Illusory continuity without sufficient sound energy to fill a temporal gap: Examples of crossing glide tones

The gap transfer illusion is an auditory illusion where a temporal gap inserted in a longer glide tone is perceived as if it were in a crossing shorter glide tone. Psychophysical and phenomenological experiments were conducted to examine the effects of sound-pressure-level (SPL) differences between crossing glides on the occurrence of the gap transfer illusion. We found that the subjective continuity-discontinuity of the crossing glides changed as a function of the relative level of the shorter glide to the level of the longer glide. When the relative level was approximately between -9 and +2 dB, listeners perceived the longer glide as continuous and the shorter glide as discontinuous, that is, the gap transfer illusion took place. The glides were perceived veridically below this range, that is, gap transfer did not take place, whereas above this range the longer glide and the shorter glide were both perceived as continuous. The fact that the longer glide could be perceived as continuous even when the crossing shorter glide was 9 dB weaker indicates that the longer glide's subjective continuity cannot be explained within the conventional framework of auditory organization, which assumes reallocation of sound energy from the shorter to the longer glide. The implicated mechanisms are discussed in terms of the temporal configuration of onsets and terminations and the time-frequency distribution of sound energy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

Response acquisition by zebrafish (Danio rerio) with delayed reinforcement

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a common vertebrate animal model in biomedical research and is a promising species for studying how genes interact with environmental factors in determining behavior. The present study investigated how reinforcement parameters affect zebrafish behavior by assessing response acquisition with delayed reinforcement, which has been studied with other species (e.g., rats, pigeons, humans, etc.) but not with zebrafish. Twenty‐four experimentally naïve subjects were exposed to a tandem fixed‐ratio 1 differential‐reinforcement‐of‐other‐behavior x‐s schedule of reinforcement, where x varied across subjects. There were six different delay‐to‐reinforcement durations and sets of four fish were assigned to each delay duration. All of the fish assigned to a 0‐, 0.5‐, or 1‐s delay acquired responding. Two fish acquired responding with a 3‐s delay and one fish appeared to have acquired it with a 6‐s delay although the latter result was less clear. None acquired responding with a 12‐s delay. These results suggest that zebrafish behavior is sensitive to delays to reinforcement and the time frame over which reinforcement is effective may be limited approximately to 6 s. This time frame is shorter than that found with other species. Practical and theoretical implications of the present finding are discussed.     

No time-stretching illusion when a tone is followed by a noise

A sine tone is perceived as longer when it is preceded by a more intense noise than when presented in isolation. This is the time-stretching illusion. We conducted an experiment where the method of constant stimuli was used to examine whether a tone would also be stretched when it was followed by a noise. The duration of a tone was overestimated when it was preceded by a noise, but not when followed by a noise or when located between two consecutive noises. Moreover, the increasing of the noise intensity (from ?6 to +6 dB) relative to the tone intensity resulted in larger overestimations, but only in the condition where a tone was preceded by a noise. In brief, the duration of a tone is stretched when this tone is preceded by a noise and if this tone is not followed by a noise.     

Investigating the Relative Contributions of Computerised Working Memory Training and English Language Teaching to Cognitive and Foreign Language Development

The current study reports on an intervention study that investigated the relative contributions of 5‐week English language training (ELT) and 5‐week working memory training (WMT) to improvements in English language knowledge and working memory capacity in university learners of English as a foreign language. The participants were allocated to one of the following three experimental groups and a control group: (i) ELT only; (ii) WMT only; and (iii) both WMT and ELT. The results showed that intervention effects were pronounced in the WMT + ELT group, who improved scores on the reading span test and all tests of verbal and visuo‐spatial short‐term and working memory. The gains on verbal short‐term (Japanese) and working memory (Japanese and English) were maintained 3 months later. None of the interventions, single or combined, were associated with gains in foreign language knowledge, however. The sustained effects of the dual approach and its implications are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Resurgence is greater following a return to the training context than remaining in the extinction context

The present study examined whether resurgence of a previously reinforced target response upon removing alternative reinforcement would be greater when (1) returning to the original training context (ABA context changes) versus (2) remaining in the analogue treatment context in which the alternative response was differentially reinforced (ABB context changes). Experiment 1 arranged reinforcement of button pressing with points exchangeable for money in university students. Experiment 2 arranged reinforcement of lever pressing with food for rats. Experiment 3 arranged reinforcement of responses to a touchscreen with small bites of food with children diagnosed with ASD. Overall, resurgence of target responding tended to be greater when returning to the original training context (A) than when remaining in the analogue treatment context (B). These findings suggest context changes with differential reinforcement treatments could exacerbate the recurrence of problem behavior resulting from reductions in treatment integrity through failure to reinforce appropriate behavior.     

Avoidance behavior associated with depressive symptoms in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators

Objective: Many patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators experience depressive symptoms. In addition, avoidance behavior is a common problem among patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators. We examined the association between avoidance behaviors and depressive symptoms in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators. Method: We conducted a single-center, cross-sectional study with self-completed questionnaires between May 2010 and March 2011. We measured avoidance behaviors (avoidance of places, avoidance of objects, and avoidance of situations) and depressive symptoms (using the Beck Depression Inventory, Version II) in 119 participants. An avoidance behaviors instrument was developed for this study and we confirmed its internal consistency reliability. Results: Ninety-two (77.3%) patients were aged older than 50 years, and 86 (72.3%) were men. Fifty-one (42.9%) patients reported “avoidance of places”, 34 (28.6%) reported “avoidance of objects”, and 63 (52.9%) reported “avoidance of activity”. Avoidance behavior was associated with increased odds for the presence of depressive symptoms (OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.06–1.62). Conclusions: This was the first study to identify the relationship between avoidance behavior and depressive symptoms among patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators; however, there are a few methodological limitations.     

Distance constancy: Functional relationships between apparent distance and physical distance

Summary Distance constancy was clearly defined with Thouless and Brunswik indexes by examining its previous definitions. The typical functions expressing the relationships between apparent distance and physical distance were derived from; 1. much available data obtained by many researchers, 2. Thouless and Brunswik indexes (formulas), 3. Luneburg's theory. These derived functions were classified into type I, II and III according to their psychological significance. The validity of the classification was verified by experiments showing that the functions of type III were available in poorly articulated spaces with a long viewing distance, that is, on a housetop and a road, with the method of equal appearing intervals. Moreover, the relationships between distance constancy and personal constants in Luneburg's theory were clarified.

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Zusammenfassung In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird die Entfernungskonstanz nach Überprüfung ihrer früheren Definitionen mit Thouless' und Brunswiks Indexen genau definiert. Die typischen Funktionen, die die Beziehungen zwischen scheinbarer Entfernung und physikalischer Entfernung zeigen, werden abgeleitet aus 1. den verfügbaren Forschungsergebnissen zahlreicher Gelehrter, 2. Thouless' und Brunswiks Indexen (Formeln), 3. Luneburgs Theorie. Diese abgeleiteten Funktionen werden ihrer psychologischen Bedeutung entsprechend in Typus I, II und III eingeteilt. Die Gültigkeit dieser Klassifikation wurde durch Experimente verifiziert, die mit der Anwendung der Methode von gleich erscheinenden Abständen zeigen, daß die Funktionen vom Typus III in ungenügend artikulierten Räumen mit einer langen Beobachtungsentfernung, d.h. auf einem Dach und einem Weg, gültig sind. Außerdem werden die Beziehungen zwischen Entfernungskonstanz und Personalkonstante in Luneburgs Theorie festgestellt.

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I wish to express my thanks to Professor Yoshiharu Akishige for his guidance in this field of work, and Dr. Katsumi Ishii, the retired professor of Kyushu University, for his invaluable suggestions, especially for constant guidance in the problems of Luneburg's theory. Thanks are also due to Assistant Professor Masao Hashiguchi of Kagoshima University for his valuable advice and generous help concerning the mathematical problems. I am also indebted to the students of our department for their help in carrying out the experiments.     

EMG activities of facial and chewing muscles of human adults in response to taste stimuli

To evaluate facial expression patterns induced by different taste stimuli, electromyograms (EMG) of the facial and chewing muscles of 12 healthy university students, aged 20 to 23 years, were analyzed. Sucrose (sweet), NaCl (salty), citric acid (sour), quinine-HCl (bitter), monosodium glutamate (MSG; umami), homogentisic acid (harsh), tannic acid (astringent), and capsaicine (pungent) were the taste stimuli used. Rating scale tests were made to assess the hedonics (pleasantness) of the taste stimuli. EMG responses of the corrugator supercilii, venter frontalis, orbicularis oculi, depressor anguli, and digastricus muscles to capsaicine, tannic, acid, and citric acid showed larger amplitudes than to NaCl, MSG, homogentisic acid, and sucrose. Increases in EMG responses for most facial and chewing muscles for the taste solutions had significant negative correlations to the solutions' hedonic scale values. Most facial and chewing muscles of adult humans therefore showed greater responses to disliked than to preferred or less preferred tastes.