Alle Publikationen
2018
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(2018): Towards a framework for computational persuasion with applications in behaviour change1. In: Argument & Computation 9 (1), S. 15-40. DOI: 10.3233/AAC-170032
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3233/AAC-170032 Abstract: Persuasion is an activity that involves one party trying to induce another party to believe something or to do something. It is an important and multifaceted human facility. Obviously, sales and marketing is heavily dependent on persuasion. But many other activities involve persuasion such as a doctor persuading a patient to drink less alcohol, a road safety expert persuading drivers to not text while driving, or an online safety expert persuading users of social media sites to not reveal too much personal information online. As computing becomes involved in every sphere of life, so too is persuasion a target for applying computer-based solutions. An automated persuasion system (APS) is a system that can engage in a dialogue with a user (the persuadee) in order to persuade the persuadee to do (or not do) some action or to believe (or not believe) something. To do this, an APS aims to use convincing arguments in order to persuade the persuadee. Computational persuasion is the study of formal models of dialogues involving arguments and counterarguments, of user models, and strategies, for APSs. A promising application area for computational persuasion is in behaviour change. Within healthcare organizations, government agencies, and non-governmental agencies, there is much interest in changing behaviour of particular groups of people away from actions that are harmful to themselves and/or to others around them.
Keywords: Argumentation, argumentation strategies, Argumentationsstrategie, Argumentationstheorie, automated persuasion system (APS), Automated Persuasion Systems (APS), computational models of argument, Computational persuasion, Computerbasierte Persuasion, dialogical argumentation, doppelter Treffer, Eliminierung von Fehlverhalten, Fehlverhalten, frame semantics, Gesellschaftsprofit, Gruppenverhalten / Joint Action, Intellektualtechnik, Kognitionstheorie, Kognitionswissenschaft/Social Sciences/Humanities, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Observablen/Kriterien für sozial angemessenes Verhalten und dessen Bewertung, Persuasion, persuasion dialogues, persuasive arguments, Politik, probabilistic argumentation, Realtechnik, Soziale Angemessenheit, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext, Sprachroboter, Sprachverarbeitung, Technik, Überreden, Überzeugung, Umgangsformen, Verführung 2016
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(2016): Beyond Technological Mediation. In: Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology 20 (3), S. 177-197. DOI: 10.5840/techne201671949
Abstract: Several philosophers of technology have argued that technology mediates human actions. For example, in the branch of post-phenomenology, authors such as Don Ihde and Peter-Paul Verbeek have described the mediating aspects of technology in terms of morality of technology (more prominent in Verbeek) as well as in the sense that technology changes our perception of ourselves and the world (more prominent in Ihde). In this article, different existing types of mediation are presented, critiqued, and enriched. The four types are illustrated by referring to military high-tech environments with a focus on visual data and imaging technologies. These technologies can mediate actions (1) by inviting certain behavior, (2) through amplification and reduction, (3) through built-in norms, and (4) through interpretation. The four types of mediation mainly focus on the technology or technological artifact itself. What these approaches fail to grasp, however, is the specific user practices in which most technologies function. In this article, it is argued that to understand the mediating aspects of technology more fully, attention should be paid to the specific user context in which the technology functions. Therefore, an enriched understanding of the four types of mediation of technology is proposed by taking the lens of normative practices and analyzing the different types of mediation through this lens. The Kunduz airstrike incident, which took place in 2009 in Afghanistan, is a case in which a visual data sharing device called Rover played a prominent role. This case is used in this article to illustrate how technology mediates human actions in military practice.
Keywords: Bürger vs. Staat, Disziplin, Grundlagenreflexion, Im (wissenschaftlichen) Diskurs, Interaktionspartner, Mensch oder Maschine, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Militär, Philosophie, Reflexionen über MTR, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext, Spezifischer Nutzer-Kontext beim Benutzer der Maschine, Technikphilosophie, (Theory of) technological mediation, Verbeek, Zeitschrift: techne -
(2016): Data Science and Designing for Privacy. In: Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology 20 (1), S. 51-68. DOI: 10.5840/techne201632446
Abstract: Unprecedented advances in the ability to store, analyze, and retrieve data is the hallmark of the information age. Along with enhanced capability to identify meaningful patterns in large data sets, contemporary data science renders many classical models of privacy protection ineffective. Addressing these issues through privacy-sensitive design is insufficient because advanced data science is mutually exclusive with preserving privacy. The special privacy problem posed by data analysis has so far escaped even leading accounts of informational privacy. Here, I argue that accounts of privacy must include norms about information processing in addition to norms about information flow. Ultimately, users need the resources to control how and when personal information is processed and the knowledge to make information decisions about that control. While privacy is an insufficient design constraint, value-sensitive design around control and transparency can support privacy in the information age.
Keywords: Daten, Datenschutz & Privatssphäre, Design, Im (wissenschaftlichen) Diskurs, Informationelle Selbstbestimmung, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Öffentlicher vs. privater Raum, Philosophie, Privacy and data, Privatsphäre, Reflexionen über MTR, Soziale Angemessenheit, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext, Value-Sensitive-Design, Werte, Zeitschrift: techne -
(2016): Address practices in academic interactions in a pluricentric language. In: Pragmatics 26 (4), S. 631-652. DOI: 10.1075/prag.26.4.05for
Abstract: Following the recent development of address research in pluricentric languages (Clyne et al. 2006), the present study describes address practices in English-speaking academic settings and pursues two main objectives: (a) to provide a profile of address patterns in academic interactions in Australian English; and (b) to compare address practices in higher education across the three dominant varieties of English, namely American English, Australian English, and British English. The data on Australian English are drawn from 235 questionnaires completed by students, who reported on the address strategies adopted by students and teaching staff in classroom interactions in an Australian university. Data on American and British academic settings were retrieved from the research literature on the topic. The findings show a high degree of informality and familiarity in student-teacher relations in Australia, where reciprocal first names are the default pattern of address at all levels. By contrast, in American academia the hierarchical organization of roles and the different professional positions are foregrounded and reinforced through an asymmetrical use of titles, honorifics and first names. Finally, the British university setting displays a non-reciprocal usage of first names and titles between lecturer and students, which gradually evolves into a more generalised reciprocal use of first names, usually after extended contact and collaboration. We argue that the distinctive patterns of address observed in the three varieties of English reflect diverse social and cultural values systems at work in different speech communities.
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(2016): Public Cellphone Use Does Not Activate Negative Responses in Others…Unless They Hate Cellphones. In: Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 21 (5), S. 384-398. DOI: 10.1111/jcc4.12174
Abstract: Ostracism dramatically reduces psychosocial well-being. Many studies have examined ostracism within digital environments, but to our knowledge no one has examined ostracism as manifested through public cellphone use. Experimental data revealed that public texting or reading on a cellphone was less ostracizing to copresent others than face-to-face ostracism but more ostracizing than face-to-face inclusion. Though cellphone use was somewhat ostracizing it did not prompt negative psychological effects, supporting the notion of cellphone taken-for-grantedness. Exceptions were found for those reporting phone technostress; these individuals were negatively affected by exposure to someone reading on a cellphone. Findings extend the ostracism paradigm to a new context and support research on the importance of attitudes and norms in shaping the effects of public cellphone use.
Keywords: Bewertung von sozialem Verhalten (/sozialer Angemessenheit), Direkter oder Nebenstehender, Grad der wahrgenommenen Ausgrenzung/Ostracism, Lesen/texten auf dem Handy in Anwesenheit anderer, Öffentlicher vs. privater Raum, phone technostress, POWER, soziale Akzeptanz bestimmter Handlungen trotz erhöhtem Ausgrenzungsgrad, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext, Voreingenommenheit gegen technische Geräte (z.B. Handys) -
(2016): Multiple Audiences as Text Stakeholders. A Conceptual Framework for Analyzing Complex Rhetorical Situations. In: Argumentation 30 (4), S. 467-499. DOI: 10.1007/s10503-016-9394-6
Abstract: In public communication contexts, such as when a company announces the proposal for an important organizational change, argumentation typically involves multiple audiences, rather than a single and homogenous group, let alone an individual interlocutor. In such cases, an exhaustive and precise characterization of the audience structure is crucial both for the arguer, who needs to design an effective argumentative strategy, and for the external analyst, who aims at reconstructing such a strategic discourse. While the peculiar relevance of multiple audience is often emphasized in the argumentation literature and in rhetorical studies, proposals for modelling multi-audience argumentative situations remain scarce and unsystematic. To address this gap, we propose an analytical framework which integrates three conceptual constructs: (1) Rigotti and Rocci's notion of communicative activity type, understood as the implementation of an interaction scheme into a piece of institutional reality, named interaction field; (2) the stakeholder concept, originally developed in strategic management and public relations studies to refer to any actor who affects and/or is affected by the organizational actions and who, accordingly, carries an interest in them; (3) the concept of participant role as it emerges from Goffman's theory of conversation analysis and related linguistic and media studies. From this integration, we derive the notion of text stakeholder for referring to any organizational actor whose interest (stake) becomes an argumentative issue which the organizational text must account for in order to effectively achieve its communicative aim. The text stakeholder notion enables a more comprehensive reconstruction and characterization of multiple audience by eliciting the relevant participants staged in a text and identifying, for each of them, the interactional role they have, the peculiar interest they bear and the related argumentative issue they create. Considering as an illustrative case the defense document issued by a corporation against a hostile takeover attempt made by another corporation, we show how this framework can support the analysis of strategic maneuvering by better defining the audience demand and, so, better explaining how real arguers design and adapt their topical and presentational choices.
Keywords: breites Publikum, Communicative Activity Type nach Rigotti und Rocci, Goffman, Interaktionspartner, Kommunikation, Kommunikationswissenschaft, Konversationsanalyse, Öffentliche Darstellung, Öffentlicher vs. privater Raum, Öffentlichkeit, Publikumswirksamkeit, Rhetorik, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext, stakeholder, Stakeholder Concept (of Communication), Strategien zur Erlangung von Sympathie, Theory of interaction (Goffman), Wissen um Normen -
(2016): Table manners. How to behave in the modern world and why bother. First edition. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Abstract: "An authoritative and witty guide to modern table manners for all occasions by one of the world's most acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs Table Manners is an entertaining and practical guide to manners for everyone and every occasion. Whether you are a guest at a potluck or the host of a dinner party, a patron of your local bar or an invitee at a state dinner, this book tells you exactly how to behave: what to talk about, what to wear, how to eat. Jeremiah Tower has advice on everything: food allergies, RSVPs, iPhones, running late, thank-yous, restaurant etiquette, even what to do when you are served something disgusting. With whimsical line drawings throughout, this is "Strunk and White" for the table"--
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(2016): A Cultural Semiotic Aesthetic Approach for a Virtual Heritage Project. In: Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology 20 (3), S. 198-215. DOI: 10.5840/techne201653147
Abstract: This paper presents an integrated framework applied towards the design and evaluation of a virtual museum of Byzantine art that combines the theorized fields of semiotics, virtual heritage (VH), and Byzantine art. A devised semiotic model, the case study semiosphere, synthesizes important principles from the theoretical background justifying the overall design and evaluation methodology. The approach presented has theoretical extensions to the understanding of the role technology plays in promoting a consummatory aesthetic experience for Byzantine art in virtual environments, complementing the experience received from traditional Byzantine art media. Part A of the work presents the development of the semiotic foundation of the study prior to presenting the applied potential of the approach in design and evaluation of VH for Byzantine art, which appears in Part B. The final task of the proposed approach aims to support a meaningful interpretation, assisting in the promotion of the significance (value) of the virtual museum to potential interpreters/visitors.
Keywords: Ästhetisch angemessene Präsentation von Museumsgut, Augmented & Virtual Reality, Einander-Ergänzen von Objekten und Präsentationsrahmen, Kunst und Kultur, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Museen, Philosophie, Realtechnik, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext, Technik, Technologie, Zeitschrift: techne -
(2016): Let justice be done. A performative view on Portuguese criminal trial procedures. In: Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies 13 (4), S. 400-415. DOI: 10.1080/14791420.2016.1160137
Abstract: Based on fieldwork at criminal courts in the metropolitan area of Lisbon, the article examines the performativity of criminal justice. The written and unwritten rules of criminal trial procedures are analysed as judicial scripts that guide the “making” of Justice. The formalities of the criminal trial, like those that prescribe the correct behaviour of defendants in Portuguese courts, are tied to the liminality of their social standing and their betwixt-and-between position in the court and in society. Script compliance is discussed as a central element within the production of criminal justice. Finally, the article suggests a performative view of justice, drawing on Butler's ideas regarding the enactment and construction of notions of gender.
Keywords: Beeinflussung der Bewertung moralischer Urteile, Bewertung von sozialem Verhalten (/sozialer Angemessenheit), Body, criminal justice, criminal proceedings, Erwartungen, Kooperation, legal anthropology, performance, Portugal, Rechtswissenschaft, Rollen, script, script compliance, Situationsbedingter Kontext, Soziale Hierarchie, Soziale Klasse / Schicht, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext 2015
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(2015): Site Decorum. In: Architectural Theory Review 20 (2), S. 228-246
Abstract: Site decorum refers to the fitting relationship of the site to the building. In classical architectural theory, the character of place affected style and materials: for example, buildings in the country were decorated with less refined finishes than those in the city. Italian Renaissance architects also considered scenography as part of site decorum, so that the position of the observer was taken into account when calculating the appropriate volumes and detail. This resulted from the mastery of linear perspective, a technique that permitted the manipulation of elements to coordinate with the sight-lines of the viewer. Less well known in the context of architecture is the significance of atmospheric perspective, where things become indistinct as they move away from the eye, which could be countered by emphasising the main horizontal, vertical, and massed elements of a building. In the nineteenth century, Charles Robert (C. R.) Cockerell described the methods of designing for different vantage points, noting that the best architects reconciled the two modes of far and close view, and demonstrating how drawing conventions are instruments that might be harnessed to appropriate siting. The salient theme of site decorum is one of perception, namely that a building’s coherent order is relative to the beholder.
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(2015): ‘Guys don’t whale away at the women’. Etiquette and gender relations in contemporary mixed-doubles tennis. In: Sport in Society 19 (8-9), S. 1214-1233. DOI: 10.1080/17430437.2015.1067773
Abstract: This article examines recent developments in etiquette in contemporary mixed-doubles tennis (MDT), to position different behavioural expectations for men/women in the broader context of shifting gender relations. Content analysis of coaching guides published from the 1960-1980s revealed that historically rooted gender distinctions in terms of court positioning, tactics, and playing roles/expectations were reaffirmed, continuing to undermine and marginalize females yet privilege males based on assumed innate differences in physical attributes. Etiquette norms in this era were compared to those found in the early twenty-first century (2000-2010s), through content analysis of online forums/blogs for recreational and elite-level MDT. It was found that while gendered tactics related to court positioning and playing roles were sustained, an important shift in etiquette norms related to chivalry occurred, but was not comprehensively accepted among all players. This development was attributed to third-wave feminist challenges to male chivalry, alongside the burgeoning crisis of masculinity' that increasingly pushed men towards adopting a hybridized masculinity' to assuage public critiques of hegemonic/orthodox masculinity in sport.
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(2015): Decorum and the Meanings of Materials in Triumphal Architecture of Republican Rome. In: JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIANS 74 (3), S. 289-311
Abstract: In Decorum and the Meanings of Materials in Triumphal Architecture of Republican Rome, Maggie L. Popkin argues that the literal and figurative values of materials in republican triumphal architecture stemmed from complex interactions among patron, architect, audience, and sociohistorical context. Several case studies—the Temple of Fortuna Equestris, the Porticus Metelli, the Round Temple on the Tiber, and Temple B in the Area Sacra di Largo Argentina—demonstrate that the juxtaposition of multiple materials, changing historical circumstances, and new groups of viewers resulted in constantly shifting meanings of materials in republican architecture. The Roman notion of decorum helps explain the shifting uses and valuations of materials. Factors such as the monument’s patron, the event that sparked its construction, its location, the monument type, the availability of materials, and the intended audiences affected the choice of materials and their intended and perceived meanings, which had rich conceptual and imaginative potential to evoke Roman conquest, piety, and spectacle.
Keywords: Architektur, Architektur (high and low ranking buildings), Art des Kommunikationsmediums, decorum, Geschichte, Häuser, Kunst, Öffentlicher vs. privater Raum, Raum/Ort, Situationsbedingter Kontext, Social Rank, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext, Sozialer Wert von Objekten/Prestigeobjekte etc., Strategien zur Erlangung von Sympathie, Wissen um Normen 2014
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(2014): The gentlemen's book of etiquette and manual of politeness. London: Hesperus Classics
Abstract: From advice on how to treat ladies, how to behave at a party, and rules for traveling abroad, this handy 19th-century guidebook will provide entertaining nuggets of wisdom. Ever wondered what to do in polite society if you find an insect in your food? Or how a gentleman should ask a lady to dance? And what on earth is the etiquette for smoking cigars? First published in 1860, this classic guide to gentlemanly behavior is a veritable mine of information and indispensable advice for aspiring gentlemen. No matter if a man finds himself at home, in the street, or in a place of amusement, he has but to leaf through this book to learn how best to behave, and indeed how not to behave. And if he can find time between his numerous invitations to balls and hunting parties, he could benefit from a perusal of the sections on gentlemanly deportment and conversational technique. Not forgetting, of course, the all-important advice on how to treat ladies, surely an integral part of any true gentleman's training.
Keywords: Etiquette for men, Gestik/Mimik, Good manners, Historiographie, History of manners, Kultur, manners, REFERENCE, Regelwerke, Rollen, Selbstdisziplin/-kontrolle, Situationsbedingter Kontext, Soziale Angemessenheit, Soziale Klasse / Schicht, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext, Sprachgebrauch, Umgangsformen, Werte 2013
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(2013): Disentangling face, facework and im/ politeness. In: Sociocultural Pragmatics 1 (1), S. 46-73
Abstract: It is generally assumed in pragmatics that face is essentially a “socially attributed aspect of self”, and that politeness is one kind of facework, alongside other forms of facework such as impoliteness, mock impoliteness, mock politeness, self politeness and so on. In this paper, the assumed necessary link between face and im/politeness is questioned. Drawing from emic studies of face and im/politeness, it is argued that face and im/politeness should be studied, in the first instance, as distinct objects of study in their own right. It is also suggested that drawing from a wider range of emic conceptualisations of face and im/politeness opens up aspects of interpersonal phenomena that have been relatively neglected in pragmatics to date, namely, the importance of relationships as well as the sets of expectancies that underpin evaluations of im/politeness, as distinct areas for theorisation and analysis. It is concluded that while the Goffmanian face(work) paradigm has proven very productive in pragmatics, drawing from various other emic understandings affords further hitherto relatively under-explored analytical opportunities in the study of interpersonal phenomena.
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(2013): Understanding politeness. 1. publ. Cambridge u.a.: Cambridge University Press
Abstract: Politeness is key to all of our relationships and plays a fundamental part in the way we communicate with each other and the way we define ourselves. It is not limited only to conventional aspects of linguistic etiquette, but encompasses all types of interpersonal behaviour through which we explore and maintain our relationships. This groundbreaking exploration navigates the reader through this fascinating area and introduces them to a variety of new insights. The book is divided into three parts and is based on an innovative framework which relies on the concepts of social practice, time and space. In this multidisciplinary approach, the authors capture a range of user and observer understandings and provide a variety of examples from different languages and cultures. With its reader-friendly style, carefully constructed exercises and useful glossary, Understanding Politeness will be welcomed by both researchers and postgraduate students working on politeness, pragmatics and sociolinguistics more broadly.
Keywords: Disziplin, Dritte Welle, Favoriten, frames, Good manners, Höflichkeit, Höflichkeitsforschung, Höflichkeitsforschung der dritten Welle, (Im)Politeness Research, Linguistik, Modelle/Theorien, Observablen/Kriterien für sozial angemessenes Verhalten und dessen Bewertung, Soziale Angemessenheit, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext, Überblick, Understandings of politeness -
(2013): Automated Proxemic Feature Extraction and Behavior Recognition. Applications in Human-Robot Interaction. In: International Journal of Social Robotics 5 (3), S. 367-378. DOI: 10.1007/s12369-013-0189-8
Abstract: Abstract In this work, we discuss a set of feature representations for analyzing human spatial behavior (proxemics) motivated by metrics used in the social sciences. Specifically, we consider individual, physical, and psychophysical factors that contribute to social spacing. We demonstrate the feasibility of autonomous real-time annotation of these proxemic features during a social interaction between two people and a humanoid robot in the presence of a visual obstruction (a physical barrier). We then use two different feature representations-physical and psychophysical-to train Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) to recognize spatiotemporal behaviors that signify transitions into (initiation) and out of (termination) a social interaction. We demonstrate that the HMMs trained on psychophysical features, which encode the sensory experience of each interacting agent, outperform those trained on physical features, which only encode spatial relationships. These results suggest a more powerful representation of proxemic behavior with particular implications in autonomous socially interactive and socially assistive robotics.
Keywords: Assistenztechnik, doppelter Treffer, Favoriten, Ingenieurswissenschaft, Interaktion, Interaktionsaustritt, Interaktionseintritt, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Observablen/Kriterien für sozial angemessenes Verhalten und dessen Bewertung, Proxemik, Realtechnik, Soziale Robotik, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext, sozialintervenierende Agenten, Soziosensitive Systeme, Status / biologische Marker, Technik, termination of social interaction 2012
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(2012): Politeness and impoliteness in ethnic varieties of New Zealand English. In: Journal of Pragmatics 44 (9), S. 1063-1076. DOI: 10.1016/j.pragma.2011.11.006
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2011.11.006 Abstract: Many aspects of New Zealand English (NZE) have been well described, especially the distinctive vocabulary, phonology, and some syntactic differences in relation to other varieties of English. Building on earlier research describing pragmatic features of NZE, and identifying ways in which politeness is expressed in NewZealand(NZ) workplace talk, this paper extends the socio-pragmatic analysis of NZE in several ways. Using the theoretical model that we have developed to analyse workplace interaction, we adopt an emic approach, focussing on intercultural interactions between Māori and Pākehā, and data from both Māori and Pākehā workplaces to throw light on distinctive features of politeness in NZE workplace discourse. With this goal,we examine the important value of egalitarianism in NZ society, and explore its pervasive influence on the ways in which politeness is interactionally achieved in different NZ communities of practice. Wethendiscusshowthisrelatestothestylisticdimensionofformality,exemplifyingsomedistinctivelyNZwaysinwhich formality andinformalityareindexedinworkplaceinteraction.Theanalysisillustrateshowtheseinfluencesaremanifestinanumberof specific aspectsofworkplaceinteraction,includingsmalltalk,humour,meetingprotocols,andintheextensionofthedistinctivepragmatic particle eh to newdomains.
Keywords: Community of practice, Disziplin, Egalitarianism, Höflichkeit, Höflichkeitsforschung, Im/politeness, Informality, Kultur, Kulturdifferenz, Kulturelle Normen, Kulturspezifizität, Kulturtheorie, Linguistik, New Zealand English, Soziale Angemessenheit, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext, Sprache, Sprachgebrauch, Umgangsformen -
(2012): Intercultural communication. A discourse approach. 3. ed., 1. publ. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell (Language in society)Keywords: Diskursanalyse, Disziplin, Erste Welle, Favoriten, FTA Face Threatening Acts, Höflichkeit, Höflichkeitsforschung, Höflichkeitsforschung der ersten Welle, (Im)Politeness Research, Intercultural Communication View, Kommunikation, Kulturkontakt, Linguistik, Modelle/Theorien, Observablen/Kriterien für sozial angemessenes Verhalten und dessen Bewertung, Soziale Angemessenheit, Soziale Distanz, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext, Sprache, Sprachgebrauch
2011
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(2011): Im/polite reader responses on British online news sites. In: Journal of Politeness Research. Language, Behaviour, Culture 7 (2), S. 187-214. DOI: 10.1515/jplr.2011.010
Abstract: Impolite and aggressive behaviour of anonymous users appears to be an important feature of online newspaper comments. This paper identifies and investigates how impoliteness is utilized strategically by newspaper readers to attack the author of an article. Empirical data is drawn from "Have-your-say" sections of the Guardian Online, Times Online and Telegraph Online. Results illustrate that impolite moves frequently involve face-threats that question the jourbalists' authority, credibility and trustworthiness. In the main part of the paper a categorization scheme for different types of impolite moves is introduced and a working definition of impoliteness in the context of "Have-your-say" sections presented. After having sketched a number of fundamental methodological and theoretical challenges in impoliteness research, the paper also demonstrates how the communicative setting and medium influence the realization and interpretation of impolite behaviour in those forms of public debates. Given the challenge of identifying and conceptualizing impoliteness in general and more specifically in a computer-mediated environment, etiquette rules prove especially useful for norms of appropriateness. It is also argued that the strength of those face-threats may be boosted by the fact that they are uttered in front of large audience and more specifically the journalist's readership.
Keywords: Art des Kommunikationsmediums, Diskurse in Anwesenheit von Zuhörerschaft/Leserschaft/Audience, Face, Face-threatening acts, Have-your-say sections for readers, Impolite Talk, Infragestellen von Autorität, Infragestellen von Glaubwürdigkeit, Infragestellen von Vertrauenswürdigkeit, Medien, Öffentlicher vs. privater Raum, Online-Journalismus, Rolle (Beruf), Situationsbedingter Kontext, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext, time -
(2011) : Anthropomorphism And Social Robots: Setting Etiquette Expectations In: Hayes, Caroline C.; Miller, Christopher Allan (Hg.): Human-computer etiquette: Cultural expectations and the design implications they place on computers and technology: Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press, S. 231-262
Abstract: [-]
Keywords: Anthropomorphisierung, doppelter Treffer, Emotionen, Erwartungen, Etikette, Etiquette as rules of expectation, Favoriten, frames, Gestik/Mimik, Konversationskonventionen als Etikette-Erwartungen, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Mensch-Technische Systeme, Modelle/Theorien, Observablen/Kriterien für sozial angemessenes Verhalten und dessen Bewertung, Ohne Abstract oder Text, Realtechnik, Roboter, Rollen, Situationsbedingter Kontext, Sozial Intelligente Agenten, Soziale Angemessenheit, Soziale Robotik, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext, Soziosensitive Systeme, Status / biologische Marker, Technik 2009
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(2009): The valentyn case. plagiarism and scientific decorum at the beginning of the eighteenth century. In: TIJDSCHRIFT VOOR NEDERLANDSE TAAL-EN LETTERKUNDE 125 (1), S. 22-40
Abstract: François Valentyn (1666-1727) is the author of Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën, which is the most comprehensive book about Asia published in the eighteenth century. Modern criticism of his work to a large degree revolves around accusations of plagiarism of naturalist Georg Rumphius. This criticism, however, does not take into account early eighteenth-century notions of plagiarism and systems of referencing. This article tries to read the shortcomings (from our perspective) of Valentyn's system of referencing against the background of shifting ideas about scholarly behaviour and referencing within the Republic of Letters around 1700. The argument of the paper focusses both on Valentyn's use of Rumphius and his defence against potential accusations of plagiarism in the case of his assertions about the possible location of biblical Ophir in the book of Kings. It is concluded that Valentyn found himself in an ambiguous discursive position. Although he was acquainted with the stricter guidelines for scholarly referencing in the Republic of Letters, in which he held at most an outsider's position, at the same time he remained caught up in a historiographical discourse which discouraged explicit attribution and, in the case of travel writing, even allowed large scale plagiarism.
2008
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(2008): Social Ontology as Convention. In: Topoi 27 (1-2), S. 139-149. DOI: 10.1007/s11245-008-9036-1
Abstract: I will argue that social ontology is constituted as hierarchical and interlocking conventions of multifarious kinds. Convention, in turn, is modeled in a manner derived from that of David K. Lewis. Convention is usually held to be inadequate for models of social ontologies, with one primary reason being that there seems to be no place for normativity. I argue that two related changes are required in the basic modeling framework in order to address this (and other) issue( s): (1) a shift to an intentional model - among other reasons, in order to account for normativity - and (2) moving away from the belief- desire, propositional attitude, framework for understanding the intentional realm toward an interactive, pragmatic model of intentionality. These shifts provide natural approaches to: (1) understanding the normativities of social realities; (2) the sense in which social ontology is often constituted in implicit relations among the participants rather than elaborated and iterated explicit beliefs and desires; (3) and language.
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(2008): Cultural Neuroscience of Consciousness. In: Journal of Consciousness Studies 15 (10-11), S. 58-69
Abstract: Philosophical inquiries into the nature of consciousness have long been intrinsically tied to questions regarding the nature of the self. Although philosophers of mind seldom make reference to the role of cultural context in shaping consciousness, since antiquity culture has played a notable role in philosophical conceptions of the self. Western philosophers, from Plato to Locke, have emphasized an individualistic view of the self that is autonomous and consistent across situations, while Eastern philosophers, such as Lao Tzu and Confucius, have argued for a collectivistic view of the self, one that is interconnected to others and embedded within specific social contexts and situations. Here we argue that a comprehensive theory of consciousness needs to account for the role of cultural context and its bidirectional interaction with neural and genetic mechanisms in shaping a variety of conscious phenomena, from visual perception to self-awareness. We review recent evidence of cultural variation in neurobiological mechanisms underlying these phenomena and discuss the implications of these cultural neuroscience findings for the study of consciousness.
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(2008): Charles Lamb on Romantic Reading and Social Decorum. In: WORDSWORTH CIRCLE 39 (3), S. 79-85
Abstract: This article discusses topics related to Charles Lamb on Romantic reading and social decorum. It states the for Lamb, reading is essentially an indoor, private activity for pleasure rather than duty. It explains that Lamb cares for the physical condition and appearance of his books and believes that reading entails appreciating its social and cultural status. In addition, Lamb dislikes hearing written and printed works being read aloud, especially newspapers, wherein he states that reading aloud in public is a tedious and potentially embarrassing activity because most readers are slow readers and because their private pleasure is rarely suitable for public exposure.
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(2008): Self-reported suicidal behavior and attitudes toward suicide and suicide prevention among psychology students in Ghana, Uganda, and Norway. In: Crisis 29 (1), S. 20-31. DOI: 10.1027/0227-5910.29.1.20
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18389642 Abstract: Self-reported suicidal behavior and attitudes toward suicide in psychology students are reported and compared in Ghana, Uganda, and Norway. Small differences only were found in own suicidal behavior. However, experience of suicidal behavior in the surroundings was more common in Uganda than in Ghana and Norway. Although differences were found between the three countries in attitudes toward suicide, which emphasizes the need for culture-sensitive research and prevention, many of the differences were not as big as expected. The most pronounced difference was that the Norwegian students were more reluctant to take a stand on these questions compared to their African counterparts. Some differences were also found between the two African countries. The implications of the results for suicide prevention in Africa are discussed.
Keywords: Adult, Attitude to Death/ethnology, Culture, Disziplin, Female, Ghana/epidemiology, Humans, Kulturtheorie, Male, Norway/epidemiology, Observablen/Kriterien für sozial angemessenes Verhalten und dessen Bewertung, Pathologie, Prevalence, Psychologie, Psychology/education, Sozialer Raum / Kultureller Kontext, Students/psychology/statistics & numerical data, Suicide, Attempted/prevention & control/statistics & numerical data, Surveys and Questionnaires, Uganda/epidemiology