Morten Moshagen

Facets of visual aesthetics

Visual aesthetics has been shown to critically affect a variety of constructs such as perceived usability, satisfaction, and pleasure. Given the importance of visual aesthetics in human-computer interaction, it is vital that it is adequately assessed. The present research aimed at providing a precise operational definition and to develop a new measure of perceived visual aesthetics of websites. Construction of the Visual Aesthetics of Website Inventory (VisAWI) was based on a comprehensive and broad definition of visual aesthetics so that the resulting instrument would completely describe the domain of interest. Four interrelated facets of perceived visual aesthetics of websites were identified and validated in a series of seven studies. Simplicity and Diversity have repeatedly been treated as formal parameters of aesthetic objects throughout the history of empirical aesthetics, Colors are a critical property of aesthetic objects, and Craftsmanship addresses the skillful and coherent integration of the relevant design dimensions. These four facets jointly represent perceived visual aesthetics, but are still distinguishable from each other and carry unique meaning. The subscales contained in the VisAWI demonstrate good internal consistencies. Evidence for the convergent, divergent, discriminative, and concurrent validity of the VisAWI is provided. Overall, the present research suggests that the VisAWI appears to be a sound measure of visual aesthetics of websites comprising facets of both practical and theoretical interest.

multiTree: A computer program for the analysis of multinomial processing tree models

Multinomial processing tree (MPT) models are a family of stochastic models for psychology and related sciences that can be used to model observed categorical frequencies as a function of a sequence of latent states. For the analysis of such models, the present article presents a platform-independent computer program called multiTree, which simplifies the creation and the analysis of MPT models. This makes them more convenient to implement and analyze. Also, multiTree offers advanced modeling features. It provides estimates of the parameters and their variability, goodness-of-fit statistics, hypothesis testing, checks for identifiability, parametric and nonparametric bootstrapping, and power analyses. In this article, the algorithms underlying multiTree are given, and a user guide is provided. The multiTree program can be downloaded from http://psycho3.uni-mannheim.de/multitree.

Multinomial processing tree models: A review of the literature.

Multinomial processing tree (MPT) models have become popular in cognitive psychology in the past two decades. In contrast to general-purpose data analysis techniques, such as log-linear models or other generalized linear models, MPT models are substantively motivated stochastic models for categorical data. They are best described as tools (a) for measuring the cognitive processes that underlie human behavior in various tasks and (b) for testing the psychological assumptions on which these models are based. The present article provides a review of MPT models and their applications in psychology, focusing on recent trends and developments in the past 10 years. Our review is nontechnical in nature and primarily aims at informing readers about the scope and utility of MPT models in different branches of cognitive psychology. In a now classical article, Riefer and Batchelder (1988) proposed a class of substantively motivated stochastic mod- els for categorical behavioral data which was relatively well known in statistical genetics at the time (e.g., Elandt- Johnson, 1971), but had received little attention in psycho- logical research up to the 1980s. These models are now known as multinomial processing tree (MPT) models. About 10 years later, Batchelder and Riefer (1999) already identified no less than 30 published MPT models in the psychological literature, most of which were applied to different agendas in cognitive research. The present article provides an update of Batchelder and Riefers review and focuses on models and their applications published in the past 10 years. Our review includes 70 MPT models and model variants from more than 20 research areas. In the first section, we will present a brief conceptual outline of MPT models using a simple example to illustrate the basics and main advantages of this approach. Technical details will be omitted almost entirely because they have been described elsewhere (e.g., Batchelder & Riefer, 1999; Hu & Batchelder, 1994). The second section sum- marizes MPT models and their applications in different branches of cognitive psychology, with a special focus on models for various memory paradigms. In the third sec- tion, psychological applications of MPT models outside the realm of cognitive psychology will be briefly summarized. The fourth section describes recent developments, general- izations, and innovations in the statistical methodology of MPT models that might be useful for those interested in applying such models. The fifth and final section of our review provides a sketch of computer programs that are currently available for statistical analyses in the MPT framework, along with a summary of the main advantages of each program.

The Model Size Effect in SEM: Inflated Goodness-of-Fit Statistics Are Due to the Size of the Covariance Matrix

The size of a model has been shown to critically affect the goodness of approximation of the model fit statistic T to the asymptotic chi-square distribution in finite samples. It is not clear, however, whether this “model size effect” is a function of the number of manifest variables, the number of free parameters, or both. It is demonstrated by means of 2 Monte Carlo computer simulation studies that neither the number of free parameters to be estimated nor the model degrees of freedom systematically affect the T statistic when the number of manifest variables is held constant. Increasing the number of manifest variables, however, is associated with a severe bias. These results imply that model fit drastically depends on the size of the covariance matrix and that future studies involving goodness-of-fit statistics should always consider the number of manifest variables, but can safely neglect the influence of particular model specifications.

A blessing, not a curse: Experimental evidence for beneficial effects of visual aesthetics on performance

The present experiment investigated the effect of visual aesthetics on performance. A total of 257 volunteers completed a series of search tasks on a website providing health-related information. Four versions of the website were created by manipulating visual aesthetics (high vs. low) and usability (good vs. poor) in a 2 × 2 between-subjects design. Task completion times and error rates were used as performance measures. A main effect of usability on both error rates and completion time was observed. Additionally, a significant interaction of visual aesthetics and usability revealed that high aesthetics enhanced performance under conditions of poor usability. Thus, in contrast to the notion that visual aesthetics may worsen performance, visual aesthetics even compensated for poor usability by speeding up task completion. The practical and theoretical implications of this finding are discussed.

Tracing the Path from Personality — via Cooperativeness — to Conservation

Ecological behaviour is often conceptualized as an instance of cooperating in a social dilemma situation. Thus, it has been argued to relate to dispositional tendencies of moral virtue and pro–social orientation. To embed such notions in models of basic personality, we herein predicted that the recently proposed sixth basic personality factor, Honesty–Humility — which specifically pertains to individual differences in cooperativeness — is linked to environmental attitudes and ecological behaviour. Results from two studies (N = 137 and N = 531, respectively) supported these hypotheses and showed that Honesty–Humility explains incremental variance beyond the remaining, more classical five factors of personality. In addition, mediation analyses revealed that Honesty–Humility exerts part of its influence via individual differences in pro–social value orientations. Individual tendencies to cooperate in social dilemma situations could thus be shown to form a bridge between basic personality dimensions and ecological behaviour. Copyright

Reducing socially desirable responses in epidemiologic surveys: an extension of the randomized-response technique.

Background: Even though the validity of self-reports of sensitive behaviors is threatened by social desirability bias, interviews and questionnaires are widely used in epidemiologic surveys on these topics. Methods: In the randomized-response technique, a randomization device is used to determine whether participants are asked to respond truthfully or whether they are prompted to provide a prespecified response. In this study, the randomized-response technique was extended by using a cheating-detection modification to obtain more valid data. The survey was on the dental hygiene habits of Chinese college students. Results: Whereas only 35% of men and 10% of women admitted to insufficient dental hygiene when questioned directly, 51% of men and 20% of women attested to this socially undesirable behavior in a randomized-response survey. Conclusions: Given the considerable discrepancy between the results obtained by direct questioning and by using the randomized-response technique, we propose that this technique be considered for use in epidemiologic studies of sensitive behaviors.

Assessing Sensitive Attributes Using the Randomized Response Technique: Evidence for the Importance of Response Symmetry

Randomized response techniques (RRTs) aim to reduce social desirability bias in the assessment of sensitive attributes but differ regarding privacy protection. The less protection a design offers, the more likely respondents cheat by disobeying the instructions. In asymmetric RRT designs, respondents can play safe by giving a response that is never associated with the sensitive attribute. Symmetric RRT designs avoid the incentive to cheat by not allowing such responses. We tested whether a symmetric variant of a cheating detection model (CDM) increases compliance with the instructions in a survey of academic dishonesty among 2,254 Chinese students. As we observed more noncompliance in the asymmetric than symmetric variant, we recommend the use of symmetric CDMs, which can easily be tested within multinomial models.

A short version of the visual aesthetics of websites inventory

The present paper addresses a need for a brief assessment instrument to measure perceived visual aesthetics of websites. A short version of the Visual Aesthetics of Websites inventory (VisAWI; Moshagen and Thielsch 2010) called VisAWI-S was developed and evaluated in three studies comprising 1673 participants in total. The results indicate that the VisAWI-S is a reliable measure that captures a single dimension of perceived visual aesthetics and provides a good approximation to the full-length version. Convergent validity was established by a strong relationship to overall appeal. Evidence for divergent validity was obtained by weaker correlations to perceived usability, pragmatic quality and quality of content as well as by absence of a significant correlation to participants’ mood. In addition to this, the VisAWI-S was found to be substantially related to the intention to revisit a website. Overall, the results indicate that the VisAWI-S may gainfully be employed to measure perceived visual aesthetics of websites when assessment times must be kept to a minimum.

Patterns of alcohol expectancies and alcohol use across age and gender

AIMS To investigate the relationship between alcohol expectancies and alcohol use in a community sample as a function of age and gender. METHODS The study is based on a national probability sample of 6467 German adults. Respondents were grouped into five age groups ranging from 18 to 59 years. A brief version of the Comprehensive Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire was used to assess alcohol expectancies. Alcohol use was assessed by the number of drinking days during the past month and the number of drinks on an average drinking day. RESULTS Prior to conducting group comparisons, measurement invariance across age and gender was established. Latent mean level comparisons showed that the endorsement of both positive and negative expectancies almost linearly decreased with increasing age. However, this decrease was not reflected in alcohol consumption patterns. Structural analysis of the expectancy factors and drinking variables showed that the predictive power of expectancies varied by age and gender. Particularly, expectancies related to social assertiveness and sexual enhancement were strong predictors only in younger, but not in older respondents. Conversely, expectancies related to tension reduction and impairment were the most important predictors of drinking in respondents older than 30 years, but not in younger age groups. Additionally, the onset and course of age-related changes in expectancies was moderated by gender. CONCLUSIONS The present study demonstrates substantial age-related changes in the relationship between alcohol expectancies and alcohol use. Moreover, the profile of alcohol expectancies appears to be more important than their absolute strength.