John Michael | JARAMOGI ONGNGA ODINGA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (original) (raw)

Papers by John Michael

Research paper thumbnail of Perceiving commitments: When we both know that you are counting on me

Mind & Language

Can commitments be generated without promises, commissive speech acts or gestures that are conven... more Can commitments be generated without promises, commissive speech acts or gestures that are conventionally interpreted as such? While we remain neutral with respect to the normative answer to this question, we propose a psychological answer. Specifically, we hypothesize that people at least believe that commitments are in place if one agent (the sender) has led a second agent (the recipient) to rely on her to do something, and if this is mutually known by the two agents. Crucially, this situation can occur even if the sender has neither uttered a commissive speech act nor performed any action that would conventionally be interpreted as such. In a series of online experiments, we tested this hypothesis by presenting participants with vignettes describing everyday situations in which a recipient's expectations were frustrated by the sender's behavior, and then eliciting moral judgments about the sender's actions and character. We manipulated whether the recipient's reliance on the sender was mutually known, and if so, whether the sender verbally acknowledged this or not. The results show that moral judgments differed significantly according to whether the recipient's reliance was mutually known, but not according to whether this was verbally acknowledged.

Research paper thumbnail of Why should any body have a self?

We use a general computational framework for brain function to develop a theory of the self. The ... more We use a general computational framework for brain function to develop a theory of the self. The theory is that the self is an inferred model of endogenous, deeply hidden causes of behavior. The general framework for brain function on which we base this theory is that the brain is fundamentally an organ for prediction error minimization.There are three related parts to this project. In the first part (Sections 2-3), we explain how prediction error minimization must lead to the inference of a network of deeply hidden endogenous causes. The key concept here is that prediction error minimization in the long term approximates hierarchical Bayesian inference, where the hierarchy is critical to understand the place of the self, and the body, in the world.In the second part (Sections 4-5), we discuss why such a set of hidden endogenous causes should qualify as a self. We show how a comprehensive prediction error minimization account can accommodate key characteristics of the self. It turns...

Research paper thumbnail of Postwildfire debris flows hazard assessment for the area burned by the 2011 Track Fire, northeastern New Mexico and southeastern Colorado

Research paper thumbnail of Postwildfire preliminary debris flow hazard assessment for the area burned by the 2011 Las Conchas Fire in north-central New Mexico

Research paper thumbnail of Emergency assessment of potential debris-flow peak discharges, Missionary Ridge fire, Colorado

Open-File Report

For the steep watersheds from which these measurements were made, it is generally assumed that th... more For the steep watersheds from which these measurements were made, it is generally assumed that the discharge estimates obtained using this approach are conservative in the context of engineering design.

Research paper thumbnail of Assessment of potential debris-flow peak discharges from basins burned by the 2002 Missionary Ridge fire, Colorado

Open-File Report

These maps present the results of assessments of peak discharges that can potentially be generate... more These maps present the results of assessments of peak discharges that can potentially be generated by debris flows issuing from the basins burned by the Coal Seam fire of June and July 2002, near Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The maps are based on a regression model for debris-flow peak discharge normalized by average storm intensity as a function of basin gradient and burned extent, and limited field checking. A range of potential peak discharges that could potentially be produced from each of the burned basins between 1 ft3/s (0.03 m3/s) and greater than 5,000 ft3/s (>141 m3/s) is calculated for the 5-year, 1-hour storm of 0.80 inches (20 mm). The 25-year, 1-hour storm of 1.3 inches (33 mm). The 100year, 1-hour storm of 1.8 inches (46 mm) produced peak discharges between 1 and greater than 8,000 ft3/s (>227 m3/s). These maps are intended for use by emergency personnel to aid in the preliminary design of mitigation measures, and the planning of evacuation timing and routes.

Research paper thumbnail of Hazard analysis of landslides triggered by Typhoon Chata'an on July 2, 2002, in Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia

Research paper thumbnail of Rock-fall hazard assessment of Little Mill Campground, American Fork Canyon, Uinta National Forest, Utah

Research paper thumbnail of Effort and performance in a cooperative activity are boosted by perception of a partner's effort

Scientific reports, Jan 24, 2018

In everyday life, people must often determine how much time and effort to allocate to cooperative... more In everyday life, people must often determine how much time and effort to allocate to cooperative activities. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that the perception of others' effort investment in a cooperative activity may elicit a sense of commitment, leading people to allocate more time and effort to the activity themselves. We developed an effortful task in which participants were required to move an increasingly difficult bar slider on a screen while simultaneously reacting to the appearance of virtual coins and earn points to share between themselves and their partner. This design allowed us to operationalize commitment in terms of participants' investment of time and effort. Crucially, the cooperative activity could only be performed after a partner had completed a complementary activity which we manipulated to be either easy (Low Effort condition) or difficult (High Effort condition). Our results revealed participants invested more effort, persisted longe...

Research paper thumbnail of Seeing It Both Ways: Using a Double-Cuing Task to Investigate the Role of Spatial Cuing in Level-1 Visual Perspective-Taking

Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance, Jan 20, 2017

Previous research using the dot-perspective task has produced evidence that humans may be equippe... more Previous research using the dot-perspective task has produced evidence that humans may be equipped with a mechanism that spontaneously tracks others' gaze direction and thereby acquires information about what they can see. Other findings, however, support the alternative hypothesis that a spatial-cuing mechanism underpins the effect observed in the dot-perspective task. To adjudicate between these hypotheses, we developed a double-cuing version of Posner's (1980) spatial-cuing paradigm to be implemented in the dot-perspective task, and conducted 3 experiments in which we manipulated stimulus-onset asynchrony, as well as secondary task demands. Crucially, the 2 conflicting hypotheses generated divergent patterns of predictions across these experimental conditions. Our results support the hypothesis of an automatic perspective-taking mechanism. (PsycINFO Database Record

Research paper thumbnail of Goal Slippage: A Mechanism for Spontaneous Instrumental Helping in Infancy?

Research paper thumbnail of The Sense of Commitment in Human–Robot Interaction

International Journal of Social Robotics, 2016

The sense of commitment is a fundamental building block of human social life. By generating and/o... more The sense of commitment is a fundamental building block of human social life. By generating and/or stabilizing expectations about contributions that individual agents will make to the goals of other agents or to shared goals, a sense of commitment can facilitate the planning and coordination of actions involving multiple agents. Moreover, it can also increase individual agents' motivation to contribute to other agents' goals or to shared goals, as well as their willingness to rely on other agents' contributions. In this paper, we provide a starting point for designing robots that exhibit and/or elicit a sense of commitment. We identify several challenges that such a project would likely confront, and consider possibilities for meeting these challenges.

Research paper thumbnail of Open cycle ocean thermal energy conversion system structure

Research paper thumbnail of Mapping of hazard from rainfall-triggered landslides in developing countries: Examples from Honduras and Micronesia

Engineering Geology, Mar 1, 2009

Loss of life and property caused by landslides triggered by extreme rainfall events demonstrates ... more Loss of life and property caused by landslides triggered by extreme rainfall events demonstrates the need for landslide-hazard assessment in developing countries where recovery from such events often exceeds the country's resources. Mapping landslide hazards in developing countries where the need for landslide-hazard mitigation is great but the resources are few is a challenging, but not intractable problem. The minimum

Research paper thumbnail of Interplay Between the Effects of Dilated Cardiomyopathy Mutation (R206L) and the Protein Kinase C Phosphomimic (T204E) of Rat Cardiac Troponin T Are Differently Modulated by α- and β-Myosin Heavy Chain Isoforms

Journal of the American Heart Association, Jan 21, 2016

We hypothesized that the functional effects of R206L-a rat analog of the dilated cardiomyopathy (... more We hypothesized that the functional effects of R206L-a rat analog of the dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) mutation R205L in human cardiac troponin T (TnT)-were differently modulated by myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms and T204E, a protein kinase C (PKC) phosphomimic of TnT. Our hypothesis was based on two observations: (1) α- and β-MHC differentially influence the functional effects of TnT; and (2) PKC isoforms capable of phosphorylating TnT are upregulated in failing human hearts. We generated 4 recombinant TnT variants: wild type; R206L; T204E; and R206L+T204E. Functional effects of the TnT variants were tested in cardiac muscle fibers (minimum 14 per group) from normal (α-MHC) and propylthiouracil-treated rats (β-MHC) using steady-state and dynamic contractile measurements. Notably, in α-MHC fibers, Ca(2+)-activated maximal tension was attenuated by R206L (≈32%), T204E (≈63%), and R206L+T204E (≈64%). In β-MHC fibers, maximal tension was unaffected by R206L, but was attenuated by T20...

Research paper thumbnail of Prediction error minimization: Implications for Embodied Cognition and the Extended Mind Hypothesis

Brain and cognition, Mar 5, 2016

Over the past few years, the prediction error minimization (PEM) framework has increasingly been ... more Over the past few years, the prediction error minimization (PEM) framework has increasingly been gaining ground throughout the cognitive sciences. A key issue dividing proponents of PEM is how we should conceptualize the relation between brain, body and environment. Clark advocates a version of PEM which retains, at least to a certain extent, his prior commitments to Embodied Cognition and to the Extended Mind Hypothesis. Hohwy, by contrast, presents a sustained argument that PEM actually rules out at least some versions of Embodied and Extended cognition. The aim of this paper is to facilitate a constructive debate between these two competing alternatives by explicating the different theoretical motivations underlying them, and by homing in on the relevant issues that may help to adjudicate between them.

Research paper thumbnail of High temperature pressure coupled ultrasonic waveguide

Research paper thumbnail of Austenite recrystallization in

Metall Mater Trans a, 1987

Research paper thumbnail of Aicha-Mauls am Brenner-Basistunnel - Stand der Arbeiten und Ergebnisse / Aicha-Mauls on the Brenner Base Tunnel - status of the works and results

Geomechanics and Tunnelling Geomechanik Und Tunnelbau, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Training in Compensatory Strategies Enhances Rapport in Interactions Involving People with Möbius Syndrome

Frontiers in Neurology, 2015

In the exploratory study reported here, we tested the efficacy of an intervention designed to tra... more In the exploratory study reported here, we tested the efficacy of an intervention designed to train teenagers with Möbius syndrome (MS) to increase the use of alternative communication strategies (e.g., gestures) to compensate for their lack of facial expressivity. Specifically, we expected the intervention to increase the level of rapport experienced in social interactions by our participants. In addition, we aimed to identify the mechanisms responsible for any such increase in rapport. In the study, five teenagers with MS interacted with three naïve participants without MS before the intervention, and with three different naïve participants without MS after the intervention. Rapport was assessed by self-report and by behavioral coders who rated videos of the interactions. Individual non-verbal behavior was assessed via behavioral coders, whereas verbal behavior was automatically extracted from the sound files. Alignment was assessed using cross recurrence quantification analysis and mixed-effects models. The results showed that observer-coded rapport was greater after the intervention, whereas self-reported rapport did not change significantly. Observer-coded gesture and expressivity increased in participants with and without MS, whereas overall linguistic alignment decreased. Fidgeting and repetitiveness of verbal behavior also decreased in both groups. In sum, the intervention may impact non-verbal and verbal behavior in participants with and without MS, increasing rapport as well as overall gesturing, while decreasing alignment.

Research paper thumbnail of Perceiving commitments: When we both know that you are counting on me

Mind & Language

Can commitments be generated without promises, commissive speech acts or gestures that are conven... more Can commitments be generated without promises, commissive speech acts or gestures that are conventionally interpreted as such? While we remain neutral with respect to the normative answer to this question, we propose a psychological answer. Specifically, we hypothesize that people at least believe that commitments are in place if one agent (the sender) has led a second agent (the recipient) to rely on her to do something, and if this is mutually known by the two agents. Crucially, this situation can occur even if the sender has neither uttered a commissive speech act nor performed any action that would conventionally be interpreted as such. In a series of online experiments, we tested this hypothesis by presenting participants with vignettes describing everyday situations in which a recipient's expectations were frustrated by the sender's behavior, and then eliciting moral judgments about the sender's actions and character. We manipulated whether the recipient's reliance on the sender was mutually known, and if so, whether the sender verbally acknowledged this or not. The results show that moral judgments differed significantly according to whether the recipient's reliance was mutually known, but not according to whether this was verbally acknowledged.

Research paper thumbnail of Why should any body have a self?

We use a general computational framework for brain function to develop a theory of the self. The ... more We use a general computational framework for brain function to develop a theory of the self. The theory is that the self is an inferred model of endogenous, deeply hidden causes of behavior. The general framework for brain function on which we base this theory is that the brain is fundamentally an organ for prediction error minimization.There are three related parts to this project. In the first part (Sections 2-3), we explain how prediction error minimization must lead to the inference of a network of deeply hidden endogenous causes. The key concept here is that prediction error minimization in the long term approximates hierarchical Bayesian inference, where the hierarchy is critical to understand the place of the self, and the body, in the world.In the second part (Sections 4-5), we discuss why such a set of hidden endogenous causes should qualify as a self. We show how a comprehensive prediction error minimization account can accommodate key characteristics of the self. It turns...

Research paper thumbnail of Postwildfire debris flows hazard assessment for the area burned by the 2011 Track Fire, northeastern New Mexico and southeastern Colorado

Research paper thumbnail of Postwildfire preliminary debris flow hazard assessment for the area burned by the 2011 Las Conchas Fire in north-central New Mexico

Research paper thumbnail of Emergency assessment of potential debris-flow peak discharges, Missionary Ridge fire, Colorado

Open-File Report

For the steep watersheds from which these measurements were made, it is generally assumed that th... more For the steep watersheds from which these measurements were made, it is generally assumed that the discharge estimates obtained using this approach are conservative in the context of engineering design.

Research paper thumbnail of Assessment of potential debris-flow peak discharges from basins burned by the 2002 Missionary Ridge fire, Colorado

Open-File Report

These maps present the results of assessments of peak discharges that can potentially be generate... more These maps present the results of assessments of peak discharges that can potentially be generated by debris flows issuing from the basins burned by the Coal Seam fire of June and July 2002, near Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The maps are based on a regression model for debris-flow peak discharge normalized by average storm intensity as a function of basin gradient and burned extent, and limited field checking. A range of potential peak discharges that could potentially be produced from each of the burned basins between 1 ft3/s (0.03 m3/s) and greater than 5,000 ft3/s (>141 m3/s) is calculated for the 5-year, 1-hour storm of 0.80 inches (20 mm). The 25-year, 1-hour storm of 1.3 inches (33 mm). The 100year, 1-hour storm of 1.8 inches (46 mm) produced peak discharges between 1 and greater than 8,000 ft3/s (>227 m3/s). These maps are intended for use by emergency personnel to aid in the preliminary design of mitigation measures, and the planning of evacuation timing and routes.

Research paper thumbnail of Hazard analysis of landslides triggered by Typhoon Chata'an on July 2, 2002, in Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia

Research paper thumbnail of Rock-fall hazard assessment of Little Mill Campground, American Fork Canyon, Uinta National Forest, Utah

Research paper thumbnail of Effort and performance in a cooperative activity are boosted by perception of a partner's effort

Scientific reports, Jan 24, 2018

In everyday life, people must often determine how much time and effort to allocate to cooperative... more In everyday life, people must often determine how much time and effort to allocate to cooperative activities. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that the perception of others' effort investment in a cooperative activity may elicit a sense of commitment, leading people to allocate more time and effort to the activity themselves. We developed an effortful task in which participants were required to move an increasingly difficult bar slider on a screen while simultaneously reacting to the appearance of virtual coins and earn points to share between themselves and their partner. This design allowed us to operationalize commitment in terms of participants' investment of time and effort. Crucially, the cooperative activity could only be performed after a partner had completed a complementary activity which we manipulated to be either easy (Low Effort condition) or difficult (High Effort condition). Our results revealed participants invested more effort, persisted longe...

Research paper thumbnail of Seeing It Both Ways: Using a Double-Cuing Task to Investigate the Role of Spatial Cuing in Level-1 Visual Perspective-Taking

Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance, Jan 20, 2017

Previous research using the dot-perspective task has produced evidence that humans may be equippe... more Previous research using the dot-perspective task has produced evidence that humans may be equipped with a mechanism that spontaneously tracks others' gaze direction and thereby acquires information about what they can see. Other findings, however, support the alternative hypothesis that a spatial-cuing mechanism underpins the effect observed in the dot-perspective task. To adjudicate between these hypotheses, we developed a double-cuing version of Posner's (1980) spatial-cuing paradigm to be implemented in the dot-perspective task, and conducted 3 experiments in which we manipulated stimulus-onset asynchrony, as well as secondary task demands. Crucially, the 2 conflicting hypotheses generated divergent patterns of predictions across these experimental conditions. Our results support the hypothesis of an automatic perspective-taking mechanism. (PsycINFO Database Record

Research paper thumbnail of Goal Slippage: A Mechanism for Spontaneous Instrumental Helping in Infancy?

Research paper thumbnail of The Sense of Commitment in Human–Robot Interaction

International Journal of Social Robotics, 2016

The sense of commitment is a fundamental building block of human social life. By generating and/o... more The sense of commitment is a fundamental building block of human social life. By generating and/or stabilizing expectations about contributions that individual agents will make to the goals of other agents or to shared goals, a sense of commitment can facilitate the planning and coordination of actions involving multiple agents. Moreover, it can also increase individual agents' motivation to contribute to other agents' goals or to shared goals, as well as their willingness to rely on other agents' contributions. In this paper, we provide a starting point for designing robots that exhibit and/or elicit a sense of commitment. We identify several challenges that such a project would likely confront, and consider possibilities for meeting these challenges.

Research paper thumbnail of Open cycle ocean thermal energy conversion system structure

Research paper thumbnail of Mapping of hazard from rainfall-triggered landslides in developing countries: Examples from Honduras and Micronesia

Engineering Geology, Mar 1, 2009

Loss of life and property caused by landslides triggered by extreme rainfall events demonstrates ... more Loss of life and property caused by landslides triggered by extreme rainfall events demonstrates the need for landslide-hazard assessment in developing countries where recovery from such events often exceeds the country's resources. Mapping landslide hazards in developing countries where the need for landslide-hazard mitigation is great but the resources are few is a challenging, but not intractable problem. The minimum

Research paper thumbnail of Interplay Between the Effects of Dilated Cardiomyopathy Mutation (R206L) and the Protein Kinase C Phosphomimic (T204E) of Rat Cardiac Troponin T Are Differently Modulated by α- and β-Myosin Heavy Chain Isoforms

Journal of the American Heart Association, Jan 21, 2016

We hypothesized that the functional effects of R206L-a rat analog of the dilated cardiomyopathy (... more We hypothesized that the functional effects of R206L-a rat analog of the dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) mutation R205L in human cardiac troponin T (TnT)-were differently modulated by myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms and T204E, a protein kinase C (PKC) phosphomimic of TnT. Our hypothesis was based on two observations: (1) α- and β-MHC differentially influence the functional effects of TnT; and (2) PKC isoforms capable of phosphorylating TnT are upregulated in failing human hearts. We generated 4 recombinant TnT variants: wild type; R206L; T204E; and R206L+T204E. Functional effects of the TnT variants were tested in cardiac muscle fibers (minimum 14 per group) from normal (α-MHC) and propylthiouracil-treated rats (β-MHC) using steady-state and dynamic contractile measurements. Notably, in α-MHC fibers, Ca(2+)-activated maximal tension was attenuated by R206L (≈32%), T204E (≈63%), and R206L+T204E (≈64%). In β-MHC fibers, maximal tension was unaffected by R206L, but was attenuated by T20...

Research paper thumbnail of Prediction error minimization: Implications for Embodied Cognition and the Extended Mind Hypothesis

Brain and cognition, Mar 5, 2016

Over the past few years, the prediction error minimization (PEM) framework has increasingly been ... more Over the past few years, the prediction error minimization (PEM) framework has increasingly been gaining ground throughout the cognitive sciences. A key issue dividing proponents of PEM is how we should conceptualize the relation between brain, body and environment. Clark advocates a version of PEM which retains, at least to a certain extent, his prior commitments to Embodied Cognition and to the Extended Mind Hypothesis. Hohwy, by contrast, presents a sustained argument that PEM actually rules out at least some versions of Embodied and Extended cognition. The aim of this paper is to facilitate a constructive debate between these two competing alternatives by explicating the different theoretical motivations underlying them, and by homing in on the relevant issues that may help to adjudicate between them.

Research paper thumbnail of High temperature pressure coupled ultrasonic waveguide

Research paper thumbnail of Austenite recrystallization in

Metall Mater Trans a, 1987

Research paper thumbnail of Aicha-Mauls am Brenner-Basistunnel - Stand der Arbeiten und Ergebnisse / Aicha-Mauls on the Brenner Base Tunnel - status of the works and results

Geomechanics and Tunnelling Geomechanik Und Tunnelbau, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Training in Compensatory Strategies Enhances Rapport in Interactions Involving People with Möbius Syndrome

Frontiers in Neurology, 2015

In the exploratory study reported here, we tested the efficacy of an intervention designed to tra... more In the exploratory study reported here, we tested the efficacy of an intervention designed to train teenagers with Möbius syndrome (MS) to increase the use of alternative communication strategies (e.g., gestures) to compensate for their lack of facial expressivity. Specifically, we expected the intervention to increase the level of rapport experienced in social interactions by our participants. In addition, we aimed to identify the mechanisms responsible for any such increase in rapport. In the study, five teenagers with MS interacted with three naïve participants without MS before the intervention, and with three different naïve participants without MS after the intervention. Rapport was assessed by self-report and by behavioral coders who rated videos of the interactions. Individual non-verbal behavior was assessed via behavioral coders, whereas verbal behavior was automatically extracted from the sound files. Alignment was assessed using cross recurrence quantification analysis and mixed-effects models. The results showed that observer-coded rapport was greater after the intervention, whereas self-reported rapport did not change significantly. Observer-coded gesture and expressivity increased in participants with and without MS, whereas overall linguistic alignment decreased. Fidgeting and repetitiveness of verbal behavior also decreased in both groups. In sum, the intervention may impact non-verbal and verbal behavior in participants with and without MS, increasing rapport as well as overall gesturing, while decreasing alignment.