Michael May

Affordances and distributed cognition in museum exhibitions

Exhibitions are the primary medium for the public communication of science in museums. Recently, there has been an interest in explaining the educational mechanisms of exhibitions in terms of meaning making, interaction and space; however these concepts have not yet been integrated into one consistent framework. Here, we invoke the notions of affordance and distributed cognition to explain in a coherent way how visitors interact with exhibits and exhibit spaces and make meaning from those interactions, and we exemplify our points using observations of twelve visitors to exhibits at a natural history museum. We show how differences in exhibit characteristics give rise to differences in the interpretive strategies used by visitors in their meaning-making process, and conclude by discussing how the notions of affordance and distributed cognition can be used in an exhibit design perspective.

Effectiveness of inquiry-based learning in an undergraduate exercise physiology course

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of changing a laboratory physiology course for undergraduate students from a traditional step-by-step guided structure to an inquiry-based approach. With this aim in mind, quantitative and qualitative evaluations of learning outcomes (individual subject-specific tests and group interviews) were performed for a laboratory course in cardiorespiratory exercise physiology that was conducted in one year with a traditional step-by-step guided manual (traditional course) and the next year completed with an inquiry-based structure (I-based course). The I-based course was a guided inquiry course where students had to design the experimental protocol and conduct their own study on the basis of certain predefined criteria (i.e., they should evaluate respiratory responses to submaximal and maximal exercise and provide indirect and direct measures of aerobic exercise capacity). The results indicated that the overall time spent on the experimental course as well as self-evaluated learning outcomes were similar across groups. However, students in the I-based course used more time in preparation (102 ± 5 min) than students in the traditional course (42 ± 3 min, P < 0.05), and 65 ± 5% students in the I-based course searched for additional literature before experimentation compared with only 2 ± 1% students in the traditional course. Furthermore, students in the I-based course achieved a higher (P < 0.05) average score on the quantitative test (45 ± 3%) compared with students in the traditional course (31 ± 4%). Although students were unfamiliar with cardiorespiratory exercise physiology and the experimental methods before the course, it appears that an inquiry-based approach rather than one that provides students with step-by-step instructions may benefit learning outcomes in a laboratory physiology course.

Towards a cognitive semiotics of science:: the case of physical chemistry

In chapter 5, Juan Carlos Mendoza Collazos presents an overview of a new approach to signification, known as agentive semiotics, that “links achievements of logic, phenomenology and cognitive sciences” (Nino 2015). As the author states, this clearly aligns this approach with cognitive semiotics. Similarly, agentive semiotics is influenced by enactivism, though it takes a more specific stand on the notion of agency, defining an agent as a being that is animate, situated, and capable of paying attention. This means that artifacts for example only have derived agency, that is, a kind of agency that has been assigned by agents proper, which in the case of artifacts means designers. The bulk of the chapter applies the theory of agentive semiotics precisely to the semiotics of artifact design. Unlike traditional semiotic design analysis, the agentive approach implies focus not on the artifacts themselves, but on acts of production and response. Artifacts have significance (a network of potential responses) and signification (“the actual response an agent activates”), thus paralleling (one version of) the distinction between semantics and pragmatics. The chapter makes a strong case for the application of the theoretical corpus of agentive semiotics to design practice, allowing new insights into the actions and experiences of designers and users. Notions such as agenda, per-agenda, agentive scene, etc. are clearly explained and illustrated, showing how theoretical and “applied” cognitive semiotics can intermix. (Less)

Exploring the Use of On-Site Tablet Video Recordings of Patient Interviews During Psychiatric Placement

To the Editor: Regrettably, an increase in numbers of students per placement, a decrease in numbers of inpatients, conflict of time and demands, and a shortage of doctors have become a challenge to the quality of learning during the placements of medical graduate students in psychiatry. To meet these concerns, we have explored whether tablets used as video recording and displaying tools at the wards could improve training and feedback on the psychiatric interview. We call this on-site tablet video recording. The intention was to introduce (a) a more flexible timing for feedback (students could do an interview one day and get feedback on the video another day) and (b) a rewind tool giving the opportunity for more precise analysis of mental status. The study was accepted by the Danish Data Security Agency and the Ethics Committee considered it not in need of ethical approval by the committee. In 1 year, all our graduate students (in total 57) on 5-week rotation in psychiatry received tablets and instructions about how to use it. At the end of their stay, they were invited to participate in group interviews about their experiences with on-site tablet video recording. We prepared specific instructions and tutorials for the students, informed about the project to staff at the different wards and units, and gave lectures and written feedback instructions for residents and consultants. The patients had to sign an informed consent that allowed the student to show the recording to fellow students and clinicians for a maximum 2 weeks before deletion. We asked the students to record any type of interaction with patients. After the recording, the students should review the video by themselves, finding time points of particular interest or difficulty and then they should find a doctor on the ward and discuss selected episodes, maximum 5–10 min in total. Two weeks into the placement period, we spend an afternoon clinical tutorial on the training of the mental status examination based on tablet video recordings. In the beginning, only half of the students contributed with videos, yet as the implementation proceeded, more and more students used the tablets. In the last student group, the number of recordings varied from one to seven per student. While the students in general was positive about the idea of on-site video recordings and described learning gains, they also pointed to some problematic issues. Several students reported that the video recordings helped them to see and understand psychiatric phenomena. They used the video recording to confirm their analyses of the patients or they had their tutor doctor point out specific features of psychopathology. They also reported that the video recordings helped them to explore elements of the interview, which they did not notice while in it. In the same way, they could get advice or explanations about situations in the interviews, where they could have acted differently. No doubt, the media has the capability to capture communication and nonverbal behavior for scrutiny; outside the realm of psychiatry, it has been shown that accuracy is significantly improved over time when video training is applied for accuracy of seizure diagnosis. On the other hand, students pointed to obstructing issues such as problems of persuading patients to participate and the lack of support from nurses and doctors at the ward. Some students would prefer to practice more before having to do * Sidse Arnfred sidar@regionsjaelland.dk

The semantic level in HMS design: constraints, scale types and representational forms

Motivation -- A conceptual analysis of the semantic level in Human-Machine Systems (HMS) design is suggested and a revision of the approach of Cognitive Systems Engineering (CSE) is outlined. Specifically the role of scales and representational forms in Ecological Interface Design (EID) as well as the principles of information integration should be reconsidered. Research approach -- Conceptual analysis of theoretical and methodological issues in CSE and EID. Findings/Design -- Although EID is justifiably seen as the most advanced theory and methodology within CSE, it has a limited focus on direct perception of affordances and constraints in the work domain -- leaving aside other issues such as e.g. representational forms in general and the role of scale types and scale transformations. Research limitations/Implications -- The semiotic framework for analysing the semantic level in Human Machine Systems design needs to show its impact on actual design methodologies, i.e. through cases on integrated design of processes, automation, and HMS. Originality/Value -- Clarification of conceptual issues in CSE-based HMS design is attempted and it is sketched how a semiotics of representation design could be an addition to the conceptual foundation of CSE. Take away message -- A shift in conceptual orientation of design for safety can be obtained by elaborating the implicit semiotics of CSE and EID into an explicit semiotics of representation design.