Publications & Works

Abstract: 

Aims and Objectives

The study aimed to identify the determinants of patient satisfaction with nursing care in internal medicine wards, recognising patient satisfaction as an important indicator of healthcare quality. The objectives included examining the relationship between patient satisfaction and selected organisational factors, such as nurse staffing levels, work environment, supervisor support, team relations, and nurse burnout, as well as selected patient-related variables, including length of hospitalisation.

Methodological Design and Justification

A multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2019 and January 2020 in 11 hospitals located in southern Poland. The study included 209 nurses and 533 adult patients hospitalised in internal medicine wards. Data were collected using validated research instruments, including the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI), the Newcastle Nursing Care Satisfaction Scale (NSNS), and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), which were selected to ensure reliable assessment of the nursing work environment, patient satisfaction, and occupational burnout. Quantitative statistical analysis was performed using correlation measures to examine relationships between variables. The design was chosen to allow simultaneous assessment of organisational, staff-related, and patient-related factors influencing satisfaction with nursing care in real clinical settings.

Abstract: Gestures play an integral role in human communication. Our research aims to develop a gesture understanding system that allows for better interpretation of human instructions in household robotics settings. We conducted an experiment with 34 participants who used pointing gestures to teach concepts to an assistant. Gesture data were analyzed using manual annotations (MAXQDA) and the computational methods of pose estimation and k-means clustering. The study revealed that participants tend to maintain consistent pointing styles, with one-handed pointing and index finger gestures being the most common. Gaze and pointing often co-occur, as do leaning forward and pointing. Using our gesture categorization algorithm, we analyzed gesture information values. As the experiment progressed, the information value of gestures remained stable, although the trends varied between participants and were associated with factors such as age and gender. These findings underscore the need for gesture recognition systems to balance generalization with personalization for more effective human–robot interaction. 

Abstract: One of the key areas of application for social robots is healthcare, particularly for the elderly. To better address user needs, a study involving the humanoid robot NAO was conducted at the Municipal Care Center in Krakow, Poland, with the participation of 29 older adults. This participatory design study explored their attitudes toward robots and technology both before and after interacting with the robot. It also identified the most desirable applications of social robots that could simplify everyday life for the elderly. 

Abstract: As robots are increasingly integrated into everyday life, their ability to communicate emotions becomes crucial to foster positive human-robot interactions. However, the key factors for the recognition of artificial emotions are still poorly understood. This study explores whether children can better recognize emotions expressed by robots using gestures or by robots using facial expressions. We observed ten five-year-olds and fourteen six-year-olds during an in-the-wild workshop. The results revealed significant differences in emotion recognition based on robot type, age, and emotion. Children who interact with the gesture robot were 90% less likely to accurately recognize emotions than the robot with facial expressions. Six-year-olds demonstrated significantly higher accuracy, with 8.30 times greater chances of recognizing emotions than five-year-olds. Regarding emotion type, children were significantly more likely to identify sadness and happiness correctly than anger. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating facial expressions to aid in emotion recognition and make robots more approachable for young children. 

Abstract: Loneliness among older adults is a growing concern with significant implications for mental and physical health. Although traditional communication technologies often lack the emotional richness of physical touch, recent advances in haptic interfaces offer new possibilities to improve remote social interactions. This study evaluates HugBits, a huggable communication device designed to connect users through shared hugging experiences, with a focus on its usability and emotional impact among elderly residents in a care facility. Using a mixed methods approach, we conducted a usability study with 16 participants (aged 65+), combining surveys, physiological measures, and qualitative interviews. The results show that while HugBits increased perceived social presence and was generally well received, it did not lead to significant reductions in loneliness or physiological stress markers. Participants valued the simplicity and emotional potential of the device, but highlighted the need for more immersive features, such as warmth or vibration. The findings underscore the promise of haptic communication for emotional support in elderly care while pointing to design challenges and the importance of multisensory integration for future development.

Abstract: Learning unfolds both in time and through time. When we learn a pattern of stimuli and responses, our brains automatically weave the sequence with its temporal features, such as stimulus duration. The origins of this temporality, however, remain a mystery. In my talk, I will share results of our recent study on this very topic and speculate how time, learning, and memory intermingle in our cognition.

In our latest experiment we showed that the sampling rate of reality (i.e., perception’s temporal resolution) acts as both the source of temporality and as a key factor shaping learning. We did this by adding a temporal factor into a well-established learning paradigm (the serial reaction time task), where subjects learn sequences of different lights by responding with keypresses. Our results confirmed that aligning the rate of incoming information with perception’s sampling rate accelerates learning. This model held for temporal resolution of perception derived both from behavioural data and from its known neural correlates.

These findings not only restated the often-forgotten importance of temporality in modelling learning, neurally and behaviourally, but also support a novel idea: We ace learning when our sampling rate of reality tunes to the pace of reality.

Abstract: As research moved away from vision-centric models of perception, multimodality became a major focus. We examined whether multimodal integration occurs during attentional processing in Multiple Object Tracking (MOT). To address ecological validity concerns in prior work, we created a VR paradigm where spatially dynamic sounds accompanied visual tracking. We hypothesized that auditory cues would (1) improve MOT accuracy, (2) reduce cognitive load, (3) support tracking during occlusions, (4) introduce modality-switching costs, and (5) enhance the auditory Object-Specific Preview Benefit (OSPB).

Data from 28 participants revealed no significant auditory benefits. Accuracy remained unchanged (H1 unsupported; d = 0.17), cognitive load did not decrease (H2 unsupported), and swap-tracking showed only a non-significant trend (H3 unsupported; d = 0.30). Accuracy declined with higher occluder frequency in both audiovisual and visual-only conditions, offering no evidence for modality-switching costs (H4 unsupported). The auditory OSPB was not replicated (H5 unsupported). Questionnaires confirmed participants relied mainly on vision and perceived no auditory advantage.

These findings indicate MOT remains vision-dominated. Yet, methodological factors such as VR parameter sensitivity and artificial occluders highlight the need for refinement. Our paradigm offers a step toward more ecologically valid tests of multimodal attention.

Abstract: A key notion present in every scientific dictionary is that of “concept”. The dispute over its exact definition has been raging on forever. However, since an anti-Platonian turn in the 20th century, which placed concepts among living things on earth, a new issue of time-sensitivity and time-insensitivity of concepts has been introduced. Existing anti-Platonian theories of concepts, such as Invariantism and Contextualism, fail to resolve this contradiction due to their reliance, in the order of importance, on: language based cognition, overuse of mental representations and Cartesian assumptions on the origin of concepts. While the former two can be patched up in ways I discuss, considering concepts as not necessarily created by individual cognitive systems requires a big shift. The philosophical and empirical argumentation for such a move is, as I show, a non-issue. The real difficulty is in providing anti-Cartesian alternatives to current theories of concepts that can continue explaining data from experiments. For this I propose and discuss two possible (under-developed and unaware of the time-sensitivity debate) approaches: Social theories of concepts and Embodied cognition theory of concepts.