Set size,assertion form,thematic content and sampling in the selection task

Participants attempted to solve a modified version of Wason's (1966) selection task. Variables were: (1) sizes of the sets referenced by a specified assertion, (2) form of the assertion (conditional or categorical), (3) thematic content of the assertion (letters and numbers or makes and owners of taxicabs), and (4) the need for sampling or not. In Experiment 1, participants were given enough information to determine the truth or falsity of the specified assertion with certainty; in Experiment 2, they had to rely on sampling and could not determine the assertion's truth or falsity with certainty. Performance was better in Experiment 1 than in Experiment 2, but in both cases much better than what is typically obtained with the conventional selection task. The results support the hypothesis that performance of the selection task is sensitive to the sizes of the sets involved, add credence to the conclusion that framing the task in a thematically meaningful way can facilitate performance, and demonstrate that facilitation does not require deontic reasoning or a well-known convention being involved. The relationship between expressed confidence and level of performance is consistent with other studies showing the former to be a good predictor of the latter.     

Magnification rate of objects in a perspective image to fit to our perception

Abstract: A landscape photograph may give a different impression from that formed at the real scene, with respect to the size and distance of objects. Researchers have reported that the perceived sizes and distances of objects in a photograph are not identical to those in a real space. In order to develop a method to create a graphic image that is close to our visual impression as seen in the real space, two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, we examined how the magnification rate of the perceived size to the object size on the retina varied with the viewing distance (range was from 1 m to 10 m). In Experiment 2, we examined whether transformation based on the magnification rate is effective for creating an image that matches the perceived size of the object at the scene. Our results indicate that the magnification rate is useful for transforming the perspective image to match our perception of the objects regardless of the viewing distance.     

Effects of preweaning predatory or consummatory experience and litter size on cricket predation in northern grasshopper mice (Onychomys leucogaster)

Preweaning exposure to cricket killing and consumption, but not consumption alone, facilitated postweaning cricket predation. This facilitatory effect did not result from kill-sharing by the parents or from food competition among the offspring. The results were strongly influenced by litter size. Small litters (N = 3–4) were strongly facilitated in all measures of predatory behavior when compared to litters of five to six mice. Since smaller litters of this species also show much higher levels of play behavior, it is suggested that play frequency may strongly facilitate later predatory behavior.     

Clues for dominance in female chamois: Age,weight, or horn size?

A study of social interactions among female Apennine chamois Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata was made in Abruzzo National Park, central Italy, between 1981 and 1982. A linear hierarchy among females was observed, rank order being highly correlated with age, weight, and horn size. An analysis of which physical clues are used by females to assess dominance suggests that body weight may be the most important attribute. The percentages of threats and dominance displays decrease beyond 7–8 years of age when females usually start to lose weight, whereas horns keep growing throughout life. Furthermore, the greater effect of weight compared to that of horn size on the rank/age correlation supports our conclusion.     

字体、字号和词性对汉字认知加工的影响

实验采用2×7×3的混合实验设计,研究词性、字体和字号对汉字认知加工速度的影响。结果表明,词性对高频汉字的认知加工没有显著影响;在七种字体之中,宋体、正楷和黑体的加工速度较快,而行楷、隶书、魏碑和华文彩云的加工速度较慢,字体的主效应显著;字号的主效应虽然不显著,但24号字体和48号字体的加工速度显著快于36号字体。实验结果倾向于支持汉字识别的平行加工说。     

小学生空间能力及其发展倾向的性别差异研究

本研究探讨了二、四、六年级小学生空间能力的性别差异表现特征.结果表明,在空间能力的加工方式、加工精确性及加工策略上均存在着性别差异,而在加工速度上表现为无差现象.在空间能力的发展趋势和空间组合能力方面,女生表现出稳定的优势;在空间旋转能力上,男生的优势随年龄增长表现为减弱并消失的特征.     

Time Points: A Gestural Study of the Development of Space–Time Mappings

Human languages typically employ a variety of spatial metaphors for time (e.g., “I'm looking forward to the weekend”). The metaphorical grounding of time in space is also evident in gesture. The gestures that are performed when talking about time bolster the view that people sometimes think about regions of time as if they were locations in space. However, almost nothing is known about the development of metaphorical gestures for time, despite keen interest in the origins of space–time metaphors. In this study, we examined the gestures that English‐speaking 6‐to‐7‐year‐olds, 9‐to‐11‐year‐olds, 13‐to‐15‐year‐olds, and adults produced when talking about time. Participants were asked to explain the difference between pairs of temporal adverbs (e.g., “tomorrow” versus “yesterday”) and to use their hands while doing so. There was a gradual increase across age groups in the propensity to produce spatial metaphorical gestures when talking about time. However, even a substantial majority of 6‐to‐7‐year‐old children produced a spatial gesture on at least one occasion. Overall, participants produced fewer gestures in the sagittal (front‐back) axis than in the lateral (left‐right) axis, and this was particularly true for the youngest children and adolescents. Gestures that were incongruent with the prevailing norms of space–time mappings among English speakers (leftward and backward for past; rightward and forward for future) gradually decreased with increasing age. This was true for both the lateral and sagittal axis. This study highlights the importance of metaphoricity in children's understanding of time. It also suggests that, by 6 to 7 years of age, culturally determined representations of time have a strong influence on children's spatial metaphorical gestures.     

The Space–Time Congruency Effect: A Meta‐Analysis

Several reaction time (RT) studies report faster responses when responses to temporal information are arranged in a spatially congruent manner than when this arrangement is incongruent. The resulting space–time congruency effect is commonly attributed to a culturally salient localization of temporal information along a mental timeline (e.g., a mental timeline that runs from left to right). The present study aims to provide a compilation of the published RT studies on this time–space association in order to estimate the size of its effect and the extent of potential publication bias in this field of research. In this meta‐analysis, three types of task are distinguished due to hitherto existing empirical findings. These findings suggest that the extent to which time is made relevant to the experimental task has a systematic impact on whether or not the mental timeline is activated. The results of this meta‐analysis corroborate these considerations: First, experiments that make time a task‐relevant dimension have a mean effect size of d = 0.46. Second, in experiments in which time is task irrelevant, the effect size does not significantly deviate from zero. Third, temporal priming studies have a surprisingly high mean effect size of d = 0.47, which, however, should be adjusted to d = 0.36 due to publication bias.     

How toddlers represent enclosed spaces

Recent findings indicate that toddlers can use geometric cues to locate an object hidden in a corner of a rectangular room after being disoriented [Cognition 61 (1996) 195]. It has been suggested that locating the object involves reestablishing one's initial heading. The present experiments examine search behavior after disorientation. We find that toddlers go directly to a particular corner, indicating that they do not have to reestablish their original heading. It also has been suggested that toddlers ability to use geometric cues is limited to surrounding spaces. We find that toddlers can locate an object from outside as well as from inside a space, although the task is harder from outside. Based on these results, we argue that while toddlers do not represent their position relative to a particular portion of a space, they nevertheless may represent their position relative to the entire space (i.e., outside vs. inside).