See what you’ve done! Active touch affects the number of perceived visual objects

Previous research has shown that visual perception is affected by sensory information from other modalities. For example, sound can alter the visual intensity or the number of visual objects perceived. However, when touch and vision are combined, vision normally dominates—a phenomenon known asvisual capture. Here we report a cross-modal interaction between active touch and vision: The perceived number of brief visual events (flashes) is affected by the number of concurrently performed finger movements (keypresses). This sensorimotor illusion occurred despite little ambiguity in the visual stimuli themselves and depended on a close temporal proximity between movement execution and vision.     

Selecting spatial frames of reference for visual target localization

This study examined the selection of spatial frames of reference for target localization in visual search. Participants searched for local target characters in global character configurations. The local targets could be localized relative to the character configuration in which they were embedded or relative to the presentation screen on which the configurations were displayed. We investigated under which conditions the configurations, or the screen served as frame of reference for target localization. Three experiments revealed an increasing impact of screen-related target localization with decreasing spatial uncertainty of targets in screen-related coordinates. The results indicate the capability of the visual system to localize relevant visual stimuli with respect to those frames of reference that yield the most redundant spatial distribution of these stimuli.     

Visual processing for action resists similarity of relevant and irrelevant object features

It has been suggested that the human brain processes visual information in different manners, depending on whether the information is used for perception or for action control. This distinction has been criticized for the lack of behavioral dissociations that unambiguously support the proposed two-visual-pathways model. Here we present a new and simple dissociation between vision for perception and vision for action: Perceptual judgments are affected by the similarity of relevant and irrelevant stimulus features, while object-oriented actions are not. This dissociation overcomes the methodological problems of previously proposed differences in terms of vulnerability to visual illusions or to variability in irrelevant object features, and it can also serve as an easily applicable behavioral indicator of underlying processing modes.     

Computing Pareto‐optimal Predictor Composites for Complex Selection Decisions

A complex selection situation encompasses vacancies for several different positions and applicants that apply simultaneously for one or several of these positions. This article presents an analytic method for estimating the expected selection quality, as well as the adverse impact ratio of these complex selections, when the decisions are based on a single predictor composite score. In addition, the method is integrated within a broader decision‐making framework for designing complex selection decisions that show a Pareto‐optimal balance between the selection quality and diversity goals. Finally, the decision aid is used to demonstrate the importance of applying the appropriate selection format (either the simple or the complex format) when exploring the front of Pareto‐optimal outcomes of planned selections.     

The role of effect grouping in free-choice response selection

Which motor actions are preferred to replace an initially planned but momentary not executable action? Previous research (Khan, Mourton, Buckolz, Adams, & Hayes, 2010, Acta Psychologica) suggests that anatomical constraints seem to be a major determinant for such choices: For example, participants more frequently chose to respond with the finger homologous to the prepared one. We argue that in this case finger homology is confounded with action effect similarity, and action effects have been ascribed a crucial role in action selection. We report two experiments. Experiment 1 replicated the results obtained by Khan et al. In Experiment 2, we introduced visual action effects in the paradigm. Results from this experiment clearly point to a role of effect similarity in addition to mere finger homology status for the choice frequency effect.     

Neuronal correlates of three attentional strategies during affective picture processing: an fMRI study

This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study directly compared the neurocircuitry involved in three different attentional strategies during affective picture processing. We exposed 40 participants (20 men, 20 women) to images depicting dental treatment, as well as neutral scenes. They were asked to do one of three tasks while watching the same pictures: directing their attention toward a foreground object within the picture (distraction), classifying whether the image showed dental treatment, or deciding whether the scene elicited fear of pain (introspection). The participants performed the distraction and classification task with high accuracy and rated only 11 % of the dental treatment pictures as pain relevant. Introspection was associated with increased activation of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC), relative to the two other conditions. Since the dental, relative to the neutral, pictures elicited enhanced DMPFC activation across all conditions, this underlines the role of this brain region for the assignment, as well as self-reference, of affective meaning. Moreover, self-reported dental anxiety was positively correlated with activation of a pain modulatory network (DMPFC, basal ganglia) when the participants focused on the pain relevance of the dental treatment cues. For future studies, it seems promising to study a high-anxious group or even patients afflicted with dental phobia.     

Something in the way she moves—movement trajectories reveal dynamics of self-control

This study examined the dynamic impact of self-control conflict on action execution. We reasoned that the tug-of-war between antagonistic action tendencies is not ultimately solved before movement initiation but leaks into action execution. To this end, we measured mouse trajectories to quantify the dynamic competition between initial temptations and the struggle to overcome them. Participants moved the mouse cursor from a start location to one of two targets. Each target represented a gain or a loss of points. Although participants earned points on the majority of the trials, they also had to make movements to the loss target on some trials to prevent an even higher loss. Two experiments found that movement trajectories on these loss trials deviate toward the tempting stimulus: The way we move reveals self-control conflicts that have not been resolved prior to action execution.     

Irradiation-induced dissociation of an a ⟨100⟩ edge dislocation in SrTiO3

We report the dissociation of an a?100? dislocation core in SrTiO₃ into two (a/2)?100? partial cores during electron-beam irradiation in a high-voltage transmission electron microscope. The partial separation is approximately 1?nm. Based on the forces acting between the partials, a dissociation mechanism is proposed which includes a combination of climb and glide processes.     

Association between Inhibitory Control Capacity and Body Weight in Overweight and Obese Children and Adolescents: Dependence on Age and Inhibitory Control Component

It has been assumed that overweight individuals show weak inhibitory control capacity leading to a failure to resist external cues for palatable food and that this deficit underlies the recently reported empirical association between obesity and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In childhood and adolescence, empirical research on this issue is scarce. Here, the hypothesis is tested that high body weight is associated with weak inhibitory control performance and that this association is moderated by age.

The sample included 177 overweight and obese children and adolescents (BMI: M = 29.2, SD = 4.33; BMI-SDS: M = 2.45, SD = 0.43) between 8 and 15 years. Inhibitory control was assessed by a Go/No-Go task and an Interference Task. A principal component analysis yielded two components: impulsivity (fast but invalid responses) and inattention (highly variable reaction times).

While controlling for age, gender, and maternal education level, we found that more obese children/adolescents showed more inattention. As indicated by a significant interaction effect, exclusively at younger ages, high impulsivity was associated with high body weight.

The results thus confirm a link between low inhibitory control capacity and high body weight and might point to a developmental period with heightened significance of impulsivity for weight gain.