Perceptual order and the effect of vocalic context on fricative perception

This three-part study demonstrates that perceptual order can influence the integration of acoustic speech cues. In Experiment 1, the subjects labeled the [s] and [∫] in natural FV and VF syllables in which the frication was replaced with synthetic stimuli. Responses to these “hybrid” stimuli were influenced by cues in the vocalic segment as well as by the synthetic frication. However, the influence of the preceding vocalic cues was considerably weaker than was that of the following vocalic cues. Experiment 2 examined the acoustic bases for this asymmetry and consisted of analyses revealing that FV and VF syllables are similar in terms of the acoustic structures thought to underlie the vocalic context effects. Experiment 3 examined the perceptual bases for the asymmetry. A subset of the hybrid FV and VF stimuli were presented inreverse, such that the acoustic and perceptual bases for the asymmetry were pitted against each other in the listening task. The perceptual bases (i.e., the perceived order of the frication and vocalic cues) proved to be the determining factor. Current auditory processing models, such as backward recognition masking, preperceptual auditory storage, or models based on linguistic factors, do not adequately account for the observed asymmetries.     

Influence of children's positive self-perceptions on donating behavior in a naturalistic setting

The present study investigated the effects of self-perceptions on the donating behavior of 43 fourth-grade students. The children had two opportunities to donate gum to another class. Half of the students received feedback after the first donation period indicating that they were particularly generous. These children subsequently gave more than children in the control group (p<.05). Sociometric measures indicated that the perceptions children had of themselves and others were related to donating. The results were similar for both males and females. Children process new information into their cognitive systems. The resulting cognitions help guide future behaviors.     

Gratifications in change of privacy? The response of four consumers' generational cohorts toward facial recognition technology in retail settings

New technologies enable retailers to collect large amounts of information about consumers, which might lead to ethical issues and risks of individuals' privacy loss. However, consumers might choose to disclose information to retailers when they perceive that the information would generate more benefits for themselves rather than for the retailer. Since little research has been done to explain the role of age in disclosing personal information to third parties, the present study investigates the difference in the perception of one's own control when it comes to the usage of privacy-threatening technology depending on respondents' age. Drawing upon uses and gratification theory, the present study explores the response of consumers from four generational cohorts towards the facial recognition technology in retailing. Results reveal that the locus of control over information collected by the technology is neither related to the age of consumers nor to their knowledge of a specific technology used to collect their personal data. Instead, consumers' expected gratifications (in terms of economic and utilitarian) vary across different age groups. Implications for practitioners are discussed.     

Infant placement and language exposure in daily life

Children's daily contexts shape their experiences. In this study, we assessed whether variations in infant placement (e.g., held, bouncy seat) are associated with infants' exposure to adult speech. Using repeated survey sampling of mothers and continuous audio recordings, we tested whether the use of independence-supporting placements was associated with adult speech exposure in a Southeastern U.S. sample of 60 4- to 6-month-old infants (38% male, predominately White, not Hispanic/Latinx, from higher socioeconomic status households). Within-subject analyses indicated that independence-supporting placements were associated with exposure to fewer adult words in the moment. Between-subjects analyses indicated that infants more frequently reported to be in independence-supporting placements that also provided posture support (i.e., an exersaucer) were exposed to relatively fewer adult words and less consistent adult speech across the day. These findings indicate that infants' opportunities for exposure to adult speech ‘in the wild’ may vary based on immediate physical context.     

Individual differences in neonatal “imitation” fail to predict early social cognitive behaviour

The influential hypothesis that humans imitate from birth – and that this capacity is foundational to social cognition – is currently being challenged from several angles. Most prominently, the largest and most comprehensive longitudinal study of neonatal imitation to date failed to find evidence that neonates copied any of nine actions at any of four time points (Oostenbroek et al., [2016] Current Biology, 26, 1334–1338). The authors of an alternative and statistically liberal post‐hoc analysis of these same data (Meltzoff et al., [2017] Developmental Science, 21, e12609), however, concluded that the infants actually did imitate one of the nine actions: tongue protrusion. In line with the original intentions of this longitudinal study, we here report on whether individual differences in neonatal “imitation” predict later‐developing social cognitive behaviours. We measured a variety of social cognitive behaviours in a subset of the original sample of infants (N = 71) during the first 18 months: object‐directed imitation, joint attention, synchronous imitation and mirror self‐recognition. Results show that, even using the liberal operationalization, individual scores for neonatal “imitation” of tongue protrusion failed to predict any of the later‐developing social cognitive behaviours. The average Spearman correlation was close to zero, mean r_s = 0.027, 95% CI [?0.020, 0.075], with all Bonferroni adjusted p values > .999. These results run counter to Meltzoff et al.'s rebuttal, and to the existence of a “like me” mechanism in neonates that is foundational to human social cognition.     

Procedural text structure and reader perceptions and performance

This research tested the relationship between text structural variables (on vs. off the causal chain, active vs. static information, and hierarchical structure) and reader perceptions, reading time, and true-false performance for procedural texts. Twenty-four college-age participants each read 3 procedural texts. As predicted, sentences that were (a) on the causal chain, (b) active, and (c) associated with task steps were read more slowly and judged to be more important (p < .05). The results were similar to those previously found with narratives, except for the hierarchical structure variable. Also as predicted, text differences were found such that as the variation in the type of information contained in the text increased, relationships with the structural variables increased.     

Videotape resources for group psychotherapists: a 5-year retrospective

This review provides a discussion of the 14 videotape reviews that have appeared in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy from 1996 through 2000. This retrospective analysis describes the recommendations made by the review authors concerning ways in which future video products may be enhanced to improve their instructional value. These recommendations include topics that might be given greater emphasis in future efforts as well as elements within the format of such tapes that aid learning and discussion.     

Age and distraction by telephone conversation in task performance: implications for use of cellular telephones while driving

Predicted to diminish task performance were (a) distraction by telephone conversation and (b) older age. 38 participants pointed to letters on a randomized or alphabetized letter matrix during distraction by telephone conversation or no distraction. In a within-subjects design, telephone conversation negatively affected completion time but there were no age differences. Implications for cellular telephone use while driving are discussed.