Doctoral Dissertation Research: User Performance and Cognitive Load Measures of Geovisualization and Tactile Feedback Maps

博士论文研究：地理可视化和触觉反馈地图的用户表现和认知负荷测量

• 批准号: 1633750
• 负责人: Dorothy Sammons
• 金额: $ 1.59万
• 依托单位: Idaho State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-09-01 至 2018-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1633750&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; User; Performance

This doctoral dissertation research project will investigate multi-sensory visual and tactile interfaces for understanding complex spatial data. The project will contribute new insights to an emerging interdisciplinary research thrust involving geography and other spatial sciences, geoscience education, cartographic visualization, and cognitive psychology that examines how the dimensionality of a topographic map affects map users' ability to understand and apply spatial information. By comparing cognitive load and learning effects on the basis of dimensionality, the project will help identify the role spatial ability plays in supporting comprehension of map data and what instructional strategies may be appropriate for varied levels of dimensionality. The project will help improve spatial thinking abilities through the development of engaging instructional strategies and hands-on use of the innovative technologies in order to better prepare students for success in science, technology, education, and mathematics (STEM) careers. The project's research on multi-sensor interfaces will support further inquiry into the role of dimensionality as a factor in spatial thinking to advance STEM education that potentially can benefit a broad range of users but will have special value for kinesthetic learners and visually impaired individuals because of greater emphasis on interactive, tactile features of multi-sensory instruction. The source code and resources for teaching spatial skills from a subsequent map-reading instructional module will be made readily accessible to assist others in improving STEM educational capabilities. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.Recent innovations in three-dimensional (3-D) geovisual and tactile interactive displays can facilitate multi-sensory learning. While the presentation of mapped landscapes using two-dimensional (2-D) topographic contour lines for a map user requires transfer of abstract 2-D spatial data to visual the 3-D world, the augmented-reality sandbox, a 3-D tangible user-interface, enables users to touch and manipulate 3-D map surfaces in real-time. Learning is multi-sensory, because interactive tactile feedback complements visual feedback, but previous studies disagree about the learning effect of varying the dimension in which spatial information is presented. During the conduct of this study, the doctoral student will use an experimental design to assess the effect of map dimensionality on learning performance scores and on mental effort while controlling for differences in spatial thinking ability and gender. He will measure prior spatial thinking ability of research subjects using two widely used spatial ability tests, the mental rotations test and the paper-folding test. Geoscience undergraduate students will be placed into different groups based on their gender and will be randomly assigned to receive instruction conveyed through one of the three topographic map interfaces: the 3-D augmented-reality sandbox; a 2.5-D geovisual computer interface through which a 3-D image is superimposed on a 2-D computer screen; or a 2-D printed map. This research design will focus on ascertaining whether and how map dimensionality influences participants' abilities to use spatial information from topographic maps with the least amount of mental effort. Learning performance will be assessed as each group completes a common post-test on map-reading skills. Mental effort will be measured through the use of eye tracking analysis of pupil size and movement as correlated to participant self-ratings using the mental-effort measurement scale. Comparing interactions between mental effort and performance scores on the basis of dimensionality will identify how spatial thinking supports comprehension of topographic map profiles and what instructional and learning strategies may be appropriate for varied levels of dimensionality.

该博士学位论文研究项目将调查多感觉视觉和触觉接口，以了解复杂的空间数据。 该项目将为涉及地理和其他空间科学，地球科学教育，制图可视化和认知心理学的新兴跨学科研究推动力做出新的见解，该研究表明地图的维度会影响地图用户理解和应用空间信息的能力。 通过根据维度比较认知负载和学习效果，该项目将有助于确定空间能力在支持理解地图数据以及哪些教学策略中的作用，以及哪些教学策略可能适合各种维度。 该项目将通过制定引人入胜的教学策略和动手使用创新技术来帮助提高空间思维能力，以便更好地为学生做好科学，技术，教育和数学（STEM）职业的成功做好准备。 该项目对多传感器接口的研究将支持进一步询问维数，这是空间思维的作用，以推进STEM教育的一个因素，可能会受益于广泛的用户，但会对动力学学习者和视觉障碍者具有特殊的价值，因为更加强调了互动性的互动性，触觉，具有互动性的触觉，具有多种感官的触觉功能。 从随后的地图阅读教学模块中教授空间技能的源代码和资源将容易访问，以帮助其他人提高STEM教育能力。 作为博士学位论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将提供支持，以使有前途的学生能够建立强大的独立研究职业。三维（3-D）地理和触觉互动展示的创新可以促进多感觉学习。 虽然使用二维（2-D）地形轮廓线呈现映射的景观，但需要将抽象的2-D空间数据传输到可视化3-D世界，而增强现实的沙箱，3-D有形的用户界面，这是一个3-D明显的用户界面，使用户可以实时触摸和操纵3-D地图表面。 学习是多感觉的，因为交互式触觉反馈补充了视觉反馈，但是先前的研究对改变空间信息的维度的学习效果不同意。 在本研究的进行过程中，博士生将使用实验设计来评估地图维度对学习绩效评分和心理努力的影响，同时控制空间思维能力和性别的差异。 他将使用两个广泛使用的空间能力测试，精神旋转测试和纸质折叠测试来衡量研究对象的先前空间思维能力。 地球科学的本科生将根据性别分为不同的组，并将随机分配以通过三个地形图界面之一传达的指示：3-D增强现实的沙箱； 2.5-D地理计算机接口，通过该接口将3-D图像叠加在2-D计算机屏幕上；或2D打印的地图。 该研究设计将着重于确定地图维度是否以及如何影响参与者从地形图中使用空间信息的能力以最少的心理努力来确定能力。 当每个小组完成有关地图阅读技能的常见后测试时，将评估学习绩效。 精神努力将通过使用瞳孔大小和运动的眼睛跟踪分析与参与者的自我评估相关，以使用心理及时的测量量表来衡量。根据维度比较心理努力和表现分数之间的相互作用将确定空间思维如何支持对地形图谱概要文件的理解以及哪些教学和学习策略可能适合各种维度。