Memory for vocal tempo and pitch

Two experiments examined the ability to remember the vocal tempo and pitch of different individuals, and the way this information is encoded into the cognitive system. In both studies, participants engaged in an initial familiarisation phase while attending was systematically directed towards different aspects of speakers’ voices. Afterwards, they received a tempo or pitch recognition task. Experiment 1 showed that tempo and pitch are both incidentally encoded into memory at levels comparable to intentional learning, and no performance deficit occurs with divided attending. Experiment 2 examined the ability to recognise pitch or tempo when the two dimensions co-varied and found that the presence of one influenced the other: performance was best when both dimensions were positively correlated with one another. As a set, these findings indicate that pitch and tempo are automatically processed in a holistic, integral fashion [Garner, W. R. (1974). The processing of information and structure. Potomac, MD: Erlbaum.] which has a number of cognitive implications.     

Infants detect changes in everyday scenes: The role of scene gist

When watching physical events, infants bring to bear prior knowledge about objects and readily detect changes that contradict physical rules. Here we investigate the possibility that scene gist may affect infants, as it affects adults, when detecting changes in everyday scenes. In Experiment 1, 15-month-old infants missed a perceptually salient change that preserved the gist of a generic outdoor scene; the same change was readily detected if infants had insufficient time to process the display and had to rely on perceptual information for change detection. In Experiment 2, 15-month-olds detected a perceptually subtle change that preserved the scene gist but violated the rule of object continuity, suggesting that physical rules may overpower scene gist in infants’ change detection. Finally, Experiments 3 and 4 provided converging evidence for the effects of scene gist, showing that 15-month-olds missed a perceptually salient change that preserved the gist and detected a perceptually subtle change that disrupted the gist. Together, these results suggest that prior knowledge, including scene knowledge and physical knowledge, affects the process by which infants maintain their representations of everyday scenes.     

A cross‐cultural comparison of verbal learning and memory functions in reading disabled American and Norwegian adolescents

The present study reports the results of a cross‐cultural analysis of the role of phonetic and semantic cues in verbal learning and memory. A newly developed memory test procedure, the Bergen‐Tucson Verbal Learning Test (BTVLT), expands earlier test procedures as phonetic cues are applied in addition to semantic cues in a cued recall procedure. Samples of reading disabled and typically developed adolescents from the US and from Norway were recruited as voluntary participants. The results indicate that the stimulus materials chosen for the memory test are working well in both American and in Norwegian samples, yielding acquisition results comparable to similar list learning procedures, and also yielding high internal consistency across learning trials. The procedure also reliably differentiates between reading disabled samples in both languages, and also yields cross‐cultural differences that seem to reflect differences in transparency and differences in the orthography of the included languages. The BTVLT with its focus on phonetic coding is a promising supplement to established tests of verbal memory for assessment of reading and language impaired individuals.     

Facial width-to-height ratio and celebrity endorsements

This study hypothesized that the facial WHR of celebrity endorsers is associated with their endorsement income. Our sample consisted of the top 100 male and female celebrity endorsers (male = 50 and female = 50) in Seoul. The average annual total endorsement income of celebrity endorsers in 2012 was $1,691,924 for male endorsers and $1,684,474 for female endorsers. A statistical analysis demonstrated a significant negative correlation between celebrity endorsers’ facial WHR and their endorsement income in 2012 among male (r = −.390, p = .007, n = 47) but not among female (r = .166, p = . 248, n = 50) endorsers. Our findings imply that males with narrower faces are more popular among the media as well as among advertisers. Our study is the first to explore the relationship between physical features, such as facial WHR and monetary income in the entertainment industry.     

Integration of internal and external facial features in 8- to 10-year-old children and adults

Investigation of whole-part and composite effects in 4- to 6-year-old children gave rise to claims that face perception is fully mature within the first decade of life (Crookes & McKone, 2009). However, only internal features were tested, and the role of external features was not addressed, although external features are highly relevant for holistic face perception (Sinha & Poggio, 1996; Axelrod & Yovel, 2010, 2011). In this study, 8- to 10-year-old children and adults performed a same–different matching task with faces and watches. In this task participants attended to either internal or external features. Holistic face perception was tested using a congruency paradigm, in which face and non-face stimuli either agreed or disagreed in both features (congruent contexts) or just in the attended ones (incongruent contexts). In both age groups, pronounced context congruency and inversion effects were found for faces, but not for watches. These findings indicate holistic feature integration for faces. While inversion effects were highly similar in both age groups, context congruency effects were stronger for children. Moreover, children's face matching performance was generally better when attending to external compared to internal features. Adults tended to perform better when attending to internal features. Our results indicate that both adults and 8- to 10-year-old children integrate external and internal facial features into holistic face representations. However, in children's face representations external features are much more relevant. These findings suggest that face perception is holistic but still not adult-like at the end of the first decade of life.     

小议中国特色词汇的英译

汉语词汇蕴藏着丰富的文化沉淀,带有浓烈的民族特色,明显地反映中国文化及政治各个方面的实体特征,体现了中国文化起源及其精神。但在国际大趋势下,具有中国特色的词汇和表达由于在西方文化中找不到对等而成为汉英翻译中的一大难题,很多中国特色词汇的翻译也不尽如人意。本文重点研究了中国特色词语特点,通过对大量例子的分析,提出了一些针对中国特有词汇及表达的翻译方法。     

The contextually controlled, feature-mediated classification of symbols

The classification of names of people or objects based on the features acquired by the names and the sorting instructions provided is a commonplace occurrence. For example, given the names Renoir, Pollock, James and Voltaire the average adult would be able to classify them differentially based on the instruction to classify them based on vocation or nationality. In general, such a repertoire reflects the reclassification of symbols (i.e, the names of individuals) in terms of contextual cues (instructions to sort by vocation or nationality) and the features acquired by the symbols (the specific nationalities and vocations). The present experiment studied this phenomenon with the use of arbitrary stimuli that did not have clear preexperimental associations. Two of 4 participants classified the symbols into different equivalence classes based on the prevailing contextual cues and the features that had been acquired by the symbols. Using an ABA reversal design we then demonstrated that 1 participant classified the symbols in accordance with the contextual cues and acquired features when present, but not in the absence of the contextual cues. A 3rd participant showed symbol classification that differed from that predicted by the procedures, and the 4th classified the symbols based on one set of features but not on context. These data describe one set of conditions that could account for the establishment of complex classification repertoires that occur in natural settings.     

论道德意识的认知特征

道德作为一种实践意识 ,其认知特征主要有三 :一是人道为本 ,自觉觉他 ;二是“是”“应”同辙 ,智仁并举 ;三是情理交融 ,知行合一。     

论道德现象的特点

从道德存在论看 ,道德是普遍性与特殊性的统一 ;地域性与历史性的统一。从道德价值论看 ,道德是相对性与绝对性的统一 ;多元性与一元性的统一。从道德认识论看 ,道德是客观性与主观性的统一 ;群体性与个体性的统一。从道德实现论看 ,道德是他律性与自律性的统一 ;现实性与理想性的统一。     

视觉特征提取加工中的认知可塑性

本研究采用“加因素法”研究范式,通过两个实验分别检测20名飞行员和lO名老年被试及其相应控制组在视觉特征提取任务上的认知加工水平,旨在探讨视觉特征提取这一高水平视觉表象加工上的认知可塑性水平。研究结果表明,视觉特征提取加工既表现出了随外界系统训练而发生功能增强的练习效应,也表现出了随年老化过程而发生相应功能显著改变的年龄效应。研究提示,由于受大脑神经细胞活动特性改变的影响,视觉特征提取加工更多地表现出了可塑性或易变性相对较高的认知特性。结合相关的工作基础,研究结果还进一步证实高水平视觉认知加工所表现出的练习效应和年龄效应在大脑神经网络上的分布是不平衡的。本研究不仅对于揭示高水平视觉表象加工的认知特性具有重要的理论意义,而且在实践中对于建立飞行员、宇航员等特殊职业人员的选拔模型以及揭示飞行空间定向障碍的认知机制也具有重要的应用价值。