Opponent chromatic response functions for an average observer

Average opponent chromatic response functions are presented for use in quantitative models of color perception. Theoretical transformations of photopigment input are related to opponent channel activity. Opponent chromatic activity is, in turn, used to describe a theoretical huenaming curve for an average observer.     

Effects of an observer on conformity to handwashing norm

Women were observed after elimination in a public restroom to determine the effects of the presence or absence of an observer upon the likelihood of handwashing. 18 of 20 subjects in the presence of another and 3 of 19 who were not observed washed. The difference in frequency of handwashing between the two groups was clearly significant.     

Computer-assisted observer training

Computerized interactive videotapes were used to train college students to use a 10-second partial-interval observational recording system. Students viewed videotapes and scored response occurrences on a computer keyboard. Incorrect scoring resulted in immediate computerized feedback and rescoring.     

Depth perception by the active observer

The connection between perception and action has classically been studied in one direction only: the effect of perception on subsequent action. Although our actions can modify our perceptions externally, by modifying the world or our view of it, it has recently become clear that even without this external feedback the preparation and execution of a variety of motor actions can have an effect on three-dimensional perceptual processes. Here, we review the ways in which an observer's motor actions--locomotion, head and eye movements, and object manipulation--affect his or her perception and representation of three-dimensional objects and space. Allowing observers to act can drastically change the way they perceive the third dimension, as well as how scientists view depth perception.     

Effects of an observer on eating behavior: the induction of "sensible" eating.

An experiment was conducted to investigate the extent of caloric compensation to differential preloading among normally restrained and unrestrained female subjects. Subjects' eating was either explicitly observed or unobserved by the experimenter. Unrestrained eaters compensated appropriately for the preload, whether or not they were observed. Restrained eaters failed to compensate when unobserved , but compensated strongly when observed. A subsequent unobserved eating task revealed that restrained eaters failed to compensate for prior consumption when the observer was withdrawn. Implications for research and therapy are discussed.     

Further assessment of the HEXACO Personality Inventory: two new facet scales and an observer report form

The HEXACO Personality Inventory (HEXACO-PI) operationalizes the six factors obtained from lexical studies of personality structure in several languages. In this study, psychometric properties of the HEXACO-PI were assessed using a community adult sample and also using observer reports, thereby extending the previous investigation relying only on self-reports from a college student sample. In addition to examining the original 24 HEXACO-PI facet scales, the authors also examined two new facet scales--Altruism versus Antagonism and Negative Self-Evaluation--that assess constructs located interstitially among the factors of the HEXACO space. The HEXACO-PI again showed favorable psychometric properties in terms of reliability and factor structure and also showed high levels of self/observer agreement.     

Slope estimation and viewing distance of the observer

The overestimation of geographical slant is one of the most sizable visual illusions. However, in some cases estimates of close-by slopes within the range of the observer’s personal space have been found to be rather accurate. We propose that the seemingly diverse findings can be reconciled when taking the viewing distance of the observer into account. The latter involves the distance of the observer from the slope (personal space, action space, and vista space) and also the eye-point relative to the slope. We separated these factors and compared outdoor judgments to those collected with a three-dimensional (3D) model of natural terrain, which was within arm’s reach of the observer. Slope was overestimated in the outdoors at viewing distances between 2 m and 138 m. The 3D model reproduced the errors in monocular viewing; however, performance was accurate with stereoscopic viewing. We conclude that accurate slant perception breaks down as soon as the situation exits personal space, be it physically or be it by closing one eye.     

Illusory motions induced by rapid displacements of the observer

Some illusory effects of movement are described that are easily observable when the subject is in rapid locomotion (driving a car or travelling on a train) and gazes fixedly at a particular point of the scene. These effects are essentially characterized by deformations and displacements of parts of the environment. It is suggested that the phenomenon responsible for them is the loss of size and position constancy, respectively. Experimental evidence indirectly validates this hypothesis, and a program of studies is now under way to further corroborate it.