Determinants of subjective contour: Bourdon illusions and “unbending” effects

Wenderoth and O’Connor (1987b) reported that, although matches to the straight edge of two triangles placed apex to apex revealed an apparent bending in the direction of the chevron formed by the hypotenuse pair (the Bourdon effect), no perceptual unbending of the bent chevron occurred. Using subjective contour figures, Walker and Shank (1988b) found large and approximately equal bending and unbending effects, consistent with two theories that they proposed. In Experiment 1, using adjustable chevron matching and subjective contours, we found that Bourdon effects, equivalent in magnitude to those reported by Walker and Shank, were 4–5 times larger than unbending effects. In Experiment 2, we used a variation of Walker and Shank’s measurement technique, in which subjects selected a matching angle from a graded series. We obtained Bourdon effects similar to those in Experiment 1, but much larger unbending effects. Nevertheless, Bourdon effects were significantly larger than unbending effects in one set of data; and in another, Bourdon test means were larger than unbending test means. In both data sets, there was a large and significant pretest bending effect, which enhanced the magnitude of unbending test minus pretest scores. These results were consistent with our theory but not the theories of Walker and Shank. The variance of unbending test matches, 3–4 times that of Bourdon test matches, reflected the task difficulty. We propose that subjective obtuse angle contraction that exceeds real obtuse angle contraction explains the fact that unbending effects are larger in subjective than in real contours.     

Meditation and flexibility of visual perception and verbal problem solving

This study investigates the effects of the regular practice of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique on habitual patterns of visual perception and verbal problem solving. The study’s predictions were expressed in the context of Norman’s model, which suggests that meditation reduces conceptually driven processes. It was specifically hypothesized that the TM technique involves a reduction of habitual patterns of perceptual and conceptual activation, resulting in (1) more effective application of schemata to new information and (2) less distracting mental activity during performance. This was predicted to result in improved task performance on task conditions in which either (1) habitual patterns of performance hinder or do not aid performance or (2) habitual patterns aid performance. Subjects began the TM technique, relaxed, or added nothing to their daily schedule for 2-week periods. In addition to generalized effects of the interventions, the immediate effects of the TM technique, relaxation, and reading were compared on a letter perception task. The general hypothesis was supported for tasks of tachistoscopic identification of card and letter-sequence stimuli, but not for the verbal problem solving task of anagram solution.     

Proactive Responding to Anticipated Discrimination Based on Chronic Illness: Double-Edged Sword?

Purpose

Proactive strategies for avoiding stigmatization may prevent work-related discrimination (Singletary and Hebl J Appl Psychol 94:797–805, 2009), yet these strategies may also cause strain in the stigmatized. We tested a model in which previous workplace discrimination experiences and anticipated future workplace discrimination related to proactive responses (compensatory behaviors and concealing behaviors), which, in turn, related to job tension.

Design/Methodology/Approach

Survey data were obtained from 332 workers with chronic illnesses. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed relationships.

Findings

Perceived previous discrimination directly related to anticipated future discrimination and indirectly related to compensatory and concealing behaviors. Anticipated discrimination directly related to compensatory and concealing behaviors, and indirectly related to job tension through compensatory behaviors. Compensatory behaviors were, but concealing behaviors were not, related to job tension.

Implications

Workers with chronic illness should be educated on ways to mitigate the negative effects of compensatory behaviors, including ensuring adequate opportunities to replenish resources. Organizations should provide assistance to these workers through Employee Assistance Programs or other types of job counseling. Organization leaders and supervisors have a responsibility to build an environment of acceptance for those with chronic illness in order to reduce potential discrimination.

Originality/Value

While proactive strategies are effective in reducing negative outcomes of stigmatization, little research has explored their potential downsides. We highlight the “double-edged sword” nature of compensatory behaviors. In addition, while a large proportion of U.S. workers are managing chronic illness, this population is understudied.     

Gender role identity from an ego developmental perspective

This study, designed to respond to current limitations in gender role identity measurement, presents a conceptual and empirical approach to gender role identity that relies on ego developmental theory. To begin the process of construct validation of this approach to gender role identity, gender role identity was examined in relation to ego development, gender, and marital status. Gender role identity was measured via an interview adapted from Waterman and by the Bem Sex Role Inventory. Ego development was assessed via Loevinger's Sentence Completion Test of Ego Development. The sample consisted of 107 young adult men and women, married and single. In support of construct validity, the gender role interview was found to be correlated with the ego development measure. In support of discriminant validity, different patterns of correlates by gender were found between the gender role interview and the Bem Sex Role Inventory.     

On utrocular discrimination

Observers with good stereoacuity judged which eye received sine-wave grating patterns in a two-category forced-choice procedure. Large individual differences were found, but for most observers reliable discrimination was achieved at low spatial frequencies. No observer could perform the task above chance levels at high spatial frequencies. Discrimination was unaffected by retinal location, grating orientation, grating contrast, stimulus duration, or practice with feedback. Among observers who could perform the task, the following results were obtained: (1) Introduction of high spatial frequency components did not interfere with performance so long as a low spatial frequency component was present. (2) When gratings of low equal spatial frequency were presented to both eyes simultaneously at different contrast levels, observers could identify which eye received the higher contrast. (3) At low spatial frequencies, observers could distinguish monocular from binocular presentation. (4) Temporal frequency variations (counterphase flicker) influenced performance for some observers. Binocular summation and interocular transfer were unaffected by the spatial frequency variations which modulate utrocular discrimination. A new procedure for measuring stereopsis was developed which made possible comparison of utrocular discrimination with stereopsis at specific spatial frequencies. Stereopsis appeared mildly affected by spatial frequency.     

Automation of learning-set testing: The video-task paradigm

Researchers interested in studying discrimination learning in primates have typically utilized variations in the Wisconsin General Test Apparatus (WGTA). In the present experiment, a new testing apparatus for the study of primate learning is proposed. In the video-task paradigm, rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) respond to computer-generated stimuli by manipulating a joystick. Using this apparatus, discrimination learning-set data for 2 monkeys were obtained. Performance on Trial 2 exceeded 80% within 200 discrimination learning problems. These data illustrate the utility of the video-task paradigm in comparative research. Additionally, the efficient learning and rich data that were characteristic of this study suggest several advantages of the present testing paradigm over traditional WGTA testing.     

Sinusoidal plucks and bows are not categorically perceived,either

Cutting and Rosner (Perception & Psychophysics, 1974,16, 564–570) reported that two acoustic nonspeech continua varying in rise time were categorically perceived. We have already shown (Rosen & Howell,Perception & Psychophysics, 1981,30, 156–168) that the reason their sawtooth continuum was perceived in such a way, and in particular why it exhibited a midcontinuum peak in the discrimination function, was entirely due to the stimuli not having the intended rise times. The other nonspeech continuum that varied in rise time and was reported to be categorically perceived used a sinusoidal carrier. Although the labeling functions obtained were not as sharp as those obtained with sawtooth stimuli, the characteristic midcontinuum discrimination peak was found. We generated such a set of sinusoidal stimuli and found no evidence of categorical perception. Just as we have previously found for sawtooth stimuli, discrimination is best at the short rise-time end of the continuum and decreases monotonically with increasing rise time.     

The use of olfactory cues in solving a visual discrimination task

Albino rats, trained in a miniaturized WGTA, were found to learn an olfactory discrimination despite the fact that visual cues were relevant and obvious. The results provide a further warning against the use of macrosmatic animals in visual discrimination tasks in which olfactory cues may be relevant.     

Predictors of Depressive Symptoms Among Children Affected by HIV in Rural China: A 3-Year Longitudinal Study

The current study was designed to examine the trend of depression among children affected by HIV (n = 1,221) in rural China over a period of 3 years and to explore baseline psychosocial factors that can predict depressive symptoms at 1- and 2-year follow-ups. Baseline depression score, trusting relationship with caregivers, perceived public stigma against children affected by HIV, and future expectation at baseline positively predicted the 1-year follow-up depression, while children’ self-report health status, self-esteem, and perceived social support negatively predicted depression at 1-year follow-up survey. Depression and self-report health status at baseline significantly predicted depression at the 2-year follow-up. The data in the current study suggested that depressive symptoms were chronic or recurring among some children affected by HIV/AIDS. The findings also underscore the importance of early identification, early intervention, and ongoing counseling for mental health problems among children affected by HIV/AIDS. Future psychological support programs need to target both mental health symptoms and resilient factors that will help these children to cope with adverse life events associated with HIV/AIDS.     

Visibility and evaluation of female and male leaders

Visibility and evaluation of female and male leaders were assessed as a function of follower sex, performance level, and rater sex by having subjects view videotapes of interacting triads. Subjects identified persons exhibiting leadership behaviors as leaders regardless of experimental condition. Performance level had significant main effects on six of seven leader evaluation measures, with leaders of high-performing groups being rated more leaderlike, dominant, intelligent, competent, industrious, and supportive. Although female leaders were equally visible and were evaluated the same as male leaders, the probability of continued success was seen as lower for groups with female leaders of all-female or all-male followers. Results were interpreted as an indication that relevant behavioral data can mitigate stereotypic perceptions and evaluations in the individual case, but that current evaluations of female leaders may fail to generalize to future performance expectancies.     

Event-related brain potentials and subjective probability in a learning task

In a paired associate learning task, subjects responded to each presentation of a nonsense syllable by typing both a three-letter associate and a rating of their confidence that this response was correct or incorrect. Average event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by the subsequent presentation of the actual paired syllable varied with the interaction of confidence and trial outcome. A larger amplitude P300 was elicited by syllables that informed subjects that they were correct when they thought they were incorrect or that they were incorrect when they thought they were correct than by syllables that confirmed subjects expectations. That this average ERP result was indeed an effect on P300 amplitude, and not an artifact of single-trial variability in P30O latency, was confirmed with a trial-by-trial latency adjustment procedure. Consistent with findings from other tasks, P300 amplitude varied inversely with the subj ective probability of the ERP-eliciting events.     

Pronoun disambiguation: Accessing potential antecedents

Two general classes of pronoun disambiguation processes are considered. In reading “Jack threw a snowball at Phil, but he missed,” both possible antecedents of “he” (“Jack” and “Phil”) may be accessed initially. Or, the actual antecedent alone may be accessed after sufficient semantic context is encoded. To evaluate these alternatives, a yes-no-probe recognition task was used to measure priming of the potential antecedents in sentence comprehension. Subjects read sentences similar to the example and were presented a test word immediately following each sentence. Response times for the actual antecedent (“Jack”) and nonantecedent (“Phil”) probes were obtained. Results indicated that the nonantecedent as well as the antecedent was activated (accessed) in pronoun disambiguation. This conclusion was not affected by the ordering of the antecedent and nonantecedent in the first clause.     

Intraindividual consistencies in cross-modal matching across several continua

To determine the relationship between individual exponents for cross-modal stimulus matches for both directions of matching, and to assess the transitivity of individual exponents, subjects were asked to adjust both the judgment and criterion stimuli. Experiment 1 involved four continua paired in 12 ordered combinations; Experiment 2 involved five continua and 20 ordered combinations. Two subjects served in each experiment. The individual exponent of the power function for matches of A to B was close to the inverse of the exponent for matches of B to A, but there was systematic deviation, indicating the presence of a small regression effect. Transitivity of individual exponents was determined by forming ratios of exponents from matches involving other continuum pairs to predict obtained exponents; the means of the distribution of deviations of obtained from predicted values was ?.02 log units, and the standard deviation was .15 log units, indicating that, on the average, predicted values were close to obtained exponents—that is, transitivity of exponents holds for individuals.     

The effects of complexity on the perception of vibrotactile patterns

Vibrotactile patterns were presented to subjects’ left index fmgerpads using the array from the Optacon. A set of simple (one-line) patterns and a set of complex (two-line) patterns were constructed so that they were equally identifiable when presented individually. In Experiment 1, discrimination performance was lower for two-line patterns than for one-line patterns. Communality, the number of lines that two patterns share in common, appeared to be the major factor in reducing discrimination performance for two-line patterns. Experiment 2 measured the time required to identify individual patterns. There was no significant difference in identification times for one- and two-line patterns, suggesting that features within a pattern were processed simultaneously. In the presence of a temporal masking stimulus (Experiment 3), two-line patterns were more difficult to identify than one-line patterns, but reaction times were similar for the two sets of patterns. The results suggest that varying complexity affects perception of patterns at later stages of processing.     

Assimilative hue shifts in color depend on bar width

Hue shifts were measured in isoluminant color gratings whose bar width was varied from 2′ to 20′ of visual angle. Subjects matched the hues in each grating with individual Munsell swatches. Hue shifts were largest for bar widths of 2′; however, they depended on the color combination used. Green and red shifted toward (i.e., assimilated with) whatever second grating color they were paired with. Blue, on the other hand, assimilated with red and with yellow, but remained relatively unchanged when combined with green. Yellow shifted only minimally, regardless of the second grating color. Hue shifts decreased with increasing stripe width and disappeared between 4.5′ and 7.5′. Compared with the assimilative hue shifts, color contrast effects were slight or absent. These results cannot be attributed merely to chromatic aberration, macular pigment, eye movements, or field size.     

LQTS Parents’ Reflections About Genetic Risk Knowledge and their Need to Know or Not to Know their Children’s Carrier Status

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a contributor to unexplained deaths in infants (SIDS), children, teenagers and young adults. A gene test result may allow for individual tailored treatment, but also pose a burden of knowing one’s carrier status, with no treatment recommendation. Genetic risk knowledge in the case of LQTS can promote adjustment and coping, but also fear anxiety, ambivalence and moral dilemmas. This makes it challenging to respect both the right to know and the right not to know. The purpose of this study was to explore LQTS parents’ perception of genetic knowledge, and their need to know or not to know about their children’s carrier status. Qualitative, semi structured interviews were conducted with thirteen parents of LQTS-children. Results show that parents found it important to know the result of a gene test for LQTS including their children’s carrier status. The risk was framed and incorporated into their everyday life and their life perspectives. Pertinent moral dilemmas concerned information disclosure to children and relatives. Parents thought that early and gradual disclosure to children would promote coping. Parents’ moral dilemmas were rarely addressed during encounters with healthcare providers. The participants had several suggestions for improvement in that regard.     

Identity Coping in the First Years of University: Identity Diffusion,Adjustment and Identity Distress

In today’s advanced post-capitalist societies, consolidating identity with a view to acquiring adult roles is more complex than in the past. In Italy, the changes in the educational system are also associated with changes in the labor market characterized by lack of opportunity and instability. Therefore, young people on the threshold of university are discouraged from making long-term decisions and developing a coherent identity. The aim of the study was to explore what modalities Italian students adopt in order to cope with developmental tasks and how they proceed to negotiate and resolve identity-related concerns. The participants were 332 Italian students, balanced by gender, attending the first 2 years of university and aged 18–25. We used six self-report measures: Dimensions of Identity Development Scale; Identity Stage Resolution Index; Identity Distress Scale; Locus of Control Scale; Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale; and Depressive Symptom Subscale and Anxiety Symptom Subscale. Participation was voluntary, and anonymity was guaranteed. Findings indicate that identity processes, identity distress and sense of adulthood are related dimensions. We find five different modalities of identity coping (clusters) that identify different subjects. These retained clusters have also an effect on psychosocial correlates. Results advance the literature linking identity, sense of adulthood and coping with developmental tasks in emerging adulthood. Findings also support previous literature suggesting that coping with identity during first years of university is an important target of prevention efforts aimed at improving academic performance and identification of developmental path, particularly for individuals who exhibit identity diffusion and distress.     

Inexpensive apparatuses for use with young children: A WGTA variant

This report details steps for constructing devices adapted from the WGTA and for use with young children in discrimination tasks. The devices are specially made Jack-in-the-boxes to which various discrimination forms can be attached. The units are both durable and reliable and meet the criteria of ease of construction, low cost, ease of operation, and strong reinforcing qualities. The units have been successfully used with normal and retarded children and with children with motor difficulties and/or muscle weaknesses from 15 to 60 months of age.     

Visual and tactual form discrimination: Psychophysical comparison within and between modalities

Intermodal perceptual equivaience was investigated, using visual and tactual oddity discrimination and cross-modal matching-to-sample tasks. Four groups of Ss were presented with 100 problems made up of randomly derived forms from five levels of sidedness. The same quadratic relationship was observed for all tasks as a function of complexity, with optimal performance at eight sides. Comman information utilization, as indicated by intercorrelations of performance variables and by correlational analyses with differences in form measures, was not as pronounced within side classes. Evidence concerning the nature of pattern-feature usage in discrimination was obtained from graphical analyses.     

The dimensions of tonal experience: A nonmetric multidimensional scaling approach

Subjects were required in each trial to directly compare two pairs of tones and indicate which pair of tones had the greater subjective difference or dissimilarity. Eleven tones differing in both intensity and frequency were employed. Subjects made binary comparisons among the 55 tone pairs which can be formed from the set of 11 tones. These paired comparisons of tonal intervals were used to determine a two-dimensional Euclidean representation for tonal experience. Loudness and pitch appeared as orthogonal dimensions in this representation. However, a 45-deg rotation of loudness and pitch axes produced axes which could be identified as volume and density. This relationship suggested that volume and density were simple functions of pitch and loudness. Volume and density predictions based on this two-dimensional representation were shown to provide a good account of the data from three experiments on volume and density.