The role of facial orientation in newborn infants’ preference for attractive faces

Several previous experiments have found that newborn and young infants will spend more time looking at attractive faces when these are shown paired with faces judged by adults to be unattractive. Two experimental conditions are described whose aim was to find whether the ‘attractiveness effect’ is affected by the orientation of the facial stimuli. Pairs of attractive and less attractive faces (as judged by adults) were shown to newborn infants (mean age 2 days 20.5 hours), where each pair was presented both upright and inverted through 180°. In the former (upright) condition, but not the latter (inverted) condition, the infants looked longer at the attractive faces, and the difference in attractiveness preference between the conditions was statistically significant. These findings are clear evidence that infants’ early representation of faces contains information about faces that is orientation‐specific. The results are discussed in terms of innate facial representations and rapid learning about faces in the hours from birth.     

LOGIC AND GRAMMAR

I have written a number of articles recently that have a rather remarkable character. They all point out trivial grammatical facts that, at great cost, have not been respected in twentieth century Logic. A major continuous strand in my previous work, with this same character, I will first summarise, to locate the kind of fact that is involved. But then I shall present an overview of the more recent and more varied points I have made, which demonstrate the far larger extent of basic grammar that has been overlooked or suppressed. I end with some remarks about how this phenomenon can have arisen – principally through logicians not being attentive enough to their own language, and occupying themselves, instead, with often quite imaginary languages.     

Comparing suicide attempters, suicide ideators, and nonsuicidal homeless and runaway adolescents.

This study considers variables that best distinguish among attempters, ideators, and nonsuicidal youth in a sample of 527 homeless and runaway adolescents from four Midwestern states. Univariate results indicate that attempters are significantly more likely than ideators and nonsuicidal youth to have experienced physical or sexual abuse by an adult caretaker, to have experienced sexual victimization while on their own, and to have a friend who attempted suicide. Multivariate analyses reveal five variables that best distinguish among the three groups: self-esteem, depression, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and having a friend who attempted suicide. Further analysis suggests that the accumulation of these risk factors greatly increases the chance that these youth will engage in suicidal behavior.     

Illusory contour figures are perceived as occluding contours by 4-month-old infants

Although 4-month-olds perceive continuity of an object's trajectory through occlusion, little is known about the information specifying an occluding surface at this age. We investigated this in 3 experiments involving 84 participants. Testing the claim that 5-month-olds are unable to perceive the Kanizsa figure as an occluding surface (Csibra, 2001), we demonstrated that 4-month-olds perceived trajectory continuity behind this figure providing its horizontal extent was small. We demonstrated that the presence of visible occluding edges or occlusion of background was insufficient to specify an occluding surface but that their combination was sufficient. Thus, beyond object deletion and accretion, both visible occluding edges and occlusion of background are necessary for perception of occluding surfaces at this age.     

Young infants' perception of the trajectories of two- and three-dimensional objects

We investigated oculomotor anticipations in 4-month-old infants as they viewed center-occluded object trajectories. In two experiments, we examined performance in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) dynamic occlusion displays and in an additional 3D condition with a smiley face as the moving target stimulus. Rates of anticipatory eye movements were not facilitated by 3D displays or by the (presumably) more salient smiley face relative to the 2D condition. However, latencies of anticipations were reduced, implying that 3D visual information may have supported formation of more robust mental representations of the moving object. Results are interpreted in a context of perceptual constraints on developing cognitive capacities during early infancy.     

“You’re only as good as your weakest link”: Implicit theories of golf ability

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to examine the antecedents, specificity, and ceiling effects of golfers’ implicit theories of sport ability.

Design

The present study employs a qualitative research design. A constructivist grounded theory methodology was adopted.

Method

Participants (N = 8) were asked to describe their conceptions of golf ability. All responses were recorded, transcribed, and the data were analyzed through a series of iterations, which led to the identification of three dimensions that constitute golfers’ beliefs about ability.

Results

The three dimensions were: acquirable ability, stable ability, and developing natural attributes. Categories within these dimensions offer initial evidence for the role of social agents and the inherent culture of golf in shaping co-existing beliefs in relation to sport ability. Beliefs with regards to ceiling effects of ability are reported, with one theme proposing a ceiling to sport ability, and a contrasting category exemplifying the belief that there is always room for improvement.

Conclusions

The present study contributes to the field by offering initial evidence for the antecedents, specificity, and ceiling effects of golfers’ conceptions of their sport ability. Implications, both theoretical in terms of future research, and practical with regards to practitioners’ role in educating athletes and cultivating an environment conducive to the perception that sport ability is acquirable, are offered.     

Software Description Form

Abstract

Data for analyzing disagreement can be obtained by asking the parties concerned to make short lists of simple statements expressing their own opinions on the topic in dispute. These short lists are combined into a collective list, and the parties are asked to compare each statement in it with every other one in turn, and rate horn far the two agree or disagree. Such tables of ratings, called logical equivalence matrixes (LEMs) can be analyzed by a computer program applying principal coordinate analysis. The results measure both the total amount of disagreement and the relative amounts over the separate issues found to be involved. Repertory grids were found to be unsuitable for the purpose except within narrow limits. The technique is illustrated by analysis of a dispute concerning legalizing abortion.