Auditory contralateral induction: An early stage in binaural processing

Binaural interaction was studied using headphones presenting signals (tones or filtered speech) to one ear and noises of various spectral compositions to the other. Every half-second, the sides receiving the signal and noise were reversed. The noise was always perceived to alternate from side to side, but the signal appeared to be stationary and diffusely localized about the midsaggital plane when the noise contained the spectral components of the signal at appropriate intensity levels. This delateralization of a monaural signal results from a process called “contralateral induction” (CI). Additional observations indicate that CI corresponds to an early stage in binaural interaction which generally escapes notice because of further perceptual processing.     

The dimensions of stage theories

Stage theories are commonly used to represent the structure of cognitive processes in the domains of cognitive processing and cognitive development. Hierarchical unidimensional theories consisting of a single sequence of stages through which development proceeds in one direction only have predominated. However, a review of stage theories revealed that a two-dimensional, interactive (multidimensional) structure is warranted. Particularly in the area of cognitive development, results of research have supported subdivision of the stages of prominent unidimensional theories. Following this trend a small number of theorists have developed multidimensional theories, most of which consist of a sequence of stages in which each stage contains a number of subsidiary stages or levels. The emergence of a similar trend in other domains is examined, and the prospects of using an existing multidimensional framework to enable future comparisons and integration of different stage theories is explored.     

Examining mental health symptoms in male and female incarcerated juveniles

Varying risk factors for both incarceration and mental health diagnoses have been identified for female juveniles, highlighting the need for gender-specific assessments and treatment protocols. The purpose of this study is to determine how the prevalence rates of mental health symptoms differ in male and female juvenile offenders. It was hypothesized that the prevalence rates would be greater for females than males. This study found significant differences between males and females on several clinical scales. These findings are consistent with past studies that have identified differences in mental health symptoms between genders.     

Behavioral anatomy of a hunt

It is commonly thought that the mind constructs predictive models of the environment to plan an appropriate behavioral response. Therefore a more predictable environment should entail better performance, and prey should move in an unpredictable (random) manner to evade capture, known as protean motion. To test this, we created a novel experimental design and analysis in which human participants took the role of predator or prey. The predator was set the task of capturing the prey, while the prey was set the task of escaping. Participants performed this task standing on separate sides of a board and controlling a marker representing them. In three conditions, the prey followed a pattern of movement with varying predictability (predictable, semi-random, and random) and in one condition moved autonomously (user generated). The user-generated condition illustrated a naturalistic, dynamic environment involving a purposeful agent whose degree of predictability was not known in advance. The average distance between participants was measured through a video analysis custom-built in MATLAB. The user-generated condition had the largest average distance. This indicated that, rather than moving randomly (protean motion), humans may naturally employ a cybernetic escape strategy that dynamically maximizes perceived distance, regardless of the predictability of this strategy.

     

Exploring Wellbeing in Youth with Vision Impairment: Insights for Vision Rehabilitation

Applied Research in Quality of Life - This article explores the discussions of 21 young Australians (aged 12–25) with vision impairment regarding their lived experiences and what it meant for...     

Peripheral visual changes and spatial attention.

Three experiments are reported investigating the attentional effects of peripheral visual changes. In agreement with previous work, experiment 1 demonstrated facilitatory and inhibitory effects of a peripheral visual change on the latency of peripheral target detection. However, after a few minutes practice the facilitatory effect disappeared entirely. The inhibitory effect, though slightly reduced in later blocks, remained significant. Hence, the two effects are dissociable and not inter-dependent as argued by Maylor (1985). In experiments 2 and 3 the perceptual salience of the peripheral cue was manipulated. With a low energy, barely noticeable cue there was no reduction in either facilitation or inhibition as a function of practice. In contrast, the attentional effects of cues higher in energy tended to diminish with practice. Theoretical implications of these data are discussed.     

Personality Characteristics and Self-esteem in Pet Owners and Non-owners

Previous research suggests that pet owners are psychologically different than non-owners in terms of self-esteem and other personality characteristics. In this study, 82 pet owners and 48 non-owners were tested on self-esteem, extraversion, neuroticism, and social self-esteem. Special emphasis was placed on highly attached pet owners compared with non-owners. Level of attachment was determined by scores from the CENSHARE pet attachment survey. No significant differences were found between the groups using analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of variance statistical procedures. It was concluded that pet owners and non-owners may not be different in terms of personality but may have become victims of stereotyping by both the general population and scientific researchers. Discussion was given to related significant findings and recommendations for further research.