Papers by Nicky Hayes

Psychology and science communication

  • The Psychology of Interactive Exhibits

  • Are we getting through? The Psychological Basis of Scientific Communication

  • Interactive Learning - the demands of the task

  • Psychological Dimensions of Interactivity

  • Are we getting through? The Psychological Basis of Scientific Communication

    Abstract

    It is argued that a full understanding of why scientific knowledge is not more widely integrated into popular culture must draw on several levels of explanation. Within the psychological level, several different concepts may be useful in helping us to comprehend the barriers to public acceptance of such information. These include the mechanisms of social representation and social identity, the operation of schemas and personal memory, and motivational concepts such as self-efficacy and learned helplessness. Applying these concepts may enhance our understanding of public acceptance or rejection of scientific knowledge.

    The paper for which this abstract was written was presented at the International Conference "When Science becomes Culture", held in Montreal in April, 1994.

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    Interactive learning - the demands of the task

    The full paper can be found here

    Abstract

    The nature of the task in an interactive learning experience makes psychological demands on the learner which differ in some distinctive respects from the traditional tasks of formal education. Interactive learning tasks encompass three psychological dimensions: cognitions, self-efficacy beliefs and social identifications. The assessment requirements of formal education has led to an emphasis on the first of these dimensions, but in both informal and non-formal educational experiences the other two are both as important as the first.

    This paper was a contribution for a symposium on "Psychological dimensions of interactive science", held at the 1st Science Centres World Congress at Heureka, Finland, in June, 1996.

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    Psychological Dimensions of Interactivity

    The full paper can be found here

    Abstract

    The aim of this paper is to identify and analyse some of the psychological mechanisms which underpin interactive science exhibits, and give them their motivational appeal. The analysis involves six aspects of interactive design which are found, singly or in various combinations, in interactive exhibits: surprise & unexpectedness, choice & multiple outcomes; social interaction & co-operation; utilising other senses; exerting physical control; self and social image.

    These aspects of interactive design tap into several well-researched psychological mechanisms, and it is from these that they draw their motivating aspects. The psychological mechanisms include aspects of self-efficacy and learned helplessness; schemas and scripts; features of constructive memory and discourse; personal constructs and social representations; self-actualisation and stimulus-seeking; and social identity and positive regard. Some design constructs are more likely to connect with particular psychological mechanisms than others, and in doing so, they are also likely to produce distinctive types of outcome. Identifying the various potential outcomes from the relationship between psychological mechanisms and interactive design allows us to bring the motivational aspects of interactive exhibits to the fore, and to develop a vocabulary which will allows these aspects to become better articulated, and more clearly understood.

    This paper was given at the British Interactive Group BIG Event, held at Herstmonceux in July 1998.

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    The Psychology of Interactive Exhibits

    A summary of the paper (with pictures) can be found here

    Abstract

    This paper presents a model of the way that interactive exhibits impact on the visitor. What appears to be a straightforward relationship between the design features of the exhibit and visitor outcomes is better visualised as passing through a set of psychological processes, which may feed back to shape the design and which also inform the outcome.

    Visualising interactive exhibits in this way also allows us to become more sophisticated in the way that we view outcomes, and to explore outcomes in terms of a wider range of psychological domains.

    The model has been applied, and is proving useful, in a number of practical contexts.

    This paper was given at the 2nd World Congress of ~Science Centres, held in Calcutta in Januar 1999

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