On the tangibility of letters and braille

Braille characters and letters were presented to the senses of touch and vision of sighted observers. The optical stimuli were subjected to low-pass spatial filtering to the degree that visual spatial resolution closely matched tactile spatial resolution(re the size of characters presented). In one experiment, three sets of braille characters and five sets of Roman letters, varying in typography, were presented as stimuli. The variations in tangibility and legibility across the eight character sets were highly correlated (r =.98). In a second experiment, braille characters and letters were varied in size. The psychometric functions relating tangibility and legibility to character size were similar in both shape and position along the abscissa. The congruence of tangibility and legibility for these conditions, in which the senses were matched in spatial resolution, supports the idea that braille characters are more tangible by virtue of their greater distinctiveness after the low-pass spatial filtering of cutaneous processing.     

Tactile letter recognition under different modes of stimulus presentation

Block capital letters were displayed to experienced and inexperienced Ss, using a 20 x 20 matrix of vibratory tactors placed against the back. In two separate experiments, a total of five modes of stimulus presentation, three of them employing a linear scanning slit, were studied. The poorest method, stationary flashing of the letter, allows performance that is well above chance, implying that a purely spatial presentation does convey information. Performance is improved when the letter is moved horizontally across the display. The best performance is achieved when the amount of simultaneous stimulation is limited by using a linear scanning slit. In one method, the letter moves behind a stationary slit, with the result that its horizontal dimension is portrayed only in time. In the other two methods, the scanning slit moves across the stationary letter, portraying the letter both in time and in space. The results of all five display modes indicate that Ss can use whichever representation, spatial or temporal, is available, although patternings which most closely approximate sequential tracing by a single moving point lead to the highest recognition accuracy. We interpret these results in terms of the limited spatial resolution of the cutaneous sense. While the perception of a letter presented in either full-field condition is limited by the spatial resolution, the best measure being the two-point limen, the perception of a letter traced sequentially is limited by the localization acuity of the cutaneous sense, the best measure being the “error of localization,” which is known to be considerably smaller than the two-point limen. Inasmuch as the slit methods of presentation are a compromise between simultaneous and sequential display, letter-recognition accuracy is better with slit presentation than with the corresponding full-field mode of display.     

Visual control of posture in real and virtual environments

In two experiments, we investigated the stabilizing influence of vision on human upright posture in real and virtual environments. Visual stabilization was assessed by comparing eyes-open with eyes-closed conditions while subjects attempted to maintain balance in the presence of a stable visual scene. Visual stabilization in the virtual display w as reduced, as compared wit hreal-world viewing. Th is differencewas partially accountedfor by the reduced field of view in the virtual display. When the retinal flow inthe virtual display wasremoved by using dynamic random-dot stereograms with single-frame lifetimes (cyclopean stimuli), vision did notstabilize posture. There was also an overall larger stabilizing influence of vision when more unstable stances were adopted (e.g., one-foot, as compared with side-by-side, stance). Reducing the graphics latency of the virtual display by 63% did not increase visual stabilization in the virtual display. Other visual and psychological differences between real and virtual environments are discussed.     

Area-Based Socioeconomic Characteristics of Industries at High Risk for Violence in the Workplace

This study examined socioeconomic factors associated with the presence of workplaces belonging to industries reported to be at high risk for worker homicide. The proportion of 2004 North Carolina workplaces in high-risk industries was computed following spatial linkage of individual workplaces to 2000 United States Census Block Groups (n = 3,925). Thirty census-derived socioeconomic variables (selected a priori as potentially predictive of violence) were summarized using exploratory factor analysis into poverty/deprivation, human/economic capital, and transience/instability. Multinomial logistic regression models indicate associations between higher proportion of workplaces belonging to high-risk industries and Block Groups with more poverty/deprivation or transience/instability and less human/economic capital. The relationship between human/economic capital and Block Groups proportion of high-risk industry workplaces was modified by levels of transience/instability. Community characteristics therefore contribute to the potential for workplace violence, and future research should continue to understand the relationship between social context and workplace violence risk.     

The Motive for Sensory Pleasure: Enjoyment of Nature and Its Representation in Painting,Music, and Literature

ABSTRACT Eight studies assessed the motive for sensory pleasure (MSP) involving a general disposition to enjoy and pursue pleasant nature‐related experiences and avoid unpleasant nature‐related experiences. The stated enjoyment of pleasant sights, smells, sounds, and tactile sensations formed a unitary construct that was distinct from sensation seeking, novelty preference, and need for cognition. MSP was found to be related to (a) enjoyment of pleasant nature scenes and music of high but not low clarity; (b) enjoyment of writings that portrayed highly detailed nature scenes; (c) enjoyment of pleasantly themed paintings and dislike of unpleasant paintings, as distinct from findings with Openness to Experience; (d) choice of pleasant nature scenes over exciting or intellectually stimulating scenes; (e) view duration and memory of artistically rendered quilts; (f) interest in detailed information about nature scenes; and (g) frequency of sensory‐type suggestions for improvement of a museum exhibit.     

Psychological skills and mindfulness training effects on the psychological wellbeing of undergraduate music students: An exploratory study

This study explored the efficacy of psychological skills and mindfulness training intervention on the psychological wellbeing of undergraduate music students. Participants were undergraduate music students (n = 36) from the Department of Music at a South African university, 21 of whom were elected to take the psychological skills and mindfulness training intervention. Data on their self-reported psychological wellbeing, psychological skills, mindfulness and performance anxiety levels were collected pre-and post-intervention. The analysis applied non-parametric procedures to determine changes in students’ psychological wellbeing after the seven-week intervention programme. Findings suggest improvements in psychological wellbeing, psychological skills, mindfulness and performance anxiety with training. Psychological skills and mindfulness training may have benefits to the psychological wellbeing of music students.