Surprise

About: Surprise is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 4371 publications have been published within this topic receiving 99386 citations.

Search in the Lost Sense of ``Query'': Question Formulation in Web Search Queries and its Temporal Changes

Abstract: Web search is an information-seeking activity. Often times, this amounts to a user seeking answers to a question. However, queries, which encode user's information need, are typically not expressed as full-length natural language sentences --- in particular, as questions. Rather, they consist of one or more text fragments. As humans become more search-engine-savvy, do natural-language questions still have a role to play in web search? Through a systematic, large-scale study, we find to our surprise that as time goes by, web users are more likely to use questions to express their search intent.

Les Deux Angleterres et le Continent. Anglophone Sociology as the Guardian of Old European Semantics

Abstract: Despite its influence in Central European sociology, N. Luhmann’s Social Systems theory remains a marginal branch of international sociology. In this paper, the theory questions the reasons for its own marginality in general and for its marginality in the Anglophone centers of sociology in particular, with the latter still being a surprise against the background of the theory’s cybernetic roots in the US. The theory arrives at the conclusion that, while Europe, or ‘the continent’, is still perceived as old compared with the Anglophone new world(s), it still is Anglophone sociology that preserves ‘Old European’ semantics. Sociology in continental ‘Old Europe’, however, seems to have a chance of slowly being acquainted with a new, post-enlightenment mindset focused on semantics and communication rather than on humans and action.

The Financial Crisis and Principles of Economics Textbooks

Abstract: How have authors of widely used U.S. introductory economics textbooks responded to the traumatizing financial crisis? The answer interests textbook authors as well as the users. An encompassing quantitative and qualitative text analysis that applies new methods demonstrates that in general, the financial crisis is described in a few sporadically added lines or is dealt with in boxes, separate sections, or specific isolated chapters. This is no great surprise, as it would be a monumental task to change textbooks significantly in the short run. Yet the analysis also indicates small, innovative changes already being made that could inspire future editions. Against this background, the author discusses how any introductory textbook could integrate the financial crisis more adequately into the general presentation, thereby enhancing students’ interest.

Looking Smart: The Relationship between Affect and Intelligence in Infancy

Abstract: Without being wholly conscious of it, parents, pediatricians, and particularly psychologists have used facial expression to infer the existence and development of intelligence. We use facial expression or “affect” to denote consciousness, interest, surprise, intention, fear, or frustration; then we use these states of emotions to determine motivation, knowledge, and ability. This may surprise some readers, since we claim to be looking at behavior to determine motivation, knowledge, and ability. By behavior we usually mean actions accomplished—“grasped the block,” “looked under the pillow,” “turned away.” Awareness of these actions accomplished seems to block awareness of the affect accompanying, preceding, substituting for, or following the action, even though we use affect to interpret the action.

Surprise! Public historical geographies, user engagement and voluntarism

Abstract: This paper aims to expand understandings of ‘public geographies’, not usually associated with historical geography, through considering voluntarism. It seeks to bring together debates on research practice, positionality and the ‘surprise’ instances of user engagement. To do so, it draws on two experiences and opportunities that emerged during my doctoral research in Wales on the cultural-historical geographies of scouting in Britain: first, curating an exhibition and second, cataloguing and ‘making’ an archive collection. Both of these were voluntary collaborative activities and outside ‘the research project’, and yet they shaped and influenced the research process in unique and unforeseen ways. Overall, the paper uses these examples as a way into exploring geographical debates on research users, non-academic communities and the role of the researcher as a volunteer.