Subjectivity Research Articles

The cat is out of the bag: the effect of virtual characters and scale cues on physics coherence

According to previous research, humans are exceptionally skilled at distinguishing earth-congruent object trajectories from earth-discrepant ones. Inconsistent scale cues in Virtual Reality (VR), however, are shown to easily confuse VR users’ scale, size, and distance estimations. This paper describes the results of two studies, with 40 participants each, which tested the effects of self-scaling, and size cues from active virtual characters, on perceived physics coherence (i.e., subjective realism). In the first study (Study A), a humanoid robot the size of a doll manipulated household objects to demonstrate their rigid body dynamics. The demonstration sequence was performed twice, once using a correct approximation of physics, and once using an incorrect one in which gravity was simulated similarly to as if the doll-sized robot was human-sized and the surrounding room was enlarged. The participants observed both demonstrations, once while standing at the normal scale and once at a reduced scale, similar to that of the humanoid robot. The second study (Study B) was similar, except that the virtual character demonstrating the physics was a regular-sized cat. Our preregistered hypotheses predicted that participants would consider the correct approximation of physics as better matching their expectations at normal scale, and the incorrect one as better matching their expectations at the reduced scale. However, only the second of these hypotheses was supported. According to our exploratory analyses, the participant’s own scale was a poor predictor of physics preference, and instead there was a significant effect regarding the virtual character’s identity. Participants observing the virtual cat were about eight times more likely to select the realistic physics model compared to those observing the humanoid robot. The results indicate that familiar cues tied to virtual character identity overrode any potential effects related to changes in the participants’ own scale.

The Felt Realism of “Unreal” Environments: Testing a Dual Awareness Model of Subjective Realism

In this paper, we empirically investigate VR users’ subjective experiences of realism. We conceptualise two operationally distinct processes: a top-down critical evaluation of realism and a bottom-up felt experience of realism. Study 1 investigated the latent factor structure of a measure of subjective realism responses to different virtual environments. Results indicated a three-factor structure: (i) felt realism – user’s feelings of realism, (ii) perceptual realism – evaluation of the realism of stimulus form or perceptual elements, and (iii) conceptual realism – evaluation of stimulus content or conceptual elements. Study 2 investigated the effect of two “objective realism” manipulations on the three “subjective realism” factors. We manipulated the visual quality and normality of the virtual setting. Results indicated that participants rated abnormal environments lower in perceptual realism and conceptual realism. However, the abnormal environments were reported higher in felt realism. The findings demonstrate the power of abnormal and “unreal” environments in inducing subjective realism for entertainment users. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this research was conducted using 360 video stimuli, future research should test these findings with full HMD VR.

Exploring Subjective Realism: Do evaluative realism and felt realism respond differently to different cues?

Media research has conceptualised realism of media and technology in many different ways e.g., visual fidelity, presence, narrative consistency. We build on a dual process model of subjective realism, categorising evaluative realism (comparison of stimulus to real life) and felt realism (illusion of felt non-mediation). This study explored subjective realism using a 2 × 2 design (N = 103) with two between-groups variables [perceptual cue (presence of interactive eye-gaze from virtual character) and conceptual cue (presence of narrative frame)]. Findings indicated how perceptual and conceptual cues interact; users reported that eye-gaze was evaluatively unrealistic, but eye-gaze accompanied by narrative framing resulted in higher self-reported felt realism. Perceptual cues alone may not increase felt realism without sufficient narrative explanation to contextualise the experience. Findings are integrated with theory and implications for a model of subjective realism are discussed.

Quantum Mind-Induced Subjective Realism: A Quantum Consciousness-Based Management Model of Reality Perception

Quantum Mind-Induced Subjective Realism: A Quantum Consciousness-Based Management Model of Reality Perception

Tactile Texture Display Combining Vibrotactile and Electrostatic-friction Stimuli: Substantial Effects on Realism and Moderate Effects on Behavioral Responses

There is increasing demand for tactile feedback functions for touch panels. We investigated whether virtual roughness texture quality can be improved through simultaneous use of vibrotactile and electrostatic-friction stimuli. This conjunctive use is expected to improve the perceptual quality of texture stimuli, because vibrotactile and electrostatic-friction stimuli have complementary characteristics. Our previous studies confirmed that these conjunct stimuli yield enhanced realism for simple grating roughness. In this study, we conducted experiments using simple and complex sinusoidal surface profiles consisting of one or two spatial wave components. Three different evaluation criteria were employed. The first criterion concerned the subjective realism, i.e., similarity with actual roughness textures, of virtual roughness textures. Participants compared the following three stimulus conditions: vibrotactile stimuli only, electrostatic-friction stimuli only, and their conjunct stimuli. The conjunct stimuli yielded the greatest realism. The second criterion concerned roughness texture identification under each of the three stimulus conditions for five different roughness textures. The highest identification accuracy rate was achieved under the conjunct stimulus condition; however, the performance difference was marginal. The third criterion concerned the discrimination threshold of the grating-scale spatial wavelength. There were no marked differences among the results for the three conditions. The findings of this study will improve virtual texture quality for touch-panel-type surface tactile displays.

Enjoyment And Tolerance Of Exercise Intensity In Objectively Versus Subjectively Regulated Interval Exercise In Older Adults

High-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) has led to significant improvements in fitness in healthy and clinical populations, including older adults. Recent evidence suggests that treadmill based HIIE using subjectively regulated HIIE may be more practically applicable to the real world and generates a similar training load for older adults to heart rate regulated HIIE. According to the guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine, information regarding exercise enjoyment and individual preference for and tolerance of exercise intensity should be considered when developing and modifying exercise prescriptions for successful exercise adherence. PURPOSE: To examine the associations of preference for and tolerance of exercise intensity with physiological performance and perceptual outcomes during single sessions of HIIE using either subjectively (SUB) or objectively (OBJ) prescribed exercise in a treadmill in apparently healthy older adults. METHODS: Fourteen participants (71 ± 9 yrs) completed the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale to measure exercise enjoyment and Preference for and Tolerance of the Intensity of Exercise Questionnaire to measure Preference (PREF) and Tolerance (TOL). Participants underwent an incremental exercise test on a treadmill in order to prescribe the OBJ session. This was followed by two randomly assigned HIIE sessions wherein the intensity of the exercise was prescribed and regulated by either heart rate (OBJ) or ratings of perceived exertion (RPE; SUB). The HIIE bouts consisted of 10 cycles of 1-min intervals at 80-90% and 30-40% HRpeak and at 8-9 and 3-4 RPE values for the OBJ and SUB sessions, respectively. Oxygen consumption (VO2), speed, and incline were measured during the OBJ and SUB sessions. RESULTS: Enjoyment was positively associated with speed during the OBJ (r = .60, p = .02) and SUB (r = .84, p < .01) sessions, incline during the OBJ (r = .60, p.03) session, and VO2 during the SUB (r = .73, p < .01) session. PREF was not significantly associated with any of the outcomes. TOL was negatively associated with incline during the SUB session (r = -.51, p = .05). CONCLUSIONS: Enjoyment and TOL scores, through associations with speed and VO2 in subjectively-regulated HIIT sessions, may be important for personalizing and modifying exercise prescriptions in older adults.

Rein Müllerson’s New Philosophy of International Law

Researchers of international legal reality continue to master the theoretical advances of prof. Rein Müllerson. Newly published monograph by Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd Living In Interesting Times: Curse or Chance? Recollections of an International Lawyer — Participant and Observer sums up the fruitful work of this famous international lawyer, conveys his experience to the next generations of theorists and practitioners. An experience that not only contains the international legal qualification of modern life’s complex concepts, but also brings them together into a coherent system. Based on a broad doctrinal basis, the book is, in the words of the author himself, a reflection of subjective realism, the author’s understanding of the philosophy of international law. Operating with such instruments of a modern researcher of international relations as liberalism and democratization, globalization and regionalization, linking the theory built in the Soviet scientific paradigm with the practice tested in the UN structures, the author brought international law to a higher level of comprehension as a complex system of regulators of interstate behavior. The neutral and non-politicized views of prof. Müllerson on most modern international problems, as well as his rich experience in the application of legal norms in practice, should be appreciated by present and future generations of researchers interested in building a new world — free from wars and confrontations.

‘Parma dreamin’’: Malerba's Il serpente

AbstractIn Il serpente, Luigi Malerba's first novel, the writer moves from the objectifying perspective, working-class protagonists, and themes of neorealism to a subjective realism that sets aside the direct dialogue of his first book (La scoperta dell'alfabeto, a collection of brief narratives) in favor of the exterior monologue. The narrating voice of Il serpente feels compelled to relive the guilt, shame, and humiliation of his youth. He prevaricates habitually because he is anxious as to how he appears, primarily to himself: he is caught between the need to express himself and the fear of being punished for having done so. The changes in narrative strategy, along with the psychological plausibility of the narrative and Malerba's analysis of Italy's ‘grey zone’, populated by those who did not actively participate in the civil war following the fall of Fascism, make Il serpente worthy of our close attention.

“A flaw in the great diamond of the world”: Reflections on subjectivity and the enterprise of psychology (A diptych).

“A flaw in the great diamond of the world”: Reflections on subjectivity and the enterprise of psychology (A diptych).

Rein Müllerson in the international law: retrospectives and prospects

This article is dedicated to reconsideration of the ideas of the prominent Soviet, Russian, Estonian and international legal expert Rein M&amp;uuml;llerson, which he introduced to the theory and practice of international law. The relevance of this research is substantiated by the contribution made by Professor Rein M&amp;uuml;llerson to the Soviet system, as well as the contribution he continues to make to the modern domestic, foreign, and universal doctrine of international law. In 201, the author of multiple articles and monographs that are published in different languages and countries, Professor Rein M&amp;uuml;llerson released his summarizing work &amp;ndash; the autobiography &amp;ldquo;Living In Interesting Times: Curse or Chance?&amp;rdquo;, which in reality is not an autobiography. This monograph, which determines the topic of this research, is dedicated to the most relevant issues of international law and international relations, which underlie the scientific reflections in the latest published work of Professor M&amp;uuml;llerson. The goal of this article lies in the analysis of manifestation of subjective realism and new philosophy of modern international law declared in the 2021 monograph. Using such instruments of the modern researcher of international relations as liberalism and democratization, globalization and regionalization, correlating the theory built in the Soviet scientific paradigm with the practice tested in the UN structures, he brought the international law to a higher level of comprehension, as a complex system of regulators of multinational behavior. The neutral and non-politicized views of Professor M&amp;uuml;llerso answers on the majority of modern international problems, along with his vast experience in practical implementation of legal norms, should be duly appreciated by present and future generations of researchers interested in building a new world &amp;ndash; free from warfare and confrontations.

Enacting small justices: Education, place and subjectivity in the Anthropocene

Enacting small justices: Education, place and subjectivity in the Anthropocene

Governing uncertainty, producing subjectivity: from Mode I to Mode II scenarios

Governing uncertainty, producing subjectivity: from Mode I to Mode II scenarios

The dis/entanglements of knowledge: transversing matter, subjectivity and identity in VS Naipaul and Igshaan Adams

The dis/entanglements of knowledge: transversing matter, subjectivity and identity in VS Naipaul and Igshaan Adams

Emerging Voices: Crossing Borders in Uniform: The Construction of Subjectivity in a Post 9/11 Blogosphere

Emerging Voices: Crossing Borders in Uniform: The Construction of Subjectivity in a Post 9/11 Blogosphere

Ian Parker, Psychoanalysis, Clinic and Context: Subjectivity, History and Autobiography

Ian Parker, <i>Psychoanalysis, Clinic and Context: Subjectivity, History and Autobiography</i>

소수자의 주체성과 다문화 정치의 모색

본 논문은 변형의 능력으로서 주체의 실천을 중심에 놓고 구조 및 제도의 상호구성적 메카니즘에 기반하여 다문화적 주체의 형성과 다문화주의 지향적인 정치의 역동성을 파악하고자 한다. 진정한 다문화적 주체는 차이와 다양성의 증가라는 시대적 조건(구조)과의 적극적인 상호 작용 속에서 자신의 정체성을 근본적으로 변화시킬 수 있는 능력을 가진 존재이다. 이런 가능성에 주목할 때 기존의 지배적인 정치와 다른 다문화 ‘주의’적 정치도 적극적으로 모색될 수 있을 것이다. 결국 다문화 사회의 핵심적인 주체로서 이주민들의 정치적 실천은 우리 사회의 변화와 직간접적으로 연동되어 정치의 외연과 내용을 확장하는 계기가 될 수 있을 것이다. 이는 다수집단, 정주민 집단의 다문화적 주체성을 촉발시키는 동시에 사회 전체의 민주적 포용 능력을 함양하는 계기가 될 것이다. 그렇다면 이제 다문화 시대를 살아가는 다수자의 변화를 적극적으로 사고할 수 있는 주체성을 함양하기 위한 새로운 정치의 모색이 중요해진다.

Embodied subjectivity and objectifying self‐consciousness: Cassam and phenomenology

Embodied subjectivity and objectifying self‐consciousness: Cassam and phenomenology

The Change of the Regime of Subjectivity in Post-Dictatorship Korea and the Korean Cinema Renaissance: An Introductory Study for Historicizing the Contemporary Korean Cinema

The Change of the Regime of Subjectivity in Post-Dictatorship Korea and the Korean Cinema Renaissance: An Introductory Study for Historicizing the Contemporary Korean Cinema

Vítimas do bisturi. Mídia, gênero e a ponta afiada da biopolítica

Cirurgias plásticas são uma prática difundida mundialmente e, em especial, entre o público feminino brasileiro, o que levou o Brasil a liderar o ranking global de intervenções. A intensa afinidade entre mídia e conhecimento médico é um dos fatores que colaboram para a banalização destas práticas, obliterando os riscos existentes. Com o objetivo de investigar as consequências da articulação entre imprensa, biopolítica e gênero, o presente artigo analisa a cobertura midiática da morte de uma mulher após um procedimento estético. O caso de Lilian Quezia Calixto, que faleceu após intervenção feita pelo médico Denis Cesar Barros Furtado (conhecido como “Dr. Bumbum”), foi escolhido por ter despertado grande atenção da mídia e levantado a incômoda discussão sobre risco de morte deste tipo de procedimento. O exame destas notícias apontou para um processo de culpabilização das vítimas de intervenções corporais, como forma de diminuir a responsabilidade do campo médico perante tais casos. A discussão dos resultados propõe que este tipo de enunciado está imerso em uma cultura somática que normaliza a ação sobre o corpo, fortalece a ideia de individualização e constrói subjetividades – especialmente femininas – em torno do cumprimento às demandas de uma medicina midiatizada e mercantilizada.

Innovation of Ideological and Political Education in Big Data Age

The arrival of big data era has affected the logic and trend of social development. Big data broadens the coverage of education, highlights the subjectivity of students, and requires the data of teaching content. Big data enriches the teaching methods of ideological and political education, improves the pertinence of ideological and political education, improves the quality of ideological and political educators, and promotes ideological and political education.Big data’s core technology has been generally accepted by colleges and universities, and the application technology represented by Hadoop system has become a common tool for data mining and analysis of ideological and political education in colleges and universities. In the era of big data, we should pay attention to the innovation of data mining and data analysis.