The Algorithmic Reduction of Bad-Actor Reporting on Social Media

Description

Bad actor reporting has recently grown in popularity as an effective method for social media attacks and harassment, but many mitigation strategies have yet to be investigated. In this study, we created a simulated social media environment of 500,000 users,…

Bad actor reporting has recently grown in popularity as an effective method for social media attacks and harassment, but many mitigation strategies have yet to be investigated. In this study, we created a simulated social media environment of 500,000 users, and let those users create and review a number of posts. We then created four different post-removal algorithms to analyze the simulation, each algorithm building on previous ones, and evaluated them based on their accuracy and effectiveness at removing malicious posts. This thesis work concludes that a trust-reward structure within user report systems is the most effective strategy for removing malicious content while minimizing the removal of genuine content. This thesis also discusses how the structure can be further enhanced to accommodate real-world data and provide a viable solution for reducing bad actor online activity as a whole.

Date Created
2023-05
Agent

Automotive UI Design and Effects on Human Computer Interaction

Description

Consumer automotive vehicles have been an essential part of daily life for many over several decades. Many people also find that the multimedia screens found in the center consoles of many modern vehicles are robust enough to complete a certain…

Consumer automotive vehicles have been an essential part of daily life for many over several decades. Many people also find that the multimedia screens found in the center consoles of many modern vehicles are robust enough to complete a certain number of tasks, such as navigating to a destination, playing music, or taking a phone call. As a result, it is important for designers to look into their decisions and how they might affect the overall experience a person has while interacting with multimedia screen as they are driving a vehicle. This study aims to look into how existing design decisions present themselves in the multimedia screens of modern vehicles and which principles of design users favor when interacting with the systems. With 188 participants and three vehicles tested, including the 2019 Toyota Highlander equipped with native software, the 2019 Hyundai Sonata equipped with Android Auto, and the 2020 Hyundai Elantra equipped with Apple CarPlay, it was found that design principles found in Human Computer Interaction, such as Gestalt principles, are relevant in allowing for a more positive, enjoyable experience in completing tasks such as navigation, playing music, and taking a phone call.

Date Created
2023-05
Agent

AR Educational Tool

Description

Augmented reality offers a unique and innovative way to interact and connect with the natural world through the digital world. In an effort to better facilitate learning, this project makes use of web-based augmented reality. This project employs JavaScript libraries,…

Augmented reality offers a unique and innovative way to interact and connect with the natural world through the digital world. In an effort to better facilitate learning, this project makes use of web-based augmented reality. This project employs JavaScript libraries, AR.js and Three.js, to provide an augmented reality experience that better links real-world objects to information in a more digestible format. As well as discusses the many issues with technology and how to work around them and ultimately solve them.

Date Created
2023-05
Agent

Post-Game Guide for Dragon Quest IX

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Description
When playing Dragon Quest IX, players are faced with immense amounts of game information. In order to save hundreds of hours of learning and memorizing intricate game details, many players prefer to simply refer to a guide as they play.…

When playing Dragon Quest IX, players are faced with immense amounts of game information. In order to save hundreds of hours of learning and memorizing intricate game details, many players prefer to simply refer to a guide as they play. This thesis project aims to develop a guide app to fulfill this role. The app will provide players with an interactive and user-friendly platform to access detailed information on equipment, weapons, items, recipes, and monsters within the game. The project will involve extensive research and analysis of the game's data, as well as the development of a database to store and organize relevant information. Ultimately, the guide app will provide an invaluable resource for players looking to enhance their Dragon Quest IX experience and achieve a deeper understanding of the game's intricacies.
Date Created
2023-05
Agent

The Effects of Cognitive Engagement while Learning about Misinformation on Social Media

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Description
Social media platforms have emerged as leading communication channels for social interaction and information sharing in the early part of the 21st century. In an ideal world, social media users should feel that they can interpret the social interactions they…

Social media platforms have emerged as leading communication channels for social interaction and information sharing in the early part of the 21st century. In an ideal world, social media users should feel that they can interpret the social interactions they witness and the information that is shared on social media platforms as inherently honest and truthful; however, reality is very different. Social media platforms have become vehicles capable of spreading misinformation quickly and broadly. Information literacy offers a pathway for mitigating the negative consequences of misinformation found within various forms of content provided that instruction is contextually defined and applicable to the current information environment. A cognitive framework was used to help facilitate greater efficiency of learning information literacy practices.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between cognitive engagement and learning performance on an instructional module about misinformation on social media. A total of 133 undergraduate students participated in the study. They were surveyed for demographic characteristics, social media activity, and self-efficacy before being randomly assigned to one of four instructional conditions (passive, active, constructive, control). Additional measures included a pre-test, post-test and an instrument measuring users’ satisfaction with their instructional experience.

The study produced several statistically significant differences: (a) in the ability of demographic factors encompassing age, gender and years in college to predict the prior knowledge of misinformation on social media; (b) between the means of the three treatment and one control groups and their scores on the post-test assessment controlling for prior knowledge; and (c) between the means of the three treatment and one control groups and time necessary to complete instruction. Using a regression analysis, no significant differences were found with respect to information-focused self-efficacy factors being able to predict prior knowledge of misinformation on social media. The findings from this study can contribute to the basis of support for the use of the Interactive, Constructive, Active, Passive (ICAP) framework in assessing the use of cognitive engagement in designing instruction.
Date Created
2019
Agent

Examining the Effects of Exercise Level on Cognition, Perception, and Emotional Response Modulation

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Description
Physical activity is something that everyone engages in at varying levels. It has been linked to positively impacting general wellbeing, as well as preparing the mind and body to learn new skills. However, the significance of physical activity…

Physical activity is something that everyone engages in at varying levels. It has been linked to positively impacting general wellbeing, as well as preparing the mind and body to learn new skills. However, the significance of physical activity remains under-explored in some areas. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between physical activity levels and emotional intelligence, navigation and planning skills, motor skills, memory capacity, and one’s perception of the ‘value’ of an object or an experience. During sessions, participants were equipped with two physiological sensors: the EEG B-Alert X10 or X24 headset, and the Shimmer GSR3. In addition to these, two external sensors were used: a web camera for recording and evaluating facial expressions, and the Tobii X2-30, X2-60, or Tobii T60XL eye tracking systems, used to monitor visual attention. These sensors were used to collect data while participants completed a series of tasks: the Self-Report of Emotional Intelligence Test, the Tower of London Test, the Motor Speed Test, the Working Memory Capacity Battery, watching product-centered videos, and watching experience-centered videos. Multiple surveys were also conducted, including a demographic survey, a nutritional and health survey, and a sports preference survey. Utilizing these metrics, this study found that those who exercise more experience and express higher levels of emotion, including joy, sadness, contempt, disgust, confusion, frustration, surprise, anger, and fear. This implies a difference in emotional response modulation between those who exercise more and those who exercise less, which in turn implies a difference in perception between the two groups. There were no significant findings related to navigation and planning skills, motor skills, or memory capacity from this analysis.
Date Created
2019-05
Agent

Teaching science lab safety: are virtual simulations effective?

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Description
The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of immersion on knowledge, cognitive load, and presence in a simulation designed to deliver a lesson on science lab safety training. 108 participants were randomly assigned to one of three…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of immersion on knowledge, cognitive load, and presence in a simulation designed to deliver a lesson on science lab safety training. 108 participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: high immersion (played an interactive simulation about lab safety in a VR headset), medium immersion (played the same interactive simulation on the computer), or low immersion (watched a video and read about lab safety procedures). Participants completed a pretest, a science lab safety training, a posttest (same as the pretest), a questionnaire with subjective presence questions, and a questionnaire with subjective cognitive load questions. Participants were again asked to complete a follow-up test (same as the pretest and posttest) a week later.

The results revealed three significant findings:

(a) Participants in the high and medium immersion conditions had significantly higher knowledge scores at posttest and follow-up than their peers in the low immersion condition,

(b) Participants in the high and medium immersion conditions reported higher presence scores than participants in the low immersion conditions.

(c) Correlation coefficients suggested that the higher the immersion and presence, the higher the knowledge scores are at posttest and follow-up.

In addition, multiple hierarchical linear regression models were conducted out of which one was significant.
Date Created
2018
Agent

Examining the Effects of Team-Based Exercise on Cognition and Perception: The Role of Gender and Emotion

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Description
Physical activity has been shown to have lasting impacts on one's physical and mental wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to further this understanding by examining the effects of high team-based exercise on cognition and perception, and the role…

Physical activity has been shown to have lasting impacts on one's physical and mental wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to further this understanding by examining the effects of high team-based exercise on cognition and perception, and the role of gender and emotion in those differences. Participants were fitted with a biometric measure system (EEG headset, GSR bracelet, face-based emotion recognition system, and eye tracking system), while they engaged in diverse tasks, such as: a demographic survey, self-report of emotional intelligence test, tower of London test, motor speed test, viewing product and experience marketing videos, working memory capacity battery, completion of an online task on online store, and a system usability survey. By participating in this series of assessments, individuals of low and high exercise levels had diverse metrics collected which yield a view into their cognition and perception. This study found that gender and emotion does play a role in the effect on cognition and perception of individuals who exercise in team-based settings. Utilizing Welch's t-test, female participants of high team-based exercise were found to be less engaged during the tower of London test and a marketing video about baseball products that shows different experiences of the game and more distracted during a marketing video about baseball products that shows a particular baseball product than male participants of high team-based exercise during the same same exact test and marketing videos.
Date Created
2018-12
Agent

Enhancing the acquisition and retention of the Navajo language using computer-based instruction and the effects of static pedagogical agents and gamification practice

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Description
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of static pedagogical agents (included and excluded) and gamification practice (included and excluded) on vocabulary acquisition and perceptions of cognitive load by junior high students who studied Navajo

language via computer-based…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of static pedagogical agents (included and excluded) and gamification practice (included and excluded) on vocabulary acquisition and perceptions of cognitive load by junior high students who studied Navajo

language via computer-based instructional program. A total of 153 students attending a junior high school in the southwestern United States were the participants for this study. Prior to the beginning of the study, students were randomly assigned to one of four

treatment groups who used a Navajo language computer-based program that contained a combination of static pedagogical agent (included and excluded) and gamification practice (included and excluded). There were two criterion measures in this study, a

vocabulary acquisition posttest and a survey designed both to measure students’ attitudes toward the program and to measure cognitive load. Anecdotal observations of students’ interactions were also examined.

Results indicated that there were no significant differences in posttest scores among treatment conditions; students were, however, generally successful in learning the Navajo vocabulary terms. Participants also reported positive attitudes toward the Navajo

language content and gamification practice and expressed a desire to see additional content and games during activities of this type. These findings provide evidence of the impact that computer-based training may have in teaching students an indigenous second

language. Furthermore, students seem to enjoy this type of language learning program. Many also indicated that, while static agent was not mentioned, gamification practice may enhance students’ attitudes in such instruction and is an area for future research.

Language learning programs could include a variety of gamification practice activities to assist student to learn new vocabulary. Further research is needed to study motivation and cognitive load in Navajo language computer-based training.
Date Created
2018
Agent

Using instructional design and cognitive load management theories to improve the efficiency of a video-based college algebra learning environment through a note-taking guide and learner control

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Description
The problem under investigation was to determine if a specific outline-style learning guide, called a Learning Agenda (LA), can improve a college algebra learning environment and if learner control can reduce the cognitive effort associated with note-taking in this instance.…

The problem under investigation was to determine if a specific outline-style learning guide, called a Learning Agenda (LA), can improve a college algebra learning environment and if learner control can reduce the cognitive effort associated with note-taking in this instance. The 192 participants were volunteers from 47 different college algebra and pre-calculus classes at a community college in the southwestern United States. The approximate demographics of this college as of the academic year 2016 – 2017 are as follows: 53% women, 47% men; 61% ages 24 and under, 39% 25 and over; 43% Hispanic/Latino, 40% White, 7% other. Participants listened to an approximately 9-minute video lecture on solving a logarithmic equation. There were four dependent variables: encoding as measured by a posttest – pretest difference, perceived cognitive effort, attitude, and notes-quality/quantity. The perceived cognitive effort was measured by a self-reported questionnaire. The attitude was measured by an attitude survey. The note-quality/quantity measure included three sub-measures: expected mathematical expressions, expected phrases, and a total word count. There were two independent factors: note-taking method and learner control. The note-taking method had three levels: the Learning Agenda (LA), unguided note-taking (Usual), and no notes taken. The learner control factor had two levels: pausing allowed and pausing not allowed. The LA resulted in significantly improved notes on all three sub-measures (adjusted R2 = .298). There was a significant main effect of learner control on perceived cognitive effort with higher perceived cognitive effort occurring when pausing was not allowed and notes were taken. There was a significant interaction effect of the two factors on the attitude survey measure. The trend toward an improved attitude in both of the note-taking levels of the note-taking factor when pause was allowed was reversed in the no notes level when pausing was allowed. While significant encoding did occur as measured by the posttest – pretest difference (Cohen’s d = 1.81), this measure did not reliably vary across the levels of either the note-taking method factor or the learner control factor in this study. Interpretations were in terms of cognitive load management, split-attention, instructional design, and note-taking as a sense-making opportunity.
Date Created
2018
Agent
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