Use Of Touchscreen Research Articles

Effects of Playing an Interactive Educational App on Children's Learning and Executive Function

AbstractChildren are increasingly using educational apps, but little research has been conducted to determine their effectiveness. The current study compared the effect of an interactive touchscreen app to the effect of a noninteractive video about the app on young children's Chinese characters learning and executive functions (EFs). In a mixed between‐within design, 50 children aged 5 to 6 years old were randomly assigned to play the app on touchscreen or to watch a noninteractive video about the app. Results showed that children in the app condition made more progress from the pretest to the posttest in Chinese characters learning, and more improvement in working memory scores and inhibitory capacity scores compared to the video condition. Results suggest that interactive literacy apps on touchscreens benefit children's learning and EFs. Future research should continue to focus on the impact of different forms of touchscreen use on children's executive functioning.

Human body features recognition based adaptive user interface for extra-large touch screens

With the widespread use of extra-large touch screens (eLTS) in various settings such as work and education, interaction efficiency and user experience have garnered increased attention. The current user interface (UI) layouts of eLTS are primarily categorized into two modes: fixed position and manual adjustment. The fixed UI layout fails to accommodate users of different heights and sizes, while the manual adjustment mode involves cumbersome steps and lacks sufficient flexibility. This study proposes an adaptive UI for eLTS. The optimal operational area on the eLTS is determined based on users’ height, eye level, arm length, face orientation, and distance from the screen. The eLTS menu is then positioned and displayed within this optimal area. Simulations involving users of various heights (P1 female, P50 male and female, and P99 male) were conducted to evaluate fatigue using the rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) method. The results indicate that the proposed adaptive UI significantly reduces user fatigue.

Concurrent and longitudinal associations between touchscreen use and executive functions at preschool-age

IntroductionThe prevalence of touchscreen devices has recently risen amongst young children. Some evidence suggests that increased touchscreen use may be negatively related to preschool-age children's executive functions (EFs). However, it has been argued that actively interacting with touchscreen devices (e.g., via creative apps for drawing) could better support EF development compared to passive use (e.g., watching videos). There is a pressing need to understand whether the type of use can explain potential associations between touchscreen use and EF.MethodsBy following up longitudinally on an infant sample, now aged 42-months (N = 101), the current study investigates the relative contributions of passive and active touchscreen use, measured concurrently at 42-months and longitudinally from 10-to-42-months, on parent-reported EFs.ResultsA multivariate multiple regression found no significant negative associations between touchscreen use and preschool EF. There was a significant positive association between active touchscreen use at 42-months and the BRIEF-P Flexibility Index.DiscussionThe lack of significant negative associations found is consistent with an earlier study's findings in the same sample at infancy, suggesting that the moderate levels of early touchscreen use in this sample are not significantly associated with poorer EF, at least up to preschool-age.

Chinese early childhood educators’ beliefs and experiences around using touchscreens with children under three years of age

ABSTRACT Research shows that educators’ technology beliefs and experiences strongly shape their technology adoption and utilization in educational practices. This mixed-method study investigated very young children’s educators’ touchscreen use and their beliefs and experiences in China. Rich quantitative findings (N = 1276) revealed the availability of touchscreen devices mainly computers and laptops in early childhood educational settings and this technology provision aligns with Chinese traditional teacher-centred educational practices. Despite their highly reported digital skills, educators’ overall use of touchscreen technologies with very young children was low and there was a lack of confidence in using them with children. It appears that confidence is more influential for Chinese educators in deciding to use technology with very young children than their digital skills. Implications for educational policies and designing effective professional learning and development for early childhood educators to enhance their digital competence are discussed.

Teaching advanced technology (ADAS) and use of touch screens in driver training in Norway

As many as 4,601 people were injured or killed on the roads in Norway in 2022. This number is too high and highlights the necessity of putting road safety on the agenda. The car industry today is represented by a vast increase in advanced technology for drivers to interact with, and knowing how and when to use this technology is crucial for safe driving. Thus, our research question was: Does the Norwegian driver training industry teach advanced driver assistance technology (ADAS) and touch screens in their driver training?A survey was distributed to 1,058 driving schools in Norway, resulting in 333 responses. The results showed that driving instructors spend considerably more effort on teaching inbuilt driving assist technologies that enhance driving safety than on those that are designed to enhance safety but that, if not understood well, could lead to hazardous outcomes. Suggestions on how to improve driver training and driving instructor education are made. Research and practical implications are presented to make sure that driving education is updated and aligned with technological advancements in the automobile industry and to ensure traffic safety for all road users.

Revealing Interaction Dynamics: Multi-Level Visual Exploration of User Strategies with an Interactive Digital Environment.

We present a visual analytics approach for multi-level visual exploration of users' interaction strategies in an interactive digital environment. The use of interactive touchscreen exhibits in informal learning environments, such as museums and science centers, often incorporate frameworks that classify learning processes, such as Bloom's taxonomy, to achieve better user engagement and knowledge transfer. To analyze user behavior within these digital environments, interaction logs are recorded to capture diverse exploration strategies. However, analysis of such logs is challenging, especially in terms of coupling interactions and cognitive learning processes, and existing work within learning and educational contexts remains limited. To address these gaps, we develop a visual analytics approach for analyzing interaction logs that supports exploration at the individual user level and multi-user comparison. The approach utilizes algorithmic methods to identify similarities in users' interactions and reveal their exploration strategies. We motivate and illustrate our approach through an application scenario, using event sequences derived from interaction log data in an experimental study conducted with science center visitors from diverse backgrounds and demographics. The study involves 14 users completing tasks of increasing complexity, designed to stimulate different levels of cognitive learning processes. We implement our approach in an interactive visual analytics prototype system, named VISID, and together with domain experts, discover a set of task-solving exploration strategies, such as "cascading" and "nested-loop', which reflect different levels of learning processes from Bloom's taxonomy. Finally, we discuss the generalizability and scalability of the presented system and the need for further research with data acquired in the wild.

The Dark Side of Multimedia Devices: Negative Consequences for Socioemotional Development in Early Childhood.

There is growing concern about the relationship between screen use by young children and negative effects on their development, as children with developmental and socioemotional impairments tend to have difficulties in their relationships and increased academic problems. The aim of our study was to analyse the relationship between the use of multimedia devices and paediatric symptoms in children below 5 years old. Data from 534 Portuguese parents of children aged from 18 to 57 months were collected via a self-report questionnaire. Children's daily exposure to multimedia devices was nearly 2 h per day. Paediatric symptoms were positively associated with watching television and screen time and negatively associated with parents' working hours. Touchscreen use was more frequent among girls and older children. Parents' working hours comprised the most significant predictor of paediatric symptoms. Our findings reinforce past findings on the adverse links between the use of multimedia devices and paediatric symptoms and also highlight the influence of other variables like the child's age and gender, as well as parental factors. The need to both create a more comprehensive framework regarding the long-term effects of multimedia device use and delineate effective strategies for prevention and intervention with parents and children is discussed.

Digital funds of identity: understanding a young child’s plurilingual development through mediagrams

ABSTRACT Purpose. The study explored how Feifei, a 3-year-old trilingual girl living in England, uses touchscreens across her multiple languages (English, Mandarin, and Bahasa Indonesia), exploring how her languages and social interactions interact with her touchscreen use. Design/methodology/approach. The research adopts a case study approach, using mediagrams, supported by family interviews and parent-recorded interviews, and expanding conceptualisations of funds of identity in the analysis. Findings. The mediagrams and supporting interviews relate how Feifei’s multilingual touchscreen use relies on parental interest and support, but also highlights innovative ways for multilingual families to use technology, and opportunities for schools and nurseries to use technology to explore children’s funds of knowledge and identity. Originality/value. The study makes an important contribution to the concept of digital funds of identity in multilingual/plurilingual children, highlighting the usefulness of mediagrams as a methodological tool within this sphere.

Extraction of Hidden Authentication Factors from Possessive Information

Smartphones have emerged as a ubiquitous personal gadget that serve as a repository for individuals’ significant personal data. Consequently, both physiological and behavioral traits, which are classified as biometric technologies, are used in authentication systems in order to safeguard data saved on smartphones from unauthorized access. Numerous authentication techniques have been developed; however, several authentication variables exhibit instability in the face of external influences or physical impairments. The potential failure of the authentication system might be attributed to several unpredictable circumstances. This research suggests that the use of distinctive and consistent elements over an individual’s lifespan may be employed to develop an authentication classification model. This model would be based on prevalent personal behavioral biometrics and could be readily implemented in security authentication systems. The biological biometrics acquired from an individual’s typing abilities during data entry include their name, surname, email, and phone number. Therefore, it is possible to establish and use a biometrics-based security system that can be sustained and employed during an individual’s lifetime without the explicit dependance on the functionality of the smartphone devices. The experimental findings demonstrate that the use of a mobile touchscreen as the foundation for the proposed verification mechanism has promise as a high-precision authentication solution.

Large Interactive Touchscreens as an Opportunity for Synchronous Hybrid Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond.

The year 2020 will be remembered as the year of COVID-19 and its subsequent lockdowns. The time to return to face-to-face teaching has arrived, but the shadow of the disease still hangs over teachers, students, and society. Disruption in teaching can still occur for students, or even teachers, if they are either diagnosed as COVID-19 positive or as a contact case and forced to self-isolate. In order to limit the impact of self-isolation on learning, synchronous hybrid teaching (i.e., teaching face to face to students in a classroom and to students online at the same time) was successfully implemented owing to the combination of video conference software and a large interactive touchscreen. The setup presented in this paper allows courses to be broadcast to students at home (i.e., voice, visual pedagogic support, and, more interestingly, indications handwritten by the teacher) as well as simultaneously teaching to students in the classroom face-to-face. It also allows self-isolated teachers to teach tutorials from their home to students in the classroom. This paper focuses on the use of large interactive touchscreens for synchronous hybrid teaching and its evaluation by students using a questionnaire. The key findings of this study are that students prefer synchronous hybrid teaching rather than missing a course and that synchronous hybrid teaching should only be used in case of absolute necessity.

Digital media practices among infants and toddlers based on Filipino mothers’ self-reports

The dramatic increase in the touchscreen exposure of very young children has raised issues regarding the potentials and perils that digital media practices bring to children’s development. This research aimed to examine the touchscreen practices among infants and toddlers based on mothers’ self-reports, focusing on amount of screen time and its predictors, type of media content consumed, and maternal motivations and involvement in the regulation of touchscreen use. Questionnaires were administered to 124 mothers, whose children ages six to 42 months used tablets and smartphones. Results revealed an early onset of children’s touchscreen use. The children’s overall screen time averaged nearly two hours daily, and they frequently used the touchscreen device to watch video shows. Evaluations of the type of content of shows viewed suggested that the mothers seemed to deliberately choose shows that were more educational than non-educational. The child’s age, the parent’s active and diversionary mediation strategies, and the perceived maternal benefits of children’s touchscreen were found to predict screen time. The implications of the results for parenting in the digital age were discussed.

Wrist motion is distinct between touch screen and manual or digital devices.

Restricted motion during touch screen device use may contribute to wrist overuse injuries. Wrist radioulnar deviation and extension while using touch screen devices and digital or manual counterparts in male and female medical professional dominant and non-dominant hands were quantified to test the hypothesis that mobile touch screen device use reduces wrist motion. An active motion detection system was used to record wrist motion of 12 participants while: tablet swiping and turning book pages; raising a cell and traditional phone to the ear; texting and typing; and entering numbers on a cell phone and manual calculator. Medial and lateral wrist surface range of motion (ROM) and minimum and maximum wrist radial-ulnar deviation and flexion-extension were quantified. Device, sex and handedness effects were determined (P<0.05). Maximum medial radial deviation and ROM were greater using a cell versus traditional phone. Maximum medial radial deviation was higher in the nondominant wrist during backward tablet swiping and while backward page turning versus tablet swiping. Maximum and minimum medial extension angles and ROM were greater while typing versus texting. Female nondominant hand maximum lateral extension and ROM were greater for typing versus texting and maximum medial extension and lateral extension ROM greater during manual versus cell phone calculator use with handedness combined. Maximum lateral extension and ROM were greater in females versus males using manual calculators. Sex and handedness should instruct touch screen, digital and manual device design and use for optimal performance and injury prevention.

Research on the Applicability of Touchscreens in Manned/Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Cooperative Missions.

The suitability of touchscreens for human-computer interaction in manned/unmanned aerial vehicle cooperative missions remains uncertain, especially in situations that are time-sensitive with variations in difficulty levels. The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of touchscreen applications in manned/unmanned aerial vehicle cooperative missions and the magnitude of the effects of time pressure and task difficulty. In contrast to previous studies, a combination of performance and perceptual load measures was used to divide errors into disposition errors, undetected errors, and miscalculation errors to explore specific error mechanisms, set up typical manned/unmanned aerial vehicle cooperative human-computer interaction tasks, and set up antecedent features for potential factors. Thirty subjects participated in an experiment that required the use of touchscreens or keyboards to perform a human-computer interaction task in a simulated manned/unmanned aerial vehicle cooperative mission. Experiments were set at three task difficulties: low, medium, and high, and were matched to a set time pressure or no time pressure for two seconds for low difficulty, three seconds for medium difficulty, and four seconds for high difficulty. The results showed that the touchscreens improved the participants' response speed at a time pressure of 2 s or less compared with the use of a general input device; however, the task error rate also increased significantly. The higher the task difficulty was, the worse the performance was and the greater the perceived workload of the participants. The application of touchscreens in dynamic environments subjected the participants to greater physical demands. The performance of participants using a keyboard was no better than that when touchscreens were used during the experiment. Moreover, touchscreens did not significantly improve participant performance. The results support the possibility of using touchscreens in manned/unmanned aerial vehicle cooperative missions.

Do pre-schoolers with high touchscreen use show executive function differences?

The recent increase in children's use of digital media, both TV and touchscreen devices (e.g., tablets and smartphones), has been associated with developmental differences in Executive Functions (EF). It has been hypothesised that early exposure to attention-commanding and contingent stimulation provided by touchscreens may increase reliance on bottom-up perceptual processes and limit the opportunity for practice of voluntary (i.e., top-down) attention leading to differences in EF. This study tests the concurrent and longitudinal associations between touchscreen use (high use, HU ≥ 15 min/day; low use, LU < 15 min/day), and two components of EF (working-memory/cognitive-flexibility, and impulse/self-control), building explicitly on recent developmental models that point to a bidimensional structure of EF during toddlerhood and pre-school years. A longitudinal sample of 46 3.5-year-olds (23 girls) was tested on a battery of lab-based measures and matched at 12 months on a range of background variables including temperament. Touchscreen HU showed significantly reduced performance in lab-based Working Memory/Cognitive Flexibility, although this became non-significant when controlling for background TV. Impulse/Self-control was not significantly associated with touchscreen use but was negatively associated with non-child-directed television. Our results provide partial support for the hypothesis that using touchscreen devices might reduce capacity for top-down behaviour control, and indicate that broader media environment may be implicated in early executive function development. However, it may also be the case that individuals who are predisposed towards exogenous stimulation are more drawn to screen use. Future studies are needed to replicate findings, demonstrate causality, and investigate bidirectionality.

478 Enhancing Technology Interface in the Dissection Room (DR)

Abstract Aim Anatomy teaching increasingly utilises technology alongside dissection to improve anatomy teaching. Student use of the touchscreen computers in dissection sessions at the University of St. Andrews was infrequent, with students lacking confidence in touchscreen use. The aim of this QI project was to improve medical student confidence and increase the use of touchscreen computers in the DR during dissection sessions. Method A data-collection tool was designed and tested. It included 4 Likert-style and one blank space question. 111 baseline responses from 3rd-year medical students were collected over 1 week in November 2021. Documentation was optimised for touchscreen usage. Cycle 2 was collected from the same cohort, with 83 responses. The second intervention introduced styluses. Cycle 3, with 85 responses, was collected. Results Question 1 examined awareness of touchscreen function. Positive responses (agree and strongly agree) increased from 76.5% to 95.2%, then 97.7% after interventions 1 and 2 respectively. Positive responses for question 2, examining confidence, improved from 53.2% to 88.0%, then 96.5%. Positive responses to question 3, examining the frequency of touchscreen use, improved from 49.6% to 91.6% then 92.9%. Positive responses for question 4, examining how useful touchscreens were for student learning, improved from 70.3% to 94.0%, then 97.7%. Blank space questions demonstrated positive opinions of changes made in the dissection room. Conclusions The significant and sustained increase in positive responses regarding student confidence, touchscreen use and the usefulness of touchscreens as an adjunct to dissection in the DR demonstrated significant improvement in the use of the facilities and student educational experience.

Incorporating deep learning into capacitive images for smartphone user authentication

We incorporate deep learning techniques into capacitive images of body parts (ear, four fingers, and thumb) to improve the performance of user authentication in smartphones. Use of a capacitive touchscreen as an image sensor has several advantages, such as it is less sensitive to poor illumination conditions, occlusions, and pose variations. Also, it does not need an additional hardware like iris or fingerprint scanner. Use of capacitive images for user authentication is not new. However, the performance, specially, false reject rates (FRRs) of the state-of-the-art capacitive image-based systems are poor. In this paper, we focus on improving the performance and leverage deep learning. Deep learning techniques demonstrated spectacular performance in previous physical biometrics-based research. However, to our knowledge, effectiveness of deep learning is still unexplored in capacitive touchscreen-based user authentication. In order to bridge this research gap, we devise a multi-modal deep learning model, namely UASNet, and compare its performance with a large set of uni- and multi-modal baselines. Using the UASNet, we achieve an accuracy of 99.77%, an EER of 0.48%, and an FRR of 1.19% at FAR of 0.06%.

MoFlus: An Open-Source Android Software for Fluorescence-Based Point of Care

High-sensitivity fluorescence-based tests are utilized to monitor various activities in life science research. These tests are specifically used as health monitoring tools to detect diseases. Fluorescence-based test facilities in rural areas and developing countries, however, remain limited. Point-of-care (POC) tests based on fluorescence detection have become a solution to the limitations of fluorescence-based tools in developing countries. POC software for smartphone cameras was generally developed for specific devices and tools, and it ability to select the desired region of interest (ROI) is limited. In this work, we developed Mobile Fluorescence Spectroscopy (MoFlus), an open-source Android software for camera-based POC. We mainly aimed to develop camera-based POC software that can be used for the dynamic selection of ROI; the number of samples; and the types of detection, color, data, and for communication with servers. MoFlus facilitated the use of touch screens and data given that it was developed on the basis of the SurfaceView library in Android and Javascript object notation applications. Moreover, the function and endurance of the app when used multiple times and with different numbers of images were tested.

SHORT-TERM IMPACTS OF MOBILE TOUCH-SCREEN DEVICE USE ON MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC: RISK ASSESSMENT MODELLING AND VERIFICATION

The intensive and repetitive use of touch-screens may pose significant problems, such as ergonomic pain or musculoskeletal disorders. This research aims to study the effect of using mobile touch-screen devices on the human musculoskeletal system during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and to develop a model for classifying the effects of musculoskeletal stress (pain and discomfort) on the performance of educational activities. The Cornell musculoskeletal discomfort questionnaire was given to 544 participants (71% males and 29% females). An Association Rule Mining approach was applied to illustrate the correlation, and multiple machine-learning models – used to predict the impact of pain and discomfort on different body regions – were applied to determine risk levels that might interfere with the ability to perform daily activities. Most musculoskeletal disorders were reported in the neck region and lower back (64.33% and 55.33% respectively), followed by upper back (44.30%) and the right shoulder (38%). Analysis of association rules showed high positive correlation between the lower back and the neck (support = 43%, confidence = 77%). Additionally, it was found that the radial basis function network has the highest accuracy in prediction (84%). The results of the radial basis function model showed that interference in educational activities can be predicted by using pain indicators in body parts resulting from touch-screen device usage. Keywords association rule mining approach; machine learning; educational activities; mobile touch screen; musculoskeletal disorders

The effect of systemic sclerosis on use of mobile touchscreen interfaces: Design guidelines and physio-rehabilitation

Disability conditions characterized by hand dysfunction are particularly relevant for the use of touchscreen technology. This work investigates the effects of hand impairment produced by systemic sclerosis (SSc) on touchscreen interaction. It aims to fulfil a dual objective: to provide guidelines to design inclusive interfaces and interaction modalities for SSc patients and to design a hand physio-rehabilitation based on a touchscreen application. Eighty patients participated in the observational study and, accordingly, eighty subjects without impairments were recruited as a control cohort. A specific touchscreen application has been designed and developed including three gestures: tap, drag and drop, and pinch-to-zoom. The work allowed identifying the interface features that significantly influence the performance and, consequently, the design rules for the physio-rehabilitation application.

Review of microbial touchscreen contamination for the determination of reasonable ultraviolet disinfection doses.

Background: Touchscreens are usually microbially contaminated and can therefore act as fomites inside and outside healthcare environments. Due to the increasing use of such touchscreens and the growing awareness of infection risks, approaches that allow safe and automatic disinfection are desired. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, with its known antimicrobial efficacy, could achieve this goal, but should be executed with limited touchscreen degradation, disinfection duration, and energy consumption. It should also pose as little harm as possible to humans even in case of failure. Materials and methods: A literature search was performed first to identify the microorganisms most commonly found on touchscreens. Then, the 90% reduction doses (D90 doses) for the different relevant microorganisms and UV spectral ranges were determined from the literature, and irradiation doses are suggested that should reduce most of these important microorganisms by 5 log-levels. Results: The most frequent microorganisms are staphylococci, bacilli, micrococci, enterococci, pseudomonads and E. coli with small differences between hospital and community environments, if antibiotic resistance properties are ignored. The determined irradiation doses for a 5 log-reduction of the most frequent microorganisms are about 40 mJ/cm2, 80 J/cm2, 500 J/cm2 and 50 mJ/cm2 for the UV spectral ranges UVC, UVB, UVA and far-UVC, respectively. These doses are also sufficient to inactivate all nosocomial ESKAPE pathogens on touchscreens by at least 99.999%.Conclusion: Disinfection is achievable in all UV spectral ranges, with UVC being the most effective, enabling automatic disinfection within a minute or less. The much higher doses required in the UVB and UVA spectral range result in much longer disinfection durations, with the advantage of a reduced risk to humans. For all kinds of UV irradiation, the doses should be limited to reasonable values to avoid irradiating an already more or less sterile surface and to prevent degradation of touchscreen devices.