Visual Channels Research Articles

Chinese Children with Congenital and Acquired Blindness Represent Concrete Concepts in Vertical Space through Tactile Perception.

Many studies have tested perceptual symbols in conceptual processing and found that perceptual symbols contain experiences from multisensory channels. However, whether the disability of one sensory channel affects the processing of the perceptual symbols and then affects conceptual processing is still unknown. This line of research would extend the perceptual symbol theory and have implications for language rehabilitation and mental health for people with disabilities. Therefore, the present study filled in this gap and tested whether Chinese children with congenital and acquired blindness have difficulty in recruiting perceptual symbols in the processing of concrete concepts. Experiment 1 used the word-pair-matching paradigm to test whether blind children used vertical space information in understanding concrete word pairs. Experiment 2 used the word-card-pairing paradigm to test the role of tactile experiences in the processing of concrete concepts for blind children. Results found that blind children automatically activated the spatial information of referents in the processing of concepts through the tactile sensory channel even when the visual sensory channel was disabled. This finding supported the compensatory phenomenon of other sensory channels in conceptual representation. In addition, the difference between elementary school blind children and middle school blind children in judging the spatial position of concrete words also indicated the vital influence of perceptual experiences on perceptual symbols in conceptual representation. Interestingly, there were no significant differences between children with congenital or acquired blindness. This might suggest that the compensatory of other sensory channels did not have a sensitive period. This study not only provided new evidence for the perceptual symbol theory but also found that perceptual symbols could be developed by a compensatory mechanism. This compensatory mechanism can be used to develop a rehabilitation program for improving language learning in blind children. Improved language ability in blind children will also improve their mental health problems caused by difficulties in social interaction (e.g., social anxiety).

The Effects of Tactile Display on Automated Vehicle Takeover: A Literature Review

Current autonomous vehicles are still semi-autonomous and require drivers to take over control of the vehicle under various conditions (e.g., encountering erased lane markings). This presents an issue in human-machine interaction, as there is a need for reliable methods to guide drivers through the sudden and complex takeover process. A tactile display that can present multi-dimensional information (e.g., status, direction, and position) may be a good option, especially when the information presented in their visual and auditory channels is overloading. However, limited work has attempted to summarize this topic. Therefore, the goal of this study is to synthesize literature that examined the effects of tactile display on takeover performance in automated vehicles. Findings indicated that tactile displays can be placed in multiple in-vehicle locations to present various vibrotactile patterns helping to improve drivers’ performance during the automated vehicle takeover, which could inform the design of human-machine interfaces for autonomous vehicles.

Enhancing User Experience of Eye-Controlled Systems: Design Recommendations on the Optimal Size, Distance and Shape of Interactive Components from the Perspective of Peripheral Vision.

For special populations with motor impairments, eye-controlled interaction may be the only way for them to communicate with the outside world. Because of the dominance of vision in the motor mechanism, eye-controlled interaction has high usability and important research value. During eye-controlled interaction, the visual channel needs to receive information from the graphical user interface (GUI) and transmit the user’s eye-controlled instructions, which overburdens the visual channel and reduces the efficiency of eye-controlled interaction. This study presents an ergonomic experiment to study how to design interactive GUI components in an eye-controlled user interface. The experiments were conducted based on the shape, size, and distance (from the object to the center of the screen) of the visual interactive components. The experiment comprised three parts: (1) the pre-experiment determined the evaluation index and selected the icon material; (2) the formal experiment was a three-factor within-subjects experiment, which included a search task using participants’ peripheral vision; and (3) after the experiment, subjective evaluations were conducted using a questionnaire. The results showed that the shape, size, and distance of the interactive object significantly affected the reaction time, and the size factor significantly affected the movement time of the eye-controlled interaction. Finally, combined with the results of the subjective evaluation, we concluded that the recommended sizes of the interactive components were 2.889°, 3.389°, and 3.889°, and the recommended distances were 5.966° and 8.609°. Additionally, designers should utilize components with simple concrete shapes as much as possible to improve user recognition efficiency. Our study provides enlightening recommendations on how to design components in eye-controlled interactive interfaces, and has great guiding significance for building design standards of the eye-controlled systems.

Alteration of the temporal association between courtship audio and visual components affects female sexual response.

Some multimodal signals-that is, occurring in more than one sensory modality-appear to carry additional information which is not present when component signals are presented separately. To understand the function of male ring dove's (Streptopelia risoria) multimodal courtship, we used audiovisual playback of male displays to investigate female response to stimuli differing in their audiovisual timing. From natural courtship recordings, we created a shifted stimulus where audio was shifted relative to video by a fixed value and a jittered stimulus, where each call was moved randomly along the visual channel. We presented 3 groups of females with the same stimulus type, that is, control, shifted, and jittered, for 7days. We recorded their behavior and assessed pre- and post-test blood estradiol concentration. We found that playback exposure increased estradiol levels, confirming that this technique can be efficiently used to study doves' sexual communication. Additionally, chasing behavior (indicating sexual stimulation) increased over experimental days only in the control condition, suggesting a role of multimodal timing on female response. This stresses the importance of signal configuration in multimodal communication, as additional information is likely to be contained in the temporal association between modalities.

Comparing Middle School Students’ Scientific Problem-Solving Behavior in Hands-On Manipulation Performance Assessment: Terms by Eye-Tracking Analysis

This study specifically designed an eye-tracking supported scientific problem-solving assessment: hands-on manipulation task system to explore the differences in visual attention and cognitive processes between high and low science achievement groups. Thirteen students with high science achievement and fourteen students with low science achievement participated. Students needed to complete the hands-on manipulation assessment, consisting of three modules, including selecting experimental equipment, experimental design, and building the experimental model. Behavioral and eye movement data were collected during the process. The results showed that the high science achievement group allocated more visual attention to the hands-on manipulation task, acquired more information through visual fixation, and assigned more attention to the key area. In module three of the hands-on manipulation task, the high science achievement group transformed from a visual channel to a tactile channel, and they generated more hands-on behaviors depending on the experimental area. Furthermore, the results showed a high correlation between students’ eye movement behavior and the performance of scientific problem-solving assessments. Eye movement behavior could predict students’ performance in scientific problem-solving. The average fixation duration and the average fixation duration of the interest area were two significant determining parameters. The implications of the experimental results for front-line science education, curriculum designers, and science assessment were also discussed.

Assessing the Relationship Between Emotional States of Dogs and Their Human Handlers, Using Simultaneous Behavioral and Cardiac Measures.

Negative stress due to human handling has been reported for a number of domestic animals, including dogs. Many companion dogs display significant stress during routine care in the veterinary clinic, risking injury to staff and potentially compromising the quality of care that these dogs receive. On the other hand, positive interactions with humans can have a beneficial effect on dogs, particularly in stressful situations such as animal shelters. Research has shown that dogs can detect human emotions through visual, auditory, and chemical channels, and that dogs will exhibit emotional contagion, particularly with familiar humans. This study investigated relationships between emotional states of dogs and unfamiliar human handlers, using simultaneous measures of cardiac activity and behavior, during two sessions of three consecutive routine handling sets. Measures of cardiac activity included mean heart rate (HRmean), and two measures of heart rate variability (HRV): the root mean square of successive differences between normal heartbeats (RMSSD); and the high frequency absolute power component of HRV, log transformed (HFlog). We also assessed human handlers' emotional state during handling sessions following an intervention designed to reduce stress, compared with sessions conducted on a different day and following a control activity. Polar H10 cardiac sensors were used to simultaneously record cardiac activity for both canine and human participants, and behavioral data were collected via digital video. The strongest influence on the dogs' stress levels in our study was found to be increasing familiarity with the setting and the handler; HRmean and SI decreased, and HRV (as RMSSD) increased, significantly from the first to the third handling set. Canine HRV (as HFlog) was also highest in set 3, although the difference was not statistically significant. There were no strong patterns found in the human cardiac data across handling set, session, or by pre-handling activity. We did not find consistent support for emotional contagion between the dogs and their handlers in this study, perhaps due to the brief time that the dogs spent with the handlers. Recommendations for application to dog handling, and limitations of our methods, are described.

Head hemodynamics and systemic responses during auditory stimulation.

The present study aims to analyze the systemic response to auditory stimulation by means of hemodynamic (cephalic and peripheral) and autonomic responses in a broad range of auditory intensities (70.9, 77.9, 84.5, 89.5, 94.5 dBA). This approach could help to understand the possible influence of the autonomic nervous system on the cephalic blood flow. Twenty‐five subjects were exposed to auditory stimulation while electrodermal activity (EDA), photoplethysmography (PPG), electrocardiogram, and functional near‐infrared spectroscopy signals were recorded. Seven trials with 20 individual tones, each for the five intensities, were presented. The results showed a differentiated response to the higher intensity (94.5 dBA) with a decrease in some peripheral signals such as the heart rate (HR), the pulse signal, the pulse transit time (PTT), an increase of the LFnu power in PPG, and at the head level a decrease in oxygenated and total hemoglobin concentration. After the regression of the visual channel activity from the auditory channels, a decrease in deoxyhemoglobin in the auditory cortex was obtained, indicating a likely active response at the highest intensity. Nevertheless, other measures, such as EDA (Phasic and Tonic), and heart rate variability (Frequency and time domain) showed no significant differences between intensities. Altogether, these results suggest a systemic and complex response to high‐intensity auditory stimuli. The results obtained in the decrease of the PTT and the increase in LFnu power of PPG suggest a possible vasoconstriction reflex by a sympathetic control of vascular tone, which could be related to the decrease in blood oxygenation at the head level.

The Role of Psychological Approaches in Data Journalism Visualisations

Data journalism is the process of analysing, clarifying, and visualising data to convey a story and present the news more effectively. Data visualisation, the method that allows communicating large amounts of data, can improve viewers’ understanding of news and can increase interaction (Bradshaw 2010). The minimalistic theory of the “data-ink” ratio, which can design effective data visualisations, explains that ink should only be used to display the data. Data visualisations with right selection of visual channels can influence memory, attention, and news comprehension (Pan, 2010; Smilek, Dixon & Merikle, 2002). The purpose of this study is to explore if and how visual designers assess psychological principles in journalistic data visualisation. Data visualisations from two well-known organisations (the BBC and the Guardian) presenting COVID-19 information were collected. The analysis was effectuated based on a ‘decoding model’ initiated by Munzner (2014) to identify their visual attributes. The findings concluded that media organisations consider and apply psychological metrics in the visual design process. Interesting colour differences between visualisations were identified and discussed. A limitation was that the sample of the study was small. Future research could include more data visualisations or could use interviews to understand better the way visual designers practice psychology.

Redefining Multimodality

The term “multimodality” incorporates visible gestures as part of language, a goal first put forward by Adam Kendon, and this idea revolutionized the scope of linguistic inquiry. But here I show that the term “multimodality” itself is rife with ambiguity, sometimes referring to different physical channels of transmission (auditory vs. visual), and sometimes referring to the integration of linguistic structures with more imagistic, less conventionalized expressions (see David McNeill's work), regardless of the physical channel. In sign languages, both modes are conveyed in a single, visual channel, revealed here in the signing of actors in a sign language theatre. In spoken languages, contrary to expectations raised by defining “modality” in terms of the physical channel, we see that the channel of transmission is orthogonal to linguistic and gestural modes of expression: Some visual signals are part and parcel of linguistic structure, while some auditory (intonational) signals have characteristics of the gestural mode. In this empirical, qualitative study, I adopt the term “mode” to refer solely to specific characteristics of communicative expression, and not to the physical channel. “Multimodal” refers to the coexistence of linguistic and gestural modes, regardless of the physical channel of transmission—straightforwardly encompassing the two natural language systems, spoken and signed.

Processing Self-Related Information Under Non-attentional Conditions Revealed by Visual MMN.

Mismatch negativity (MMN) of event-related potentials (ERPs) is a biomarker reflecting the preattentional change detection under non-attentional conditions. This study was performed to explore whether high self-related information could elicit MMN in the visual channel, indicating the automatic processing of self-related information at the preattentional stage. Thirty-five participants were recruited and asked to list 25 city names including the birthplace. According to the difference of relevance reported from the participants, we divided names of the different cities into high (birthplace as deviants), medium (Xi’an, where participants’ university is located, as deviants), and low (totally unrelated cities as standard stimuli) self-related information. Visual MMN (vMMN) was elicited by high self-related information but not by medium self-related information, with an occipital–temporal scalp distribution, indicating that, under non-attentional condition, high self-related information can be effectively processed automatically in the preattentional stage compared with low self-related information. These data provided new electrophysiological evidence for self-related information processing.

Method for Increasing of Lens Gluing Technological Process Efficiency and a Reliable Evaluation of Output Controlled Parameters

The use of glued lens components in optical devices improves the image quality of telescopic and photographic lenses or inverting systems by eliminating a number of aberrations, and also reduces light losses in the optical system of the device. The traditional production process of lenses gluing involves the sequential execution of a set of technological operations and takes a significant period of time. The purpose of the research was to improve the accuracy and productivity of the technological process of lenses gluing by improving the optical system of the control and measuring device and automating the operation of lenses optical axes combining by introducing an electronic reference system and mechanisms for micro-movements of optical parts.A technique is proposed for centering of two and three-component optical blocks by an autocollimation flare which provides a matching accuracy of less than 0.5 μm. The possibility of constructive modernization of the classic ST-41 autocollimation microscope with parallel separation of the displayed output information in the visual and television channels is shown. An automated system for controlling of the process of convergence of autocollimation points in the device is proposed. Using software methods an electronic grid template is formed on the monitor screen, onto which images of autocollimation points are projected. The decentering value 2Δe is determined and a corrective control voltage is applied to three stepper motors and pushers for transverse movement of the glued optical part.Specialized software has been developed for automatically bringing the position of the autocollimating crosshair to the center of the measuring scale of the grid based on a combination of two methods of “least squares” and “successive approximation”. Compliance with a number of technological transitions and the accompanying control of geometric parameters make it possible to achieve greater accuracy in determining the eccentricity of the crosshairs of the aligned optical axes of the glued lenses.

A multi-scale investigation of the human communication system's response to visual disruption.

In human communication, when the speech is disrupted, the visual channel (e.g. manual gestures) can compensate to ensure successful communication. Whether speech also compensates when the visual channel is disrupted is an open question, and one that significantly bears on the status of the gestural modality. We test whether gesture and speech are dynamically co-adapted to meet communicative needs. To this end, we parametrically reduce visibility during casual conversational interaction and measure the effects on speakers' communicative behaviour using motion tracking and manual annotation for kinematic and acoustic analyses. We found that visual signalling effort was flexibly adapted in response to a decrease in visual quality (especially motion energy, gesture rate, size, velocity and hold-time). Interestingly, speech was also affected: speech intensity increased in response to reduced visual quality (particularly in speech-gesture utterances, but independently of kinematics). Our findings highlight that multi-modal communicative behaviours are flexibly adapted at multiple scales of measurement and question the notion that gesture plays an inferior role to speech.

Psychological aspects of the methodology of working on a musical text

The work is devoted to the process of preparing a piece of music for concert performance. The object of the study is effective methods of working with musical text, including consideration of the psychological component in the professional activity of musicians. The individual characteristics of the performer's psyche, the ability to perceive, analyze and memorize information from the position of the type of representative system defining it are considered. The possibilities of auditory, visual, kinesthetic ways of comprehending the text are revealed. Special attention is paid to the musical memory necessary for a successful performance on stage. Various methods of working with musical text aimed at increasing its effectiveness and intensity are revealed. The importance of knowing the individual characteristics of the performer's perception is emphasized, the methods that ensure the strength of memorizing the text and the stability of performance on stage are revealed. The idea of the essential importance for the performer of the visual channel of perception of information, underestimated in music pedagogy, is carried out. The necessity of an integrated approach involving the connection of all representative systems in the process of learning and mastering the work is substantiated. The work is based on theoretical developments and arguments of foreign and domestic musicologists and outstanding performers: D. Kirnarskaya, L. McKinnon, G. Neuhaus, F. Busoni. Special attention is paid to the results of the research of the scientist-psychologist B. Zeigarnik, the validity of their application in the performing practice of musicians is substantiated.

Secondary Characters Coloring the Complex Cultural Atmosphere in Unorthodox

The objective of this article is to analyze how different languages in the series Unorthodox convey information on characters’ identities, and whether, at the same time, the choice of language produces different effects on the film narrative itself. Since we are dealing with audiovisual products, in any full account of the story, the image must be considered as an essential factor affecting the audiences’ interpretation of the show. The article analyzes how multilingualism is rendered in its Spanish version and shows that different translation solutions may change how each character’s identity is perceived. We found that the main four languages of the series (English, Yiddish, German, and Hebrew) are used to convey different personal and social identities to each character. Besides, linguistic choices between Yiddish and English show the evolution of the main character towards freedom. Although multilingualism is hardly present in the visual channel, cultural references conveyed through images help the viewer to follow key shifts in the story.

Understanding In Vivo Chromatic Aberrations in Pseudophakic Eyes Using on Bench and Computational Approaches

Diffractive multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) modulate chromatic aberration and reduce it at certain distances due to interactions between the refractive and diffractive chromatic components. However, the extent to which computer modeling and on bench measurements of IOL chromatic aberration translate to chromatic aberration in patients implanted with these multifocal IOLs (MIOLs) is not yet fully understood. In this study, we compare the chromatic difference of focus and longitudinal chromatic aberrations in pseudophakic patients implanted with different IOL designs (monofocal and trifocal IOLs) and materials (hydrophobic and hydrophilic), and compared them with predictions from computer eye models and on bench measurements with the same IOLs. Patient data consisted of results from 63 pseudophakic eyes reported in four different studies and obtained psychophysically in the visual testing channel of a custom-developed polychromatic adaptive optics system. Computational predictions were obtained using ray tracing on computer eye models, and modulation transfer function (MTF) on bench measurements on physical eye models. We found that LCA (in vivo/simulated) for far vision was 1.37 ± 0.08 D/1.19 D for monofocal hydrophobic, 1.21 ± 0.08 D/0.88 D for monofocal hydrophilic, 0.99 ± 0.06 D/1.19 D for MIOL hydrophobic, and 0.82 ± 0.05 D/0.88 D for MIOL hydrophilic. For intermediate and near vision, LCA (in vivo/simulated) was 0.67 ± 0.10 D/0.75 D and 0.23 ± 0.08 D/0.19 D for MIOL hydrophobic and 0.27 ± 0.15 D/0.38 D and 0.15 ± 0.15 D/−0.13 D for MIOL hydrophilic, respectively. In conclusion, computational ray tracing and on bench measurements allowed for evaluating in vivo chromatic aberration with different materials and designs for multifocal diffractive intraocular lenses.

The value-relevance of social media activity of Finnish listed companies

PurposeThe use of social media tools by companies is common, but the links between the use of multiple social media tools by companies and stock price changes are largely unknown. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the value-relevance of social media activities on Facebook (FB), Instagram (IG), LinkedIn (LI), Twitter (TW) and YouTube (YT).Design/methodology/approachStock market data and hand-picked social media data in this study were collected from Finland, a small language area with consistent International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) reporting practices, in the expectation of better comparability and lower noise in the data.This study uses correlation, regression and factor analyses for a sample of 105 Finnish public limited companies listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki stock exchange.FindingsThis paper finds evidence that social media activity is an important area of analysis and that the activity and popularity of a company in social media are value-relevant variables in forecasting stock prices.Practical implicationsNot all social media activities are necessarily equally important for managers and investors. Focus on visual messages in social media is recommended.Originality/valueThe findings of this study highlight the value-relevance of using multiple visual social media channels, particularly IG and YT. This paper suggests avenues for future research and for analyzing social media information.

Multi-modal self-adaptation during object recognition in an artificial cognitive system

The cognitive connection between the senses of touch and vision is probably the best-known case of multimodality. Recent discoveries suggest that the mapping between both senses is learned rather than innate. This evidence opens the door to a dynamic multimodality that allows individuals to adaptively develop within their environment. By mimicking this aspect of human learning, we propose a new multimodal mechanism that allows artificial cognitive systems (ACS) to quickly adapt to unforeseen perceptual anomalies generated by the environment or by the system itself. In this context, visual recognition systems have advanced remarkably in recent years thanks to the creation of large-scale datasets together with the advent of deep learning algorithms. However, this has not been the case for the haptic modality, where the lack of two-handed dexterous datasets has limited the ability of learning systems to process the tactile information of human object exploration. This data imbalance hinders the creation of synchronized datasets that would enable the development of multimodality in ACS during object exploration. In this work, we use a multimodal dataset recently generated from tactile sensors placed on a collection of objects that capture haptic data from human manipulation, together with the corresponding visual counterpart. Using this data, we create a multimodal learning transfer mechanism capable of both detecting sudden and permanent anomalies in the visual channel and maintaining visual object recognition performance by retraining the visual mode for a few minutes using haptic information. Our proposal for perceptual awareness and self-adaptation is of noteworthy relevance as can be applied by any system that satisfies two very generic conditions: it can classify each mode independently and is provided with a synchronized multimodal data set.

The vivid tactile experience from vision and auditory: Clues from multisensory channel integration

<p id=C9>Virtual reality creates an immersive experience for users by providing visual, auditory, and tactile information. However, tactile feedback still faces many technical bottlenecks, which limit natural interaction in the virtual reality environment. Pseudo-haptic technology based on multi-sensory illusion can enhance and enrich tactile perception with the help of information from other channels, which is one of the effective ways to optimize tactile perception in the virtual reality environment. In order to explore the problem in a more targeted way, the study focuses on roughness perception among different dimensions of tactile perception. We first discuss the relationship between visual, auditory, and tactile perception in roughness information integration and further analyze visual and auditory factors affecting roughness perception. <p id=C10>In the process of roughness perception, the channel with less noise and more reliable information will have a higher weight. By evaluating the roughness under every single channel (visual、auditory and tactile) condition,and each double-channel（visual-tactile and auditory-tactile) condition, previous studies have quantified the high weight of visual and auditory channels in roughness perception. It further verifies that roughness perception results from integrating tactile, visual, and auditory information. Therefore, it has excellent potential to manipulate visual and auditory factors to induce or enhance roughness perception in the virtual reality environment. <p id=C11>For visual factors, the texture of the surface, light or shadow, and the control display rate (CDR) may affect the perception of roughness. ①When the texture density of the object surface increase, the perceived roughness will increase accordingly; ②Since the angle of incidence influence the shadow of the surface texture, thus affecting the perception of roughness; ③ When the glossiness of surface decrease, the perceived roughness increase; ④Reducing the CDR of the virtual hand or presenting a vibratory virtual hand will increase the users perception of the roughness. <p id=C12>For auditory factors, manipulating loudness and pitch/frequency can change the roughness perception: increasing loudness in the entire frequency of sound or increasing loudness in a high, medium, or low frequency band of sound can improve the roughness perception. There is a strong correlation between pitch/frequency and roughness perception. According to current research, we speculated that there might be an inverted U-shaped curve between pitch/frequency change and roughness perception. <p id=C13>In the future, in order to optimize the tactile roughness experience in virtual reality environment, studies can be carried out from the following aspects: Firstly, it is necessary to explore the differences between every single channel (visual, auditory, and tactile) information in the virtual reality environment and real environment respectively, since single channel information is the prerequisite for multi-sensory channel information in the virtual reality environment. Secondly, from the practical point of view, we can choose the channel more suitable to the current scene or task and provide sufficient information timely with emphasis. Thirdly, the difference of single-channel information in virtual reality will lead to information mismatch between different channels. Therefore, it is necessary to explore further how the brain integrates the originally different and mismatched multi-channel sensory information. Finally, most studies explored the usability of relevant sensory information on roughness perception from the perspective of single-channels or double-channels. Therefore, in the future, it is of significant importance to explore the information integration and processing rules of three channels in virtual reality.

Performance of Deaf Participants in an Abstract Visual Grammar Learning Task at Multiple Formal Levels: Evaluating the Auditory Scaffolding Hypothesis.

Previous research has hypothesized that human sequential processing may be dependent upon hearing experience (the “auditory scaffolding hypothesis”), predicting that sequential rule learning abilities should be hindered by congenital deafness. To test this hypothesis, we compared deaf signer and hearing individuals’ ability to acquire rules of different computational complexity in a visual artificial grammar learning task using sequential stimuli. As a group, deaf participants succeeded at all levels of the task; Bayesian analysis indicates that they successfully acquired each of several target grammars at ascending levels of the formal language hierarchy. Overall, these results do not support the auditory scaffolding hypothesis. However, age‐ and education‐matched hearing participants did outperform deaf participants in two out of three tested grammars. We suggest that this difference may be related to verbal recoding strategies in the two groups. Any verbal recoding strategies used by the deaf signers would be less effective because they would have to use the same visual channel required for the experimental task.

The Effects of Instagram Marketing Activities on Customer-Based Brand Equity in the Coffee Industry

Instagram is used as an effective and visual marketing channel for building brand equity in the minds of consumers. Therefore, this study aims to classify Instagram marketing activities and analyze the associated effects on customer-based brand equity (brand awareness, brand image, perceived quality, brand love, and Instagram re-usage intention) formation through Instagram marketing activities. To this end, data were collected from 358 coffee consumers who had visited any of the five coffee brand Instagram accounts used in this study and analyzed using SPSS and AMOS. The results showed that four sub-dimensions (interaction, entertainment, customization, and trendiness) of Instagram marketing activities affect brand equity (brand awareness, brand image, and perceived quality), which in turn led to attitudinal loyalty (brand love) and behavioral loyalty (Instagram re-usage intention) towards the brand. This research comprehensively illustrates the influences of Instagram marketing activities on customer-based brand equity. The findings of this study will enable coffee brands to more accurately forecast the future purchasing behaviors of their customers through Instagram marketing activities and provide a guide to managing brand equity as well.