Auditory color constancy: Calibration to reliable spectral properties across nonspeech context and targets

Brief experience with reliable spectral characteristics of a listening context can markedly alter perception of subsequent speech sounds, and parallels have been drawn between auditory compensation for listening context and visual color constancy. In order to better evaluate such an analogy, the generality of acoustic context effects for sounds with spectral-temporal compositions distinct from speech was investigated. Listeners identified nonspeech sounds—extensively edited samples produced by a French horn and a tenor saxophone—following either resynthesized speech or a short passage of music. Preceding contexts were “colored” by spectral envelope difference filters, which were created to emphasize differences between French horn and saxophone spectra. Listeners were more likely to report hearing a saxophone when the stimulus followed a context filtered to emphasize spectral characteristics of the French horn, and vice versa. Despite clear changes in apparent acoustic source, the auditory system calibrated to relatively predictable spectral characteristics of filtered context, differentially affecting perception of subsequent target nonspeech sounds. This calibration to listening context and relative indifference to acoustic sources operates much like visual color constancy, for which reliable properties of the spectrum of illumination are factored out of perception of color.     

Friend networking sites and their relationship to adolescents' well-being and social self-esteem.

The aim of this study was to investigate the consequences of friend networking sites (e.g., Friendster, MySpace) for adolescents' self-esteem and well-being. We conducted a survey among 881 adolescents (10-19-year-olds) who had an online profile on a Dutch friend networking site. Using structural equation modeling, we found that the frequency with which adolescents used the site had an indirect effect on their social self-esteem and well-being. The use of the friend networking site stimulated the number of relationships formed on the site, the frequency with which adolescents received feedback on their profiles, and the tone (i.e., positive vs. negative) of this feedback. Positive feedback on the profiles enhanced adolescents' social self-esteem and well-being, whereas negative feedback decreased their self-esteem and well-being.     

Beiträge zur Psychologie der Gestalt

Zusammenfassung Im Teil I bestätigten wir das Resultat von Fuchs über den Einfluß einer Form auf die Farbe ihrer Teile und erbrachten einiges Material zur quantitativen Bestimmung dieses Einflusses. Liegen von 12 auf der Peripherie eines Kreises angeordneten gelben Scheibchen einige hinter einem blauen Episcotister, so werden diese von den außerhalb liegenden gelb gefärbt. Der Grad dieser Färbung hängt ab 1. von dem Verhältnis der Zahl der außen liegenden Scheibchen zu der Zahl der im Episcotisterfeld befindlichen, 2. von figuralen Faktoren: je stärker der figurale Zusammenhang zwischen den Scheibchen drinnen und draußen, um so stärker die färbende Wirkung.Im II. Teil versuchten wir den Faktoren nachzugehen, von denen die Durchsichtigkeit eines Episcotisters konstanter Öffnung abhängt. Als solche Faktoren ergaben sich: Helligkeit des Hintergrundes, Helligkeit des Episcotisters (beide wirken im entgegengesetzten Sinn), Helligkeitsdifferenz zwischen Episcotister und Hintergrund und Ausgeprägtheit der auf dem Hintergrund erscheinenden Figur. Es ergaben sich Bedingungen, unter denen der Episcotister unsichtbar wurde, und es ließ sich diese Unsichtbarkeit als höchster Grad von Durchsichtigkeit auffassen. Die Durchsichtigkeit ging ferner Hand in Hand mit anderen Strukturbeschaffenheiten des Episcotisters, auch die phänomenale Helligkeit des Episcotisters war von dem Grad seiner Durchsichtigkeit nicht unabhängig.     

Predicting Creativity Based on the Facets of the Theoretical Intellect Framework

The present study investigates how the construct intellect, according to the Theoretical Intellect Framework (TIF), predicts creativity. The TIF is a theoretical model describing the structure of the construct intellect, a sub‐dimension of the Big Five domain openness to experience. People (N = 2709) from two sub‐samples (undergraduate students and Amazon MTurkers) completed one of three creativity tasks (self‐reported, remote associates, or rated photo caption) and the Intellect Scale. The results support hypotheses derived from the TIF, as the operation Create, rather than the operations Think or Learn, significantly and in some cases uniquely predicted the self‐reported creativity indicators. Creativity indicators with a strong cognitive load (remote associates test and rated photo caption), however, were predicted by the operation Think. Results are discussed with regards to the nomological net of the operation Create and the construct validity of the creativity assessments. We provide implications for applied purposes and call for further examination of the TIF with additional creativity measures. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Personality Psychology     

Persistent career indecision over time: Links with personality,barriers, self-efficacy,and life satisfaction

Taking control over one's career requires the ability to make career decisions; thus, remaining in a state of career indecision is problematic. However, the stability of career indecision has not yet been investigated using advanced statistical modeling approaches. We present two studies of German university students applying three-wave, longitudinal designs. Study 1 investigated the stability of career indecision by means of latent state-trait analysis within two samples with different time lags (Sample 1: N = 363, 7 weeks; Sample 2: N = 591, 6 months). The results indicated that career indecision was determined by a stable component (i.e., trait career indecisiveness) that was associated with lower core self-evaluations, lower occupational self-efficacy, and higher perceived career barriers. Study 2 (N = 469) examined career indecision over one year. We found that the stable career indecision component explained 5% of the variance in student life satisfaction beyond self-evaluated generalized indecisiveness.