Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

“Unseen, Yet Crescive”: The Unrecognized History of Peripheral Interaction

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Peripheral Interaction

Part of the book series: Human–Computer Interaction Series ((HCIS))

Abstract

Peripheral interaction, the reflexive and reactive pre-attentive use of tools and techniques on the periphery of conscious attention, has always been a fundamental part of how humans interact with the world. In fact, it is very likely that our ancestors have been interacting peripherally since well before they were human. In the midst of searching for new paradigms for interaction with the ubiquitous networks of embedded systems that fill our homes and workplaces, it might be a good idea to look at the peripheral tasks we are already performing. Ironically, being on the periphery of our conscious attention, this complex assortment of internal and external interactions has gone largely unnoticed. In this chapter, we use the principles of anthropology-based computing to follow Mark Weiser’s advice and drag these tasks to the center of our attentive focus for a closer examination before deciding whether or not to relegate them once more to the borders of our perception.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Cerebellum = the part of the brain in which complex reflex patterns are coordinated.

  2. 2.

    Crescive = developing over time without conscious direction.

  3. 3.

    Ratiocination = rational thought, reflection.

  4. 4.

    Corollary discharge = this is a copy of the internal signal generated by our neuromotor system when we execute a movement. The copy seems to serve to let us know whether our body is moving under our own control, or under the influence of some other factor.

  5. 5.

    Protoprosimian = ancient relatives who predate the division between our dry-nosed ancestors and their wet-nosed cousins.

  6. 6.

    Pons and medulla oblongata = parts of the brain stem linking the rest of the brain to the spinal cord.

  7. 7.

    Beta-wave activity = electrical activity between 12.5 and 30 Hz, a range of frequency commonly used in studies of the natural electrical activity in the brain.

  8. 8.

    Prefrontal cortex = the front-most part of the neocortex—the crumpled up, six-layered brain hat we wear under our skulls.

References

  • Abowd, G., & Beale, R. (1991). Users, systems and interfaces: A unifying framework for interaction. HCI, 91, 73–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bakker, S. (2013). Design for peripheral interaction (Doctoral dissertation, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven).

    Google Scholar 

  • Bardzell, J., & Bardzell, S. (2014). A great and troubling beauty: Cognitive speculation and ubiquitous computing. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 18(4), 779–794.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Broca, P. (1861). Sur le principe des localisations cérébrales. Bulletin de la Société d’Anthropologie, 2, 190–204.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. N. A. (2012). Expert talk for time machine session: Designing calm technology as refreshing as taking a walk in the woods. In 2012 IEEE International Conference on Multimedia and Expo (pp. 423–423). IEEE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. N. A. (2013a). It’s as easy as ABC: Introducing anthropology-based computing. In Advances in Computational Intelligence. Proceedings of IWANN 2013: The International Work-Conference on Artificial Neural Networks.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. N. A. (2013b). It’s as easy as ABC: Introducing anthropology-based computing. In International Work-Conference on Artificial Neural Networks (IWANN2013). Hotel Beatriz Atlantis and Spa, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain. 14 June, 2013. Keynote Address.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. N. A. (2015a). The expectation effect. In The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Design (In Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. N. A. (2015b). Intuitive interaction with a smart environment. Fundamentals of Collective Adaptive Systems (FoCAS) Reading Room. January, 2015. http://www.focas-reading-room.eu/intuitive-interaction-with-a-smart-environment/. Last retrieved May, 2015.

  • Brown, J. N. A. (2015c). Making sense of the noise: An ABC approach to big data and security. In B. Akhgar, G. B. Saathoff, H. R. Arabnia, R. Hill, A. Staniforth, and S. Bayerl (Eds.), Application of Big Data for National Security (pp. 261–273). Oxford: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. N. A. (2016). Anthropology-based computing: Putting the human in human-computer interaction. Springer human-computer interaction series. Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. N. A., Bakker, S., & Oliveira, J. (2015). I am calm—Towards a psychoneurological evaluation of ABC ringtones (Under Review).

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. N. A., Leitner, G., Hitz, M., & Català Mallofré, A. (2014). A model of calm HCI. In S. Bakker, D. Hausen, T. Selker, E. van den Hoven, A. Butz, B. Eggen (Eds.) Peripheral interaction: Shaping the research and design space. Workshop at CHI2014, Toronto, Canada. ISSN: 1862–5207.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bush, V. (1945). As We May Think. Atlantic Monthly, 176(1), 101–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caird, J. K., Johnston, K. A., Willness, C. R., Asbridge, M., & Steel, P. (2014). A meta-analysis of the effects of texting on driving. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 71, 311–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carruthers, G. (2014). What makes us conscious of our own agency? And why the conscious versus unconscious representation distinction matters. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 8, 434.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chang, H. M. (2014). Emotions in archetypal media content (Doctoral dissertation, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherry, E. C. (1953). Some experiments on the recognition of speech, with one and with two ears. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 25(5), 975–979.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coomans, M. K. D., & Achten, H. H. (1998). Mixed task domain representation in vr-dis. In Proceedings of APCHI 1998: 3rd Asia Pacific Conference on Computer Human Interaction.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, J. R., Bloom, F. E., & Roth, R. H. (2003). The biochemical basis of neuropharmacology. Chicago: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihaiyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper and Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. E., & Csikszentmihalyi, I. S. E. (2006). A life worth living: Contributions to positive psychology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawkins, R. (1976). The Selfish Gene (Vol. 1, pp. 976). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dennett, D. C., & Kinsbourne, M. (1992). Time and the observer: The where and when of consciousness in the brain. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 15(02), 183–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Festinger, L. (1962). A theory of cognitive dissonance (Vol. 2). Redwood: Stanford university press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freides, D. (2001). Developmental disorders: A neuropsychological approach. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (1961). The ego and the id. In J. Strachey (Ed. and Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 19, pp. 3–66). London: Hogarth Press. (Original work published 1923).

    Google Scholar 

  • Frith, C. D., & Done, D. J. (1989). Experiences of alien control in schizophrenia reflect a disorder in the central monitoring of action. Psychological Medicine, 19(02), 359–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Golumbic, E. M. Z., Ding, N., Bickel, S., Lakatos, P., Schevon, C. A., McKhann, G. M., & Schroeder, C. E. (2013). Mechanisms underlying selective neuronal tracking of attended speech at a ‘‘Cocktail Party’’. Neuron, 77, 980–991.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hammond, W. A. (1902). Aristotle’s psychology: A treatise on the principle of life (De Anima and Parva Naturalia). MacMillan, New York: S. Sonnenschein & Company, Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Helson, H. (1964). Adaptation-level theory: An experimental and systematic approach to behavior (p. 732). Oxford: Harper and Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hyman, R. (1953). Stimulus information as a determinant of reaction time. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 45(3), 188–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs, E., Broekens, J., & Jonker, C. (2014). Joy, distress, hope, and fear in reinforcement learning. In Proceedings of the 2014 International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multi-agent Systems (pp. 1615–1616). International Foundation for Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klasen, M., Weber, R., Kircher, T. T., Mathiak, K. A., & Mathiak, K. (2011). Neural contributions to flow experience during video game playing. Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, nsr021.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacKenzie, I. S. (1995). Virtual environments and advanced interface design (Chap). In Input devices and interaction techniques for advanced computing (pp. 437–470). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacLean P. D. (1973). A triune concept of the brain and behavior. In. T. J. Boag, D. Campbell (Eds.) The Hincks Memorial Lectures (pp. 6–66), Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mesulam, M. (1981). A cortical network for directed attention and unilateral neglect. Annals of Neurology, 10(4), 309–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mirsky, A. F. (1987). Behavioral and psychophysiological markers of disordered attention. Environmental Health Perspectives, 74, 191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moray, N. (1959). Attention in dichotic listening: Affective cues and the influence of instructions. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 11(1), 56–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nass, C., & Moon, Y. (2000). Machines and mindlessness: Social responses to computers. Journal of social issues, 56(1), 81–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Transportation Safety Board. (2009). Operational Factors/Human Performance Group Chairman’s Factual Report DCA10IA001 (Office of Aviation Safety Factual Report DCA1I0A001) Washington, D.C.: B. D. Tew and D. Lawrence. Retrieved from http://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms/search/document.cfm?docID=322735&docketID=48456&mkey=74940

  • Norman, D. A. (1988). The psychology of everyday things. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Novak, J. D. (2010). Learning, creating, and using knowledge: Concept maps as facilitative tools in schools and corporations. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinker, S. (1997). How the mind works (p. 660). New York: W W Norton & Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rayner, K. (1978). Eye movements in reading and information processing. Psychological Bulletin, 85(3), 618.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Reingold, N. (1987). Vannevar Bush’s new deal for research: Or the triumph of the old order. Historical Studies in the Physical and Biological Sciences, 17(2), 299–344.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Sagan, C. (1977). Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the evolution of human intelligence. Ballantine Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, D. C., Ludolph, F. E., Irby, C. H., & Chairman-Johnson, J. A. (1985). The desktop metaphor as an approach to user interface design (panel discussion). In Proceedings of the 1985 ACM annual conference on The range of computing: mid-80’s perspective (pp. 548–549). ACM.

    Google Scholar 

  • Staggers, N., & Norcio, A. F. (1993). Mental models: concepts for human-computer interaction research. International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, 38(4), 587–605.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stahl, A. E., & Feigenson, L. (2015). Observing the unexpected enhances infants’ learning and exploration. Science, 348(6230), 91–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tovée, M. J. (1994). Neuronal processing: How fast is the speed of thought? Current Biology, 4(12), 1125–1127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vicente, K. J. (2003). The human factor. In Frontiers of Engineering: Reports on leading-edge engineering from the 2002 NAE Symposium on Frontiers of Engineering (pp. 31–38).

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiser, M. (1994). The world is not a desktop. Interactions, 1(1), 7–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weiser, M., & Brown, J. S. (1996). Designing calm technology. PowerGrid Journal, 1(1), 75–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization. (2014). Health for the world’s adolescents: a second chance in the second decade: summary.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Interactive Systems Research Group, Alpen-Adria Universität-Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria

    John N. A. Brown

Authors
  1. John N. A. Brown
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to John N. A. Brown .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    Saskia Bakker

  2. Human-Computer Interaction Group, University of Munich (LMU), Munich, Germany

    Doris Hausen

  3. CITRIS, University of California Berkeley, Moffett Field, California, USA

    Ted Selker

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Brown, J.N.A. (2016). “Unseen, Yet Crescive”: The Unrecognized History of Peripheral Interaction. In: Bakker, S., Hausen, D., Selker, T. (eds) Peripheral Interaction. Human–Computer Interaction Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29523-7_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29523-7_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-29521-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-29523-7

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation