Lecture 3

Question 1

Cognition

Answer 1

Process of acquiring knowledge, through a thought process, experiences and the senses.
Interacting with technology is involves cognition
Identifies and explains the nature and causes of problems users encounter.

Question 2

Cognitive Modes

Answer 2

Experiential
Perceive, respond effectively and effortlessly
E.g. drive car, read, type?

Reflective
Have to think, compare, made decisions

Question 3

Cognitive Processes

Answer 3

Attention

Allows us to focus on information that is relevant to what we are doing
Selecting things to concentrate on at a point in time from the mass of stimuli around us
Involves audio and/or visual senses

Perception and recognition

How information is acquired from the world and transformed into experiences
Obvious implication is to design representations that are readily perceivable, e.g.
Text should be legible
Icons should be easy to distinguish and read

Memory|

Involves first encoding and then retrieving knowledge
We don’t remember everything - involves filtering and processing what is attended to
We recognize things much better than being able to recall things
The more attention is paid to something…
The more it is processed in terms of thinking about it and comparing it with other knowledge…

Learning

How to learn to use a computer-based application
Using a computer-based application to understand a given topic
People find it hard to learn by following instructions in a manual
prefer to learn by doing

Reading, speaking and listening

The ease with which people can read, listen, or speak differs
Many prefer listening to reading
Reading can be quicker than speaking or listening
Listening requires less Cognitive effort than reading or speaking
Dyslexics have difficulties understanding and recognizing written words

Problem-solving, planning, reasoning and decision-making

All involves reflective cognition
e.g. thinking about what to do, what the options are, and the consequences
Often involves conscious processes, discussion with others (or oneself), and the use of artifacts.
e.g. maps, books, pen and paper

Question 4

Gulfs of execution and evaluation

Answer 4

The ‘gulfs’ explicate the gaps that exist between the user and the interface
The gulf of execution
the distance from the user to the physical system
Bridging the gulfs can reduce Cognitive effort required to perform tasks

Question 5

Internal Frameworks

Answer 5

Focus on mental processes:
Mental Models -
Users develop an understanding of a system through learning about and using it
Gulfs of Execution and Evaluation -
Explained above
Information Processing -
Conceptualizes human performance in metaphorical t
erms of information processing stages

Question 6

External Frameworks

Answer 6

How humans interact and use technologies in a given context:

Distributed cognition -

-Information is transformed through different media (computers, displays, paper, heads)

External cognition

-Concerned with explaining how we interact with external representations (e.g. maps, notes, diagrams)

Embodied Interaction

-Tries to account for the way people get things done in real situations
0About practical and physical engagement