Subliminal processes,dissociation and the 'I'

The study of unconscious processes leads to the hypothesis of the limit of consciousness, which involves two main kinds of psychic activity. The first represents psychic contents which are subliminal for their low energy, the second subliminal contents which are inaccessible to consciousness because they are dissociated in the subliminal region. Dissociation is a concept introduced by Pierre Janet for splitting consciousness due to traumatic events or during hypnosis. It takes a more general form in Hilgard's neo-dissociation theory of hypnotic phenomena and also in Jung's theory of the collective unconscious. Further generalization links it to the modern findings of explicit and implicit perception, leading to a shift in dissociation from hypothesis to clinical, experimental and theoretical reality. Studies in hypnosis also point to the existence of an integrative psychic entity, that comprises the conscious 'I'. Hilgard called this the hidden observer, and his findings represent empirical confirmation of Jung's term for the Self as mirror 'I', which leads to many important consequences for self-discovery and the meaning of life.     

A Note on (K)Nots: Response to Robert W. Kentridge''s Commentary

GY, an extensively studied human hemianope, is aware of salient visual events in his cortically blind field but does not call this "vision." To learn whether he has low-level conscious visual sensations or whether instead he has gained conscious knowledge about, or access to, visual information that does not produce a conscious phenomenal sensation, we attempted to image process a stimulus s presented to the impaired field so that when the transformed stimulus T(s) was presented to the normal hemifield it would cause a sensation similar to that caused by s in the impaired field. While degradation of contrast, spatio-temporal filtering, contrast reversal, and addition of smear and random blobs all failed to match the response to a flashed bar s(f), moving textures of low contrast were accepted to match the response to a moving contrast-defined bar, s(m). Orientation and motion direction discrimination of the perceptually matched stimuli [s(m) and T(s(m))] was closely similar. We suggest that the existence of a satisfactory match indicates that GY has phenomenal vision.     

Qualitative analyses of critical aspects of adaptation to the visually left-right reversed world

In this article, mechanisms of perceptual adaptation to the transposed world are analyzed based on introspective and behavioral performance data gathered during an extended period of wearing left-right reversing goggles. Three aspects central to this study were the mental map of the living space surrounding the subject, body image (both seen and felt), and the sensorimotor coordination system, which reflects the relationship between the subject and surroundings. These were investigated through map-drawing tests, self-representation tests when postures other than face forward were adopted, and after effects observed immediately after removal of the reversing goggles. It was concluded that the main course of the perceptual adaptation to the visually left-right reversed world consists of double reversals of the mental map and body image as well as the establishment of a new sensorimotor coordination system. In sharp contrast to the proprioceptive-change hypothesis, the importance of the visual nature of the body image was emphasized.     

A review of the animate-inanimate distinction in infancy: Implications for models of social and cognitive knowing

The ability to distinguish people from things sheds light on an important theoretical question: how is the development of social cognition related to the development of physical cognition? According to Piaget (1954), cognition is unitary and the processes used in dealing with the physical world are the same as those employed in the social world. This statement should be questioned. Although people and objects share certain fundamental properties (size, shape, etc.), only people can communicate, act independently and have feelings and intentions. Thus, people seem much more complex to deal with than things. If all cognitive development derives from the growth of a unitary system, then knowledge about animate objects should lag behind that of inanimate objects. The present paper explores this idea by examining what infants know about the attributes that distinguish people from things. It is concluded that the onset of this distinction begins early in life. Even 2-month-old infants treat people and objects differently when confounding variables of the stimuli are controlled. Rather than lagging behind, the infants' understanding of people appears precocious. The infants' recognition of the crucial distinction between the two classes suggests that a conceptual system is beginning to be formed soon after birth. This conceptual system appears different for social and non-social objects and serves as a foundation from which infants might come to understand the distinctive properties of animate and inanimate objects.     

The hidden persuaders break into the tired brain

There is a long-lasting debate on whether subliminal advertising actually works. In this context there are some studies suggesting that subjects’ motivation is a crucial point. Karremans et al. [Karremans, J. C., Stroebe, W., & Claus, J. (2006). Beyond Vicary’s fantasies: The impact of subliminal priming and brand choice. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 42, 792-798] showed that subjects were influenced in their intention to drink a specific brand of soft drink by a subliminally presented brand prime, but only if they were thirsty. In the present study, we adapted their paradigm to the concept of ‘concentration’ and embedded the subliminal presentation of a brand logo into a computer game. Actual subsequent consumption of dextrose pills (of the presented or a not presented brand) was measured dependent on the level of participants’ tiredness and the subliminally presented logo. We found the same pattern as Karremans et al. (2006): only tired participants consumed more of the subliminally presented than the not presented brand. Therefore, the findings confirm that subjects are influenced by subliminally presented stimuli if these stimuli are need-related and if subjects are in the matching motivational state.     

颜色知觉突显对预览效益的影响

本研究通过预览搜索范式考察靶子在颜色高突显情况下的预览效益,探讨其优先选择机制。结果发现在靶子颜色高突显的情况下,预览效益没有出现,说明预览效益的出现有其一定的条件和限制,并为基于刺激特征的抑制的解释提供了支持证据。本文还探讨了预览效益消退的可能原因。     

Introspección e informes verbales en procesamiento humano de información

RESUMEN

El objetivo de este trabajo es realizar una revisión y reflexión en la investigación y teorías que se basan en informes verbales. Reflexionar sobre el valor introspectivo de los informes verbales con respecto a las funciones del procesamiento. Todo esto desde la actual psicología cognitiva. Para ello se revisan todas aquellas investigaciones que se plantean el papel de la conciencia en el proceso y como producto del pensamiento humano, a través de una comunicación externa.     

简单结构刺激非规则特征突显条件下的样例效应

用变化了的Allen和Brooks的实验范式,采用2(学习轮次:5轮、10轮)×2(项目类型:旧项目、新项目)×2(项目匹配性质:正向匹配、反向匹配)混合实验设计,研究对4个特征刺激分类时非规则特征突显条件下的样例效应。结果发现,无论是错误率还是反应时都取得了明显的样例效应,但是学习时间的影响不明显。     

不同难度阅读材料对阅读知觉广度影响的眼动研究

采用经典的呈现随眼动变化技术,以Eyelink II眼动仪为工具,考察材料难度和窗口大小对中文句子阅读的影响.实验设计为2(材料难度:难,易)× 5(窗口大小:1个字,3个字,5个字,7个字和整行)被试内实验设计,被试为15名在校大学生.研究结果表明:(1)阅读容易材料时的知觉广度为5个字.(2)阅读困难材料时知觉广度为3-5个字.     

面孔识别异族效应的研究

异族效应是面孔识别过程中一种非常稳定的现象,表现为对本族面孔的识别与再认成绩显著高于异族面孔.脑成像研究也证实了这两类面孔在神经表征上的差异.关于该效应主要有知觉经验说与社会分类说两种理论解释,但围绕着其心理机制仍然存在着很多争议然,未来的研究需要考虑族群认同等社会-人格因素对于异族效应的影响,并注意考察本族面孔与异族面孔有提取阶段可能存在的神经活动的差异.