title: Why the trip home is shorter, but not faster

authors: Charlton, Samuel G.

abstract: When we travel by car the trip home often seems shorter than the initial trip away from the place of origin. This perceptual phenomenon (called the Return Trip Effect) has been noted in many contexts and its existence has puzzled drivers and researchers alike since the distance travelled and time spent traveling are usually identical. It has recently been proposed that the reason for this effect may be due to the fact that the outward trip has more unpredictable elements which make the initial trip seem longer. An alternative interpretation is that drivers pay less attention to familiar tasks (like the trip home) and our sense of trip duration is shorter when we are engaged in taskunrelated thoughts. In this paper we provide data from a driving simulator experiment that contrast these two interpretations as well as determine actual travel times as drivers complete return trips on familiar roads. The results indicate that there is no difference in participants' travel times on the two legs of the journey (i.e., the return trip is not actually faster). When elements of the scene are changed to include new elements and change existing elements during the return leg, the participants' actually did travel faster (decreasing their return trip time). Although changing expectations may play a role in the Return Trip Effect for unfamiliar destinations, when traveling on familiar roads these data suggest that lower levels of conscious engagement with driving is the likely reason for the subjective experience of shorter return trips.

text: Why the trip home is shorter, but not faster When we travel by car the trip home often seems shorter than the initial trip away from the place of origin. This perceptual phenomenon (called the Return Trip Effect) has been noted in many contexts and its existence has puzzled drivers and researchers alike since the distance travelled and time spent traveling are usually identical. It has recently been proposed that the reason for this effect may be due to the fact that the outward trip has more unpredictable elements which make the initial trip seem longer. An alternative interpretation is that drivers pay less attention to familiar tasks (like the trip home) and our sense of trip duration is shorter when we are engaged in taskunrelated thoughts. In this paper we provide data from a driving simulator experiment that contrast these two interpretations as well as determine actual travel times as drivers complete return trips on familiar roads. The results indicate that there is no difference in participants' travel times on the two legs of the journey (i.e., the return trip is not actually faster). When elements of the scene are changed to include new elements and change existing elements during the return leg, the participants' actually did travel faster (decreasing their return trip time). Although changing expectations may play a role in the Return Trip Effect for unfamiliar destinations, when traveling on familiar roads these data suggest that lower levels of conscious engagement with driving is the likely reason for the subjective experience of shorter return trips.

year: 2013-08-28

title: Fish health changes in Lake Okaro, New Zealand: effects of nutrient remediation, season or eutrophication?

authors: Landman, Michael J.

subjects: eutrophication

abstract: The purpose of this investigation was to measure the in situ health of selected biota with respect to a large-scale application of an aluminiumamended zeolite (Z2G1) in Lake Okaro, New Zealand. We hypothesized that, based on previous laboratory toxicity testing, the Z2G1 application would have minimal or no significant health effects on lake fauna. To test this hypothesis, two sampling events were timed around the Z2G1 application to examine the health of two finfish species (Oncorhynchus mykiss and Gobiomorphus cotidianus) and crayfish (Paranephrops planifrons). Additionally, the same species were sampled from the neighbouring Lake Rerewhakaaitu in order to delineate seasonal and lake-specific effects. A general lack of aluminium accumulation in animal tissues following the application indicated that Z2G1-derived aluminium was not readily bioavailable. An unexplained osmoregulatory disturbance, indicated by increased blood plasma ion concentrations in Lake Okaro trout, was observed following the application, but could not be directly attributed to Z2G1 exposure. Changes in fish haematology over time and between lake populations were interpreted as physiological responses to seasonal changes in lake conditions. Using a broad range of specific and non-specific endpoints it was concluded that there were no obvious negative impacts on fish health resulting from Z2G1 exposure.

text: Fish health changes in Lake Okaro, New Zealand: effects of nutrient remediation, season or eutrophication? The purpose of this investigation was to measure the in situ health of selected biota with respect to a large-scale application of an aluminiumamended zeolite (Z2G1) in Lake Okaro, New Zealand. We hypothesized that, based on previous laboratory toxicity testing, the Z2G1 application would have minimal or no significant health effects on lake fauna. To test this hypothesis, two sampling events were timed around the Z2G1 application to examine the health of two finfish species (Oncorhynchus mykiss and Gobiomorphus cotidianus) and crayfish (Paranephrops planifrons). Additionally, the same species were sampled from the neighbouring Lake Rerewhakaaitu in order to delineate seasonal and lake-specific effects. A general lack of aluminium accumulation in animal tissues following the application indicated that Z2G1-derived aluminium was not readily bioavailable. An unexplained osmoregulatory disturbance, indicated by increased blood plasma ion concentrations in Lake Okaro trout, was observed following the application, but could not be directly attributed to Z2G1 exposure. Changes in fish haematology over time and between lake populations were interpreted as physiological responses to seasonal changes in lake conditions. Using a broad range of specific and non-specific endpoints it was concluded that there were no obvious negative impacts on fish health resulting from Z2G1 exposure.

year: 2011

title: The contested shift to a bicultural understanding of place heritage in Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Passey, Emma

abstract: This article explores contemporary threads in the heritage history of Aotearoa New Zealand, as we witness in real-time the emergence of alternative narratives of Indigenous heritage, in contrast to those of Western dominated modernity and colonial hegemony. Moves to actively decolonise heritage studies is creating shifts in the bicultural understanding of culture and heritage to overtly include place heritage. As this new framing emerges, wider acknowledgement of the significance of Māori heritage landscapes is growing. This is explored here in a series of four case-studies. Each account illustrates how Indigenous Māori voices have gained momentum, and reinforces how Aotearoa New Zealand is transitioning to greater bicultural appreciation through inclusion, changes in social and cultural conventions, and new interpretations of dominant narratives using tools like critical heritage studies and existing legal conventions. This evolution of heritage values is not without repeated contestation, however. Positively, increasing numbers of settler-Pākehā (non-Māori) as well as those colonised, no longer believe or accept the histories previously told. Much needed, robust, and sometimes difficult discussions are taking place, enabling New Zealanders to reconsider the significance of what heritage means to all its people.

text: The contested shift to a bicultural understanding of place heritage in Aotearoa New Zealand This article explores contemporary threads in the heritage history of Aotearoa New Zealand, as we witness in real-time the emergence of alternative narratives of Indigenous heritage, in contrast to those of Western dominated modernity and colonial hegemony. Moves to actively decolonise heritage studies is creating shifts in the bicultural understanding of culture and heritage to overtly include place heritage. As this new framing emerges, wider acknowledgement of the significance of Māori heritage landscapes is growing. This is explored here in a series of four case-studies. Each account illustrates how Indigenous Māori voices have gained momentum, and reinforces how Aotearoa New Zealand is transitioning to greater bicultural appreciation through inclusion, changes in social and cultural conventions, and new interpretations of dominant narratives using tools like critical heritage studies and existing legal conventions. This evolution of heritage values is not without repeated contestation, however. Positively, increasing numbers of settler-Pākehā (non-Māori) as well as those colonised, no longer believe or accept the histories previously told. Much needed, robust, and sometimes difficult discussions are taking place, enabling New Zealanders to reconsider the significance of what heritage means to all its people.

year: 2023-01-01