短时距估计中的标量特性

使用单任务研究程序,采用预期式研究范式和再现时距的研究方法,从心理物理学的视角,通过三个实验系统地考查了人类短时距估计的标量特性、变异源、时距估计中的转换点和韦伯函数的形态等问题。结果表明,刺激物的运动、变化、速度和物理时距是被试进行短时距估计的重要变异源;被试在实验中表现出高估较短时距和低估较长时距的倾向,时距估计的转换点为11.1s;计时过程中得到的韦伯函数是个分段连续函数, 韦伯函数的拐点有两个12s和21s,这两点与本研究得到的时距估计转换点具有部分一致性     

短时距估计中的心理影响因素

使用单任务研究程序,预期式研究范式,以产生时距作为反应指标,通过两个实验考察短时距估计中的间断位置、间断时距和提示线索效应,探讨产生时距与等待时距的关系问题,揭示注意和间断期望对短时距估计的影响。研究结果表明, 间断实验中表现出极其显著的提示线索效应,间断位置（等待时距）效应显著,间断时距效应及间断位置与间断时距的交互效应不显著。由此得出：(1)注意是影响被试时间判断的主要因素,被试的产生时距随着等待时距的增加而延长。(2)被试对间断的期望显著地影响其时间估计行为,无间断实验条件下,间断期望有损于时间估计。     

中央执行子功能对预期式时距估计的作用——基于结构方程模型的结果

采用结构方程模型的方法探讨中央执行系统与时距加工过程的关系,考察三种中央执行子功能(转换,抑制,刷新)对预期式长、短时距估计(两种标准时距:2s,5s)的作用模式。结果发现刷新功能对长、短时距估计任务都产生影响;抑制功能只作用于长时距估计;转换功能不参与单独的预期式时距估计过程。结果表明,三种执行子功能对预期式短时距加工和长时距加工的作用不同,支持时距加工的差异机制假设。     

短时距估计中刺激物的动态变化效应

用两个实验考查了时距估计中刺激物的动态变化效应。结果发现,刺激物的运动、速度和旋转角度显著地影响着被试的时间判断,刺激物速度的时距延长效应对于较长时距(18s-24s)来说更加明显;运动刺激与较短、较准确的时距判断相关联;旋转角度的减少使得被试低估时距,而旋转角度的增加使得时距估计呈高估倾向。被试在时间估计过程中表现出长时距低估和短时距高估现象,本研究得到的时间估计转换点是11.4s,此点与先前的有关研究基本一致。     

回溯式时距估计的动态性及心理机制

时间流逝过程中, 回溯式时距估计动态性体现在短时延迟和长时发展两个方面。前者聚焦秒、分级的延迟, 将其归为背景变化或由目标时距引发的认知差异; 后者聚焦跨年龄(如婴儿、儿童到成年)的个体发展, 认为主要是信息加工速度的差异。最后, 从综合视角出发, 认为其动态性可能是由不同时距信息心理表征的差异造成的, 这体现时间认知的分段综合性。未来需以时间流逝的动态视角开展回溯式时距估计的心理表征研究, 深入探讨与目标时距紧密相关的计时策略在回溯式时距估计中的作用, 并扩展年龄、人格类型等个体差异方面的动态特征研究。     

时距估计任务中的间断期望效应

使用单任务研究程序,采用引入提示线索的方法,以产生时距作为反应指标对存在间断的时距估计任务中的间断期望效应和提示线索效应（注意效应）进行系统考察,并对间断时距的效应、产生时距与等待时距的关系问题作出进一步探讨。结果表明,间断位置（等待时距）因素是被试时间判断的主要线索,被试的产生时距随着等待时距的增加而延长。间断实验中表现出极其显著的提示线索效应,此效应既增加了时距估计的变异,又延长了被试的时距估计。无间断实验条件下,被试表现出显著的间断期望效应,被试对间断的期望有损于时间估计。     

回溯式时距估计的计时机制

回溯式时距估计是以记忆为主要成分, 且事后才知要对两个相继事件之间的间隔时间或某一事件持续时间的长短进行估计。可分为近时和远时的回溯式时距估计, 两者的计时机制与记忆有关, 但各有侧重：前者侧重短时或长时记忆, 直接证据来源于即时回忆单一或多个认知任务以估计时间, 间接证据则聚焦于物理、生理、心理因素的影响; 后者侧重自传体记忆, 可从问卷或访谈的测量方式以及主客体特征的影响两个方面来寻找证据。今后需以整合的观点深入探究回溯式时距估计的计时机制, 拓展回溯式时距估计行为测量的研究, 并开展对回溯式时距估计神经生物学基础的探讨。     

时距估计中的锚定效应

采用两种时距估计方法,检验时距锚定值对时距估计的影响,并探讨了时距信息的心理表征方式。63名在校大学生参加了本次实验。实验1采用口头报告法,表明较大的时距锚定值（5s,5000ms）条件下,被试估对时距的估计值较大,而较小时距锚定值（1s,1000ms）条件下被试估计的时距值较小;语义相同但表述方式不同的锚定值（1s与1000ms,5s与5000ms）条件下的时距估计值没有显著差异。实验2采用产生法,进一步表明时距表述方式对产生时距没有显著影响。以上结果表明,时距估计受时距锚定值的影响,时距信息可能以语义形式进行表征,而不是简单的数字加单位的表层表征形式     

标量计时模型的影响因素及发展

标量计时模型为人类时间知觉的研究提供了理论框架和研究范式, 它采用信息加工的观点, 包含时钟、记忆和决策三个阶段。时间二分任务是在标量计时模型的框架下研究时间知觉和加工的理想范式。它要求被试对时距进行与标量计时模型相对应的多阶段操作, 包含了时间知觉所涉及的各个过程, 能有效测量主观时距和时间敏感性的变化。通过这个范式, 研究者发现, 除了任务参数, 年龄和疾病都会影响人的主观时距和/或时间敏感性。这些时间二分任务的实验结果促进了标量计时模型的发展, 最近提出的两阶段决策模型和差别模型分别以不同的方式对标量计时模型进行了修正, 并解释了参数设置的影响和计时的个体差异。     

Müller-Lyer图形中长度加工与时距估计的关系

采用复制法,考察Müller-Lyer错觉条件下,长度加工与时距估计的关系。实验1和实验2分别采用实线段和空线段,结果发现,图形的客观长度越长,估计的时距越长;箭头朝向造成的主观长度错觉对时距估计无影响;时距对长度判断的影响较小。实验3进一步操作线段长度和箭杆方向,发现长度错觉不影响时距估计与错觉量的大小无关。研究表明刺激的客观长度与时间在心理表征上存在自动化的联结,也受到刺激、实验方法和时距等因素的影响。     

Achieving incremental semantic interpretation through contextual representation.

While much work has been done investigating the role of context in the incremental processing of syntactic indeterminacies, relatively little is known about online semantic interpretation. The experiments in this article made use of the eye-tracking paradigm with spoken language and visual contexts in order to examine how, and when listeners make use of contextually-defined contrast in interpreting simple prenominal adjectives. Experiment 1 focused on intersective adjectives. Experiment 1A provided further evidence that intersective adjectives are processed incrementally. Experiment 1B compared response times to follow instructions such as 'Pick up the blue comb' under conditions where there were two blue objects (e.g. a blue pen and a blue comb), but only one of these objects had a contrasting member in the display. Responses were faster to objects with a contrasting member, establishing that the listeners initially assume a contrastive interpretation for intersective adjectives. Experiments 2 and 3 focused on vague scalar adjectives examining the time course with which listeners establish contrast for scalar adjectives such as tall using information provided by the head noun (e.g. glass) and information provided by the visual context. Use of head-based information was examined by manipulating the typicality of the target object (e.g. whether it was a good or poor example of a tall glass. Use of context-dependent contrast was examined by either having only a single glass in the display (the no contrast condition) or a contrasting object (e.g. a smaller glass). The pattern of results indicated that listeners interpreted the scalar adjective incrementally taking into account context-specific contrast prior to encountering the head. Moreover, the presence of a contrasting object, sharply reduced, and in some conditions completely eliminated, typicality effects. The results suggest a language processing system in which semantic interpretation, as well as syntactic processing, is conducted incrementally, with early integration of contextual information.     

Information Integration in Modulation of Pragmatic Inferences During Online Language Comprehension

Upon hearing a scalar adjective in a definite referring expression such as “the big…,” listeners typically make anticipatory eye movements to an item in a contrast set, such as a big glass in the context of a smaller glass. Recent studies have suggested that this rapid, contrastive interpretation of scalar adjectives is malleable and calibrated to the speaker's pragmatic competence. In a series of eye‐tracking experiments, we explore the nature of the evidence necessary for the modulation of pragmatic inferences in language comprehension, focusing on the complementary roles of top–down information ‐ (knowledge about the particular speaker's pragmatic competence)  and bottom‐up cues  (distributional information about the use of scalar adjectives in the environment). We find that bottom‐up evidence alone (e.g., the speaker says “the big dog” in a context with one dog), in large quantities, can be sufficient to trigger modulation of the listener's contrastive inferences, with or without top‐down cues to support this adaptation. Further, these findings suggest that listeners track and flexibly combine multiple sources of information in service of efficient pragmatic communication.     

Crossmodal duration perception involves perceptual grouping, temporal ventriloquism, and variable internal clock rates

Here, we investigate how audiovisual context affects perceived event duration with experiments in which observers reported which of two stimuli they perceived as longer. Target events were visual and/or auditory and could be accompanied by nontargets in the other modality. Our results demonstrate that the temporal information conveyed by irrelevant sounds is automatically used when the brain estimates visual durations but that irrelevant visual information does not affect perceived auditory duration (Experiment 1). We further show that auditory influences on subjective visual durations occur only when the temporal characteristics of the stimuli promote perceptual grouping (Experiments 1 and 2). Placed in the context of scalar expectancy theory of time perception, our third and fourth experiments have the implication that audiovisual context can lead both to changes in the rate of an internal clock and to temporal ventriloquism-like effects on perceived on- and offsets. Finally, intramodal grouping of auditory stimuli diminished any crossmodal effects, suggesting a strong preference for intramodal over crossmodal perceptual grouping (Experiment 5).     

Preferences for scale structure in melodic sequences

Most Western music is tonal; that is, pitch organization can largely be described in terms of scales or keys. A considerable amount of research has been conducted on the role played by scale in perceiving notes and melodies. The present article points out a potentially important distinction between scale structure (the set permitted pitch intervals between notes) and mode (the assignment of a special salience or centrality to particular notes within the scale structure). Four experiments are described that investigated the judgment of adult Western listeners for melodies that approximated to scale structure in differing degrees but that were random in other respects. We found that musicians and nonmusicians gave higher ratings of preference and adjudged musicality to melodies containing increased numbers of consecutive notes conforming to scale structure. A significant exception to this rule was the least scalar type of sequence, which received ratings as high as the fully scalar sequences. This exception occurred because subjects identified scale structure not only in groups of contiguous notes but also in groups of discontiguous notes that formed a coherent "stream" as long as the number of notes intervening corresponded to a standard temporal grouping, or meter, such as is commonly found in Western music.     

Hypnotic blindness: a behavioral and experiential analysis

This research examined the influence of visual information on a decision task that subjects were administered during hypnotically suggested blindness. Real, hypnotizable subjects and simulating, unhypnotizable subjects were tested in two experiments. Experiment 1 focused on behavioral responses, and Experiment 2 focused on experiential reactions. In both experiments, the findings indicated that the behavioral responses of reals were influenced by visual information despite their reported blindness. The behavioral responses of reals and simulators were essentially similar. The experiential data in Experiment 2 provided information about the phenomenal nature of subjects' reported blindness. The experimental reactions of reals and simulators were essentially different. The research is discussed in terms of the issues that need to be considered in the development of a model of hypnotic blindness.     

Interval production as an analogue of the peak procedure: Evidence for similarity of human and animal timing processes

Humans subjects repeatedly produced durations ranging from 0.5 to 1.3 sec, with each trial being followed by accurate feedback as to the time produced. An analogy was drawn between this production task and the peak procedure, a technique used to examine temporal control in rats which typically produces data conforming to scalar timing theory. Human production data were analysed in a way similar to that employed in peak procedure experiments. Using non-linear regression, it was found that the peak of relative frequency distributions of times produced varied accurately with the target time, and that the coefficient of variation of fitted curves was approximately constant as peak location and target time varied. In both these respects human production data were very similar to those collected from rats in peak procedure experiments, and thus compatible with scalar timing and Weber's law. Weber fractions obtained in this experiment were about half the value of those produced by rats in peak procedure studies, but only slightly lower than those obtained from animals in some other experimental situations.     

Failure of familiar size to determine a metric for visually perceived distance

The use of knowledge of the familiar sizes of objects in determining the apparent distances of those objects is known as the familiar size cue to distance. If effective, this cue might be one of the factors responsible for supplying the metric (scalar) characteristics of perceptions of spatial extent within a visual display in which other information concerning scalar extents has been reduced to a minimum. Two groups of observers were presented with realistic objects of the same angular, but different assumed, sizes presented in such a cue-restricted display. Perceptions of size and distance within the display did not differ significantly as a function of the type of object initially presented. This result was consistent with the notion that scalar perceptions under these conditions probably are determined by a factor known as the specific distance tendency, rather than by the experiential factor of familiar size.     

On the nature of associative information in recognition memory

In a typical associative-recognition task, participants must distinguish between intact word pairs (both words previously studied together) and rearranged word pairs (both words previously studied but as part of different pairs). The familiarity of the individual items on this task is uninformative because all of the items were seen before, so the only way to solve the task is to rely on associative information. Prior research suggests that associative information is recall-like in nature and may therefore be an all-or-none variable. The present research reports several experiments in which some pairs were strengthened during list presentation. The resulting hit rates and false alarm rates, and an analysis of the corresponding receiver operating characteristic plots, suggest that participants rely heavily on item information when making an associative-recognition decision (to no avail) and that associative information may be best thought of as a some-or-none variable.