Timed performance weaknesses on computerized tasks in pediatric brain tumor survivors: A comparison with sibling controls

With more children surviving a brain tumor, insight into the late effects of the disease and treatment is of high importance. This study focused on profiling the neurocognitive functions that might be affected after treatment for a pediatric brain tumor, using a broad battery of computerized tests. Predictors that may influence neurocognitive functioning were also investigated. A total of 82 pediatric brain tumor survivors (PBTSs) aged 8–18 years (M = 13.85, SD = 3.15, 49% males) with parent-reported neurocognitive complaints were compared to a control group of 43 siblings (age M = 14.27, SD = 2.44, 40% males) using linear mixed models. Neurocognitive performance was assessed using measures of attention, processing speed, memory, executive functioning, visuomotor integration (VMI), and intelligence. Tumor type, treatment, tumor location, hydrocephalus, gender, age at diagnosis, and time since diagnosis were entered into regression analyzes as predictors for neurocognitive functioning. The PBTSs showed slower processing speeds and lower intelligence (range effect sizes .71–.82, p < .001), as well as deficits in executive attention, short-term memory, executive functioning, and VMI (range effect sizes .40–.57, p < .05). Older age at assessment was associated with better neurocognitive functioning (B = .450, p < .001) and younger age at diagnosis was associated with lower intelligence (B = .328, p < .05). Medical risk factors, e.g., hydrocephalus, did not show an association with neurocognitive functioning. Late effects in PBTSs include a broad range of neurocognitive deficits. The results suggest that even PBTSs that were traditionally viewed as low risk for neurocognitive problems (e.g., surgery only, no hydrocephalus) may suffer from decreased neurocognitive functioning.     

The effect of speed limit credibility on drivers' speed choice

Credibility of speed limits is a key factor affecting drivers’ compliance with speed limits. Two experiments were conducted to investigate how credibility of speed limits affects judgments of appropriate speed. The first experiment aimed to establish speeds deemed appropriate by investigating Malaysians drivers’ judgments of the appropriate speed to drive based on photographs of roads with the speed limit sign erased. Drivers chose speeds which correlated with but were higher than the actual speed limits of the roads. Analysis of road characteristics suggested they based their decisions mainly on features of the road itself rather than of the roadside. The second experiment tested the impact of credibility of speed limit information on the speed drivers judged appropriate. Drivers judged the appropriate speed to drive for the same photographs as in Experiment 1 with speed limit information provided. Four conditions were included: two conditions where the speed limit posted was 10% higher or 10% lower than the appropriate speed established in Experiment 1 (credible speed limits), and two conditions where the posted speed limit was 50% higher or 50% lower than the appropriate speed (non-credible speed limits). Posted speed limits did affect drivers’ judgments about the appropriate speed to drive. Credibility also influenced judgments whereby drivers selected appropriate speeds consistent with the speed limits for the 10% lower condition, but not for speed limits that deviated highly from the appropriate speed judged in Experiment 1.     

儿童和青少年信息加工速度发展函数的研究

选择７—１９岁的被试１４０名,对三种不同任务进行操作。结果表明,在句图匹配任务中,儿童反应时是青年反应时的函数,指数函数能较好的描述这种共同的发展变化趋势,但在字母匹配任务中,这种线性关系较差;随着年龄的变化,信息加工速度的下降速率是根据不同的加工任务变化的,简单任务（选择反应和字母匹配）下降速度快,复杂任务（句图匹配）下降速度慢     

阅读速度与提要位置对不同认知方式学生信息保持的影响

本研究主要探讨阅读速度与提要位置对不同认知风格学生信息保持的影响。结果表明：读者认知方式的差异在很大程度上影响了对文章不同类型信息的保持．但对文章总回忆量没有显著影响。提要前置使场依存型读者对文章结构性信息的回忆量增多,场独立型读者对从属性信息的回忆量增多;提要后置使场依存型读者从属性信息的回忆量增多。阅读速度对文章不同类型信息和总信息量的保持均有显著影响．但在提要前置的情况下,对文章结构性信息的回忆量没有显著影响。     

Walking in an environment of moving ground texture

The visual control of global body movements has mainly been studied in terms of the maintenance of balance. The present experiment examined the effect of moving visual surroundings on the speed of locomotion. A virtually boundless optical environment was generated by the projection of a dotted texture on the ground that was reflected on large vertical mirrors fixed along the walls of the room. Subjects' head velocity was recorded over a walking path of about 10 m along the projection surface. In the experimental sessions, the texture was animated and moved at different speeds in the same direction as the subject or in the opposite direction. In the control condition, the projected texture remained motionless and therefore appeared to pass by at the subjects' walking speed. The subjects' task was to maintain a constant walking speed as far as possible over the different conditions. Changes in walking speed give indications of how the processing of optical flow modulates locomotor activity.     

基本心理能力老化的中介变量

从整合思路,针对认知老化的四个中介变量建立基本心理能力老化的结构方程模型。样本来自北京三个社区的217位60-85岁的老人。采用计算机化的任务测查五项基本心理能力和加工资源的各项指标。结果表明：(1)感觉功能、加工速度和加工容量是基本心理能力老化的重要中介变量;(2)基本心理能力老化的中介作用表现出层次性。感觉功能是最基础的一层中介作用,它通过加工速度和加工容量间接调节基本心理能力的老化;加工速度对基本心理能力老化的作用受感觉功能的影响,同时也通过加工容量对基本心理能力的老化起作用;加工容量在基本心理能力老化的中介模型中直接与基本心理能力产生联系,但是其61％的变异来自感觉功能和加工速度;(3)负启动测验与颜色词启动测验不能共同表达加工抑制,以颜色词启动值作为观测指标的加工抑制不能进入基本心理能力老化的中介模型。     

Effects of position of speed limit signs and the presence of speed camera on Malaysian drivers’ speed choice: An eye-tracking study

Speeding is one of the most common driving violations in the world including in Malaysia. Reducing speed-related fatalities is one of Malaysia’s strategies to improve road safety. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of speed limit sign positioning and the presence of speed camera on drivers’ judgments about the appropriate speed to drive and their associated eye movements. Twenty participants took part in the study, and thirty two images of roads with a range of actual speed limits were presented. In each picture the displayed speed limit was edited to 30% lower than what participants think is appropriate on average. Speed limit signs were either presented on the road or on the speed limit sign boards at the road sides, and a speed camera sign was either present or not. Drivers judged a lower appropriate speed to drive when the camera sign was present than absent, while there was a wider spread of differences between judged and displayed speed when the speed limit sign was presented on the board than on the road. Drivers were quicker in fixating and looked more at the general area in which the speed limit sign appeared. Therefore drivers’ visual attention across scenes may be manipulated by the sign positions. These low-cost interventions could be useful in managing speed choice in Malaysia.     

The effect of visual HMIs of a system assisting manual drivers in manoeuvre coordination in system limit and system failure situations

Ambiguous situations in traffic often require communication and cooperation between road users. In order to resolve these situations and increase cooperative driving behavior in situations of merging or turning left, manual drivers could be assisted by an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) for cooperative driving. This simulator study investigated the behavior of drivers confronted with system limits and failures of such a system. The ADAS used in this study informed the driver about an upcoming cooperation situation and gave advice on how to behave (e.g. reduce speed, change lane). Two test situations were implemented: a system freeze and an unexpected event, which could not be detected by the system. In order to find the most fitting HMI solution, the place of presentation (head-up display (HUD) vs. instrument cluster) as well as the form of presentation (dynamic vs. symbolic) were varied. The results indicated that the most fitting HMI solution to support the driver in a complex coordinated driving situation is a dynamic HUD, mainly due to the positive effect on glance behavior. However, advantages of both forms of presentation were revealed, as each form of presentation increased the probability of recognition for one of the test situations. The fewest collisions took place with the dynamic form of presentation.     

Beauty in the blink of an eye: The time course of aesthetic experiences

Under normal circumstances, perception runs very fast and seemingly automatic. In just a few ms, we go from sensory features to perceiving objects. This fast time course does not only apply to general perceptual aspects but also to what we call higher-level judgements. Inspired by the study on ‘very first impressions’ by Bar, Neta, and Linz (2006, Emotion, 6 , 269) the current research examined the speed and time course of three aspects of the aesthetic experience, namely beauty, specialness, and impressiveness. Participants were presented with 54 reproductions of paintings that covered a wide variety of artistic styles and contents. Presentation times were 10, 50, 100 and 500 ms in Experiment 1 and 20, 30 and 40 ms in Experiment 2. Our results not only show that consistent aesthetic judgements can be formed based on very brief glances of information, but that this speed of aesthetic impression formation also differs between different aesthetic judgements. Apparently, impressiveness judgements require longer exposure times than impressions of beauty or specialness. The results provide important evidence for our understanding of the time course of aesthetic experiences.     

Hick’s law equivalent for reaction time to individual stimuli

Hick’s law, one of the few law-like relationships involving human performance, expresses choice reaction time as a linear function of the mutual information between the stimulus and response events. However, since this law was first proposed in 1952, its validity has been challenged by the fact that it only holds for the overall reaction time (RT) across all the stimuli, and does not hold for the reaction time (RT_i) for each individual stimulus. This paper introduces a new formulation in which RT_i is a linear function of (1) the mutual information between the event that stimulus i occurs and the set of all potential response events and (2) the overall mutual information for all stimuli and responses. Then Hick’s law for RT follows as the weighted mean of each side of the RT_i equation using the stimulus probabilities as the weights. The new RT_i equation incorporates the important speed–accuracy trade-off characteristic. When the performance is error-free, RT_i becomes a linear function of two entropies as measures of stimulus uncertainty or unexpectancy. Reanalysis of empirical data from a variety of sources provide support for the new law-like relationship.