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Background and objectivesThis study tests the feasibility of using virtual reality (VR) with older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild-to-moderate dementia with a family member who lives at a distance.Research design and methods21 residents in a senior living community and a family member (who participated in the VR with the older adult from a distance) engaged in a baseline telephone call, followed by 3 weekly VR sessions.ResultsResidents and family members alike found the VR safe, extremely enjoyable, and easy to use. The VR was also acceptable and highly satisfying for residents with MCI and dementia. Human and automated coding revealed that residents were more conversationally and behaviorally engaged with their family member in the VR sessions compared to the baseline telephone call and in the VR sessions that used reminiscence therapy. The results also illustrate the importance of using multiple methods to assess engagement. Residents with dementia reported greater immersion in the VR than residents with MCI. However, the automated coding indicated that residents with MCI were more kinesically engaged while using the VR than residents with dementia.Discussion and implicationsCombining networking and livestreaming features in a single VR platform can allow older adults in senior living communities to still travel, relive their past, and engage fully with life with their family members, despite geographical separation and physical and cognitive challenges.

Intimidation is often defined, received, and perceived pejoratively. The current study sets out to find a “sweet spot” in situations where intimidation cannot be avoided and compliance is the goal, where one can maximize compliance but keep fear as low as possible. This experimental study predicted that by lessening mean-spirited speech, a moderate amount of intimidation, as opposed to greater or lesser degrees of it, would produce more compliance with a request, positive interpersonal attributions, and communicative accommodations. The results supported the idea of such a “sweet spot” and implications for authority figures are considered and discussed.

This mixed-methods study applies Communication Accommodation Theory to explore how liking, power, and sex predict one's likelihood for using textisms in digital interpersonal interactions. Textisms are digital cues that convey nonverbal meaning and emotion in text communication. The main experiment used a hypothetical texting scenario to manipulate textism amounts (none/many) and participant's perceived power levels (low/equal/high) during texting interactions to examine the number of textisms participants used in subsequent responses in comparison to the number of textisms they viewed. Primary results show that (1) participants moderately converged to use similar amounts of textisms, and (2) those with low power who viewed many textisms were more likely to use textisms themselves during subsequent responses. Through the examination of adaption behaviors in text messaging, scholars can better understand the contexts in which users will include textisms to intentionally convey nonverbal meaning and emotion in digital communication.

Ideological groups (both non-violent and violent) make extensive use of the Internet for recruiting and other purposes, yet little is known about the effectiveness of the influence of websites of differing ideologies on attitudes and behavior. Furthermore, although credibility and interactivity have been extensively studied in online settings, they have received scant attention with regards to ideological groups. Using a within-subjects design, this study explored how individuals' attitudes, emotional reactions, behaviors and behavioral intentions are affected by two separate websites, with one promoting a liberal ideology and one promoting a conservative ideology. Results indicated that individuals preferred the liberal ideology, that violent websites led to higher negative affect and lowered perceptions of credibility than the non-violent websites, and that violence decreased the likelihood of taking action. Additionally, high interactivity increased the salience of the credibility manipulations with regards to their impact on the likelihood of taking action.

This paper describes the process of rapid iterative prototyping used by a research team developing a training video game for the Sirius program funded by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA). Described are three stages of development, including a paper prototype, and builds for alpha and beta testing. Game development is documented, and the process of playtesting is reviewed with a focus on the challenges and lessons-learned. Advances made in the development of the game through the playtesting process are discussed along with implications of the rapid iterative prototyping approach.

Power equality or inequality is one of the most fundamental attributes of any interpersonal relationship. In this review of interpersonal approaches to power, a definition of interpersonal power is proposed and the multidimensional and complex nature of power is explored. Various theoretical models, all of which employ power as one of their key variables, are discussed, including social exchange theory, interdependence theory, normative resource theory, equity theory, dyadic power theory, necessary convergence communication theory, bilateral deterrence theory, the chilling effect, relational control approaches, and sex role theories.

Heuristics can interfere with information processing and hinder decision-making when more systematic processes that might lead to better decisions are ignored. Based on the heuristic-systematic model (HSM) of information processing, a serious training game (called MACBETH) was designed to address and mitigate cognitive biases that interfere with the analysis of evidence and the generation of hypotheses. Two biases are the focus of this paper - fundamental attribution error and confirmation bias. The efficacy of the serious game on knowledge and mitigation of biases was examined using an experiment in which participants (N = 703) either played the MACBETH game or watched an instructional video about the biases. Results demonstrate the game to be more effective than the video at mitigating cognitive biases when explicit training methods are combined with repetitive play. Moreover, explicit instruction within the game provided greater familiarity and knowledge of the biases relative to implicit instruction. Suggestions for game development for purposes of enhancing cognitive processing and bias mitigation based on the MACBETH game design are discussed. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

One of the benefits of using digital games for education is that games can provide feedback for learners to assess their situation and correct their mistakes. We conducted two studies to examine the effectiveness of different feedback design (timing, duration, repeats, and feedback source) in a serious game designed to teach learners about cognitive biases. We also compared the digital game-based learning condition to a professional training video. Overall, the digital game was significantly more effective than the video condition. Longer durations and repeats improve the effects on bias-mitigation. Surprisingly, there was no significant difference between just-in-time feedback and delayed feedback,and computer-generated feedback was more effective than feedback from other players.

This study examines whether using virtual reality (VR) with older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild to moderate dementia with a family member who lives at a distance can improve the quality of life of the older adult and the family member. Twenty-one older adults in a senior living community and a family member (who participated in the VR with the older adult from a distance) engaged in a baseline telephone call, followed by three weekly VR sessions. The VR was associated with improvements in older adultsʻ affect and stress, relationship with their family member, and overall quality of life, compared to baseline. Family membersʻ negative affect, depressive symptoms, and caregiver burden also decreased and their mental health improved after using the VR, compared to baseline. Using the VR, however, did not change their relationship with the older adult. In addition, older adults and family members who experienced the VR sessions as more socially engaging reported better psychological and relational well-being, with older adults also experiencing greater improvements in overall quality of life. Finally, preliminary results suggest that older adults with dementia and their family members might benefit even more from using the VR than older adults with MCI and their family members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trust between group members has many implications for how well a group performs. In this study, we predict perceived trustworthiness of group members when there are subversive group members. We collected multimodal verbal and nonverbal data from a group interaction experiment. During the interaction, we periodically surveyed the group members about their perceptions of trustworthiness of other group members. We used this data to model the relationship between observable behavior and perceptions of trustworthiness. We report the most predictive features and describe them in the context of existing literature on verbal and nonverbal correlates of trust. This research advances the study of behavioral measurement in groups and the role of behavior on perceived trustworthiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smith, Vogel, Madon, and Edwards' (2011) recent article tested dyadic power theory (DPT) by examining the use of touch as a compliance-gaining tactic in the conflicts of married couples. In this response, we raise a methodological issue about the touch behaviors examined by Smith et al. and also pose a theoretical critique that their test of DPT violates an important scope condition of the theory. They did not examine differences between power-equal and power-unequal dyads, but instead they state that topic selection provides an actor with legitimate authority (and thus greater perceived power) and therefore the actor would touch their partner more to influence the partner. In contrast, DPT predicts that actors will use control attempts such as touch more when they are equal in power than when they are unequal. We believe DPT is relevant to touch in marital conflicts and provide a preliminary statement of that idea.