Glossary

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Aftercare(also: Post-Interaction Care)

Reflective or supportive activity following an intimate, intense, or sensitive interaction, in which participants check in on each other's wellbeing, discuss the experience, and address any needs that arise. The concept is drawn into HCI through consent technology research as a…

Animal-Assisted Therapy(also: AAT, Pet Therapy)

A non-pharmacological therapeutic approach in which interaction with animals — typically dogs, cats, or horses — is used to support physical, cognitive, social, or emotional health goals. Evidence suggests AAT can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and improve mood and…

Art Therapy(also: Creative Arts Therapy, Arts Therapy)

A form of psychotherapy that uses creative art-making as the primary mode of expression and communication. Art therapy is facilitated by trained therapists and can involve painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, and other visual arts activities. For older adults with dementia and…

Autistic Joy

A concept articulated by Elliot Wassell and widely discussed in autistic communities describing the intense, absorbing pleasure autistic people can experience in special interests, sensory engagement, deep focus, and preferred modes of working. Autistic joy is typically framed…

Awe(also: Awe Experience)

Awe is an emotional response to perceived vastness — physical, conceptual, social, or spiritual — that requires a person to update their mental models to accommodate it. It blends wonder, reverence, and sometimes fear, and is associated with reduced self-focus, increased…

Biophilia(also: Biophilia Hypothesis)

The hypothesis, popularized by biologist E. O. Wilson, that humans have an innate affinity for living things and natural systems, and that contact with nature is therefore a fundamental contributor to physical and psychological wellbeing. Biophilia underpins much research on…

Caregiver Burden(also: Carer Burden, Caregiver Stress)

Caregiver burden refers to the physical, emotional, social, and financial strain experienced by individuals who provide ongoing care to a family member or partner with a disability, chronic illness, or age-related condition such as dementia. Caregivers often experience…

Expressive Writing(also: Pennebaker Paradigm)

A therapeutic writing practice, formalised by James Pennebaker in the 1980s, in which individuals write about emotionally significant or traumatic experiences for short, repeated sessions. Decades of empirical evidence link expressive writing to measurable benefits in physical…

Green Space Accessibility(also: Outdoor Leisure Accessibility, Park Accessibility)

The design and adaptation of natural environments such as parks, gardens, forests, and countryside areas to be usable and enjoyable by people with disabilities. Green space accessibility encompasses multiple dimensions: accessible information for planning visits, navigable…

Human-Nature Interaction(also: HNI)

A research area within human-computer interaction concerned with how people perceive, access, and engage with natural environments, and how technology can mediate that relationship. HNI draws on environmental psychology, biophilia, and posthumanist design to study experiences…

Journaling(also: Diary Writing, Reflective Writing)

The regular practice of recording personal thoughts, feelings, and experiences in written, spoken, visual, or musical form. Journaling has documented benefits for mental health, emotion regulation, self-insight, and identity construction, and is widely used in therapy,…

Mindfulness(also: Mindfulness Meditation, Mindfulness-Based Practice)

The practice of directing non-judgmental attention to present-moment experience — bodily sensations, breath, thoughts, and emotions — typically cultivated through structured meditation, body-scan exercises, or informal awareness in daily activity. Rooted in Buddhist…

Nature Engagement(also: Engagement with Nature)

The active, lived practice of spending time in and interacting with natural environments - walking in parks, gardening, listening to birdsong, touching plants, sitting by water, and similar embodied encounters. Nature engagement extends beyond physical presence to multisensory,…

Nature Relatedness(also: Nature Relatedness Scale, NRS, Nature Connectedness)

A psychological construct describing the strength of a person's affective, cognitive, and experiential connection to the natural world. It is most often measured with the 21-item Nature Relatedness Scale (NRS) developed by Nisbet, Zelenski, and Murphy, which yields three…

Place Attachment(also: Sense of Place)

Place attachment is the emotional and cognitive bond a person forms with a particular location — a home, neighbourhood, city, or landscape — built up through memory, repeated experience, social ties, and meaning-making. It is studied in environmental psychology, urban planning,…

Positive Computing(also: Positive Technology)

A design approach articulated by Rafael Calvo and Dorian Peters (2014) and extended by Riva, Gaggioli and colleagues that intentionally orients information and communication technology toward supporting psychological wellbeing, human flourishing, and positive emotion — rather…

Reminiscence(also: Reminiscence Therapy)

The process of recalling and reflecting on past personal experiences, often used therapeutically to promote mental well-being in older adults. Reminiscence therapy involves structured activities that trigger memories through sensory cues, familiar locations, music, or…

Savoring

An emotion-regulation strategy involving the mindful noticing, appreciating, and intensifying of positive experiences — past, present, or anticipated future — to support subjective wellbeing. Savoring differs from general reminiscence in its deliberate focus on amplifying…

Self-Insight

The capacity to accurately understand one's own emotions, motivations, strengths, and patterns of thought and behaviour. Self-insight is a core outcome of therapy, journaling, and reflective practice, and is associated with improved emotion regulation, life satisfaction, and…

Self-Reflection(also: Reflective Practice)

The deliberate process of examining one's own thoughts, feelings, actions, and experiences to gain insight, adjust behaviour, or support personal growth. Self-reflection is central to therapeutic models (cognitive-behavioural therapy, mindfulness, reminiscence therapy),…

Social Connectedness

The subjective experience of feeling close to and in touch with others, characterized by a sense of belonging, being cared for, and maintaining meaningful relationships. Social connectedness is distinct from social contact — a person can have frequent interactions yet feel…

Social Emotional Learning(also: SEL, Social-Emotional Learning)

A pedagogical approach focused on developing students' self-management, self-awareness, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making abilities to support academic success and mental wellbeing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social emotional learning…

Social Isolation(also: Social Disconnection)

The objective lack of social contact and relationships, distinct from loneliness (the subjective feeling of being alone). Social isolation is a significant accessibility concern because it can both result from and contribute to barriers in technology use—isolated individuals may…

Stress Management(also: Stress Regulation, Stress Reduction)

The set of techniques and practices used to reduce the physiological and psychological impact of acute and chronic stress — including controlled breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness meditation, cognitive reappraisal, biofeedback, physical activity, and social…

Well-being(also: Wellbeing, Well Being)

Well-being is a multi-dimensional construct covering a person's physical health, psychological state, social connectedness, autonomy, and environmental quality of life. Accessibility research uses well-being as a target outcome because disability-related technology can be…

Zoom Fatigue(also: Video Call Fatigue, Teleconference Fatigue)

The exhaustion and mental strain experienced from prolonged use of video conferencing platforms, caused by the increased cognitive effort required to process non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language through imperfect audiovisual technology.…

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