平滑运动条件下的图形颜色及形状加工特性的研究

本研究对在运动图形识别过程中,有关图形的不同特征（颜色、形状等）的加工特性、方向性效应以及不同空间位置（或时间间隔）对图形识别的影响了探讨。结果发现,视觉系统在运动信息加工时,对目标的不同特征的加工存在不均衡性,加工的难度有差异。颜色的加工难度要比形状的加工难度小。视觉系统对不同运动方向上的图形匹配反应特性也存在差异,图形匹配过程受时间或距离因素的影响,匹配的反应时随着两个比较图形之间的空间距离的增加而减少。     

Now you see it,now you don't: The context dependent nature of category-effects in visual object recognition

In two experiments, we test predictions regarding processing advantages/disadvantages for natural objects and artefacts in visual object recognition. Varying three important parameters—degree of perceptual differentiation, stimulus format, and stimulus exposure duration—we show how different category-effects can be provoked in normal subjects on the same task. We interpret the results in light of the Pre-semantic Account of Category Effects (PACE; Gerlach, 2009), and conclude that category-effects do not reflect absolute processing differences between categories. Rather, category-effects are products of common operations which are differentially affected by the structural similarity among objects (with natural objects being more structurally similar than artefacts). The potentially most important aspect of the present study is the demonstration that category-effects are very context dependent; an aspect which has been neglected in earlier literature on category-specificity. PACE provides a useful framework in this respect, as it specifies how category-effects are influenced by changes in task and stimulus characteristics.     

工作记忆对基于颜色的注意返回抑制的影响

前人研究发现返回抑制与工作记忆间存在特异性关系,即某种特定类型的返回抑制只依赖于此种工作记忆。然而,这些研究都只考察了空间和客体返回抑制。为了验证两者间的这种特异性关系在其他类型的返回抑制中仍然存在,本研究考察了工作记忆对基于颜色的返回抑制的影响。结果发现颜色返回抑制只受颜色工作记忆任务的影响,不受形状工作记忆任务影响,这为返回抑制和工作记忆特异性关系的普适性提供了进一步证据。     

Target-mask shape congruence impacts the type of metacontrast masking

Visual metacontrast masking may depend on the time intervals between target and mask in two qualitatively different ways: in type-A masking the smaller the mask delay from target the stronger the masking while in type-B masking maximal masking effect is obtained with a larger temporal delay of the mask. Variability in the qualitative apperance of masking functions has been explained by variability in stimuli parameters and tasks. Recent research on metacontrast masking has surprisingly shown that both of these types of functions can be found with an identical range of stimulation parameters depending on individual differences between observers. Here we show that obtaining clear-cut type-A masking depends on whether target and mask shapes are congruent or incongruent and whether observers use the cues available due to the congruence factor. Conspicuously expressed type-A masking is selectively associated with incongruent target-mask pairings. In the latter conditions target identification level significantly drops with the shortest target-to-mask delays.     

颜色、形状和大小相似性与变化性对儿童归纳推理的影响

设计了两个实验任务,探讨了颜色、大小和形状对68名8～10岁儿童归纳推理的影响。结果发现,在相似性任务中,当测试图片分别与两组前提图片在大小和形状(颜色)上一致时,儿童认为测试图形与大小一致图形具有相同属性;当测试图片分别与前提图片在形状和颜色上一致时,儿童倾向于选择形状一致图形具有的属性。在变化性任务中,当两组前提图片分别在大小和形状上变化,而测试图形与前提组图形不同时,儿童认为测试图形与大小变化图形具有相同属性;当两组前提图片分别在颜色和大小(形状)上变化时,儿童的选择没有显著差异;这一结果与同时变化每组前提图片的两个特征差异不显著,表明单独变化颜色、大小和形状来构成推理任务是比较合理的。     

数字有形状吗?数字信息精确性和品牌标识形状的匹配效应

数字的精确性(精确 vs.大概)会影响人们的各种心理与推断, 本文在已有研究的基础上提出数字精确性与形状之间存在关联。具体而言, 精确数字会更有可能被感知为多角, 而大概数字更可能被感知为圆润。实验1和2分别通过内隐联想测试和消费情境确认这一效应的存在, 实验3进一步探讨了流畅性感知对上述匹配效应影响消费者产品评价的中介作用, 实验4则通过反转数字的性别象征意义, 提出了匹配效应的边界条件：当人们头脑中形成“精确=女性、大概=男性”的联系时, 会产生精确数字-圆润形状和大概数字-多角形状的匹配关系。这些结果说明了数字信息与形状信息之间存在认知关联, 它对理解个体如何加工数字信息、形状信息以及企业如何利用这些信息提供了一定的启发意义。     

Is this still called a dog? 18‐month‐olds' generalization of familiar labels to unusual objects

In two experiments the flexibility of 18‐month‐olds' extension of familiar object labels was investigated using the intermodal preferential looking paradigm. The first experiment tested whether infants consider intact and incomplete objects as equally acceptable referents for familiar labels. Infants looked equally long at the intact and incomplete objects whether or not a label was presented. In the second experiment, infants were requested to find the referent of a target word among an incomplete target and an intact distracter or an intact target and an incomplete distracter. The incomplete objects were missing a large or small part. Infants looked longer at the incomplete target, even when large or small parts were deleted. Taken together, these findings suggest that infants do not hold a strong shape bias when generalizing familiar words. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Children of Mothers with Eating Disorders

There is good evidence that children of parents with psychological disorders are themselves at increased risk of disturbances in their development. Although there has been considerable research on a variety of disorders such as depression and alcohol, research on the children of parents with eating disorders has been relatively recent. This paper aims to review the evidence and covers a number of areas, including genetic factors, pregnancy, the perinatal and postpartum period, infancy, and the early years of life, focusing on feeding and mealtimes, general parenting functions, and growth. This is followed by a consideration of psychopathology in the children, parental attitudes to children's weight and shape, and adolescence. What is clear is that although there are numerous case reports and case series, the number of systematic controlled studies is relatively small, and almost nothing has been written about the children of fathers with eating disorders. What is evident from the available evidence is that children of mothers with eating disorders are at increased risk of disturbance, but that the risk depends on a variety of factors, and that difficulties in the children are far from invariable. The paper concludes by summarizing five broad categories of putative mechanisms, based on the evidence to date, by which eating disturbance in parents can influence child development.     

The effects of type of instruction,animacy cues,and dimensionality of objects on the shape bias in 3‐ to 6‐year‐old children

Robust evidence exists for the shape bias, or children's tendency to extend novel names and categorize objects more readily on the basis of shape than on other object features. However, issues remain about the conditions that affect the shape bias and its importance as a linguistic device. In this research, we examined how type of instruction (common noun naming, proper noun naming, same kind, and goes with), animacy of objects (animate, inanimate), and dimensionality of objects (two‐dimensional, three‐dimensional) affect the shape bias in 3‐ to 6‐year‐old children. Overall, all children showed strong use of the shape bias with categorization (same kind, goes with) instructions, the former in line with the shape‐as‐cue theory. Additionally, the shape bias was quite robust in the inanimate condition, regardless of type of instruction or dimensionality of objects. However, in the animate condition, a proper noun naming instruction coupled with an animate object cue reduced the shape bias across both two‐ and three‐dimensional objects. Implications of these findings are presented.

Highlights

• This study assessed the “shape bias,” a linguistic strategy young children routinely use when confronted with the task of extending a novel name from one object to another.
• Novel name extension and categorization tasks were used in this study.
• Shape bias was affected by the type of instructions, animacy of objects, and dimensionality of objects.