Bandura, A 2006, ‘Toward a Psychology of Human Agency’, Perspectives On Psychological Science, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 164 – 180.

This article targets the core of our research topic in a manner that is highly explorative. Author Albert Bandura is the David Starr Jordan Professor Emeritus of Social Science in Psychology at Stanford University. Being a well respected psychologist responsible for an array of contributions to not only the field of education, but more specifically social cognitive theory, behaviorism, therapy, self-efficacy and personality psychology, Bandura provides a reliable source to contribute toward our research. This article thoroughly dissects the human species, in regards to developed capabilities in order to conceptualise the psychology of the term: human agency. Bandura discusses four core properties of human agency, which are intentionality, forethought, self-reactiveness and self-reflectiveness. Discussion of the aforementioned identify the way the human species has been able to directly influence the trajectory of their own lives as a collective and the psychology behind such process. However most interesting in relation to our research is the concluding claim that the instantaneousness of contemporary social, informational and technological changes provide humans with a greater ability to influence their lives and shape their future. Although written in the twenty-first century, potentially due to the age of this piece and the recentness of other technological developments, I believe this piece does not refer to sensory technology when making such claim. Since sensory technology and immersive virtual reality technology begin the process of replacing even the core properties of human agency as identified by Bandura, the lack of discussion regarding human agency surrounding technology upon the horizon becomes apparent. This article therefore furthers the importance of our research topic, but also provides a reliable source of information to which categorical comparisons could be made throughout our research.

Floridi, L 2014, Fourth Revolution: How the Infosphere is Reshaping Human Reality, Oxford University Press, United Kingdom.

Healy, T 2005, ‘The Unanticipated Consequences of Technology’, Santa Clara University, accessed 5 August 2016, <https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/more/technology-ethics/resources/the-unanticipated-consequences-of-technology/>

Kemelmacher, I & Tuite, K 2016, ‘The Meme Quiz: A Facial Expression Game Combining Human Agency and Machine Involvement’, University of Washington, accessed 5 August 2016, <http://homes.cs.washington.edu/~ktuite/memequiz.pdf>

In order to expand the upon the perspectives from which our topic is analysed, this report provides an interesting depiction of human agency among technology that contributes toward our research. Written as a Paper for Kathleen Tuite’s PHD in Computer Science at The University of Washington with the assistance of her advisor Ira Kemelmacher, this piece introduces an innovative computer game created by Tuite that provides interesting commentary regarding our research topic. The game is called ‘The Meme Quiz’ and allows a user to make facial expressions which the computer attempts to match to popular meme imagery from the internet. This process requires a complicated machine learning system, but more importantly highlights evidence of the way in which a sense of human agency can be employed among game technology. For example, Tuite suggests that the game creates the impression that the user is in control, in the way that since the computer program is ‘coherent and the results of participation are clear and well motivated, the interactor experiences the pleasure of agency’. Therefore it is identified that elements of supposed human agency can be employed among game technology by creating the impression of control. This provokes thought regarding the fact that a large proportion of technological developments in the twenty-first century are orientated toward game-like modules, in the sense of virtual reality experiences and other similar technologies. Since we are analysing the impact such technology has on human agency, it is important to distinguish the difference between genuine human agency and the impression of such, or at least determine how it might be possible to be aware of such distinction as we move forward as people.