Peak velocity as a cue in audiovisual synchrony perception of rhythmic stimuli

This study investigated audiovisual synchrony perception in a rhythmic context, where the sound was not consequent upon the observed movement. Participants judged synchrony between a bouncing point-light figure and an auditory rhythm in two experiments. Two questions were of interest: (1) whether the reference in the visual movement, with which the auditory beat should coincide, relies on a position or a velocity cue; (2) whether the figure form and motion profile affect synchrony perception. Experiment 1 required synchrony judgment with regard to the same (lowest) position of the movement in four visual conditions: two figure forms (human or non-human) combined with two motion profiles (human or ball trajectory). Whereas figure form did not affect synchrony perception, the point of subjective simultaneity differed between the two motions, suggesting that participants adopted the peak velocity in each downward trajectory as their visual reference. Experiment 2 further demonstrated that, when judgment was required with regard to the highest position, the maximal synchrony response was considerably low for ball motion, which lacked a peak velocity in the upward trajectory. The finding of peak velocity as a cue parallels results of visuomotor synchronization tasks employing biological stimuli, suggesting that synchrony judgment with rhythmic motions relies on the perceived visual beat.     

The visual perception of velocity

Summary In this section it is concluded that velocity is perceived directly and is dynamically conditioned by the structure and general properties of the visual field in which the movement occurs. The visual perception of velocity follows dynamic laws that are not immediately deducible from the velocity of the stimulus as physically defined. No physiological theory is offered but it is pointed out that the theory of physiological Gestalten is essentially correct in its basic assumptions concerning the perception of movement.The investigation has bearing on the problems of movement thresholds, movement after-images and the perception of time.This paper is abridged from a thesis presented to the faculty of the graduate school of Yale University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The study was started in the Psychological Institute of the University of Berlin in 1926–1927 and completed at Yale University in 1928–1929. The work at Berlin, which has been already reported [cf. J. F. Brown, Über gesehene Geschwindigkeit. Psychol. Forschg 10, 84–101 (1927)] was largely exploratory in nature; that at Yale was undertaken to fill the gaps in the experimental series and to control more completely the causal factors. For clarity of exposition the previously reported data are included here so far as necessary. The writer is indebted to Professor W. Köhler of the University of Berlin for suggesting the problem, and to Professors R. P. Angier, R. Dodge, and L. T. Spencer of Yale University for many valuable suggestions. He wishes also to express his thanks to the subjects who served in the experiments.     

Language as a determinant of Welsh identity

The study was designed, using the ?matched-guise' technique, to determine how different groups of Welshmen perceive members of their own national group who use various linguistic codes. Three matched groups of adult Welsh Ss were used: Bilinguals, those who were learning Welsh and those who could not speak Welsh and were not learning it either. These Ss were asked to evaluate on 22 scales the personalities of various Welsh speakers they heard reading the same passage of prose on tape. Essentially, the stimulus tape consisted of two male bilinguals reading the passage once each in Welsh, in English with a Welsh accent and in English with an RP accent. It was found, despite the fact that the groups differed in their language skills and self-perceived Welshness, that Ss as a whole upgraded the bilingual speakers on most traits. Indeed, the RP speakers were evaluated most favourably on only one trait - self-confidence. It was suggested that language to a large extent serves as a symbol of Welsh identity, and the results were discussed in relation to how other ethnic groups appear to view their own linguistic codes.     

Appraisal as a pervasive determinant of anger

L. Berkowitz and E. Harmon-Jones (2004) challenge appraisal theories of emotion by describing 2 sets of conditions (physical discomfort and anger-related muscle actions) in which anger appears to be elicited in the absence of theoretically predicted appraisals. In response, the authors discuss the ability of the specific appraisal model they have developed (e.g., C. A. Smith & L. D. Kirby, 2000, 2001; C. A. Smith & R. S. Lazarus, 1990) to account for such instances of anger. First, a number of issues are clarified relevant to the authors' model, including the nature of both the cognitive operations underlying appraisal and the specific appraisals hypothesized to evoke anger. The authors then describe how their model can account for the instances of anger described by L. Berkowitz and E. Harmon-Jones and how both accounts might be tested.     

Distraction as a determinant of processing speed

Processing speed is often described as a fundamental resource determining individual (e.g., I.Q.) and group (e.g., developmental) differences in cognition. However, most tests that measure speed present many items on a single page. Because many groups with slowed responding are also distractible, we compared younger and older adults on high-distraction (i.e., standard) versus low-distraction versions of two classic speed tasks. Reducing distraction improved the performance of older adults but had little or no effect on younger adults, suggesting that the ability to limit attentional access to task-relevant information can affect performance on tests designed to measure processing speed.     

Invariance in relation to transformations: a comparison of space perception and imagined space

The present paper is based on the assumption of a functional equivalence between the processes of perception and imagination and a functional isomorphism between physical and phenomenal relations. The intention is to look for systematic deviations between 'measured', 'perceived' and 'imagined' space. Therefore a room was equipped with 32 pieces of furniture, giving it the appearance of a combined library and study room. A miniature model (1:10) of the room was constructed. In a two-factorial design with 10 experimental conditions, subjects performed model-reconstructions. The first factor refers to cognitive modality and represents different amounts of information of the physical layout, the endpoints of the continuum being 'complete insight' and 'no insight'. The second factor is a rotation of the model during the reconstruction (0 degrees vs. 180 degrees). Data analysis is based on location and orientation measures of the objects and distinguishes between 'semantic' and 'geometric' errors. The main results are: Even under conditions of only partial insight the spatial relations of the missing objects can be consensually reconstructed. While the absolute amount of the reconstruction errors largely depends on the two factors (modality and rotation), substantial relations of the original room are preserved under the different experimental conditions. The results are in good accordance with the assumption of functional equivalence and are critically discussed with respect to the concept of functional isomorphism.