Task Experience Research Articles

The Impact of Color Combination on Visual Search Efficiency and User Experience in Human-Machine Interface: A Case Study of Metro Electronic Guide Screen

Color is an important attribute of human-perceived human-machine interface (HMI), and it is unclear which color combinations produce the best performance and user experience in visual search tasks. Taking the metro electronic guide screen (MEGS) as an example, the eye-tracking (E-T) device is used to record the pupil diameter and search time, and the Likert scale is used to evaluate the satisfaction and usability, and the influence of the four factors of background hue, saturation, brightness and text color in HMI on user search efficiency and user experience is discussed in depth. The results show that the recognition efficiency is best when the background hue is medium brightness, medium saturation green with white text color. Meanwhile, the results of user satisfaction and ease of use are basically consistent with the objective experimental results, and there is a certain correlation between the subjective preference of color combination and visual performance.

Design methodology and evaluation of multimodal interaction for enhancing driving safety and experience in secondary tasks of IVIS

Design methodology and evaluation of multimodal interaction for enhancing driving safety and experience in secondary tasks of IVIS

Adolescent and adult mice use both incremental reinforcement learning and short term memory when learning concurrent stimulus-action associations.

Computational modeling has revealed that human research participants use both rapid working memory (WM) and incremental reinforcement learning (RL) (RL+WM) to solve a simple instrumental learning task, relying on WM when the number of stimuli is small and supplementing with RL when the number of stimuli exceeds WM capacity. Inspired by this work, we examined which learning systems and strategies are used by adolescent and adult mice when they first acquire a conditional associative learning task. In a version of the human RL+WM task translated for rodents, mice were required to associate odor stimuli (from a set of 2 or 4 odors) with a left or right port to receive reward. Using logistic regression and computational models to analyze the first 200 trials per odor, we determined that mice used both incremental RL and stimulus-insensitive, one-back strategies to solve the task. While these one-back strategies may be a simple form of short-term or working memory, they did not approximate the boost to learning performance that has been observed in human participants using WM in a comparable task. Adolescent and adult mice also showed comparable performance, with no change in learning rate or softmax beta parameters with adolescent development and task experience. However, reliance on a one-back perseverative, win-stay strategy increased with development in males in both odor set sizes, but was not dependent on gonadal hormones. Our findings advance a simple conditional associative learning task and new models to enable the isolation and quantification of reinforcement learning alongside other strategies mice use while learning to associate stimuli with rewards within a single behavioral session. These data and methods can inform and aid comparative study of reinforcement learning across species.

Experience-driven development of decision-related representations in the auditory cortex

Associating sensory stimuli with behavioral significance induces substantial changes in stimulus representations. Recent studies suggest that primary sensory cortices not only adjust representations of task-relevant stimuli, but actively participate in encoding features of the decision-making process. We sought to determine whether this trait is innate in sensory cortices or if choice representation develops with time and experience. To trace choice representation development, we perform chronic two-photon calcium imaging in the primary auditory cortex of head-fixed mice while they gain experience in a tone detection task with a delayed decision window. Our results reveal a progressive increase in choice-dependent activity within a specific subpopulation of neurons, aligning with growing task familiarity and adapting to changing task rules. Furthermore, task experience correlates with heightened synchronized activity in these populations and the ability to differentiate between different types of behavioral decisions. Notably, the activity of this subpopulation accurately decodes the same action at different task phases. Our findings establish a dynamic restructuring of population activity in the auditory cortex to encode features of the decision-making process that develop over time and refines with experience.

Assessing the Effectiveness of MoSCoW Prioritization in Software Development: A Holistic Analysis across Methodologies

Effective software Requirement Prioritization plays a pivotal role in the success of the Software Development process, ultimately contributing to the successful delivery of high-quality products. Among the various methods for Requirement Prioritization, the MoSCoW method has gained widespread adoption due to its ease of use. However, its overall effectiveness remains a subject of inquiry. This paper presents a rigorous assessment of the MoSCoW Requirement Prioritization technique, drawing insights from software developers who engage in the Prioritization process. Our evaluation encompasses a distinct perspective: that of the developers tasked with Prioritization. The feedback solicited from developers encapsulates a diverse set of criteria, shedding light on the method's efficacy. Additionally, we perform sentiment analysis on the user experience of the Prioritization task to corroborate the method's accuracy and efficiency. Our study unfolds through a practical exercise involving the Prioritization of a predefined set of requirements using MoSCoW principles. A mixed method approach is employed for the purpose of assessing the effectiveness of MoSCoW. The findings of our quantitative research underscore the method's limitations, indicating that it may not be as effective and precise as previously believed. Furthermore, through qualitative analysis, we are able to highlight the complexities and challenges associated with MoSCoW-based Prioritization. The insights gained from this analysis prompt contemplation regarding the potential introduction of an evolved Requirement Prioritization method, while leveraging MoSCoW as a foundational framework. This research aims to inform the ongoing evolution of Requirement Prioritization methodologies, ultimately enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of Software Development processes.

The effects of motivational dispositions on oral L2 task emotions and performance: A regulatory focus perspective

Despite extensive research in task-based language learning, the role of learners’ motivational dispositions in their task experience and performance has remained underexplored. To help bridge that gap, this study investigated the relationships between second language (L2) learners’ chronic regulatory focus and their oral task emotions and performance. One hundred and thirty-three high school students studying English as a foreign language in China completed a regulatory focus questionnaire, an English proficiency self-rating questionnaire, an oral opinion task, and a post-task questionnaire measuring their task anxiety and enjoyment. Multiple regression results showed that the learners’ chronic promotion focus positively predicted their task enjoyment, which, in turn, predicted their oral task performance. In addition, the participants’ chronic prevention focus did not predict task anxiety but positively and directly predicted their oral task performance. The results of the study highlight the importance of learners’ chronic regulatory focus in their task experience and performance. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed.

Higher, Faster, Further: Performance Heterogeneity and Social Facilitation in Professional Track and Field

To explore the effects of COVID-19-related spectator variations on elite track and field athletes, the current article measures individual outcomes according to World Athletics Scores and then leverages these measures in fixed effects regression models to gauge athletes’ performance. Using a dataset of 5284 observations over 6 years and controlling for athlete, venue, and discipline fixed effects, as well as competition characteristics, we address task complexity and task experience. Thereby, we establish that field (in more complex tasks) but not track athletes (in simpler tasks) benefit from spectator exclusion. Furthermore, younger rather than older (more experienced) track athletes benefit from the lack of spectators, implying that experienced athletes handle social pressure better.

Think-Aloud Testing of a Companion App for Colonoscopy Exams: Usability Study.

Colonoscopies, are vital for initial screening, follow-ups, surveillance of neoplasia, and assessing symptoms like rectal bleeding. Successful colonoscopies require thorough colon preparation, but up to 25% fail due to poor preparation. This can lead to longer procedures, repeat colonoscopies, inconvenience, poorer health outcomes, and higher costs. eHealth tools can enhance bowel preparation and potentially reduce the need for repeat procedures. This usability study aimed to identify strengths and weaknesses in a prototype companion app for colonoscopy exams. The objective was to obtain in-depth insights into the app's usability, ease of use, and content comprehension, with the objective of refining the tool to effectively fulfil its intended purpose, guided by feedback from potential users. From February to August 2024, we conducted a qualitative study using the think-aloud (TA) procedure. Each session involved 6 tasks and a semi-structured interview to delve deeper into participants' task experiences. All TA sessions and interviews were recorded. Quantitative usability questions were analysed using Microsoft Excel, while qualitative data underwent coding and analysis based on thematic analysis principles. In total, 17 individuals, all smartphone users, participated in this study. Participants were recruited from one hospital, one private clinic, and one patient organisation in Switzerland. The study found that participants rated the app's usability metrics positively, with an overall mean rating of ease of use at 4.29 (SD 0.59), usefulness at 4.53 (SD 0.72), and comprehensibility at 4.29 (SD 0.92). For the individual features, the mean ratings for ease of use were between 4.00 and 4.65, usefulness ranged from 4.35 to 4.82, and comprehensibility received ratings between 4.29 and 4.53, all measured on a 5-point scale, where 1 represented low agreement and 5 indicated high agreement. Additionally, 100% of participants indicated they will or may use the app if they require a colonoscopy exam. Participants highlighted the need for reminders and alerts in the week leading up to the colonoscopy, along with tailored content, simplified language, and visual aids. The app prototype demonstrated favourable results with the majority of participants, and the testing process enabled the prompt identification and resolution of usability issues. The next phase will prioritize and assess potential improvements based on urgency and feasibility to guide a focused development plan. Usability testing highlighted features like push notifications and personalised content as top priorities for participants, making them key areas for immediate attention. Moving forward, the app has the potential to function effectively as a companion app for colonoscopy exams. To achieve this, further studies with a larger sample in real-world settings will be crucial. Not Applicable.

The impact of threat of shock on memory for threat-irrelevant information: Evidence for a role of reduced semantic organization

Research into the effects of acute anxiety on episodic memory has produced inconsistent findings, particularly for threat-neutral information. In two experiments, we tested the hypothesis that anxiety induced by threat of shock can interfere with the use of semantic-organizational processes that benefit memory. In Experiment 1, participants viewed and freely recalled two lists of semantically unrelated neutral words, one encoded in a threatening context (threat blocks) and one encoded without threat (safe blocks). As predicted, significantly fewer words were recalled during threat than safe blocks. Moreover, free recall patterns following threat blocks showed lower levels of semantic organization as assessed using a “path length” measurement that considers the semantic distance between pairs of consecutively recalled words. Both effects unexpectedly interacted with block order, such that they primarily reflected improved recall and increased semantic organization from the first to the second block in participants who received the threat block first. Experiment 2 used semantically related word lists to reduce potential impacts of task experience on semantic organization. Free recall was again less accurate and showed longer (less organized) path lengths for threat than safe blocks, and the path length effect no longer interacted with block order. Moreover, threat-induced changes to path lengths emerged as a mediator of the relation between physiological effects of threat (increased skin conductance) and reduced subsequent memory. These data point to semantic control processes as an understudied determinant of when and how acute anxiety impacts episodic memory.

Brain-wide dynamics linking sensation to action during decision-making.

Perceptual decisions rely on learned associations between sensory evidence and appropriate actions, involving the filtering and integration of relevant inputs to prepare and execute timely responses1,2. Despite the distributed nature of task-relevant representations3-10, it remains unclear how transformations between sensory input, evidence integration, motor planning and execution are orchestrated across brain areas and dimensions of neural activity. Here we addressed this question by recording brain-wide neural activity in mice learning to report changes in ambiguous visual input. After learning, evidence integration emerged across most brain areas in sparse neural populations that drive movement-preparatory activity. Visual responses evolved from transient activations in sensory areas to sustained representations in frontal-motor cortex, thalamus, basal ganglia, midbrain and cerebellum, enabling parallel evidence accumulation. In areas that accumulate evidence, shared population activity patterns encode visual evidence and movement preparation, distinct from movement-execution dynamics. Activity in movement-preparatory subspace is driven by neurons integrating evidence, which collapses at movement onset, allowing the integration process to reset. Across premotor regions, evidence-integration timescales were independent of intrinsic regional dynamics, and thus depended on task experience. In summary, learning aligns evidence accumulation to action preparation in activity dynamics across dozens of brain regions. This leads to highly distributed and parallelized sensorimotor transformations during decision-making. Our work unifies concepts from decision-making and motor control fields into a brain-wide framework for understanding how sensory evidence controls actions.

“I Felt Like There Was Something Wrong in My Brain”: Growing Up with Trauma – How Young People Conceptualise, Self-Manage and Seek Help for Mental Health Problems

Abstract Background Youth mental health is an important global healthcare topic and early interventions that are timely and evidence-based to support young people can increase quality of life and lower deaths by suicide. Research exploring young people’s mental health experiences and how they manage can further understanding into help-seeking processes. Objective This study aimed to explore young people’s experiences of living with and managing mental health problems and how this impacts professional help-seeking. Methods Eighteen young people were recruited, aged 16–25 years, with experiences of help-seeking to services for mental health problems (N = 18). Data were analysed using Constructivist Grounded Theory methods (Charmaz, Constructing grounded theory, 2014). Findings The findings were presented across three sub-categories: (1) “Early experiences”; (2) “Conceptualising mental health” and (3) “Managing mental health”. Findings expand understanding on the resource pressures that young people experience whilst managing persistent mental distress emanating from early experiences of trauma, life stressors, and developmental tasks. Findings also report lived experiences of pain, loneliness and stigma, and how individual conceptualisations of mental health are informed. The preference for self-reliance can be rooted in developmental needs or learned behaviours and how this impacts self-management and help seeking is discussed. Conclusion Through an enhanced understanding about how young people experience mental distress, developmental pressure points, marginalisation and stigma, mental health providers can prioritise individualised approaches to healthcare that can both respect a young person’s individual conceptualizations and positively leverage self-management strategies, which can contribute positively to young people’s development, quality of life, and healthcare outcomes.

Monitoring reaction time to digital device in the very-old to detect early cognitive decline

Early detection of cognitive decline is essential for timely intervention and effective management of age-related impairments. We monitored repetitive reaction times to a simple task on senior-friendly tablet computers among 72 functionally independent older adults, with a mean age of 82, ranging up to 100 years, within natural settings over two years. Functional principal component analyses revealed a consistent decrease in reaction time in line with their task experience among those without subjective cognitive decline. Conversely, individuals reporting subjective cognitive decline showed no consistent trend and exhibited wide variability over time. These distinctive reaction time trajectories in very old adults suggest the potential for monitoring as a non-invasive, convenient method for early detection of cognitive impairment.

Math task experiences and motivation to learn more: How prior knowledge and interest interact with Task‐Interest & Task‐Difficulty perceptions and feed a desire to reengage

AbstractHow do task experiences support proximal and longer‐term desires to reengage? Central to this question is the interplay between perceptions of task difficulty and the situational interest. This interplay is increasingly researched but not yet well understood. Micro‐analytic, latent studies are important tools for replicating past findings and extending our understanding in this area. This study aimed to extend our understanding of the interplay between readiness (prior knowledge and individual interest), a sequence of mathematics task experiences (situational interest and perceived difficulty) and reengagement beyond the set of tasks (i.e. optional follow‐up engagement). Participants (ages 20–49; n = 301) completed a series of maths tasks online, self‐reporting their task experiences after each task. Participants were offered an optional opportunity to follow‐up with the task content as a measure of their continued interest. Both readiness components assessed were important predictors of future situational interest (positive) and perceptions of task difficulty (negative). Persistent interconnections between the task experience components across time supported past evidence regarding the important role of situational interest and the challenges of perceived difficulty for sustained engagement. Modelling indicated that task success (β = 0.36), situational interest (β = 0.16) and perceptions of task difficulty (β = 0.21) can converge on choices to reengage with an object going forward.

Cross-domain additive learning of new knowledge rather than replacement.

In medical clinical scenarios for reasons such as patient privacy, information protection and data migration, when domain adaptation is needed for real scenarios, the source-domain data is often inaccessible and only the pre-trained source model on the source-domain is available. Existing solutions for this type of problem tend to forget the rich task experience previously learned on the source domain after adapting, which means that the model simply overfits the target-domain data when adapting and does not learn robust features that facilitate real task decisions. We address this problem by exploring the particular application of source-free domain adaptation in medical image segmentation and propose a two-stage additive source-free adaptation framework. We generalize the domain-invariant features by constraining the core pathological structure and semantic consistency between different perspectives. And we reduce the segmentation generated by locating and filtering elements that may have errors through Monte-Carlo uncertainty estimation. We conduct comparison experiments with some other methods on a cross-device polyp segmentation and a cross-modal brain tumor segmentation dataset, the results in both the target and source domains verify that the proposed method can effectively solve the domain offset problem and the model retains its dominance on the source domain after learning new knowledge of the target domain.This work provides valuable exploration for achieving additive learning on the target and source domains in the absence of source data and offers new ideas and methods for adaptation research in the field of medical image segmentation.

Teaching mathematics in college: The need for a set of professionally oriented tasks

The purpose of the study is to solve this problem, which consists of substantiating, developing, and implementing a methodological system for preparing students for professionally oriented mathematics education in college. Professionally oriented mathematics education in colleges is advisable, as it helps students see the practical benefits and importance of mathematics in their future professional activities. This approach allows us to better prepare students for their future professions. Research problem: what are the leading directions, principles, content, and forms of methodological preparation of students for professionally oriented mathematics education in college? In achieving this goal, we distinguish a complex of professionally oriented tasks in the fact that they reflect specific scenarios and difficulties that specialists face in their professional activities, and this allows students to gain experience in specific tasks from their field. Research methods: interviewing and testing students, teachers; observation, study, and generalization of pedagogical experience; development of an author's methodology for preparing students for professionally oriented mathematics education in college. We identified criteria to verify the effectiveness of the training methodology, assessing the students’ assimilation of subject knowledge and their increased motivation for learning. The results of the pedagogical experiment show that the process of teaching mathematics in a college with a professionally oriented methodological learning system, implemented through the use of a set of professionally oriented tasks, contributes to an increase in the level of mathematical training and educational motivation of students.

Pacing Behavior Development: The Role of Task Experience and the Presence of Competitors.

Self-regulation of effort during exercise (i.e., pacing) is a determinant of exercise performance, which develops during childhood and adolescence. Yet the various aspects of pacing under development, such as the capability to use task experience and retain the task goal in the presence of other competitors, have remained relatively unexplored. Nine adolescents (14.9 ± 2.1 yr old) and 14 adults (24.2 ± 3.2 yr old) completed four 4-km cycling trials in a well-controlled laboratory setting. After one familiarization visit, trials were performed in random order: alone, with the goal to finish the trial as fast as possible (AloneTime), with a competitor and the same goal (CompTime), or with a competitor and the goal to finish first (CompFirst). Within each age-group, repeated-measures ANOVA ( P < 0.05) examined the differences in the estimated task duration, pacing behavior (distribution of mean power output per 500 m), and performance (finish time) between visits (4) or conditions (3). In contrast to adults ( P < 0.05, ηp2 > 0.20), adolescents did not exhibit a change in estimation of task duration, pacing behavior, or performance over repeated visits ( P > 0.05, ηp2 < 0.10). Adolescents altered their pacing behavior in the presence of a competitor independent of the task goal (CompTime and CompFirst), whereas adults only demonstrated this alteration when instructed to finish first (CompFirst). Adolescents are still developing the capability 1) to use experience from previous tasks to adjust their pacing behavior and 2) to inhibit the intuitive action of engaging with the competitor to retain the more abstract task goal of finishing the trial as fast as possible. These findings establish novel experimental evidence for the underpinnings of pacing behavior development.

A Multiform Optimization Framework for Multiobjective Feature Selection in Classification

Feature selection in machine learning as a key data processing technique has two conflicting goals: minimizing the classification error rate and minimizing the number of features selected. However, most of the existing multi-objective feature selection methods face the problems of easily falling into local optima and slow convergence by virtue of their problem characteristics, such as partially conflicting objectives and highly discontinuous Pareto fronts. To solve these problems, this article proposes a multiform optimization framework to solve a multi-objective feature selection task together with several auxiliary single-objective feature selection tasks in a multitask environment. The proposed framework uses the problem-solving experience of single-objective tasks to assist the multi-objective feature selection task in exploring more promising regions and accelerating the convergence speed. Specifically, a knowledge transfer strategy based on the search experience of different tasks is developed to accomplish multiform optimization. In addition, a diversity enhancement mechanism is presented to improve search ability in promising decision space areas by considering historical information about the population. In most cases, the experiment results on 27 datasets demonstrate that the proposed technique can uncover more diversified feature subsets on the Pareto front in less time than existing state-of-the-art methods.

Dynamic agglomeration effects of foreigners and natives – The role of experience in high-quality sectors, tasks and establishments

We analyze whether the benefits of work experience that was acquired in denser locations can be explained by the quality of jobs that can be found in agglomerations using administrative data on individual employment biographies of workers in Germany. We find that 79% of the premium for work experience gained in the densest regions can be ascribed to the sectors, tasks and establishments in which experience was acquired. Moreover, we find that foreign and native workers, on average, benefit to a similar extent from dynamic agglomeration effects. However, low-skilled foreign workers receive a lower return to experience gained in dense regions than observationally identical natives. This difference can be explained by the fact that the former gain work experience in lower-quality jobs.

Testing “Pits” Time Trade-Off: Can Data Quality be Improved by Removing Death From Valuation of Health States?

ObjectivesComposite time trade-off (cTTO) often exhibits issues such as a value clustering at −1, potentially due to suboptimal valuation task design. We developed a novel time trade-off which uses the “pits” state as an anchor state and enables a unified time trade-off procedure for all health states (referred to as “pTTO”). This study aimed to test the pTTO for valuation of EQ-5D-5L health states. MethodsA total of 120 members of the general public were invited to value 3 pairs of dominant/dominated EQ-5D-5L states using both cTTO and pTTO and the “pits” state using cTTO. We compared the pTTO with cTTO in terms of feasibility (interviewer-rated task-completing difficulty), acceptability (participant-reported task experience), value distribution, logical consistency, and discriminatory ability (using the standardized response mean, an effect size measure, derived from 3 pairwise comparisons of states with dominant/dominated relationship). ResultsThe pTTO demonstrated similar feasibility to cTTO but slightly lower acceptability. The pTTO values exhibited a smoother and more continuous distribution compared with cTTO values. Relative to the cTTO, the pTTO showed higher individual-level logical consistency rate for the pairs comprising severe states (stringent criterion: 53.04% vs 17.39%; less stringent criterion: 82.61% vs 78.26%). The standardized response mean value based on pTTO values were higher than those based on cTTO values for the pair comprising severe states (0.388 vs −0.140). ConclusionsThe pTTO appeared to be feasible and acceptable to value EQ-5D-5L states. The pTTO values were less clustered, more logically consistent, and discriminative compared with the cTTO values for severe health states.

No evidence for cross-paradigm transfer of abstract task knowledge in adults and school-aged children.

Cognitive control is a hallmark of human cognition. A large number of studies have focused on the plasticity of cognitive control and examined how repeated task experience leads to the improvement of cognitive control in novel task environments. However, it has been demonstrated that training-induced changes are very selective and that transfer occurs within one task paradigm but not across different task paradigms. The current study tested the possibility that cross-paradigm transfer would occur if a common cognitive control strategy is employed across different task paradigms. Specifically, we examined whether prior experience of using reactive control in one task paradigm (i.e., either the cued task-switching paradigm or the AX-CPT) makes adults (N = 137) and 9- to 10-year-olds (N = 126) respond in a reactive way in a subsequent condition of another task paradigm in which proactive control could have been engaged. Bayesian generalized mixed-effects modelsrevealed clear evidence of an absence of cross-paradigm transfer of reactive control in both adults and school-aged children. Based on these findings, we discuss to what extent learned control could be transferred across different task contexts and the task-specificity of proactive/reactive control strategies.