Browsing by Author "Chang, Wen-Shan"

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Stimulating the imaginative capacities of agricultural extension students
(2016-01-01)
Liang, Chaoyun
;
Chang, Wen-Shan
;
Yao, Shu-Nung
;
King, Jung-Tai
;
Chen, Shi-An
Purpose: To address the dynamic challenges associated with developing a globally sustainable society, numerous scholars have stressed the need to cultivate the imagination of agricultural students. This study aimed to explore how pictorial representations stimulate the imaginative capacities of agricultural extension students. Design/methodology/approach: We adopted a focus group method that enabled in-depth discussions amongst selected participants. Three focus group discussions were held with 15 student participants in Taiwan. Regarding the pictorial representations, a series of works from three great artists were selected, namely Jean-Francois Millet, Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro. The works were chosen. Findings: The results indicated that different indicators of imaginative capacities were stimulated by different types or combinations of pictorial representations. For example, realistic visual stimuli were beneficial for cultivating student intuition of problem solving. The atmosphere and colour of visual stimuli affected student sensibilities. The abstract stimuli and remote analogues were beneficial in generating original ideas and breaking design fixations. These stimulations occurred largely according to encountering problems and project needs. Practical implications: These findings can assist agricultural educators in developing imaginative curricula and instructional strategies and might increase students' creative performance. Originality/value: This research provides intriguing insights into the complexities of human imagination. First, the present study developed a novel approach to assess how pictorial representations stimulate the imaginative-capacity indicators of agricultural extension students. Our results indicated that various indicators were stimulated by various types or combinations of pictorial representations, and how and why these stimulations occurred largely depended on design problems and project needs.
Visual attention and association: An electroencephalography study in expert designers
(2017-01)
Liang, Chaoyun
;
Lin, Chin-Teng
;
Yao, Shu-Nung
;
Chang, Wen-Shan
;
Liu, Yu-Cheng
Extant research on the visual attention and association of designers is limited, and scientific evidence dfferentiating among the effects of diverse visual stimuli on design thinking is insufficient. The current study invited 12 healthy expert designers and analysed their experiences of visual attention and association in addition to exploring the differences caused by three types of pictorial representation. The results of this electroencephalography (EEG) experiment indicated that the frontoparietal region was particularly activated when the designers engaged in visual attention tasks, whereas the brainwaves were particularly activated in the distributed prefrontal, frontocentral, and parietooccipital regions during the visual association tasks. In addition, there were no significant differences in the brainwave energy resulting from the three types of pictorial representation applied in this study. The research outcomes linking design studies to cognitive neuroscience establish a concrete foundation for developing future applied research and diverse educational practices. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Visual attention and association: An electroencephalography study in expert designers
(2017-01)
Liang, Chaoyun
;
Lin, Chin-Teng
;
Yao, Shu-Nung
;
Chang, Wen-Shan
;
Liu, Yu-Cheng
Extant research on the visual attention and association of designers is limited, and scientific evidence dfferentiating among the effects of diverse visual stimuli on design thinking is insufficient. The current study invited 12 healthy expert designers and analysed their experiences of visual attention and association in addition to exploring the differences caused by three types of pictorial representation. The results of this electroencephalography (EEG) experiment indicated that the frontoparietal region was particularly activated when the designers engaged in visual attention tasks, whereas the brainwaves were particularly activated in the distributed prefrontal, frontocentral, and parietooccipital regions during the visual association tasks. In addition, there were no significant differences in the brainwave energy resulting from the three types of pictorial representation applied in this study. The research outcomes linking design studies to cognitive neuroscience establish a concrete foundation for developing future applied research and diverse educational practices. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.