A Question of Realism

Abstract. We present the results of an exploratory study investigating the feasibility of using multimedia software to teach life skills to adults with learning difficulties. As a precursor to determining whether the clients would benefit from the software, we needed to address the issue of realism in visual displays, to discover if photorealistic images of a familiar kitchen and utensils were esor if the clients would be able to abstract and apply information from generic cartoon-like representations. The level of realism was varied in two sets of tasks: object recognition exercises and problem-solving scenarios. Realistic versions of each task contained photorealistic images, and the problem-solving scenarios used images and speech of a support worker known to the participants to supply feedback and prompts. Unrealistic versions used clip art images and a cartoon-style character instead of the support worker. Contrary to expectations, measurements of errors and reaction times reveale...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2004
• Where: UIALL
• Authors: Richard Hetherington, Alison Crerar, Phil Turner
• Keywords: Photorealistic Images, Problem-solving Scenarios, Security Privacy, Support Worker, UIALL 2004