Visual Strategies Research Articles

The Open Mind Portrait: An Innovative Method to Promote Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking

This teaching tip article highlights the “Open Mind Portrait” as a visual art strategy to assess middle and secondary students’ complex expressions of texts backed by research, the steps involved for implementation, and a student example to highlight the power of visual art projects. Employing visual art projects to promote reading comprehension and critical thinking offers classroom teachers an innovative reading response method to the standard constructed response. Through the combination of reading and art, teachers can assess students’ comprehension of literary characters as students analyze the role of a character in a story, as well as the larger social, historical, and cultural world occupied by the character when responding to texts.

An Evaluation of Online Training on Pre-service Special Education Teachers’ Case Application of Visual Schedules for Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disability in China

Multiple evidence-based practices (EBPs) were identified in education, but relatively little attention has been paid to implementation. Special education teachers in the Chinese mainland faced great challenges in terms of a lack of knowledge and skills regarding EBPs. Asynchronous online training has been successfully provided for pre-service professionals on instructional methods or strategies. The present study evaluated the effects of self-paced online training on pre-service special education teachers’ case application of visual schedules to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A pre/post-test control group design was utilized. Seventy-seven undergraduate students (mean age 20.5 years) who majored in special education participated in this study. Results indicated that the self-paced online training was effective in improving pre-service special education teachers’ case application of the visual schedules strategy. In addition, participants were in agreement on the social acceptability of the online module of visual schedules. The results are discussed from a perspective of effective and socially valid online training, along with limitations and future implications.

Fostering Wonder Through the Arts and Humanities: Using Visual Thinking Strategies in Medical Education.

Philosophers and scientists alike argue that wonder-that emotion or state of consciousness in which one's attention is fixed on phenomena beyond one's comprehension-is the central virtue and driving force of all education. As in general education, wonder is central to all aspects of academic medicine's tripartite mission; a sense of wonder fuels the delivery of humanized patient care, sparks scientific discoveries, and supports engagement in lifelong learning. Despite its importance throughout medicine, developing a capacity for wonder among physicians has not been a stated goal of medical education, and innovative methods to foster a capacity for wonder have not been explored. There is a growing interest in the arts and humanities in medical education, and evidence suggests that these can support the development of a diverse array of clinically relevant skills and attitudes (including close observation, critical thinking, empathy, and tolerance for ambiguity) in medical learners across the learning continuum. However, even the potential of these methods to support a capacity for wonder has not yet been fully explored. In this article, the authors explore how one of the most widely used and studied arts-based learning activities in medical education, Visual Thinking Strategies, can help develop a capacity for wonder among physicians. They illustrate how Visual Thinking Strategies support the central elements of wonder-based pedagogy (i.e., exploration, improvisation, imagination, personal interest, and the ethos of educators) previously developed in education theory.

Innovative Application of Visual Communication of Yi Lacquer Art under Internet Technology

Abstract Based on archaeological and historical data, this paper firstly researches and explains the source and flow of Yi lacquer art in Liangshan and proposes the visual communication innovation strategy of Yi lacquer art. Secondly, it uses Internet technology to collect images of Yi lacquer art, grayscale them on the basis of obtaining images of Yi lacquer art, and then facilitates the adaptive threshold method to realize the conversion of the bitmap into a vector map. Then, considering that the visual database pattern resource of Yi lacquer art contains not only pattern information but also color information, we constructed the visual communication database of Yi lacquer art images and carried out an example analysis of the visual communication of Yi lacquer art images based on adaptive thresholding method. The results show that the accuracy, precision, and DSC of R-AMRFCM are improved by 0.0978, 0.4537, and 0.5436, respectively, compared with the GSRG algorithm in algorithmic analysis. In the analysis of Yi lacquer art communication behaviors, behavioral cognition (t=−4.108, p<0.01), behavioral habit (t=−3.090, p<0.01), behavioral intention (t =−2.848, p<0.01), emotional experience (t=−2.277p<0.05), subjective criteria (t=−4.241, p<0.01), and attitude towards Yi lacquer art communication (t=−5.268, p<0.01) are all significantly different. This study optimizes the details of Yi lacquer art dissemination in Internet technology and effectively promotes the visual dissemination and high-quality development of Yi lacquer art.

A review on eye movement analysis in map reading process: the status of the last decade

Eye tracking constitutes a valuable tool for the examination of human visual behavior since it provides objective measurements related to the performed visual strategies during the observation of any type of visual stimuli. Over the last decade, eye movement analysis contributed substantially to the better understanding of how visual attention processes work in different types of maps. Considering the clear need for the examination of map user reaction during the observation of realistic cartographic products (i.e. static maps, animated maps, interactive and multimedia maps), a critical amount of experimental studies were performed in order to study different aspects related to map reading process by the cartographic community. The foundation of these studies is based on theories and models that have been developed in similar research domains (i.e. psychology, neuroscience etc.), while the research outcomes that produced over these years can be used directly for the design of more effective and efficient maps. The aim of the present article is to summarize and present the current panorama of the existing eye tracking studies in cartographic research appeared over the last decade. Additionally, methodological contributions (including analysis tools) of cartographic society in the field of eye movement analysis are reported, while existing challenges and future perspectives are also discussed.

Effects of smartwatch usage on Children’s street-crossing behavior and visual attention allocation: An experimental study on street crossing in a real road environment

The use of smartwatches is facilitating the lives of children. However, smartwatch usage while crossing a street may lead to distractions and traffic safety hazards. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of smartwatch usage on the street-crossing behavior and visual strategies of children. Twenty-two children were recruited, and 220 street-crossing experiments were performed in real road environments, including at signalized and unsignalized intersections. ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis H test calibrations were used to analyze the street-crossing behavior between the control group (who performed a task without smartwatch distraction) and the experimental group (who performed four different tasks with smartwatch distraction), and to visualize and compare the visual behavior data of children crossing the street. The results showed that children wearing smartwatches crossed the street more slowly and had a relatively narrow range of visual search, focusing on only a small area of the zebra crossing around them and the crosswalk area within their sight, whereas children who did not wear smartwatches additionally focused on areas with dangerous oncoming traffic on the left and right sides. Children wearing smartwatches were under various mental workloads and distraction levels as they performed the various distracting tasks, with listening to stories being the least distracting and least intensive, followed by answering phone calls and viewing images; a simple arithmetic operation was the most distracting and intensive task. Children while performing the distracting tasks showed a lower street-crossing speed and scanned left and right fewer times; viewing images and performing the simple arithmetic task also increased their fixation time on the smartwatches, further affecting their street-crossing behavior and thus increasing the risk of collision. At signalized intersections, children paid more attention to hazardous oncoming traffic areas and exhibited cautious crossing behaviors compared with that at unsignalized intersections. This study elucidated the characteristics of the effects of smartwatch usage on the street-crossing behavior of children and the influence pattern of the visual attention allocation and revealed the hazards of smartwatch usage on the street-crossing safety. It can contribute to improving the safety cognition of children distracted by smartwatch usage and reducing the occurrence of distracting behaviors while crossing streets. The results can provide a theoretical basis for scientific interventions and safety improvement measures.

Children's risk assessment in street crossing using virtual reality

Introduction: Crossing streets represents a risky task for children where they have to assess both the probability and harm severity of being hit by a vehicle. To cross streets safely, children must perceive and interpret the traffic environment and scale their movements to the flow of traffic. Their ability to gather information about the surrounding environment through visual search strategies is essential in this process. This study aimed to explore children's street crossing behaviors and to identify successful risk-assessment strategies. Method: Virtual reality (VR) with built-in eye tracking was used for this investigation; 55 children between 7 and 10 years old completed six street crossing tasks with varying complexity and difficulty. Results: Varying competencies in street crossing were demonstrated among the children. Those who crossed safely looked to the left and right more often to check for traffic and spent more time assessing the traffic environment by following oncoming vehicles with their gaze before crossing than those who crossed dangerously. No apparent differences between children who crossed safely and those who crossed dangerously were found while crossing. Conclusions: The findings suggest that dangerous street crossings were, on different levels, related to assessment time before crossing, visual search strategies during assessment time, and the tasks harm severity and probability risk. Practical Applications: Future research could suggestively include indicators such as assessment time and visual search strategies, and tasks could discern harm severity and probability risk. These indicators might also be considered for training programs aiming to enhance children's pedestrian safety.

Effects of Mind Mapping And Visual Imagery Instruction Strategies on Senior Secondary Schools Students’ Scientific Attitude to Mechanics in Ekiti State of Nigeria

The study examined the effects of visual imagery and mind mapping strategies on physics students’ scientific attitude to mechanics in Ekiti state, Nigeria. The study adopted 3 X 1 pretest-posttest control group quasi experimental research design. Eight senior secondary schools were be purposively selected for the experimental groups, while four schools were purposively selected for the control group. This made a total of twelve schools that were selected from twelve local government areas across all the three senatorial districts of Ekiti state for the study. A total number of two hundred and forty six physics students from the selected schools were used. The instrument that the researcher used for the study was self-designed instruments titled: Students’ Scientific Attitude to Mechanics. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) as well as inferential statistics such as Analysis of Covariate (ANCOVA) which was used to determine the significant mean and interaction effects to the variables of the study. Estimated Marginal Mean (EMM) was used to determine the performance of each group. Bonferroni pair wise and Scheffe Post-hoc analyses were also employed to trace the source of observed significance among the groups. The finding of the study revealed that there was significant effect of treatment on students’ scientific attitude to mechanics. The result further showed that those exposed to visual imagery had the highest scientific attitude mean score, closely followed by those exposed to mind mapping while those taught with conventional method of teaching had the least. Also, the finding of the study showed that there was significant main effect of gender on students’ scientific attitude to mechanics. Similarly, the finding showed that there was significant interaction effect of treatment and gender on students’ scientific attitude. Based on these findings, it was therefore recommended that mind mapping and visual imagery instructional strategies should be used in improving students’ scientific attitude.

Effects of Visual Image Strategy on Students Speaking Skills : an Experimental Study at Secondary Level

Effects of Visual Image Strategy on Students Speaking Skills : an Experimental Study at Secondary Level

A general visual-servoing control strategy for active non-cooperative target tracking of space manipulators

Non-cooperative target tracking plays an important role in many space missions. Recent studies on non-cooperative target tracking are mostly concentrated in the field of passive target tracking. Passive non-cooperative target tracking can effectively be used in the initial phases of a close-range rendezvous manoeuvre. Instead, during the terminal phases of such manoeuvres, active object tracking(AOT) techniques are more convenient. This study propose a general visual servo strategy for the active non-cooperative target tracking of space manipulator. Our proposed method do not need any a priori information about the targets and can be used for space manipulators of any configuration and binocular cameras of any types. Our strategy includes a real-time and accurate position estimation algorithm for non-cooperative targets and a motion planning algorithm combined Position-based visual servo(PBVS) and Image-based visual servo(IBVS). The experiment verified that the proposed strategy well solved the active non-cooperative target tracking task and can be used as a baseline for solving such tracking problems which provides a reference for subsequent studies.

Examining visual impact: predicting popularity and assessing social media visual strategies for NGOs

Abstract Purpose This research aims to analyze the role of visuals posted on the social media of NGOs and to predict the popularity of a post based on the characteristics of the visual it contains. Design/methodology/approach Two social media platforms, namely Facebook and Instagram, were selected as the empirical study environments. Specifically, all visuals posted on 12 child-related Non-Government Organizations during the period of 2020–2021 (4,144 in total) were collected and subsequently subjected to automatic characterization using visual recognition and artificial intelligence tools. Machine learning algorithms were then employed to predict the popularity of a post solely based on the visuals it contains, as well as to identify the most significant features that serve as predictors for post popularity. Findings The Support Vector Classifier performed best with a prediction accuracy of 0.62 on Facebook and 0.81 on Instagram. For the explanation of the model, we used feature importance metrics and found that features like the presence of people and the emotions of joy and calmness are important for the prediction. Practical implications Companies and organizations serve a large part of their communication strategy through social media. Given that every advertiser would like to use their funds in the most efficient way, the ability to predict the performance of a post would be a very important tool. Social implications The methodology can be used in the non-profit sector, whereby knowing what visual will perform better they could promote their mission more effectively, increase public awareness, raise funds and reduce expenses on their communication strategy. Originality/value The novelty of this work regarding popularity prediction on social media lies in the fact that to make the prediction, it focused exclusively on the visual and its characteristics and achieved high accuracy scores in the case of Instagram. Additionally, it provided important information about visual characteristics and their importance in predicting popularity.

Enclosed by images. Insights, relationships, and information

Although we have always lived among images and information, cinema first and the development of new information and communication technologies second are producing changes in the perception of space and time that affect both architecture and the arts in general. Throughout the 20th century, modifications of our perceptual apparatus have been reflected in artistic practices in general, and architectural practices in particular, where multimedia supports and moving images are the substance and material of architecture. These supports are the substance with which some of the most recent architectural forms and volumes have been constructed or projected, and they are also the creators of new urban landscapes. By analyzing some formal codifications in the visual strategy of a limited number of film proposals, it is possible to identify key relationships between art, video art, and prominent examples of advanced architecture since the mid-20th century, whose corollary extends to more recent decades. This research allows us to outline an initial genealogy of artistic practices and experiences that span the last century, where the idea of experiencing architecture among images has become a central theme.

English Occupational Needs of Garment and Apparel Fashion Technology Trainees of Ethiopian Federal Technical and Vocational Training Institute

This paper was aimed at investigating the English needs of garment and apparel fashion technology trainees of the Ethiopian Federal Technical and Vocational Training Institute. A sequential mixed research design was used to conduct this study. The data-gathering instruments were questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and direct observation. All the trainees were considered to fill out the survey questionnaire. Besides, interviews were held with ten possessively selected trainees. The third data collection tool was direct observation. Three different observations were held in two different contexts. The interview and observation were used to clarify issues that had been discussed from the data collected through the questionnaire. The findings revealed that the most important English language skills for trainees’ future job are speaking, writing, listening, and reading in decreasing order of importance. About the ability of the trainees, they are relatively better in reading and listening than in speaking and writing skills. The important and difficult English language sub-skills for the trainees are also identified and prioritized concerning the English macro-skills. Finally, the preferred learning style of trainees is the visual learning strategy.

Kandidat Ideal atau Populis?: Strategi Framing Visual Ganjar Pranowo dan Puan Maharani Melalui Instagram

Self-presentation and visual branding strategy through social media, particularly Instagram, have been increasingly developed by Indonesia’s public figures, including Ganjar Pranowo and Puan Maharani. This article examines what types of personal brand visualized by these public figures through their Instagram accounts in between 1 August and 25 October 2022. Having adopted political marketing perspective, we adopt Munoz and Towner’s (2017) two concepts of framing personal brand visualisation, which are framing visualisations as an ideal candidate and as a populist candidate. Extraction of material posted in their Instagram accounts using Grabe and Bucy’s (2009) visual framing analysis reveal the following findings. Ganjar Pranowo favoured visualing his personal brand not merely as an ideal candidate, but also as a populist candidate. Puan Mahanari instead, preferred visualising her personal brand as an ideal candidate. In contrast to Ganjar, Puan seems being less capable of developing her personal brand using a visual frame as a populis candidate. These evidence that self presentation and branding performed by public figures using visual elements through social media platforms indicate the degree to which did these public figires have capability in visualising their personal brand as an ideal and/or a populist candidate when they address the electoral markets.

Visual feedback and declines in attention are associated with altered visual strategy during a force-steadiness task in older adults.

Greater heterogeneity exists in older adults relative to young adults when performing highly skilled manual tasks. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of visual feedback and attentional demand on visual strategy during a submaximal force-steadiness task in young and older adults. Eye movements of 21 young (age 20-38 yr; 11 females, 10 males) and 21 older (age 65-90 yr; 11 females, 10 males) adults were recorded during a pinch force-steadiness task while viewing feedback with higher and lower gain and while performing a visuospatial task. For the visuospatial task, participants imagined a star moving around four boxes and reported the final location after a series of directions. Performance on standardized tests of attention was measured. All participants gazed near the target line and made left-to-right saccadic eye movements during the force-steadiness tasks without the visuospatial task. Older adults made fewer saccades than young adults (21.0 ± 2.9 and 23.6 ± 4.4 saccades, respectively) and with higher versus lower gain (20.9 ± 4.0 and 23.7 ± 3.5 saccades, respectively). Most participants used the same visual strategy when performing the visuospatial task though seven older adults used an altered strategy; gaze did not stay near the target line nor travel exclusively left to right. Performance on standardized measures of attention was impaired in this subset compared with older adults who did not use the altered visual strategy. Results indicate that visual feedback influences visual strategy and reveals unique eye movements in some older adults when allocating attention across tasks.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study contributes novel findings of age-related changes in visual strategy and associations with attentional deficits during hand motor tasks. Older adults used fewer saccades than young adults and with higher versus lower gain visual feedback during a force-steadiness task. A subset of older adults used an altered visual strategy when allocating attention across multiple tasks. Given that this subset demonstrated attentional deficits, the altered visual strategy could serve to indicate motor and/or cognitive impairments.

Promoting an Entrepreneurial Culture: Development, Feasibility and Acceptability of a Primary School-Based Program Focused on Soft Skills

This study aims to develop and evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of an intervention program designed to foster soft skills among primary-school students. Conducted in Portugal, the program employed face-to-face sessions and involved 2958 fourth-grade students from nine municipalities. The program “Players of Dreams” (PD) [“Brincadores de Sonhos”] is an active learning approach that encourages students and other educational community members to engage actively in the learning process. The PD content was derived from a literature review and interviews with primary school teachers regarding the essential skills for success in life, like the considerable skills of an entrepreneurial culture. The PD program utilized group dynamics, pedagogical narratives/storytelling, visual thinking strategies (diagrams and illustrations), family involvement in activities, and specially prepared songs to facilitate learning. Teachers who implemented the program underwent 25 h of classroom training on entrepreneurial pedagogy and received a manual for conducting PD sessions. Students completed activities in their PD manuals and corresponding evaluation forms throughout the program The results provide preliminary evidence to support the benefits of implementing the intervention. The facilitators observed changes in student behavior related to the promotion of confidence, responsibility, sociability, and autonomy. The PD program shows promise for engaging young students and fostering the growth of an entrepreneurial culture. Future research could assess the effectiveness of PD in delivering education and support interventions, while longitudinal studies could provide valuable quantitative and qualitative data to inform educational policies for primary schools.

Recognition-Activated Primer-Mediated Exponential Rolling Circle Amplification for Signal Probe Production and Ultrasensitive Visual Detection of Ochratoxin A with Nucleic Acid Lateral Flow Strips.

We proposed a visual strategy for rapid and ultrasensitive detection of ochratoxin A (OTA) by integration of primer-mediated exponential rolling circle amplification (P-ERCA) with a designed nucleic acid lateral flow strip (LFS). The recognition component was preimmobilized in the tube by hybridization between the immobilized functionalized aptamer and complementary ssDNA. Recognition of OTA induces the release of complementary ssDNA from the tube, which will also act as the primer of the designed P-ERCA. Three nicking sites on the template P-ERCA could contribute to the production of enormous signal probes based on the simultaneous amplification-nicking model, which can be visually measured directly with the constructed nucleic acid LFS. Importantly, the nicked signal probe can also act as the trigger of the new-round RCA, achieving exponential growth of signal probes for measurement and signal enhancement. Taking advantage of the extraordinary amplification efficiency of P-ERCA and the simplicity of LFS, this P-ERCA-LFS method demonstrates ultrasensitive detection of OTA with a visual limit of detection as low as 100 fg/mL for qualitative screening and a limit of detection of 35 fg/mL for semiquantitative analysis. This designed strategy could also be utilized as a universal method for detection of other chemical analytes with the replacement of the aptamer for recognition, and the nucleic acid LFS unit could also be a useful protocol for direct ssDNA analysis.

Visual search strategies of performance monitoring used in action anticipation of basketball players.

Numerous studies have found that expert players anticipate better than novices. If more accurate prediction represents performance monitoring of experts, what are the advantages of elite basketball players in identifying and processing available cues? There is still a lack of sufficient evidence. This study examined the visual search in basketball players and explored the performance monitoring of action anticipation, adopting an expert-novice paradigm and eye-movement technology. Forty basketball players were recruited in this study: 20 in the expert group and 20 in the novice group. Participants were asked to predict the outcome of videotaped basketball throws and their accuracy and eye-movement characteristics were record. The accuracy of the expert was significantly higher than that of the novice. The experts were able to instantly search and identify important cues in anticipation, and the gaze area of the experts was concentrated on the area of interest of the body. Additionally, the expert group showed long, repetitive, and rapid visual search of vital information, and improved their performance of the task. The experts could monitor the performance of prediction by grabbing vital shooting information (such as the body of a player). The results suggest the athletes and coaches that if they want to improve the ability of prediction, it may be useful to shift their focus of attention from ball trajectory to body action.

Development of visual thinking strategy in augmented reality (ViTSAR) to facilitate visual literacy skills on magnetic field material

Development of visual thinking strategy in augmented reality (ViTSAR) to facilitate visual literacy skills on magnetic field material

Modifying treatment of degenerative retinal diseases. Part 2. Conditioning therapy techniques and the problem of maximizing retinal plasticity

In the first part of the review [ROJ, 2023; 16 (2): 160–2], we discussed the common and specific features of adaptive and non-adaptive retinal plasticity characteristic of glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy, and retinopathy of prematurity. The presented part of the review discusses the issues of axon regeneration of retinal ganglion cells and analyzes therapeutic approaches aimed at maximizing the plasticity and stimulating the reparative potential of the retina. The protective effects of "conditioning" stimuli in the modifying treatment of retinal diseases are considered. Some of the present-day visual rehabilitation strategies based on visual perception training and visual fixation training using biofeedback systems are reported.