Selective learning of spatial configuration and object identity in visual search

To conduct an efficient visual search, visual attention must be guided to a target appropriately. Previous studies have suggested that attention can be quickly guided to a target when the spatial configurations of search objects or the object identities have been repeated. This phenomenon is termed contextual cuing. In this study, we investigated the effect of learning spatial configurations, object identities, and a combination of both configurations and identities on visual search. The results indicated that participants could learn the contexts of spatial configurations, but not of object identities, even when both configurations and identities were completely correlated (Experiment 1). On the other hand, when only object identities were repeated, an effect of identity learning could be observed (Experiment 2). Furthermore, an additive effect of configuration learning and identity learning was observed when, in some trials, each context was the relevant cue for predicting the target (Experiment 3). Participants could learn only the context that was associated with target location (Experiment 4). These findings indicate that when multiple contexts are redundant, contextual learning occurs selectively, depending on the predictability of the target location.     

Reliability and validity of a Japanese version of the Eating Disorder Inventory

The rapid increase of patients with eating disorders in Japan has male necessary the reliable and valid measurement of psychological factors in eating disorders. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Eating Disorder Inventory. 766 females without eating disorders and 139 female patients with eating disorders responded to the Eating Attitude Test and the Eating Disorder Inventory. Principal factor extraction with promax rotation isolated 9 interpretable factors with satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach alpha range=.74-.90). Compared with controls, patients scored significantly higher on all factors after minimizing the influence of Body Mass Index. There were strong correlations among factor scores and scores on the Eating Attitudes Test, particularly among patients. These results indicate the Eating Disorder Inventory as showing psychometrically sound internal consistency and concurrent validity.     

Probing attentional modulation of contextual cueing

The repetition of spatial layout implicitly facilitates visual search (contextual cueing effect; Chun & Jiang, 1998). Although a substantial number of studies have explored the mechanism underlying the contextual cueing effect, the manner in which contextual information guides spatial attention to a target location during a visual search remains unclear. We investigated the nature of attentional modulation by contextual cueing, using a hybrid paradigm of a visual search task and a probe dot detection task. In the case of a repeated spatial layout, detection of a probe dot was facilitated at a search target location and was inhibited at distractor locations relative to nonrepeated spatial layouts. Furthermore, these facilitatory and inhibitory effects possessed different learning properties across epochs (Experiment 1) and different time courses within a trial (Experiment 2). These results suggest that contextual cueing modulates attentional processing via both facilitation to the location of “to-be-attended” stimuli and inhibition to the locations of “to-be-ignored” stimuli.     

The properties of object representations constructed during visual search in natural scenes

To investigate properties of object representations constructed during a visual search task, we manipulated the proportion of trials/task within a block: In a search-frequent block, 80% of trials were search tasks; remaining trials presented a memory task; in a memory-frequent block, this proportion was reversed. In the search task, participants searched for a toy car (Experiments 1 and 2) or a T-shape object (Experiment 3). In the memory task, participants had to memorize objects in a scene. Memory performance was worse in the search-frequent block than in the memory-frequent block in Experiments 1 and 3, but not in Experiment 2 (token change in Experiment 1; type change in Experiments 2 and 3). Experiment 4 demonstrated that lower performance in the search-frequent block was not due to eye-movement behaviour. Results suggest that object representations constructed during visual search are different from those constructed during memorization and they are modulated by type of target.     

Trait anxiety and impaired control of reflective attention in working memory

The present study investigated whether the control of reflective attention in working memory (WM) is impaired in high trait anxiety individuals. We focused on the consequences of refreshing—a simple reflective process of thinking briefly about a just-activated representation in mind—on the subsequent processing of verbal stimuli. Participants performed a selective refreshing task, in which they initially refreshed or read one word from a three-word set, and then refreshed a non-selected item from the initial phrase or read aloud a new word. High trait anxiety individuals exhibited greater latencies when refreshing a word after experiencing the refreshing of a word from the same list of semantic associates. The same pattern was observed for reading a new word after prior refreshing. These findings suggest that high trait anxiety individuals have difficulty resolving interference from active distractors when directing reflective attention towards contents in WM or processing a visually presented word.     

n-back任务下视觉工作记忆负荷研究

实验采用n-back范式,考察了视觉工作记忆负荷与反应时、辨别力和主观评价的关系,以及空间位置记忆负荷与图形记忆负荷的差异。结果发现,随着记忆负荷的增大,反应时延长,辨别力降低,主观负荷提高。视觉图形记忆任务的负荷水平高于视觉空间位置记忆任务的负荷水平;同时也为视觉图形记忆和视觉空间记忆具有不同的加工过程提供了证据。     

A Bayesian Semiparametric Item Response Model with Dirichlet Process Priors

In Item Response Theory (IRT), item characteristic curves (ICCs) are illustrated through logistic models or normal ogive models, and the probability that examinees give the correct answer is usually a monotonically increasing function of their ability parameters. However, since only limited patterns of shapes can be obtained from logistic models or normal ogive models, there is a possibility that the model applied does not fit the data. As a result, the existing method can be rejected because it cannot deal with various item response patterns. To overcome these problems, we propose a new semiparametric IRT model using a Dirichlet process mixture logistic distribution. Our method does not rely on assumptions but only requires that the ICCs be a monotonically nondecreasing function; that is, our method can deal with more types of item response patterns than the existing methods, such as the one-parameter normal ogive models or the two- or three-parameter logistic models.     

Age-related differences in working memory: ERPs reveal age-related delays in selection- and inhibition-related processes

Faulty inhibition is implicated in age-related working memory decline. ERP signs of selection and inhibition of items in working memory (WM) are, respectively, a cue-locked parietal positivity (～350 ms) and a probe-locked frontal negativity (～520 ms). To determine when in the older age range differences in selective and inhibitory processes might occur, ERPs were recorded in a WM task from 20 young (20–28), 20 young–old (60–70), and 20 old–old (71–82) adults. A 4-digit display was followed by a cue indicating which 2 of 4 digits were relevant. Proactive interference (PI), the reaction time difference between a matching and non-matching to-be-ignored digit was larger, relative to the young, in both older groups. Compared to the young, both the cue- and probe-locked activities were prolonged in the older groups. Although there were no topographic differences among the age groups, the prolonged PI and associated ERPs suggest a relative age-related deficit in inhibition.     

Effects of speed of word processing on semantic access: the case of bilingualism

Bilingual speakers generally manifest slower word recognition than monolinguals. We investigated the consequences of the word processing speed on semantic access in bilinguals. The paradigm involved a stream of English words and pseudowords presented in succession at a constant rate. English-Welsh bilinguals and English monolinguals were asked to count the number of letters in pseudowords and actively disregard words. They were not explicitly told that pairs of words in immediate succession were embedded and could either be semantically related or not. We expected that slower word processing in bilinguals would result in semantic access indexed by semantic priming. As expected, bilinguals showed significant semantic priming, indexed by an N400 modulation, whilst monolinguals did not. Moreover, bilinguals were slower in performing the task. The results suggest that bilinguals cannot discriminate between pseudowords and words without accessing semantic information whereas monolinguals can dismiss English words on the basis of subsemantic information.     

Reducing the Negative Effect of the Retention Interval on the Composite Face Recognition

Our memories are quite fragile. We sometimes recognize something unseen as something seen before. This error often causes serious problems, such as the misidentification of composite faces in a criminal investigation. In such a scene, people occasionally claim to have seen a face that is actually a composite face consisting of facial parts separately seen before; this error is called the memory conjunction error. Although the likelihood of the memory conjunction error increases over time, previous studies suggest that it could be suppressed by the number of response options, which are expected to affect the criterion for the “Old” response. Our results show that the presence of three response options reduced the memory conjunction error. Additionally, providing information about the existence of composite faces affected the sensitivity for detecting old faces, whereas three response options affected the criterion. This study might contribute to the improvement of procedures for eyewitness testimony.