Visual attention to own- versus other-race faces: Perspectives from learning mechanisms and task demands

Multiple factors have been proposed to contribute to the other-race effect in face recognition, including perceptual expertise and social-cognitive accounts. Here, we propose to understand the effect and its contributing factors from the perspectives of learning mechanisms that involve joint learning of visual attention strategies and internal representations for faces, which can be modulated by quality of contact with other-race individuals including emotional and motivational factors. Computational simulations of this process will enhance our understanding of interactions among factors and help resolve inconsistent results in the literature. In particular, since learning is driven by task demands, visual attention effects observed in different face-processing tasks, such as passive viewing or recognition, are likely to be task specific (although may be associated) and should be examined and compared separately. When examining visual attention strategies, the use of more data-driven and comprehensive eye movement measures, taking both spatial–temporal pattern and consistency of eye movements into account, can lead to novel discoveries in other-race face processing. The proposed framework and analysis methods may be applied to other tasks of real-life significance such as face emotion recognition, further enhancing our understanding of the relationship between learning and visual cognition.     

特质自我控制对食物线索注意偏向的影响及干预：来自眼动的证据

采用眼动技术,以BMI指数处于正常范围的女性为被试,考察特质自我控制对食物线索注意偏向的影响以及注意偏向训练在改变注意偏向强度上的干预效果。结果发现,对于高热量食物线索,低特质自我控制水平女性表现出了更强的注意偏向;注意偏向训练有效降低了低特质自我控制水平女性对高热量食物线索注意偏向的强度。上述结果表明,特质自我控制影响个体对食物线索的注意偏向,注意偏向训练能有效改变个体对食物线索注意偏向的强度。     

Facial comparison behaviour of forensic facial examiners

Facial examiners make visual comparisons of face images to establish the identities of persons in police investigations. This study utilised eye-tracking and an individual differences approach to investigate whether these experts exhibit specialist viewing behaviours during identification, by comparing facial examiners with forensic fingerprint analysts and untrained novices across three tasks. These comprised of face matching under unlimited (Experiment 1) and time-restricted viewing (Experiment 2), and with a feature-comparison protocol derived from examiner casework procedures (Experiment 3). Facial examiners exhibited individual differences in facial comparison accuracy and did not consistently outperform fingerprint analysts and novices. Their behaviour was also marked by similarities to the comparison groups in terms of how faces were viewed, as evidenced from eye movements, and how faces were perceived, based on the made feature judgements and identification decisions. These findings further understanding of how facial comparisons are performed and clarify the nature of examiner expertise.     

不同结构文章重复阅读时主题转换效应的眼动研究

选取36名大学生,运用眼动技术,探讨不同结构类型文章在重复阅读时主题转换效应的变化特点。被试阅读的材料有两类:一是段落内部各个句子之间为平行关系(平行材料);一是每段第一个句子为该段落主题句(总分材料)。结果发现,两类材料在第一遍阅读过程中均出现了显著的主题转换效应,但在重复阅读时,主题转换效应消失,说明读者在第一遍阅读时已构建了文章的主题结构表征,并以此来指导后面的阅读。该结果支持共同策略假设理论,说明无论文章中是否存在标记,读者在阅读时都会构建一定完善的主题结构表征。     

眼动交互中对象排列方式对作业绩效的影响

由于人眼注视的方位能够表达用户的兴趣中心等信息,使得基于眼动的用户界面备受关注,同时眼动也成为攫取当前认知加工过程的一个窗口。本研究采用２排列方式×６目标项位置的被试内设计,主要考察了眼动人机界面中交互对象的不同空间排列方式及目标项位置对选择工效的影响,以期为设计和优化基于视线追踪的人机交互界面的布局提供心理学依据。所获得的主要结论如下：（1）在基于视线追踪的人机交互中,对象水平排列方式优于垂直排列方式;（2）不同对象排列方式影响目标项位置对作业时间的效应模式,对象水平排列时,作业时间随着目标位置右移而线性递增;垂直排列时,作业时间随目标位置下移以非线性方式递增;（3）目标项位置仅影响目标定位时间,目标激活时间不受对象空间排列方式和目标项位置的影响;（4）基于视线追踪的人机交互系统其对象排列方式以水平方式为宜     

语音回路与阅读理解关系的眼动研究

语音回路是工作记忆中的一个重要成分。由于工作记忆在言语理解中有重要作用,所以负责加工语音信息的语音回路可能也和阅读理解有密切关系。但是,迄今为止直接研究语音回路影响阅读理解的研究不是很多,而且得出的结论也不太一致。研究使用眼动分析方法探讨语音回路与汉语阅读理解的关系。研究采用抑制发音和错误干扰相结合的范式考查正常条件下和抑制发音条件下的阅读特点的差别性。结果表明：（1）在一般阅读难度情况下,语音回路会延缓阅读速度;（2）两种阅读条件下都出现了同音效应,即同音字的首次注视时间、总注视时间都比非同音字短;（3）语音在汉语阅读的早期就发挥了作用,而且同音字错误比非同音字错误更容易被恢复     

Eye movements of monkey observers viewing vocalizing conspecifics

Primates, including humans, communicate using facial expressions, vocalizations and often a combination of the two modalities. For humans, such bimodal integration is best exemplified by speech-reading - humans readily use facial cues to enhance speech comprehension, particularly in noisy environments. Studies of the eye movement patterns of human speech-readers have revealed, unexpectedly, that they predominantly fixate on the eye region of the face as opposed to the mouth. Here, we tested the evolutionary basis for such a behavioral strategy by examining the eye movements of rhesus monkeys observers as they viewed vocalizing conspecifics. Under a variety of listening conditions, we found that rhesus monkeys predominantly focused on the eye region versus the mouth and that fixations on the mouth were tightly correlated with the onset of mouth movements. These eye movement patterns of rhesus monkeys are strikingly similar to those reported for humans observing the visual components of speech. The data therefore suggest that the sensorimotor strategies underlying bimodal speech perception may have a homologous counterpart in a closely related primate ancestor.     

眼睛运动如何与记忆相关？

很久以来,人们一直在致力于研究人的眼动与心理活动之间的关系,从而揭示其间的奥妙。众多研究表明,睡眠时的快速眼动（RapidEyeMovements,REM）及其周期对记忆的形成与巩固有重要作用。在清醒状态下,人的眼动就是为了获得视觉信息,如果涉及记忆任务,这就是编码阶段的具体行动。另外,问题解决过程也有眼动参与。总体看来,眼动和记忆之间是一种双向的关系,适当的眼动训练或许能够提高记忆成绩。