Differences in Attentional Involvement Underlying the Perception of Distinctive and Typical Faces

Perception ◽  
10.1068/p5751 ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 1057-1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae-Jin Ryu ◽  
Avi Chaudhuri
Keyword(s):  
Visual Presentation ◽  
Stimulus Dimension ◽  
Change Detection Task ◽  
Identification Task ◽  
Processing Efficiency ◽  
Capacity Limits ◽  
Perceptual Salience ◽  
Attentional Tasks ◽  
Human Faces ◽  
Processing Differences

Differences in human faces can be evaluated along a continuum that ranges from ‘distinctive’ to ‘typical.’ We examined processing differences between distinctive and typical faces by two attentional tasks that induce attentional blink (AB). Given that AB is believed to reflect temporal or capacity limits of attention, stimuli that survive AB are believed to be associated with greater processing efficiency. In a change-detection task, participants were required to detect changes in the two pairs of faces that were presented in rapid succession. Changes involving the distinctive face of a pair were more likely to be detected than those involving a typical face. In a face-identification task, distinctive faces embedded in a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) stream were identified with a greater accuracy than typical faces. Together, our results suggest that distinctive faces are associated with greater processing efficiency and may be explained in terms of perceptual salience, a stimulus dimension known to attract attention.

Separating Perception Time from Response Time: The Slope Transition Paradigm

Perception ◽  
10.1068/p3304 ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ethel Matin ◽  
David C Nofer ◽  
Lisa Gische
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Psychological Refractory Period ◽  
Visual Presentation ◽  
Perceptual Processing ◽  
Capacity Limits ◽  
Set Size ◽  
Perception Time ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Set Size Effects

This paper describes the slope transition paradigm (STP), a variant of rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) that separates early (perceptual) processing time from total response time. The paradigm is based on a very simple idea: provide varying amounts of time for perceptual processing and find the moment when the subject begins to waste time waiting for more data. That moment is a measure of how much time was actually needed. The method was used in two experiments. Results are discussed in relation to set-size effects, perceptual capacity limits, attentional dwell times, and some related neurophysiological findings. The method appears to tap aspects of information processing that differ from those tapped in studies of the psychological refractory period, the attentional blink, and repetition blindness.

scholarly journals Light Video Game Play is Associated with Enhanced Visual Processing of Rapid Serial Visual Presentation Targets

Perception ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina J. Howard ◽  
Robert Wilding ◽  
Duncan Guest
Keyword(s):  
Attentional Blink ◽  
Rapid Serial Visual Presentation ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Visual Presentation ◽  
Correct Identification ◽  
Game Play ◽  
Video Game Play ◽  
Game Players ◽  
Attentional Tasks

There is mixed evidence that video game players (VGPs) may demonstrate better performance in perceptual and attentional tasks than non-VGPs (NVGPs). The rapid serial visual presentation task is one such case, where observers respond to two successive targets embedded within a stream of serially presented items. We tested light VGPs (LVGPs) and NVGPs on this task. LVGPs were better at correct identification of second targets whether they were also attempting to respond to the first target. This performance benefit seen for LVGPs suggests enhanced visual processing for briefly presented stimuli even with only very moderate game play. Observers were less accurate at discriminating the orientation of a second target within the stream if it occurred shortly after presentation of the first target, that is to say, they were subject to the attentional blink (AB). We find no evidence for any reduction in AB in LVGPs compared with NVGPs.

scholarly journals Holcombe Nguyen Goodbourn (in press). Implied reading direction and prioritization of letter encoding. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex O. Holcombe ◽  
Elizabeth Nguyen ◽  
Patrick T. Goodbourn
Keyword(s):  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Visual Presentation ◽  
Mixture Modeling ◽  
Single Letter ◽  
Clockwise Rotation ◽  
Capacity Limits ◽  
Reading Direction ◽  
Hemisphere Dominance ◽  
The Right ◽  
High Level

Capacity limits hinder processing of multiple stimuli, contributing to poorer performance for identifying two briefly presented letters than for identifying a single letter. Higher accuracy is typically found for identifying the letter on the left, which has been attributed to a right-hemisphere dominance for selective attention. Here we use rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) of letters in two locations at once. The letters to be identified are simultaneous and cued by rings. In a first experiment, we manipulated implied reading direction by rotating or mirror-reversing the letters to face to the left rather than to the right. The left-side performance advantage was eliminated. In a second experiment, letters were positioned above and below fixation, oriented such that they appeared to face downwards (90° clockwise rotation) or upwards (90° counter-clockwise rotation). Again consistent with an effect of implied reading direction, performance was better for the top position in the downwards condition, but not in the upwards condition. In both experiments, mixture modeling of participants’ report errors revealed that attentional sampling from the two locations was approximately simultaneous, ruling out the theory that the letter on one side was processed first, followed by a shift of attention to sample the other letter. Thus, the orientation of the letters apparently controls not when the letters are sampled from the scene, but rather the dynamics of a subsequent process, such as tokenization or memory consolidation. Implied reading direction appears to determine the letter prioritized at a high-level processing bottleneck.

Miniature Language System Acquisition by Children with Different Learning Proficiencies

1990 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 335-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Johnston ◽  
Mary Blatchley ◽  
Gloria Streit Olness
Keyword(s):  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Word Order ◽  
Final Particle ◽  
Capacity Limits ◽  
Language System ◽  
Perceptual Salience ◽  
Grammatical Analysis ◽  
System Acquisition

Sixteen children, aged 7:8 to 9:10, learned two miniature languages while playing a communication game. Both languages expressed Action (Agent, Patient) meanings and incorporated a Patient suffix. They differed in word order: VSO (Language I) versus SOV (Language II). Children found the SOV language easier; they also made more suffix errors and fewer word order errors in this language. The results suggest that the perceptual salience of an utterance-final particle may hinder grammatical analysis, at least if capacity limits and perseverative learning strategies intervene.

scholarly journals Neural processing of working memory in adults with ADHD in a visuospatial change detection task with distractors

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Gu ◽  
Zhong-Xu Liu ◽  
Rosemary Tannock ◽  
Steven Woltering
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Change Detection ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Detection Task ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Neural Processing ◽  
Change Detection Task ◽  
Processing Efficiency ◽  
The Face ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Individuals with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are often characterized by deficits in working memory (WM), which manifest in academic, professional, and mental health difficulties. To better understand the underlying mechanisms of these presumed WM deficits, we compared adults with ADHD to their peers on behavioral and neural indices of WM. We used a visuospatial change detection task with distractors which was designed to assess the brain’s ability to effectively filter out distractors from WM, in addition to testing for effects of WM load. Twenty-seven unmedicated adults with ADHD were compared to 27 matched peers on event-related potential (ERP) measures of WM, i.e., the contralateral delay activity (CDA). Despite severe impairments in everyday life functioning, findings showed no difference in deficits in behavioral tests of working memory for adults with ADHD compared to their peers. Interestingly, there were differences in neural activity between individuals with ADHD and their peers showing that the CDA of individuals with ADHD did not distinguish between high, distractor, and low memory load conditions. These data suggest, in the face of comparable behavioral performance, a difference in neural processing efficiency, wherein the brains of individuals with ADHD may not be as selective in the allocation of neural resources to perform a WM task.

Conceptual short-term memory (CSTM) supports core claims of Christiansen and Chater

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary C. Potter
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Rapid Serial Visual Presentation ◽  
Language Comprehension ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Visual Presentation ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Use Of Knowledge

AbstractRapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) of words or pictured scenes provides evidence for a large-capacity conceptual short-term memory (CSTM) that momentarily provides rich associated material from long-term memory, permitting rapid chunking (Potter 1993; 2009; 2012). In perception of scenes as well as language comprehension, we make use of knowledge that briefly exceeds the supposed limits of working memory.

Articulatory Generalization in Two Word-Medial, Ambisyllabic Contexts

1988 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia I. Wolfe ◽  
Suzanne D. Blocker ◽  
Norma J. Prater
Keyword(s):  
Common View ◽  
Perceptual Salience ◽  
The Common ◽  
Unitary Concept ◽  
Over Time

Articulatory generalization of velar cognates /k/, /g/ in two phonologically disordered children was studied over time as a function of sequential word-morpheme position training. Although patterns of contextual acquisition differed, correct responses to the word-medial, inflected context (e.g., "picking," "hugging") occurred earlier and exceeded those to the word-medial, noninflected context (e.g., "bacon," "wagon"). This finding indicates that the common view of the word-medial position as a unitary concept is an oversimplification. Possible explanations for superior generalization to the word-medial, inflected position are discussed in terms of coarticulation, perceptual salience, and the representational integrity of the word.

Instruction Using Augmentative and Alternative Communication Supports: Description of Current Practices by Speech-Language Pathologists Who Work With Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 586-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlyn A. Clarke ◽  
Diane L. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Diagnostic Category ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Processing Differences

Purpose The aim of this research study was to examine common practices of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who work with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with respect to whether or not SLPs consider processing differences in ASD or the effects of input during their instruction. Method Following a qualitative research method, how SLPs instruct and present augmentative and alternative communication systems to individuals with ASD, their rationale for method selection, and their perception of the efficacy of selected interventions were probed. Semistructured interviews were conducted as part of an in-depth case report with content analysis. Results Based on completed interviews, 4 primary themes were identified: (a) instructional method , (b) input provided , (c) decision-making process , and (d) perceived efficacy of treatment . Additionally, one secondary theme, training and education received , was identified . Conclusions Clinicians reported making decisions based on the needs of the child; however, they also reported making decisions based on the diagnostic category that characterized the child (i.e., ASD). The use of modeling when teaching augmentative and alternative communication to individuals with ASD emerged as a theme, but variations in the method of modeling were noted. SLPs did not report regularly considering processing differences in ASD, nor did they consider the effects of input during instruction.

Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Naturalness in Speakers of Varying Gender Identities

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (7) ◽  
pp. 2054-2069
Author(s):  
Brandon Merritt ◽  
Tessa Bent
Keyword(s):  
Spontaneous Speech ◽  
Identification Accuracy ◽  
Rating Task ◽  
Gender Identification ◽  
Identification Task ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Perceptual Evaluation ◽  
Speech Training ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Speech Naturalness

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate how speech naturalness relates to masculinity–femininity and gender identification (accuracy and reaction time) for cisgender male and female speakers as well as transmasculine and transfeminine speakers. Method Stimuli included spontaneous speech samples from 20 speakers who are transgender (10 transmasculine and 10 transfeminine) and 20 speakers who are cisgender (10 male and 10 female). Fifty-two listeners completed three tasks: a two-alternative forced-choice gender identification task, a speech naturalness rating task, and a masculinity/femininity rating task. Results Transfeminine and transmasculine speakers were rated as significantly less natural sounding than cisgender speakers. Speakers rated as less natural took longer to identify and were identified less accurately in the gender identification task; furthermore, they were rated as less prototypically masculine/feminine. Conclusions Perceptual speech naturalness for both transfeminine and transmasculine speakers is strongly associated with gender cues in spontaneous speech. Training to align a speaker's voice with their gender identity may concurrently improve perceptual speech naturalness. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12543158

Vivid Imagers Are Better at Detecting Salient Changes

2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 218-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Rodway ◽  
Karen Gillies ◽  
Astrid Schepman
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Change Detection ◽  
Visual Imagery ◽  
Detection Task ◽  
Level Of Detail ◽  
Detection Accuracy ◽  
Change Detection Task ◽  
Term Change ◽  
High Level

This study examined whether individual differences in the vividness of visual imagery influenced performance on a novel long-term change detection task. Participants were presented with a sequence of pictures, with each picture and its title displayed for 17  s, and then presented with changed or unchanged versions of those pictures and asked to detect whether the picture had been changed. Cuing the retrieval of the picture's image, by presenting the picture's title before the arrival of the changed picture, facilitated change detection accuracy. This suggests that the retrieval of the picture's representation immunizes it against overwriting by the arrival of the changed picture. The high and low vividness participants did not differ in overall levels of change detection accuracy. However, in replication of Gur and Hilgard (1975) , high vividness participants were significantly more accurate at detecting salient changes to pictures compared to low vividness participants. The results suggest that vivid images are not characterised by a high level of detail and that vivid imagery enhances memory for the salient aspects of a scene but not all of the details of a scene. Possible causes of this difference, and how they may lead to an understanding of individual differences in change detection, are considered.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document