Is color “categorical perception” really perceptual?

Roberson and Davidoff (2000) found that color categorical perception (CP; better cross-category than within-category discrimination) was eliminated by verbal, but not by visual, interference presented during the interstimulus interval (ISI) of a discrimination task. On the basis of this finding, Roberson and Davidoff concluded that CP was mediated by verbal labels, and not by perceptual mechanisms, as is generally assumed. Experiment 1 replicated their results. However, it was found that if the interference type was uncertain on each trial (Experiment 2), CP then survived verbal interference. Moreover, it was found that the target color name could be retained across the ISI even with verbal interference (Experiment 3). We therefore conclude that color CP may indeed involve verbal labeling but that verbal interference does not necessarily prevent it.     

Neural correlates of acquired color category effects

Category training can induce category effects, whereby color discrimination of stimuli spanning a newly learned category boundary is enhanced relative to equivalently spaced stimuli from within the newly learned category (e.g., categorical perception). However, the underlying mechanisms of these acquired category effects are not fully understood. In the current study, Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) were recorded during a visual oddball task where standard and deviant colored stimuli from the same or different novel categories were presented. ERPs were recorded for a test group who were trained on these novel categories, and for an untrained control group. Category effects were only found for the test group on the trained region of color space, and only occurred during post-perceptual stages of processing. These findings provide new evidence for the involvement of cognitive mechanisms in acquired category effects and suggest that category effects of this kind can exist independent of early perceptual processes.     

Creativity and Religiosity: A Reanalysis with Regional Predictors

Building on previous research showing a negative relationship between conservatism and creativity, the present investigation focused specifically on religiosity in the context of the United States. Because of the association between conservatism and religiosity, creativity might have a negative association with religiosity, too. To this end, individuallevel and regional data were matched by linking responses to psychometric measures such as Attitudes and Values toward Creativity to regional data such as church attendance. These analyses controlled other regional variables including education, diversity, and socio-economic status. Two-level analyses with individual data at Level 1 and county data at Level 2 indicated that people from more religious locations held less positive attitudes and values toward creativity and rated their environment as less creative. On the other hand, creative personality, ideational behavior and creative achievement were not significantly related to religiosity. Those analyses provided evidence that creativity and religiosity have a negative relationship in terms of people's attitudes and values toward creativity as well as their perceptions of environment for creativity. Findings were discussed in terms of types of religiosity and other socio-cultural variables.     

Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Emotional Approach Coping Scale in Turkish University Students and Community Members

To evaluate emotional approach coping, including the dimensions of emotional processing and emotional expression, the Emotional Approach Coping Scale (EACS) is frequently used. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of situational EACS among Turkish participants (n = 557), including university students (n = 283) and community members (n = 274). The results revealed that a two-factor model showed significant goodness of fit for confirmatory factor analysis. Furthermore, multi-group comparisons based on sample groups (university students and community members) and gender groups demonstrated no significant differences between the constrained and unconstrained models. In addition to sufficient reliability of the EACS, the concurrent and discriminant validity of the scale were supported by association of the EACS with state anxiety and social desirability. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.     

Acquisition of categorical color perception: a perceptual learning approach to the linguistic relativity hypothesis

Color perception can be categorical: Between-category discriminations are more accurate than equivalent within-category discriminations. The effects could be inherited, learned, or both. The authors provide evidence that supports the possibility of learned categorical perception (CP). Experiment 1 demonstrated that observers' color discrimination is flexible and improves through repeated practice. Experiment 2 demonstrated that category learning simulates effects of "natural" color categories on color discrimination. Experiment 3 investigated the time course of acquired CP. Experiment 4 found that CP effects are acquired through hue- and lightness-based category learning and obtained interesting data on the dimensional perception of color. The data are consistent with the possibility that language may shape color perception and suggest a plausible mechanism for the linguistic relativity hypothesis.     

Using self-monitoring to increase on-task behaviors of students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) in inclusive classrooms in Turkey (Türkiye)

Self-monitoring interventions have been found to be effective in improving the on-task behaviors of students with a wide range of disabilities. However, there are ongoing limitations in the literature, including the (a) lack of planning in generalization and maintenance, (b) interventions are predominantly conducted in segregated settings, and (c) inadequate number of data points collected in each condition. In the current study, self-monitoring was used to improve the on-task behavior of three elementary school students with ADHD in inclusive classrooms in Turkey. A concurrent multiple-baseline across-participants design was used. Generalization and maintenance were programmed via sequential modification, partial withdrawal, and continuous data collection. Additionally, classroom teachers rated the students' overall classroom behaviors in each data collection session. Based on the visual and the effect size analyses (i.e., performance criteria-based effect size [PCES]), the intervention was effective in improving the students' on-task behaviors. The self-monitoring intervention had 1.18 (high effect), 1.06 (effective) in generalization, and 1.14 (effective) in the first maintenance set and 1.03 (effective) in the second maintenance data set. The teacher ratings aligned with the increased on-task behaviors of the students. Implications for practice are discussed.     

Patients' expectations as predictors of orthognathic surgery outcomes

In an attempt to assess the role of vigilant and avoidant coping styles on postsurgical outcomes in orthognathic surgery, 114 patients were asked to rate their expectations of problems associated with surgery in three areas 6 to 12 months before surgery. Patients completed questionnaires five more times over the course of 3 years, from just before to 2 years after surgery. Presurgical expectations of problems were significant predictors of postsurgical reports of experiences, dissatisfaction, and mood disturbances up to 2 years after surgery. Contrary to the hypothesis that vigilant copers would have better outcomes than avoidant copers, the results suggest that patients who anticipate few problems with surgery (avoidant copers) report better psychological outcomes than patients who expect numerous problems (vigilant copers) before undergoing surgery.     

Cognitions About Problematic Internet Use: the Importance of Negative Cognitive Stress Appraisals and Maladaptive Coping Strategies

The effects of cognitive appraisals of stress and coping strategies on cognitions about problematic Internet use have not been studied together in the literature. The Lazarus’s cognitive-relational theory is selected as the theoretical framework to further our understanding of problematic Internet use. The aim of the present study is to examine the mediator roles of uncontrollability appraisals of stress and maladaptive coping strategies on threat appraisals of stress and cognitions about problematic Internet use. The roles of negative stress appraisals and maladaptive coping strategies on the cognitions about problematic Internet Use are determined by using structural equation modeling (SEM) in a sample of 549 Turkish university students. The results reveal that by playing a mediator role, both escape-avoidance and accepting responsibility maladaptive coping strategies were found to be related with uncontrollability and hence indirectly influenced the relationship between threat appraisal and cognitions about problematic Internet use. Examining the role of the negative stress appraisals and maladaptive coping strategies will provide a new starting point for further research.     

Sneaking a peek: pigeons use peripheral vision (not mirrors) to find hidden food

A small number of species are capable of recognizing themselves in the mirror when tested with the mark-and-mirror test. This ability is often seen as evidence of self-recognition and possibly even self-awareness. Strangely, a number of species, for example monkeys, pigs and dogs, are unable to pass the mark test but can locate rewarding objects by using the reflective properties of a mirror. Thus, these species seem to understand how a visual reflection functions but cannot apply it to their own image. We tested this discrepancy in pigeons—a species that does not spontaneously pass the mark test. Indeed, we discovered that pigeons can successfully find a hidden food reward using only the reflection, suggesting that pigeons can also use and potentially understand the reflective properties of mirrors, even in the absence of self-recognition. However, tested under monocular conditions, the pigeons approached and attempted to walk through the mirror rather than approach the physical food, displaying similar behavior to patients with mirror agnosia. These findings clearly show that pigeons do not use the reflection of mirrors to locate reward, but actually see the food peripherally with their near-panoramic vision. A re-evaluation of our current understanding of mirror-mediated behavior might be necessary—especially taking more fully into account species differences in visual field. This study suggests that use of reflections in a mirrored surface as a tool may be less widespread than currently thought.     

Factors Associated with Posttraumatic Growth Among Myocardial Infarction Patients: Perceived Social Support,Perception of the Event and Coping

Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) is accepted as positive transformations that are a product of struggling with significant stressors such as chronic illness. A model, conceptualized by Schaefer and Moos (Posttraumatic growth: Positive changes in the aftermath of crisis, pp 99–126, 1998), suggests a relative contribution of environmental and individual resources, perception of the event (PE) and coping in the development of PTG. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of perceived social support (PSS), PE and coping on PTG. This model was tested in a sample of patients with myocardial infarction (MIP, N = 148) from various hospitals in Turkey. The structural equation analysis of the model revealed that PSS was significantly related to PTG through the effect of coping. While coping was significantly and directly related to PTG, PE was not. The findings are discussed in the context of the theoretical model with suggestions for future research.