Simon Ungar

Androcentric Preferences for Visuospatial Representations of Gender Differences

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2006

Research on explanations shows how category prototypicality can affect the the fram-ing of compar... more

The Use of Ink-jet to Produce Tactile Maps

Technical program and proceedings, 2003

Tactile Maps and a Test of the Conjoint Retention Hypothesis

Springer eBooks, 2002

Kulhavy and his colleagues found that when a map and related factual information were learned tog... more Kulhavy and his colleagues found that when a map and related factual information were learned together, the probability of recalling the factual information was greater than when information was learned without a map, or with a list of place names. They account for this finding with their “conjoint retention” hypothesis - a corollary of Paivio’s “dual coding” theory. The present study extended this research by including a group of blind and visually impaired participants who learned a tactile map. Twelve blind and visually impaired participants and forty-eight sighted participants learned either a map (map condition) or a list of place names (list condition) for either 10 minutes or 2 minutes and then heard a text describing places on the map/list. After a filled pause, participants were asked to recall information from the text and, in the map condition, to make a reconstruction of the map. Kulhavy’s original finding was replicated for sighted participants who studied the map/list for 10 minutes. However, sighted participants exposed to the map/list for 2 minutes and blind participants performed at the same level with both the map and with the list. In all cases, differences between conditions were small. Further analyses revealed that encoding of the map’s structure, a crucial variable in Kulhavy’s model, may not have been a major factor in determining recall of factual information.

The world of touch: an international survey of tactile maps. Part 1: production

British Journal of Visual Impairment, Sep 1, 2003

This paper reports the findings of an international survey that collected data on production meth... more

Can Visually Impaired Children Use Tactile Maps to Estimate Directions?

Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, May 1, 1994

Producing Tactile Maps Using New Inkjet Technology: an Introduction

Cartographic Journal, Dec 1, 2003

Three common methods for producing tactile maps are mixed media, microcapsule paper and thermofor... more Three common methods for producing tactile maps are mixed media, microcapsule paper and thermoform. This paper describes a new method for producing tactile diagrams using piezoelectric inkjet. To produce diagrams a photo-curing acrylic polymer ink is repeatedly printed onto a thermoplastic substrate and exposed to ultraviolet light which bonds the ink to the substrate and cures it solid. The speed and precision of the process means maps with ®ne, easily discriminated tactile features will be readily available to users. The new process will facilitate further psychological, psychophysical and cartographic research.

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The Ability of Visually Impaired Children to Locate Themselves on a Tactile Map

Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, Nov 1, 1996

Teaching Visually Impaired Children to Make Distance Judgments from a Tactile Map

Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, Mar 1, 1997

An introduction to the use of inkjet for tactile diagram production

British Journal of Visual Impairment, May 1, 2003

The three common methods for producing tactile diagrams are mixed-media, swell paper and thermofo... more

Strategies for Knowledge Acquisition from Cartographic Maps by Blind and Visually Impaired Adults

Cartographic Journal, Dec 1, 1997

Page 1. The Cartographic Journal lftJI.34 No.2 pp. 93-110 December 1997 93 Strategies for I&a... more

Exploring nature experiences of people with visual impairments

Abstract The positive psychological and physical health effects associated with exposure to natur... more Abstract The positive psychological and physical health effects associated with exposure to natural environments are well recognized. However, previous research in this field has focused almost exclusively upon the visual aspects of the environment, largely ignoring the role of the other senses. This paper reassesses these findings by examining the role senses other than sight play in blind people’s experiences of natural environments. Six people with visual impairments were interviewed regarding their experience of natural environments; interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. The analysis revealed that if the participants felt safe, they reported experiencing restorative effects in the majority of natural environments. Three main themes that contribute to an understanding of the processes involved in psychological restoration emerged: restoration, challenges, sources of experiences. Environmental restoration was reported by participants as being mostly experienced through sound and to a lesser extent through touch and smell.

Issues in the development of a computer-based safety programme for children with severe learning difficulties

Child Abuse Review, Sep 1, 1998

In the last decade, professional interest in and awareness of the sexual abuse of children has in... more In the last decade, professional interest in and awareness of the sexual abuse of children has increased dramatically and has led to the development of safety programmes which aim to teach children a range of personal safety skills (Tutty, 1992). These eorts have previously concentrated on children in mainstream schools, but there is growing recognition of the need for parallel concern for children in vulnerable groups such as those with learning diculties. The present paper outlines the development of a personal safety prevention programme for children with severe learning diculties. The programme has incorporated work by Tutty (1992, 1994) and others who argue for a more developmental view in designing such programmes. Concepts such as the child's understanding about authority ®gures and moral development have been integrated into the programme, which utilizes multi-media technology. As this is a computer-based programme, the reason for such a medium rather than previously implemented presentation (e.g. books, ®lm) are discussed. Views of the participants evaluating the implementation of the teaching package are also described. *

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An evaluation of tactile directional symbols

British Journal of Visual Impairment, May 1, 2006

Symbols that could effectively designate direction have the potential to show routes, geographic ... more Symbols that could effectively designate direction have the potential to show routes, geographic phenomena, aid scientific explanation and generally enhance understanding of tactile maps and diagrams. In this study, 41 tactile symbols, including subsets of arrow symbols and stair symbols, were investigated for effectiveness at indicating direction. The symbols were presented to blind or blindfolded participants, and qualitative and quantitative responses regarding the symbol orientation and meaning were recorded. The arrow symbols with the greatest agreement across participants as to which direction the symbol intended to convey were basic arrows and the arrowhead. In the case of a line with a saw-tooth surface profile that felt rough when traced by the finger in one direction and smooth in the opposite, participants were split between those intuitively thinking the rough or the smooth was the direction being indicated. Stair symbols with a greater degree of threedimensionality gave marginally increased agreement as to which way was up.

Developing the blind child's cognition of the environment: the role of direct and map-given experience

Geoforum, May 1, 1992

For the blind, &amp;amp;amp;#x27;spatial entities which can never be seen fully&amp;amp;a... more For the blind, &amp;amp;amp;#x27;spatial entities which can never be seen fully&amp;amp;amp;#x27; are not just the large entities discussed elsewhere in this special issue, but include immediate geographical spaces. This paper briefly reviews the ways the blind child constructs space, challenges the long-held belief among ...

Tactile Elevation Perception in Blind and Sighted Participants and Its Implications for Tactile Map Creation

Human Factors, Apr 1, 2009

Objective: To determine the optimal elevation of tactile map symbols. Background: Tactile percept... more Objective: To determine the optimal elevation of tactile map symbols. Background: Tactile perception research predicts that symbol elevation (vertical height) and texture on tactile maps could influence their readability. However, while research has shown that elevation influences detection and discrimination thresholds for single tactile stimuli, and that the physiological response of fingertip receptors varies with texture, little is known about the influence of these parameters on the identification of stimuli in the context of multiple symbols as found on tactile maps. Method: Sighted and visually impaired participants performed tactile symbol identification tasks. In Experiment 1, we measured the effect of elevation on identification accuracy. In Experiment 2, we measured the effect of elevation and symbol texture on identification speed. Results: Symbol elevation influenced both speed and accuracy of identification with thresholds being higher than found in work on detection and discrimination but lower than on existing tactile maps. Further, as predicted from existing knowledge of tactile perception, rough features were identified more quickly than smooth ones. Finally, visually impaired participants performed better than sighted ones. Conclusion: The symbol elevations necessary for identification (0.040 to 0.080 mm) are considerably lower than would be expected on the basis of existing tactile maps (generally 0.5 mm or higher) and design guidelines (0.4 mm). Application: Tactile map production costs could be reduced and map durability increased by reducing symbol elevation. Further, legibility of maps could be improved by using rough features, which are read more easily, and smaller symbols, which reduces crowding of graphics.

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The Construction of Cognitive Maps by Children with Visual Impairments

Springer eBooks, Aug 22, 2007

Abstract: The way in which children who have visual impairments construct cognitive maps of their... more

A Scientific Approach to Tactile Map Design : Minimum Elevation of Tactile Map Symbols

Tactile maps are raised line images used to convey spatial information to blind and visually impa... more Tactile maps are raised line images used to convey spatial information to blind and visually impaired people. The elevation (protrusion off the page) of tactile features varies widely, often dependent of the method used to produce the map. Although it is clear that a certain elevation is required, the minimum elevation at which tactile maps can be used is not known. In a series of three studies, two abstract psychophysical tasks and one more practical search task, we investigated the minimum elevation for tactile graphics. Participants were able to identify shapes at a very low elevation (0.007 mm) in abstract and simple tasks. However, due to the abstract nature of such tasks, it is problematic to attempt to translate these findings directly into tactile map design. In a subsequent study, participants performed a more realistic task. Participants performance improved considerably as elevation was increased up to 0.16 mm. However, a further increase in elevation did not significant...

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Use of Tactile Maps by Blind and Visually Impaired People

Cartographic Perspectives, 1997

Most research on tactile maps has focused on aspects of map design and methods of construction. R... more Most research on tactile maps has focused on aspects of map design and methods of construction. Relatively little attention has been paid to theway in which blind and visually impaired people actually use tactile maps for everyday way finding tasks. This paper reports on studies carried out in Madrid and Sheffield which consider how people gain spatial knowledge from tactile maps. In the Madrid study, participants were introduced to an urban area by one of three instructional methods: direct experience, tactile map or verbal description. Those who learned the area with the map were considerably more proficient in following the route unguided than were participants who received the other two instructional methods. However the different methods had little effect on the participants' overall representation of the space. It is possible that the map reading strategies used by the participants were effective for gaining practical route-based knowledge but did not give the participants...

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Strategies for Organising Information While Learning a Map by Blind and Sighted People

It is widely recognised that people who have little or no access to visual stimuli from early in ... more

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The Ability of Visually Impaired Children to Locate Themselves on a Tactile Map

Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness

This experiment investigated self-location by 26 visually impaired children using a large layout ... more This experiment investigated self-location by 26 visually impaired children using a large layout of landmarks, through which the children walked each of a number of routes holding a tactile map that was aligned or rotated relative to the layout. The children pointed to their position on the map as they walked along a route. On the majority of trials, the children correctly traced the route they walked and worked out their position on the map. Although the type of route (those with unique, clear landmarks versus those with nonunique, ambiguous landmarks) and the use of a strategy affected performance, the alignment of maps did not.

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