Laszlo Bardos
External Diploma Thesis Student
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Diploma Thesis: Effects of Sensory-motor Transformations on Computer Input Devices
My diploma thesis is being conducted at the Work and Cognitive Psychology Chair of RWTH Aachen University. Prof. Müsseler will act as primary and Prof. Borchers as secondary evaluator.
Abstract
In the past, there have been many studies on the effects of cursor acceleration on human performance in pointing tasks. Our research uses the usual computer based version of Fitts' tapping task, with a graphical tablet being used as an input device.
The experiment consists of several trials with different target sizes and most importantly, different cursor accelerations. By carefully adjusting the screen target distance and target sizes, we manage to keep the required user action on the motor side constant. In essence this means that the subjects will have to execute the very same movement with the input device, but will get a different representation of the task on the screen, depending on the current cursor acceleration. Higher cursor acceleration results in the target boxes being farther apart, while lower acceleration are equivalent to smaller displacements. The users' hands will be covered by a desk, thus the only visual feedback the subjects will perceive of their motion are being provided by the computer screen.
We hypothesize that the different visual feedback of the very same motor action will result in variations of user performance. Additionally we expect that the subjects will judge the (constant) distance covered by the stylus differently, which means that the varying visual feedback has and effect on the subjects' proprioceptional perception.
The programming of the experimental software will also be part of this work. To accommodate the mixed operating system scenery of the Psychology chair, Matlab will be used as programming language. Thanks to the Psychtoolbox package, fast graphical output and sub-millisecond time accuracy are being being within Matlab.
You can download my proposal here (PDF).
The presentation slides can be downloaded here (PowerPoint).
The final version of my diploma thesis can be downloaded here (PDF).
Publications
( 
denotes a major peer-reviewed publication).
- Christine Sutter, Jochen Müsseler, Laszlo Bardos, Rafael Ballagas and Jan Borchers. Transformed movements and perceiving one’s own action. In TeaP 2008, 50. Tagung experimentell arbeitender Psychologen,Mar 2008.
- Laszlo Bardos. Untersuchung von Effekten Sensumotorischer Transformationen bei grafischen Eingabegeräten. Master's Thesis, RWTH Aachen University,2007.
- Steffen P. Walz, Rafael Ballagas, Jan Borchers, Joel Mendoza, Sven Kratz, Christoph Wartmann, Claudia Fuhr, Martin J. Tann, Dong Youn Shin, Bilal Hameed, Laszlo Bardos and Ludger Hovestadt. Cell Spell-Casting: Designing a Locative and Gesture Recognition Multiplayer Smartphone Game for Tourists. In Proc. PERGAMES, Third International Workshop on Pervasive Gaming Applications at PERVASIVE 2006, LNCS, Dublin, Ireland, May 2006.
- Laszlo Bardos, Stefan Korinek, Eric Lee and Jan Borchers. Bangarama: Creating Music With Headbanging. In NIME 2005 International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression, pages 180–183,Vancouver, Canada, May 2005.