The time course of object-feature retrieval in recognition

The time course of perception and retrieval of object features was investigated. Participants completed a perceptual matching task and 2 recognition tasks under time pressure. The recognition tasks imposed different retention loads. A stochastic model of feature sampling with a Bayesian decision component was used to estimate the rate of feature perception and the rate of retrieval of feature information. The results demonstrated that retrieval rates did not differ among object features if only a single object was held in memory. If 2 objects were retained in memory, differences among retrieval rates of features emerged, indicating that features that were quickly perceived were also quickly retrieved. The results from the 2-object retention condition are compatible with process reinstatement models of retrieval.     

The perceptual wink model of non-switching attentional blink tasks

The attentional blink (AB) is a temporary deficit for a second target (T2) when that target appears after a first target (T1). Although sophisticated models have been developed to explain the substantial AB literature in isolation, the current study considers how the AB relates to perceptual dynamics more broadly. We show that the time-course of the AB is closely related to the time course of the transition from positive to negative repetition priming effects in perceptual identification. Many AB tasks involve a switch between a T1 defined in one manner and a T2 defined in a different manner. Other AB tasks are non-switching, with all targets belonging to the same well-known category (e.g., letter targets versus number distractors) or sharing the same perceptual feature. We propose that these non-switching AB tasks reflect perceptual habituation for the target-defining attribute; thus, a ‘perceptual wink’, with perception of one attribute (target identity) undisturbed while perception of another (target detection) is impaired. On this account, the immediate benefit following T1 (lag-1 sparing) reflects positive repetition priming and the subsequent deficit (the blink) reflects negative repetition priming for the realization that a target occurred. In developing the perceptual wink model, we extended the nROUSE model of perceptual priming to explain the results of two new experiments combining the AB and identity repetitions. This establishes important connections between non-switching AB tasks and perceptual dynamics.     

自然概念语义特征提取的范畴效应

本研究采用概念特征自由列举实验范式,考察三类范畴(动物、自然食物、人造物)自然概念的语义特征提取反应时间的范畴效应。结果表明,⑴语义特征提取的反应时间存在范畴效应:提取动物特征的时间显著短于提取自然食物特征的时间,提取自然食物特征的时间显著短于提取人造物特征的时间;⑵三类范畴的特征提取时间模式表现出相同的规律:先是显著降低(第1到第2个特征),然后持续升高(第2到第10个特征)。语义特征提取的范畴效应反映了语义记忆组织的范畴特异性,有必要进一步分析特征提取时间与特征类型、关联特征、独有特征之间的关系,以深入揭示语义特征提取范畴效应的产生机制。     

Attention switching between perception and memory

Two experiments were conducted to explore the switching of attention between perception and memory. In Experiment 1, college students performed a task that required them to cycle or switch attention between perceptual and memorial inputs. Switching times of 293 and 376 msec per switch were obtained on the basis of two formulas. In Experiment 2, the attentional load was manipulated by varying the number of perceptual and memorial inputs. Switching time increased as a function of list length, indicating that item load affects both the control processes that set attentional allocation policies and one’s ability to perform memory and/or perceptual tasks. These results suggest that modularity, or encapsulation of item and control-process systems, does not hold. A model is presented that depicts the relation between item and control-process representation in rapidly alternating attention between perception and memory.     

提取干扰对知觉和概念启动的影响

通过学习—测验范式,分别以词汇判断、语义分类任务为测验,探讨提取干扰对不同识别式记忆的影响差异。结果发现,实验1验证了识别式知觉内隐记忆的提取干扰效应,实验2发现识别式概念内隐记忆在提取干扰下也明显降低;两个实验启动量联合分析发现,相比无干扰条件,概念启动比知觉启动受到提取干扰的破坏更大。上述结果说明识别式内隐记忆的提取干扰具有普遍性,提取干扰产生了不同识别式内隐记忆之间的分离,识别式概念内隐记忆更容易受到提取干扰的影响。     

The time course of similarity effects in visual search

It is well established that visual search becomes harder when the similarity between target and distractors is increased and the similarity between distractors is decreased. However, in models of visual search, similarity is typically treated as a static, time-invariant property of the relation between objects. Data from other perceptual tasks (e.g., categorization) demonstrate that similarity is dynamic and changes as perceptual information is accumulated (Lamberts, 1998). In three visual search experiments, the time course of target-distractor similarity effects and distractor-distractor similarity effects was examined. A version of the extended generalized context model (EGCM; Lamberts, 1998) provided a good account of the time course of the observed similarity effects, supporting the notion that similarity in search is dynamic. Modeling also indicated that increasing distractor homogeneity influences both perceptual and decision processes by (respectively) increasing the rate at which stimulus features are processed and enabling strategic weighting of stimulus information.     

Perceptual enhancement: persistent effects of an experience

Presenting a word enhances its later perceptual identification. This article focuses on the relation between this effect on perception and recognition memory. Prior experiments have revealed that perceptual enhancement is independent of recognition memory and have led to the two types of task being identified with separate memory systems. In contrast, the present experiments reveal parallel effects on the two types of task. Perceptual enhancement persists over days but, like recognition memory, is influenced by manipulations of retrieval conditions. I conclude that both perceptual and memory tasks rely on the retrieval of memory for whole prior processing episodes but can differ in terms of the number and nature of retrieval cues that they provide. I describe perception and memory within a common framework.     

On the distinction between perception and cognition

To uphold the distinction between perception and cognition for certain classes of tasks or phenomena, it is proposed that three criteria must be met: (1) when perceptual and cognitive functions serve different biological purposes, (2) when stimulus information in dynamic events is necessary, but not sufficient for veridical perception, and (3) when the task emphasizes explicit retrieval, as opposed to implicit use of information. Conversely, when the three criteria have not been met, conditions for theoretical unification exist.     

Domain-specific and domain-general processes underlying metacognitive judgments

Metacognition and self-awareness are commonly assumed to operate as global capacities. However, there have been few attempts to test this assumption across multiple cognitive domains and metacognitive evaluations. Here, we assessed the covariance between “online” metacognitive processes, as measured by decision confidence judgments in the domains of perception and memory, and error awareness in the domain of attention to action. Previous research investigating metacognition across task domains have not matched stimulus characteristics across tasks raising the possibility that any differences in metacognitive accuracy may be influenced by local task properties. The current experiment measured metacognition in perceptual, memorial and attention tasks that were closely matched for stimulus characteristics. We found that metacognitive accuracy across the three tasks was dissociated suggesting that domain specific networks support an individual’s capacity for accurate metacognition. This finding was independent of objective performance, which was controlled using a staircase procedure. However, response times for metacognitive judgments and error awareness were associated suggesting that shared mechanisms determining how these meta-level evaluations unfold in time may underlie these different types of decision. In addition, the relationship between these laboratory measures of metacognition and reports of everyday functioning from participants and their significant others (informants) was investigated. We found that informant reports, but not self reports, predicted metacognitive accuracy on the perceptual task and participants who underreported cognitive difficulties relative to their informants also showed poorer metacognitive accuracy on the perceptual task. These results are discussed in the context of models of metacognitive regulation and neuropsychological evidence for dissociable metacognitive systems. The potential for the refinement of metacognitive assessment in clinical populations is also discussed.     

Temperamental Factors in the Execution of Interrupted Editing Tasks

The question investigated in this study is how the temperament traits of strength of excitation (SE), strength of inhibition (SI), and mobility (MO) affect behaviour during the execution of computer tasks and tasks interrupting them. Several hypotheses, partly derived from the regulative theory of temperament, were tested in an experiment in which the natural environment and the types of task commonly performed by secretaries were simulated. The sample consisted of 39 female secretaries (21–64 years old). It was found that individuals high on SE and MO needed less time to resume tasks after an interruption than individuals low on these temperament traits. Interruptions similar to the main task resulted in longer resumption times for low-SE individuals. MO was negatively related to the time needed to perform the main task. A model describing the relationship between the frequency of switches between tasks and the speed of task performance in low-MO and high-MO individuals is presented.     

Effects of visual illusions on grasping

In 2 experiments, the Muller-Lyer illusion (F. C. Muller-Lyer, 1889; N = 16) and the parallel-lines illusion (W. Wundt, 1898; N = 26) clearly affected maximum preshape aperture in grasping (both ps < .001). The grasping effects were similar but not perfectly equal to the perceptual effects. Control experiments show that these differences can be attributed to problems in matching the perceptual task and the grasping task. A model is described stating the assumptions that are needed to compare the grasping effects and the perceptual effects of visual illusions. Further studies on the relationship between perception and grasping are reviewed. These studies provide no clear evidence for a dissociation between perception and grasping and therefore do not support the action versus perception hypothesis (A. D. Milner & M. A. Goodale, 1995).     

Perceptual processes in matching and recognition of complex pictures

The role of perceptual feature sampling in speeded matching and recognition was explored in 4 experiments. Experiments 1-3 involved a perceptual matching task with pictures of various objects and scenes. In Experiments 2 and 3, same-different judgments were given under time pressure. The main objective of the matching task was to obtain measures of the perceptual processing rates of different object features. Experiment 4 was an old-new recognition experiment, in which the same stimuli as those in the matching task were used. Response signals were used to limit processing time in the recognition task. The results demonstrated that it is possible to predict speeded recognition performance from performance in perceptual matching. A simple stochastic feature-sampling model provides a unified account of the data from the 4 experiments.     

语言标签和自我关联对新颖客体类别知觉的影响

类别知觉(Categorical perception)是人类最基本的认知活动之一, 探讨语言对类别知觉的影响是心理语言学领域的热门话题之一。在这个研究的3个实验中, 分别在高、低不同的语言标签表征强度下、高、低不同的客体自我关联程度下观察新颖客体类别知觉的过程。研究发现, 语言标签表征程度的增强可促进新颖客体类别知觉的右视野优势效应; 客体与自我关联程度的提高会促进左、右视野的类别知觉效应; 语言标签的表征程度和客体与自我关联程度同时增强时, 语言标签的作用依旧表现出来, 但与自我关联的影响产生权衡分配, 且其影响力并不足以产生右视野优势效应。     

Conjoining auditory and visual features during high-rate serial presentation: Processing and conjoining two features can be faster than processing one

The time required to conjoin stimulus features in high-rate serial presentation tasks was estimated in auditory and visual modalities. In the visual experiment, targets were defined by color, orientation, or the conjunction of color and orientation features. Responses were fastest in color conditions, intermediate in orientation conditions, and slowest in conjunction conditions. Estimates of feature conjunction time (FCT) were derived on the basis of a model in which features were processed in parallel and then conjoined, permitting FCTs to be estimated from the difference in reaction times between conjunction and the slowest single-feature condition. Visual FCTs averaged 17 msec, but were negative for certain stimuli and subjects. In the auditory experiment, targets were defined by frequency, location, or the conjunction of frequency and location features. Responses were fastest in frequency conditions, but were faster in conjunction than in location conditions, yielding negative FCTs. The results from both experiments suggest that the processing of stimulus features occurs interactively during early stages of feature conjunction.     

任务类型对面孔联合效应和特征效应的调节

采用特征-联合范式的研究发现, 面孔再认阶段可记录到明显的联合效应和特征效应; 然而, 与再认同属情景记忆的另一任务(来源提取)条件的相应效应尚未报道, 背景信息一致性对联合面孔和特征面孔提取的调节作用以及面孔不同特征对特征效应的影响也未考察。为澄清上述问题, 本文采用特征-联合范式, 并以位置为背景展开研究。实验含一个学习任务和两个测验任务(再认和来源提取)。结果显示, 再认和来源提取阶段均记录到显著的联合效应和特征效应, 且两类效应均在来源提取阶段更强; 任务类型与位置背景一致性交互影响提取绩效; 面孔外部特征和内部特征对特征效应的影响相似。表明联合效应和特征效应具有显著的任务类型敏感性, 这些效应是联合面孔和特征面孔的熟悉性较强且对源面孔的回忆加工相对较弱的结果, 且这两类面孔的提取为背景一致性所调节; 任务类型对两类效应的调节与双重加工理论模型相吻合。     

联想启动与知觉启动的比较研究

采用快速命名方法探讨不同加工水平对联想启动效应的影响。被试分别在深、浅加工条件下学习一系列颜色词,然后完成颜色命名和再认任务,并设立词命名任务,以比较联想启动和知觉启动的异同。结果表明,在颜色命名任务中,深、浅加工条件下均可形成对颜色词的启动效应,但浅加工条件下的再认成绩明显低于深加工,出现了联想启动和再认的分离现象。词命名表现出与颜色命名相似的结果,但它们在有意识回忆方面仍存在一定的差异,提示知觉表征系统单独并不能支持联想启动,联想启动可能是多个记忆系统共同作用的结果。     

Visual memory and visual perception: when memory improves visual search

This study examined the relationship between memory and perception in order to identify the influence of a memory dimension in perceptual processing. Our aim was to determine whether the variation of typical size between items (i.e., the size in real life) affects visual search. In two experiments, the congruency between typical size difference and perceptual size difference was manipulated in a visual search task. We observed that congruency between the typical and perceptual size differences decreased reaction times in the visual search (Exp. 1), and noncongruency between these two differences increased reaction times in the visual search (Exp. 2). We argue that these results highlight that memory and perception share some resources and reveal the intervention of typical size difference on the computation of the perceptual size difference.     

Biasing Effects in Ambiguous Figures: Removal or Fixation of Critical Features Can Affect Perception

The role of so-called critical features in the perception of ambiguous figures was examined in two experiments. In the first, selective removal of certain features was found to bias the initial perception of the wife mother-in-law figure. In the second, the position of the fixation point was found to influence the dominance of aspect of the wife mother-in- law figure. During an extended viewing period, when the fixation point was close to a critical feature (as defined in the first experiment), the tendency was for the figure to be less ambiguous, and for large figures to be less ambiguous than small. The effects are discussed with reference to the hypothesis that changes of visual attention between different features underlie the perceptual alternations of the figure.     

情绪概念加工与情绪面孔知觉的相互影响

通过3个实验探讨情绪概念加工与情绪面孔知觉是否存在相互影响, 以及加工深度对两者关系的影响。实验1采用情绪面孔启动范式, 探讨较深的情绪概念加工层面对情绪概念与情绪面孔的关系的影响。实验2更改概念任务, 探讨较浅的概念加工层面对两者关系的影响。实验3缩短启动面孔呈现时间, 探讨较浅的面孔知觉层面对两者关系的影响。通过研究主要得出以下结论：(1)情绪概念加工与情绪面孔知觉确实存在相互影响; (2)概念加工深度影响两者关系的方向性, 在较深的概念加工层面, 两者的关系是双向的, 在较浅的概念加工层面, 两者的关系是单向的; (3)知觉加工深度也影响两者关系的方向性, 在较深的知觉加工层面, 两者的关系是双向的, 在较浅的知觉加工层面, 没有发现两者的相互影响。本研究为抽象概念的具身表征提供了实证支持。     

Individual differences in sensory integration predict differences in time perception and individual levels of schizotypy

To interact functionally with our environment, our perception must locate events in time, including discerning whether sensory events are simultaneous. The Temporal Binding Window (TBW; the time window within which two stimuli tend to be integrated into one event) has been shown to relate to individual differences in perception, including schizotypy, but the relationship with subjective estimates of duration is unclear. We compare individual TBWs with individual differences in the filled duration illusion, exploiting differences in perception between empty and filled durations (the latter typically being perceived as longer). Schizotypy has been related to both these measures and is included to explore a potential link between these tasks and enduring perceptual differences. Results suggest that individuals with a narrower TBW make longer estimates for empty durations and demonstrate less variability in both conditions. Exploratory analysis of schizotypy data suggests a relationship with the TBW but is inconclusive regarding time perception.