注意瞬脱范式中的知觉负载对情绪面孔加工的影响

情绪性刺激的加工是否受注意影响目前尚存争论。基于许多操纵空间注意焦点的研究未能在注意资源的分配上进行精确的调节, 本实验将时间维度的注意瞬脱范式与负载理论相结合, 通过调节注意瞬脱中T1刺激物知觉负载水平的高低(箭头朝向相同与否), 观察被试在四种时间延迟条件下(延迟2, 延迟3, 延迟5, 延迟8)T2目标侦测任务恐惧和中性面孔的反应正确率, 从而对情绪性刺激的加工特征进行研究。实验发现：对恐惧面孔侦测的正确率在高知觉负载条件下显著降低, 而中性面孔则不受知觉负载水平影响, 并且这种高知觉负载对恐惧面孔加工的抑制作用仅发生在注意瞬脱中的短延迟条件下。说明在知觉加工资源和注意调节作用同时受限的情况下恐惧面孔的优势加工受到限制, 提示情绪性刺激的加工与中性刺激相比消耗的加工资源较少, 并依赖于注意的调控。     

Close coupling between eye movements and serial attentional refreshing during multiple-identity tracking

Multiple-identity tracking (MIT) is a dynamic task in which observers track multiple moving objects of distinct identities and then report the location of each target object. The present study examined participant’ eye movements during MIT in order to investigate the relationship between eye movements and attentional performance during the task. The results showed that fixations were predominately directed to individual targets during tracking. When successfully landed on targets, the fixations dwelled for longer duration; otherwise, they were terminated quickly. As the attentional demands for processing the targets increased, fixations landed on the targets more frequently while fixations outside targets decreased both in number and duration. The attentionally more demanding targets were fixated more frequently than the attentionally less demanding ones. The most recently fixated target was tracked with higher performance, while the tracking accuracy for the more previously fixated targets gradually decreased. Taken together, the results indicate that fixations are tightly coupled with attention during MIT, switching serially from target to target for refreshing each object representation to facilitate the tracking of identities and locations of multiple targets.     

The Orthogenetic Principle in the Perception of “Forests” and “Trees”?

This study explores possible links between ontogenetic and microgenetic change (Werner, 1948, 1957) in the perception of stimuli with multiple levels of structure. Visual search for targets defined by local versus global structure was examined in observers aged 6, 8, 10, and 22 years. Perceptual access to each level of structure was varied by using pattern elements of same (easy) or opposite contrast polarity (hard); attentional processes were isolated from sensory processes by varying the number of display items. The results showed large improvements with age in search rates for global targets, with search rates for local targets being more constant over age. This pattern held regardless of whether perceptual access to a target was easy or hard. These results support the view that the perception of local and global structure involves different underlying processes.     

否定句理解中知觉仿真的动态过程

采用移动窗口阅读技术探讨否定句理解中被否定的情境和真实情境在头脑中的具体表征。实验材料包括否定句和图片,根据句子隐含形状与再认图片的匹配关系分为匹配和不匹配两个版本。实验1中句子呈现时间为700ms,结果发现匹配版本中图片再认时间明显短于不匹配版本,证实了否定句理解中被否定情境的知觉仿真。实验2中句子呈现时间延长到1000ms,结果两个版本图片再认时间没有差异,说明读者已经转为对否定句所表达的真实情境进行仿真。实验支持了知觉符号观并进一痔说明否常甸珈解中知带仿直和知慌符号瀚活是一个动杰的“两步击”的加工讨程。     

How to be Conservative: a Partial Defence of Epistemic Conservatism

Conservatism about perceptual justification tells us that we cannot have perceptual justification to believe p unless we also have justification to believe that perceptual experiences are reliable. There are many ways to maintain this thesis, ways that have not been sufficiently appreciated. Most of these ways lead to at least one of two problems: the first is an over-intellectualization problem, whereas the second concerns the satisfaction of the epistemic basing requirement on justified belief. I argue that there is at least one Conservative view that survives both difficulties, a view which has the further ability to undercut a crucial consideration that has supported Dogmatist views about perceptual justification. The final section explores a tension between Conservatism and the prospect of having a completely general account of propositional justification. Ironically, the problem is that Conservatives seem committed to making the acquisition of propositional justification too easy. My partial defence of Conservatism concludes by suggesting possible solutions to this problem.     

Supervisor Support in the Work Place: Legitimacy and Positive Affectivity

Abstract

The authors tested 3 hypotheses regarding supervisor support in the work place. The validation hypothesis predicts that when employees are supported by their coworkers and the larger organization, they also receive more support from their supervisors. The positive affectivity hypothesis predicts that employees with positive dispositions receive more supervisor support because they are more socially oriented and likable. The moderation hypothesis predicts a joint multiplicative effect between validation and positive affectivity. An assessment of the hypotheses among a sample of 1,882 hospital employees in Korea provided strong support for the validation and moderation hypotheses.     

Evidence for perceptual learning with repeated stimulation after partial and total cortical blindness

Lesions of occipital cortex result in loss of sight in the corresponding regions of visual fields. The traditional view that, apart from some spontaneous recovery in the acute phase, field defects remain permanently and irreversibly blind, has been challenged. In patients with partial field loss, a range of residual visual abilities in the absence of conscious perception (blindsight) has been demonstrated (Weiskrantz, 1986). Recent findings (Sahraie et al., 2006, 2010) have also demonstrated increased visual sensitivity in the field defect following repeated stimulation. We aimed to extend these findings by systematically exploring whether repeated stimulation can also lead to increased visual sensitivity in two cases with total (bilateral) cortical blindness. In addition, for a case of partial blindness, we examined the extent of the recovery as a function of stimulated region of the visual field, over extended periods of visual training. Positive auditory feedback was provided during the training task for correct detection of a spatial grating pattern presented at specific retinotopic locations using a temporal two alternative forced-choice paradigm (Neuro-Eye Therapy). All three cases showed improved visual sensitivity with repeated stimulation. The findings indicate that perceptual learning can occur through systematic visual field stimulation even in cases of bilateral cortical blindness.     

The effect of eye size on discriminating faces: Can infants recognize facial uncanniness?

Infants' ability to recognize uncanny human faces increases during the first year of life. In turn, their ability to recognize faces of other species declines at almost the same period (perceptual narrowing). In the current study, we aimed to clarify the relationship between the perception of uncanniness of faces and perceptual narrowing in infants and adults. We used the “uncanny valley task,” in which the participants were required to discriminate the faces of humans and monkeys by different eye size. Results showed that 3‐ to 5‐month‐old infants could not discriminate either monkey or human faces by eye size, whereas 6‐ to 8‐month olds could. Adults showed higher discrimination performance for human than monkey faces and perceived the human faces with extremely large or small eyes as exceedingly eerie. Our results suggest that perception of uncanniness of faces is formed after perceptual narrowing.     

Vahid,Burge, and Perceptual Entitlement

Hamid Vahid criticizes Tyler Burge's account of perceptual entitlement. Vahid argues that Burge's account fails to satisfy a criterion of adequacy that any correct account of perceptual warrant must satisfy. According to Vahid, a correct account of perceptual warrant must allow for perceptual beliefs which are produced by a properly functioning perceptual system yet which lack warrant. The present article argues that Vahid's critique of Burge fails. It presents numerous examples of such beliefs that are consistent with Burge's account of perceptual entitlement.     

Attitudes and cognitive distances: On the non-unitary and flexible nature of cognitive maps

Spatial relations of our environment are represented in cognitive maps. These cognitive maps are prone to various distortions (e.g., alignment and hierarchical effects) caused by basic cognitive factors (such as perceptual and conceptual reorganization) but also by affectively loaded and attitudinal influences. Here we show that even differences in attitude towards a single person representing a foreign country (here Barack Obama and the USA) can be related to drastic differences in the cognitive representation of distances concerning that country. Europeans who had a positive attitude towards Obama’s first presidential program estimated distances between US and European cities as being much smaller than did people who were skeptical or negative towards Obama’s ideas. On the basis of this result and existing literature, arguments on the non-unitary and flexible nature of cognitive maps are discussed.