Female advantage for spatial location memory in both static and dynamic environments

A female advantage has previously been found for spatial location tests of object memory. Previous studies have used static, 2-D tasks to test this advantage. This study used a computerized adaptation of the game Concentration to test object location memory in both a static and dynamic array of 24 pairs of line drawings. The dynamic version of this task was used to better reflect the dynamic real world in which we usually use object location memory. Consistent with previous research, we observed a female advantage. This advantage was found to a similar extent in both the static and dynamic versions of the task. The female advantage for object location memory is a concrete advantage in spatial cognition that females show on the Concentration Task, regardless of the nature of the presentation environment.     

Why we simulate negated information: a dynamic pragmatic account

A well-established finding in the simulation literature is that participants simulate the positive argument of negation soon after reading a negative sentence, prior to simulating a scene consistent with the negated sentence (Kaup, Ludtke, & Zwaan, 2006; Kaup, Yaxley, Madden, Zwaan, & Ludtke, 2007). One interpretation of this finding is that negation requires two steps to process: first represent what is being negated then "reject" that in favour of a representation of a negation-consistent state of affairs (Kaup et al., 2007). In this paper we argue that this finding with negative sentences could be a by-product of the dynamic way that language is interpreted relative to a common ground and not the way that negation is represented. We present a study based on Kaup et al. (2007) that tests the competing accounts. Our results suggest that some negative sentences are not processed in two steps, but provide support for the alternative, dynamic account.     

How static facial cues relate to real-world leaders’ success: a review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

People use facial information to infer others’ leadership potential across numerous domains; but what forms the basis of these judgements and how much do they matter? Here, we quantitatively reviewed the literature on perceptions of leaders from facial cues to better understand the association between physical appearance and leader outcomes. We used standard random-effects meta-analytic techniques to determine how appearance cues relate to leader perceptions and associated constructs. Appearance cues suggesting the presence of qualities often desired in leaders correlated with leader selection and success (M _Z-r =.26, 95% CI [.21,.31]). Larger effect sizes emerged for popularity outcomes (i.e., those based on perceptions) than for performance outcomes (i.e., those based on external measures). These data help to explain how people envision leaders and their characteristics, providing potential insights to why they select and follow particular individuals over others.     

Understanding dynamic and static displays: using images to reason dynamically

We examined expert meteorologists as they created a weather forecast while working in a naturalistic environment. We examined the type of external representation they chose to examine (a static image, a sequence of static images, or a dynamic display) and the kind of information they extracted from those representations (static or dynamic). We found that even though weather is an extremely dynamic domain, expert meteorologists examined very few animations, examining primarily static images. However, meteorologists did extract large amounts of dynamic information from these static images, suggesting that they reasoned about the weather by mentally animating the static images rather than letting the software do it for them.     

It’s a journey: from media effects to dynamic systems

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to demonstrate how an analytical paradigm shift from the General Linear Model (GLM) used in most communication processes and effects research to dynamic systems theory (DST, a nonlinear mathematical theory), fundamentally changes one’s research assumptions and research questions and leads to novel approaches to research design, data collection, and analysis. Concrete examples demonstrating these changes are drawn from the co-viewing literature. In addition, we discuss how data collected and interpreted using the GLM can be re-analyzed and re-interpreted to further inform our understanding of communication behavior when we use the assumptions of dynamic systems theory to derive new predictions.     

Why we simulate negated information: A dynamic pragmatic account

A well-established finding in the simulation literature is that participants simulate the positive argument of negation soon after reading a negative sentence, prior to simulating a scene consistent with the negated sentence (Kaup, Lüdtke, & Zwaan, 2006 Kaup, B., Lüdtke, J. and Zwaan, R. A. 2006. Processing negated sentences with contradictory predicates: Is a door that is not open mentally closed?. Journal of Pragmatics, 38: 1033–1050. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Kaup, Yaxley, Madden, Zwaan, & Lüdtke, 2007 Kaup, B., Yaxley, R. H., Madden, C. J., Zwaan, R. A. and Lüdtke, J. 2007. Experiential simulations of negated text information. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 60: 976–990. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). One interpretation of this finding is that negation requires two steps to process: first represent what is being negated then “reject” that in favour of a representation of a negation-consistent state of affairs (Kaup et al., 2007 Kaup, B., Yaxley, R. H., Madden, C. J., Zwaan, R. A. and Lüdtke, J. 2007. Experiential simulations of negated text information. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 60: 976–990. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). In this paper we argue that this finding with negative sentences could be a by-product of the dynamic way that language is interpreted relative to a common ground and not the way that negation is represented. We present a study based on Kaup et al. (2007) Kaup, B., Yaxley, R. H., Madden, C. J., Zwaan, R. A. and Lüdtke, J. 2007. Experiential simulations of negated text information. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 60: 976–990. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] that tests the competing accounts. Our results suggest that some negative sentences are not processed in two steps, but provide support for the alternative, dynamic account.     

Infants' sensitivity to correlations between static and dynamic features in a category context

Four experiments with the habituation procedure investigated 14-22-month-olds' ability to attend to correlations between static and dynamic features embedded in a category context. In Experiment 1, infants were habituated to four objects that exhibited invariant relations between moving features and motion trajectory. Results revealed that 14-month-olds did not process any independent features, 18-month-olds processed individual features but not relations among features, and 22-month-olds processed relations among features. In Experiment 2, 14-month-olds differentiated all of the features in the events in a simpler discrimination task. In Experiments 3a and 3b, 22-month-olds failed to show sensitivity to correlations between dynamic and static features in a category context. In Experiment 4, 22-month-olds, but not 18-month-olds, generalized the learned feature-motion relation to a novel instance. The results are discussed in relation to infants' developing ability to attend to correlations, constraints on learning, category coherence, and the development of the animate-inanimate distinction.     

Perceptual-motor contributions to static and dynamic balance control in children

The authors addressed balance control in children from the perspective of skill development and examined the relationship between specific perceptual and motor skills and static and dynamic balance performance. Fifty 11- to 13-year-old children performed a series of 1-legged balance tasks while standing on a force platform. Postural control was reflected in the maximum displacement of the center of mass in anterior-posterior and mediolateral directions. Simple visual, discrimination, and choice reaction times; sustained attention; visuomotor coordination; kinesthesis; and depth perception were also assessed in a series of perceptual and motor tests. The correlation analysis revealed that balancing under static conditions was strongly associated with the ability to perceive and process visual information, which is important for feedback-based control of balance. On the other hand, when greater task demands were imposed on the system under dynamic balancing conditions, the ability to respond to the destabilizing hip abductions-adductions in order to maintain equilibrium was associated with motor response speed, suggesting the use of a descending, feedforward control strategy. Therefore, like adults, 11- to 13-year-old children have the ability to select varying balance strategies (feedback, feedforward, or both), depending on the constraints of a particular task.     

Mental rotation of static and dynamic figures

Previous studies comparing performance on standard (i.e., static) and dynamic spatial test items have concluded that the two item types measure different abilities. Such conclusions about the uniqueness of static and dynamic spatial abilities seem premature, however, since only a limited number of dynamic spatial tasks have been utilized in research and these have differed markedly from their static counterparts. In the present studies, tasks were designed to require a common mental operation (mental rotation) under static and dynamic conditions. Correlations between static and dynamic performance ranged from .80 to .90. This appears to suggest that the emergence of a unique dynamic ability factor depends on the utilization of certain specialized tasks (e.g., arrival time tasks) with mental operations much different than those required by conventional spatial tests. In other words, it is apparently the requirement for different cognitive processes and not the processing of stimulus motion per se that distinguishes performance onsome dynamic tasks from performance on some standard static tasks.     

Effect of static visual acuity on dynamic visual acuity: a pilot study

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate whether dynamic visual acuity changes with or without refractive correction. 42 healthy enrolled subjects with normal vision were divided into two age-matched groups. In Group A, dynamic visual acuity was measured first with the refractive error fully corrected and then without. In Group B, dynamic visual acuity measurements were taken in the reverse order of that performed by Group A. The measurements were binocularly performed five times using free-head viewing after dynamic visual acuity values were stable. Significant changes in dynamic visual acuity (static visual acuity 20/20 vs 12/20) were observed in both Group A (171.6 +/- 36.0 deg./sec. vs 151.8 +/- 39.6 deg./sec., Wilcoxon test, p < .001) and Group B (169.8 +/- 30.0 deg./sec. vs 151.2 +/- 36.0 deg./sec., Wilcoxon test, p < .001). The interaction was significant (F1.20 = 8.12, p = .009). These results indicated that refractive correction affected dynamic visual acuity.     

Antisaccade costs with static and dynamic targets

In the present study we examined the antisaccade cost (latency difference between antisaccades and prosaccades) in a variety of search tasks. In a series of experiments participants searched for a target and were required to execute a saccade toward (prosaccade) or aw ay (antisaccade) from the target. The results revealed that the antisaccade cost was greater for static targets than for dynamic targets, and it was greater for onset targets than for offset targets. Furthermore, the offset of an onset target interfered with prosaccades, but facilitated antisaccades, resulting in a reduction of the antisaccade cost. To account for the data a model is presented, in which attentional control and working memory processes play an important role in the generation of antisaccades.     

Inhibition of return in static and dynamic displays

Inhibition of return (IOR) causes people to be slower to return their attention to a recently attended object (object-based IOR) or location (location-based IOR). In attempts to separately measure the two components, moving stimuli have been used that permit the dissociation of the attended object from its location when it was attended. The implicit assumption has been that both object- and locationbased components of IOR will operate whenever the cued object and cued location are identical. We show here that although this assumption may be true in a static display, it appears to be unwarranted when moving stimuli are involved: Very little IOR is observed when a cued object moves away from, and then subsequently returns to, its initial location. Thus, the processes that underlie IOR operate very differently in static versus dynamic scenes.     

Variation in perceived attractiveness: differences between dynamic and static faces

Studies that attempt to define facial attractiveness often do so in terms of structural features of the face (e.g., symmetry, averageness). However, these studies typically use static images of faces that may not be analogous to dynamic faces that are frequently used in other areas of attractiveness research, such as research investigating the impact of attractiveness on social interaction. The current studies investigated similarities and differences in how dynamic and static faces are perceived and evaluated. Study 1 demonstrated that dynamic and static faces are judged by different evaluative standards. Study 2 demonstrated that perceived emotion may be more salient in judging the attractiveness of dynamic faces than in judging the attractiveness of static faces. These findings illustrate the need to more fully explore the differences between dynamic and static faces to facilitate a better understanding of the characteristics underlying perceived attractiveness.     

Factors contributing to the implicit dynamic quality of static abstract designs

Participants rated the dynamic quality of a set of twelve-element nonrepresentational or abstract visual designs each composed of one of four types of triangles or four types of quadrilaterals. We investigated the contribution to the perceived or implicit dynamics of the design of the four factors edge alignment of compositional elements, physical weight distribution about the horizontal axis, activity directions within the designs, and type of compositional element. It was found that edge alignment of elements was the most influential factor contributing to the dynamics both of triangle and of quadrilateral designs. In addition, dynamics was found to be positively correlated with the number of perceived activity directions within both types of stimuli. Triangle designs, but not quadrilateral ones, with greater structural weight above the horizontal axis were rated as more dynamic. Results suggest that implicit dynamics of nonrepresentational designs arises from a percept based on a global spatial analysis of the stimulus characteristics studied.     

Population size and suicide in U.S. cities: a static and dynamic exploration

The relationship between city population size and suicide rates rarely has been examined directly, though scholars often assume such a relationship exists based on studies of the association between suicide rates and urbanization (percent of the population living in cities) in various social contexts. In an effort to determine the basic association between suicide rates and city population size, we analyze data for four time points, 1960, 1970, 1980, and 1990, using a random sample of U.S. cities with 10,000 or more population in 1960. In addition, we conduct a time series analysis of change in population size and change in suicide rates over a two decade period. Results indicate that an association between population and suicide is atypical, and even when observed is highly sensitive to methodological specifications. The results call into question the notion that larger city population size is conducive to suicide as well as the assumption that studies of suicide and urbanization can substitute for studies of suicide and city population size.     

Repetition priming and recognition of dynamic and static chimeras

Chimeric faces, produced by combining the top half of a familiar face with the bottom half of a different familiar face, are difficult to recognise explicitly. However, given that they contain potentially useful configurational and featural information for face recognition, they might nevertheless produce some activation of representations of their constituent faces. Repetition priming with dynamic and static facial chimeras was used to test this possibility. Whereas half-faces produced significant repetition priming of their familiar counterparts, both types of chimera did not. When analyses were restricted to faces that were recognised during the prime phase, repetition priming was both significant, and equivalent, for chimeras and half-faces. The results suggest that the constituents of a facial chimera must be parsed, and recognised, in order for them to cause repetition priming for their familiar counterparts. Facial motion does not help with the parsing of a facial chimera.