Humanizing Computer Aids affects Trust and Dependence

Computerized aids that include person-like characteristics can influence trust and dependence among adults, according to a Clemson University researcher.

A recently published study by Clemson University psychology associate professor Richard Pak examined how decision-making would be affected by a human-like aid.

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The study focused on adults' trust, dependence, and performance while using a computerized decision-making aid for persons with diabetes.

The study is one of the first to examine how the design of decision-support aids on consumer devices can influence the level of trust that users place in that system and how much they use it.

Richard Pak

The design and look of an aid are important elements for designers because of the potential dangers associated when users trust unreliable decision aids or lack trust for reliable aids simply because of the their appearance.

"Just as trust is an important factor in how humans deal with other humans, it also can determine how users interact with computerized systems," Pak said. "Trust can be influenced by the aid's reliability and level of computerization as well as the user's experience and age."

Many people interact with computerized decision aids or automation on a daily basis, whether they're using smart phones, digital cameras or global positioning systems. When automation is only reliable sometimes, a person's level of trust becomes an important factor that determines how often the aid will be used.

"Figuring out how trust is affected by the design of computerized aids is important because we want people to trust and use only reliable aids," said Pak.

Pak's research findings have revealed that the inclusion of an image of a person can significantly alter perceptions of a computerized aid when there is no difference in the aid's reliability or presentation of information.

"Humanlike computer aids provide a reduced decision-making reaction time for adults," said Pak. "A plausible explanation is that the increase in trust led to an increased dependence on the aid, which led to faster performance."

Pak's future research will examine the specific aspects of the aid that affect trust in different age groups and gender.

He also is studying the affects of the aids on users when faced with decisions that have either a high consequence, such as making health decisions, or a low consequence, such as deciding what type of computer to buy.

Pak's study was published Tuesday in the journal Ergonomics. The journal article was co-authored by Clemson researchers Nicole Fink, Margaux Price, Brock Bass and Lindsay Sturre.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect: Not knowing your limits

The hypothesized phenomenon known as the Dunning-Kruger Effect, was tested in a series of experiments performed by Justin Kruger and David Dunning, both then of Cornell University. 

Justin Kruger and David Dunning noted earlier studies suggesting that ignorance of standards of performance is behind a great deal of incompetence.

This pattern was seen in studies of skills as diverse as reading comprehension, operating a motor vehicle, and playing chess or tennis.

Kruger and Dunning proposed that, for a given skill, incompetent people will:

1. tend to overestimate their own level of skill;
2. fail to recognize genuine skill in others;
3. fail to recognize the extremity of their inadequacy;
4. recognize and acknowledge their own previous lack of skill, if they can be trained to substantially improve.

Dunning has since drawn an analogy ("the anosognosia of everyday life") to a condition in which a person who suffers a physical disability because of brain injury seems unaware of or denies the existence of the disability, even for dramatic impairments such as blindness or paralysis.

To read more on "Unskilled and Unaware of it" Click here - PDF format

Brain Technology can improve their visual performance

Scientists discovered that brain technology can help people learn new things and it doesn’t require much concentration at all.

In theory, if a person were to use the new method, he could look into a computer screen and learn a new language.

ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratory and Boston University researchers used brain technology to help people improve their visual performance in areas such as memory, motor, and rehabilitation.

For example, if a person wants to be a good athlete, then his brain pattern should align to those seen in a professional through real-time feedback. Or if a person needs to be treated after an accident, his brain patterns could be changed to match the baseline. That’s all in theory for now, but the study shows promising results.

To do this, a person could look at computer screen to obtain a specific activation pattern in their brain. Furthermore, this study found that the subjects improved their performance without actually being aware of what they were learning.

Wait? Really? The experiment used decoded functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to improve the subjects’ ability. The subjects also participated in neuro-feedback training so they could match their brain activity to the desired visual performance.

The study was published in the journal Science.

“So we have to test if the method works in other types of learning in the future,” ATR’s professor Mitsuo Kawato said in a statement. “At the same time, we have to be careful so that this method is not used in an unethical way.”

Collaborations: Spike Jonze, Yo-Yo Ma, and Lil Buck

The occasion: A benefit for the arts in public schools.
The musician: Cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
The dancer: LA/Memphis street dancer Lil Buck.
The camera: Director Spike Jonze.
The result: A performance that is also the best possible argument for the cause it supports. We could say more, but again, the video speaks for itself.
via flavorwire

Enterprise Reinvention: How to Improve Corporate Performance through Enterprise Risk Management

Where companies have historically been able to improve results through specialization, successful reinvention requires a much greater emphasis on unification and facilitation—moving from managing the parts to leading the whole. This requires a different approach:

• Start with Your Customer
Every company's enterprise view and strategy needs to start with customers. Most executives agree with this tenet philosophically, but few enterprise reinvention and enterprise risk management programs follow this in practice. This requires that executives clearly establish, articulate, and integrate: where your company intends to go and why.

• Be holistic and systematic
Another principle to incorporate is to be both holistic and systematic. Without a shared enterprise view to guide companies in continually changing environments, companies often get stuck by focusing on the parts instead of the whole.

When competitive and organisational situations change, executives get caught working on the wrong things—on areas that used to be important but are no longer the bottlenecks.

• Don't Forget Your Community
A third insight—important for sustainable enterprise reinvention and effective risk management—is to systematically manage social roles. Companies are the only true economic engines for society, and strong communities are the only source of sustainable profits. When companies don't formally integrate into their communities and—instead—view themselves as separate entities, enterprise risk profiles will inevitably increase.

Integrating Enterprise Reinvention and Enterprise Risk Management
Enterprise risk management is an important tool for sustainable competitive advantage. Similar to the market and the enterprise itself, a successful enterprise risk management program requires holistic and systematic processes to support the following:

• Envision: An Enterprise strategy linked to customer needs, with defined operational implications, and well-articulated enterprise guidelines for managing risks and opportunities.
  
• Design: Formal risk mitigation and opportunity sensitivity analysis/monitoring/reporting.
  
• Build: Enterprise-wide controls, processes and infrastructure.
  
• Operate: Well-established personal roles and motivations for people to act in the best interests of their companies—at the enterprise level—through proper incentive structures.

For companies to successfully reinvent themselves, the enterprises can't be viewed as the sum of their parts. The enterprise overall is the goose that lays the golden eggs. Similar to a brand, it needs to be holistic, integrated and relevant—and continuously adapt through successful and accelerated enterprise projects.

Improvements

To improve your company, try taking your enterprise reinvention and enterprise risk management program to the next level. Integrate "Envision-Design-Build-Operate," to achieve your objectives through a shared enterprise framework, integrated roles and responsibilities, and adaptive monitoring/sensitivity analyses.

Holistic approach

Then, holistically address risks through independent program assessments to diagnose and correct identified weaknesses and take full advantage of new opportunities.

Given our rapidly changing and hyper-competitive business environment, there has never been a better time to reinvent your enterprise and your enterprise risk management program.

Clearly, this will require a different approach than the scientific management methods that worked so well in the old Industrial Age.

The new knowledge-based approach is at the heart of systematic and sustainable enterprise reinvention. The best time to start your reinvention is today.

Daytime Nap Can Benefit A Person's Memory Performance

Daytime Nap Can Benefit A Person's Memory Performance

A brief bout of non-REM sleep (45 minutes) obtained during a daytime nap clearly benefits a person's declarative memory performance, according to a new study.

Project Management Adds Real Value and Cost Savings to Organisations

Project management is certainly not overhead. Project management, if implemented and performed in a structured and professional manner, adds real value by reducing waste, controlling costs and improving performance.

Good portfolio management will reduce waste by weeding out projects that should never be started. Often we start these projects and later cancel them after wasting effort and money.

Practicing good project management in the area of initiation, planning and execution will greatly increase the success rate and performance of your project execution. Resources will be better utilised and the team will be more communicative, motivated and organised.

This will reduce duplication of effort, control costs and ensure that risks, issues and dependencies are dealt with in an optimal and effective manner, maximising effort and minimising waste.

Performing proper project closure, and learning good lessons from our past successes (and occasional mistakes), will improve the performance and effectiveness of future projects.

Finally we need to monitor, review and control our projects. We learn in six sigma that you do not improve what you do not measure.

Taking metrics during each phase of your product development process is key to learning and improving your future performance. You can start taking these measurements at any time.

As you improve your implementation of project management you will also see an improvement in the performance of your projects. These project improvements will provide a 'gearing' effect and the same amount of effort as before, will create a greater momentum and more energy in the implementation of your projects. Simply by the introduction of good, strong project management methods.

With due regard for the creation of real value from dilligent effort, the Project Manager's mantra follows Vaughan's Equation: VO > EI (Value Out is greater than Effort In) You will find that strong project management follows this equation, very closely and will always be well worth your time and effort to implement.

Project management is certainly not overhead. I hesitate even to include the word in the same sentence to avoid establishing a subconscious association.

Project management, if implemented and performed, by a professional, in a structured and professional manner, adds real value by reducing waste, controlling costs and improving performance.

Project management provides better ROI, lower TCO and better TQC.