Doctoral Dissertation Research: User Performance and Cognitive Load Measures of Geovisualization and Tactile Feedback Maps

这个博士论文研究项目将研究多感官视觉和触觉界面，以理解复杂的空间数据。 该项目将为新兴的跨学科研究提供新的见解，涉及地理学和其他空间科学，地球科学教育，制图可视化和认知心理学，研究地形图的维度如何影响地图用户理解和应用空间信息的能力。 通过比较认知负荷和学习效果的维度的基础上，该项目将有助于确定空间能力的作用，在支持理解地图数据和什么样的教学策略可能是适当的不同层次的维度。 该项目将通过制定引人入胜的教学策略和动手使用创新技术来帮助提高空间思维能力，以便更好地为学生在科学，技术，教育和数学（STEM）职业生涯中取得成功做好准备。 该项目对多传感器接口的研究将支持进一步探究维度作为空间思维因素的作用，以推进STEM教育，这可能使广泛的用户受益，但对动觉学习者和视障人士具有特殊价值，因为更加强调多感官教学的交互式触觉特征。 随后的地图阅读教学模块中用于教授空间技能的源代码和资源将随时可用，以帮助其他人提高STEM教育能力。 作为博士论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将提供支持，使有前途的学生建立一个强大的独立的研究生涯。最近在三维（3-D）地理视觉和触觉互动显示的创新可以促进多感官学习。 虽然地图用户使用二维（2-D）地形轮廓线的地图景观的呈现需要将抽象的2-D空间数据传输到可视化的3-D世界，但增强现实沙箱（一种3-D有形用户界面）使用户能够实时触摸和操纵3-D地图表面。 学习是多感官的，因为交互式触觉反馈补充视觉反馈，但以前的研究不同意不同的空间信息呈现的维度的学习效果。 在这项研究的进行过程中，博士生将使用实验设计来评估地图维度对学习成绩和心理努力的影响，同时控制空间思维能力和性别的差异。 他将使用两个广泛使用的空间能力测试，心理旋转测试和折纸测试来测量研究对象的空间思维能力。 地球科学本科生将根据性别被分成不同的小组，并将被随机分配接受通过三个地形图界面之一传达的指令：3D增强现实沙箱; 2.5-D地理视觉计算机界面，通过该界面，3D图像叠加在2D计算机屏幕上;或2D打印地图。 本研究的目的是探讨地图维度是否以及如何影响被试以最少的脑力劳动使用地形图中的空间信息的能力。 各组学生均须完成一项共同的读图后测验，以评估他们的学习表现。 将通过使用瞳孔大小和运动的眼动追踪分析来测量脑力劳动，瞳孔大小和运动与使用脑力劳动测量量表的参与者自我评级相关。在维度的基础上比较心理努力和绩效分数之间的相互作用，将确定空间思维如何支持地形图剖面的理解，以及什么样的教学和学习策略可能适合不同的维度水平。

This doctoral dissertation research project will investigate multi-sensory visual and tactile interfaces for understanding complex spatial data. The project will contribute new insights to an emerging interdisciplinary research thrust involving geography and other spatial sciences, geoscience education, cartographic visualization, and cognitive psychology that examines how the dimensionality of a topographic map affects map users' ability to understand and apply spatial information. By comparing cognitive load and learning effects on the basis of dimensionality, the project will help identify the role spatial ability plays in supporting comprehension of map data and what instructional strategies may be appropriate for varied levels of dimensionality. The project will help improve spatial thinking abilities through the development of engaging instructional strategies and hands-on use of the innovative technologies in order to better prepare students for success in science, technology, education, and mathematics (STEM) careers. The project's research on multi-sensor interfaces will support further inquiry into the role of dimensionality as a factor in spatial thinking to advance STEM education that potentially can benefit a broad range of users but will have special value for kinesthetic learners and visually impaired individuals because of greater emphasis on interactive, tactile features of multi-sensory instruction. The source code and resources for teaching spatial skills from a subsequent map-reading instructional module will be made readily accessible to assist others in improving STEM educational capabilities. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.Recent innovations in three-dimensional (3-D) geovisual and tactile interactive displays can facilitate multi-sensory learning. While the presentation of mapped landscapes using two-dimensional (2-D) topographic contour lines for a map user requires transfer of abstract 2-D spatial data to visual the 3-D world, the augmented-reality sandbox, a 3-D tangible user-interface, enables users to touch and manipulate 3-D map surfaces in real-time. Learning is multi-sensory, because interactive tactile feedback complements visual feedback, but previous studies disagree about the learning effect of varying the dimension in which spatial information is presented. During the conduct of this study, the doctoral student will use an experimental design to assess the effect of map dimensionality on learning performance scores and on mental effort while controlling for differences in spatial thinking ability and gender. He will measure prior spatial thinking ability of research subjects using two widely used spatial ability tests, the mental rotations test and the paper-folding test. Geoscience undergraduate students will be placed into different groups based on their gender and will be randomly assigned to receive instruction conveyed through one of the three topographic map interfaces: the 3-D augmented-reality sandbox; a 2.5-D geovisual computer interface through which a 3-D image is superimposed on a 2-D computer screen; or a 2-D printed map. This research design will focus on ascertaining whether and how map dimensionality influences participants' abilities to use spatial information from topographic maps with the least amount of mental effort. Learning performance will be assessed as each group completes a common post-test on map-reading skills. Mental effort will be measured through the use of eye tracking analysis of pupil size and movement as correlated to participant self-ratings using the mental-effort measurement scale. Comparing interactions between mental effort and performance scores on the basis of dimensionality will identify how spatial thinking supports comprehension of topographic map profiles and what instructional and learning strategies may be appropriate for varied levels of dimensionality.