Browsing by Author "Rosas Diaz, Ricardo"

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    A Model to Support the Design of Multiplayer Games
    (MIT PRESS, 2000) Zagal, José Pablo; Nussbaum Voehl, Miguel; Rosas Diaz, Ricardo
    Extensive research has shown that the act of play is extremely important in the lives of human beings. It is thus not surprising that games have a long and continuing history in the development of almost every culture and society. The advent of computers and technology in general has also been akin to the need for entertainment that every human being seeks. However, a curious dichotomy exists in the nature of electronic games: the vast majority of electronic games are individual in nature whereas the nonelectronic ones are collective by nature. On the other hand, recent technological breakthroughs are finally allowing for the implementation of electronic multiplayer games. Because of the limited experience in electronic, multiplayer game design, it becomes necessary to adapt existing expertise in the area of single-player game design to the realm of multiplayer games. This work presents a model to support the initial steps in the design process of multiplayer games. The model is defined in terms of the characteristics that are both inherent and special to multiplayer games but also related to the relevant elements of a game in general. Additionally, the model is used to assist in the design of two multiplayer games. “One of the most difficult tasks people can perform, however much others may despise it, is the invention of good games …â€
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    Analysis of Home Literacy Environment in Chilean Families of Children with Down Syndrome
    (2021) Aparicio Alonso, Andrés; Strasser S., Katherine; Rosas Diaz, Ricardo
    Home Literacy Environment (HLE) plays a fundamental role in the development of reading and writing skills in children. Evidence suggests differences in HLE components based on cultural and idiosyncratic characteristics. Most studies show a relationship between contextual variables with the quality of HLE in typically developing (TD) children. There are HLE studies with families of children with Down syndrome (DS) that show similar results, but the characteristics of HLE for Latin-American families of children with DS remain unexplored. This study analyses the HLE in a group of 161 families of children with DS, between 3 and 12 years of age, living in urban areas of Chile. Data were collected using an online survey. Results showed differences on the amount of literacy materials, linguistic environment, and beliefs and expectations of parents. Better HLE was observed in families with parents with high educational levels. In the context of previous studies from developed countries with families of children with DS and from Chile with families of TD children, the HLE of families with children with DS in Chile seems poor. This descriptive evidence is necessary to raise concerns in policy makers and national funding agencies to open a way to conduct experimental studies.
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    Direct and Indirect Effects of Inhibition and Flexibility to Reading Comprehension, Reading Fluency, and Decoding in Spanish
    (2023) Escobar, Jose-Pablo; Rosas Diaz, Ricardo
    This research aims to evaluate the predicting role of executive functions, specially inhibition and flexibility, in reading comprehension. Participants were evaluated with inhibition and flexibility measures in first grade, and later in third grade their reading comprehension, oral and silent reading fluency, as well as their decoding skills were measured. Results show that first grade inhibition and flexibility are direct predictors of third grade reading comprehension. When the indirect effect of inhibition and flexibility on reading comprehension was tested through measures of reading fluency and decoding, it was found that neither ORF nor decoding mediates the relationship between the variables. However, it was found that SRF is a variable that mediates the relationship between flexibility and reading comprehension. Results are discussed in the context of the relevance of early measures of inhibition and flexibility to explain reading comprehension and the role of SRF in this relationship.