Hrishita - Self Reflection

Version 4.1 by Hrishita Chakrabarti on 2023/02/27 23:36

Week 1: Introduction to Socio-Cognitive Engineering

Human-Centred design:

We have to consider certain factors when designing and/or assessing a human-centred design such as the extent of usability of the system by the target users, and how effective and efficient the system is in achieving the target goal. When designing the system we should also keep in mind the context the system will be used in and should also ensure the users have a pleasant experience when using the system.

Music in robot-guided activities:

Why music? It evokes emotion, certain songs can trigger memories leading to reminiscence and also helps to connect people with similar music tastes. It also creates a pleasant environment for exercise.

Talked further in detail in next week's guest lecture.

Problem statement scenario - Pieter Van Forest:

A residential care centre for the elderly who require assistance with daily activities due to physical and/or mental disability.

The centre aims at:

enabling (as much as possible) residents to live their life like they used to
assure people that with/without dementia, they are still human
ensure that every resident's feelings and experiences are taken seriously

Several activities such as drawing, exercise, gardening, etc are encouraged and social interactions are encouraged with visiting toddlers. Caretakers also try to practice their memories via reminiscence and memory games/activities. However, every resident requires personalised and individual attention which can get very demanding for the caretakers.

Learning with Charlie:

Targeted for children suffering from Type 1 diabetes and their parents and caregivers.

The PAL system consists of a robot Charlie that kids can interact with when they visit the hospital for checkups and can also interact with them virtually via an app in which they can play games with an avatar of the robot.

Through these games, the robot is used to inculcate a healthy lifestyle suitable for children suffering from diabetes so that they remember to take their measurements and medicines in time and are motivated to exercise regularly to regulate their blood sugar levels.

Week 2: Dementia, Memory and Music as an intervention

Cognitive change is natural:

Change in cognitive abilities is natural with age however the change is not a decline for all kinds of cognitive abilities. Some abilities such as processing speed and memory do decline however word knowledge such as vocabulary tends to increase with age as we are exposed to more information with time.

The rate of cognitive decline is largely dependent on an individual's lifestyle. For instance, a history of diabetes or depression, low education level, lack of exercise and balanced nutrition, smoking, etc can all contribute to a quicker cognitive decline.

Cognitive reserve:

The brain changes structurally and functionally with time. However, there is an inherent quality to an individual's brain, known as Cognitive reserve that can explain how susceptible the individual would be to functional impairment in case of some disease/accident. The more the cognitive reserve of an individual, the longer a neurological disease/accident takes to cause serious functional impairment in the brain.

The cognitive reserve can only be increased with a lifetime of healthy lifestyle choices such as a better education level, proper exercise and balanced nutrition, regular cognitive engagement, etc.