Information Studies Seminar Series: "The Experience Sampling Method: Assets for Soundscape Research." Guest speaker Dr. J. Steffens

Join us for a McGill School of Information Studies (SIS) Seminar Series talk on benefits of using experience sampling methodology in soundscape research with speaker Dr. Jochen Steffens.

ABSTRACT

Since its development in the late 1970s, experience sampling methodology (ESM) has gained huge popularity in many areas of psychological research, especially due to the widespread distribution of cell phones. ESM refers to a method of data collection in which people make momentary judgments while naturally acting within their everyday environment. Already psychologists as Brunswik (1949) addressed the importance of understanding the complex interrelation between human behavior and situational variables in everyday life.

In this seminar, a theoretical background of the ESM as well as approaches for its practical implementation will be provided. Furthermore, an own study will be presented where the relationship between momentary and retrospective soundscape judgments was investigated. In the course of this study, the influence of mood, attention, activity, and personality traits on the perception of soundscapes was also studied. The data analysis led to a structural equation model which illustrates and quantifies the complex interplay of the variables collected in the study. The results of this case study demonstrate that the ESM provides a strong methodological framework to study environmental and psychological factors and their temporal fluctuations at play in soundscape judgments.

BIO

Jochen Steffens joined the School of Information Studies in January 2014 as a postdoctoral researcher at the Multimodal Interaction Laboratory (MIL), working on heuristics governing global soundscape evaluations with Prof Catherine Guastavino. His research investigates the effect of crucial moments in temporal experiences on overall retrospective evaluations in the context of soundscape perception. Dr Steffens received a Diploma in Audio and Video Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences and the Robert Schumann School of Music and Media in Düsseldorf, Germany (2007). He completed his PhD degree in engineering from the Technische Universität Berlin in 2013. His research interests are on psychoacoustics, soundscapes, and the process of sound evaluation with its influencing cognitive factors.

This talk is free and open to all. Please arrive early to secure a seat.