CYBERPSYCHOLOGY

An Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction

Emily WilsonNov. 26, 2009COMP 3851

Kent L. NormanAssociate Professor in the Dept. of Psychology at the University of Iowa.

Always interested in science and electronics but decided to major in Psychology

Only took one Computer Science course – Computers and Society

Book wrote in 2008

Cyberpsychology

“Cyber” – from the work “cybernetics,” meaning the study of the operation of control communication systems and “psychology” – the study of human behavior and cognitive processes

Put together they create the overlap of both fields

An Introduction to Human – Computer

Interaction

Part 1: Fundamentals

Part 2: Systems

Part 3: Relationships

Part 4: Applications

Part 1: Fundamentals – History of HCIGeneration 0: the beginning of computers –

very little Human-Computer interface

Generation 1: computer terminals with teletype keyboards. Users gave commands to the computer and the printout or display was the feedback. The HCI began to take shape

Generation 2: closer to where we are today, computers became more user friendly. HCI began important in designing user friendly GUIs

Part 1: Fundamentals –

Human vs. ComputerMuch more known about computers

than humans, even though humans have been studied longer

Differences: Humans can easily change themselves

Similarities: Both humans and computers must interpret the information that the other one gives them correctly.

Part 2: Systems – The Sensory-Motor

Interface Vision

Audition

Touch

Proprioception – the sense of bodily perception

Part 2: Systems – Visual Perception

Visual perception involves:

Recognizing shapes

Interpreting depth

Sensing motion

Maintaining Consistencies

Part 2: Systems – Visual Perception

We organize figures in the foreground and everything else in the background

The desktop screen takes advantage of this principle having icons on the desktop as a foreground with the rest as the background

Ambiguous and Hierarchical Layouts

Part 2: Systems – Visual Perception

Good Form and Closure: the perceptual system tries to fill in the gaps

Continuity: Our system follows the edges and wants to see nice continuous lines rather than jagged complex ones

Part 2: Systems – Visual Perception

These principles, along with the principles of proximity and similarity are extremely important in how we perceive and organize our desktops, or how we create layouts of web pages.

Part 3: Relationships – Our Emotions

Emotional experiences that happen at the human computer interface:

Email – Good or bad news

Computer games – getting a new high score

Online media – being entertained or disgusted

Successes or failures at work

Part 3: Relationships – Expressing our

emotionsWays we express ourselves online by:

Using Smileys in chats, emails and online forums

Mood descriptions in blogs: can be monitored and evaluated – showed that the

“sad” mood shot up afterterrorist attacks in Londonin 2005

Our behavior when usingthe computer can indicate ourmood.

Part 3: Relationships –

Computer DisordersAnxiety Disorders – technological

environments may be a source of anxiety

OCD – repeatedly checking software and updating software, repeatedly backing up files or saving all files, versions and saving all your emails, and repeatedly filing your files

Mood Disorders: Depression – person can turn to the internet when depressed, and find unhealthy sites about things like suicide

Part 3: Relationships –

Computer AddictionImportance – Craving the activity all the time. Takes

over a person’s thoughts. When they are not doing it all they can think about is doing it

Mood modification – feelings of numbness and escape when engaged in the activity.

Tolerance – To satisfy a persons cravings excessive amounts of time are required to do the activity.

Withdrawal Symptoms –discontent feelings when not doing activity

Conflict – intrapersonal conflicts can occur between the person and their friends, or conflicts can occur with work or other activities, conflicts caused by their excessive use of the computer

Relapse – Tendency for a person to slip back into addiction

Part 3: Relationships –

Mental Help Info Online Disadvantage: Not always reliable –

could be false information or advertisement for a product

Psychotherapy over the internet – Advantages:

synchronous/asynchronous

Text/sensory

Imaginary/real

Automated/interpersonal

Invisible/present

Part 4: Applications - AutomationAssistive Technologies:

Pre-computers: hearing aids , corrective lenses, walkers and wheelchairs, Braille, etc.

Computers: Screen magnifiers for people with low or bad vision, and screen readers for those who are blind, controlling the mouse with your eyes and facial expressions for people with motor impairment

Part 4: Applications –

Future Predictions

Some predict that the HCI will become so blurred in the future that we will become so much like machines or machines will become so much like humans that we will not think of them as machines.

In one sense computers will be everywhere and in another sense they will disappear altogether

Will automation go toofar in the future?

Part 4: Applications –

Future PredictionsNorman predicts rather than going out

to places like pubs, common rooms or the mall people will be logging into social networking sites like facebook.com or myspace.com.

Things like identity theft, and imaginary profiles will become more and more of a problem.  Today we have profiles that are fake or get hacked, but in the future there may be more profiles that are maintained by simulation agents.

Part 4: Applications – Human in the

MachineThe ways we as humans are in the machine:

We transfer much of our memory and knowledge to the computer in things like digital calendars, blogs, and so on. 

Parts of our personality reside in the computer on social networking sites.

As time goes on we will probably rely on the computer for more and more things and thus more of us will be inputted into the computer.

Part 4: Applications – Machine in the

HumanAlternatively, we may become more bionic with the increase of Human-Brain interaction

Today we have things like artificial pacemakers that stimulate the heart muscles

Microchip implants, can store personal identification, medical information, and can also be used for GPS tracking, and identification verification

Brain pacemakers send electric impulses to areas of the brain and nervous system to relieve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and depression

Part 4: Applications – Machine in the Human

(cont.)In the future computer sensors may be used to pick up brain functions and may even intervene to optimize the processing.

Neuroprosthetics may be used to replace damaged or missing parts of the brain.

A cochlear implant used to restore hearing to the deaf is a neuroprosthetic device in use today, and one that will restore vision to the blind, is currently being worked on. 

Cyberpsychology – Wrap Up

How well will these devices be received by the rest of our nervous system? At what point to we cease being ourselves and become the machine?  What about ethical issues?