View All Items

Title: TRAINING WAYFINDING: NATURAL MOVEMENT IN MIXED REALITY.
Creator: Savage, Ruthann, Gilson, Richard, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The Army needs a distributed training environment that can be accessed whenever and wherever required for training and mission rehearsal. This paper describes an exploratory experiment designed to investigate the effectiveness of a prototype of such a system in training a navigation task. A wearable computer, acoustic tracking system, and see-through head mounted display (HMD) were used to wirelessly track users' head position and orientation while presenting a graphic representation of...
Show moreThe Army needs a distributed training environment that can be accessed whenever and wherever required for training and mission rehearsal. This paper describes an exploratory experiment designed to investigate the effectiveness of a prototype of such a system in training a navigation task. A wearable computer, acoustic tracking system, and see-through head mounted display (HMD) were used to wirelessly track users' head position and orientation while presenting a graphic representation of their virtual surroundings, through which the user walked using natural movement. As previous studies have shown that virtual environments can be used to train navigation, the ability to add natural movement to a type of virtual environment may enhance that training, based on the proprioceptive feedback gained by walking through the environment. Sixty participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: route drawing on printed floor plan, rehearsal in the actual facility, and rehearsal in a mixed reality (MR) environment. Participants, divided equally between male and female in each group, studied verbal directions of route, then performed three rehearsals of the route, with those in the map condition drawing it onto three separate printed floor plans, those in the practice condition walking through the actual facility, and participants in the MR condition walking through a three dimensional virtual environment, with landmarks, waypoints and virtual footprints. A scaling factor was used, with each step in the MR environment equal to three steps in the real environment, with the MR environment also broken into "tiles", like pages in an atlas, through which participant progressed, entering each tile in succession until they completed the entire route. Transfer of training testing that consisted of a timed traversal of the route through the actual facility showed a significant difference in route knowledge based on the total time to complete the route, and the number of errors committed while doing so, with "walkers" performing better than participants in the paper map or MR condition, although the effect was weak. Survey knowledge showed little difference among the three rehearsal conditions. Three standardized tests of spatial abilities did not correlate with route traversal time, or errors, or with 3 of the 4 orientation localization tasks. Within the MR rehearsal condition there was a clear performance improvement over the three rehearsal trials as measured by the time required to complete the route in the MR environment which was accepted as an indication that learning occurred. As measured using the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire, there were no incidents of simulator sickness in the MR environment. Rehearsal in the actual facility was the most effective training condition; however, it is often not an acceptable form of rehearsal given an inaccessible or hostile environment. Performance between participants in the other two conditions were indistinguishable, pointing toward continued experimentation that should include the combined effect of paper map rehearsal with mixed reality, especially as it is likely to be the more realistic case for mission rehearsal, since there is no indication that maps should be eliminated. To walk through the environment beforehand can enhance the Soldiers' understanding of their surroundings, as was evident through the comments from participants as they moved from MR to the actual space: "This looks like I was just here", and "There's that pole I kept having trouble with". Such comments lead one to believe that this is a tool to continue to explore and apply. While additional research on the scaling and tiling factors is likely warranted, to determine if the effect can be applied to other environments or tasks, it should be pointed out that this is not a new task for most adults who have interacted with maps, where a scaling factor of 1 to 15,000 is common in orienteering maps, and 1 to 25,000 in military maps. Rehearsal time spent in the MR condition varied widely, some of which could be blamed on an issue referred to as "avatar excursions", a system anomaly that should be addressed in future research. The proprioceptive feedback in MR was expected to positively impact performance scores. It is very likely that proprioceptive feedback is what led to the lack of simulator sickness among these participants. The design of the HMD may have aided in the minimal reported symptoms as it allowed participants some peripheral vision that provided orientation cues as to their body position and movement. Future research might include a direct comparison between this MR, and a virtual environment system through which users move by manipulating an input device such as a mouse or joystick, while physically remaining stationary. The exploration and confirmation of the training capabilities of MR as is an important step in the development and application of the system to the U.S. Army training mission. This experiment was designed to examine one potential training area in a small controlled environment, which can be used as the foundation for experimentation with more complex tasks such as wayfinding through an urban environment, and or in direct comparison to more established virtual environments to determine strengths, as well as areas for improvement, to make MR as an effective addition to the Army training mission.
Show less
Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: CFE0001288, ucf:46917
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001288

Title: VIBROTACTILE GUIDANCE CUES FOR TARGET IDENTIFICATION.
Creator: Downs, Joshua, Gilson, Richard, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of this dissertation was to establish how vibrotactile guidance cues can be used to improve marksmanship. This work originated in an effort to provide covert communication, navigation, and weapon aiming cues for infantrymen. It is predominantly an application-driven investigation rather than driven a priori by specific theoretical predictions from models of human performance. Three experiments are presented. Experiment 1 established the affect on initial response to vibrotactile...
Show moreThe purpose of this dissertation was to establish how vibrotactile guidance cues can be used to improve marksmanship. This work originated in an effort to provide covert communication, navigation, and weapon aiming cues for infantrymen. It is predominantly an application-driven investigation rather than driven a priori by specific theoretical predictions from models of human performance. Three experiments are presented. Experiment 1 established the affect on initial response to vibrotactile guidance cues of tactor placements on the palmer versus dorsal surface of the hand, and targets appearing left versus right of center. Results suggest that tactile cues provided on the left side of the medial line of the hand afford moving the hand to the left, while tactile cues provided on the right side of the medial line afford moving the hand to the right. Experiment 2 established the affect of continuous relative distance cues and on- versus off-target vibrotactile stimuli on reaction time and accuracy for target selection. Results indicated an interaction between the pulse rate of vibrotactile stimuli and the method used to highlight an "on-target" condition; the suppressed target condition was superior to the enhanced target condition when the pulse rate increased as the cursor moved closer to a target. Experiment 3 established if there are performance differences between discrete and continuous distance information for target selection, and investigated the interaction between the near-target pulse rate and on-target cues. Results indicate that maximizing the difference between near-target guidance cues and on-target cues reduces the target selection time, particularly when the near-target pulse rates are fast (ISI = 10 msec). The results also suggest that, as with vision, the vibrotactile off-target guidance cues are not necessary during the whole target selection task. Rather, the guidance cues can be provided only during the initial pop-up condition and during the sub-movements closing on the target.
Show less
Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: CFE0000369, ucf:46333
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000369

Title: TACTILE WORKING MEMORY AND MULTIMODAL LOADING.
Creator: Terrence, Peter, Gilson, Richard, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This work explored the role of spatial grouping, set size, and stimulus probe modality using a recall task for visual, auditory, and tactile information. The effects of different working memory (WM) loading task modalities were also examined. The Gestalt spatial organizing principle of grouping showed improvements in response times for visual and tactile stimulus probes with large set sizes and apparently allowed participants to effectively chunk the information. This research suggests that...
Show moreThis work explored the role of spatial grouping, set size, and stimulus probe modality using a recall task for visual, auditory, and tactile information. The effects of different working memory (WM) loading task modalities were also examined. The Gestalt spatial organizing principle of grouping showed improvements in response times for visual and tactile stimulus probes with large set sizes and apparently allowed participants to effectively chunk the information. This research suggests that tactile information may use spatial characteristics typically associated with visual information, as well as sequential characteristics normally associated with verbal information. Based on these results, a reformulation of WM is warranted to remove the constraints of the input modality on processing types. The input modalities appear to access both a spatial sketchpad and a temporally-based sequence loop. Implications for multisensory research and display design are discussed.
Show less
Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: CFE0002084, ucf:47564
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002084

Title: A COMPARISON OF ATTENTIONAL RESERVE CAPACITY ACROSS THREE SENSORY MODALITIES.
Creator: Brill, John, Gilson, Richard, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: There are two theoretical approaches to the nature of attentional resources. One proposes a single, flexible pool of cognitive resources; the other poses there are multiple resources. This study was designed to systematically examine whether there is evidence for multiple resource theory using a counting task consisting of visual, auditory, and tactile signals using two experiments. The goal of the first experiment was the validation of a multi-modal secondary loading task. Thirty-two...
Show moreThere are two theoretical approaches to the nature of attentional resources. One proposes a single, flexible pool of cognitive resources; the other poses there are multiple resources. This study was designed to systematically examine whether there is evidence for multiple resource theory using a counting task consisting of visual, auditory, and tactile signals using two experiments. The goal of the first experiment was the validation of a multi-modal secondary loading task. Thirty-two participants performed nine variations of a multi-modal counting task incorporating three modalities and three demand levels. Performance and subjective ratings of workload were measured for each of the nine conditions of the within-subjects design. Significant differences were found on the basis of task demand level, irrespective of modality. Moreover, the perceived workload associated with the tasks differed by task demand level and not by modality. These results suggest the counting task is a valid means of imposing task demands across multiple modalities. The second experiment used the same counting task as a secondary load to a primary visual monitoring task, the system monitoring component of the Multi-Attribute Task Battery (MATB). The experimental conditions consisted of performing the system monitoring task alone as a reference and performing system monitoring combined with visual, auditory, or tactile counting. Thirty-one participants were exposed to all four experimental conditions in a within-subjects design. Performance on the primary and secondary tasks was measured, and subjective workload was assessed for each condition. Participants were instructed to maintain performance on the primary task, irrespective of condition, which they did so effectively. Secondary task performance for the visual-auditory and visual-tactile conditions was significantly better than for the visual-visual dual task condition. Subjective workload ratings were also consistent with the performance measures. These results clearly indicate that there is less interference for cross-modal tasks than for intramodal tasks. These results add evidence to multiple resource theory. Finally, these results have practical implications that include human performance assessment for display and alarm development, assessment of attentional reserve capacity for adaptive automation systems, and training.
Show less
Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: CFE0001660, ucf:47234
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001660

Title: RESOURCE ALLOCATION USING TOUCH AND AUDITION.
Creator: Mortimer, David, Gilson, Richard, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: When people multi-task with inputs that demand attention, processing, andencoding, sensory interference is possible at almost any level. Multiple Resource Theory (MRT) suggests that such interference may be avoided by drawing from separate pools of resources available when using different sensory channels, memory processes, and even different response modes. Thus, there should be advantages in dividing tasks among different sensory channels to tap independent pools of attentional resources....
Show moreWhen people multi-task with inputs that demand attention, processing, andencoding, sensory interference is possible at almost any level. Multiple Resource Theory (MRT) suggests that such interference may be avoided by drawing from separate pools of resources available when using different sensory channels, memory processes, and even different response modes. Thus, there should be advantages in dividing tasks among different sensory channels to tap independent pools of attentional resources. For example, people are better with two tasks using the eye and ear, than when using two auditory or two visual inputs. The majority of the research on MRT involves visual to auditory comparisons, i.e., the prime distance senses. The unstated implication is that the theory can be easily applied to other sensory systems, such as touch, but this is untested. This overlooks the fact that each sensory system has different characteristics that can influence how information processing is allocated in a multiple-task environment. For example, vision requires a directed gaze that is not required for sound or touch. Testing MRT with touch, not only eliminates competing theories, but helps establish its robustness across the senses. Three experiments compared the senses of touch and hearing to determine if the characteristics of those sensory modalities alter the allocation of processing resources. Specifically, it was hypothesized that differences in sensory characteristics would affect performance on a simple targeting task. All three experiments used auditory shadowing as the dual task load. In the first and third experiments a target was placed to the left or right of the participant and the targeting cue (either tactile, auditory, or combined) used to locate the target originated from the side on which the target was located. The only difference between experiments 1 and 3 was that in experiment 1 the auditory targeting cue was delivered by headphones, while in experiment 3 it was delivered by speakers. Experiment 2 was more difficult both in auditory perception and in processing. In this study the targeting cues came from in front of or behind the participant. Cues coming from in front of the participant meant the target was to the left, and conversely if the cue came from behind it meant that the target was to the right. The results of experiments 1 and 3 showed that when the signals originated from the sides, there was no difference in performance between the auditory and tactile targeting cues, whether by proximal or distal stimulation. However, in experiment 2, the participants were significantly slower to locate the target when using the auditory targeting cue than when using the tactile targeting cue, with nearly twice the losses when dual-tasking. No significant differences were found on performance of the shadowing task across the three experiments. The overall findings support the hypothesis that the characteristics of the sensory system itself influence the allocation of processing resources. For example, the differences in experiment 2 are likely due to front-back reversal, a common problem found with auditory stimuli located in front of or behind, but not with tactile stimuli.
Show less
Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: CFE0000848, ucf:46657
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000848

Title: EXPLORING MDMA AND ITS THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL.
Creator: Christian, Michael, Gilson, Richard, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The clinical application of MDMA has long been an issue of great interest for doctors, counselors, researchers, and users alike. Originally synthesized by a pharmaceutical company and subsequently tested on military personnel, the drug was then used by many clinicians and physicians prior to the DEA's strict regulation of the drug, which began in the mid 1980s (Mithoefer et al, 2010). The DEA has classified MDMA a "Schedule 1" drug, which means that it among the most controlled substances, a...
Show moreThe clinical application of MDMA has long been an issue of great interest for doctors, counselors, researchers, and users alike. Originally synthesized by a pharmaceutical company and subsequently tested on military personnel, the drug was then used by many clinicians and physicians prior to the DEA's strict regulation of the drug, which began in the mid 1980s (Mithoefer et al, 2010). The DEA has classified MDMA a "Schedule 1" drug, which means that it among the most controlled substances, a fact which has hindered the progress of research. For a detailed explanation of the DEA's scheduling of controlled substances, please refer to appendix A. Exception was made to this restriction, however, in 2003 when the US government permitted one organization, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies ("MAPS," for short), to conduct studies wherein the drug was to be administered to human participants in a clinically controlled experimental environment - a setting which allows for many of the most prevalent confounds found in MDMA research to be minimized and, in some cases, eliminated (Mithoefer et al., 2007; Mithoefer et al, 2010; MAPS.org, 2012). Though MAPS' studies are only just beginning, they have already had promising results in treating protracted cases of PTSD. These recent developments in MDMA research and the results of the subsequent studies have piqued the interest of academics and advocates alike as well as motive numerous other organizations to lend their support to the MAPS organization. This literature review aims to provide an overview of past and present paradigms within the body of MDMA research in order to provide an informational framework within which the recent works regarding the drug's therapeutic merit can be adequately examined.
Show less
Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFH0004218, ucf:44951
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004218

Title: ADAPTIVE FEEDBACK IN SIMULATION-BASED TRAINING.
Creator: Billings, Deborah, Gilson, Richard, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Feedback is essential to guide performance in simulation-based training (SBT) and to refine learning. Generally outcomes improve when feedback is delivered with personalized tutoring that tailors specific guidance and adapts feedback to the learner in a one-to-on environment. Therefore, emulating by automation these adaptive aspects of human tutors in SBT systems should be an effective way to train individuals. This study investigates the efficacy of automating different types of feedback in...
Show moreFeedback is essential to guide performance in simulation-based training (SBT) and to refine learning. Generally outcomes improve when feedback is delivered with personalized tutoring that tailors specific guidance and adapts feedback to the learner in a one-to-on environment. Therefore, emulating by automation these adaptive aspects of human tutors in SBT systems should be an effective way to train individuals. This study investigates the efficacy of automating different types of feedback in a SBT system. These include adaptive bottom-up feedback (i.e., detailed feedback, changing to general as proficiency develops) and adaptive top-down feedback (i.e., general feedback, changing to detailed if performance fails to improve). Other types of non-adaptive feedback were included for performance comparisons as well as to examine the overall cognitive load. To test hypotheses, 130 participants were randomly assigned to five conditions. Two feedback conditions employed adaptive approaches (bottom-up and top-down), two used non-adaptive approaches (constant detailed and constant general), and one functioned as a control group (i.e., only a performance score was given). After preliminary training on the simulator system, participants completed four simulated search and rescue missions (three training missions and one transfer mission). After each training mission, all participants received feedback relative to the condition they were assigned. Overall performance on missions, knowledge post-test scores, and subjective cognitive load were measured and analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the type of feedback. Results indicate that: (1) feedback generally improves performance, confirming prior research; (2) performance for the two adaptive approaches (bottom-up vs. top-down did not differ significantly at the end of training, but the bottom-up group achieved higher performance levels significantly sooner; (3) performance for the bottom-up and constant detailed groups did not differ significantly, although the trend suggests that adaptive bottom-up feedback may yield significant results in further studies. Overall, these results have implications for the implementation of feedback in SBT and beyond for other computer-based training systems.
Show less
Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003225, ucf:48555
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003225

Title: COMPREHENDING SYNTHETIC SPEECH: PERSONAL AND PRODUCTION INFLUENCES.
Creator: Wang Costello, Jingjing, Gilson, Richard, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: With the increasing prevalence of voice-production technology across societies, clear comprehension while listening to synthetic speech is an obvious goal. Common human factors influences include the listener's language familiarity and age. Production factors include the speaking rate and clarity. This study investigated the speaking comprehension performance of younger and older adults who learned English as their first or second language. Presentations varied by the rate of delivery in...
Show moreWith the increasing prevalence of voice-production technology across societies, clear comprehension while listening to synthetic speech is an obvious goal. Common human factors influences include the listener's language familiarity and age. Production factors include the speaking rate and clarity. This study investigated the speaking comprehension performance of younger and older adults who learned English as their first or second language. Presentations varied by the rate of delivery in words per minute (wpm) and in two forms, synthetic or natural speech. The results showed that younger adults had significantly higher comprehension performance than older adults. English as First Language (EFL) participants performed better than English as Second Language (ESL) participants for both younger and older adults, although the performance gap for the older adults was significantly larger than for younger adults. Younger adults performed significantly better than older adults at the slow speech rate (127 wpm), but surprisingly at the medium speech rate (188 wpm), both age groups performed similarly. Both young and older participants had better comprehension when listening to synthetic speech than natural speech. Both theoretical and design implications are provided from these findings. A cognitive diagnostic tool is proposed as a recommendation for future research.
Show less
Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0003925, ucf:48703
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003925

Title: Prediction of simulator sickness in a virtual environment.
Creator: Kolasinski, Eugenia M., Gilson, Richard D., Arts and Sciences
Abstract / Description: University of Central Florida College of Arts and Sciences Thesis; Sickness induced by Virtual Reality (VR) devices poses a genuine threat to the viability of this new technology and its potential products. If the occurrence or severity of sickness could be successfully predicted based on characteristics of an individual, at-risk users could be identified, properly warned, and, perhaps, trained in some way to reduce their risk. A Personal Computer-based VR system was used to address the...
Show moreUniversity of Central Florida College of Arts and Sciences Thesis; Sickness induced by Virtual Reality (VR) devices poses a genuine threat to the viability of this new technology and its potential products. If the occurrence or severity of sickness could be successfully predicted based on characteristics of an individual, at-risk users could be identified, properly warned, and, perhaps, trained in some way to reduce their risk. A Personal Computer-based VR system was used to address the prediction of simulator sickness. Phase I investigated four characteristics of an individual - age, gender, mental rotation ability, and pre-exposure postural stability - which were hypothesized to be predictive of sickness. Sickness measured as a function of the Total Severity score from the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) was successfully modeled on these characteristics using linear regression techniques, leading to three major findings. First, sickness - as measured by the SSQ - did, in fact, occur in association with exposure to VR. for 35% of the participants, this sickness involved lingering effects and/or possible delayed after-effects. Second, sickness was successfully modeled on characteristics of the individual. The developed model indicated a complicated relationship between predicted sickness and gender, age, mental rotation ability, and pre-exposure postural stability. Third, based on the model developed, sickness is not predicted to differ for gender directly but, rather, gender interacts with mental rotation ability in its effects on sickness. Phase II investigated the occurrence of ataxic decrements in postural stability. No such decrements were found to be associated with the 20-minute exposure. Thus, ataxic decrements do not appear to be associated with short exposures to low-end VR. This finding, however, may be limited to VR tasks of the type used in this study. Practical implications and areas for future research are discussed.
Show less
Date Issued: 1996
Identifier: CFR0010868, ucf:53058
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFR0010868

Academic (1)	+ -
Academic -- Arts and Sciences (1)	+ -
Aging (1)	+ -
Arts and Sciences -- Dissertations (1)	+ -
Audition (1)	+ -

Dissertations (1)	+ -
Ecstasy (1)	+ -
Listening Comprehension (1)	+ -
MDMA (1)	+ -
Modality (1)	+ -
Multiple Resource Theory (1)	+ -
Natural Speech (1)	+ -
Non-native Speakers (1)	+ -
PTSD (1)	+ -
Psychedelics (1)	+ -
Psychotherapy (1)	+ -
Resource Allocation (1)	+ -
Sensory Characteristics (1)	+ -
Speech Rate (1)	+ -
Synthetic Speech (1)	+ -
Tactile (1)	+ -
Touch (1)	+ -
Training (1)	+ -
adaptive feedback (1)	+ -
adaptive instruction (1)	+ -
affordance (1)	+ -
attention (1)	+ -
augmented reality (1)	+ -
capacity (1)	+ -
cross-modal (1)	+ -

ETD Collection (8)	+ -
Honors Collection (1)	+ -

Gilson, Richard (8)	+ -
University of Central Florida (8)	+ -
Arts and Sciences (1)	+ -
Billings, Deborah (1)	+ -
Brill, John (1)	+ -

Christian, Michael (1)	+ -
Downs, Joshua (1)	+ -
Gilson, Richard D. (1)	+ -
Kolasinski, Eugenia M. (1)	+ -
Mortimer, David (1)	+ -
Savage, Ruthann (1)	+ -
Terrence, Peter (1)	+ -
Wang Costello, Jingjing (1)	+ -

Search In

Sort Results By:

Narrow results by:

Topical Subject

Collection

Type of Resource

Language

Creator

Format

Owner