University Of Birmingham

Post-Doc, Computer Science

Thesis Title: Causal effects of wiki site design on anxiety and usability

About

My academic interests can be summarised (crudely) as focusing on how technology psychologically affects the user when in interaction and how technology can influence behaviour.

I am currently working on the TEDDI project "Taking on the Teenagers" looking at ways to influence teenagers energy behaviour through mobile interactions. This is a project in collaboration with researchers at the ChiCI group at UCLAN, the FIT Lab at Swansea University, PaCT Lab at Northumbria University and the Knowledge Lab at the University of London.

Leading on from my undergraduate interest in alignment in dialogue I also have a keen interest in how such a linguistic phenomenon may present itself in human computer interactions with natural dialogue systems. My research on this focuses on how this linguistic concept differs in human-human and computer human dyads as well as its potential use as a quality barometer for natural interaction with computers. I ma currently conducting work with Holly Branigan at the University of Edinburgh on this topic.

From my PhD research I am also interested in the way that system characteristics and usability affect anxiety towards technology, especially in a wiki context. This research lies very much in the growing field of User eXperience (UX) and applies experimental psychology and usability engineering principles to gather understanding in how system features may lead to (or indeed reduce) anxious reactions towards technology.

I am also interested in the effects of social identity and group categorisation on emotional, behavioural and psycholinguistic phenomema. My undergraduate research focused on the effect of group norms in syntactic alignment in dialogue. I have recently been interested in how social identity influences editing and contributing behaviour in online knowledge communities.

I also hold a keen interest in the application of statistics and experimental research methodology in the observation of HCI issues. I previously tutored the 2nd year Psychology Methodology and Statistics course at the University of Edinburgh's Psychology Department for 3 years.

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