pointed out that the energy sector is not homogeneous and therefore, climate change should focus on the areas all over the world which are most sensitive to a carbon value. It was also noted that while the present time is ripe for action on climate change, actions should not take place at any cost. A scenario based on the three principal functions of energy, i.e. to supply mobility, electricity and heat was proposed. It was claimed that this proposal had the potential to bridge the gap between the political reality of Kyoto and the economic realities of the energy sector. The essence of the proposal centred around the concept of 'carbon value'. The effect of establishing carbon values for each of the different energy services worldwide, was discussed. Various mechanisms for establishing carbon values, such as emission trading, joint implementation with non-Annex I parties, penalties for non-compliance, mitigation efforts in least-cost options, were also reviewed

What is Social Constructionism?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tom Andrews

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Social Constructionism has been instrumental in remodeling grounded theory. In attempting to make sense of the social world, social constructionists view knowledge as constructed as opposed to created. This paper discusses how social constructionists construct knowledge and argues that social constructionism is concerned with the nature of knowledge and how it is created and as such, it is unconcerned with ontological issues. Society is viewed as existing both as a subjective and an objective reality. Meaning is shared, thereby constituting a taken-for-granted reality. Grounded theorists understand knowledge as beliefs in which people can have reasonable confidence; a common sense understanding and consensual notion as to what constitutes knowledge. If it is accepted that social constructionism is not based on a relativist perspective, then it is compatible with Grounded Theory methodology.

The Reality of Virtual Reality Product Development

Science.gov (United States)

Dever, Clark

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are emerging areas of research and product development in enterprise companies. This talk will discuss industry standard tools and current areas of application in the commercial market. Attendees will gain insights into how to research, design, and (most importantly) ship, world class products. The presentation will recount the lessons learned to date developing a Virtual Reality tool to solve physics problems resulting from trying to perform aircraft maintenance on ships at sea.

Visual Environment for Designing Interactive Learning Scenarios with Augmented Reality

Science.gov (United States)

Mota, José Miguel; Ruiz-Rube, Iván; Dodero, Juan Manuel; Figueiredo, Mauro

2016-01-01

Augmented Reality (AR) technology allows the inclusion of virtual elements on a vision of actual physical environment for the creation of a mixed reality in real time. This kind of technology can be used in educational settings. However, the current AR authoring tools present several drawbacks, such as, the lack of a mechanism for tracking the…

Governance Mechanisms for the Promotion of Social Capital for Knowledge Transfer in Multinational Corporations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gooderham, Paul; Minbaeva, Dana; Pedersen, Torben

2011-01-01

are combined with theory on the determinants of social capital. Three governance mechanisms are identified: market-based mechanisms, hierarchical mechanisms, and social mechanisms. The findings, based on data from two Danish MNCs, indicate that although the use of social governance mechanisms promotes positive......The aim of this paper is to extend social capital approaches to knowledge transfer by identifying governance mechanisms that managers can deploy to promote the development of social capital. In order to achieve this objective, insights from the micro-level, knowledge governance approach...... assessment of social capital, hierarchical governance mechanisms constrain its development. The application of market-based governance mechanisms has no significant effect. In addition, the findings provide evidence that social capital has a positive impact on knowledge transfer...

Development and verification of an alcohol craving-induction tool using virtual reality: craving characteristics in social pressure situation.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Sangwoo; Ku, Jeonghun; Park, Jinsick; Han, Kiwan; Lee, Hyeongrae; Choi, You Kyong; Jung, Young-Chul; Namkoong, Kee; Kim, Jae-Jin; Kim, In Young; Kim, Sun I; Shen, Dong Fan

2008-06-01

Alcoholism is a disease that affects parts of the brain that control emotion, decisions, and behavior. Therapy for people with alcoholism must address coping skills for facing high-risk situations. Therefore, it is important to develop tools to mimic such conditions. Cue exposure therapy (CET) provides high-risk situations during treatment, which raises the individual's ability to recognize that alcohol craving is being induced. Using CET, it is hard to simulate situations that induce alcohol craving. By contrast, virtual reality (VR) approaches can present realistic situations that cannot be experienced directly in CET. Therefore, we hypothesized that is possible to model social pressure situations using VR. We developed a VR system for inducing alcohol craving under social pressure situations and measured both the induced alcohol craving and head gaze of participants. A 2 x 2 experimental model (alcohol-related locality vs. social pressure) was designed. In situations without an avatar (no social pressure), more alcohol craving was induced if alcohol was present than if it was not. And more alcohol craving was induced in situations with an avatar (social pressure) than in situations without an avatar (no social pressure). The difference of angle between the direction of head gazing and the direction of alcohol or avatar was smaller in situations with an avatar alone (social pressure) than in situations with alcohol alone. In situations with both alcohol and an avatar, the angle between the direction of head gaze and the direction of the avatar was smaller than between the direction of head gaze and the direction of the alcohol. Considering the results, this VR system induces alcohol craving using an avatar that can express various social pressure situations.

Conceptual approaches to the formation the mechanism of enterprises social responsibility stimulation

OpenAIRE

Ohorodnikova, Natalia

2014-01-01

The article defines the economic content of the enterprise social responsibility incentive mechanism, the concept of its perfection. There are formulated the purpose and objectives of the proposed mechanisms, sounded principles of its formation. As tools of the enterprise social responsibility incentive mechanism, it is advised to use: methods of corporate social responsibility stimulating, a model of corporate strategy in the context of implementing the practice of social responsibility in t...

Skill learning and the evolution of social learning mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Post, Daniel J; Franz, Mathias; Laland, Kevin N

2016-08-24

Social learning is potentially advantageous, but evolutionary theory predicts that (i) its benefits may be self-limiting because social learning can lead to information parasitism, and (ii) these limitations can be mitigated via forms of selective copying. However, these findings arise from a functional approach in which learning mechanisms are not specified, and which assumes that social learning avoids the costs of asocial learning but does not produce information about the environment. Whether these findings generalize to all kinds of social learning remains to be established. Using a detailed multi-scale evolutionary model, we investigate the payoffs and information production processes of specific social learning mechanisms (including local enhancement, stimulus enhancement and observational learning) and their evolutionary consequences in the context of skill learning in foraging groups. We find that local enhancement does not benefit foraging success, but could evolve as a side-effect of grouping. In contrast, stimulus enhancement and observational learning can be beneficial across a wide range of environmental conditions because they generate opportunities for new learning outcomes. In contrast to much existing theory, we find that the functional outcomes of social learning are mechanism specific. Social learning nearly always produces information about the environment, and does not always avoid the costs of asocial learning or support information parasitism. Our study supports work emphasizing the value of incorporating mechanistic detail in functional analyses.

Neural Mechanisms of Encoding Social and Non-Social Context Information in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Greimel, Ellen; Nehrkorn, Barbara; Fink, Gereon R.; Kukolja, Juraj; Kohls, Gregor; Muller, Kristin; Piefke, Martina; Kamp-Becker, Inge; Remschmidt, Helmut; Herpertz-Dahlmann, Beate; Konrad, Kerstin; Schulte-Ruther, Martin

2012-01-01

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often fail to attach context to their memories and are specifically impaired in processing social aspects of contextual information. The aim of the present study was to investigate the modulatory influence of social vs. non-social context on neural mechanisms during encoding in ASD. Using…

A virtual reality application in role-plays of social skills training for schizophrenia: a randomized, controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Kyung-Min; Ku, Jeonghun; Choi, Soo-Hee; Jang, Hee-Jeong; Park, Ji-Yeon; Kim, Sun I; Kim, Jae-Jin

2011-09-30

Although social skills training (SST) is an effective approach for improving social skills for schizophrenia, the motivational deficit attenuates its efficacy. Virtual reality (VR) applications have allowed individuals with mental disabilities to enhance their motivation for rehabilitation. We compared SST using VR role-playing (SST-VR) to SST using traditional role-playing (SST-TR). This randomized, controlled trial included 91 inpatients with schizophrenia who were assigned to either SST-VR (n=46) or SST-TR (n=45). Both groups were administered over 10 semiweekly group sessions. An experienced, blinded rater assessed vocal, nonverbal and conversational skills. We also obtained data on motivation for SST and various social abilities. Throughout the 10 sessions, the SST-VR group (n=33) showed greater interest in SST and generalization of the skills than the SST-TR group (n=31). After SST, the SST-VR group improved more in conversational skills and assertiveness than the SST-TR group, but less in nonverbal skills. The VR application in role-plays of SST for schizophrenia may be particularly beneficial in terms of improving the conversational skills and assertiveness, possibly through its advantages in enhancing motivation for SST and generalization of the skills, and thus it may be a useful supplement to traditional SST. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Social thermoregulation as a potential mechanism linking sociality and fitness: Barbary macaques with more social partners form larger huddles.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Liz A D; Tkaczynski, Patrick J; Lehmann, Julia; Mouna, Mohamed; Majolo, Bonaventura

2018-04-17

Individuals with more or stronger social bonds experience enhanced survival and reproduction in various species, though the mechanisms mediating these effects are unclear. Social thermoregulation is a common behaviour across many species which reduces cold stress exposure, body heat loss, and homeostatic energy costs, allowing greater energetic investment in growth, reproduction, and survival, with larger aggregations providing greater benefits. If more social individuals form larger thermoregulation aggregations due to having more potential partners, this would provide a direct link between sociality and fitness. We conducted the first test of this hypothesis by studying social relationships and winter sleeping huddles in wild Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus), wherein individuals with more social partners experience greater probability of winter survival. Precipitation and low temperature increased huddle sizes, supporting previous research that huddle size influences thermoregulation and energetics. Huddling relationships were predicted by social (grooming) relationships. Individuals with more social partners therefore formed larger huddles, suggesting reduced energy expenditure and exposure to environmental stressors than less social individuals, potentially explaining how sociality affects survival in this population. This is the first evidence that social thermoregulation may be a direct proximate mechanism by which increased sociality enhances fitness, which may be widely applicable across taxa.

MODUS OF SOCIAL INTEGRITY: PRACTICE OF CONSTRUCTING PRODUCTIVE CO-BEING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. I. Brodetskaya

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose. Analysis is focused on the study of theoretical and methodological preconditions of social integrity phenomenon research. Trends in the conceptual base of modern social theory are focused on the research of social phenomenon, the study of the conditions and mechanisms for the development of sociality. This suggests the need to find new interpretive schemes. The methodology of political philosophy in the analysis of sociality was limited. This theory has brought the phenomenon of co-existence to the aspect of political discourse. In this regard, the reference to the existence of human co-beingness, mechanisms and modus of its formation is a necessary methodological step. It allows you to draw a parallel between the phenomenon of social integrity and totality. Existential installation integrity, unity of individual and social order is invested in the social context as a human desire to know the surrounding reality. Cognition is installation on the penetration deep into the object, understanding its nature. Cognition opens up the prospect of being a harmonious personality. Existential knowledge focuses on the identity of the co-existence and serves only the prospect of overcoming the limitations of the totality. The potential of this phenomenon allows penetration of rigid rational scheme of classical political methodology, introducing the community as a spiritual practice, the experience of communitas. Thus, as the research methodology used social integrity existential approach, which actualizes the potential of the spiritual foundations of co-existence. This methodological step allows disclosing sociality at a deep level of analysis as a spiritual practice to others, modus being-cognition of the human reality. Originality of this work is to extend the of heuristic possibilities of social theory in the analysis of the social problems aspect with the purpose construction of integrated research methodology problems. Conclusions. Thus, the

Social Darwinism: from reality to myth and from myth to reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Becquemont, Daniel

2011-03-01

Considering the variety of contradictory definitions which have been attributed to the term in the course of more than a century, one may be tempted to admit that 'Social Darwinism' can be reduced to a social myth. But it seems nevertheless necessary to answer the question: what has been called 'Social Darwinism' for more than one century and why was the expression used in a negative way to express contradictory opinions which sometimes have nothing to do with Darwin's theory. What we still call 'Social Darwinism' is the result of a misunderstanding: the theories expressed under that phrase have little to do with the Darwinian concepts of natural selection or descent with modification. They have their origin in a pre-darwinian conception of the struggle for existence, which Darwin used in a metaphorical sense. This confusion will then appear to refer clearly to the relationship we establish between biology and society, whether biological laws are directly prolonged in society, or more or less intermingle in a close network. The issue of the definition of Social Darwinism depends obviously on the possible answers to this question, and so does the issue of redefining Darwinism at large. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantum reality filters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gudder, Stan

2010-01-01

An anhomomorphic logic A* is the set of all possible realities for a quantum system. Our main goal is to find the 'actual reality' Φ a element of A* for the system. Reality filters are employed to eliminate unwanted potential realities until only φ a remains. In this paper, we consider three reality filters that are constructed by means of quantum integrals. A quantum measure μ can generate or actualize a Φ element of A* if μ(A) is a quantum integral with respect to φ for a density function f over events A. In this sense, μ is an 'average' of the truth values of φ with weights given by f. We mainly discuss relations between these filters and their existence and uniqueness properties. For example, we show that a quadratic reality generated by a quantum measure is unique. In this case we obtain the unique actual quadratic reality.

Peer pressure and incentive mechanisms in social networks

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Chuang; Ye, Chao; Wang, Lin; Rong, Zhihai; Wang, Xiaofan

2018-01-01

Cooperation can be viewed as a social norm that is expected in our society. In this work, a framework based on spatial public goods game theory is established to study how peer pressure and incentive mechanisms can influence the evolution of cooperation. A unified model with adjustable parameters is developed to represent the effects of pure Personal Mechanism, Personal Mechanism with peer pressure and Social Mechanism, which demonstrates that when the sum of rewards plus the peer pressure felt by defectors is larger than the effective cost of cooperation, cooperation can prevail. As the peer pressure is caused by other cooperators in a game, group size and network structure play an important role. In particular, larger group size and more heterogeneous structured population can make defectors feel more peer pressure, which will promote the evolution and sustainment of cooperation.

Behavioral effects of social challenges and genomic mechanisms of social priming: What's testosterone got to do with it?

Science.gov (United States)

Rosvall, Kimberly A; Peterson, Mark P

2014-12-01

Social challenges from rival conspecifics are common in the lives of animals, and changes in an animal's social environment can influence physiology and behavior in ways that appear to be adaptive in the face of continued social instability (i.e. social priming). Recently, it has become clear that testosterone, long thought to be the primary mediator of these effects, may not always change in response to social challenges, an observation that highlights gaps in our understanding of the proximate mechanisms by which animals respond to their social environment. Here, our goal is to address the degree to which testosterone mediates organismal responses to social cues. To this end, we review the behavioral and physiological consequences of social challenges, as well as their underlying hormonal and gene regulatory mechanisms. We also present a new case study from a wild songbird, the dark-eyed junco ( Junco hyemalis ), in which we find largely divergent genome-wide transcriptional changes induced by social challenges and testosterone, respectively, in muscle and liver tissue. Our review underscores the diversity of mechanisms that link the dynamic social environment with an organisms' genomic, hormonal, and behavioral state. This diversity among species, and even among tissues within an organism, reveals new insights into the pattern and process by which evolution may alter proximate mechanisms of social priming.

Neural mechanisms linking social status and inflammatory responses to social stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Muscatell, Keely A; Dedovic, Katarina; Slavich, George M; Jarcho, Michael R; Breen, Elizabeth C; Bower, Julienne E; Irwin, Michael R; Eisenberger, Naomi I

2016-06-01

Social stratification has important implications for health and well-being, with individuals lower in standing in a hierarchy experiencing worse outcomes than those higher up the social ladder. Separate lines of past research suggest that alterations in inflammatory processes and neural responses to threat may link lower social status with poorer outcomes. This study was designed to bridge these literatures to investigate the neurocognitive mechanisms linking subjective social status and inflammation. Thirty-one participants reported their subjective social status, and underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan while they were socially evaluated. Participants also provided blood samples before and after the stressor, which were analysed for changes in inflammation. Results showed that lower subjective social status was associated with greater increases in inflammation. Neuroimaging data revealed lower subjective social status was associated with greater neural activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) in response to negative feedback. Finally, results indicated that activation in the DMPFC in response to negative feedback mediated the relation between social status and increases in inflammatory activity. This study provides the first evidence of a neurocognitive pathway linking subjective social status and inflammation, thus furthering our understanding of how social hierarchies shape neural and physiological responses to social interactions. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The use of virtual reality in craving assessment and cue-exposure therapy in substance use disorders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antoine eHone-Blanchet

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Craving is recognized as an important diagnosis criterion for substance use disorders (SUDs and a predictive factor of relapse. Various methods to study craving exist, however, suppressing craving to successfully promote abstinence remains an unmet clinical need in SUDs. One reason is that social and environmental contexts recalling drug and alcohol consumption in the everyday life of patients suffering from SUDs often initiate craving and provoke relapse.Current behavioural therapies for SUDs use the cue-exposure approach to suppress salience of social and environmental contexts that may induce craving. They facilitate learning and cognitive reinforcement of new behavior and entrain craving suppression in the presence of cues related to drug and alcohol consumption. Unfortunately, craving often overweighs behavioural training especially in real social and environmental contexts with peer-pressure encouraging the use of substance, such as parties and bars. In this perspective, virtual reality is gaining interest in the development of cue-reactivity paradigms and practice new skills in treatment. Virtual reality enhances ecological validity of traditional craving induction measurement. In this review, we discuss results from 1 studies using virtual reality and alternative virtual agents in the induction of craving and 2 studies combining cue-exposure therapy with virtual reality in the promotion of abstinence from drugs and alcohol use. They used virtual environments, displaying alcohol and drugs to SUD patients. Moreover, some environments included avatars. Hence, some studies have focused on the social interactions that are associated with drug seeking behaviours and peer pressure.Findings indicate that virtual reality can successfully increase craving. Studies combining cue exposure-therapy with virtual environment however reported mitigated success so far.

Mechanism Design for Incentivizing Social Media Contributions

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Vivek K.; Jain, Ramesh; Kankanhalli, Mohan

Despite recent advancements in user-driven social media platforms, tools for studying user behavior patterns and motivations remain primitive. We highlight the voluntary nature of user contributions and that users can choose when (and when not) to contribute to the common media pool. A Game theoretic framework is proposed to study the dynamics of social media networks where contribution costs are individual but gains are common. We model users as rational selfish agents, and consider domain attributes like voluntary participation, virtual reward structure, network effect, and public-sharing to model the dynamics of this interaction. The created model describes the most appropriate contribution strategy from each user's perspective and also highlights issues like 'free-rider' problem and individual rationality leading to irrational (i.e. sub-optimal) group behavior. We also consider the perspective of the system designer who is interested in finding the best incentive mechanisms to influence the selfish end-users so that the overall system utility is maximized. We propose and compare multiple mechanisms (based on optimal bonus payment, social incentive leveraging, and second price auction) to study how a system designer can exploit the selfishness of its users, to design incentive mechanisms which improve the overall task-completion probability and system performance, while possibly still benefiting the individual users.

Dissecting the mechanisms of squirrel monkey (Saimiri boliviensis) social learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Hopper, Lm; Holmes, An; Williams, LE; Brosnan, Sf

2013-01-01

Although the social learning abilities of monkeys have been well documented, this research has only focused on a few species. Furthermore, of those that also incorporated dissections of social learning mechanisms, the majority studied either capuchins (Cebus apella) or marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). To gain a broader understanding of how monkeys gain new skills, we tested squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis) which have never been studied in tests of social learning mechanisms. To determine whether S. boliviensis can socially learn, we ran "open diffusion" tests with monkeys housed in two social groups (N = 23). Over the course of 10 20-min sessions, the monkeys in each group observed a trained group member retrieving a mealworm from a bidirectional task (the "Slide-box"). Two thirds (67%) of these monkeys both learned how to operate the Slide-box and they also moved the door significantly more times in the direction modeled by the trained demonstrator than the alternative direction. To tease apart the underlying social learning mechanisms we ran a series of three control conditions with 35 squirrel monkeys that had no previous experience with the Slide-box. The first replicated the experimental open diffusion sessions but without the inclusion of a trained model, the second was a no-information control with dyads of monkeys, and the third was a 'ghost' display shown to individual monkeys. The first two controls tested for the importance of social support (mere presence effect) and the ghost display showed the affordances of the task to the monkeys. The monkeys showed a certain level of success in the group control (54% of subjects solved the task on one or more occasions) and paired controls (28% were successful) but none were successful in the ghost control. We propose that the squirrel monkeys' learning, observed in the experimental open diffusion tests, can be best described by a combination of social learning mechanisms in concert; in this case, those

When an outsider becomes an insider: A social-scientific and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2015-05-06

May 6, 2015 ... cultural scripts that were part of the social world of its first hearers; a negative perception of ... It is argued that, when read against the social ..... normalizing patterns' on reality (Breech 1983:75). Versed differently, the parable depicts the kingdom as a new and different reality. A social-scientific and realistic.

How brain and neuronal networks explain human reality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javier Monserrat

2017-02-01

Full Text Available How is human reality presented to us in phenomenological experience? It is the one we see daily in our personal and social life. We are made of matter, we are part of the evolutionary universe. In addition, a psychic life is formed in us: sensation, a system of perceptions, an integrated consciousness, a condition of psychological subject; We produce knowledge, emotions, motivations; But, above all, we have a mind that rationally moves and installs us into a world of human emotions; This emotional reason lies at the base of the search for the truth of the universe, the meaning of life and the moral responsibility, in personal and social life. Our human reality is, therefore, a personal reality. We are persons. Now, how does science, neurology, explain today the fact that our human reality possesses these properties that give us the personal condition? This should be able to be explained (this is the initial assumption from the physical-biological world. Now, in particular, how does science make it possible to explain that evolution has produced us in our condition of ratio-emotional persons? That is, what is the physical support that makes intelligible the psycho-bio-physical ontology that evolutionarily produces our personal phenomenological experience? This is, ultimately, still the fundamental question of human sciences. What science, namely neurology, must explain (that is, know the causes that have produced it is obvious: the fact of our sensibility-consciousness, our condition of psychic subjects, knowledge and emotional reason that have emerged in the universe; In such a way that, once the emotional reason emerges, it leads by itself to constitute the rational activity and the emotions of the human person aimed at building the meaning of his life. These are the issues we address in this article.

Mechanism of Action for Obtaining Job Offers With Virtual Reality Job Interview Training.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Matthew J; Smith, Justin D; Fleming, Michael F; Jordan, Neil; Brown, C Hendricks; Humm, Laura; Olsen, Dale; Bell, Morris D

2017-07-01

Four randomized controlled trials revealed that virtual-reality job interview training (VR-JIT) improved interviewing skills and the odds of obtaining a job offer among trainees with severe mental illness or autism spectrum disorder. This study assessed whether postintervention interviewing skills mediated the relationship between completion of virtual interviews and receiving job offers by six-month follow-up. VR-JIT trainees (N=79) completed pre- and posttest mock interviews and a brief survey approximately six months later to assess whether they received a job offer. As hypothesized, analyses indicated that the number of completed virtual interviews predicted greater posttest interviewing skills (β=.20, 95% posterior credible interval [PCI]=.08-.33), which in turn predicted trainees' obtaining a job offer (β=.28, 95% PCI=.01-.53). VR-JIT may provide a mechanism of action that helps trainees with various psychiatric diagnoses obtain job offers in the community. Future research can evaluate the community-based effectiveness of this novel intervention.

Does engagement with exposure yield better outcomes? Components of presence as a predictor of treatment response for virtual reality exposure therapy for social phobia.

Science.gov (United States)

Price, Matthew; Mehta, Natasha; Tone, Erin B; Anderson, Page L

2011-08-01

Virtual reality exposure (VRE) has been shown to be effective for treating a variety of anxiety disorders, including social phobia. Presence, or the level of connection an individual feels with the virtual environment, is widely discussed as a critical construct both for the experience of anxiety within a virtual environment and for a successful response to VRE. Two published studies show that whereas generalized presence relates to fear ratings during VRE, it does not relate to treatment response. However, presence has been conceptualized as multidimensional, with three primary factors (spatial presence, involvement, and realness). These factors can be linked to other research on the facilitation of fear during exposure, inhibitors of treatment response (e.g., distraction), and more recent theoretical discussions of the mechanisms of exposure therapy, such as Bouton's description of expectancy violation. As such, one or more of these components of presence may be more strongly associated with the experience of fear during VRE and treatment response than the overarching construct. The current study (N=41) evaluated relations between three theorized components of presence, fear ratings during VRE, and treatment response for VRE for social phobia. Results suggest that total presence and realness subscale scores were related to in-session peak fear ratings. However, only scores on the involvement subscale significantly predicted treatment response. Implications of these findings are discussed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DJINNI: A Novel Technology Supported Exposure Therapy Paradigm for SAD Combining Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Ben-Moussa, Maher; Rubo, Marius; Debracque, Coralie; Lange, Wolf-Gero

2017-01-01

The present paper explores the benefits and the capabilities of various emerging state-of-the-art interactive 3D and Internet of Things technologies and investigates how these technologies can be exploited to develop a more effective technology supported exposure therapy solution for social anxiety disorder. "DJINNI" is a conceptual design of an in vivo augmented reality (AR) exposure therapy mobile support system that exploits several capturing technologies and integrates the patient's state and situation by vision-based, audio-based, and physiology-based analysis as well as by indoor/outdoor localization techniques. DJINNI also comprises an innovative virtual reality exposure therapy system that is adaptive and customizable to the demands of the in vivo experience and therapeutic progress. DJINNI follows a gamification approach where rewards and achievements are utilized to motivate the patient to progress in her/his treatment. The current paper reviews the state of the art of technologies needed for such a solution and recommends how these technologies could be integrated in the development of an individually tailored and yet feasible and effective AR/virtual reality-based exposure therapy. Finally, the paper outlines how DJINNI could be part of classical cognitive behavioral treatment and how to validate such a setup.

DJINNI: A Novel Technology Supported Exposure Therapy Paradigm for SAD Combining Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

Science.gov (United States)

Ben-Moussa, Maher; Rubo, Marius; Debracque, Coralie; Lange, Wolf-Gero

2017-01-01

The present paper explores the benefits and the capabilities of various emerging state-of-the-art interactive 3D and Internet of Things technologies and investigates how these technologies can be exploited to develop a more effective technology supported exposure therapy solution for social anxiety disorder. “DJINNI” is a conceptual design of an in vivo augmented reality (AR) exposure therapy mobile support system that exploits several capturing technologies and integrates the patient’s state and situation by vision-based, audio-based, and physiology-based analysis as well as by indoor/outdoor localization techniques. DJINNI also comprises an innovative virtual reality exposure therapy system that is adaptive and customizable to the demands of the in vivo experience and therapeutic progress. DJINNI follows a gamification approach where rewards and achievements are utilized to motivate the patient to progress in her/his treatment. The current paper reviews the state of the art of technologies needed for such a solution and recommends how these technologies could be integrated in the development of an individually tailored and yet feasible and effective AR/virtual reality-based exposure therapy. Finally, the paper outlines how DJINNI could be part of classical cognitive behavioral treatment and how to validate such a setup. PMID:28503155

DJINNI: A Novel Technology Supported Exposure Therapy Paradigm for SAD Combining Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maher Ben-Moussa

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The present paper explores the benefits and the capabilities of various emerging state-of-the-art interactive 3D and Internet of Things technologies and investigates how these technologies can be exploited to develop a more effective technology supported exposure therapy solution for social anxiety disorder. “DJINNI” is a conceptual design of an in vivo augmented reality (AR exposure therapy mobile support system that exploits several capturing technologies and integrates the patient’s state and situation by vision-based, audio-based, and physiology-based analysis as well as by indoor/outdoor localization techniques. DJINNI also comprises an innovative virtual reality exposure therapy system that is adaptive and customizable to the demands of the in vivo experience and therapeutic progress. DJINNI follows a gamification approach where rewards and achievements are utilized to motivate the patient to progress in her/his treatment. The current paper reviews the state of the art of technologies needed for such a solution and recommends how these technologies could be integrated in the development of an individually tailored and yet feasible and effective AR/virtual reality-based exposure therapy. Finally, the paper outlines how DJINNI could be part of classical cognitive behavioral treatment and how to validate such a setup.

Youths navigating social networks and social support systems in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Youth-headed households in Rwanda live in a context of chronic crisis, where poverty, disease and uncertainty are not exceptional but characterise people's daily lived reality. Struggling under the pressures of economic deprivation, social isolation, abuse and exploitation, these youths experience social suffering and feel ...

Moving from Virtual Reality Exposure-Based Therapy (VRET to Augmented Reality Exposure-Based Therapy (ARET: A review.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oliver eBaus

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews the move from virtual reality exposure-based therapy (VRET to augmented reality exposure-based therapy (ARET. Unlike virtual reality (VR, which entails a complete virtual environment (VE, augmented reality (AR limits itself to producing certain virtual elements to then merge them into the view of the physical world. Although the general public may only have become aware of AR in the last few years, AR type applications have been around since beginning of the 20th century. Since, then, technological developments have enabled an ever increasing level of seamless integration of virtual and physical elements into one view. Like VR, AR allows the exposure to stimuli which, due to various reasons, may not be suitable for real-life scenarios. As such, AR has proven itself to be a medium through which individuals suffering from specific phobia can be exposed safely to the object(s of their fear, without the costs associated with programming complete virtual environments. Thus, ARET can offer an efficacious alternative to some less advantageous exposure-based therapies. Above and beyond presenting what has been accomplished in ARET, this paper also raises some ARET related issues, and proposes potential avenues to be followed. These include the definition of an AR related term, the type of measures to be used to qualify the user’s experience in an augmented reality environment (ARE, the development of alternative geospatial referencing systems, as well as the potential use of ARET to treat social phobia. Overall, it may be said that the use of ARET, although promising, is still in its infancy but that, given a continued cooperation between clinical and technical teams, ARET has the potential of going well beyond the treatment of small animal phobia.

[What do virtual reality tools bring to child and adolescent psychiatry?

Science.gov (United States)

Bioulac, S; de Sevin, E; Sagaspe, P; Claret, A; Philip, P; Micoulaud-Franchi, J A; Bouvard, M P

2018-06-01

Virtual reality is a relatively new technology that enables individuals to immerse themselves in a virtual world. It offers several advantages including a more realistic, lifelike environment that may allow subjects to "forget" they are being assessed, allow a better participation and an increased generalization of learning. Moreover, the virtual reality system can provide multimodal stimuli, such as visual and auditory stimuli, and can also be used to evaluate the patient's multimodal integration and to aid rehabilitation of cognitive abilities. The use of virtual reality to treat various psychiatric disorders in adults (phobic anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, addictions…) and its efficacy is supported by numerous studies. Similar research for children and adolescents is lagging behind. This may be particularly beneficial to children who often show great interest and considerable success on computer, console or videogame tasks. This article will expose the main studies that have used virtual reality with children and adolescents suffering from psychiatric disorders. The use of virtual reality to treat anxiety disorders in adults is gaining popularity and its efficacy is supported by various studies. Most of the studies attest to the significant efficacy of the virtual reality exposure therapy (or in virtuo exposure). In children, studies have covered arachnophobia social anxiety and school refusal phobia. Despite the limited number of studies, results are very encouraging for treatment in anxiety disorders. Several studies have reported the clinical use of virtual reality technology for children and adolescents with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). Extensive research has proven the efficiency of technologies as support tools for therapy. Researches are found to be focused on communication and on learning and social imitation skills. Virtual reality is also well accepted by subjects with ASD. The virtual environment offers

A telescope with augmented reality functions

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Qichao; Cheng, Dewen; Wang, Qiwei; Wang, Yongtian

2016-10-01

This study introduces a telescope with virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) functions. In this telescope, information on the micro-display screen is integrated to the reticule of telescope through a beam splitter and is then received by the observer. The design and analysis of telescope optical system with AR and VR ability is accomplished and the opto-mechanical structure is designed. Finally, a proof-of-concept prototype is fabricated and demonstrated. The telescope has an exit pupil diameter of 6 mm at an eye relief of 19 mm, 6° field of view, 5 to 8 times visual magnification , and a 30° field of view of the virtual image.

Double-sided auction mechanism design in electricity based on maximizing social welfare

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zou Xiaoyan

2009-01-01

An efficient electricity double-sided auction mechanism should control market power and enhance the social welfare of the electricity market. Based on this goal, the paper designs a new double-sided auction mechanism. In the new mechanism, the social welfare contribution of each participant plays a pivotal role, because this contribution is the critical factor in market clearing, payment settling, and transaction matching rules. In particular, each winner of the auction can gain transfer payments according to his contribution to social welfare in the electricity market, and this gives the mechanism the ability to control the market power of some participants. At the same time, this mechanism ensures that the market organizer balances his budget. We then conduct a theoretical and empirical analysis based on the Spanish electricity market. Both of the results show that compared to the uniform-pricing mechanism, the new mechanism can reduce market power of participants and enhance the social welfare of the electricity market.

Social Welfare in One-Sided Matching Mechanisms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christodoulou, George; Filos-Ratsikas, Aris; Frederiksen, Søren Kristoffer Stiil

2016-01-01

We study the Price of Anarchy of mechanisms for the fundamental problem of social welfare maximization in one-sided matching settings, when agents have general cardinal preferences over a finite set of items. We consider both the complete and incomplete information settings and show that the two...... most well-studied mechanisms in literature, Probabilistic Serial and Random Priority have a Price of Anarchy of $O(\\sqrt{n})$. We complement our results with a lower bound of $\\Omega(\\sqrt{n})$ on the Price of Anarchy of \\emph{all} mechanisms. As a result, we conclude that these mechanisms are optimal....

Mechanisms of Social Consolidation in the Network Society

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Lidia A. Bobova

2014-01-01

Full Text Available During the last five years the world has seen the emergence of mass global and regional social movements outside of institutional structures representing open systems with a spontaneous nature. These social movements do not have any tangible hierarchy and leaders; information within the movement activity is spread virally and mainly using new electronic communication tools - namely, mass self-communication constituting spaces of communication autonomy beyond the control of governments. A feature of the new type of social movements is their emergence in virtual space. Such mass movements manifest intensified consolidation processes in the modern society - due to fundamentally new factors. New practical mechanisms of consolidation amid an increase in the proportion of young people in countries are directly linked with technological developments that influenced in essence communication and changes in the established modern informational society. Virtual mass self-communication becomes the main practical mechanism for social consolidation in the modern informational society. The consolidation process intensifies due to government legitimacy crisis and loss of public trust in government and indicates an emergence of a new form of a civil society.

Social Construction of National Reality: Chinese Consciousness versus Hong Kong Consciousness

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Fu-Lai Tony Yu

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The struggle to break away from the parent state and claim for independence often results in political unrest, terrorist activities and even ethnic cleansing. In East Asia, the hostilities between people from Hong Kong and mainland China also intensify rapidly in recent years. The late 2000s and early 2010s witness a surge in anti-Mainlander sentiment in Hong Kong and a call for self-determination, resulting in a series of political upheavals. In literatures, irredentist and secessionist advocators generally defend themselves in terms of common blood, race and culture. None of them regards the issue from human agency theory. This paper has two objectives. Firstly, based largely on the works of Max Weber, W.I. Thomas, Alfred Schutz and Peter Berger, this paper constructs a theoretical framework, namely, the social construction of national reality, which allows us to explain the origin of national identity and the reason for people to call for autonomy or secession. It will argue that collective consciousness originates from everyday life experience taken for granted during socialization. Individuals make sense of the external world. Experiences taken for granted become the actor’s stock of knowledge. A common scheme of knowledge shared by the community serves to differentiate in-group (nationals and out-group (foreigners. Collective consciousness thus defines national identity and hence a nation. Unless people (both in-group and out-group interact with and learn from each other, different stocks of knowledge taken for granted will create conflict. This theory is applied to explain growing Sinophobia in Hong Kong. The confrontation between traditional Chinese consciousness and emerging Hong Kong consciousness undermines the peaceful coexistence among Hongkongers and Mainlanders, unless both parties redefine their stock of knowledge via dynamic learning. The paper concludes that in order to reduce the conflicts in the regions, understanding the

Provocative Containment and the Drift of Social-Scientific Realism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lezaun, Javier; Muniesa, Fabian; Vikkelsø, Signe

2013-01-01

The post-World War II period gave rise to a large number of social-scientific techniques for investigating and intervening in social reality. A particular group of these, exemplified here by the experiments of Moreno, Lewin, Bion, Milgram and Zimbardo, worked by establishing suggestive micro......-realities in which participants were exposed to, or experimented with, selected ‘social problems’. We investigate the nature of these techniques – being simultaneously highly artificial and disturbingly realistic – and propose the notion of ‘provocative containment’ to understand their operation and effects. We...... point to five ingredients of their characteristic mode of operation – expressionism, incitement, trauma, distillation and technology – and argue that they do not serve to represent a simplified version of social reality, but rather to ‘realize’ particular forms of social life intrinsic to the medium...

Social Welfare in Algorithmic Mechanism Design Without Money

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Filos-Ratsikas, Aris

Social choice theory is concerned with collective decision making under different, possibly contrasting opinions and has been part of the core of society since ancient times. The goal is to implement some socially desired objective while at the same time accounting for the fact that people will act...... strategically, in order to manipulate the outcomes in their favor. In this thesis, we consider the well-known objective of social welfare, i.e. the sum of individual utilities as the social objective and following the agenda of algorithmic mechanism design, we study how well our objectives can be approximated...

Redelijke sociale verhoudingen, redelijk sociaal gedrag

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Prof. Dr. J.P. van Ewijk

2003-01-01

Debates about social theory and social policy are highly fragmented and unclear in subject and direction. A recognised paradigm is failing. Maybe we have to accept that social reality is not to reconstruct in social theory. But we certainly need social theorists and social theories to support

Environmental sociology as the broadest framework for a research of the globalizing social reality

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Pušić Ljubinko

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The all-encompassing processes of globalization have contributed in a large measure to the confusion within scholarly attempts to decode its comprehensiveness, its causes, and its scope. The premise of this article is that the environment is a relevant sociological concept and a tool for the most complex and the most complete understanding of the impact that global processes have on social reality. We can also see that environmental sociology, as a distinct and very young - though well established - sub-discipline of sociology is a very suitable epistemological framework for testing the elements of globalization. This article considers the relationship between environmental sociology and the five common foundational sub-processes that define globalization and sustainable development. Those sub-processes are defined as political, economic, ecological, technological, and cultural. Furthermore, this article articulates the basis of the quest for the lowest common denominator within both theoretical and practical aspects of these sub-processes. In that sense, the question of the plausibility of the idea of sustainable development - as the intersection of the aforementioned sub-processes - is addressed.

Education as a Social Control Mechanism.

Science.gov (United States)

Bacchus, M. K.

1979-01-01

With the abolition of slavery, most West Indian planters dramatically changed their attitudes toward education for Blacks, suddenly favoring it. This paper examines reasons behind the attitudinal changes, the planters' perceptions on the role of education for Blacks, and the use of education as a mechanism for social control. (DS)

Substitutional Reality System: A Novel Experimental Platform for Experiencing Alternative Reality

OpenAIRE

Suzuki, Keisuke; Wakisaka, Sohei; Fujii, Naotaka

2012-01-01

We have developed a novel experimental platform, referred to as a substitutional reality (SR) system, for studying the conviction of the perception of live reality and related metacognitive functions. The SR system was designed to manipulate people's reality by allowing them to experience live scenes (in which they were physically present) and recorded scenes (which were recorded and edited in advance) in an alternating manner without noticing a reality gap. All of the naïve participants (n =...

Virtual reality compared with in vivo exposure in the treatment of social anxiety disorder: a three-arm randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Bouchard, Stéphane; Dumoulin, Stéphanie; Robillard, Geneviève; Guitard, Tanya; Klinger, Évelyne; Forget, Hélène; Loranger, Claudie; Roucaut, François Xavier

2017-04-01

Background People with social anxiety disorder (SAD) fear social interactions and may be reluctant to seek treatments involving exposure to social situations. Social exposure conducted in virtual reality (VR), embedded in individual cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), could be an answer. Aims To show that conducting VR exposure in CBT for SAD is effective and is more practical for therapists than conducting exposure in vivo Method Participants were randomly assigned to either VR exposure ( n = 17), in vivo exposure ( n = 22) or waiting list ( n = 20). Participants in the active arms received individual CBT for 14 weekly sessions and outcome was assessed with questionnaires and a behaviour avoidance test. (Trial registration number ISRCTN99747069) Results Improvements were found on the primary (Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale) and all five secondary outcome measures in both CBT groups compared with the waiting list. Conducting exposure in VR was more effective at post-treatment than in vivo on the primary outcome measure and on one secondary measure. Improvements were maintained at the 6-month follow-up. VR was significantly more practical for therapists than in vivo exposure. Conclusions Using VR can be advantageous over standard CBT as a potential solution for treatment avoidance and as an efficient, cost-effective and practical medium of exposure. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017.

Literature as a Reflection on Socio-political Realities: An Examination of Three Nigerian Writers

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Sikiru Adeyemi Ogundokun

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Considering the degree of resemblance between literature and human societies, one is convinced that literature is not just a social construct which is rooted in mere ideas, imaginations or imaginary situations. Instead, it is a social institution; a form of tradition, which has existed for a long time and is accepted as a vital component of a given society to perform certain functions. In this paper, we see literature as a social reality, which presents the state of things as they are, rather than as they are imagined to be. In the selected literary works for this study, the three writers expose and condemn the harsh and hostile social and political realities which confront the African society at different periods of its evolution. Premised on sociological approach to literary criticism, this paper justifies that literature can be employed in working out national reconstruction being a tool that can make people co-operate with one another through information sharing and dissemination.

Instrument Motion Metrics for Laparoscopic Skills Assessment in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Fransson, Boel A; Chen, Chi-Ya; Noyes, Julie A; Ragle, Claude A

2016-11-01

To determine the construct and concurrent validity of instrument motion metrics for laparoscopic skills assessment in virtual reality and augmented reality simulators. Evaluation study. Veterinarian students (novice, n = 14) and veterinarians (experienced, n = 11) with no or variable laparoscopic experience. Participants' minimally invasive surgery (MIS) experience was determined by hospital records of MIS procedures performed in the Teaching Hospital. Basic laparoscopic skills were assessed by 5 tasks using a physical box trainer. Each participant completed 2 tasks for assessments in each type of simulator (virtual reality: bowel handling and cutting; augmented reality: object positioning and a pericardial window model). Motion metrics such as instrument path length, angle or drift, and economy of motion of each simulator were recorded. None of the motion metrics in a virtual reality simulator showed correlation with experience, or to the basic laparoscopic skills score. All metrics in augmented reality were significantly correlated with experience (time, instrument path, and economy of movement), except for the hand dominance metric. The basic laparoscopic skills score was correlated to all performance metrics in augmented reality. The augmented reality motion metrics differed between American College of Veterinary Surgeons diplomates and residents, whereas basic laparoscopic skills score and virtual reality metrics did not. Our results provide construct validity and concurrent validity for motion analysis metrics for an augmented reality system, whereas a virtual reality system was validated only for the time score. © Copyright 2016 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Mixed Reality Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dieter Müller

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Currently one of the most challenging aspects of human computer interaction design is the integration of physical and digital worlds in a single environment. This fusion involves the development of "Mixed Reality Systems”, including various technologies from the domains of augmented and virtual reality. In this paper I will present related concepts and discuss lessons learned from our own research and prototype development. Our recent work involves the use of mixed reality (as opposed to ‘pure’ virtual reality techniques to support seamless collaborative work between remote and hands-on laboratories.

Augmented reality (AR and virtual reality (VR applied in dentistry

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Ta-Ko Huang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The OSCE is a reliable evaluation method to estimate the preclinical examination of dental students. The most ideal assessment for OSCE is used the augmented reality simulator to evaluate. This literature review investigated a recently developed in virtual reality (VR and augmented reality (AR starting of the dental history to the progress of the dental skill. As result of the lacking of technology, it needs to depend on other device increasing the success rate and decreasing the risk of the surgery. The development of tracking unit changed the surgical and educational way. Clinical surgery is based on mature education. VR and AR simultaneously affected the skill of the training lesson and navigation system. Widely, the VR and AR not only applied in the dental training lesson and surgery, but also improved all field in our life. Keywords: OSCE, Dental simulator, Augmented reality, Virtual reality, Dentistry

Problematisation reconfiguration contexts of social control in the cultural landscape of today

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O. I. Zubarieva

2016-08-01

First, social control is considered outside of the connotation with the processes of socialization, since the latter loses its significance as a mechanism of reproduction of an actor’s social norms, values, behavior patterns, roles, attitudes, customs, cultural tradition, collective assumptions and beliefs, and the like. «Norm» as reference marker conceptualization of social control in classical sociology in the context of contemporary sociological theorizing do not appear, because the situation of postmodernism blurs the binary contradiction of the norm-pathology. However, social control as a sociological object of reflection in the context of the relevant cultural code finds theoretical understanding through the prism of analysis of the characteristics of the visual turning, virtual reality, chaos, consumption and other markers of the postmodern society.

Attitude change: persuasion and social influence.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, W

2000-01-01

This chapter reviews empirical and theoretical developments in research on social influence and message-based persuasion. The review emphasizes research published during the period from 1996-1998. Across these literatures, three central motives have been identified that generate attitude change and resistance. These involve concerns with the self, with others and the rewards/punishments they can provide, and with a valid understanding of reality. The motives have implications for information processing and for attitude change in public and private contexts. Motives in persuasion also have been investigated in research on attitude functions and cognitive dissonance theory. In addition, the chapter reviews the relatively unique aspects of each literature: In persuasion, it considers the cognitive and affective mechanisms underlying attitude change, especially dual-mode processing models, recipients' affective reactions, and biased processing. In social influence, the chapter considers how attitudes are embedded in social relations, including social identity theory and majority/minority group influence.

Business as a component mechanism of social protection of population

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Tsintsadze Asie

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The social protection of population is a main direction of activities of any government. In modern period social protection of population is proceeding with the help of social policy. Mainly social policy implementation is done by the government. Currently in Georgia the main mechanism for social protection is social insurance, which is carried out by the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs. In Georgia social subsidy agency is responsible for the health insurance and medical programs. Under condition of marketing economy the limitation of interference of government in economy decreased means of social protection. In the modern conditions social protection mechanism should be developed jointly by the government and private sector measures. It becomes necessary to increase the role of business in the social protection of population, which with the difference of charity requests more social responsibility. The most important goal of any government is the effective employment of its population. The research objective is to explore the role of business in the social protection; to set the problems and find the concrete proposals for solving these problems. It is clear that operation of social policy measures can be entirely imposed on the business. As well as the business can ensure effective functioning of the employment level and thus contribute to the development of their own businesses as well as the social policy of government. This paper formulates proposals is direction of the interaction of business and government, their activities for effective social protection of population.

Katalog Penjualan Rumah Berbasis Android Menggunakan Teknologi Augmented Reality dan Virtual Reality

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Alders Paliling

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Penerapan teknologi augmented reality kian diminati oleh pihak produsen untuk memasarkan produk  yang dihasilkan. Teknologi augmented reality mampu meproyeksikan objek dua dimensi ataupun tiga dimensi kedalam lingkungan nyata. Teknologi virtual reality mampu membawa pengguna masuk kedalam lingkungan virtual sehingga pengguna merasa berada dalam lingkungan virtual. Penelitian ini menggunakan teknologi augmented reality yang mampu memproyeksikan objek tiga dimensi rumah sehingga katalog menjadi lebih nyata,  dan teknologi virtual reality yang membuat pengguna berinteraksi langsung dengan objek tiga dimensi rumah dan merasa berada di dalam rumah. Aplikasi yang dibangun memanfaatkan sensor accelerometer yang tertanam dalam perangkat mobile android yang memungkinkan pengguna melihat seisi ruangan dengan memiringkan perangkat mobile android kekiri dan kekanan. Jumlah kamera virtual yang digunakan berjumlah lima yang diletakkan di ruang tamu, ruang keluarga, ruang kamar utama, ruang kamar anak, dan ruang dapur. Aplikasi ini berjalan pada platform android dan menggunakan personal komputer sebagai server yang menyimpan data informasi rumah. Dengan adanya aplikasi ini pengguna dapat merasakan suasana berbeda dalam melihat sebuah katalog. . Kata kunci—Augmentd Reality, Virtual Reality, Katalog, Android

Music and social bonding: "self-other" merging and neurohormonal mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Tarr, Bronwyn; Launay, Jacques; Dunbar, Robin I M

2014-01-01

It has been suggested that a key function of music during its development and spread amongst human populations was its capacity to create and strengthen social bonds amongst interacting group members. However, the mechanisms by which this occurs have not been fully discussed. In this paper we review evidence supporting two thus far independently investigated mechanisms for this social bonding effect: self-other merging as a consequence of inter-personal synchrony, and the release of endorphins during exertive rhythmic activities including musical interaction. In general, self-other merging has been experimentally investigated using dyads, which provide limited insight into large-scale musical activities. Given that music can provide an external rhythmic framework that facilitates synchrony, explanations of social bonding during group musical activities should include reference to endorphins, which are released during synchronized exertive movements. Endorphins (and the endogenous opioid system (EOS) in general) are involved in social bonding across primate species, and are associated with a number of human social behaviors (e.g., laughter, synchronized sports), as well as musical activities (e.g., singing and dancing). Furthermore, passively listening to music engages the EOS, so here we suggest that both self-other merging and the EOS are important in the social bonding effects of music. In order to investigate possible interactions between these two mechanisms, future experiments should recreate ecologically valid examples of musical activities.

E-virtual reality exposure therapy in acrophobia: A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Levy, Fanny; Leboucher, Pierre; Rautureau, Gilles; Jouvent, Roland

2016-06-01

Virtual reality therapy is already used for anxiety disorders as an alternative to in vivo and in imagino exposure. To our knowledge, however, no one has yet proposed using remote virtual reality (e-virtual reality). The aim of the present study was to assess e-virtual reality in an acrophobic population. Six individuals with acrophobia each underwent six sessions (two sessions per week) of virtual reality exposure therapy. The first three were remote sessions, while the last three were traditional sessions in the physical presence of the therapist. Anxiety (STAI form Y-A, visual analog scale, heart rate), presence, technical difficulties and therapeutic alliance (Working Alliance Inventory) were measured. In order to control the conditions in which these measures were made, all the sessions were conducted in hospital. None of the participants dropped out. The remote sessions were well accepted. None of the participants verbalized reluctance. No major technical problems were reported. None of the sessions were cancelled or interrupted because of software incidents. Measures (anxiety, presence, therapeutic alliance) were comparable across the two conditions. e-Virtual reality can therefore be used to treat acrophobic disorders. However, control studies are needed to assess online feasibility, therapeutic effects and the mechanisms behind online presence. © The Author(s) 2015.

Augmented reality: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Berryman, Donna R

2012-01-01

Augmented reality is a technology that overlays digital information on objects or places in the real world for the purpose of enhancing the user experience. It is not virtual reality, that is, the technology that creates a totally digital or computer created environment. Augmented reality, with its ability to combine reality and digital information, is being studied and implemented in medicine, marketing, museums, fashion, and numerous other areas. This article presents an overview of augmented reality, discussing what it is, how it works, its current implementations, and its potential impact on libraries.

Social Set Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vatrapu, Ravi; Hussain, Abid; Buus Lassen, Niels

2015-01-01

of Facebook or Twitter data. However, there exist no other holistic computational social science approach beyond the relational sociology and graph theory of SNA. To address this limitation, this paper presents an alternative holistic approach to Big Social Data analytics called Social Set Analysis (SSA......This paper argues that the basic premise of Social Network Analysis (SNA) -- namely that social reality is constituted by dyadic relations and that social interactions are determined by structural properties of networks-- is neither necessary nor sufficient, for Big Social Data analytics...

Virtual and augmented reality for training on maintenance; Realidad virutal y aumentada para la formacion en mantenimiento

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gonzalez, F.

2001-07-01

This paper presents two projects focused to support training on maintenance using new technologies. Both projects aims at specifying. designing, developing, and demonstrating prototypes allowing computer guided maintenance of complex mechanical elements using Virtual Reality (VIRMAN) and Augmented Reality (STARMATE) techniques. VIRMAN project is dedicated to training course development on maintenance using Virtual Reality. It based in the animation of three dimension images for component assembly/de-assembly or equipment movements. STARMATE will rely on Augmented Reality techniques which is a growing area in virtual Reality research. The idea of Augmented Reality is to combine a real scene, viewed by the user, with a virtual scene generated by a computer augmenting the reality with additional information. (Author)

Mechanisms underlying the social enhancement of vocal learning in songbirds.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yining; Matheson, Laura E; Sakata, Jon T

2016-06-14

Social processes profoundly influence speech and language acquisition. Despite the importance of social influences, little is known about how social interactions modulate vocal learning. Like humans, songbirds learn their vocalizations during development, and they provide an excellent opportunity to reveal mechanisms of social influences on vocal learning. Using yoked experimental designs, we demonstrate that social interactions with adult tutors for as little as 1 d significantly enhanced vocal learning. Social influences on attention to song seemed central to the social enhancement of learning because socially tutored birds were more attentive to the tutor's songs than passively tutored birds, and because variation in attentiveness and in the social modulation of attention significantly predicted variation in vocal learning. Attention to song was influenced by both the nature and amount of tutor song: Pupils paid more attention to songs that tutors directed at them and to tutors that produced fewer songs. Tutors altered their song structure when directing songs at pupils in a manner that resembled how humans alter their vocalizations when speaking to infants, that was distinct from how tutors changed their songs when singing to females, and that could influence attention and learning. Furthermore, social interactions that rapidly enhanced learning increased the activity of noradrenergic and dopaminergic midbrain neurons. These data highlight striking parallels between humans and songbirds in the social modulation of vocal learning and suggest that social influences on attention and midbrain circuitry could represent shared mechanisms underlying the social modulation of vocal learning.

FORMATION OF THE SUBJECTIVE (VIRTUAL) MODELS OF PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL REALITY BY HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS AND GIVING THEM UNDUE ONTOLOGICAL STATUS (HYPOSTATIZATIONS)

OpenAIRE

Lutsenko Y. V.

2015-01-01

On the one hand, man is a physical object and a person. Therefore, we interact with the reality, on one hand, directly as a physical object, but on the other hand as a person, i.e. indirectly through our psyche. On the basis of information from the senses, the consciousness of a person creates a subjective model of reality. A man mistakes his subjective model of reality for reality itself, i.e. unnecessarily assigns an ontological status, by the hypostatizations. In fact, as the reality a man...

Why Social Pain Can Live on: Different Neural Mechanisms Are Associated with Reliving Social and Physical Pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Meghan L; Williams, Kipling D; Eisenberger, Naomi I

2015-01-01

Although social and physical pain recruit overlapping neural activity in regions associated with the affective component of pain, the two pains can diverge in their phenomenology. Most notably, feelings of social pain can be re-experienced or "relived," even when the painful episode has long passed, whereas feelings of physical pain cannot be easily relived once the painful episode subsides. Here, we observed that reliving social (vs. physical) pain led to greater self-reported re-experienced pain and greater activity in affective pain regions (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula). Moreover, the degree of relived pain correlated positively with affective pain system activity. In contrast, reliving physical (vs. social) pain led to greater activity in the sensory-discriminative pain system (primary and secondary somatosensory cortex and posterior insula), which did not correlate with relived pain. Preferential engagement of these different pain mechanisms may reflect the use of different top-down neurocognitive pathways to elicit the pain. Social pain reliving recruited dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, often associated with mental state processing, which functionally correlated with affective pain system responses. In contrast, physical pain reliving recruited inferior frontal gyrus, known to be involved in body state processing, which functionally correlated with activation in the sensory pain system. These results update the physical-social pain overlap hypothesis: while overlapping mechanisms support live social and physical pain, distinct mechanisms guide internally-generated pain.

Substitutional reality system: a novel experimental platform for experiencing alternative reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Keisuke; Wakisaka, Sohei; Fujii, Naotaka

2012-01-01

We have developed a novel experimental platform, referred to as a substitutional reality (SR) system, for studying the conviction of the perception of live reality and related metacognitive functions. The SR system was designed to manipulate people's reality by allowing them to experience live scenes (in which they were physically present) and recorded scenes (which were recorded and edited in advance) in an alternating manner without noticing a reality gap. All of the naïve participants (n = 21) successfully believed that they had experienced live scenes when recorded scenes had been presented. Additional psychophysical experiments suggest the depth of visual objects does not affect the perceptual discriminability between scenes, and the scene switch during head movement enhance substitutional performance. The SR system, with its reality manipulation, is a novel and affordable method for studying metacognitive functions and psychiatric disorders.

Resolving social conflict among females without overt aggression.

Science.gov (United States)

Cant, Michael A; Young, Andrew J

2013-01-01

Members of animal societies compete over resources and reproduction, but the extent to which such conflicts of interest are resolved peacefully (without recourse to costly or wasteful acts of aggression) varies widely. Here, we describe two theoretical mechanisms that can help to understand variation in the incidence of overt behavioural conflict: (i) destruction competition and (ii) the use of threats. The two mechanisms make different assumptions about the degree to which competitors are socially sensitive (responsive to real-time changes in the behaviour of their social partners). In each case, we discuss how the model assumptions relate to biological reality and highlight the genetic, ecological and informational factors that are likely to promote peaceful conflict resolution, drawing on empirical examples. We suggest that, relative to males, reproductive conflict among females may be more frequently resolved peacefully through threats of punishment, rather than overt acts of punishment, because (i) offspring are more costly to produce for females and (ii) reproduction is more difficult to conceal. The main need now is for empirical work to test whether the mechanisms described here can indeed explain how social conflict can be resolved without overt aggression.

Market as microeconomic environment: Mechanisms and controversy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brkić Ivana

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Contemporary microeconomic principles are based on market ideology. The paper presents the description of market mechanisms, as well as interpreted economic realities in their application. Although none of science stream excludes completely the efficiency and presence of other, it is disputed over the dominance of the market or the state within the economic processes. The gap between two doctrines: market self-regulation vs. state interventionism allows us to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of one and the other concept. The symbiosis of these two institutions - market and state - could give good results in the achievement of social goals, creating a welfare society, and thus deal with the problems of today: the degradation of an environment, the economic crisis and social inequality.

Social Justice and Multiculturalism: Persistent Tensions in the History of US Social Welfare and Social Work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Reisch

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Social justice has been a central normative component of U.S. social welfare and social work for over a century, although the meaning and implications of the term have often been ambiguous. A major source of this ambiguity lies in the conflict between universalist views of social justice and those which focus on achieving justice for specific groups. This conflict has been masked by several long-standing assumptions about the relationship between social justice and multiculturalism – assumptions which have been challenged by recent developments. The assumption that the pursuit of social justice requires the creation of a more egalitarian society has been challenged by the new political-economic realities of globalization. The assumption that the maintenance of individual rights complements the pursuit of social equality has been challenged by racially-based attacks on social welfare benefits and civil rights. Most significantly, the assumption that a socially just society is one in which different groups share a compatible vision of social justice has been challenged by the realities of multiculturalism. This paper explores the evolution of four themes regarding the relationship between social justice and multiculturalism during the past century and discusses their implications for the contemporary demographic and cultural context of the U.S. These themes are: the relationship of cultural diversity to the nation’s values and goals; the contradiction between coerced cultural assimilation and coerced physical and social segregation; the relationship between individual and group identity and rights; and the linkage between “Americanization” and the equal application of justice.

Reality Television, The Hills and the Limits of the Immaterial Labour Thesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alison Mary Virginia Hearn

2010-05-01

Full Text Available This paper will examine the immaterial labour thesis as proposed by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri through a case study of reality television production practices, specifically those of the MTV program, The Hills. Because immaterial labour is rooted in individual intelligence, affect, and social communicative capacities, Hardt and Negri contend that economic value in the form of labour power can no longer be adequately measured and quantified and that this immeasurability contains revolutionary potential. But, given the current global economic meltdown, and the persistent and very material suffering of people all over the globe, how legitimate and responsible are these claims? Drawing from interviews with reality television workers and the work of George Caffentzis, Massimo de Angelis, David Harvie and others, this paper will test the limits of the immaterial labour thesis, arguing that, rather than disappearing, capital continues to impose measurement systems to determine socially necessary labour time no matter how diffuse or social that labour might be, and that this imposition continues to produce the alienation and exploitation of many for the benefit of a few.

Shared reality in interpersonal relationships.

Science.gov (United States)

Andersen, Susan M; Przybylinski, Elizabeth

2017-11-24

Close relationships afford us opportunities to create and maintain meaning systems as shared perceptions of ourselves and the world. Establishing a sense of mutual understanding allows for creating and maintaining lasting social bonds, and as such, is important in human relations. In a related vein, it has long been known that knowledge of significant others in one's life is stored in memory and evoked with new persons-in the social-cognitive process of 'transference'-imbuing new encounters with significance and leading to predictable cognitive, evaluative, motivational, and behavioral consequences, as well as shifts in the self and self-regulation, depending on the particular significant other evoked. In these pages, we briefly review the literature on meaning as interpersonally defined and then selectively review research on transference in interpersonal perception. Based on this, we then highlight a recent series of studies focused on shared meaning systems in transference. The highlighted studies show that values and beliefs that develop in close relationships (as shared reality) are linked in memory to significant-other knowledge, and thus, are indirectly activated (made accessible) when cues in a new person implicitly activate that significant-other knowledge (in transference), with these shared beliefs then actively pursued with the new person and even protected against threat. This also confers a sense of mutual understanding, and all told, serves both relational and epistemic functions. In concluding, we consider as well the relevance of co-construction of shared reality n such processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding augmented reality concepts and applications

CERN Document Server

Craig, Alan B

2013-01-01

Augmented reality is not a technology. Augmented reality is a medium. Likewise, a book on augmented reality that only addresses the technology that is required to support the medium of augmented reality falls far short of providing the background that is needed to produce, or critically consume augmented reality applications. One reads a book. One watches a movie. One experiences augmented reality. Understanding Augmented Reality addresses the elements that are required to create compelling augmented reality experiences. The technology that supports

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applied in dentistry

OpenAIRE

Ta-Ko Huang; Chi-Hsun Yang; Yu-Hsin Hsieh; Jen-Chyan Wang; Chun-Cheng Hung

2018-01-01

The OSCE is a reliable evaluation method to estimate the preclinical examination of dental students. The most ideal assessment for OSCE is used the augmented reality simulator to evaluate. This literature review investigated a recently developed in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) starting of the dental history to the progress of the dental skill. As result of the lacking of technology, it needs to depend on other device increasing the success rate and decreasing the risk of th...

#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou: Social Media Underscore the Realities of Intimate Partner Violence.

Science.gov (United States)

McCauley, Heather L; Bonomi, Amy E; Maas, Megan K; Bogen, Katherine W; O'Malley, Teagen L

2018-03-22

Public intimate partner violence (IPV) discourse emphasizes physical violence. In May 2016, the Twitter hashtag #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou generated a public conversation about abuse beyond physical IPV. Because of the often-disconnect between IPV research and what survivors struggle to name as abuse in their daily lives, we sought to understand how IPV discourse was unfolding as a result of the #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou hashtag. NCapture was used to collect publically available Twitter data containing the hashtag "#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou" from May 10, 2016 to May 17, 2016. Using the Duluth Power and Control Wheel (a range of tactics used by abusers to control and harm their partners) and the Women's Experience with Battering (WEB) framework (emotional and behavioral responses to being abused), we analyzed 1,229 original content tweets using qualitative content analysis. All dimensions of the Power and Control Wheel and five of six dimensions of the WEB framework were expressed via #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou; users did not express yearning for intimacy with their abusive partners. Users described one form of IPV not currently represented within the Power and Control Wheel-reproductive coercion (e.g., "#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he refuses to use condoms and forces you not to use contraception so you try to do it behind his back"). Two additional themes emerged; users challenged the gender pronoun of the hashtag, highlighting that abuse may happen with partners of all genders, and users provided social support for others (e.g., "#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou is real. Bruises and scars aren't the only measure of abuse! If this is you, help is there…"). Results from our study underscore the potential for social media platforms to be powerful agents for engaging public dialogue about the realities of IPV, as well as a space for seeking and providing social support about this critical women's health issue.

Perceived live interaction modulates the developing social brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, Katherine; Moraczewski, Dustin; Redcay, Elizabeth

2016-09-01

Although children's social development is embedded in social interaction, most developmental neuroscience studies have examined responses to non-interactive social stimuli (e.g. photographs of faces). The neural mechanisms of real-world social behavior are of special interest during middle childhood (roughly ages 7-13), a time of increased social complexity and competence coinciding with structural and functional social brain development. Evidence from adult neuroscience studies suggests that social interaction may alter neural processing, but no neuroimaging studies in children have directly examined the effects of live social-interactive context on social cognition. In the current study of middle childhood, we compare the processing of two types of speech: speech that children believed was presented over a real-time audio-feed by a social partner and speech that they believed was recorded. Although in reality all speech was prerecorded, perceived live speech resulted in significantly greater neural activation in regions associated with social cognitive processing. These findings underscore the importance of using ecologically-valid and interactive methods to understand the developing social brain. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Sex-specific mechanism of social hierarchy in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

van den Berg, Wouter E; Lamballais, Sander; Kushner, Steven A

2015-05-01

The establishment of social hierarchies is a naturally occurring, evolutionarily conserved phenomenon with a well-established impact on fitness and health. Investigations of complex social group dynamics may offer novel opportunities for translational studies of autism spectrum disorder. Here we describe a robust behavioral paradigm using an automated version of the tube test. Isogenic groups of male and female mice establish linear social hierarchies that remain highly stable for at least 14 days, the longest interval tested. Remarkably, however, their social strategy is sex-specific: females primarily utilize intrinsic attributes, whereas males are strongly influenced by prior social experience. Using both genetic and pharmacological manipulations, we identify testosterone as a critical sex-specific factor for determining which social strategy is used. Males inheriting a null mutation of the sex-determining region Y (Sry) gene used a similar social cognitive strategy as females. In contrast, females with transgenic expression of Sry utilized a typically male social strategy. Analogously, castration of males and testosterone supplementation of females yielded similar outcomes, with a reversal of their social cognitive strategy. Together, our results demonstrate a sex-specific mechanism underlying social hierarchy, in which both males and females retain the functional capacity to adapt their social strategy. More generally, we expect the automated tube test to provide an important complementary approach for both fundamental and translational studies of social behavior.

The social perceptual salience effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Inderbitzin, Martin P; Betella, Alberto; Lanatá, Antonio; Scilingo, Enzo P; Bernardet, Ulysses; Verschure, Paul F M J

2013-02-01

Affective processes appraise the salience of external stimuli preparing the agent for action. So far, the relationship between stimuli, affect, and action has been mainly studied in highly controlled laboratory conditions. In order to find the generalization of this relationship to social interaction, we assess the influence of the salience of social stimuli on human interaction. We constructed reality ball game in a mixed reality space where pairs of people collaborated in order to compete with an opposing team. We coupled the players with team members with varying social salience by using both physical and virtual representations of remote players (i.e., avatars). We observe that, irrespective of the team composition, winners and losers display significantly different inter- and intrateam spatial behaviors. We show that subjects regulate their interpersonal distance to both virtual and physical team members in similar ways, but in proportion to the vividness of the stimulus. As an independent validation of this social salience effect, we show that this behavioral effect is also displayed in physiological correlates of arousal. In addition, we found a strong correlation between performance, physiology, and the subjective reports of the subjects. Our results show that proxemics is consistent with affective responses, confirming the existence of a social salience effect. This provides further support for the so-called law of apparent reality, and it generalizes it to the social realm, where it can be used to design more efficient social artifacts. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

AUGMENTED REALITY

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skov, Kirsten; Bahn, Anne Louise

2017-01-01

Projektets grundlæggende idé er udvikling af visuel, æstetisk læring med Augmented Reality, hvor intentionen er at bidrage med konkrete undersøgelser og udforskning af begrebet Augmented Reality – herunder koblingen mellem det analoge og digitale i forhold til læring, multimodalitet og it...

Physiological mechanisms underlying animal social behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Seebacher, Frank; Krause, Jens

2017-08-19

Many species of animal live in groups, and the group represents the organizational level within which ecological and evolutionary processes occur. Understanding these processes, therefore, relies on knowledge of the mechanisms that permit or constrain group formation. We suggest that physiological capacities and differences in physiology between individuals modify fission-fusion dynamics. Differences between individuals in locomotor capacity and metabolism may lead to fission of groups and sorting of individuals into groups with similar physiological phenotypes. Environmental impacts such as hypoxia can influence maximum group sizes and structure in fish schools by altering access to oxygenated water. The nutritional environment determines group cohesion, and the increase in information collected by the group means that individuals should rely more on social information and form more cohesive groups in uncertain environments. Changing environmental contexts require rapid responses by individuals to maintain group coordination, which are mediated by neuroendocrine signalling systems such as nonapeptides and steroid hormones. Brain processing capacity may constrain social complexity by limiting information processing. Failure to evaluate socially relevant information correctly limits social interactions, which is seen, for example, in autism. Hence, functioning of a group relies to a large extent on the perception and appropriate processing of signals from conspecifics. Many if not all physiological systems are mechanistically linked, and therefore have synergistic effects on social behaviour. A challenge for the future lies in understanding these interactive effects, which will improve understanding of group dynamics, particularly in changing environments.This article is part of the themed issue 'Physiological determinants of social behaviour in animals'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Amphetamine and cocaine suppress social play behavior in rats through distinct mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Achterberg, E J Marijke; Trezza, Viviana; Siviy, Stephen M; Schrama, Laurens; Schoffelmeer, Anton N M; Vanderschuren, Louk J M J

2014-04-01

Social play behavior is a characteristic form of social behavior displayed by juvenile and adolescent mammals. This social play behavior is highly rewarding and of major importance for social and cognitive development. Social play is known to be modulated by neurotransmitter systems involved in reward and motivation. Interestingly, psychostimulant drugs, such as amphetamine and cocaine, profoundly suppress social play, but the neural mechanisms underlying these effects remain to be elucidated. In this study, we investigated the pharmacological underpinnings of amphetamine- and cocaine-induced suppression of social play behavior in rats. The play-suppressant effects of amphetamine were antagonized by the alpha-2 adrenoreceptor antagonist RX821002 but not by the dopamine receptor antagonist alpha-flupenthixol. Remarkably, the effects of cocaine on social play were not antagonized by alpha-2 noradrenergic, dopaminergic, or serotonergic receptor antagonists, administered either alone or in combination. The effects of a subeffective dose of cocaine were enhanced by a combination of subeffective doses of the serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine, the dopamine reuptake inhibitor GBR12909, and the noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor atomoxetine. Amphetamine, like methylphenidate, exerts its play-suppressant effect through alpha-2 noradrenergic receptors. On the other hand, cocaine reduces social play by simultaneous increases in dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin neurotransmission. In conclusion, psychostimulant drugs with different pharmacological profiles suppress social play behavior through distinct mechanisms. These data contribute to our understanding of the neural mechanisms of social behavior during an important developmental period, and of the deleterious effects of psychostimulant exposure thereon.

Mechanisms of social buffering of fear in zebrafish.

Science.gov (United States)

Faustino, Ana I; Tacão-Monteiro, André; Oliveira, Rui F

2017-03-31

Some humans thrive whereas others resign when exposed to threatening situations throughout life. Social support has been identified as an important modulator of these discrepancies in human behaviour, and other social animals also exhibit phenomena in which individuals recover better from aversive events when conspecifics are present - aka social buffering. Here we studied social buffering in zebrafish, by exposing focal fish to an aversive stimulus (alarm substance - AS) either in the absence or presence of conspecific cues. When exposed to AS in the presence of both olfactory (shoal water) and visual (sight of shoal) conspecific cues, focal fish exhibited a lower fear response than when tested alone, demonstrating social buffering in zebrafish. When separately testing each cue's effectiveness, we verified that the visual cue was more effective than the olfactory in reducing freezing in a persistent threat scenario. Finally, we verified that social buffering was independent of shoal size and coincided with a distinct pattern of co-activation of brain regions known to be involved in mammalian social buffering. Thus, this study suggests a shared evolutionary origin for social buffering in vertebrates, bringing new evidence on the behavioural, sensory and neural mechanisms underlying this phenomenon.

Sociality as a natural mechanism of public goods provision.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elliot T Berkman

Full Text Available In the recent literature, several hypotheses have been offered to explain patterns of human behavior in social environments. In particular, these patterns include 'prosocial' ones, such as fairness, cooperation, and collective good provision. Psychologists suggest that these prosocial behaviors are driven not by miscalculations, but by salience of social identity, in-group favoritism, emotion, or evolutionary adaptations. This paper imports psychology scholarship into an economic model and results in a sustainable solution to collective action problems without any external enforcement mechanisms. This natural mechanism of public goods provision is created, analyzed, and observed in a controlled laboratory environment using experimental techniques.

A Neurobehavioral Mechanism Linking Behaviorally Inhibited Temperament and Later Adolescent Social Anxiety.

Science.gov (United States)

Buzzell, George A; Troller-Renfree, Sonya V; Barker, Tyson V; Bowman, Lindsay C; Chronis-Tuscano, Andrea; Henderson, Heather A; Kagan, Jerome; Pine, Daniel S; Fox, Nathan A

2017-12-01

Behavioral inhibition (BI) is a temperament identified in early childhood that is a risk factor for later social anxiety. However, mechanisms underlying the development of social anxiety remain unclear. To better understand the emergence of social anxiety, longitudinal studies investigating changes at behavioral neural levels are needed. BI was assessed in the laboratory at 2 and 3 years of age (N = 268). Children returned at 12 years, and an electroencephalogram was recorded while children performed a flanker task under 2 conditions: once while believing they were being observed by peers and once while not being observed. This methodology isolated changes in error monitoring (error-related negativity) and behavior (post-error reaction time slowing) as a function of social context. At 12 years, current social anxiety symptoms and lifetime diagnoses of social anxiety were obtained. Childhood BI prospectively predicted social-specific error-related negativity increases and social anxiety symptoms in adolescence; these symptoms directly related to clinical diagnoses. Serial mediation analysis showed that social error-related negativity changes explained relations between BI and social anxiety symptoms (n = 107) and diagnosis (n = 92), but only insofar as social context also led to increased post-error reaction time slowing (a measure of error preoccupation); this model was not significantly related to generalized anxiety. Results extend prior work on socially induced changes in error monitoring and error preoccupation. These measures could index a neurobehavioral mechanism linking BI to adolescent social anxiety symptoms and diagnosis. This mechanism could relate more strongly to social than to generalized anxiety in the peri-adolescent period. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. All rights reserved.

Social impairment in conversation: disfluency and compensatory mechanisms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fusaroli, Riccardo; Lambrechts, Anna; Weed, Ethan

. Using simple measures of conversational turn-taking, we ask the following questions: i) How does autistic social impairment manifest itself in conversations? ii) How does the interlocutor react? iii) Are these dynamics related to specific clinical features? Methods: 17 ASD and 17 matched Typically...... of interactions with adults with ASD will help us understand how social impairment affects the life of people with ASD and which compensatory mechanisms can be used to minimize its effects. Objectives: We want to develop automated quantitative methods to assess dysfluency and compensatory dynamics in conversation......Background: Social impairment is a defining clinical feature of ASD. However, little is known about how it concretely unfolds during social exchanges: how interlocutors pick up and react to disfluency, and how patterns of interaction are affected. A better understanding of the dynamics...

Mixed Reality Systems

OpenAIRE

Dieter Müller

2009-01-01

Currently one of the most challenging aspects of human computer interaction design is the integration of physical and digital worlds in a single environment. This fusion involves the development of "Mixed Reality Systems”, including various technologies from the domains of augmented and virtual reality. In this paper I will present related concepts and discuss lessons learned from our own research and prototype development. Our recent work involves the use of mixed reality (as opposed to ‘pur...

Social networks, social support mechanisms, and quality of life after breast cancer diagnosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kroenke, Candyce H; Kwan, Marilyn L; Neugut, Alfred I; Ergas, Isaac J; Wright, Jaime D; Caan, Bette J; Hershman, Dawn; Kushi, Lawrence H

2013-06-01

We examined mechanisms through which social relationships influence quality of life (QOL) in breast cancer survivors. This study included 3,139 women from the Pathways Study who were diagnosed with breast cancer from 2006 to 2011 and provided data on social networks (the presence of a spouse or intimate partner, religious/social ties, volunteering, and numbers of close friends and relatives), social support (tangible support, emotional/informational support, affection, positive social interaction), and QOL, measured by the FACT-B, approximately 2 months post diagnosis. We used logistic models to evaluate associations between social network size, social support, and lower versus higher than median QOL scores. We further stratified by stage at diagnosis and treatment. In multivariate-adjusted analyses, women who were characterized as socially isolated had significantly lower FACT-B (OR = 2.18, 95 % CI: 1.72-2.77), physical well-being (WB) (OR = 1.61, 95 % CI: 1.27-2.03), functional WB (OR = 2.08, 95 % CI: 1.65-2.63), social WB (OR = 3.46, 95 % CI: 2.73-4.39), and emotional WB (OR = 1.67, 95 % CI: 1.33-2.11) scores and higher breast cancer symptoms (OR = 1.48, 95 % CI: 1.18-1.87) compared with socially integrated women. Each social network member independently predicted higher QOL. Simultaneous adjustment for social networks and social support partially attenuated associations between social networks and QOL. The strongest mediator and type of social support that was most predictive of QOL outcomes was "positive social interaction." However, each type of support was important depending on outcome, stage, and treatment status. Larger social networks and greater social support were related to higher QOL after a diagnosis of breast cancer. Effective social support interventions need to evolve beyond social-emotional interventions and need to account for disease severity and treatment status.

Social networks, social support mechanisms, and quality of life after breast cancer diagnosis

Science.gov (United States)

Kroenke, Candyce H; Kwan, Marilyn L.; Neugut, Alfred I.; Ergas, Isaac J.; Wright, Jaime D.; Caan, Bette J.; Hershman, Dawn; Kushi, Lawrence H.

2013-01-01

Purpose We examined mechanisms through which social relationships influence quality of life (QOL) in breast cancer survivors. Methods This study included 3,139 women from the Pathways Study who were diagnosed with breast cancer from 2006-2011 and provided data on social networks (presence of spouse or intimate partner, religious/social ties, volunteering, and numbers of close friends and relatives), social support (tangible, emotional/informational, affection, positive social interaction), and quality of life (QOL), measured by the FACT-B, approximately two months post-diagnosis. We used logistic models to evaluate associations between social network size, social support, and lower vs. higher than median QOL scores. We further stratified by stage at diagnosis and treatment. Results In multivariate-adjusted analyses, women who were characterized as socially isolated had significantly lower FACT-B (OR=2.18, 95%CI:1.72-2.77), physical well-being (WB) (OR=1.61, 95%CI:1.27-2.03), functional WB (OR=2.08, 95%CI:1.65-2.63), social WB (OR=3.46, 95%CI:2.73-4.39), and emotional WB (OR=1.67, 95%CI:1.33-2.11) scores and higher breast cancer symptoms (OR=1.48, 95%CI:1.18-1.87), compared with socially integrated women. Each social network member independently predicted higher QOL. Simultaneous adjustment for social networks and social support partially attenuated associations between social networks and QOL. The strongest mediator and type of social support that was most predictive of QOL outcomes was “positive social interaction”. However, each type of support was important depending on outcome, stage, and treatment status. Conclusions Larger social networks and greater social support were related to higher QOL after a diagnosis of breast cancer. Effective social support interventions need to evolve beyond social-emotional interventions and need to account for disease severity and treatment status. PMID:23657404

New information technologies in social studies: postnonclassical paradigm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Galina Ya. Menshikova

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The paper discusses topical issues of virtual reality technologies in social research, particularly when studying the processes of ethnic cultural identity, development of ethnic and racial attitudes using «virtual avatars» for managing ethnic conflicts, development of communication skills in representatives of different cultures using virtual collaboration and video conferencing. One of the key issues of the paper to discuss the necessity of post-non-classical paradigm as a conceptual framework for social research. Contemporary social studies require developing new methods, technologies and techniques at all levels of the research: from task setting to the development of new methods and result analysis. One of the most promising methods rapidly developed in recent years is virtual reality technology. The paper presents the analysis of more than 40 experimental studies performed using CAVE and HMD virtual reality systems. Their application is considered hereunder for the studies of verbal and nonverbal cues in communication, social skills training, treatment of social anxiety disorders and the development of new methods of cognitive behavioural therapy. Studies on interpersonal communication with virtual partners (i.e. «avatars» are considered. Factors affecting the communication quality of avatars, its visual and behavioural realism, problems of seeing virtual human as real partners for social interaction are discussed. Special attention is paid to the studies of racial and ethnic attitudes performed using virtual reality systems. The possibilities of practical applications of the VR technologies for shaping positive attitudes and development of communication skills in a sociocultural context are emphasized.

The Perceptions of CEIT Postgraduate Students Regarding Reality Concepts: Augmented, Virtual, Mixed and Mirror Reality

Science.gov (United States)

Taçgin, Zeynep; Arslan, Ahmet

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine perception of postgraduate Computer Education and Instructional Technologies (CEIT) students regarding the concepts of Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), Augmented Virtuality (AV) and Mirror Reality; and to offer a table that includes differences and similarities between…

Virtual reality as a multidisciplinary convergence tool in the product design process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gaël Guerlesquin

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Nowadays firms have to use concurrent design to meet customers’ expectations. A plural approach to the design process is essential. Unfortunately, the design activity involves experts specialized in various aspects of the product such as aesthetics, ergonomics and mechanics. Thus the collaboration between these experts is particularly difficult in the convergence steps and often results in complex adjustments. This paper details a proposition of design methodology based on a multidisciplinary approach, using virtual reality tools. Our goal is to facilitate the integration of ergonomics and aesthetics in a mechanical design process. In this context, we consider virtual reality as an intermediary design tool useful for collaborative decision support during convergence phases. We present our methodology and associated tools tested during an industrial project, by focusing on an aesthetics-mechanics convergence step.

The influence of parent's body mass index on peer selection: an experimental approach using virtual reality.

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Martarelli, Corinna S; Borter, Natalie; Bryjova, Jana; Mast, Fred W; Munsch, Simone

2015-11-30

Relatively little is known about the influence of psychosocial factors, such as familial role modeling and social network on the development and maintenance of childhood obesity. We investigated peer selection using an immersive virtual reality environment. In a virtual schoolyard, children were confronted with normal weight and overweight avatars either eating or playing. Fifty-seven children aged 7-13 participated. Interpersonal distance to the avatars, child's BMI, self-perception, eating behavior and parental BMI were assessed. Parental BMI was the strongest predictor for the children's minimal distance to the avatars. Specifically, a higher mothers' BMI was associated with greater interpersonal distance and children approached closer to overweight eating avatars. A higher father's BMI was associated with a lower interpersonal distance to the avatars. These children approached normal weight playing and overweight eating avatar peers closest. The importance of parental BMI for the child's social approach/avoidance behavior can be explained through social modeling mechanisms. Differential effects of paternal and maternal BMI might be due to gender specific beauty ideals. Interventions to promote social interaction with peer groups could foster weight stabilization or weight loss in children. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The mouse that roared: neural mechanisms of social hierarchy.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fei; Kessels, Helmut W; Hu, Hailan

2014-11-01

Hierarchical social status greatly influences behavior and health. Human and animal studies have begun to identify the brain regions that are activated during the formation of social hierarchies. They point towards the prefrontal cortex (PFC) as a central regulator, with brain areas upstream of the PFC conveying information about social status, and downstream brain regions executing dominance behavior. This review summarizes our current knowledge on the neural circuits that control social status. We discuss how the neural mechanisms for various types of dominance behavior can be studied in laboratory rodents by selective manipulation of neuronal activity or synaptic plasticity. These studies may help in finding the cause of social stress-related mental and physical health problems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantum Mechanics and the Social Sciences: After Hermeneutics.

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Heelan, Patrick A.

1995-01-01

An analysis of the hermeneutical aspect of quantum mechanical measurement reveals close analogs with the hermeneutical social/historical sciences. Suggests that the hermeneutical analysis of science requires the move from the epistemological attitude to an ontological view. (LZ)

Music and social bonding: ‘self-other’ merging and neurohormonal mechanisms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bronwyn eTarr

2014-09-01

Full Text Available It has been suggested that a key function of music during its development and spread amongst human populations was its capacity to create and strengthen social bonds amongst interacting group members. However, the mechanisms by which this occurs have not been fully discussed. In this paper we review evidence supporting two thus far independently investigated mechanisms for this social bonding effect: self-other merging as a consequence of inter-personal synchrony, and the release of endorphins during exertive rhythmic activities including musical interaction. In general, self-other merging has been experimentally investigated using dyads, which provide limited insight into large-scale musical activities. Given that music can provide an external rhythmic framework that facilitates synchrony, explanations of social bonding during group musical activities should include reference to endorphins, which are released during synchronised exertive movements. Endorphins (and the Endogenous Opioid System (EOS in general are involved in social bonding across primate species, and are associated with a number of human social behaviours (e.g. laughter, synchronised sports, as well as musical activities (e.g. singing and dancing. Furthermore, passively listening to music engages the EOS, so here we suggest that both self-other merging and the EOS are important in the social bonding effects of music. In order to investigate possible interactions between these two mechanisms, future experiments should recreate ecologically valid examples of musical activities.

Innovative Policies for a New Social Reality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teresa Llorens Carbonell

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Social changes, such as the arrival of immigration, demand that public authorities react and design new policies that meet the needs of citizens. Proactive policies, giving people the tools to face this social change with peace of mind, from knowledge; policies aimed not just at immigrants, but at everyone living in our towns and cities. At the Department of Equality and Citizenship of the Diputació de Barcelona, we are committed to citizenship policies. Those that put everyone at the centre of public action, with the objective of working towards better living together and social cohesion. Town Councils, as local administration, must lead this action and face the challenges that it presents.

Hybrid Reality Lab Capabilities - Video 2

Science.gov (United States)

Delgado, Francisco J.; Noyes, Matthew

2016-01-01

Our Hybrid Reality and Advanced Operations Lab is developing incredibly realistic and immersive systems that could be used to provide training, support engineering analysis, and augment data collection for various human performance metrics at NASA. To get a better understanding of what Hybrid Reality is, let's go through the two most commonly known types of immersive realities: Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality. Virtual Reality creates immersive scenes that are completely made up of digital information. This technology has been used to train astronauts at NASA, used during teleoperation of remote assets (arms, rovers, robots, etc.) and other activities. One challenge with Virtual Reality is that if you are using it for real time-applications (like landing an airplane) then the information used to create the virtual scenes can be old (i.e. visualized long after physical objects moved in the scene) and not accurate enough to land the airplane safely. This is where Augmented Reality comes in. Augmented Reality takes real-time environment information (from a camera, or see through window, and places digitally created information into the scene so that it matches with the video/glass information). Augmented Reality enhances real environment information collected with a live sensor or viewport (e.g. camera, window, etc.) with the information-rich visualization provided by Virtual Reality. Hybrid Reality takes Augmented Reality even further, by creating a higher level of immersion where interactivity can take place. Hybrid Reality takes Virtual Reality objects and a trackable, physical representation of those objects, places them in the same coordinate system, and allows people to interact with both objects' representations (virtual and physical) simultaneously. After a short period of adjustment, the individuals begin to interact with all the objects in the scene as if they were real-life objects. The ability to physically touch and interact with digitally created

Social interactions in virtual reality exposure therapy: a proof-of-concept pilot study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Morina, N.; Brinkman, W.P.; Hartanto, D.; Kampmann, I.L.; Emmelkamp, P.G.M.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Research on virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) has demonstrated good treatment efficacy with regards to several anxiety disorders. Yet, there is lack of knowledge about the value of integrating interaction between clients and virtual humans in VRET. Such interaction

On the Control of Social Approach-Avoidance Behavior: Neural and Endocrine Mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaldewaij, Reinoud; Koch, Saskia B J; Volman, Inge; Toni, Ivan; Roelofs, Karin

The ability to control our automatic action tendencies is crucial for adequate social interactions. Emotional events trigger automatic approach and avoidance tendencies. Although these actions may be generally adaptive, the capacity to override these emotional reactions may be key to flexible behavior during social interaction. The present chapter provides a review of the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying this ability and their relation to social psychopathologies. Aberrant social behavior, such as observed in social anxiety or psychopathy, is marked by abnormalities in approach-avoidance tendencies and the ability to control them. Key neural regions involved in the regulation of approach-avoidance behavior are the amygdala, widely implicated in automatic emotional processing, and the anterior prefrontal cortex, which exerts control over the amygdala. Hormones, especially testosterone and cortisol, have been shown to affect approach-avoidance behavior and the associated neural mechanisms. The present chapter also discusses ways to directly influence social approach and avoidance behavior and will end with a research agenda to further advance this important research field. Control over approach-avoidance tendencies may serve as an exemplar of emotional action regulation and might have a great value in understanding the underlying mechanisms of the development of affective disorders.

Social humanoid robot SARA: development of the wrist mechanism

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Penčić, M.; Rackov, M.; Čavić, M.; Kiss, I.; Cioată, V. G.

2018-01-01

This paper presents the development of a wrist mechanism for humanoid robots. The research was conducted within the project which develops social humanoid robot Sara - a mobile anthropomorphic platform for researching the social behaviour of robots. There are two basic ways for the realization of humanoid wrist. The first one is based on biologically inspired structures that have variable stiffness, and the second one on low backlash mechanisms that have high stiffness. Our solution is low backlash differential mechanism that requires small actuators. Based on the kinematic-dynamic requirements, a dynamic model of the robot wrist is formed. A dynamic simulation for several hand positions was performed and the driving torques of the wrist mechanism were determined. The realized wrist has 2 DOFs and enables movements in the direction of flexion/extension 115°, ulnar/radial deviation ±45° and the combination of these two movements. It consists of a differential mechanism with three spur bevel gears, two of which are driving and identical, while the last one is the driven gear to which the robot hand is attached. Power transmission and motion from the actuator to the input links of the differential mechanism is realized with two parallel placed identical gear mechanisms. The wrist mechanism has high carrying capacity and reliability, high efficiency, a compact design and low backlash that provides high positioning accuracy and repeatability of movements, which is essential for motion control.

Confronting an Augmented Reality

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Munnerley, Danny; Bacon, Matt; Wilson, Anna; Steele, James; Hedberg, John; Fitzgerald, Robert

2012-01-01

How can educators make use of augmented reality technologies and practices to enhance learning and why would we want to embrace such technologies anyway? How can an augmented reality help a learner confront, interpret and ultimately comprehend reality itself ? In this article, we seek to initiate a discussion that focuses on these questions, and…

Social Identity and Psychosis: Associations and Psychological Mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

McIntyre, Jason C; Wickham, Sophie; Barr, Ben; Bentall, Richard P

2017-08-26

Humans possess a basic need to belong and will join groups even when they provide no practical benefit. Paranoid symptoms imply a disruption of the processes involved in belonging and social trust. Past research suggests that joining social groups and incorporating those groups into one's identity (social identification) promotes positive self-views and better physical and mental health. However, no research has investigated whether social identity is associated with paranoia, nor the mechanisms by which this effect may emerge. Here, we examined the relationship between social identity and mental health (paranoia, auditory verbal hallucinations [AVHs], and depression), and tested the mediating role of self-esteem. In study 1, we analyzed data collected from 4319 UK residents as part of the NIHR CLAHRC NWC Household Health Survey. Study 2 comprised data collected from 1167 students attending a large UK university. The studies provided convergent evidence that social identification reduces symptoms of paranoia and depression by furnishing people with self-esteem. There was no consistent effect of social identification on AVHs. People developing mental health assessments, treatments, and policies are encouraged to consider the notion that joining and identifying with social groups may reduce people's risk of paranoia and depression. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center.

Experiencing 3D interactions in virtual reality and augmented reality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martens, J.B.; Qi, W.; Aliakseyeu, D.; Kok, A.J.F.; Liere, van R.; Hoven, van den E.; Ijsselsteijn, W.; Kortuem, G.; Laerhoven, van K.; McClelland, I.; Perik, E.; Romero, N.; Ruyter, de B.

2004-01-01

We demonstrate basic 2D and 3D interactions in both a Virtual Reality (VR) system, called the Personal Space Station, and an Augmented Reality (AR) system, called the Visual Interaction Platform. Since both platforms use identical (optical) tracking hardware and software, and can run identical

The course of the working alliance during virtual reality and exposure group therapy for social anxiety disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Ngai, Irene; Tully, Erin C; Anderson, Page L

2015-03-01

Psychoanalytic theory and some empirical research suggest the working alliance follows a "rupture and repair" pattern over the course of therapy, but given its emphasis on collaboration, cognitive behavioral therapy may yield a different trajectory. The current study compares the trajectory of the working alliance during two types of cognitive behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder - virtual reality exposure therapy (VRE) and exposure group therapy (EGT), one of which (VRE) has been proposed to show lower levels of working alliance due to the physical barriers posed by the technology (e.g. no eye contact with therapist during exposure). Following randomization, participants (N = 63) diagnosed with social anxiety disorder received eight sessions of manualized EGT or individual VRE and completed a standardized self-report measure of working alliance after each session. Hierarchical linear modeling showed overall high levels of working alliance that changed in rates of growth over time; that is, increases in working alliance scores were steeper at the beginning of therapy and slowed towards the end of therapy. There were no differences in working alliance between the two treatment groups. Results neither support a rupture/repair pattern nor the idea that the working alliance is lower for VRE participants. Findings are consistent with the idea that different therapeutic approaches may yield different working alliance trajectories.

Contesting realities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica Whyte

2009-08-01

Full Text Available In 2004, an unnamed Bush adviser accused a senior Wall Street Journal reporter of belonging to the “reality based community”—a community that believed solutions stem from the judicious study of reality. “We're history's actors, “ he told the journalist, “and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.” Overwhelmingly, the response of those on the left, and of US progressives to this comment was to smugly deride the irrationalism and the arrogance of the Bush Administration. This paper, in contrast, will examine what is missed in the rush to accept membership of the reality based community. It will suggest that that the advisor's comments express something that was once a central tenet of the left: the belief that political action is capable of transforming reality. Today, on the left, this belief has been all but abandoned in the face of a seemingly unstoppable onslaught of free market capitalism and increasingly repressive state power. This paper will ask what it would mean today, to begin to re-imagine political action as capable of remaking the world.

Exploring Virtual Reality for Classroom Use: The Virtual Reality and Education Lab at East Carolina University.

Science.gov (United States)

Auld, Lawrence W. S.; Pantelidis, Veronica S.

1994-01-01

Describes the Virtual Reality and Education Lab (VREL) established at East Carolina University to study the implications of virtual reality for elementary and secondary education. Highlights include virtual reality software evaluation; hardware evaluation; computer-based curriculum objectives which could use virtual reality; and keeping current…

Quantum mechanics reality and separability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selleri, F.; Tarozzi, G.

1981-01-01

For many decades, there has been a debate about which one should be the correct interpretation of Quantum Mechanics. With regard to this question, the Copenhagen-Goettingen interpretation was in conflict with the interpretation given by Einstein and other physicists. The so-called problem of ''completeness'' of the theory in particular was under investigation. The development of this controversial problem, from the Von Neumann theorem up to the discovery of Bell inequality is reviewed in this article and it is discussed how these events marked the beginning of a new era for the researches on Quantum Mechanics. (author)

On new physical reality (on ψ-ether)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isaev, P.S.

2002-01-01

It is shown that there exists a new physical reality - the ψ-ether. All the achievements of quantum mechanics and quantum field theory are due to the fact that both the theories include the influence of ψ-ether on the physical processes occurring in the Universe. Physics of the XX century was first of all the physics of ψ-ether

Tracking for Outdoor Mobile Augmented Reality: Further development of the Zion Augmented Reality Application

OpenAIRE

Strand, Tor Egil Riegels

2008-01-01

This report deals with providing tracking to an outdoor mobile augmented reality system and the Zion Augmented Reality Application. ZionARA is meant to display a virtual recreation of a 13th century castle on the site it once stood through an augmented reality Head Mounted Display. Mobile outdoor augmented/mixed reality puts special demands on what kind of equipment is practical. After briefly evaluating the different existing tracking methods, a solution based on GPS and an augmented inertia...

Social identity process within organizations

OpenAIRE

Bazarov, Takhir; Kuzmina, Maria

2005-01-01

Expanding and complex social realities cause new types of identity. Variety in organizations and workgroups (where people are involved), implies a special kind of social identity which can be defined as professional, organizational or managerial. The study of the social identity processes in organizations is a new interdisciplinary sphere that is presented especially commonly in European Social Psychology. The result of its theoretical comprehension is Social Identity Theory. In the article l...

Enriching Higher Education with Social Media: Development and Evaluation of a Social Media Toolkit

Science.gov (United States)

Gülbahar, Yasemin; Rapp, Christian; Kilis, Selcan; Sitnikova, Anna

2017-01-01

While ubiquitous in everyday use, in reality, social media usage within higher education teaching has expanded quite slowly. Analysis of social media usage of students and instructors for teaching, learning, and research purposes across four countries (Russia, Turkey, Germany, and Switzerland) showed that many higher education instructors actively…

A Physiologically Informed Virtual Reality Based Social Communication System for Individuals with Autism

Science.gov (United States)

Lahiri, Uttama; Bekele, Esubalew; Dohrmann, Elizabeth; Warren, Zachary; Sarkar, Nilanjan

2015-01-01

Clinical applications of advanced technology may hold promise for addressing impairments associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This project evaluated the application of a novel physiologically responsive virtual reality based technological system for conversation skills in a group of adolescents with ASD. The system altered components…

Psychosocial mechanisms linking the social environment to mental health in African Americans

Science.gov (United States)

Resource-poor social environments predict poor health, but the mechanisms and processes linking the social environment to psychological health and well-being remain unclear. This study explored psychosocial mediators of the association between the social environment and mental health in African Amer...

No influence of positive emotion on orbitofrontal reality filtering: relevance for confabulation

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Maria Chiara eLiverani

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Orbitofrontal reality filtering is a mechanism that allows us to keep thought and behavior in phase with reality. Its failure induces reality confusion with confabulation and disorientation. Confabulations have been claimed to have a positive emotional bias, suggesting that they emanate from a tendency to embellish the situation of a handicap. Here we tested the influence of positive emotion on orbitofrontal reality filtering in healthy subjects using a paradigm validated in reality confusing patients and with a known electrophysiological signature, a frontal positivity at 200-400 ms after memory evocation. Subjects made two continuous recognition tasks (two runs, composed of the same set of neutral and positive pictures, but arranged in different order. In both runs, participants had to indicate pictures repetitions within, and only within, the ongoing run. The first run measures learning and recognition. The second run, where all items are familiar, requires orbitofrontal reality filtering to avoid false positive responses. High-density evoked potentials were recorded from nineteen healthy subjects during completion of the task. Performance was more accurate and faster on neutral than positive pictures in both runs and all conditions. Evoked potential correlates of emotion and reality filtering occurred at 260-350 ms but dissociated in terms of amplitudes and topography. In both runs, positive stimuli evoked a more negative frontal potential than neutral ones. In the second run, the frontal positivity characteristic of reality filtering was separately, and to the same degree, expressed for positive and neutral stimuli. We conclude that orbitofrontal reality filtering, the ability to place oneself correctly in time and space, is not influenced by emotional positivity of the processed material.

Social Information Processing Mechanisms and Victimization: A Literature Review.

Science.gov (United States)

van Reemst, Lisa; Fischer, Tamar F C; Zwirs, Barbara W C

2016-01-01

The aim of the current literature review, which is based on 64 empirical studies, was to assess to what extent mechanisms of the Social Information Processing (SIP) model of Crick and Dodge (1994) are related to victimization. The reviewed studies have provided support for the relation between victimization and several social information processing mechanisms, especially the interpretation of cues and self-efficacy (as part of the response decision). The relationship between victimization and other mechanisms, such as the response generation, was only studied in a few articles. Until now research has often focused on just one step of the model, instead of attempting to measure the associations between multiple mechanisms and victimization in multivariate analyses. Such analyses would be interesting to gain more insight into the SIP model and its relationship with victimization. The few available longitudinal studies show that mechanisms both predict victimization (internal locus of control, negative self-evaluations and less assertive response selection) and are predicted by victimization (hostile attribution of intent and negative evaluations of others). Associations between victimization and SIP mechanisms vary across different types and severity of victimization (stronger in personal and severe victimization), and different populations (stronger among young victims). Practice could focus on these stronger associations and the interpretation of cues. More research is needed however, to investigate whether intervention programs that address SIP mechanisms are suitable for victimization and all relevant populations. © The Author(s) 2014.

Virtual reality for employability skills

OpenAIRE

Minocha, Shailey; Tudor, Ana-Despina

2017-01-01

We showed a variety of virtual reality technologies, and through examples, we discussed how virtual reality technology is transforming work styles and workplaces. Virtual reality is becoming pervasive in almost all domains starting from arts, environmental causes to medical education and disaster management training, and to supporting patients with Dementia. Thus, an awareness of the virtual reality technology and its integration in curriculum design will provide and enhance employability ski...

Brokerage in Cross-Border Mobility: Social Mechanisms and the (ReProduction of Social Inequalities

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Thomas Faist

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Brokerage is an essential yet understudied function in social life. In one of the classics in the field of sociology, Georg Simmel differentiated three types of the “third” which help to analyse brokerage: the disinterested mediator or arbitrator, tertius gaudens and divide et impera. Studies that conceptualise traffickers and smugglers as brokers are extremely rare. Scholars lack a typology which can serve as a basis for comparative research. To advance scholarship on brokerage this article seeks to develop a conceptual-typological matrix by setting out to explore three questions: Why does brokerage exist? What kind of social mechanism is brokerage? What are the implications of brokerage for social inequalities and equalities? The analysis concludes with the consequences of different types of brokerage for the (reproduction of social inequalities.

Ego Defense and Media Access: Conflicting Rhetorical Needs of a Contemporary Social Movement.

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Kathleen J.

1980-01-01

Describes the relationship among the social movements of the 1960s, particularly the feminist movement and the mass media. Analyzes the nature of the rhetoric of social activism in that period which is characterized by the ego-defensive responses to media-created reality and by ego-building responses to media's reality-creating potential. (JMF)

Psychosocial Mechanisms Linking the Social Environment to Mental Health in African Americans.

Science.gov (United States)

Mama, Scherezade K; Li, Yisheng; Basen-Engquist, Karen; Lee, Rebecca E; Thompson, Deborah; Wetter, David W; Nguyen, Nga T; Reitzel, Lorraine R; McNeill, Lorna H

2016-01-01

Resource-poor social environments predict poor health, but the mechanisms and processes linking the social environment to psychological health and well-being remain unclear. This study explored psychosocial mediators of the association between the social environment and mental health in African American adults. African American men and women (n = 1467) completed questionnaires on the social environment, psychosocial factors (stress, depressive symptoms, and racial discrimination), and mental health. Multiple-mediator models were used to assess direct and indirect effects of the social environment on mental health. Low social status in the community (p health. Psychosocial factors significantly jointly mediated the relationship between the social environment and mental health in multiple-mediator models. Low social status and social support were associated with greater perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and perceived racial discrimination, which were associated with poor mental health. Results suggest the relationship between the social environment and mental health is mediated by psychosocial factors and revealed potential mechanisms through which social status and social support influence the mental health of African American men and women. Findings from this study provide insight into the differential effects of stress, depression and discrimination on mental health. Ecological approaches that aim to improve the social environment and psychosocial mediators may enhance health-related quality of life and reduce health disparities in African Americans.

Social innovation in the context of corporate social responsibility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María de Fátima León

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Faced with a reality characterized by unsolved social and environmental problems, it is common to observe the behavior of firms in terms of its contribution in the resolution or treatment of these problems. Many of these initiatives are examples of social innovations offering new products, processes and relationships in terms of benefiting the most disadvantaged groups in areas such as safety, health, education, environment, among others. In this sense, this documentary research examines the role of social innovation in the context of corporate social responsibility, through a review of theoretical topic of innovation, social innovation and corporate social responsibility. Also, through the filter of what can be considered social innovation, raises some examples of Venezuelan companies with socially responsible approaches moving toward maturity in a socially ethical enterprise.

Mechanisms of Quality of Life and Social Support in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, Laura; Tripp, Dean A; Ropeleski, Mark; Depew, William; Curtis Nickel, J; Vanner, Stephen; Beyak, Michael J

2016-03-01

Cognitive and social factors are essential considerations in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patient management, but existing research is limited. This study aims to expand the IBD literature by examining the relationship between social supports and QoL, while examining mechanisms in these relationships. Consenting patients attending an IBD outpatient clinic were provided a survey package (N = 164). Regressions evaluated predictors of IBD-QoL, and catastrophizing and optimism were examined as mediators between social support and IBD-QoL. Diminished IBD-QoL was predicted by younger age, greater negative spousal responses, and less perceived spousal support. Mediation models showed helplessness catastrophizing to be the lone mediator, acting as a mechanism between both negative spousal responses and perceived spousal support with IBD-QoL. Social interaction variables are associated with IBD-QoL, but patients' experience of helplessness acts to reduce their ability to benefit from social support. Patient care should consider supportive social and cognitive factors to improve IBD-QoL.

Integrating 4-d light-sheet imaging with interactive virtual reality to recapitulate developmental cardiac mechanics and physiology

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Yichen; Yu, Jing; Abiri, Arash; Abiri, Parinaz; Lee, Juhyun; Chang, Chih-Chiang; Baek, Kyung In; Sevag Packard, René R.; Hsiai, Tzung K.

2018-02-01

There currently is a limited ability to interactively study developmental cardiac mechanics and physiology. We therefore combined light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) with virtual reality (VR) to provide a hybrid platform for 3- dimensional (3-D) architecture and time-dependent cardiac contractile function characterization. By taking advantage of the rapid acquisition, high axial resolution, low phototoxicity, and high fidelity in 3-D and 4-D (3-D spatial + 1-D time or spectra), this VR-LSFM hybrid methodology enables interactive visualization and quantification otherwise not available by conventional methods such as routine optical microscopes. We hereby demonstrate multi-scale applicability of VR-LSFM to 1) interrogate skin fibroblasts interacting with a hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel, 2) navigate through the endocardial trabecular network during zebrafish development, and 3) localize gene therapy-mediated potassium channel expression in adult murine hearts. We further combined our batch intensity normalized segmentation (BINS) algorithm with deformable image registration (DIR) to interface a VR environment for the analysis of cardiac contraction. Thus, the VR-LSFM hybrid platform demonstrates an efficient and robust framework for creating a user-directed microenvironment in which we uncovered developmental cardiac mechanics and physiology with high spatiotemporal resolution.

Virtual reality exposure therapy

OpenAIRE

Rothbaum, BO; Hodges, L; Kooper, R

1997-01-01

It has been proposed that virtual reality (VR) exposure may be an alternative to standard in vivo exposure. Virtual reality integrates real-time computer graphics, body tracking devices, visual displays, and other sensory input devices to immerse a participant in a computer- generated virtual environment. Virtual reality exposure is potentially an efficient and cost-effective treatment of anxiety disorders. VR exposure therapy reduced the fear of heights in the first control...

Mobile Augmented Reality Applications

OpenAIRE

Prochazka, David; Stencl, Michael; Popelka, Ondrej; Stastny, Jiri

2011-01-01

Augmented reality have undergone considerable improvement in past years. Many special techniques and hardware devices were developed, but the crucial breakthrough came with the spread of intelligent mobile phones. This enabled mass spread of augmented reality applications. However mobile devices have limited hardware capabilities, which narrows down the methods usable for scene analysis. In this article we propose an augmented reality application which is using cloud computing to enable using...

HoloR: Interactive Mixed-Reality Rooms

OpenAIRE

Schwede, Carsten; Hermann, Thomas

2015-01-01

Existing virtual reality technologies only cover certain areas of the mixed-reality spectrum: Augmented reality goggles are unable to provide immersion while head-mounted displays make it difficult to interact with the real world. In this paper we introduce HoloR - short for Holographic Room: A stereoscopic, multi-person, multi-viewer, spatial projected augmented reality system, which enables applications to fade between different parts of the mixed-reality spectrum. By using web-technologies...

Capillary Refill using Augmented Reality

OpenAIRE

Clausen, Christoffer

2017-01-01

Master's thesis in Computer science The opportunities within augmented reality is growing. Augmented reality is a combination of the real and the virtual world in real time, and large companies like Microsoft and Google is now investing heavily in the technology. This thesis presents a solution for simulating a medical test called capillary refill, by using augmented reality. The simulation is performed with an augmented reality headset called HoloLens. The HoloLens will recognise a mark...

Information-reality complementarity: The role of measurements and quantum reference frames

Science.gov (United States)

Dieguez, P. R.; Angelo, R. M.

2018-02-01

Recently, a measure has been put forward which allows for the quantification of the degree of reality of an observable for a given preparation [Bilobran and Angelo, Europhys. Lett. 112, 40005 (2015), 10.1209/0295-5075/112/40005]. Here we employ this quantifier to establish, on formal grounds, relations among the concepts of measurement, information, and physical reality. After introducing mathematical objects that unify weak and projective measurements, we study scenarios showing that an arbitrary-intensity unrevealed measurement of a given observable generally leads to an increase of its reality and also of its incompatible observables. We derive a complementarity relation connecting an amount of information associated with the apparatus with the degree of irreality of the monitored observable. Specifically for pure states, we show that the entanglement with the apparatus precisely determines the amount by which the reality of the monitored observable increases. We also point out some mechanisms whereby the irreality of an observable can be generated. Finally, using the aforementioned tools, we construct a consistent picture to address the measurement problem.

Why we stay with our social partners: Neural mechanisms of stay/leave decision-making.

Science.gov (United States)

Heijne, Amber; Rossi, Filippo; Sanfey, Alan G

2017-09-03

How do we decide to keep interacting (e.g., stay) with a social partner or to switch (e.g., leave) to another? This paper investigated the neural mechanisms of stay/leave decision-making. We hypothesized that these decisions fit within a framework of value-based decision-making, and explored four potential mechanisms underlying a hypothesized bias to stay. Twenty-six participants underwent functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) while completing social and nonsocial versions of a stay/leave decision-making task. On each trial, participants chose between four alternative options, after which they received a monetary reward. Crucially, in the social condition, reward magnitude was ostensibly determined by the generosity of social partners, whereas in the nonsocial condition, reward amounts were ostensibly determined in a pre-programmed manner. Results demonstrated that participants were more likely to stay with options of relatively high expected value, with these values updated through Reinforcement Learning mechanisms and represented neurally within ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Moreover, we demonstrated that greater brain activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex, caudate nucleus, and septo-hypothalamic regions for social versus nonsocial decisions to stay may underlie a bias towards staying with social partners in particular. These findings complement existing social psychological theories by investigating the neural mechanisms of actual stay/leave decisions.

Chica da Silva: Myth and Reality in an Extreme Case of Social Mobility

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Maria Angélica Alves Pereira

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The story of Chica da Silva, a well-known historical figure in Brazil's popular culture, is examined, contrasting existing public records with myths about her life in Tijuco, the small town that became the world's center of diamond explotation in the XVIII century. Through her union with the King of Portugal's overseer of diamond extraction, this former slave gained access to a life of luxury and power far beyond that of other women of similar origins. Chica built a stable family, participated in religious organizations in her community, learned to write, and even supported artistic activities; while both written sources and many oral traditions depict her cruelty and promiscuity, these are contradicted by evidence of her social acceptance by the white elite and slaves alike. Myths can be best understood as diffuse but pervasive mechanisms of social control. Chica's trajectory remains a significant example of the power of individuals who believe in their own worth and ability to affect social change by altering expected patterns of superior/subordinate relationships.

Psychosocial Mechanisms Linking the Social Environment to Mental Health in African Americans.

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Scherezade K Mama

Full Text Available Resource-poor social environments predict poor health, but the mechanisms and processes linking the social environment to psychological health and well-being remain unclear. This study explored psychosocial mediators of the association between the social environment and mental health in African American adults. African American men and women (n = 1467 completed questionnaires on the social environment, psychosocial factors (stress, depressive symptoms, and racial discrimination, and mental health. Multiple-mediator models were used to assess direct and indirect effects of the social environment on mental health. Low social status in the community (p < .001 and U.S. (p < .001 and low social support (p < .001 were associated with poor mental health. Psychosocial factors significantly jointly mediated the relationship between the social environment and mental health in multiple-mediator models. Low social status and social support were associated with greater perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and perceived racial discrimination, which were associated with poor mental health. Results suggest the relationship between the social environment and mental health is mediated by psychosocial factors and revealed potential mechanisms through which social status and social support influence the mental health of African American men and women. Findings from this study provide insight into the differential effects of stress, depression and discrimination on mental health. Ecological approaches that aim to improve the social environment and psychosocial mediators may enhance health-related quality of life and reduce health disparities in African Americans.

Immersive Virtual Reality for Pediatric Pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Won, Andrea Stevenson; Bailey, Jakki; Bailenson, Jeremy; Tataru, Christine; Yoon, Isabel A; Golianu, Brenda

2017-06-23

Children must often endure painful procedures as part of their treatment for various medical conditions. Those with chronic pain endure frequent or constant discomfort in their daily lives, sometimes severely limiting their physical capacities. With the advent of affordable consumer-grade equipment, clinicians have access to a promising and engaging intervention for pediatric pain, both acute and chronic. In addition to providing relief from acute and procedural pain, virtual reality (VR) may also help to provide a corrective psychological and physiological environment to facilitate rehabilitation for pediatric patients suffering from chronic pain. The special qualities of VR such as presence, interactivity, customization, social interaction, and embodiment allow it to be accepted by children and adolescents and incorporated successfully into their existing medical therapies. However, the powerful and transformative nature of many VR experiences may also pose some risks and should be utilized with caution. In this paper, we review recent literature in pediatric virtual reality for procedural pain and anxiety, acute and chronic pain, and some rehabilitation applications. We also discuss the practical considerations of using VR in pediatric care, and offer specific suggestions and information for clinicians wishing to adopt these engaging therapies into their daily clinical practice.

Communication in the age of virtual reality

CERN Document Server

Biocca, Frank

2013-01-01

This volume addresses virtual reality (VR) -- a tantalizing communication medium whose essence challenges our most deeply held notions of what communication is or can be. The editors have gathered an expert team of engineers, social scientists, and cultural theorists for the first extensive treatment of human communication in this exciting medium. The first part introduces the reader to VR's state-of-the-art as well as future trends. In the next section, leading research scientists discuss how knowledge of communication can be used to build more effective and exciting communication applicati

Moving from Virtual Reality Exposure-Based Therapy to Augmented Reality Exposure-Based Therapy: A Review

OpenAIRE

Baus, Oliver; Bouchard, Stéphane

2014-01-01

This paper reviews the move from virtual reality exposure-based therapy to augmented reality exposure-based therapy (ARET). Unlike virtual reality (VR), which entails a complete virtual environment (VE), augmented reality (AR) limits itself to producing certain virtual elements to then merge them into the view of the physical world. Although, the general public may only have become aware of AR in the last few years, AR type applications have been around since beginning of the twentieth centur...

Decoding reality the universe as quantum information

CERN Document Server

Vedral, Vlatko

2010-01-01

In Decoding Reality, Vlatko Vedral offers a mind-stretching look at the deepest questions about the universe--where everything comes from, why things are as they are, what everything is. The most fundamental definition of reality is not matter or energy, he writes, but information--and it is the processing of information that lies at the root of all physical, biological, economic, and social phenomena. This view allows Vedral to address a host of seemingly unrelated questions: Why does DNA bind like it does? What is the ideal diet for longevity? How do you make your first million dollars? We can unify all through the understanding that everything consists of bits of information, he writes, though that raises the question of where these bits come from. To find the answer, he takes us on a guided tour through the bizarre realm of quantum physics. At this sub-sub-subatomic level, we find such things as the interaction of separated quantum particles--what Einstein called "spooky action at a distance." In fact, V...

Challenges to Social Work research: from academic education to professional practice

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Aglair Alencar Setubal

2007-05-01

Full Text Available The reflections contained in this essay seek to the call attention of professionals, professors and students of Social Work to the importance of research in the various contexts of activity in this field, despite the challenges and difficulties presented in its realization. It offers possibilities for conducting research from a critical professional intervention, in keeping with the concrete reality - the context of professional practice. It also highlights the importance for the preparation of a history of Social Work based on theoretical-methodological postures that consider the wealth, complexity and essence of reality, breaking with the 'pseudoconcreticity', with the utilitarian, manipulative praxis that is constructed in the dimension of a 'common consciousness'. Despite the importance attributed to research, it sought to avoid separating it from human-social reality, given that it is in this context that research acquires meaning, becomes accepted and considers the needs of Social Work as a historic profession.

Authoring Immersive Mixed Reality Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Misker, Jan M. V.; van der Ster, Jelle

Creating a mixed reality experience is a complicated endeavour. From our practice as a media lab in the artistic domain we found that engineering is “only” a first step in creating a mixed reality experience. Designing the appearance and directing the user experience are equally important for creating an engaging, immersive experience. We found that mixed reality artworks provide a very good test bed for studying these topics. This chapter details three steps required for authoring mixed reality experiences: engineering, designing and directing. We will describe a platform (VGE) for creating mixed reality environments that incorporates these steps. A case study (EI4) is presented in which this platform was used to not only engineer the system, but in which an artist was given the freedom to explore the artistic merits of mixed reality as an artistic medium, which involved areas such as the look and feel, multimodal experience and interaction, immersion as a subjective emotion and game play scenarios.

Education in the Knowledge Society: Genesis of Concept and Reality

Science.gov (United States)

Karpov, Alexander O.

2016-01-01

The aim of the article is to define the content of theoretical ideas about education in the knowledge society in terms of the birth of its social reality. It is shown that the genesis of the concept of education in the knowledge society goes back to the period of 1950-1960s and is due to the emergence of new qualities of an industrial worker that…

Social Community: A Mechanism to Explain the Success of STEM Minority Mentoring Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Mondisa, Joi-Lynn; McComb, Sara A.

2015-01-01

Social community may be a mechanism that explains the success of minority mentoring programs. We define a social community as an environment where like-minded individuals engage in dynamic, multidirectional interactions that facilitate social support. In this conceptual article, we propose a social community model for science, technology,…

Virtual reality for freely moving animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Stowers, John R; Hofbauer, Maximilian; Bastien, Renaud; Griessner, Johannes; Higgins, Peter; Farooqui, Sarfarazhussain; Fischer, Ruth M; Nowikovsky, Karin; Haubensak, Wulf; Couzin, Iain D; Tessmar-Raible, Kristin; Straw, Andrew D

2017-10-01

Standard animal behavior paradigms incompletely mimic nature and thus limit our understanding of behavior and brain function. Virtual reality (VR) can help, but it poses challenges. Typical VR systems require movement restrictions but disrupt sensorimotor experience, causing neuronal and behavioral alterations. We report the development of FreemoVR, a VR system for freely moving animals. We validate immersive VR for mice, flies, and zebrafish. FreemoVR allows instant, disruption-free environmental reconfigurations and interactions between real organisms and computer-controlled agents. Using the FreemoVR platform, we established a height-aversion assay in mice and studied visuomotor effects in Drosophila and zebrafish. Furthermore, by photorealistically mimicking zebrafish we discovered that effective social influence depends on a prospective leader balancing its internally preferred directional choice with social interaction. FreemoVR technology facilitates detailed investigations into neural function and behavior through the precise manipulation of sensorimotor feedback loops in unrestrained animals.

Virtual Reality in the Classroom.

Science.gov (United States)

Pantelidis, Veronica S.

1993-01-01

Considers the concept of virtual reality; reviews its history; describes general uses of virtual reality, including entertainment, medicine, and design applications; discusses classroom uses of virtual reality, including a software program called Virtus WalkThrough for use with a computer monitor; and suggests future possibilities. (34 references)…

AR DOC: Augmented reality documentaries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vistisen, Peter

2014-01-01

Augmented Reality Documentaries (AR DOC) er et ’lille’ Shareplay projekt (ansøgte midler augmented reality cross media løsninger, til at skabe engagerende publikumsformidling...... indenfor oplevelsesindustrien. Projektet har genereret ny viden omkring, hvordan fysisk og digital formidling kan understøttes via Augmented Reality som formidlingsformat....

Augmented reality in neurosurgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Tagaytayan, Raniel; Kelemen, Arpad; Sik-Lanyi, Cecilia

2018-04-01

Neurosurgery is a medical specialty that relies heavily on imaging. The use of computed tomography and magnetic resonance images during preoperative planning and intraoperative surgical navigation is vital to the success of the surgery and positive patient outcome. Augmented reality application in neurosurgery has the potential to revolutionize and change the way neurosurgeons plan and perform surgical procedures in the future. Augmented reality technology is currently commercially available for neurosurgery for simulation and training. However, the use of augmented reality in the clinical setting is still in its infancy. Researchers are now testing augmented reality system prototypes to determine and address the barriers and limitations of the technology before it can be widely accepted and used in the clinical setting.

Virtual reality concepts and technologies

CERN Document Server

Fuchs, Philippe

2011-01-01

A manual for both designers and users, comprehensively presenting the current state of experts' knowledge on virtual reality (VR) in computer science, mechanics, optics, acoustics, physiology, psychology, ergonomics, ethics, and related area. Designed as a reference book and design guide to help the reader develop a VR project, it presents the reader with the importance of the user's needs and various aspects of the human computer interface (HCI). It further treats technical aspects of VR, hardware and software implementations, and details on the sensory and psycho-sensory interfaces. Providin

Fra onlinefællesskaber til onlinenetværk: Facebook som augmentering af den sociale virkelighed [From online communities to online networks: Facebook as an augmentation of social reality] Fra onlinefællesskaber til onlinenetværk: Facebook som augmentering af den sociale virkelighed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jakob Linaa Jensen

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Denne artikel diskuterer Facebook-fænomenet som et symptom på, at sociale anvendelser af nettet bevæger sig fællesskabsorienterede til netværksorienterede. Hvor man i nettets tidlige år ofte brugte nettet til at møde nye mennesker med samme interesser eller holdninger som én selv, er det i dag mere udbredt at skabe og vedligeholde forbindelser med ens eksisterende sociale netværk. Det vises også i artiklen, hvordan Facebooks succes blandt andet kan tilskrives, at det for brugerne opfylder fem funktioner, som man tidligere skulle benytte sig af en række forskellige tjenester for at varetage: selvfremstilling, venskab, objektdeling, publicering og det, jeg vil kalde ”sjette sans”. Herigennem bidrager Facebook til at forstærke eksisterende sociale relationer, det jeg kalder en augmentering af den sociale virkelighed.This article discusses the Facebook phenomenon, using it as an example of how the most dominant social use of the Internet today is network-based rather than community-based. In the early years of the Internet, online communities were popular fora for meeting new people with related interests or opinions. Today, the dominant social use is to create and maintain relationships with your existing social network. It is also demonstrated that the success of Facebook, is dependent, among other factors, upon the fulfilment of five social functions for the users: self-presentation, friendship, object sharing, publication, and having a “sixth sense”. Thus, Facebook contributes to an enhancement of existing social relationships offline, what I call an augmentation of social reality.

Value Creation Mechanism of Social Enterprises in Manufacturing Industry: Empirical Evidence from Korea

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Hosung Son

2017-12-01

Full Text Available A variety of social enterprises (SEs have recently emerged in many different countries in an effort to resolve diverse social problems. However, the value creation mechanism of SEs has not yet been disclosed. The purpose of this study is to reveal the value creation mechanism of SEs in manufacturing industry. To do so, we verify the role of social entrepreneurship and examine the effects of product innovation attributes and social capital on social value creation and financial performance by using structural equation modelling. Then, we conduct interviews with six experts in SE fields. According to the results of empirical study, the social entrepreneurship works as an antecedent of product innovation and social capital in SEs and the degrees of products’ simplicity, usability and standardization positively affect the social value creation of SEs. In addition, the social value creation works as a complete mediator between the product innovation of SEs and their financial performance. The interviews suggest policy implications for successful social value creation and sustainability of SEs. This research contributes towards further studies on innovation of SEs and provides social entrepreneurs with guidelines in planning their innovation strategy or developing their products.

Rorty and contemporary social theory

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Prodanović Srđan

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to show certain aspects of Rorty’s philosophy that are relevant to social theory, and also to point out the most important divergences of Rorty’s insights from postmodern understanding of social reality. Therefore, in the first part of the paper I will examine both Rorty’s philosophy of edification and all relevant criticisms to his view of philosophy “as a communication of mankind”. Furthermore, I will try to establish to which extent Rorty’s understanding of contingency and its implications really falls close to postmodern thought. I will also argue that the impossibility of philosophical justification of social reality, according to Rorty, does not entail impossibility of moral progress and that the role of social theory is actually in raising the level of inclusion of social interaction and in providing social hope. Moreover, it will be shown that Rorty, unlike Foucault and Derrida, thought that the institutions of Western democracy and liberalism are quite capable to achieve these goals and that accomplishment of this liberal utopia greatly depends on the degree of commitment to moral progress that all actors (writers, social scientists and philosophers within the cultural field share.

Dynamic Eye gaze and its Potential in Virtual Reality Based Applications for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Lahiri, Uttama; Trewyn, Adam; Warren, Zachary; Sarkar, Nilanjan

2011-01-01

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder are often characterized by deficits in social communication skills. While evidence suggests that intensive individualized interventions can improve aspects of core deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder, at present numerous potent barriers exist related to accessing and implementing such interventions. Researchers are increasingly employing technology to develop more accessible, quantifiable, and individualized intervention tools to address core vulnerabilities related to autism. The present study describes the development and preliminary application of a Virtual Reality technology aimed at facilitating improvements in social communication skills for adolescents with autism. We present preliminary data from the usability study of this technological application for six adolescents with autism and discuss potential future development and application of adaptive Virtual Reality technology within an intervention framework.

Gender, Marginalisation and Social Exclusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

D. Munk, Martin

The paper is focused on the fact that marginalisation and social exclusion are gender-related in the EU. Even when boys and girls experience the same kinds of strain and social inheritance, they react socially different. Likewise women and men are marginalised in different ways. The differing...... access to the five ressources: cultural, financial, mental, social and powerrelated resources is highlighted. It is demonstrated how gender involves living in different realities, and requires different solutions to create equal possibilities....

Virtual reality - aesthetic consequences

OpenAIRE

Benda, Lubor

2014-01-01

In the present work we study aesthetic consequences of virtual reality. Exploring the fringe between fictional and virtual is one of the key goals, that will be achieved through etymologic and technologic definition of both fiction and virtual reality, fictional and virtual worlds. Both fiction and virtual reality will be then studied from aesthetic distance and aesthetic pleasure point of view. At the end, we will see the main difference as well as an common grounds between fiction and virtu...

Body Space in Social Interactions: A Comparison of Reaching and Comfort Distance in Immersive Virtual Reality

Science.gov (United States)

Iachini, Tina; Coello, Yann; Frassinetti, Francesca; Ruggiero, Gennaro

2014-01-01

Background Do peripersonal space for acting on objects and interpersonal space for interacting with con-specifics share common mechanisms and reflect the social valence of stimuli? To answer this question, we investigated whether these spaces refer to a similar or different physical distance. Methodology Participants provided reachability-distance (for potential action) and comfort-distance (for social processing) judgments towards human and non-human virtual stimuli while standing still (passive) or walking toward stimuli (active). Principal Findings Comfort-distance was larger than other conditions when participants were passive, but reachability and comfort distances were similar when participants were active. Both spaces were modulated by the social valence of stimuli (reduction with virtual females vs males, expansion with cylinder vs robot) and the gender of participants. Conclusions These findings reveal that peripersonal reaching and interpersonal comfort spaces share a common motor nature and are sensitive, at different degrees, to social modulation. Therefore, social processing seems embodied and grounded in the body acting in space. PMID:25405344

Public Perceptions Regarding Use of Virtual Reality in Health Care: A Social Media Content Analysis Using Facebook.

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, Michelle Sophie; Park, Hannah J; Cunningham, Maria Elena; Fouladian, Joshua Eleazar; Chen, Michelle; Spiegel, Brennan Mason Ross

2017-12-19

Virtual reality (VR) technology provides an immersive environment that enables users to have modified experiences of reality. VR is increasingly used to manage patients with pain, disability, obesity, neurologic dysfunction, anxiety, and depression. However, public opinion regarding the use of VR in health care has not been explored. Understanding public opinion of VR is critical to ensuring effective implementation of this emerging technology. This study aimed to examine public opinion about health care VR using social listening, a method that allows for the exploration of unfiltered views of topics discussed on social media and online forums. In March 2016, NBC News produced a video depicting the use of VR for patient care. The video was repackaged by NowThis, a social media news website, and distributed on Facebook by Upworthy, a news aggregator, yielding 4.3 million views and 2401 comments. We used Microsoft Excel Power Query and ATLAS.ti software (version 7.5, Scientific Software Development) to analyze the comments using content analysis and categorized the comments around first-, second-, and third-order concepts. We determined self-identified gender from the user's Facebook page and performed sentiment analysis of the language to analyze whether the perception of VR differed by gender using a Pearson's chi-square test. Out of the 1614 analyzable comments, 1021 (63.26%) were attributed to female Facebook users, 572 (35.44%) to male users, and 21 (1.30%) to users of unknown gender. There were 1197 comments coded as expressing a positive perception about VR (74.16%), 251 coded as expressing a negative perception and/or concern (15.56%), and 560 coded as neutral (34.70%). Informants identified 20 use cases for VR in health care, including the use of VR for pain and stress reduction; bed-bound individuals; women during labor; and patients undergoing chemotherapy, dialysis, radiation, or imaging procedures. Negative comments expressed concerns about radiation

3D augmented reality for improving social acceptance and public participation in wind farms planning

Science.gov (United States)

Grassi, S.; Klein, T. M.

2016-09-01

Wind energy is one of the most important source of renewable energy characterized by a significant growth in the last decades and giving a more and more relevant contribution to the energy supply. One of the main disadvantages of a faster integration of wind energy into the energy mix is related to the visual impact of wind turbines on the landscape. In addition, the siting of new massive infrastructures has the potential to threaten a community's well-being if new projects are perceived being unfair. The public perception of the impact of wind turbines on the landscape is also crucial for their acceptance. The implementation of wind energy projects is hampered often because of a lack of planning or communication tools enabling a more transparent and efficient interaction between all stakeholders involved in the projects (i.e. developers, local communities and administrations, NGOs, etc.). Concerning the visual assessment of wind farms, a critical gap lies in effective visualization tools to improve the public perception of alternative wind turbines layouts. In this paper, we describe the advantages of a 3D dynamical and interactive visualization platform for an augmented reality to support wind energy planners in order to enhance the social acceptance of new wind energy projects.

Sustainable Decision-Making: Non-Monetary Incentives for Pro-Social Behavior in the Energy Sector

OpenAIRE

S. Rosenkranz; K.S. Muehlfeld; G. van der Laan; G.U. Weitzel; J. van der Donk; H. Ivanova; E.J. van Kesteren; M. Ottink; H. van der Spek

2013-01-01

Taking into account insights into the reality of human decision-making, is an important challenge for today’s policymakers. Are there `cheaper´, more efficient and possibly as well more effective, non-financial ways of influencing the behaviour of private and corporate citizens, nudging them towards socially desired choices, for example, in the domain of energy consumption? Can such mechanisms complement or substitute for monetary incentives in fostering sustainable decision-making in poli...

Socially sanctioned coercion mechanisms for addiction treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Nace, Edgar P; Birkmayer, Florian; Sullivan, Maria A; Galanter, Marc; Fromson, John A; Frances, Richard J; Levin, Frances R; Lewis, Collins; Suchinsky, Richard T; Tamerin, John S; Westermeyer, Joseph

2007-01-01

Coercion as a strategy for treatment of addiction is an effective but often negatively perceived approach. The authors review current policies for involuntary commitments and explore coercive dimensions of treating alcohol and drug dependence in the workplace, sports, and through professional licensure. Gender-specific issues in coercion are considered, including evidence for improved treatment retention among pregnant and parenting women coerced via the criminal justice system. Social security disability benefits represent an area where an opportunity for constructive coercion was missed in the treatment of primary or comorbid substance use disorders. The availability of third-party funding for the voluntary treatment of individuals with substance use disorders has decreased. This unmet need, coupled with the evidence for positive clinical outcomes, highlights the call for implementing socially sanctioned mechanisms of coercion.

A study of Generation Z’s involvement in virtual reality

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Puchkova E.B.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Background. This study analyzes the characteristics of modern teenagers’ involvement in virtual reality (VR. It also examines various approaches to VR in Russian science. In the current study the concept of virtual reality is defined as a particular informational environment in which a person can exist and develop. It is created by a special class of technical systems, formed on the basis of computer hypertext technology, and has a number of social and psychological characteristics. We pay special attention to the significance of virtual space for generation Z (according to the William Strauss and Neil Howe generational theory. The main factor determining the unique psychological features of the generation Z is its active involvement in virtual reality from the moment of birth. Involvement in a virtual reality is measurable by a teenager’s activity on the Internet. Objective. Our study set out to determine the level of Russian generation Z’s involvement in virtual reality. Design. We analyzed the results of a survey conducted among Moscow adolescents using multivariate profiles. Two hundred fifty-four teenagers 12-14 years old were interviewed during the study. Results and conclusion. Analysis of the data revealed the following: Modern teenagers are involved in VR with varying degrees of depth; their main type of activity on the Internet is searching for educational information and news; and no significant differences by gender in the purposes of using the Internet were found. However, it was also determined that girls’ activity in VR is more related to communication and interpersonal interaction, even though it’s indirect via the Internet, while boys prefer the “gaming” possibilities of VR; that teenagers are rather critical of the information they obtain by the Internet, and that their level of trust in the online information is low. The same trend is evident in the fact that students prefer not to make new friends in virtual

The Social Dynamics of the Peter Principle

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P. Fiedor

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper the author presents a critique of the recent computational studies looking at efficient promotion strategies in hierarchical organisations [1, 2], and presents his own study, more applicable for socio-economic systems. While previous research based on the Peter Principle [3] is an interesting and fresh (though grounds have been laid by [4] view on the problem of organisational efficiency, they do lack psychological and sociological basis so important in social sciences [5, 6]. Therefore the advice saying that it may be beneficial to promote worst employees or employees at random is not based on sound methodological grounds of social sciences [7]. In this paper two mechanisms are introduced to the model proposed by [1], which bring the computational study closer to real life organisations, rendering the analysis more enlightening for them and their strategies. The first introduces social dynamics allowing agents to conform to the perceived expectations of the organisation, and the latter frees the model from univariate analysis of the competence of an agent together with the crude mechanisms for its propagation between positions, exchanging it for multivariate analysis with mechanism based on the classic research by Henri Fayol [8]. The results of these simulations allow the author to conclude that despite the fact that Peter was right in principle; in real organisations the best way to promote employees is to choose the best employees, which is in agreement with the reality of most organisations [9]. The paper underlines the need to use the methodology of social science in econophysics.

A Southern perspective for a social movements´ analysis

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Lorena Camacho De la O

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This article establishes a reflection around Boaventura de Sousa Santos thought related to the reality`s social study. The focus is an implementation exercise of some of his categories linked to the social movements’ analysis via a particular case. With this in mind, it pretends to direct the analysis to the social movements (or people in motion as an indigenous claim discussion, part of the social science’s current debate. A central focus is the contrast of the social movement category with De Sousa`s (2009 proposals of “the sociology of absents”, “the sociology of the emergencies” and the “translation exercise” to reveal the heuristic richness of this thought as an explanation model for actual Costa Rican sociopolitical movements in the contemporaneous systemic social crisis context. Besides, this critical analysis process would help to comprehend the decolonial perspective`s utility and politic potential in particular social contexts studies, for example: Costa Rica.

Virtual realities and education

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Curcio Igor D.D.

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to highlight the state of the art of virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality technologies and their applications in formal education. We also present a selected list of case studies that prove the utility of these technologies in the context of formal education. Furthermore, as byproduct, the mentioned case studies show also that, although the industry is able to develop very advanced virtual environment technologies, their pedagogical implications are strongly related to a well-designed theoretical framework.

Differentiating in-group favoritism from shared reality in intergroup perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Dimdins, Girts; Montgomery, Henry

2004-11-01

Two basic factors influence mutual ratings of social groups: in-group favoritism (related to the evaluative aspects of a rating) and the perception of shared reality (related to the descriptive aspects). In two studies, we examine the usefulness of Peabody's (1968) method of separating evaluative and descriptive aspects of rating in intergroup judgments. In Study 1, Latvian and Russian students made different evaluations of both groups, but the same groups agreed on the descriptive ratings. In Study 2, male and female psychology students rated each other from own, in-group, and out-group perspectives. The participants did not show any in-group favoritism in their own ratings, but they expected their fellow students to be in-group biased. The participants agreed on the descriptive ratings of both groups. The results demonstrate that shared reality influences intergroup ratings, despite differences in evaluations.

Reaalsuse re/presenteerimise strateegiad etenduskunstides / Strategies to Re-(Present Reality in the Performing Arts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anneli Saro

2014-12-01

. Imitating reality outside of the artistic space: performers are disguised as non-performers; their actions and the resulting consequences outside of the theatre. In conclusion, we can claim that theatre practitioners are aware of the inherent illusionism in modern society and the medium of theatre as well as the shattering of authenticity. And, thus, they attempt to represent and perceive the intrinsic elements of reality. The globalized world contains a lot of different realities and viewpoints and it is the obligation of the artist to deal with the (re-presentation of the realities that go unrepresented by the media and social consciousness. In a shattered and alienated world, the need to find contact with reality increases. This need is alleviated by the artistic (re-presentation of reality, which allows us to find common ground or a point of contact between different worlds and different realities, alleviated, in turn, by artistic communication.

Virtual Reality Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for Public Speaking Anxiety: One-Year Follow-up

Science.gov (United States)

Safir, Marilyn P.; Wallach, Helene S.; Bar-Zvi, Margalit

2012-01-01

Public speaking anxiety (PSA) is a common social phobia. Although cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) is the treatment of choice, difficulties arise with both in vivo and in vitro exposure (lack of therapist control, patient's inability to imagine, self-flooding, and a lack of confidentiality resulting from public exposure). Virtual reality CBT…

A hitchhiker's guide to virtual reality

CERN Document Server

McMenemy , Karen

2007-01-01

A Hitchhiker's Guide to Virtual Reality brings together under one cover all the aspects of graphics, video, audio, and haptics that have to work together to make virtual reality a reality. Like any good guide, it reveals the practical things you need to know, from the viewpoint of authors who have been there. This two-part guide covers the science, technology, and mathematics of virtual reality and then details its practical implementation. The first part looks at how the interface between human senses and technology works to create virtual reality, with a focus on vision, the most important s

Art in virtual reality 2010

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Ben

2010-01-01

For decades, virtual reality artwork has existed in a small but highly influential niche in the world of electronic and new media art. Since the early 1990's, virtual reality installations have come to define an extreme boundary point of both aesthetic experience and technological sophistication. Classic virtual reality artworks have an almost mythological stature - powerful, exotic, and often rarely exhibited. Today, art in virtual environments continues to evolve and mature, encompassing everything from fully immersive CAVE experiences to performance art in Second Life to the use of augmented and mixed reality in public space. Art in Virtual Reality 2010 is a public exhibition of new artwork that showcases the diverse ways that contemporary artists use virtual environments to explore new aesthetic ground and investigate the continually evolving relationship between our selves and our virtual worlds.

Methylphenidate and Atomoxetine Inhibit Social Play Behavior through Prefrontal and Subcortical Limbic Mechanisms in Rats

Science.gov (United States)

Achterberg, E.J. Marijke; van Kerkhof, Linda W.M.; Damsteegt, Ruth; Trezza, Viviana

2015-01-01

Positive social interactions during the juvenile and adolescent phases of life, in the form of social play behavior, are important for social and cognitive development. However, the neural mechanisms of social play behavior remain incompletely understood. We have previously shown that methylphenidate and atomoxetine, drugs widely used for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), suppress social play in rats through a noradrenergic mechanism of action. Here, we aimed to identify the neural substrates of the play-suppressant effects of these drugs. Methylphenidate is thought to exert its effects on cognition and emotion through limbic corticostriatal systems. Therefore, methylphenidate was infused into prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortical regions as well as into several subcortical limbic areas implicated in social play. Infusion of methylphenidate into the anterior cingulate cortex, infralimbic cortex, basolateral amygdala, and habenula inhibited social play, but not social exploratory behavior or locomotor activity. Consistent with a noradrenergic mechanism of action of methylphenidate, infusion of the noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor atomoxetine into these same regions also reduced social play. Methylphenidate administration into the prelimbic, medial/ventral orbitofrontal, and ventrolateral orbitofrontal cortex, mediodorsal thalamus, or nucleus accumbens shell was ineffective. Our data show that the inhibitory effects of methylphenidate and atomoxetine on social play are mediated through a distributed network of prefrontal and limbic subcortical regions implicated in cognitive control and emotional processes. These findings increase our understanding of the neural underpinnings of this developmentally important social behavior, as well as the mechanism of action of two widely used treatments for ADHD. PMID:25568111

Profiles of social networking sites users in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Constantinides, Efthymios; Alarcón del Amo, Maria del Carmen; Lorenzo Romero, Carlota

2010-01-01

Online social networking has become a reality and integral part of the daily personal, social and business life. The extraordinary increase of the user numbers of Social Networking Sites (SNS) and the rampant creation of online communities presents businesses with many challenges and opportunities.

Use of Augmented Reality in Education

OpenAIRE

Jeřábek, Tomáš

2014-01-01

This thesis deals with phenomena of augmented reality in context of didactics. The thesis aims to define augmented reality in conceptual and content area and focuses on augmented reality in the structure of educational tools and identification of its functions and use from the didactical standpoint. The thesis characterizes augmented reality as a specific technological-perceptual concept and establishes a system of perceptual, technological and resulting aspects that reflect important paramet...

Thermodynamics in 'Manifest Reality'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hankey, Alex

2010-01-01

D'Espagnat's proof that the universe is not a 'strongly objective reality' demands that all physical processes are reconsidered in that light. D'Espagnat suggests a 'Veiled Reality' as a suitable alternative. The most economical way to achieve that is to demand that 'information production' at a quantum level creates the basis for self-consistent perception of a world of macroscopic, 'manifest' entities, as opposed to self-existent objects. Such a 'manifest reality' fulfils both Wheeler's attempt at an 'IT-from-BIT' programme, and Zeilinger's suggestion that 'information is primary'.

ASSESSMENT OF EFFICIENCY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF INFLUENCE IN SOCIAL ADVERTISING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatiyana B. Kolyshkina

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The main aim of the research is to estimate the efficiency of psychological influence mechanisms in social advertising. Numerous psychological, sociological, culturological studies, devoted to this issue, do not answer the question which mechanisms will be efficient and will lead to the expected reaction of a recipient. The correlation between the psychological influence methods and the goals set by the creators is especially important for social advertising, because its efficiency can’t be measured by economic indicators as it occurs in commercial advertising. In addition, it should be remembered that for guaranteeing of efficiency in this kind of advertising one need to take into account such special features of a recipient as their beliefs and sets. The study concentrates on the comparison of psychological influence mechanisms, used in World Wildlife Fund (WWF social advertising. Its creators use a great number of methods. But as practice shows us by no means all of them lead to the planned results. The study justifies, that the efficiency of advertising influence should be estimated by such indicators as the willingness of a recipient to take part in WWF programs (conative component and their emotional response (affective component. Consequently, it has been established that the behaviour of a recipient does not depend on a chosen creative strategy’s type, which is used by the creators. The willingness of a recipient to take part in the programs, advertised by WWF, is estimated by the content of their social and psychological sets (attitudes. The displayed results prove that one need to refuse a cruel and shocking way of advertising, which causes people’s negative emotions. It is corroborated by experiments that social advertising which defends wild nature can be efficient on condition that it gives a recipient an opportunity to actualize their own social and psychological sets.

Presence in Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy Systems

OpenAIRE

Ling, Y.

2014-01-01

Experiencing anxiety is essential for virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) to be effective in curing patients suffering from anxiety disorders. However, some patients drop out in VRET due to the lack of feeling anxiety. Presence - which refers to the feeling of being in the virtual environment - has been considered an important mechanism that leads to the experience of anxiety. Therefore, understanding the relationship between presence and anxiety and finding ways to improve presence in VR...

Reality Check: How Reality Television Can Affect Youth and How a Media Literacy Curriculum Can Help.

Science.gov (United States)

Peek, Holly S; Beresin, Eugene

2016-02-01

For the past decade, reality television programming has dominated the television market while inherently giving the impression that what occurs on the screen is in fact reality. Although mature audiences may be savvy about the differences between reality and reality television, for children and adolescents, these differences can be less clear. It is important to know what values youth are ascertaining from reality television, as studies have suggested that these media images may have a negative impact on adolescent values. Fortunately, media literacy education has shown promising results in counteracting the negative impact of some television programming. The goals of this paper are to show the potential benefits for the development of a media literacy curriculum for psychiatry residents, including critical media literacy skills, media history taking, and counseling concepts. Our hopes are that trained residents may learn to effectively teach these literacy skills to their patients, patients' families, educators, and other health professionals as a preventive measure against potential negative mental health effects of reality television.

Ideology and the self - fulfilling prophecy in conservation and social ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Just as local 'communities' are composed of people with varied social realities, economies, political relations, knowledge, views and perceptions, so are other stakeholder groups. Researchers are not immune to such realities. The subjectivity and epistemological rooting of the researcher impact on what he or she sees in ...

[Virtual + 1] * Reality

Science.gov (United States)

Beckhaus, Steffi

Virtual Reality aims at creating an artificial environment that can be perceived as a substitute to a real setting. Much effort in research and development goes into the creation of virtual environments that in their majority are perceivable only by eyes and hands. The multisensory nature of our perception, however, allows and, arguably, also expects more than that. As long as we are not able to simulate and deliver a fully sensory believable virtual environment to a user, we could make use of the fully sensory, multi-modal nature of real objects to fill in for this deficiency. The idea is to purposefully integrate real artifacts into the application and interaction, instead of dismissing anything real as hindering the virtual experience. The term virtual reality - denoting the goal, not the technology - shifts from a core virtual reality to an “enriched” reality, technologically encompassing both the computer generated and the real, physical artifacts. Together, either simultaneously or in a hybrid way, real and virtual jointly provide stimuli that are perceived by users through their senses and are later formed into an experience by the user's mind.

Virtual reality for dermatologic surgery: virtually a reality in the 21st century.

Science.gov (United States)

Gladstone, H B; Raugi, G J; Berg, D; Berkley, J; Weghorst, S; Ganter, M

2000-01-01

In the 20th century, virtual reality has predominantly played a role in training pilots and in the entertainment industry. Despite much publicity, virtual reality did not live up to its perceived potential. During the past decade, it has also been applied for medical uses, particularly as training simulators, for minimally invasive surgery. Because of advances in computer technology, virtual reality is on the cusp of becoming an effective medical educational tool. At the University of Washington, we are developing a virtual reality soft tissue surgery simulator. Based on fast finite element modeling and using a personal computer, this device can simulate three-dimensional human skin deformations with real-time tactile feedback. Although there are many cutaneous biomechanical challenges to solve, it will eventually provide more realistic dermatologic surgery training for medical students and residents than the currently used models.

How to design compelling Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality experience?

OpenAIRE

Richir , Simon; Fuchs , Philippe; Lourdeaux , Domitile; Millet , Dominique; BUCHE , Cédric; Querrec , Ronan

2015-01-01

International audience; The convergence of technologies currently observed in the field of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, robotics and consumer electronic reinforces the trend of new applications appearing every day. But when transferring knowledge acquired from research to businesses, research laboratories are often at a loss because of a lack of knowledge of the design and integration processes in creating an industrial scale product. In fact, the innovation approaches that take a good...

Two faces of social-psychological realism.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Nicholas Hoover; Huang, Julie Y

2017-01-01

This commentary places Jussim (2012) in dialogue with sociological perspectives on social reality and the political-academic nature of scientific paradigms. Specifically, we highlight how institutions, observers, and what is being observed intersect, and discuss the implications of this intersection on measurement within the social world. We then identify similarities between Jussim's specific narrative regarding social perception research, with noted patterns of scientific change.

Virtual Reality: An Overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Franchi, Jorge

1994-01-01

Highlights of this overview of virtual reality include optics; interface devices; virtual worlds; potential applications, including medicine and archaeology; problems, including costs; current research and development; future possibilities; and a listing of vendors and suppliers of virtual reality products. (Contains 11 references.) (LRW)

Using game engines in mixed reality installations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nakevska, M.; Vos, E.C.; Juarez, Alex; Hu, J.; Langereis, G.R.; Rauterberg, G.W.M.; Anacleto, J.; Fels, S.; Graham, N.; et al., xx

2011-01-01

In a mixed reality installation, a variety of technologies is integrated such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and animated virtual agents and robotic agents. One of the main challenges is how to design and implement a mixed reality installation that integrates a heterogeneous array of sensors

Estrategias publicitarias para jóvenes: advergaming, redes sociales y realidad aumentada/Advertising strategies for young people: Advergaming, social networking and augmented reality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Esther Del Moral Pérez

2016-01-01

Full Text Available El contexto digital condiciona los recursos y estrategias que las marcas utilizan para atraer a los jóvenes, apostando por el entretenimiento, creando formatos híbridos como advergames, aprovechando la interconectividad de las redes sociales y ofreciendo experiencias interactivas con realidad aumentada (RA. Esta investigación cualitativa analiza 9 campañas publicitarias para jóvenes apoyadas en RA, utilizando un instrumento de análisis de contenido que identifica las tácticas persuasivas y recursos empleados. Se resaltan las ventajas de la interacción y “manipulación” virtual con 3D y las amenazas de su potencial inmersivo, capaz de atrapar a los menores e incrementar la asimilación inconsciente de sus mensajes. Finalmente, se enuncian claves para una alfabetización publicitaria que minimice su impacto y les forme para un consumo saludable. The digital environment is conditioning the resources and strategies that brands use to attract young, relying on entertainment, creating hybrid formats like advergames, taking advantage of the interconnectivity of social networks and offering interactive experiences with augmented reality (AR. This qualitative research analyzes 9 advertising campaigns supported by AR, aimed at young people and using a content analysis tool that identifies the persuasive tactics and resources used. The opportunities offered by virtual interaction and "manipulation" with 3D are highlighted, as well as the threats posed by their immersive power, able to catch children and increase the unconscious assimilation of its messages. Finally, some keys for an advertising literacy are presented, aimed at minimizing its impact and promote a healthy consumption.

KioskAR: An Augmented Reality Game as a New Business Model to Present Artworks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoones A. Sekhavat

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the architecture of KioskAR, which is a pervasive game implemented using augmented reality (AR. This game introduces a new business model that makes it possible for players to present their artworks in virtual kiosks using augmented reality, while they are having fun playing the game. In addition to competition between the players in the game, this game requires social interaction between players to earn more points. A user study is conducted to evaluate the sense of presence and the usability of the application. The results of experiments show that KioskAR can achieve a high level of usability as well as sense of presence.

Immersive Virtual Reality for Pediatric Pain

Science.gov (United States)

Won, Andrea Stevenson; Bailey, Jakki; Bailenson, Jeremy; Tataru, Christine; Yoon, Isabel A.; Golianu, Brenda

2017-01-01

Children must often endure painful procedures as part of their treatment for various medical conditions. Those with chronic pain endure frequent or constant discomfort in their daily lives, sometimes severely limiting their physical capacities. With the advent of affordable consumer-grade equipment, clinicians have access to a promising and engaging intervention for pediatric pain, both acute and chronic. In addition to providing relief from acute and procedural pain, virtual reality (VR) may also help to provide a corrective psychological and physiological environment to facilitate rehabilitation for pediatric patients suffering from chronic pain. The special qualities of VR such as presence, interactivity, customization, social interaction, and embodiment allow it to be accepted by children and adolescents and incorporated successfully into their existing medical therapies. However, the powerful and transformative nature of many VR experiences may also pose some risks and should be utilized with caution. In this paper, we review recent literature in pediatric virtual reality for procedural pain and anxiety, acute and chronic pain, and some rehabilitation applications. We also discuss the practical considerations of using VR in pediatric care, and offer specific suggestions and information for clinicians wishing to adopt these engaging therapies into their daily clinical practice. PMID:28644422

Two Innovative Steps for Training on Maintenance: 'VIRMAN' Spanish Project based on Virtual Reality 'STARMATE' European Project based on Augmented Reality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez Anez, Francisco

2002-01-01

This paper presents two development projects (STARMATE and VIRMAN) focused on supporting training on maintenance. Both projects aim at specifying, designing, developing, and demonstrating prototypes allowing computer guided maintenance of complex mechanical elements using Augmented and Virtual Reality techniques. VIRMAN is a Spanish development project. The objective is to create a computer tool for maintenance training course elaborations and training delivery based on 3D virtual reality models of complex components. The training delivery includes 3D record displays on maintenance procedures with all complementary information for intervention understanding. Users are requested to perform the maintenance intervention trying to follow up the procedure. Users can be evaluated about the level of knowledge achieved. Instructors can check the evaluation records left during the training sessions. VIRMAN is simple software supported by a regular computer and can be used in an Internet framework. STARMATE is a forward step in the area of virtual reality. STARMATE is a European Commission project in the frame of 'Information Societies Technologies'. A consortium of five companies and one research institute shares their expertise in this new technology. STARMATE provides two main functionalities (1) user assistance for achieving assembly/de-assembly and following maintenance procedures, and (2) workforce training. The project relies on Augmented Reality techniques, which is a growing area in Virtual Reality research. The idea of Augmented Reality is to combine a real scene, viewed by the user, with a virtual scene, generated by a computer, augmenting the reality with additional information. The user interface is see-through goggles, headphones, microphone and an optical tracking system. All these devices are integrated in a helmet connected with two regular computers. The user has his hands free for performing the maintenance intervention and he can navigate in the virtual

Dreams, reality and memory: confabulations in lucid dreamers implicate reality-monitoring dysfunction in dream consciousness.

Science.gov (United States)

Corlett, P R; Canavan, S V; Nahum, L; Appah, F; Morgan, P T

2014-01-01

Dreams might represent a window on altered states of consciousness with relevance to psychotic experiences, where reality monitoring is impaired. We examined reality monitoring in healthy, non-psychotic individuals with varying degrees of dream awareness using a task designed to assess confabulatory memory errors - a confusion regarding reality whereby information from the past feels falsely familiar and does not constrain current perception appropriately. Confabulatory errors are common following damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Ventromedial function has previously been implicated in dreaming and dream awareness. In a hospital research setting, physically and mentally healthy individuals with high (n = 18) and low (n = 13) self-reported dream awareness completed a computerised cognitive task that involved reality monitoring based on familiarity across a series of task runs. Signal detection theory analysis revealed a more liberal acceptance bias in those with high dream awareness, consistent with the notion of overlap in the perception of dreams, imagination and reality. We discuss the implications of these results for models of reality monitoring and psychosis with a particular focus on the role of vmPFC in default-mode brain function, model-based reinforcement learning and the phenomenology of dreaming and waking consciousness.

A hypothesis on a role of oxytocin in the social mechanisms of speech and vocal learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Theofanopoulou, Constantina; Boeckx, Cedric; Jarvis, Erich D

2017-08-30

Language acquisition in humans and song learning in songbirds naturally happen as a social learning experience, providing an excellent opportunity to reveal social motivation and reward mechanisms that boost sensorimotor learning. Our knowledge about the molecules and circuits that control these social mechanisms for vocal learning and language is limited. Here we propose a hypothesis of a role for oxytocin (OT) in the social motivation and evolution of vocal learning and language. Building upon existing evidence, we suggest specific neural pathways and mechanisms through which OT might modulate vocal learning circuits in specific developmental stages. © 2017 The Authors.

Virtual reality in autism: state of the art.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellani, M; Fornasari, L; Chittaro, L; Brambilla, P

2011-09-01

Autism spectrum disorders are characterized by core deficits with regard to three domains, i.e. social interaction, communication and repetitive or stereotypic behaviour. It is crucial to develop intervention strategies helping individuals with autism, their caregivers and educators in daily life. For this purpose, virtual reality (VR), i.e. a simulation of the real world based on computer graphics, can be useful as it allows instructors and therapists to offer a safe, repeatable and diversifiable environment during learning. This mini review examines studies that have investigated the use of VR in autism.

Mechanisms Fostering Social Entrepreneurship as Potential Instruments for Economic Development: The Eastern Partnership Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Plotnieks Dāvis

2014-10-01

Full Text Available With its plan to assign 600 million euros through the European Neighbourhood Instrument for Eastern Partnership countries, the European Union intended to increase the efficiency of institutions, attenuate social problems, and create an environment that fosters economic growth and human well-being in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. A few scholars have criticized the amount of funding and planned initiatives of the European Neighbourhood Instrument as insufficient and suggested that in order to foster cooperation and support reforms in its Eastern Partnership countries, more action should be taken. In times when European Commission budget is under constraints of consolidation and increase of aid for supporting European Neighbourhood countries is hardly possible, alternative solutions for tempering social problems need to be assessed. Various scientists, philanthropists and entrepreneurs see social entrepreneurship as a tool for solving social problems in a sustainable way where business thinking is being combined with non-profit philosophy. Contrary to government support and intervention for solving social problems, social entrepreneurship is already being used as tool that initially addresses joint needs--solve social problems and create revenue that provides much needed income for sustainable business initiatives. This paper analyzes the concept of social entrepreneurship, examples where social entrepreneurship is solving social problems, and mechanisms that can foster these phenomena. The aim of this paper is to examine different mechanisms of how governments can foster the creation and development of social entrepreneurship. Unique survey data derived from a project examining social entrepreneurship in Europe is used. It is concluded that by adopting mechanisms proven in various developed countries, the Eastern Partnership countries can stimulate social entrepreneurship, thus attenuating social problems and

Gaming with augmented reality interface and quantum dot technology

OpenAIRE

SAYANTAN GUPTA

2017-01-01

In Augmented Reality (AR), interfaces consist of a blend of both real and virtual content. In this paper we examine existing gaming styles played in the real world or on computers. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these mediums within an informal model of gaming experience split into four aspects; physical, mental, social and emotional. We find that their strengths are mostly complementary, and argue that games built in AR can blend them to enhance existing game styles a...

The super-indeterminism in orthodox quantum mechanics does not implicate the reality of experimenter free will

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walleczek, J

2016-01-01

The concept of ‘super-indeterminism’ captures the notion that the free choice assumption of orthodox quantum mechanics necessitates only the following requirement: an agent's free-choice performance in the selection of measurement settings must not represent an exception to the rule of irreducible quantum indeterminism in the physical universe (i.e, “universal indeterminism”). Any additional metaphysical speculation, such as to whether quantum indeterminism, i.e., intrinsic randomness, implicates the reality of experimenter “freedom”, “free will”, or “free choice”, is redundant in relation to the predictive success of orthodox quantum mechanics. Accordingly, super-indeterminism views as redundant also, from a technical standpoint, whether an affirmative or a negative answer is claimed in reference to universal indeterminism as a necessary precondition for experimenter freedom. Super-indeterminism accounts, for example, for the circular reasoning which is implicit in the free will theorem by Conway and Kochen [1,2]. The concept of super-indeterminism is of great assistance in clarifying the often misunderstood meaning of the concept of “free variables” as used by John Bell [3]. The present work argues that Bell sought an operational, effective free will theorem, one based upon the notion of “determinism without predetermination”, i.e., one wherein “free variables” represent universally uncomputable variables. In conclusion, the standard interpretation of quantum theory does not answer, and does not need to answer in order to ensure the predictive success of orthodox theory, the question of whether either incompatibilism or compatibilism is valid in relation to free-will metaphysics and to the free-will phenomenology of experimenter agents in quantum mechanics. (paper)

Design and evaluation of a virtual reality exposure therapy system with automatic free speech interaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ter Heijden, N.; Brinkman, W.P.

2011-01-01

Research on Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) to treat social phobia is not new. Still few studies focus on creating an elaborate conversation between the patient and characters in a virtual environment. This study focuses on techniques to run a semi-scripted conversation between virtual

Exposure to virtual social interactions in the treatment of social anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Kampmann, Isabel L; Emmelkamp, Paul M G; Hartanto, Dwi; Brinkman, Willem-Paul; Zijlstra, Bonne J H; Morina, Nexhmedin

2016-02-01

This randomized controlled trial investigated the efficacy of a stand-alone virtual reality exposure intervention comprising verbal interaction with virtual humans to target heterogeneous social fears in participants with social anxiety disorder. Sixty participants (Mage = 36.9 years; 63.3% women) diagnosed with social anxiety disorder were randomly assigned to individual virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET), individual in vivo exposure therapy (iVET), or waiting-list. Multilevel regression analyses revealed that both treatment groups improved from pre-to postassessment on social anxiety symptoms, speech duration, perceived stress, and avoidant personality disorder related beliefs when compared to the waiting-list. Participants receiving iVET, but not VRET, improved on fear of negative evaluation, speech performance, general anxiety, depression, and quality of life relative to those on waiting-list. The iVET condition was further superior to the VRET condition regarding decreases in social anxiety symptoms at post- and follow-up assessments, and avoidant personality disorder related beliefs at follow-up. At follow-up, all improvements were significant for iVET. For VRET, only the effect for perceived stress was significant. VRET containing extensive verbal interaction without any cognitive components can effectively reduce complaints of generalized social anxiety disorder. Future technological and psychological improvements of virtual social interactions might further enhance the efficacy of VRET for social anxiety disorder. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applied in dentistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Ta-Ko; Yang, Chi-Hsun; Hsieh, Yu-Hsin; Wang, Jen-Chyan; Hung, Chun-Cheng

2018-04-01

The OSCE is a reliable evaluation method to estimate the preclinical examination of dental students. The most ideal assessment for OSCE is used the augmented reality simulator to evaluate. This literature review investigated a recently developed in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) starting of the dental history to the progress of the dental skill. As result of the lacking of technology, it needs to depend on other device increasing the success rate and decreasing the risk of the surgery. The development of tracking unit changed the surgical and educational way. Clinical surgery is based on mature education. VR and AR simultaneously affected the skill of the training lesson and navigation system. Widely, the VR and AR not only applied in the dental training lesson and surgery, but also improved all field in our life. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Taiwan.

The mirror mechanism and mu rhythm in social development.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanderwert, Ross E; Fox, Nathan A; Ferrari, Pier F

2013-04-12

Since the discovery of mirror neurons (MNs) in the monkey there has been a renewed interest in motor theories of cognitive and social development in humans by providing a potential neural mechanism underlying an action observation/execution matching system. It has been proposed that this system plays a fundamental role in the development of complex social and cognitive behaviors such as imitation and action recognition. In this review we discuss what is known about MNs from the work using single-cell recordings in the adult monkey, the evidence for the putative MN system in humans, and the extent to which research using electroencephalography (EEG) methods has contributed to our understanding of the development of these motor systems and their role in the social behaviors postulated by the MN hypothesis. We conclude with directions for future research that will improve our understanding of the putative human MN system and the functional role of MNs in social development. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR practices in Mexico and its relationship with the labor development and workers life quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Vargas-Hernández

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In recent years in Mexico, private and public institutions have implemented mechanisms to encourage companies to adopt practices focused on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR, however, there has been a certain level of disbelief in society about the benefits generated Based on the practices of social responsibility implemented by the companies and especially on the quality of life of the collaborators, so that the analysis is performed, through a descriptive analytical method, that can better describe the phenomenon and detect if in reality The strategies implemented, on the practices of CSR in Mexico.

Virtual reality in mental health : a review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Gregg, Lynsey; Tarrier, Nicholas

2007-05-01

Several virtual reality (VR) applications for the understanding, assessment and treatment of mental health problems have been developed in the last 10 years. The purpose of this review is to outline the current state of virtual reality research in the treatment of mental health problems. PubMed and PsycINFO were searched for all articles containing the words "virtual reality". In addition a manual search of the references contained in the papers resulting from this search was conducted and relevant periodicals were searched. Studies reporting the results of treatment utilizing VR in the mental health field and involving at least one patient were identified. More than 50 studies using VR were identified, the majority of which were case studies. Seventeen employed a between groups design: 4 involved patients with fear of flying; 3 involved patients with fear of heights; 3 involved patients with social phobia/public speaking anxiety; 2 involved people with spider phobia; 2 involved patients with agoraphobia; 2 involved patients with body image disturbance and 1 involved obese patients. There are both advantages in terms of delivery and disadvantages in terms of side effects to using VR. Although virtual reality based therapy appears to be superior to no treatment the effectiveness of VR therapy over traditional therapeutic approaches is not supported by the research currently available. There is a lack of good quality research on the effectiveness of VR therapy. Before clinicians will be able to make effective use of this emerging technology greater emphasis must be placed on controlled trials with clinically identified populations.

MECHANISM OF INTRODUCTION SOCIALLY-RESPONSIBLE MARKETING IN SYSTEM MANAGEMENTS BY TRADE ENTERPRISE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victoria Gladkaya

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In the article the mechanism of introduction of the socially-responsible marketing is offered in control system. At his description an author the specific of activity of trade enterprises is taken into account; the best home and foreign works are investigational in the field of the social marketing; the requirement of relatively compatible approach is observed; possibility of further improvement is taken into account, estimations of quality of every stage of mechanism of introduction and on the whole through establishment of key indicators of quality.

The dynamics of student learning within a high school virtual reality design class

Science.gov (United States)

Morales, Teresa M.

This mixed method study investigated knowledge and skill development of high school students in a project-based VR design class, in which 3-D projects were developed within a student-centered, student-directed environment. This investigation focused on student content learning, and problem solving. Additionally the social dynamics of the class and the role of peer mentoring were examined to determine how these factors influenced student behavior and learning. Finally, parent and teachers perceptions of the influence of the class were examined. The participants included freshmen through senior students, parents, teachers and the high school principal. Student interviews and classroom observations were used to collect data from students, while teachers and parents completed surveys. The results of this study suggested that this application of virtual reality (VR) learning environment promoted the development of; meaningful cognitive experiences, creativity, leadership, global socialization, problem solving and a deeper understanding of academic content. Further theoretical implications for 3-D virtual reality technology are exceedingly promising, and warrant additional research and development as an instructional tool for practical use.

Virtual reality musical instruments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Serafin, Stefania; Erkut, Cumhur; Kojs, Juraj

2016-01-01

The rapid development and availability of low cost technologies has created a wide interest in virtual reality (VR), but how to design and evaluate multisensory interactions in VR remains as a challenge. In this paper, we focus on virtual reality musical instruments, present an overview of our...

Bias or reality? : negative perceptions of ambiguous social cues, social performance and physical arousal in socially anxious youth

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Miers, Anne Claire

2010-01-01

This thesis deals with the negative perceptions of socially anxious youth in three different cognitive domains: (a) interpretation of ambiguous social situations, (b) self-evaluation of social skills and nervous behaviors, and (c) perception of physical arousal during social situations. It also

Virtual Reality and the Virtual Library.

Science.gov (United States)

Oppenheim, Charles

1993-01-01

Explains virtual reality, including proper and improper uses of the term, and suggests ways that libraries might be affected by it. Highlights include elements of virtual reality systems; possible virtual reality applications, including architecture, the chemical industry, transport planning, armed forces, and entertainment; and the virtual…

Augmented Reality for Multi-disciplinary Collaboration

OpenAIRE

Wang, Xiangyu; Rui,

2010-01-01

This chapter presents a framework for multi-disciplinary collaboration. Tangible Augmented Reality has been raised as one of suitable systems for design collaboration. Furthermore, it emphasizes the advantages of Tangible Augmented Reality to illustrate the needs for integrating the Tangible User Interfaces and Augmented Reality Systems.

[Virtual reality in neurosurgery].

Science.gov (United States)

Tronnier, V M; Staubert, A; Bonsanto, M M; Wirtz, C R; Kunze, S

2000-03-01

Virtual reality enables users to immerse themselves in a virtual three-dimensional world and to interact in this world. The simulation is different from the kind in computer games, in which the viewer is active but acts in a nonrealistic world, or on the TV screen, where we are passively driven in an active world. In virtual reality elements look realistic, they change their characteristics and have almost real-world unpredictability. Virtual reality is not only implemented in gambling dens and the entertainment industry but also in manufacturing processes (cars, furniture etc.), military applications and medicine. Especially the last two areas are strongly correlated, because telemedicine or telesurgery was originated for military reasons to operate on war victims from a secure distance or to perform surgery on astronauts in an orbiting space station. In medicine and especially neurosurgery virtual-reality methods are used for education, surgical planning and simulation on a virtual patient.

Augmented Reality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærgaard, Hanne Wacher; Kjeldsen, Lars Peter Bech; Rahn, Annette

2015-01-01

This chapter describes the use of iPad-facilitated application of augmented reality in the teaching of highly complex anatomical and physiological subjects in the training of nurses at undergraduate level. The general aim of the project is to investigate the potentials of this application in terms...... of making the complex content and context of these subjects more approachable to the students through the visualization made possible through the use of this technology. A case study is described in this chapter. Issues and factors required for the sustainable use of the mobile-facilitated application...... of augmented reality are discussed....

Examining the social media in marketing success of the commercial ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Examining the social media in marketing success of the commercial companies. ... media, reality analysis and social media's direct impact on the marketing of commercial companies. ... EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT

Role Socialization Theory: The Sociopolitical Realities of Teaching Physical Education

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, K. Andrew R.

2015-01-01

Much has been learned about the socialization of physical education (PE) teachers using occupational socialization theory (OST). However, important to understanding any socialization process is explaining how the roles that individuals play are socially constructed and contextually bound. OST falls short of providing a comprehensive overview of…

Augmented Reality Using JavaScript

OpenAIRE

Hailemichael, Aida

2013-01-01

The project goal was to provide a mobile application, for a venue called Kulturhuset Karelia which is located in Tammisaari Finland. In this paper, the concept of Augmented Reality technology is briefly discussed along with the mobile application for the venue. The utilisation of JavaScript for creating Augmented reality content for mobile Augmented reality browser is also demonstrated. The application was created by using Architecht API which is Jacvascript library based on the Wikitude...

Applied Computational Mathematics in Social Sciences

CERN Document Server

Damaceanu, Romulus-Catalin

2010-01-01

Applied Computational Mathematics in Social Sciences adopts a modern scientific approach that combines knowledge from mathematical modeling with various aspects of social science. Special algorithms can be created to simulate an artificial society and a detailed analysis can subsequently be used to project social realities. This Ebook specifically deals with computations using the NetLogo platform, and is intended for researchers interested in advanced human geography and mathematical modeling studies.

Virtual Reality and Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Helsel, Sandra

1992-01-01

Intended to provide a basic understanding of virtual reality (VR) from an educational perspective, this article describes the debate between conceptual and technological orientations to VR; the conceptual orientation to VR; technological definitions of VR, artificial reality, and cyberspace; dimensions of VR; and VR's impact on education. (11…

Social performance deficits in social anxiety disorder: reality during conversation and biased perception during speech.

Science.gov (United States)

Voncken, Marisol J; Bögels, Susan M

2008-12-01

Cognitive models emphasize that patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) are mainly characterized by biased perception of their social performance. In addition, there is a growing body of evidence showing that SAD patients suffer from actual deficits in social interaction. To unravel what characterizes SAD patients the most, underestimation of social performance (defined as the discrepancy between self-perceived and observer-perceived social performance), or actual (observer-perceived) social performance, 48 patients with SAD and 27 normal control participants were observed during a speech and conversation. Consistent with the cognitive model of SAD, patients with SAD underestimated their social performance relative to control participants during the two interactions, but primarily during the speech. Actual social performance deficits were clearly apparent in the conversation but not in the speech. In conclusion, interactions that pull for more interpersonal skills, like a conversation, elicit more actual social performance deficits whereas, situations with a performance character, like a speech, bring about more cognitive distortions in patients with SAD.

Virtual reality in surgery and medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Chinnock, C

1994-01-01

This report documents the state of development of enhanced and virtual reality-based systems in medicine. Virtual reality systems seek to simulate a surgical procedure in a computer-generated world in order to improve training. Enhanced reality systems seek to augment or enhance reality by providing improved imaging alternatives for specific patient data. Virtual reality represents a paradigm shift in the way we teach and evaluate the skills of medical personnel. Driving the development of virtual reality-based simulators is laparoscopic abdominal surgery, where there is a perceived need for better training techniques; within a year, systems will be fielded for second-year residency students. Further refinements over perhaps the next five years should allow surgeons to evaluate and practice new techniques in a simulator before using them on patients. Technical developments are rapidly improving the realism of these machines to an amazing degree, as well as bringing the price down to affordable levels. In the next five years, many new anatomical models, procedures, and skills are likely to become available on simulators. Enhanced reality systems are generally being developed to improve visualization of specific patient data. Three-dimensional (3-D) stereovision systems for endoscopic applications, head-mounted displays, and stereotactic image navigation systems are being fielded now, with neurosurgery and laparoscopic surgery being major driving influences. Over perhaps the next five years, enhanced and virtual reality systems are likely to merge. This will permit patient-specific images to be used on virtual reality simulators or computer-generated landscapes to be input into surgical visualization instruments. Percolating all around these activities are developments in robotics and telesurgery. An advanced information infrastructure eventually will permit remote physicians to share video, audio, medical records, and imaging data with local physicians in real time

Challenge of Sport Towards Social Inclusion and Awareness-Raising Against Any Discrimination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marivoet Salomé

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Sport presents itself as a social configuration that enhances social inclusion by promoting tolerance, respect for others, cooperation, loyalty and friendship, and values associated with fair play, the most important ethical principles of sport. However, intolerance and exclusion can also be expressed in sport, certainly even more so the bigger the social inequalities and the ethnic, religious, gender, disability, and sexual orientation prejudices are in society. The processes of social exclusion, integration, and inclusion are research areas in the social sciences with consolidated knowledge, namely in the study of the problems of poverty, social inequalities, racial and ethnic discrimination, disability, and education. However, it is necessary to discuss the existing theoretical approaches and conceptions seen as explanatory principles of the reality of these fields of analysis, look at how they can frame the reality on the sports field, and then confirm them through empirical research in order to produce knowledge based on the reality of social facts. Despite the broad consensus on the potential of sport in promoting social inclusion, in this paper I stress that this potential can only become real if the orientation of sport includes strategies aimed at achieving these goals. I intend to show how the –social issue‖ in the field of sports has gained relevance in the institutional context, and thereby a new field of research for the social science of sport has been opened and needs to be deepened.

Neural mechanisms tracking popularity in real-world social networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Zerubavel, Noam; Bearman, Peter S; Weber, Jochen; Ochsner, Kevin N

2015-12-08

Differences in popularity are a key aspect of status in virtually all human groups and shape social interactions within them. Little is known, however, about how we track and neurally represent others' popularity. We addressed this question in two real-world social networks using sociometric methods to quantify popularity. Each group member (perceiver) viewed faces of every other group member (target) while whole-brain functional MRI data were collected. Independent functional localizer tasks were used to identify brain systems supporting affective valuation (ventromedial prefrontal cortex, ventral striatum, amygdala) and social cognition (dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, precuneus, temporoparietal junction), respectively. During the face-viewing task, activity in both types of neural systems tracked targets' sociometric popularity, even when controlling for potential confounds. The target popularity-social cognition system relationship was mediated by valuation system activity, suggesting that observing popular individuals elicits value signals that facilitate understanding their mental states. The target popularity-valuation system relationship was strongest for popular perceivers, suggesting enhanced sensitivity to differences among other group members' popularity. Popular group members also demonstrated greater interpersonal sensitivity by more accurately predicting how their own personalities were perceived by other individuals in the social network. These data offer insights into the mechanisms by which status guides social behavior.

Potential perils of peri-Pokémon perambulation: the dark reality of augmented reality?

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph, Bellal; Armstrong, David G

2016-10-01

Recently, the layering of augmented reality information on top of smartphone applications has created unprecedented user engagement and popularity. One augmented reality-based entertainment application, Pokémon Go (Pokémon Company, Tokyo, Japan) has become the most rapidly downloaded in history. This technology holds tremendous promise to promote ambulatory activity. However, there exists the obvious potential for distraction-related morbidity. We report two cases, presenting simultaneously to our trauma center, with injuries sustained secondary to gameplay with this augmented reality-based application.

Laparoscopic skill improvement after virtual reality simulator training in medical students as assessed by augmented reality simulator.

Science.gov (United States)

Nomura, Tsutomu; Mamada, Yasuhiro; Nakamura, Yoshiharu; Matsutani, Takeshi; Hagiwara, Nobutoshi; Fujita, Isturo; Mizuguchi, Yoshiaki; Fujikura, Terumichi; Miyashita, Masao; Uchida, Eiji

2015-11-01

Definitive assessment of laparoscopic skill improvement after virtual reality simulator training is best obtained during an actual operation. However, this is impossible in medical students. Therefore, we developed an alternative assessment technique using an augmented reality simulator. Nineteen medical students completed a 6-week training program using a virtual reality simulator (LapSim). The pretest and post-test were performed using an object-positioning module and cholecystectomy on an augmented reality simulator(ProMIS). The mean performance measures between pre- and post-training on the LapSim were compared with a paired t-test. In the object-positioning module, the execution time of the task (P virtual reality simulator improved the operative skills of medical students as objectively evaluated by assessment using an augmented reality simulator instead of an actual operation. We hope that these findings help to establish an effective training program for medical students. © 2015 Japan Society for Endoscopic Surgery, Asia Endosurgery Task Force and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Universal design for HCI in a developmental context: myth or reality? The South African example

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Macagnano, EV

2007-07-01

Full Text Available for both urban and rural living and to address issues such as language, social context, training, inclusion and logistics. The final aim will be a system accessible on an ‘anywhere/anytime’ basis. But is this a dream or reality in a developmental context...

"The Source": An Alternate Reality Game to Spark STEM Interest and Learning among Underrepresented Youth

Science.gov (United States)

Gilliam, Melissa; Bouris, Alida; Hill, Brandon; Jagoda, Patrick

2016-01-01

Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) are multiplayer role-playing games that use the real world as their primary platform and incorporate a range of media, including video, audio, email, mobile technologies, websites, live performance, and social networks. This paper describes the development, implementation, and player reception of "The…

Apology: a repair mechanism in Akan social interaction | Agyekum ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article addresses apology among the Akan of Ghana. An apology is a redressive speech mechanism that pays attention to the face needs of interlocutors during social interaction. Among the Akan, apology forms an integral part of the communicative competence of the individual and denotes humility and a sense of ...

Virtual reality in surgical training.

Science.gov (United States)

Lange, T; Indelicato, D J; Rosen, J M

2000-01-01

Virtual reality in surgery and, more specifically, in surgical training, faces a number of challenges in the future. These challenges are building realistic models of the human body, creating interface tools to view, hear, touch, feel, and manipulate these human body models, and integrating virtual reality systems into medical education and treatment. A final system would encompass simulators specifically for surgery, performance machines, telemedicine, and telesurgery. Each of these areas will need significant improvement for virtual reality to impact medicine successfully in the next century. This article gives an overview of, and the challenges faced by, current systems in the fast-changing field of virtual reality technology, and provides a set of specific milestones for a truly realistic virtual human body.

New Realities and the Implications for Problem Based Learning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Olav Jull

2004-01-01

-based learning model with the new realities of today. Three new realities are discussed, the new global realities, the new business realities, and the new realities at the individual level. The new realities challenge the problem-based learning model. Adjustments are needed in terms of closer co...

Reasons to Use Virtual Reality in Education and Training Courses and a Model to Determine When to Use Virtual Reality

OpenAIRE

Veronica S. Pantelidis

2009-01-01

Many studies have been conducted on the use of virtual reality in education and training. Thisarticle lists examples of such research. Reasons to use virtual reality are discussed.Advantages and disadvantages of using virtual reality are presented, as well as suggestions onwhen to use and when not to use virtual reality. A model that can be used to determine whento use virtual reality in an education or training course is presented.

Images and realities of alcohol.

Science.gov (United States)

Sulkunen, P

1998-09-01

The paper discusses the relationship between the images of alcohol and society, on one hand, and the reality of drinking and drinking problems on the other hand, from the point of view of policy-relevant research. Images of alcohol influence policy but they also depend on the social and cultural environment of policy-making. The epidemiological total consumption theory of alcohol-related problems is used as an example. The theory is embedded in the modern welfare state's ideals and its policy relevance presupposes that these ideals--universalism, consequentialism and public planning--are respected. If the approach today receives less attention by policy-makers than its empirical validity merits, it may be due to an erosion of these ideals, not of the epidemiological model itself. Images of alcohol influence behaviour and drinking problems but they also articulate the social context in which the images are constructed. This paper demonstrates the point, applying Lévi-Straussian cultural theory to an analysis of a recent beer advertisement addressed to young people. The advertisement not only reflects the images associated with youthful drinking but also the ambiguous status of youth as non-adults in contemporary society. The author stresses that for social and cultural research alcohol is a two-way window, to look at society through alcohol and to look at alcohol through society. Both directions are necessary for policy-relevant research.

Military use of Virtual Reality

OpenAIRE

Gullaksen, Rasmus; Nielsen, Kristoffer Merrild; Siegel, Viktor; Labuz, Patrick Ravn

2017-01-01

This project is sparked by the contemporary evolvement that has been happening with consumer Virtual Reality technology and an interest for looking into the military industrial complex. The paper describes how Virtual Reality as a concept has evolved historically since the 19th century and how it has since entered the military and consumer market. The implementation of Virtual Reality is described in order to analyse it by using Technology-Oriented Scenario Analysis, as described by Francesco...

Live-action Virtual Reality Games

OpenAIRE

Valente, Luis; Clua, Esteban; Silva, Alexandre Ribeiro; Feijó, Bruno

2016-01-01

This paper proposes the concept of "live-action virtual reality games" as a new genre of digital games based on an innovative combination of live-action, mixed-reality, context-awareness, and interaction paradigms that comprise tangible objects, context-aware input devices, and embedded/embodied interactions. Live-action virtual reality games are "live-action games" because a player physically acts out (using his/her real body and senses) his/her "avatar" (his/her virtual representation) in t...

Virtual Reality: Principles and Applications

OpenAIRE

MÉRIENNE , Frédéric

2017-01-01

Virtual reality aims at immersing a user in a virtual environment. Dedicated virtual reality technologies of human–computer interaction enable to make the link between the user and a virtual environment in capturing the user’s motion, acting on his senses as well as computing the virtual experience in real-time. The immersion in virtual environment is evaluated through the user’s perception and reaction. Virtual reality is used in a large variety of application domains which need multisensory...

Using photographs to study animal social cognition and behaviour: Do capuchins' responses to photos reflect reality?

Science.gov (United States)

Morton, F Blake; Brosnan, Sarah F; Prétôt, Laurent; Buchanan-Smith, Hannah M; O'Sullivan, Eoin; Stocker, Martina; D'Mello, Daniel; Wilson, Vanessa A D

2016-03-01

Behavioural responses to photos are often used to infer what animals understand about their social environment, but are rarely validated against the same stimuli in real life. If subjects' responses to photos do not reflect responses to the same live stimuli, it is difficult to conclude what happens in reality based on photo responses alone. We compared capuchins' responses to photos versus live stimuli in an identical scenario within research cubicles. Subjects had the opportunity to approach food placed in front of an alpha group member and, in a separate condition, photos depicting the same individual. Subjects' latencies to approach food when placed in front of the real alpha negatively correlated with time subjects spent in close proximity to the alpha in their main enclosure. We therefore predicted subjects' latencies to approach food in the presence of photos would positively correlate with their latencies to approach food in the presence of the real alpha inside the cubicles, but negatively correlate with time they spent in proximity to the alpha in their enclosure. Neither prediction was supported. While not necessarily surprising, we explain why these results should be an important reminder that care is needed when interpreting results from photo studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effects of reality-based television programming on diet and exercise motivation and self-efficacy in young adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Nabi, Robin L; Thomas, Jenna

2013-01-01

Grounded in social cognitive theory, this research examines the effects of reality entertainment programming and embedded commercials on viewers' perceived motivations and efficacy to exercise and consume a healthy diet as well as on food preference. In a 3 (program type) × 2 (advertisement type) study design, 253 female undergraduates were randomly assigned to watch an episode of a health-oriented reality program, a non-heath-oriented reality program, or a health-themed sitcom in which commercials for either healthy or unhealthy foods were embedded. Results indicated that perceived realism of the health-oriented reality program generated greater confidence to eat more healthily and exercise, as well as greater motivation to exercise. Additionally, program viewing differentially affected motivations to eat healthily and to exercise, but only when type of advertisement (high vs. low calorie food ads) was taken into consideration. Finally, women who watched the health-oriented reality program were more likely to choose a healthy snack at the conclusion of the experiment than those exposed to other programs, thus supporting the assertion that reality programming may potentiate positive health behaviors. The role of the embedded advertisements in altering the interpretation and health impact of the programming is also discussed.

Virtuality and Reality in Science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cohen-Tannoudji, G.

1995-01-01

This book compiles eight contributions devoted to the topical question about the relation between virtuality and reality. In the theoretical frame of quantum and relativistic particle physics, the concept of virtuality is used according to its strict and precise meaning. In this context, particles are generally invented before their discovery. Some famous historical experiments which led to the postulation and then the discovery of new particles are mentioned. These examples are used to illustrate and to discuss the concept of virtuality as well as the physical reality of virtual processes. But, how can the concept of virtuality in other scientific fields be applied ? In order to answer this question, the concepts of virtuality and reality are discussed in other branches of physics as well as in other fields such as geophysics, cosmology and biology. Philosophical and sociological implications of virtual realities are also considered. Moreover, in relation to virtuality and reality, the connections between modeling, simulation and experimentation, their respective roles, the advantages and risks of their use are discussed (in relation to nuclear sciences and geophysical problems) (N.T.)

[Virtual reality in medical education].

Science.gov (United States)

Edvardsen, O; Steensrud, T

1998-02-28

Virtual reality technology has found new applications in industry over the last few years. Medical literature has for several years predicted a break-through in this technology for medical education. Although there is a great potential for this technology in medical education, there seems to be a wide gap between expectations and actual possibilities at present. State of the technology was explored by participation at the conference "Medicine meets virtual reality V" (San Diego Jan. 22-25 1997) and a visit to one of the leading laboratories on virtual reality in medical education. In this paper we introduce some of the basic terminology and technology, review some of the topics covered by the conference, and describe projects running in one of the leading laboratories on virtual reality technology for medical education. With this information in mind, we discuss potential applications of the current technology in medical education. Current virtual reality systems are judged to be too costly and their usefulness in education too limited for routine use in medical education.

Social Debate on Free Trade Agreements: Illusions Versus Reality

OpenAIRE

Joanna Dzialo; Bogna Gawronska-Nowak; Jaroslaw Jura

2017-01-01

The paper reflects the problem of Free Trade Agreements (FTA) that recently have been raising vivid public discussion. The main focus of our study is to analyse the social debate on the FTA and to confront the social perception concerning the FTA with the so-called “expert knowledge”. This may contribute both to better understanding of the controversies on the FTA and to proper indicating the possible sources of social conflicts. The results obtained seem to prove that the mismatch between so...

developing world poverty, inequality, violence and social

African Journals Online (AJOL)

(DOSMeD) or Ten-Country Study)2 and the International. Study of ... rates in relation to variables such as geographical site, urban. Dispelling a myth: ... violence and social fragmentation ... However, the reality is that significant political, social and economic ills that ... schizophrenia “is fertile ground for the generation of new.

A new foundation for the social sciences?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjerre, Jørn

2015-01-01

The aim of John Searle’s philosophy of society is to provide a foundation for the social sciences. Arguing that the study of social reality needs to be based on a philosophy of language, Searle claims that sociology has little to offer, since no sociologist ever took language seriously. Attacking...

A Social Constructivism Model of Ethical Decision Making in Counseling.

Science.gov (United States)

Cottone, R. Rocco

2001-01-01

Examines social constructivism as an intellectual movement in the mental health field that directs a social consensual interpretation of reality. Presents a social constructivism approach to counseling which redefines the ethical decision-making process as an interactive rather than individual or intrapsychic process. Explores how the process…

Integral Biomathics Tracing the Road to Reality

CERN Document Server

Smith, Leslie; Ehresmann, Andrée

2012-01-01

Perhaps the most distinct question in science throughout the ages has been the one of perceivable reality, treated both in physics and philosophy. Reality is acting upon us, and we, and life in general, are acting upon reality. Potentiality, found both in quantum reality and in the activity of life, plays a key role.  In quantum reality observation turns potentiality into reality. Again, life computes possibilities in various ways based on past actions, and acts on the basis of these computations.   This book is about a new approach to biology (and physics, of course!). Its subtitle suggests a perpetual movement and interplay between two elusive aspects of modern science — reality/matter and potentiality/mind, between physics and biology — both captured and triggered by mathematics — to understand and explain emergence, development and life all the way up to consciousness.   But what is the real/potential difference between living and non-living matter? How does time in potentiality differ from time...

Rhetoric and realities of corporate social responsibility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smid, H.

2014-01-01

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is often considered as an alternative for direct government regulation to internalize externalities on markets. Especially in a complex economically liberated and globalized world order, in which direct government regulation and centrally creating new markets

Research on Collaborative Technology in Distributed Virtual Reality System

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, ZhenJiang; Huang, JiJie; Li, Zhao; Wang, Lei; Cui, JiSheng; Tang, Zhi

2018-01-01

Distributed virtual reality technology applied to the joint training simulation needs the CSCW (Computer Supported Cooperative Work) terminal multicast technology to display and the HLA (high-level architecture) technology to ensure the temporal and spatial consistency of the simulation, in order to achieve collaborative display and collaborative computing. In this paper, the CSCW’s terminal multicast technology has been used to modify and expand the implementation framework of HLA. During the simulation initialization period, this paper has used the HLA statement and object management service interface to establish and manage the CSCW network topology, and used the HLA data filtering mechanism for each federal member to establish the corresponding Mesh tree. During the simulation running period, this paper has added a new thread for the RTI and the CSCW real-time multicast interactive technology into the RTI, so that the RTI can also use the window message mechanism to notify the application update the display screen. Through many applications of submerged simulation training in substation under the operation of large power grid, it is shown that this paper has achieved satisfactory training effect on the collaborative technology used in distributed virtual reality simulation.

Virtual reality training improves balance function.

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Yurong; Chen, Peiming; Li, Le; Huang, Dongfeng

2014-09-01

Virtual reality is a new technology that simulates a three-dimensional virtual world on a computer and enables the generation of visual, audio, and haptic feedback for the full immersion of users. Users can interact with and observe objects in three-dimensional visual space without limitation. At present, virtual reality training has been widely used in rehabilitation therapy for balance dysfunction. This paper summarizes related articles and other articles suggesting that virtual reality training can improve balance dysfunction in patients after neurological diseases. When patients perform virtual reality training, the prefrontal, parietal cortical areas and other motor cortical networks are activated. These activations may be involved in the reconstruction of neurons in the cerebral cortex. Growing evidence from clinical studies reveals that virtual reality training improves the neurological function of patients with spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy and other neurological impairments. These findings suggest that virtual reality training can activate the cerebral cortex and improve the spatial orientation capacity of patients, thus facilitating the cortex to control balance and increase motion function.

Virtual reality training improves balance function

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Yurong; Chen, Peiming; Li, Le; Huang, Dongfeng

2014-01-01

Virtual reality is a new technology that simulates a three-dimensional virtual world on a computer and enables the generation of visual, audio, and haptic feedback for the full immersion of users. Users can interact with and observe objects in three-dimensional visual space without limitation. At present, virtual reality training has been widely used in rehabilitation therapy for balance dysfunction. This paper summarizes related articles and other articles suggesting that virtual reality training can improve balance dysfunction in patients after neurological diseases. When patients perform virtual reality training, the prefrontal, parietal cortical areas and other motor cortical networks are activated. These activations may be involved in the reconstruction of neurons in the cerebral cortex. Growing evidence from clinical studies reveals that virtual reality training improves the neurological function of patients with spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy and other neurological impairments. These findings suggest that virtual reality training can activate the cerebral cortex and improve the spatial orientation capacity of patients, thus facilitating the cortex to control balance and increase motion function. PMID:25368651

Understanding the Psycho-Physiological Implications of Interaction With a Virtual Reality-Based System in Adolescents With Autism: A Feasibility Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuriakose, Selvia; Lahiri, Uttama

2015-07-01

Individuals with Autism are characterized by deficits in socialization and communication. In recent years several assistive technologies, e.g., Virtual Reality (VR), have been investigated to address the socialization deficits in these individuals. Presently available VR-based systems address various aspects of social communication in an isolated manner and without monitoring one's affective state such as, anxiety. However, in conventional observation-based therapy, a therapist adjusts the intervention paradigm by monitoring one's anxiety level. But, often these individuals have an inherent inability to explicitly express their anxiety thereby inducing limitations on conventional techniques. Physiological signals being continuously available and not directly impacted by these communication difficulties can be alternatively used as markers of one's anxiety level. In our research we aim at designing a Virtual-reality bAsed Social-communication Task (VAST) system that can address the various aspects of social communication, e.g., social context, subtle social cues, emotional expression, etc., in a cumulative and structured way. In addition, we augment this with a capability to use one's physiological signals as markers of one's anxiety level. In our preliminary feasibility study we investigate the potential of VAST to cause variations in one's performance and anxiety level that can be mapped from one's physiological indices.

Augmented Reality for Science Education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brandt, Harald; Nielsen, Birgitte Lund; Georgsen, Marianne

Augmented reality (AR) holds great promise as a learning tool. So far, however, most research has looked at the technology itself – and AR has been used primarily for commercial purposes. As a learning tool, AR supports an inquiry-based approach to science education with a high level of student...... involvement. The AR-sci-project (Augmented Reality for SCIence education) addresses the issue of applying augmented reality in developing innovative science education and enhancing the quality of science teaching and learning....

Application of virtual reality GIS in urban planning: an example in Huangdao district

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Yong; Qiao, Xin; Sun, Weichen; Zhang, Litao

2007-06-01

As an important development direction of GIS, Virtual Reality GIS was founded in 1950s. After 1990s, due to the fast development of its theory and the computer technology, Virtual Reality has been applied to many fields: military, aerospace, design, manufactory, information management, business, construction, city management, medical, education, etc.. The most famous project is the Virtual Los Angeles implemented by the Urban Simulation Team (UST) of UCLA. The main focus of the UST is a long-term effort to build a real-time Virtual Reality model of the entire Los Angeles basin for use by architects, urban planners, emergency response teams, and the government entities. When completed, the entire Virtual L.A. model will cover an area well in excess of 10000 square miles and will elegantly scale from satellite images to street level views accurate enough to allow the signs in the window of the shops and the graffiti on the walls to be legible. Till now, the virtual L.A. has been applied to urban environments and design analysis, transportation studies, historic reconstruction and education, etc. Compared to the early development abroad, the development of Virtual Reality GIS in China is relatively late. It is researched in some universities in early years. But recently, it has been attended by the populace and been used in many social fields: urban planning, environmental protection, historic protection and recovery, real estate, tourism, education etc.. The application of Virtual Reality in urban planning of Huangdao District, Qingdao City is introduced in this paper.

Evaluating Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Training for Industrial Maintenance and Assembly Tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Gavish, Nirit; Gutiérrez, Teresa; Webel, Sabine; Rodríguez, Jorge; Peveri, Matteo; Bockholt, Uli; Tecchia, Franco

2015-01-01

The current study evaluated the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) platforms, developed within the scope of the SKILLS Integrated Project, for industrial maintenance and assembly (IMA) tasks training. VR and AR systems are now widely regarded as promising training platforms for complex and highly demanding IMA tasks. However,…

ARLearn and StreetLearn software for virtual reality and augmented reality multi user learning games

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ternier, Stefaan; Klemke, Roland

2012-01-01

Ternier, S., & Klemke, R. (2011). ARLearn and StreetLearn software for virtual reality and augmented reality multi user learning games (Version 1.0) [Software Documentation]. Heerlen, The Netherlands: Open Universiteit in the Netherlands.

ARLearn and StreetLearn software for virtual reality and augmented reality multi user learning games

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ternier, Stefaan; Klemke, Roland

2012-01-01

Ternier, S., & Klemke, R. (2011). ARLearn and StreetLearn software for virtual reality and augmented reality multi user learning games (Version 1.0) [Computer software]. Heerlen, The Netherlands: Open Universiteit in the Netherlands.

Brain responses to biological motion predict treatment outcome in young adults with autism receiving Virtual Reality Social Cognition Training: Preliminary findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Y J Daniel; Allen, Tandra; Abdullahi, Sebiha M; Pelphrey, Kevin A; Volkmar, Fred R; Chapman, Sandra B

2017-06-01

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by remarkable heterogeneity in social, communication, and behavioral deficits, creating a major barrier in identifying effective treatments for a given individual with ASD. To facilitate precision medicine in ASD, we utilized a well-validated biological motion neuroimaging task to identify pretreatment biomarkers that can accurately forecast the response to an evidence-based behavioral treatment, Virtual Reality-Social Cognition Training (VR-SCT). In a preliminary sample of 17 young adults with high-functioning ASD, we identified neural predictors of change in emotion recognition after VR-SCT. The predictors were characterized by the pretreatment brain activations to biological vs. scrambled motion in the neural circuits that support (a) language comprehension and interpretation of incongruent auditory emotions and prosody, and (b) processing socio-emotional experience and interpersonal affective information, as well as emotional regulation. The predictive value of the findings for individual adults with ASD was supported by regression-based multivariate pattern analyses with cross validation. To our knowledge, this is the first pilot study that shows neuroimaging-based predictive biomarkers for treatment effectiveness in adults with ASD. The findings have potentially far-reaching implications for developing more precise and effective treatments for ASD. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A Review on Virtual Reality

OpenAIRE

Pallavi Halarnkar; Sahil Shah; Harsh Shah; Hardik Shah; Anuj Shah

2012-01-01

Virtual Reality is a major asset and aspect of our future. It is the key to experiencing, feeling and touching the past, present and the future. It is the medium of creating our own world, our own customized reality. It could range from creating a video game to having a virtual stroll around the universe, from walking through our own dream house to experiencing a walk on an alien planet. With virtual reality, we can experience the most intimidating and gruelling situations by playing safe and...

Merged reality for everyone

OpenAIRE

Carvalho, Fausto de; Morgado, Leonel

2017-01-01

This article addresses some interesting challenges and business opportunities within the promising merged reality ecosystem, which offers the vision of bringing together virtual, augmented and physical realities, seamlessly. The article also links the current status of this field with exploratory research and development work carried out by Altice Labs. Altice Labs info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Data, model, and reality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Galle, Per

2000-01-01

What does it mean for a database (or any other computer representation) to ‘model’ reality as it is, was, or might be? If the database ‘models’ reality in some way, is the same true of its schema or the underlying data model; and if not, what do they express? These questions, though more philosop...

Augmented Reality on Android

OpenAIRE

Chunghan Li; Chang-Shyh Peng; Daisy F. Sang

2013-01-01

Augmented Reality is an application which combines a live view of real-world environment and computer-generated images. This paper studies and demonstrates an efficient Augmented Reality development in the mobile Android environment with the native Java language and Android SDK. Major components include Barcode Reader, File Loader, Marker Detector, Transform Matrix Generator, and a cloud database.

Unwaving quantum mechanics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torre, A.C. de la; Mirabella, D.; Izus, G.

1990-01-01

The so called diffraction experiments are explained making no reference to any wave whatsoever. It is proposed that these waves are a mere mathematical artifact without any physical reality. If propensities and transmission between them are accepted as a physical reality, then the wave concept can be set aside along with duality and complementarity, thus eliminating controversy on the interpretation of quantum mechanics. An outline is made of the formulation of the theory based on the preparation of the system according to propensities and the transmission between them. (Author). 19 refs., 1 fig

ASSESSING THE USER EXPERIENCE WHEN USING MOBILE AUGMENTED REALITY IN ADVERTISING

OpenAIRE

Li, Shanshan

2014-01-01

Facing huge profits brought by applying augmented reality (AR) to advertising on mobile devices, this study investigated the user experience from four dimensions as emotional, instrumental, motivational and social experience when using AR as an advertising tool. It aims to help designers understand that how the user experience emerges during the use of AR advertising tool. In addition, providing some design suggestions to AR designer. Eighteen participants were recruited and the data were col...

Augmented Reality-Guided Lumbar Facet Joint Injections.

Science.gov (United States)

Agten, Christoph A; Dennler, Cyrill; Rosskopf, Andrea B; Jaberg, Laurenz; Pfirrmann, Christian W A; Farshad, Mazda

2018-05-08

The aim of this study was to assess feasibility and accuracy of augmented reality-guided lumbar facet joint injections. A spine phantom completely embedded in hardened opaque agar with 3 ring markers was built. A 3-dimensional model of the phantom was uploaded to an augmented reality headset (Microsoft HoloLens). Two radiologists independently performed 20 augmented reality-guided and 20 computed tomography (CT)-guided facet joint injections each: for each augmented reality-guided injection, the hologram was manually aligned with the phantom container using the ring markers. The radiologists targeted the virtual facet joint and tried to place the needle tip in the holographic joint space. Computed tomography was performed after each needle placement to document final needle tip position. Time needed from grabbing the needle to final needle placement was measured for each simulated injection. An independent radiologist rated images of all needle placements in a randomized order blinded to modality (augmented reality vs CT) and performer as perfect, acceptable, incorrect, or unsafe. Accuracy and time to place needles were compared between augmented reality-guided and CT-guided facet joint injections. In total, 39/40 (97.5%) of augmented reality-guided needle placements were either perfect or acceptable compared with 40/40 (100%) CT-guided needle placements (P = 0.5). One augmented reality-guided injection missed the facet joint space by 2 mm. No unsafe needle placements occurred. Time to final needle placement was substantially faster with augmented reality guidance (mean 14 ± 6 seconds vs 39 ± 15 seconds, P Augmented reality-guided facet joint injections are feasible and accurate without potentially harmful needle placement in an experimental setting.

Relation between Perceived Scholastic Competence and Social Comparison Mechanisms among Elementary School Children