Hi Dhaval,

I appreciate your effort in exposing the "information processing"
dimension in the context. My replies are detailed below against each
of comments

> At Vrije University of Amsterdam, we have a special
> group of Multimedia & Culture within HCI, under Prof.
> Gerrit van der Veer. And we are looking into user's
> Emotion & Experience and their influence on design.
>
> Your Questions:
> ==============
> > * Of the three levels of emotion (Visceral,
> > Behavioral & Reflective)
> > which emotion is most prone to be influenced by
> > culture
>
> Norman says it is the Visceral level that is
> influenced by culture. Clearly Visceral reactions are
> immediate and are subjective but they are consistent
> within similar culture {Norman]. But this is not all.
> "Culture" is a knowledge that a human has, since he
> was born. This contradicts with Norman's thoughts. He
> says at Visceral Level there is no "cognitive"
> support. (Cognitive support is only at the Reflective
> level) But Culture is knowledge and knowledge can only
> be accessed through cognition.
>
> We think of culture as an inherent human behavior even
> though it's knowledge.




Going by the dictionary the word "Visceral" means `instinctive'.
Norman adds in his book "Visceral design is what nature does," and he
reckons it's "biologically prewired".

To me it appears visceral is impulsive, which brings into play the
instinctive emotions only.

Perhaps a person is born with the seeds of assimilative and cognitive
power. These powers grow with the growth of a person but the rate of
growth for each of them depends on external factors as well. This
difference in assimilative as well as cognitive power from person to
person renders different people prone to different level of influence
even in the same culture. This difference in assimilative and
cognitive power makes interpretations subjective. So even with
exposure to the same information the level and type of knowledge
acquired is different.




> > The ratio of influence of each of these three
> > emotions on the over
> > all emotional reaction to the product.
>
> (I think you meant this) First of all Visceral,
> Behavioral & Reflective are levels of information
> processing and not the "types of emotions".
> Ful-fleaged emotions only exist at reflective level.
>
> The ratio you are talking about depends on the type of
> product and context of use.


I feel unlike in a machine, information processing in humans is not a
process per se. Information processing in human is always coloured
with emotion. Like the same information process might yield different
result depending on the emotional state of mind the person is in.
Therefore any result of such processing of information in humans will
always have tinge or oodles of emotion depending upon the emotional
state you are in.

It appears to me that ratio of influence will depend on the situation
(which you have outlined as `context of use') and the emotional state
the person is in.







> > * How will the emotional response of a primitive man
> > (whose perceptions have not been skewed by popular
> > culture)be to a product, as opposed to a modern an
> >(with constant exposure to factors that changes his
> > perception) to the same product?
>
> That's a good question.
> I think, again you are referring to culture here. A
> "primitive man" and a "modern man" represent type of
> culture they belong to. E.g. western and eastern (may
> be). This would go again to your first question.
> This might not be a precise answer that you wanted.:-)


A primitive man (or a tribal) to me represent a person who is more
closer to nature and so the natural instincts are more sharp (or raw)
than the modern man. In contrast modern man information processing
capabilities are conditioned to yield results, which are predictable
so as to comply with the social mores. As in some culture it is
unmanly for a man to cry, so there is a social conditioning for a man
to appear tough and subsequently his information processing and
emotional reaction are conditioned by the culture he has been exposed
to.

My first question outlined "Of the three levels of emotion (Visceral,
Behavioural & Reflective which emotion is most prone to be influenced
by culture?" - I feel it is the reflective which appears prone to be
influenced mostly by culture as it is at this level that cognition
comes into play as aN important factor.

The influence of the culture increases in direct proportion to
growing role of the power of cognition from

Visceral > Behavioural > Reflective



Comments are welcomed !!

thnx,
----------------
Nazim