Science (Universidade Europeia)
Not a member yet
755 research outputs found
Sort by
Towards the design of adaptive virtual reality horror games: A model of players' fears using machine learning and player modeling
No full textHorror games are designed to induce fear in players. Although fundamental fears, such as the unknown, are inherent to the human being, more specific fears, such as darkness and apparitions, are individual and can vary from person to person. When a game aims at intensifying the fear evoked in individual players, having useful information about the fears of the current player is vital to promote more frightening experiences. This paper explores fear modeling and presents a new method to identify what players fear in a virtual reality horror game. The proposed method uses machine learning and player modeling techniques to create a model of players' fears, which can be used to adapt in-game horror elements to intensify the fear evoked in players. The paper presents the proposed method and evaluates its accuracy and real-time performance in a virtual reality horror game
Consumer attitudes toward food and nutritional labeling: Implications for policymakers and practitioners on a national level
No full textThis paper investigates how consumers use and understand nutrition
information on food labels in their daily lives. Primary data were collected
from a survey (1127 Portuguese consumers) and four focus groups exploring
dissimilarities among consumer segments: a) nutrition-concerned
adults; b) adults non-concerned with nutritional issues; c) young consumers,
aged 15–18; d) less educated and older consumers. A mixed-methods
approach was crucial to further understand consumers’ preferences for
labels and to identify obstacles to their use. Data evidence that consumers
prefer symbolic, coloured, and simple, FOP schemes and that ‘traffic light’
schemes are better understood and result in faster decision-making at
points of sale. By collecting data on how different consumer segments
search, understand, like, and use food labels, this paper provides rich
guidelines to agri-food practitioners’ future actions, particularly retailers.
It also reveals serious interpretation obstacles faced by consumers, which
needs to be revisited by policy-makers on nutritional labelling and inform
decisions on a national scheme. Lastly, it further strengthens existing
models by setting that some influencing dimensions are related to the
idiosyncratic nature of the subject (consumer) and others are related to
the object itself (label format), neither of which has been explored in the
literature
Nonvisual aspects of spatial knowledge: Wayfinding behavior of blind persons in Lisbon
No full textBlind individuals' wayfinding performance in complex urban environments is a complex phenomenon. This study investigates the wayfinding strategies of congenitally blind individuals in an urban context. The aim of the study was to assess the extent to which the environmental auditory cues are of primary importance for their wayfinding strategies. The study was conducted in Lisbon, Portugal. Results suggest that auditory information was the most used environmental cue and that a feeling of enclosure is the most important environmental feature during wayfinding. These results corroborate previous findings suggesting that increased familiarity with the environment results in more efficient wayfinding strategies, and that lack of environmental auditory cues could be compensated by a robust cognitive map. The study highlights multidimensional sensory experiences of urban environments and nonvisual aspects of spatial perception
The problematization for the creativity in design
No full textThis paper discusses the relations between stages of design projects. The literature review is based on authors who already discussed the subject to present a reflection on the stages of the process, focusing on the stage of problematization in order to establish relationships and show the importance of this stage in projects. It is intended to show that the problematization has an impact on the creativity phase and, consequently, on the results of the project. The literature review shows the link between the problematization and the design process as a whole. Besides proposing that with a well developed problematization the designer acquires the necessary knowledge about the project so that the creativity stage is well-done and the project results are more assertive. In this way, it is considered that the problematization has importance in the whole project process. So article shows the importance of this step for a design project
Las raíces del partido comunista de portugués. La introducción de las ideas marxistas en portugal y la creación de la federación maximalista portuguesa
No full textThis article is divided into three complementary parts. Firstly, an analysis of the introduction and dissemination of Marxist ideas in Portugal is put forward to assess the dynamics that led to their political territorialisation through the creation of the Portuguese Maximalist Federation (FMP) in 1919. How did these ideas penetrate into the public space and which mechanisms led to their diffusion from the intellectual circles? Secondly, the contents of the newspaper A Bandeira Vermelha are analysed to assess its role in this dissemination and its importance in the subsequent process of the establishment of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) in 1921. What were the main ideas disseminated by the maximalists’ official propaganda body and what was its impact on the spreading of Marxism? Finally, this article puts into perspective the importance of the newspapers O Comunista and Avante! in the dissemination of Marxist ideas and their impact on the complex and lengthy process of the PCP’s Bolshevisation
Contextualizing school success/failure: Proposal for a bioecological methodology assessment
No full textThere are multiple variables that research has related to school success/failure.
Considering Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model as a conceptual map and the trends
of educational policies, the need to get to know more and better the reality of Portuguese
schools emerges, with special focus on the primary school. Consequently, this research
aims to present a research design in order to help understand how the multiple variables
and contexts influence each other, in order to build an explanatory model of school
success/failure, which allows to define a model of early intervention. For this, we included
intrapersonal, family and contextual variables, studied from a temporal perspective,
accompanying students throughout the 3rd and 4th year of the primary school. The
theoretical and practical implications of this research will be discussed in the light of
research trends in educational psychology
Psychopathological symptoms and loneliness in adult internet users: A contemporary public health concern
No full textThere are different concepts that translate abusive Internet use. Almost all these concepts converge on excessive time spent online, which can trigger the emergence of problematic situations. Most of the studies reported in the literature, both nationally and internationally, focused on a young population and found negative consequences of this Internet misuse. The objective of this study consists of associating the time spent using the Internet—in years, times per week, and hours per day—with psychopathological symptoms, as well as assessing the perception of loneliness, in an adult Portuguese population. A quantitative approach, based on a survey application, was conducted in a convenience sample composed by 418 participants (64.4% female), with a mean age of 29.9 years old (SD = 9.26), ranging from 18 to 73 years. The results suggest that maladaptive patterns of Internet use found in young people seem to be replicated in the adult population. A relationship between time spent on the Internet and psychopathological symptoms, and an association between loneliness and the number of hours spent on the Internet, were also identified. In an individualized and disconnected offline world, Internet impact in individuals’ well-being results must be highlighted, since it should be understood as a public health issue. The novelty of this study lies in the target population: Portuguese Internet users over 18 years of age, for which there is no specific study on the subject, thus emphasizing the transverse nature of the problem
From identity into brand visual identity: Finding and defining the intangible brand DNA
No full textThis chapter seeks to contribute to the clarification of the concepts corporate identity, brand identity, and brand personality. Through a methodology based on literature review and descriptive case studies, the authors seek to define a model to characterize corporate identity and to define brand identity and brand personality as ways of competitiveness and industrial innovation. The main result of this study is the definition of a model to identify the corporate identity and define the brand identity and brand personality, opening new paths for future empirical research
How good is the marketing method? Measuring the process and the outcomes
No full textMarketing performance assessment has been a major concern and remains a vital issue for companies and professionals. This paper aims to revisit the theme of marketing audits and propose a methodological approach aimed to evaluate marketing practice at the light of the processes involved. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is structured in three parts. It begins with an overview of marketing audit’s theoretical domain. Then, the rationale, content and implementation of the instrument are presented. Finally, the work’s main motivations and implications are discussed. Findings: To turn assessment into a useful exercise, it is necessary the existence of a framework allowing a common language for describing marketing practice. The author believes that a structured approach for evaluating marketing processes can decisively influence marketing effectiveness. Research limitations/implications: This work provided a theoretically anchored methodology for evaluating marketing practice. As such, it lays down the foundations for further research on the relevance of the selected processes and how they translate in future consequences for the business. Practical implications: The view presented is intended to draw attention to the need for assessing the way marketing is executed, providing an instrument that helps professionals to better develop their activity and improve their contribution to business success. Originality/value: Most existing marketing performance measures focus on outputs. However, results, per se, say little about the reasons of success or failure. This paper reinforces the importance of marketing audits as a tool to evaluate the way marketing processes are developed within an organization