Karla Badillo-Urquiola, '14
Files
Cohort
2014
Biography
Karla Badillo-Urquiola entered UCF in 2010 after graduating from the International Baccalaureate program. She is pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Psychology, while earning a minor in Writing and Rhetoric and a certification in Interpretation and Translation. Dedicated to her community, Karla has served on the Undergraduate Studies Student Advisory Committee and is a co-founder of Knight PALS, a student organization focused on autism. In January of 2012, she earned the Undergraduate Researcher of the Month award. Currently, she works under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie Lackey, director of ACTIVE Lab, at the Institute for Simulation and Training. Karla's research interests include military psychology, combat profiling detection and development, terrorism and counter-terrorism, human factors, simulation, and human robotics interaction (HRI). Her ultimate goal is to earn a Ph.D. in Modeling and Simulation.
Faculty Mentor
Stephanie Lackey Ph.D.
Undergraduate Major
Psychology
Future Plans
Ph.D. in Modeling and Simulation
Disciplines
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Badillo-Urquiola, Karla, "Karla Badillo-Urquiola, '14" (2017). McNair Scholars. 65.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/mcnair_gallery/65
Research
Kinesic cues: Investigating how to effectively simulate body language in a virtual environment Conducted at the University of Central Florida as part of the UCF McNair Scholars Program. Mentor: Dr. Stephanie Lackey, Director of the Applied Cognition and Training in Immersive Virtual Environments (ACTIVE) Lab at the Institute for Simulation and Training, University of Central Florida Abstract: Understanding a person's body language is a critical skill for first responders (law enforcement, National Guard, Soldiers, etc.). Learning to decode body language (e.g., nervous or aggressive body language) facilitates the detection of human threats. The research presented focuses solely on Kinesics, that is, the interpretation of non-verbal cues such as body language, gestures, postures, and facial expressions displayed by individuals. By synthesizing an exhaustive literature review, four key categories (i.e., manipulation, illustrators, regulators, and emblems) of Kinesic cues were identified. The cues in each category have been displayed upon virtual agents for Simulation-Based Training (SBT) research. The purpose of this research is to provide guidelines to develop state-of-the-art SBT that can train first responders to detect nervous or aggressive behaviors "on the scene" by decoding body language. We hypothesize that virtual agents exhibiting Kinesic cues will be a strong research tool for effective SBT. This poster will deliver the theoretical foundation for new research about the four Kinesic cue categories and provide relevant examples of each associated cue. The information presented will be used as a start to further investigate Kinesic cues in greater depth utilizing an empirically-based research design.