Browsing by Author "Lane, David M"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Checking Your Answers: An Investigation of Alternative Review Screen Design for Electronic Voting Systems
    (2015-04-21) Holmes, Danae V; Kortum, Philip T; Byrne, Michael D; Lane, David M; Wallach, Dan S
    Verifying a ballot for correctness in an election is a critical task considering the large, negative repercussions of an incorrect ballot. Studies have shown weaknesses in the ballot review process in electronic voting systems, allowing up to 30% of the ballot to be changed without being noticed by 68% of voters (Everett, 2007). There is also a noted lack of research on the effect of navigation style on electronic voting system usability and review screen performance. In response to these issues, this study evaluated the usability and viability of alternative ballot verification and navigation methods in an electronic voting medium, specifically direct recording electronic (DRE) voting systems. Currently, most DRE’s employ an end-of-ballot review where all selections are confirmed at once at the end of the ballot, which has been proven to be ineffective. Several studies (Holmes and Kortum, 2013; Selker 2007) have also indicated that in-line confirmation, confirming each selection immediately after making it, and a combination of the two confirmation methods (Ghandi et al., 2005; Cohen et al., 1996) may prove to be a suitable alternatives. The current study tested these methods of verification in terms of performance and usability to determine whether they are viable methods of verification as well as to provide a benchmark for review screen performance in a DRE. The method of navigation through the ballot, the ability to move backwards through the ballot or not after selecting a candidate, was also tested for its impact on usability and performance. The verification methods were evaluated on three metrics of usability as defined by ISO 9241 part 11; efficiency (time to complete a ballot), effectiveness (errors), and satisfaction (subjective usability). Participants cast their ballot in a mock national election using a custom DRE interface. Results indicate that in-line and dual confirmation methods prove to be viable alternatives for DRE review screens. In-line and dual confirmation perform similarly to end-of-ballot confirmation in terms of effectiveness, but differed in other usability and performance aspects, though not necessarily in a negative way. The most efficient method is end-of-ballot review, and dual confirmation produced the longest time spent on the review screen. End-of-ballot confirmation produced the highest satisfaction ratings, though survey results indicated that dual confirmation may be the most appropriate method in terms of voting. Based on the results from this study, further studies should be conducted to determine which confirmation method performs best as an error prevention tool.
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    Direct Learning for Time-to-Collision Judgments of Approaching Objects: The Role of Fractal 1/f Noise in Exploration
    (2020-04-14) Braly, Adam M; DeLucia, Patricia R; Kortum, Philip; Lane, David M; Sano, Akane
    The purpose of this dissertation was to determine whether direct learning can improve time-to-collision (TTC) judgments of approaching objects. Accurate information for judgments of TTC is available in the optic array, but research has shown that observers do not always use this accurate information. Even though this information exists in the optic array, observers may not be attuned to use such information. According to direct learning theory, observers must be able to flexibly combine exploration and feedback to calibrate their judgments. This could explain why prior studies found that observers relied on other less reliably accurate sources of information. Research has also shown that fractal fluctuations in exploration involve fluctuations at all time scales, which ostensibly allows perceptual systems the flexibility to detect information. Therefore, fractal fluctuations in exploration may reflect coordination among detection, calibration, and attunement of information for perception or action. This dissertation tested whether judgments of TTC were significantly better when participants were permitted to make exploratory movements with feedback compared to when they were restricted and not given feedback. In a virtual environment, participants viewed scenes of an object that approached them. After a designated time, the object disappeared and participants judged when the object would have reached them, had it continued to move. Exploration and feedback were factorially crossed to create four between-subjects conditions of Exploration- Feedback, Exploration- No Feedback, No Exploration- Feedback, and No Exploration- No Feedback. Results showed that participants in the Exploration- Feedback learned to used more accurate information for their judgments and this improvement was retained in the absence of further feedback. Participants in the No Exploration- Feedback appeared to learn how to use accurate information, but in the absence of further feedback their performance degraded, suggesting a strategy based on feedback rather than learning. Results of fractal analyses revealed that exploratory movements were fractal, and that trail-by-trial fluctuations in the fractal scaling exponent predicted perceptual error. The findings have implications for theories of TTC perception and practical implications are discussed.
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    False Pop Out
    (2015-06-22) Orsten, Kimberley D.; Pomerantz, James R.; Dannemiller, James L; Lane, David M; Grandy, Richard E
    A single, unique target often pops out quickly and efficiently from a field of homogenous distractors in visual search. Pop out has helped shape theories of visual attention and feature integration as well as to identify basic features in human vision. The present experiments demonstrate a new phenomenon, false pop out, wherein one of the homogenous distractors competes with the singleton target to pop out, perhaps by breaking an overall grouping or pattern emerging from the display. Using a compilation of several studies, this research reports the effect in a number of display contexts using a number of different stimuli, and provides converging evidence toward the idea that low and high level features contribute equally to the primary perceptual experience, a counterintuitive finding for most current theories of visual search.
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    Modeling Password Entry on Mobile Devices: Please Check Your Password and Try Again
    (2015-04-21) Gallagher, Melissa Ann; Byrne, Michael D; Kortum, Philip; O'Malley, Marcia; Lane, David M
    Despite being recognized as a fundamentally flawed system, password authentication is a widely deployed security feature on desktop and mobile systems. Inputting complex passwords on mobile devices can be an onerous task. The composition of the passwords creates a unique challenge for people to input as not all characters are displayed on the keyboard at the same time, forcing the user to switch between multiple screens. While previous studies of text input on mobile devices have focused on typing words and phrases, little work has been done examining the effects screen switching has on text input. Three experiments were conducted in which subjects typed strings similar to secure passwords. Subjects were considerably slower typing password-like strings than typing standard text. Uncertainty about the location of symbols was a key factor in this slowdown. One of the largest contributors to the number of errors made was the size of the keyboard keys. This source of error suggests technologies that may aid error prevention. The results from these studies informed an ACT-R model of the task. The timing data generated from the model fits the experimental results well. The strategy that the model employs depends on the type of character it is trying to input providing further evidence that finding and inputting symbols decreases speed. Validated models of password input on mobile devices can aid designers in usability testing new password policies. The results have implications for both usability and security of password input on mobile devices.
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    Reasoning, Fast and Slow: Investigating Cognitive Abilities, Speed and Effects of Personality Traits
    (2015-04-22) Shaw, Amy; Oswald, Frederick L.; Beier, Margaret E; Lane, David M
    Previous research has suggested the existence of a general mental speed factor independent from general mental ability. However inconsistent empirical evidence suggests that the speed-ability relation might be more complicated than what was believed. Adopting the joint item response-response time modeling approach developed by van der Linden and colleagues (2006, 2007, 2009), the current study investigates the psychometric properties of the general speed factor and its relation to g in a reasoning task. Personality trait effects are examined as well to account for the speed and ability variances. In line with the earlier findings, results in the current study suggest that the reasoning speed and ability correlation is minimal and explanations for the mixed research findings are discussed within the context of individual differences and test situations.