Magnitude estimation of visual displays: numerosity, area, and mean size

Several patients with Fabry's, Gaucher's diseases and hyperlipoproteinemia type II and with arthropatic manifestations were observed.As no histological explanation for these symptoms was available,an ultrastructural study of synovial tissue was done to establish an anatomoclinical relation.Material and Methods :synovial membrane samples were obtained by needle biopsies of the knee from three patients with arthropatic manifestations of each disease.They were fixed in 5% glutaraldehyde, postfixed in 1% osmium tetraoxyde and embedded in Epon 812. Thin sections coloured by uranyl acetate and lead citrate were observed with an Elmiskop I Siemens electron microscope.Two important phenomena were observed in synovial tissue:Specific patterns of each lipid storage disease,which are now well known.In all the three metabolic diseases, hydroxyapatite-like crystals were found. They are characterized by their intramitochondrial localization, without any relation with cristae,an anarchic disposition and a mean size of 550 A.Crystals may be found also free in the cytoplasm of synoviocytes Some micrographs suggest an evolution in four steps :a. mitochondria with only a few microcrystalsb. mitochondria stuffed with these structuresc. disruption of mitochondria membranesd. microcrystals appear free in the cytoplasm

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The Use of Real-Time Visual Displays of Speech in the Training of a Profoundly Deaf, Nonspeaking Child: A Case Report

Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders ◽

10.1044/jshd.3603.397 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 397-409 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Rachel E. Stark

Keyword(s):

Case Report ◽

Real Time ◽

Speech Production ◽

Behavior Problem ◽

Deaf Children ◽

Developmental Sequence ◽

Visual Displays ◽

Individual Instruction ◽

Academic Record ◽

Extract Information

Real-time amplitude contour and spectral displays were used in teaching speech production skills to a profoundly deaf, nonspeaking boy. This child had a visual attention problem, a behavior problem, and a poor academic record. In individual instruction, he was first taught to produce features of speech, for example, friction, nasal, and stop, which are present in vocalizations of 6- to 9-month-old infants, and then to combine these features in syllables and words. He made progress in speech, although sign language and finger spelling were taught at the same time. Speech production skills were retained after instruction was terminated. The results suggest that deaf children are able to extract information about the features of speech from visual displays, and that a developmental sequence should be followed as far as possible in teaching speech production skills to them.

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Magnitude Estimation and Cross-Modal Matching of Lingual Vibrotactile and Auditory Sensation

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/jshr.3203.698 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 698-702 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Daniel Harris ◽

Donald Fucci ◽

Linda Petrosino

Keyword(s):

Auditory Stimulus ◽

Magnitude Estimation ◽

Sensory Processing ◽

Test Site ◽

Systematic Investigation ◽

Thenar Eminence ◽

Stimulus Range ◽

Psychophysical Scaling ◽

Scaling Methods ◽

Response Biases

The present experiment was a preliminary attempt to use the psychophysical scaling methods of magnitude estimation and cross-modal matching to investigate suprathreshold judgments of lingual vibrotactile and auditory sensation magnitudes for 20 normal young adult subjects. A 250-Hz lingual vibrotactile stimulus and a 1000-Hz binaural auditory stimulus were employed. To obtain judgments for nonoral vibrotactile sensory magnitudes, the thenar eminence of the hand was also employed as a test site for 5 additional subjects. Eight stimulus intensities were presented during all experimental tasks. The results showed that the slopes of the log-log vibrotactile magnitude estimation functions decreased at higher stimulus intensity levels for both test sites. Auditory magnitude estimation functions were relatively constant throughout the stimulus range. Cross-modal matching functions for the two stimuli generally agreed with functions predicted from the magnitude estimation data, except when subjects adjusted vibration on the tongue to match auditory stimulus intensities. The results suggested that the methods of magnitude estimation and cross-modal matching may be useful for studying sensory processing in the speech production system. However, systematic investigation of response biases associated with vibrotactile-auditory psychophysical scaling tasks appears to be a prerequisite.

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Temporal-Gap Detection by Cochlear Prosthesis Users

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/jshr.3204.849 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 32 (4) ◽

pp. 849-856 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

John P. Preece ◽

Richard S. Tyler

Keyword(s):

Magnitude Estimation ◽

Stimulus Level ◽

Electrode Placement ◽

Frequency Effect ◽

Gap Detection ◽

Cochlear Prosthesis ◽

Sensation Level

Minimum-detectable gaps for sinusoidal stimuli were measured for three users of a multi electrode cochlear prosthesis as functions of stimulus level, frequency, and electrode place within the cochlea. Stimulus level was scaled by sensation level and by growth-of-loudness functions generated for each condition by direct magnitude estimation. Minimum-detectable gaps decreased with increase in either sensation level or loudness, up to a plateau. When compared at equal sensation levels, the minimum-detectable gaps decreased with frequency increases. The frequency effect on minimum-detectable gaps is reduced if the data are considered at equal loudness. Comparison across place of stimulation within the cochlea showed minimum-detectable gaps to be shorter for more basal electrode placement at low stimulus levels. No differences in minimum-detectable gap as a function of place were found at higher stimulus levels.

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Pleasure as a Sign of Efficacy of Mental Activity

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040.2.3.226 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 226-234 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Michel Cabanac ◽

Chantal Pouliot ◽

James Everett

Keyword(s):

Evolutionary Psychology ◽

Magnitude Estimation ◽

Mental Activity ◽

Point Of View ◽

Macintosh Computer ◽

Science Students ◽

Cognitive Efficiency ◽

Sensory Pleasure ◽

The Difference ◽

Mental Tasks

Previous work has shown that sensory pleasure is both the motor and the sign of optimal behaviors aimed at physiological ends. From an evolutionary psychology point of view it may be postulated that mental pleasure evolved from sensory pleasure. Accordingly, the present work tested empirically the hypothesis that pleasure signals efficacious mental activity. In Experiment 1, ten subjects played video-golf on a Macintosh computer. After each hole they were invited to rate their pleasure or displeasure on a magnitude estimation scale. Their ratings of pleasure correlated negatively with the difference par minus performance, i.e., the better the performance the greater the pleasure reported. In Experiments 2 and 3, the pleasure of reading poems was correlated with comprehension, both rated by two groups of subjects, science students and arts students. In the majority of science students pleasure was significantly correlated with comprehension. Only one arts student showed this relationship; this result suggests that the proposed relationship between pleasure and cognitive efficiency is not tautological. Globally, the results support the hypothesis that pleasure is aroused by the same mechanisms, and follows the same laws, in physiological and cognitive mental tasks and also leads to the optimization of performance.

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