Alex Jian Zheng - Research

Projects

Information Seeking by International People during the COVID-19 Pandemic (with Dr. Ge Gao, Dr. Eun Kyoung Choe, & Dr. Naomi Yamashita)

Having correct and up-to-date information is the prerequisite for people to take proper protective practice. Improper behaviors, e.g., not wearing masks when necessary and refusing to get vaccinated, may put not only oneself but also nearby people in danger. International people are living in a foreign country where usually a foreign language is spoken. They may face special challenges in seeking information.

We employed self-tracking to collect people’s actual information seeking behaviors in case they cannot accurately recall their behavior in the past. We carried out in-depth interviews to understand the reason for their behaviors. For example, why they prefer certain information channels over others. With this study, we hope to find out ways to overcome challenges for the international people and encourage them to share information across the language barrier.

Selfsourcing Microtasks (with Dr. Ge Gao)

We often hear people complaining about not having enough time to finish all the tasks they want to do. A lot of people are actually overworking. How can we find more workable time but not at the expense of personal or family time? One possible solution is selfsourcing microtasks. The idea is to break personal tasks into smaller subtasks and distribute them into micro-moments, those otherwise "wasted" small pieces of time filling in the gap between other task-orientated tasks.

I am planning a mixed-method research. We know little about people’s practice, understanding, need, preference, and motivation about microtasking, so I will start with tracking information workers’ activities on their computers and phones. Based on the data of activities, I will interview them to understand why they carried out microtasks or not. The final step will be to develop prototypes of microtasking tools and test their usability. The results can help people to improve overall productivity and restore work-life balance.

Publications

Zheng, J., Rau, P.-L. P., & Zhao, J. (2020). Quantification of Natural Multimodal Interaction Capacity. Cross-Cultural Design. User Experience of Products, Services, and Intelligent Environments, 269–283. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49788-0_20

Rau, P.-L. P., Zheng, J. (2020). Cross-modal psychological refractory period. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-020-01978-4

Rau, P.-L. P., Zheng, J., & Wei, Y. (2020). Distractive effect of multimodal information in multisensory learning. Computers & Education, 144, 103699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103699

Rau, P.-L. P., Zheng, J., Wang, L., Zhao, J. & Wang, D. (2019). Haptic and auditory-haptic attentional blink in spatial and object-based tasks. Multisensory Research. https://doi.org/10.1163/22134808-20191483

Rau, P.-L. P., & Zheng, J. (2019). Modality capacity and appropriateness in multimodal display of complex non-semantic information stream. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 130, 166–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2019.06.008

Rau, P.-L. P., Zheng, J., Guo, Z., & Li, J. (2018). Speed reading on virtual reality and augmented reality. Computers & Education, 125, 240–245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.06.016

Rau, P.-L. P., Liao, P.-C., Guo, Z., Zheng, J., & Jing, B. (2018). Personality Factors and Safety Attitudes Predict Safety Behaviour and Accidents in Elevator Workers. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 0(ja), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2018.1493259

Zhang, X., Liu, L., Zhao, X., Zheng, J., Yang, M., & Zhang, J. (2015). Towards a Three-Component Model of Fan Loyalty: A Case Study of Chinese Youth. PloS One, 10, e0124312. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0124312

Zhang, X., Zheng, J., Liu, L., Zhao, X., & Sun, X. (2014). The effect of group boundary permeability on intergroup prejudice: The case of rural-to-urban migrants in China. Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology, 8, 53–61. https://doi.org/10.1017/prp.2014.7

Publication in Chinese

Zheng, J., Liu, L., Shi, J., Zhao, X., & Huang, Z. (2013). Compatibility effect of approaching the positive and avoiding the negative: definition, theories, and research paradigm. Advances in Psychological Science, 9, 1686–1695. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1042.2013.01686

Zheng, J., & Liu, L. (2012). Undergraduates’ stereotype on migrant workers: content and structure. Youth Studies, 4, 35-44.

Zhao, X., Li, Y., Liu, L., Zeng, H. L., & Zheng, J. (2012). Evaluative conditioning: the role of display duration, valence intensity and contingency awareness. Acta Psycholoica Sinica, 44(5), 614-624.

Liu, Y., Zheng, J., Yang, X., & Liu, H. Y. (2010). The effect of color of materials in English on reading scores. Psychological Exploration, 30(2), 48-54.