Toward a perceptual theory of transparency

Theories of perceptual transparency have typically been developed within the context of a physical model that generates the percept of transparency (F. Metelli's episcotister model, 1974b). Here 2 fundamental questions are investigated: (a) When does the visual system initiate the percept of one surface seen through another? (b) How does it assign surface properties to a transparent layer? Results reveal systematic deviations from the predictions of Metelli's model, both for initiating image decomposition into multiple surfaces and for assigning surface attributes. Specifically, results demonstrate that the visual system uses Michelson contrast as a critical image variable to initiate percepts of transparency and to assign transmittance to transparent surfaces. Findings are discussed in relation to previous theories of transparency, lightness, brightness, and contrast-contrast.     

Anthropometric profiles and social physique anxiety of physical education professionals from India

Previous work indicates that there may be a relationship between the observation and evaluation of one's physique and the construct of social physique anxiety associated with this process. Since physical educators are expected to serve as role models of desired fitness behaviors, bodily appearance, and composition, it is of interest to examine whether such responses and relationships may be observed. However, there is limited published information on anthropometric profiles and body images of physical education professionals, especially of those from India. Therefore, this study compared anthropometric profiles and Social Physique Anxiety in a sample of 182 male physical education professionals from India (M age=41.2 yr.). Body Mass Index, sum of three skinfolds (Tricep, Abdomen, and Thigh), and waist/hip ratio were determined using standard procedures. The sample was grouped into overweight and normal weight categories. Significant group differences were found for the sum of skinfolds and waist/hip ratio, with no significant differences between groups on the Social Physique Anxiety total score. Correlations for the anthropometric measures with the Social Physique Anxiety scores indicated no significant relationships. Mean total Social Physique Anxiety score for the combined group was comparable to those reported for other groups of physically active individuals. These findings indicate low Social Physique Anxiety in this sample and may have implications with regard to the attitudes pertaining to body image and role modeling of appropriate fitness behaviors.     

rCBF/SPECT in the evaluation of inner-city minority patients with a history of impaired memory: a pilot blind read pre- and poststudy

Eight patients (seven women), mean +/- SD T1 age 68.57 +/- 12.43 years, average educational level 5.83 +/- 3.70 years, had two Tc-99m ECD SPECT examinations separated by an average 8.49 +/- 5.59 months. Patients were imaged using standard Harlem Hospital acquisition and processing protocols with approximately 30 mCi of ECD on a Prism 3000 triple head gamma camera. Images were interpreted by an independent reader blinded to the patients' clinical history and imaging date. T1 psychiatric diagnosis was seven Alzheimer's dementia (AD) and one depression. Eight T1 images were interpreted as abnormal, six indicative of AD. Binomial 95% two-tail confidence interval for T1 agreement between diagnosis and interpretation was 0.25 0.63 0.92. T2 diagnosis was seven AD and one none. Seven T2 images were abnormal and indicative of AD, and one was normal. T2 confidence interval was 0.34 0.75 0.97. These findings suggest SPECT's value in assessing AD in uneducated socioeconomically disadvantaged geriatric patients.     

The relation between career decision-making strategies and person-job fit: A study of job changers

This study examined relations between three career decision-making strategies (rational, intuitive, and dependent) and person-job fit among 361 professionals who had recently changed jobs. We found that the relation between each decision-making strategy and fit was contingent upon the concurrent use of other strategies. A rational strategy related more strongly to fit when individuals also engaged in extensive intuitive decision making than when they engaged in limited intuitive decision making. In addition, a dependent strategy related negatively to fit only in the absence of extensive rational or intuitive strategies. Moreover, self-awareness and awareness of the environment mediated relations between career decision-making strategies and person-job fit. The implications of these findings for future research on career decision making were discussed.     

The Positive Personality Traits Questionnaire: Construction and Estimation of Psychometric Properties

The purpose of this study was to develop and determine the psychometric properties of a scale to assess perceived positive personality traits that are relevant in an Indian setting. New items were developed adopting items from other scales, writing new items and also on the basis of experience from the field through semi structured interviews undertaken in related research carried out earlier. The new scale is called the Positive Personality Traits Questionnaire (PPTQ) and includes 43 items on four factors: Positive Self Image, Commitment, Outward/ people orientation and Culture Identification. Data from two samples comprising of 395 and 198 participants, were analyzed. Results indicated that both the reliability (internal consistency) and validity (convergent and discriminant) of the PPTQ were adequate.     

Dual-Income Marital Dyads and Mutually Discrepant Economic Versus Personal Information: An Exploratory Investigation

There is an assumption in economic decision-making literature that decision-making in household follows a single set of preferences. The present study is aimed at testing this assumption by investigating 28 dual-income couples (drawn from four occupational sectors namely, IT, public service, self-employment and social-service) and separately eliciting two types of (economic and personal) objective information from dyad members. Effects of key demographic variables (marital role, age, occupation & level of education) suggest that only marital role had a significant influence on discrepancy found in reported information. One way ANOVA showed that marital role had a significant effect on discrepancy observed in personal information rather than for discrepancy in economic information. Implications of the results for social science research methods and in terms of singular preference for a household are briefly discussed.     

Acting and Believing Under the Guise of Normative Reasons

In this paper, I defend an account of the reasons for which we act, believe, and so on for any Ф such that there can be reasons for which we Ф. Such reasons are standardly called motivating reasons. I argue that three dominant views of motivating reasons (psychologism, factualism and disjunctivism) all fail to capture the ordinary concept of a motivating reason. I show this by drawing out three constraints on what motivating reasons must be, and demonstrating how each view fails to satisfy at least one of these constraints. I then propose and defend my own account of motivating reasons, which I call the Guise of Normative Reasons Account. On the account I defend, motivating reasons are propositions. A proposition is the reason for which someone Ф‐s when (a) she represents that proposition as a normative reason to Ф, and (b) her representation explains, in the right way, her Ф‐ing. As I argue, the Guise of Normative Reasons Account satisfies all three constraints on what motivating reasons must be, and weathers several objections that might be leveled against propositionalist views.     

Revisiting Ego Depletion: Moderators and Measurement

We developed and validated two web-based tasks to induce and measure ego depletion in two online experiments (N?=?122 and N?=?788). Ego depletion describes the phenomenon that exerting self-control temporarily reduces people’s capacity to subsequently control themselves. To induce ego depletion, we adapted the e-crossing task, and to measure ego depletion, we adapted the color Stroop task. We successfully induced ego depletion. Participants’ implicit theories about willpower as well as their mood moderated ego depletion. We also discuss several methodological issues and compare different approaches of measuring ego depletion using aggregated reaction times.     

Reading/writing vs handedness influences on line length estimation

Left- and right-handed school children with differing reading/writing experiences (unidirectional left-to-right vs bidirectional) were asked to draw 3-cm lines from right-to-left or from left-to-right with each hand. With either hand, lines drawn from left to right were more accurate than those drawn from right to left, particularly for right-handed left-to-right users; bidirectional readers showed no directional bias. Moreover, bidirectional readers were more accurate than unidirectional readers. The findings support a greater influence of directional scanning effects than handedness on the task of line length estimation.