Three-Dimensional Information in Face Representations Revealed by Identity Aftereffects

ABSTRACT— Representations of individual faces evolve with experience to support progressively more robust recognition. Knowledge of three-dimensional face structure is required to predict an image of a face as illumination and viewpoint change. Robust recognition across such transformations can be achieved with representations based on multiple two-dimensional views, three-dimensional structure, or both. We used face-identity adaptation in a familiarization paradigm to address a long-standing controversy concerning the role of two-dimensional versus three-dimensional information in face representations. We reasoned that if three-dimensional information is coded in the representations of familiar faces, then learning a new face using images generated by one three-dimensional transformation should enhance the robustness of the representation to another type of three-dimensional transformation. Familiarization with multiple views of faces enhanced the transfer of face-identity adaptation effects across changes in illumination by compensating for a generalization cost at a novel test viewpoint. This finding demonstrates a role for three-dimensional information in representations of familiar faces.     

Konsumenten illegaler Internet-Pornographie – psychische Auffälligkeiten und Risiken der Straffälligkeit

Internet sex offending, especially child pornography, is widespread and numbers of convictions are increasing steadily worldwide. The still sparse data from research as well as empiricism from risk assessment and therapeutic work suggest the following: Internet sex offender as well as child abusers are represented in all social classes and all age ranges. Both show similarities in dependent, avoidant and partially schizoid social interaction as well as in anxiety. However the personality organisation of child abusers is usually less structured and tends towards personality disorder, especially with emotionally instable and antisocial traits. Usually pedophilia can be diagnosed in child abusers. Internet sex offenders on the other hand have fewer prior convictions, are less likely to fail in the community, have a very low risk of sexual recidivism and only part of them fulfil the diagnostic criteria for pedophilia. There is no clear evidence for an escalation from internet sex offending to child abuse. The essential characteristics for an escalation are well known and should lead to immediate therapeutic intervention as well as psychological strain should. Only few institutions worldwide provide professional help to support the ones concerned to reduce stigma and thus prevent recidivism and child abuse.     

Cross-sectional and longitudinal confirmatory factor models for the german test anxiety inventory: A construct validation

Construct validity of the German Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI-G) was tested in two respects. Firstly, the purported four-dimensional structure of the TAI-G (comprising subscales Emotionality, Worry, Interference, and Lack of Confidence) as well as relations of the test anxiety dimensions to self-efficacy were tested. Secondly, the trait conception of the TAI-G was tested within the framework of Latent State-Trait theory. The TAI-G was given to a student sample (N=302) on three occasions with a time interval of 2 weeks along with a study-specific self-efficacy scale on occasion 1. Dimensionality assumptions as well as relations with self-efficacy were tested using cross-sectional second-order confirmatory factor analysis. The trait conception was tested separately for TAI-G subscales by specifying longitudinal confirmatory factor models (Latent State-Trait models) and by calculating variance proportions of manifest variables (Latent State-Trait coefficients) referring to different sources of systematic variance (person, situation, and method) based on parameter estimates of the models. Results were supportive of both the purported four-dimensional structure and hypothesized relationships to self-efficacy (i.e., acceptable model fit) as well as of the trait conception of test anxiety (i.e., acceptable model fit and high proportion of variance due to person component). Implications for further validation studies were discussed.     

Perceptual load effects on processing distractor faces indicate face-specific capacity limits

The claim that face perception is mediated by a specialized “face module” that proceeds automatically, independently of attention (e.g., Kanwisher, 2000) can be reconciled with load theory claims that visual perception has limited capacity (e.g., Lavie, 1995) by hypothesizing that face perception has face-specific capacity limits. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the effects of face and nonface perceptual load on distractor face processing. Participants searched a central array of either faces or letter strings for a pop star versus politician's face or name and made speeded classification responses. Perceptual load was varied through the relevant search set size. Response competition effects from a category-congruent or -incongruent peripheral distractor face were eliminated with more than two faces in the face search task, but were unaffected by perceptual load in the name search task. These results support the hypothesis that face perception has face-specific capacity limits and resolve apparent discrepancies in previous research.     

Suppression of negative and expression of positive emotions: Divergent effects of emotional display rules in a hostile service interaction

Cross-sectional studies have found that demands to express positive emotions have more desirable associations with service providers' well-being and service quality than demands to suppress negative emotions. Despite their potential importance, emotional labour research has not clarified the nature of these differences yet. The present experimental study aimed to investigate the causal effects of demands to suppress negative emotions, demands to express positive emotions, and their interaction in a simulated service interaction. In total, 101 participants were instructed to play the role of a service employee, who had to interact with a dissatisfied and uncivil customer. Participants were randomly given information that the organization expected them to (1) express genuinely felt emotions, (2) suppress negative emotions, (3) express positive emotions, or (4) suppress negative emotions and express positive emotions. Results confirmed that demands to suppress negative emotions decreased well-being, whereas demands to express positive emotions led to a better service quality. Moreover, service quality was only increased if demands to express positive emotions were not supplemented by demands to suppress negative emotions. These findings suggest that not only demands to express positive emotions can reduce the cost/benefit ratio of emotional labour, but also organizations should avoid imposing demands to suppress negative emotions.     

The futility of explicit knowledge of a sequence of tasks

In an experiment that combined the task-shifting methodology with a serial reaction-time task, three groups of participants had to shift among a set of four tasks that were arranged in regular sequences of length eight. Two groups of participants were given explicit knowledge about the sequence of tasks. To ensure that the knowledge of the sequence was referred to in each trial, one group was asked to verbalise the forthcoming task (verbalisation group), whereas the other group had to detect trials that deviated from the learned sequence (detection group). Participants of a control group were given no information about the sequence of tasks. In addition, for all experimental groups in half of the blocks of trials external precues were presented which indicated the forthcoming task. The control group exhibited substantial task-shifting costs that were greatly reduced by the presentation of precues. Participants of the explicit-knowledge groups showed no indication that explicit knowledge resulted in advance preparation of the forthcoming task. In addition, the effect of the precues depended on the secondary task that had to be performed on the basis of explicit knowledge. Whereas for the detection group precues reduced shift costs to the same degree as for the control group, the verbalisation group showed no precueing benefits at all.     

Human-introduced long-term traditions in wild redfronted lemurs?

Behavioural traditions have only been described for a small subset of species, and the factors responsible for the maintenance of traditions over time are unclear. Redfronted lemurs are known to learn socially but traditions have not been described in the wild. We conducted a social diffusion experiment over three experimental years with artificial feeding boxes that could be opened in two different ways (pushing or pulling a door). Six out of 14 individuals that participated in at least 2 years exhibited a stable preference: five lemurs maintained a pull and one lemur a push preference, suggesting that habit formation and reinforcement learning may have lead to preferences over time. The remaining individuals exhibited fluctuating preferences and switched between showing a preference or no preference, but never switched between preferences. This instability might have been due to the low level of difficulty and/or the low object specificity of the task. The majority of lemurs additionally scrounged. Scrounging was not influenced by age, sex or success in manipulating the boxes. Thus, redfronted lemurs appear to use the two techniques flexibly but also scrounged opportunistically to get access to the rewards, indicating that traditions might be stabilized by multiple factors.