Vividness, Clarity, and Control in Auditory Imagery

2021 ◽  
pp. 027623662110134
Author(s):  
Timothy L. Hubbard ◽  
Susan E. Ruppel

Previous studies of auditory imagery have often confounded vividness and clarity, and the differences between these constructs are not clear. Additionally, it has been suggested that clarity is a more useful construct than is vividness in understanding auditory imagery. The Clarity of Auditory Imagery Scale and the Bucknell Auditory Imagery Scale were administered to participants, and ratings of the clarity, vividness, and control over auditory imagery were collected. All three measures were highly positively correlated. The magnitudes of these correlations were not influenced by participants’ sex, age, ethnic group, handedness, years of participation in a band or choir, or years of formal instruction in music, and possible reasons for the lack of individual differences are discussed. Three analogies for understanding differences between vividness in auditory imagery and clarity in auditory imagery, and suggestions for potential operational definitions of auditory vividness and auditory clarity in future studies, are provided.

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (8) ◽  
pp. 1781-1796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian D Colley ◽  
Peter E Keller ◽  
Andrea R Halpern

Sensorimotor synchronisation (SMS) is prevalent and readily studied in musical settings, as most people are able to perceive and synchronise with a beat (e.g., by finger tapping). We took an individual differences approach to understanding SMS to real music characterised by expressive timing (i.e., fluctuating beat regularity). Given the dynamic nature of SMS, we hypothesised that individual differences in working memory and auditory imagery—both fluid cognitive processes—would predict SMS at two levels: (1) mean absolute asynchrony (a measure of synchronisation error) and (2) anticipatory timing (i.e., predicting, rather than reacting to beat intervals). In Experiment 1, participants completed two working memory tasks, four auditory imagery tasks, and an SMS-tapping task. Hierarchical regression models were used to predict SMS performance, with results showing dissociations among imagery types in relation to mean absolute asynchrony, and evidence of a role for working memory in anticipatory timing. In Experiment 2, a new sample of participants completed an expressive timing perception task to examine the role of imagery in perception without action. Results suggest that imagery vividness is important for perceiving and control is important for synchronising with irregular but ecologically valid musical time series. Working memory is implicated in synchronising by anticipating events in the series.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-75
Author(s):  
Birendra Nath Singh

Managing people and productivity are prime concerns of modern business organizations. Many empirical studies were conducted during the era of scientific management (Taylor, 1911) to investigate What and How? McGregor’s (1960) epic theory — Theory X and Theory Y, categorizing all employees into two groups and prescribing methods to motivate and control them was the best. However, his findings also suffered strong criticisms, creating research gaps. The objective of this study was to investigate further and to conclude that there are three major groups named Theory A, Theory B, and Theory C. Amongst them, a middle group — Theory B is most dominant, having all capabilities to significantly influence productivity and prosperity of organizations. The methodology used was qualitative, based upon intensive and critical shop-floor observations. Since this study was not empirical, it had many limitations requiring further researches. Therefore, rightly recommended that future studies should correlate the impact of technological advancements upon motivations and productivity of the modern business organization (Veitch, 2018).


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 1136-1149
Author(s):  
Abraham P. Buunk ◽  
Pieternel Dijkstra ◽  
Glenn Leckie ◽  
Dascha Dipokarto

The present study examined differences in three types of jealousy (reactive, anxious, and preventive jealousy) between the major ethnic groups in Surinam (Maroons, Creoles, Hindustani, Javanese, and Mixed). About 100 participants from each ethnic group (total n = 500) were interviewed. Results showed differences between the groups in anxious and preventive jealousy, but not in reactive jealousy. More specifically, Maroons reported most anxious and preventive jealousy, followed by Creoles, and Javanese. The Hindustani and Mixed groups reported the lowest levels of anxious and preventive jealousy. These results did not alter after controlling for demographic variables. In addition, differences in jealousy could not be explained by differences between the groups in intrasexual competitiveness and attitudes toward multiple sexual relationships. Findings suggest that whereas preventive jealousy and anxious jealousy are sensitive to cultural influences, reactive jealousy is not. Future studies may further explore the variables that may explain differences in jealousy between ethnic groups in Surinam.


2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1123-1132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Bacon ◽  
C. Philip Beaman ◽  
Fang Liu

AbstractIndividuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) reportedly possess preserved or superior music-processing skills compared to their typically developing counterparts. We examined auditory imagery and earworms (tunes that get “stuck” in the head) in adults with ASD and controls. Both groups completed a short earworm questionnaire together with the Bucknell Auditory Imagery Scale. Results showed poorer auditory imagery in the ASD group for all types of auditory imagery. However, the ASD group did not report fewer earworms than matched controls. These data suggest a possible basis in poor auditory imagery for poor prosody in ASD, but also highlight a separability between auditory imagery and control of musical memories. The separability is present in the ASD group but not in typically developing individuals.


1992 ◽  
Vol 36 (15) ◽  
pp. 1143-1147
Author(s):  
John D. Lee ◽  
Neville Moray

Although technological innovations have changed the role of operators from active participants to supervisors of semiautomatic processes, an understanding of the cognitive demands of supervisory control has not kept pace. In particular, little is known about when, and how well, operators might intervene and switch control from automatic to manual. This research addresses this issue by monitoring the information use and control actions of operators of a simulated semiautomatic pasteurization plant. The results of this experiment shows that individual differences in operators” monitoring patterns during the normal operation of the plant correspond to differences in their ability to mitigate the effects of faults. Specifically, an operator who controls the plant well during both normal and fault conditions tends to observe the plant frequently, integrating control actions with other control actions, and does not fixate on narrow sub-systems of the plant. On the other hand, an operator who performs poorly when exposed to faults tends to observe the plant less often, fails to integrate control actions, and fixates attention on a narrow subset of plant variables. Although all operators interacted with the plant using the same interface and automation, large individual differences in the operators” monitoring patterns, and the associated differences in performance suggest that individuals” attitudes, motivation, and training may play a critical role in the successful implementation of automation.


Parasitology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 145 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. VYTHILINGAM ◽  
M. L. WONG ◽  
W. S. WAN-YUSSOF

SUMMARYPlasmodium knowlesi a simian malaria parasite is currently affecting humans in Southeast Asia. Malaysia has reported the most number of cases and P. knowlesi is the predominant species occurring in humans. The vectors of P. knowlesi belong to the Leucosphyrus group of Anopheles mosquitoes. These are generally described as forest-dwelling mosquitoes. With deforestation and changes in land-use, some species have become predominant in farms and villages. However, knowledge on the distribution of these vectors in the country is sparse. From a public health point of view it is important to know the vectors, so that risk factors towards knowlesi malaria can be identified and control measures instituted where possible. Here, we review what is known about the knowlesi malaria vectors and ascertain the gaps in knowledge, so that future studies could concentrate on this paucity of data in-order to address this zoonotic problem.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 1179-1183
Author(s):  
Geeta Sharma ◽  
Tom Stewart ◽  
Scott Duncan

Background: Curriculum-integrated dance programs are a promising but relatively under-researched strategy for increasing children’s physical activity (PA). The aim of this study was to determine the impact of a curriculum-integrated dance program on children’s PA. Methods: A total of 134 primary children aged 7–9 years from 4 New Zealand schools were assigned to either a dance group (n = 78) or a control group (n = 56). The dance group participated in a 6-week curriculum-integrated dance program during school time. Although the dance program focused on curricular learning, fitness and coordination were embedded in the dance sessions. Intensity of PA varied according to the focus of each dance session. PA was measured at baseline and postintervention using a waist-mounted ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer for 8 consecutive days. Results: There were no significant intervention effects on PA levels between the dance and control groups postintervention. Conclusion: Dance-embedded learning did not increase overall levels of PA in this study. Future studies may consider assessing longer term effects of a dance-based intervention, or programs that place more focus on PA promotion.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (28) ◽  
pp. eaaz0870
Author(s):  
Andrew T. L. Allan ◽  
Annie L. Bailey ◽  
Russell A. Hill

In behavioral studies, observer effects can be substantial, even for habituated animals, but few studies account for potential observer-related phenomenon empirically. We used wild, habituated chacma baboons to explore two key assumptions of behavioral ecology (i) that observers become a “neutral” stimulus and (ii) that habituation is “equal” across group members. Using flight initiation distance (FID) methods within a personality paradigm, the behavioral responses of baboons suggested that observers were not perceived as neutral but instead viewed as a high-ranking social threat. Habituation was also not equal across group members, with repeatable individual differences more important than contextual factors (e.g., habitat) in determining the distance at which baboons visually oriented or displaced from observers. A strong correlation between individual visual tolerance and displacement tolerance (i.e., convergent validity) indicated a personality trait. We offer several suggestions for how to account for these factors and minimize potential bias in future studies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 314-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Wolfers ◽  
Christian F. Beckmann ◽  
Martine Hoogman ◽  
Jan K. Buitelaar ◽  
Barbara Franke ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundThe present paper presents a fundamentally novel approach to model individual differences of persons with the same biologically heterogeneous mental disorder. Unlike prevalent case-control analyses, that assume a clear distinction between patient and control groups and thereby introducing the concept of an ‘average patient’, we describe each patient's biology individually, gaining insights into the different facets that characterize persistent attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).MethodsUsing a normative modeling approach, we mapped inter-individual differences in reference to normative structural brain changes across the lifespan to examine the degree to which case-control analyses disguise differences between individuals.ResultsAt the level of the individual, deviations from the normative model were frequent in persistent ADHD. However, the overlap of more than 2% between participants with ADHD was only observed in few brain loci. On average, participants with ADHD showed significantly reduced gray matter in the cerebellum and hippocampus compared to healthy individuals. While the case-control differences were in line with the literature on ADHD, individuals with ADHD only marginally reflected these group differences.ConclusionsCase-control comparisons, disguise inter-individual differences in brain biology in individuals with persistent ADHD. The present results show that the ‘average ADHD patient’ has limited informative value, providing the first evidence for the necessity to explore different biological facets of ADHD at the level of the individual and practical means to achieve this end.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason W. Gullifer ◽  
Debra Titone

AbstractBilingual and multilingual individuals exhibit variation in everyday language experience. Studies on bilingualism account for individual differences with measures such as L2 age of acquisition, exposure, or language proficiency, but recent theoretical perspectives posit that the relative balance between the two or more languages throughout daily life (i.e., interactional context) is a crucial determinant for language representation, access, and control. We propose an innovative measure to characterize this construct by using entropy to estimate the social diversity of language use. Language entropy is computed from commonly-collected language history data and generalizes to multilingual communicative contexts. We show how language entropy relates to other indices of bilingual experience and that it predicts self-report L2 outcome measures over and above classic measures of language experience. Thus, we proffer language entropy as a means to characterize individual differences in bilingual (and multilingual) language experience related to the social diversity of language use.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document