Infants' categorization of novel objects with more or less obvious features

In five experiments, 14- to 15-month-old infants' categorization of objects on the basis of more or less obvious features was investigated. Using an object examining paradigm, a total of 200 infants were familiarized with novel objects that shared either more obvious features (i.e., easily visible) or less obvious features (i.e., accessible by lifting a flap), followed by an in-category object and an out-of-category object. When only perceptual information was available, infants formed a category on the basis of the more obvious features but not on the basis of the less obvious features (Experiments 1 and 3). When infants were provided with animacy cues and/or object names, they formed categories on the basis of either more or less obvious features (Experiments 2, 4, and 5). The results of these studies delineate the role of animacy cues and object names in establishing categories on the basis of less obvious features.     

Word meaning and the control of eye fixation: semantic competitor effects and the visual world paradigm

When participants are presented simultaneously with spoken language and a visual display depicting objects to which that language refers, participants spontaneously fixate the visual referents of the words being heard [Cooper, R. M. (1974). The control of eye fixation by the meaning of spoken language: A new methodology for the real-time investigation of speech perception, memory, and language processing. Cognitive Psychology, 6(1), 84-107; Tanenhaus, M. K., Spivey-Knowlton, M. J., Eberhard, K. M., & Sedivy, J. C. (1995). Integration of visual and linguistic information in spoken language comprehension. Science, 268(5217), 1632-1634]. We demonstrate here that such spontaneous fixation can be driven by partial semantic overlap between a word and a visual object. Participants heard the word ‘piano’ when (a) a piano was depicted amongst unrelated distractors; (b) a trumpet was depicted amongst those same distractors; and (c), both the piano and trumpet were depicted. The probability of fixating the piano and the trumpet in the first two conditions rose as the word ‘piano’ unfolded. In the final condition, only fixations to the piano rose, although the trumpet was fixated more than the distractors. We conclude that eye movements are driven by the degree of match, along various dimensions that go beyond simple visual form, between a word and the mental representations of objects in the concurrent visual field.     

Lateralised processing of the internal and the external facial features of personally familiar and unfamiliar faces: a visual half-field study

In this visual half field (VHF) experiment, we investigated possible differences between the left and the right hemisphere in the processing of the internal and external features of familiar and unfamiliar faces. Previous studies using famous and unknown faces had indicated that both hemispheres use the same qualitative mode of processing with the internal features being more important for the perception of familiar faces. In this experiment, personally familiar faces rather than famous faces are used. There are several, mainly methodological, reasons why personally familiar faces are more appropriate stimuli to investigate face processing. The results of the present study showed that no overall visual field effect occurred, but more importantly, that face processing in the left hemisphere differed qualitatively from that in the right hemisphere. The theoretical repercussions of these findings are discussed.     

儿童电视动画片播放效果的研究

本研究运用心理学的研究方法、测量手段和建构因果模型的统计方法 ,评价了儿童电视动画片的传播效果。研究包括三个步骤 :1确定效标和影响动画片传播效果的特征 ;2提出假设的因果关系模型 ;3对模型进行估计、检验和修正。本研究的主要结果是 :动画片的内容和观众的家庭教育状况对观众看动画片的收获有着显著的正效应 ,观众的收视状况对收获有较大的负效应 ;动画片的内容、形式对于观众对动画片的态度有着积极的直接效应 ;态度和收获之间的因果关系是单向的 ,即态度影响收获 ;建立的因果模型能较好地预测和评价儿童电视动画片的传播效果     

Identifying the Distress Cues that Influence Support Provision: A Paired Comparison Approach

ABSTRACT

Just as chemistry has methods for determining the composition of unknown substances, psychology needs, but has lacked, effective methods for identifying the “active ingredients” of social stimuli. We describe such a method and apply it to identify the verbal and nonverbal distress cues that serve as signals prompting others to provide social support. This method allowed us to identify 55 such cues. Furthermore, the cues that were salient in the minds of potential support providers depended on their goals. For example, when deciding whether someone needed support, negative nonverbal cues (e.g., distressed persons' fidgeting) were more salient, but when deciding whether one was willing to provide support, cues that suggested a positive outcome for the support seeker (e.g., distressed persons' positive attitude and open-mindedness) were more salient.     

Cues and categories: Revisiting paths to racial phenotypicality bias

We conducted a targeted review of the literature exploring racial phenotypicality bias (RPB): perceivers' sensitivity to within-race variation in facial target features in perceptions and judgment of others. This review revealed evidence that two distinct mechanisms underlying these effects, categorical and featural, tend to be conflated in the literature. The categorical route suggests that the pathway from target cues to stereotype application is mediated by category activation. The featural route suggests that the pathway from target cues to stereotype application is direct, bypassing category activation. The categorical route is more closely represented when researchers discuss RPB, and more often of empirical focus. With a focus on research exploring RPB toward African American people, we explain the two routes and evidence supporting their distinction. We next offer evidence estimating the degree to which they may be conflated in the empirical literature and discuss limitations to our approach. Next, we describe some potential implications of this conflation for theory, research, and applications concerning RPB. Finally, we end with some recommendations for future empirical research.     

Learning what from where: Effects of spatial regularity on nonspatial sequence learning and updating

The current study examined the influence of redundant stimulus features on our ability to build and update representations of our environment. We hypothesized that our ability to process redundant spatial features would speed our ability to adapt to changing nonspatial regularities. Using a computerized version of the children's game “rock–paper–scissors”, undergraduates were instructed to win as often as possible against a computer opponent. The computer's plays were repeating sequences of five choices that were presented either with spatial regularity (i.e., “rock” would always appear on the left, “paper” in the middle, and “scissors” on the right) or without spatial regularity (i.e., the items were equally likely to appear in any of the three locations). Once participants learned a sequence, the computer switched to a different sequence without participants being informed that a switch had occurred. Redundant spatial regularity improved a participant's ability both to learn sequences of plays and to update their plays to reflect new computer sequences. Our results suggest that our perceptual system is sensitive to redundant spatial stimulus features and that this information can improve learning and updating.     

The importance of internal facial features in learning new faces

For familiar faces, the internal features (eyes, nose, and mouth) are known to be differentially salient for recognition compared to external features such as hairstyle. Two experiments are reported that investigate how this internal feature advantage accrues as a face becomes familiar. In Experiment 1, we tested the contribution of internal and external features to the ability to generalize from a single studied photograph to different views of the same face. A recognition advantage for the internal features over the external features was found after a change of viewpoint, whereas there was no internal feature advantage when the same image was used at study and test. In Experiment 2, we removed the most salient external feature (hairstyle) from studied photographs and looked at how this affected generalization to a novel viewpoint. Removing the hair from images of the face assisted generalization to novel viewpoints, and this was especially the case when photographs showing more than one viewpoint were studied. The results suggest that the internal features play an important role in the generalization between different images of an individual's face by enabling the viewer to detect the common identity-diagnostic elements across non-identical instances of the face.     

医学书面语体的特征研究

以病历、医嘱、处方、检验报告、诊断学等教科书中书面语言为基础,对医学书面语体的内部结构和外部要素进行分析,认为医学书面语体作为一个相对新型的语体,在语词、句法、辞格和篇章等方面有显著的特征。还深入研究了这些特征与相关联的语言外部要素间联系。     

An optimized facial stimuli paradigm for hybrid SSVEP+P300 brain computer interface

In this paper, hybrid BCI that merges Event Related Potentials (P300) and Steady State visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEP) simultaneously is proposed to enhance the performance of Four-choice command system. Here we integrate human facial structure in external visual stimulus to evoke stronger cortical responses in hybrid SSVEP+P300 BCI & compare it with non-face stimuli. We also addressed question of feasibility of eliciting one potential by face & other by non-face stimuli. To evoke SSVEP & P300 responses, paradigms with non-face stimuli, neutral face stimuli, and facial expression changes stimuli are proposed. We also projected additional paradigm where SSVEP is elicited by non-face and P300 by flashing different facial expressions. Results proved the last paradigm evoke stronger cortical potentials and thereby improve system accuracy and ITR than other paradigms. Author discussed external stimulus parameters that might affect simultaneous evocation of multiple brain potentials and their deterioration effect on individual potentials.