title: The Return Trip Effect: A car simulator study examining anticipation

authors: Visser, Rick

abstract: The Return Trip Effect is the sense that travelling back from a location feels shorter than the initial outgoing trip. This phenomenon directly involves our subjective perception of time, which turns out to be imprecise and easily misguided. Previous research has shown that numerous factors influence our time perception, and subsequently the Return Trip Effect; these factors include familiarity, violation of expectations, novelty, anticipation, workload and ambiguity. This study aimed to further investigate the influence of anticipation on the Return Trip Effect using a driving simulator. The study used a quantitative experimental research design to achieve this objective, questionnaires were used to obtain the estimated times and the various cognitive states of the drivers. Seventy-four people participated in a one-hour structured experiment. The participants were randomly assigned into one of three conditions: an outgoing, return, or non-anticipation group. Participants drove on a simulated road for about twelve minutes to a midway point, and then returned on that same road back to the starting point. The participants answered questions at the halfway point and at the end point, these questions included estimated driving times and included different measures of participants’ cognitive load, such as boredom, mind-wandering, and excitement levels. The manipulated variable was the positioning of the anticipation during the experiment, which was either after the first trip or the second trip, the control group had no anticipation. The findings showed a strong Return Trip Effect overall, however no significant difference in trip magnitude was found between the three conditions. The results revealed that several other factors that may affect the Return Trip Effect.

text: The Return Trip Effect: A car simulator study examining anticipation The Return Trip Effect is the sense that travelling back from a location feels shorter than the initial outgoing trip. This phenomenon directly involves our subjective perception of time, which turns out to be imprecise and easily misguided. Previous research has shown that numerous factors influence our time perception, and subsequently the Return Trip Effect; these factors include familiarity, violation of expectations, novelty, anticipation, workload and ambiguity. This study aimed to further investigate the influence of anticipation on the Return Trip Effect using a driving simulator. The study used a quantitative experimental research design to achieve this objective, questionnaires were used to obtain the estimated times and the various cognitive states of the drivers. Seventy-four people participated in a one-hour structured experiment. The participants were randomly assigned into one of three conditions: an outgoing, return, or non-anticipation group. Participants drove on a simulated road for about twelve minutes to a midway point, and then returned on that same road back to the starting point. The participants answered questions at the halfway point and at the end point, these questions included estimated driving times and included different measures of participants’ cognitive load, such as boredom, mind-wandering, and excitement levels. The manipulated variable was the positioning of the anticipation during the experiment, which was either after the first trip or the second trip, the control group had no anticipation. The findings showed a strong Return Trip Effect overall, however no significant difference in trip magnitude was found between the three conditions. The results revealed that several other factors that may affect the Return Trip Effect.

year: 2023

title: Compositional nonblocking verification with always enabled and selfloop-only events

authors: Pilbrow, Colin

subjects: Computer Science

abstract: This report proposes to improve compositional nonblocking verification through the use of two special event types: always enabled and selfloop-only events. Compositional verification involves abstraction to simplify parts of a system during verification. Normally, this abstraction is based on the set of events not used in the remainder of the system. Here, it is proposed to exploit more knowledge about the system and abstract events even though they are used in the remainder of the system. This can lead to more simplification than was previously possible. Abstraction rules from previous work are extended to respect the new special events and proofs show these rules still preserve nonblocking. The rules have been implemented in Waters and experimental results demonstrate that these extended simplification rules help verify several industrial-scale discrete event system models while achieving better state-space reduction than before.

text: Compositional nonblocking verification with always enabled and selfloop-only events This report proposes to improve compositional nonblocking verification through the use of two special event types: always enabled and selfloop-only events. Compositional verification involves abstraction to simplify parts of a system during verification. Normally, this abstraction is based on the set of events not used in the remainder of the system. Here, it is proposed to exploit more knowledge about the system and abstract events even though they are used in the remainder of the system. This can lead to more simplification than was previously possible. Abstraction rules from previous work are extended to respect the new special events and proofs show these rules still preserve nonblocking. The rules have been implemented in Waters and experimental results demonstrate that these extended simplification rules help verify several industrial-scale discrete event system models while achieving better state-space reduction than before.

year: 2013-11-19

title: Site-specific performance rituals in the Anthropocene

authors: Claus, Johanna

abstract: In this creative practice PhD, I investigated site-specific performance rituals in the Anthropocene. Driven by the urge to respond to the challenges of the current time, I examined how different seasonal rituals might be expressed in specific sites in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Furthermore, including participants from diverse cultural backgrounds, and carrying an awareness of the complexities of colonialism, I analysed insights from key ritual experts to enhance my understanding of ritual practices within the specific socio-cultural and environmental context of Aotearoa. Inspired by critical posthumanist philosophies, I viewed ritual practices through a lens that considered the interconnectedness of technology, culture, and nature, moving beyond essentialist and dualistic tendencies. Inspired by (Haraway, 2007) and Braidotti (2019), I embraced a perspective of ‘staying with the trouble’ and ‘radical hope’ as a strategy to inspire commitments to safeguarding life on Earth amid increasing societal divisions, and environmental disasters.
Working at the intersection of various disciplines, I crafted a qualitative research design that embraced multiple ways of knowing through creative practice research. I gathered insights from four ritual experts grounded in mātauranga Māori or neo-Paganism through in-depth interviews, to comprehend multifaceted and culturally sensitive approaches to ritual practices in Aotearoa. Moreover, the creative investigation of four seasonal performance rituals served as the primary mode of inquiry (Niedderer & Roworth-Stokes, 2007; Skains, 2018). The methods used for these rituals included contemporary performance practices, eco-somatic movement, improvisation, site-specific dance, audience participation, and others.
The rich knowledge gained throughout these investigations is conveyed through the documentation of four seasonal rituals, presented in video works alongside this thesis. The findings are articulated in two empirical chapters, one focusing on the findings and analysis of the expert interviews and the other on the findings and analysis of four performance rituals, revealing nuanced and complex insights into the creation of site-specific performance rituals in the Anthropocene. Navigating site-specific performance practices as an immigrant necessitated continuous critical self-reflection on biases and assumptions, leading to intricate explorations of embodiment, identity, culture, nature, and the more-than-human world within a posthuman context. Operating in the liminal space of this tension alongside performer participants, ritual experts, and audience members yielded the articulation of my findings: a ritual score capable of accommodating the complexities of the Anthropocene.

text: Site-specific performance rituals in the Anthropocene In this creative practice PhD, I investigated site-specific performance rituals in the Anthropocene. Driven by the urge to respond to the challenges of the current time, I examined how different seasonal rituals might be expressed in specific sites in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Furthermore, including participants from diverse cultural backgrounds, and carrying an awareness of the complexities of colonialism, I analysed insights from key ritual experts to enhance my understanding of ritual practices within the specific socio-cultural and environmental context of Aotearoa. Inspired by critical posthumanist philosophies, I viewed ritual practices through a lens that considered the interconnectedness of technology, culture, and nature, moving beyond essentialist and dualistic tendencies. Inspired by (Haraway, 2007) and Braidotti (2019), I embraced a perspective of ‘staying with the trouble’ and ‘radical hope’ as a strategy to inspire commitments to safeguarding life on Earth amid increasing societal divisions, and environmental disasters.
Working at the intersection of various disciplines, I crafted a qualitative research design that embraced multiple ways of knowing through creative practice research. I gathered insights from four ritual experts grounded in mātauranga Māori or neo-Paganism through in-depth interviews, to comprehend multifaceted and culturally sensitive approaches to ritual practices in Aotearoa. Moreover, the creative investigation of four seasonal performance rituals served as the primary mode of inquiry (Niedderer & Roworth-Stokes, 2007; Skains, 2018). The methods used for these rituals included contemporary performance practices, eco-somatic movement, improvisation, site-specific dance, audience participation, and others.
The rich knowledge gained throughout these investigations is conveyed through the documentation of four seasonal rituals, presented in video works alongside this thesis. The findings are articulated in two empirical chapters, one focusing on the findings and analysis of the expert interviews and the other on the findings and analysis of four performance rituals, revealing nuanced and complex insights into the creation of site-specific performance rituals in the Anthropocene. Navigating site-specific performance practices as an immigrant necessitated continuous critical self-reflection on biases and assumptions, leading to intricate explorations of embodiment, identity, culture, nature, and the more-than-human world within a posthuman context. Operating in the liminal space of this tension alongside performer participants, ritual experts, and audience members yielded the articulation of my findings: a ritual score capable of accommodating the complexities of the Anthropocene.

year: 2024-05-27