Sharing culture in a tech world: Grandparent-grandchild cultural exchanges over video chat

Grandparents who were separated from their infant grandchildren during COVID-19 sought other ways to connect, including video chat. Video chat supports learning, and its features (e.g., contingent responsiveness) may allow for cultural exchange. However, technological problems may disrupt these exchanges. In a seminaturalistic, longitudinal study, 47 families submitted up to three video chats and surveys. Families were predominantly White/Caucasian, highly educated, and lived between 1 and 2,700 miles apart. Multilevel models were used to predict the proportion of the sessions devoted to exchanging culture (e.g., holidays, parenting advice) and managing tech problems. Culture exchange did not change as a function of infant age, video chat experience, or when encountering tech problems. Although only marginally statistically significant, culture exchange increased as distance increased. Tech problems changed as a function of tech talk. Qualitative analysis revealed that cultural transmission occurred via a culture of care and sharing of information across video chat, that families adapted their behaviors to the new technology, and that technology disruptions rarely interfered with the flow of information. These findings demonstrate the ability to share culture when physically separated and in the presence of tech disruptions. Further, this study supports previous work on the emerging culture of video chat. Families adapted to being separated, and grandparents and infants successfully communicated through a new modality. Because video chat supports family relationships, equitable access to high-speed internet should be a priority to enable more families to use it. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement This study demonstrates that video chat allowed for familial culture exchanges to be maintained through a separation during COVID-19. Examining what and how cultural exchanges took place suggests that supports for using video chat, including access to high-speed internet, are necessary for families separated by other circumstances. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Predictors of willingness to participate in survey interviews conducted by live video

As people increasingly communicate via live video-even more since the COVID-19 pandemic-how willing will they be to participate via video in large-scale standardized surveys that inform public policy, many of which have historically been carried out in-person? This registered report tests three potential predictors of willingness to participate in a live video interview: How (a) easy, (b) useful, and (c) enjoyable respondents find live video to use in other contexts. A potential survey-specific moderator of these effects is also tested: The extent to which respondents report that they would be uncomfortable answering a particular question on a sensitive topic via live video relative to other survey modes. In the study, 598 online U.S. respondents rated their willingness to take part in a hypothetical live video survey that might ask about personal information, in the context of also rating their willingness to take part in four other survey modes, two interviewer-administered (in-person and telephone) and two self-administered (a text-only web survey and a "prerecorded video" web survey in which respondents play videos of interviewers reading questions and then enter answers). Findings demonstrate that willingness to participate in a live video interview is significantly predicted by the extent to which respondents perceive live video as useful and enjoyable in other contexts and by their relative discomfort disclosing in live video versus other modes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Building a Real-Time System to Monitor Students Electronically Based on Digital Images of Face Movement

The spread of the Corona Virus pandemic on a global scale had a great impact on the trend towards e-learning. In the virtual exams the student can take his exams online without any papers, in addition to the correction and electronic monitoring of the exams. Tests are supervised and controlled by a camera and proven cheat-checking tools. This technology has opened the doors of academic institutions for distance learning to be wide spread without any problems at all. In this paper, a proposed model was built by linking a computer network using a server/client model because it is a system that distributes tasks between the two. The main computer that acts as a server (exam observer) is connected to a group of sub-computers (students) who are being tested and these devices are considered the set of clients. The proposed student face recognition system is run on each computer (client) in order to identify and verify the identity of the student. When another face is detected, the program sends a warning signal to the server. Thus, the concerned student is alerted. This mechanism helps examinees reduce cheating cases in early time. The results obtained from the face recognition showed high accuracy despite the large number of students' faces. The performance speed was in line with the test performance requirements, handling 1,081 real photos and adding 960 photos. © 2022 IEEE.

Virtual procedural facilitator training with video modeling: Impact on the opinion writing of elementary school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) impacts one in every 44 children in the United States (CDC, 2022) and is characterized by marked deficits in social communication with the presence of restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. Students with ASD are increasingly being educated in the general education classroom and are expected to meet the curricular demands thereof (Roberts & Webster, 2020). Due to the core features of their disability, these students often experience significant challenges in written expression. Writing, across content areas, is a primary means in which student learning is measured and evaluated. The COVID-19 pandemic forced educators to explore the use of technology, through the application of synchronous and asynchronous instructional models, to meet the needs of all students while also providing access to Evidence Based Practices (EBPs) and rigorous content (Cox et al., 2021). This study examined the effects of an intervention package consisting of video modeling and virtual coaching on the use of a procedural facilitator (PF) as a planning tool on the overall written quality of the opinion writing with elementary school-aged children with ASD. Writing quality was measured by the presence of planned paragraph elements, Correct Word Sequences (CWS), and Total Words Written (TWW). The significance, acceptability, and effectiveness of the intervention package was also explored. Results indicate a functional relationship between the intervention package and the presence of planned paragraph elements. The intervention package did not directly impact CWS or TWW. Participant perceptions of the intervention package were generally positive. Caregiver perceptions of the intervention package were generally positive. Implications of the present study are discussed along with limitations and recommendations for future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Problematic video-streaming: a short review

Video-streaming typically describes watching live or prerecorded videos online. This behavior has significantly increased over the past two years in tandem with the global COVID-19 pandemic. The literature describing this behavior is still in its infancy, therefore, it is not well-characterized and our understanding is thereby limited. Different forms of problematic video-streaming have varying prevalence rates in the literature and each requires further operationalization. Overall, the various presentations of problematic video-streaming have been found to be associated with poor mental and physical health and linked to increased impulsivity, reduced academic and work performance, and lower quality of life. This article explores the current literature surrounding the definition, prevalence, validated assessments, associated factors, motivations, and available treatments for problematic video-streaming. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Virtual Distance in Project Work: What We Have Learned From the Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic posed novel challenges to language teachers and learners, as ‘emergency remote teaching' became a necessity in order for teachers and learners to isolate from one another. Much has already been written about the nature of those challenges and language teachers' response to them, which response frequently made use of video-conferencing technology like Zoom in order to facilitate remote interaction, teaching and learning. The existing work has focused heavily on teacher experiences, including the kinds of strategies and competencies that teachers made use of when ‘doing' synchronous online learning. However, much less work has examined the student experience. In addition, one challenge consistently identified in the literature is that of fostering meaningful interaction and engagement. In this viewpoint article, we apply the concept of ‘virtual distance' to the activity of project-based learning taking place at a university in Hong Kong and mediated by digital technologies as part of emergency remote teaching. We report on the emergence of a socio-technical divide in one particular student team and teacher strategies that tend to bridge the divide. We offer suggestions on how the lessons learned from this experience can inform project-based learning in the post-pandemic future. © The Author(s) 2023.

The COVID-19 pandemic and Lacan's discourse of the hysteric: A discourse characterization using the example of #allesdichtmachen

In this article the video clips uploaded under the hashtag #allesdichtmachen at the end of April 2021 are analyzed as ironically and satirically exaggerated characterizations of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) discourse. Drawing on Lacan's discourse of the hysteric, the following starting point for the analysis is used: the citizens as divided subjects ($) protest and demand that the other (the federal government) delivers (S1) what they desire (e.g. absolute security). The other subsequently produces solutions (S2, e.g. to issue measures against the COVID-19) which, however, do not solve the fundamental lack (a) but actually lead to further demands from the citizens ($). The suppression of object petit a in the discourse of the hysteric is addressed in the video clips as the illusion of absolute security using the example of the inevitability of death. The drifting of desire, which is characteristic of the hysteric's social bond, results in demanding continuously new measures against the corona virus. The self-developed measures which are promoted in many video clips are interpreted as attempts at completion of the other and identification with the master. Anxiety is linked to the hysteric's desire for an unfulfilled desire. The article concludes with a discussion on how the discursive configuration can be challenged and evolves from the discourse of the hysteric to the discourse of the analyst and from the Kleinian paranoid-schizoid position to the depressive position. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Abstract (German) Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden die Ende April 2021 unter dem Hashtag #allesdichtmachen veroffentlichten Video-Clips als ironisch und satirisch zugespitzte Charakterisierung des aktuellen Corona-Diskurses analysiert. Unter Bezug auf den hysterischen Diskurs nach Jacques Lacan ergibt sich folgender Ausgangspunkt fur die Analyse: Burger*innen als gespaltene Subjekte ($) richten Appelle an den grosen Anderen der Bundesregierung in der Erwartung, ihnen zu liefern (S1), was sie begehren (zum Beispiel absolute Sicherheit). Die von dem Anderen in der Folge entwickelten Corona-Masnahmen (S2) konnen den fundamentalen Mangel (a) jedoch nicht aufheben und fuhren zu weiteren Appellen der Burger*innen ($). Die Verdrangung des Objekts klein a im hysterischen Diskurs wird in den Videos als Illusion vollstandiger Sicherheit am Beispiel der Unvermeidbarkeit des Todes thematisiert. Das fur den hysterischen Diskurs charakteristische Wandern des Begehrens resultiert in kontinuierlichen Appellen nach weiteren Masnahmen. Die in den Videos vielfach selbst entwickelten Corona-Masnahmen werden als Vervollstandigung des Anderen und Identifikation mit dem Herrn gelesen. Angst wird mit dem hysterischen Begehren nach einem unerfullten Begehren in Verbindung gebracht. Der Beitrag schliest mitMoglichkeiten der Diskursverschiebung vom hysterischen Diskurs zum Diskurs des Analytikers und von der paranoid-schizoiden zur depressiven Position nach Melanie Klein. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The design and implementation of a video-facilitated transdisciplinary STEM curriculum in the context of COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought disruptions and constraints to K-12 STEM education, such as the shortened classroom time and the restrictions on classroom interactions. More empirical evidence is needed to inform educators and practitioners which strategies work and which do not in the pandemic context. In response to the call for more empirical evidence and the need for cultivating responsible and competent 21st century citizens, we designed and implemented a transdisciplinary STEM curriculum during the COVID-19 outbreak. In order to facilitate the smooth delivery of the learning contents and authentically engage learners in the learning process, multi-model video approaches were employed considering the characteristics of three disciplines, STEM, social service, and writing, as well as learner diversity. Pre- and post-test results indicated that students' transdisciplinary STEM knowledge improved significantly after completing the curriculum. The integration of STEM, social service, and writing disciplines promoted the growth of students' empathy, interest, and self-efficacy. Consistent with the quantitative results, students responded in the interview that their STEM knowledge and empathy were both enhanced. Some implementation strategies introduced in the current study are also applicable when the standard teaching order is restored in the post-COVID-19 era. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Experiences with online video conferencing therapy among former military service members with PTSD

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has become a major mental health concern for veterans transitioning to civilian life. This qualitative phenomenological research study focused on interviewing 20 former military service members diagnosed with PTSD to understand their experiences related to online video conferencing therapy. The theoretical foundation of this study was guided by Beck's cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) model. The open-ended research questions examined veterans diagnosed with PTSD perceptions, attitudes, and opinions related to online video conferencing therapy, prior to and during the Covid-19 pandemic. Semi structured interview questions and a demographic questionnaire was used to collect data from participants who had no current relationship with National Guard, reserve, or active-duty military service. NVivo software was used to develop themes regarding the participant's lived experiences related to PTSD and online video conferencing therapy such as: (a) experiences suffering from PTSD, (b) Covid-19's impact on finding mental health treatment, (c) experiences and benefits using online video conferencing therapy, (d) challenges with online video conferencing therapy, and (e) ways that online video conferencing therapy improved PTSD. The findings revealed that online video conferencing therapy improved accessibility to mental health treatment for veterans diagnosed with PTSD who live in rural areas that lack mental health providers giving them therapeutic options such as behavioral strategies, social support, counseling, and medication management, prior to and during the Covid-19 pandemic. The results may provide information for veterans diagnosed with PTSD that may improve their transition to civilian life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Video analysis of one-dimensional motion and collision for distance learning laboratory

Video analysis is carried out for one-dimensional motion and collision experiments using Tracker. Physical variables, i.e. displacement, time, and velocity, can be deducted from the analysis and allows one to connect them to the equation of motion and energy conservation. Corresponding equations of motions are given without neglecting the effect of friction and air resistance. Their solutions are used as models for data-fitting purposes. The fitting results allow one to find the surface friction coefficient and the air resistance parameter for the first experiment and friction for the second experiment. These experiments and analyses can be implemented for at least sophomore-level physics in a university. However, if simplified by removing all resistant parts, they can be used for high-school or first-year students in a university. The video files can be distributed to students for online courses that are prevalently ongoing worldwide due to the COVID pandemic. Students can observe the experiments and analyse data at home. With scheduled online consulting sessions, students can conduct the analysis with helps from instructors. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Physics Education is the property of IOP Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

How field experience shapes pre-service primary teachers' technology integration knowledge and practice

The expectation for teachers to integrate technology within their classroom practice is growing. However, few studies examine the influences on pre-service teachers' technology integration knowledge and practice, and the role of field experience in shaping these. Narratives from semi-structured pre-COVID interviews with 35 pre-service primary school teachers in one teacher education programme in Ireland, some of whom used a digital camera, were analysed using an inductive thematic approach. Opportunities for pre-service teachers to develop their knowledge and practice were shaped by their interaction with the primary school context, the people within it and the digital resources provided, the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). While the initial teacher education programme provided opportunities and digital resources to support the primary teachers' learning, the Zone of Promoted Action, these were ultimately shaped by the ZPD. The results have implications for professional development programmes striving to support teachers in developing innovative practice in a post-COVID era.

Neural Network-Based Ultra-High-Definition Video Live Streaming Optimization Algorithm

Online live streaming has been widely used in distant teaching, online live shopping, and so on. Particularly, online teaching live streaming breaks the time and space boundary of teaching and has better interactivity, which is a new distant education mode. As a new online sales model, online live shopping promotes the rapid development of Internet economy. However, the quality of live video affects the user experience. This paper studies the optimization algorithm of ultra-high-definition live streaming, focusing on superresolution technology. Convolutional neural network (CNN) is a multilayer artificial neural network designed to process two-dimensional input data. It takes advantage of CNN in image processing. This paper proposes an image superresolution algorithm based on hybrid dilated convolution and Laplacian pyramid. By mixing the dilated convolution module, the receptive field of the network can be improved more effectively to obtain more context information so that the high-frequency features of the image can be extracted more effectively. Experiment was running on Set5, Set14, Urban100, and BSD100 datasets, and the results reveal that the proposed algorithm outperforms baselines with respect to peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity index measurement (SSIM), and image quality.

Impact of video-mediated online social presence and observance on cognitive performance

The onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has shifted most of the world toward remote working and education. As the world continues to embrace remote virtual communication in the post-COVID-19 era, it is crucial to investigate the impacts of online social copresence on cognitive performance. The present study investigated how the online videoconference presence of a virtual companion affects participants performance on cognitive relational-reasoning tasks. The companion was either present and attentive to the participant, present but nonattentive, or absent. We manipulated the agency of a virtual companion, who was either a real human, an avatar controlled by a human, or an artificial intelligence (AI)-controlled agent. We hypothesized that the mere presence of a virtual companion, and the observance of participants' performance, would influence participants' performance. The results were broadly in line with our hypothesis that a mere presence of a virtual companion improved cognitive performance irrespective of their agency. However, the direction of the results did not support our prediction. We did not find a systematic impact of observance on cognitive performance, not supporting our second hypothesis. Participants performed best overall with an AI-controlled agent, next best with an avatar and worst with a real-human companion. We also observed that participants performed more accurately when a virtual companion was present but nonattentive, and faster when a virtual companion observed the participants, compared to when the participants performed alone. We conclude that online videoconference presence with a virtual companion, regardless of observance, temporarily enhances cognitive performance, and discuss the implications of these findings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The role of digital channels in predicting objective and subjective negotiation outcomes

Today's hiring and workplace communications are increasingly occurring in the digital space, a trend accelerated by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. In two preregistered experiments and an internal meta-analysis, we test the subjective and objective impact of two digital channels-video and synchronous text-that are popularly used in today's workplace contexts. In doing so, we isolate the role that richness of digital channels plays in influencing negotiation outcomes while holding synchrony constant. Specifically, we predicted that negotiating via video (vs. synchronous text) will foster better integrative outcomes and improve negotiators' subjective outcomes. Results indicated that negotiating via video, compared to synchronous text, improved subjective outcomes such as satisfaction with the negotiation process, satisfaction with negotiation outcomes, favorable impressions about one's negotiation partner, and willingness to negotiate with the same partner again in the future. Contrary to our predictions, we did not observe significant improvements in objective negotiation outcomes (i.e., integrative outcomes) as a result of negotiating via video (vs. synchronous text), suggesting the possibility that the influence of digital channels on negotiations is primarily perceptual. We discuss implications of our findings for research on negotiations, the psychology of technology, and the future of work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The booming eSports market: a field day for fans

Purpose>This paper aims to explore the emerging market of video game streaming and eSports to provide readers with an understanding of the nature and content of this quickly growing entertainment industry. eSports or eGaming is the playing of video games for competition and for spectators by professionals. Popular platforms, eGaming celebrities and revenue sources are introduced. Building upon this knowledge, the authors then show the opportunities marketers have to use this medium for branding, promotional and retailing purposes. Challenges to these aims are also discussed.Design/methodology/approach>The eGaming and eSports industry is summarized by studying its evolution and current state. A thorough review of the players and their possible revenue sources is presented. Likewise, a survey of marketing-related tactics and challenges is discussed to help readers not only understand the field but also use the industry’s growth.Findings>This paper provides valuable information to understand why this new market of video game streaming is rapidly increasing and what impact it will have on consumers, brands and marketing strategists.Originality/value>This paper is unique in the sense that in one place it not only summarizes the advent and growth of an evolving field but also shows the opportunities that firms have to take advantage of this unique medium for connecting with customers. Firms are at the same time cautioned to consider increasing challenges with this new industry.

Amplify or suppress the inspiration? Comment valence influences the reception of inspirational COVID-19 videos

Can popular media play a role in inspiring and uplifting peoples' spirits during the COVID-19 pandemic? The current study extended existing positive media psychology research by exploring the positive effects of inspirational COVID-19 online videos on meaningful affect, norm perceptions, and prosocial intentions. It was also proposed that positive online comments would amplify beneficial outcomes. A survey experiment (n = 620) with a 2 (video type: inspirational vs. Noninspirational) x 3 (comment type: positive comments, negative comments, or no comments) between-subjects design examined impacts on norm perceptions of self-transcendent behaviors, meaningful affect, and prosocial intentions. Results showed that inspirational videos (vs. noninspirational ones) led to greater prosocial intentions, which were mediated by more positive norm perceptions and stronger meaningful affect. However, instead of an amplifying effect of positive comments, evidence emerged of a suppressing effect of negative comments. Participants who read negative comments (vs. positive comments or no comments) about inspirational content reported more negative norm perceptions, lower levels of meaningful affect, and less prosocial intentions. Also, the light triad personality did not moderate any of the observed effects. The study advances inspirational media research by demonstrating that the content itself is not solely responsible for observed effects but also other cues in the media environment (e.g., others' comments). In addition, it introduced norm perceptions as a potential underlying mechanism in positive media effects. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Inspirational online videos referencing COVID-19 helped to not only elicit positive emotions (e.g., the feeling of being touched and inspired) among individuals but also increase the norm perception that self-transcendent behaviors were favored by others, further leading to greater intentions to act in prosocial ways. However, such positive effects were dampened when the inspirational videos were accompanied by negative comments. The viewing of inspirational video content with accompanying positive comments can be an effective means for promoting mental health and social good. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Up close and personal: Examining effects of instructor video presence on student's sense of connection

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic prompted educators of all levels to adapt their courses to online formats and challenged them to create and preserve positive relationships with students. The goal of the present studies was to explore one possible tool for building student-teacher connection in an online class: prerecorded video used to deliver course content. We conducted two online experiments to test whether different forms of instructor presence in prerecorded video affect students' sense of connection with the instructor. College-aged participants viewed a brief video segment from the first lecture of an introductory psychology course and then completed several measures regarding their sense of connection with the instructor and how much they anticipated engaging in important academic behaviors (e.g., attending class). In Study 1, participants were randomly assigned to view the instructor presenting a slide deck at eye level or in a lecture hall. In Study 2, participants viewed one of these videos or a third video presenting a slide deck with an audio-only narration. We found a consistent eye-level advantage;the video of the instructor at eye level, speaking directly to the camera, elicited higher ratings of instructor likeability, immediacy, and trust, and higher expectations of participating in class than did other videos. We found few benefits of showing a visible instructor in a lecture hall compared to audio narration. Overall, our findings suggest that the way a prerecorded video features an instructor can affect students' immediate sense of connection with that instructor and expectations to engage in the course. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)