scholarly journals Facilitating animacy perception by manipulating relative visual attention

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshiki Saito ◽  
Kosuke Motoki ◽  
Rui Nouchi ◽  
Motoaki Sugiura

Animacy perception—discriminating between animate and inanimate visual stimuli—is the basis for engaging in social cognition and for our survival (e.g. avoiding potential danger). Previous studies indicate that bottom-up factors, such as the features or motion of a target, enhance animacy perception. However, top-down factors such as elements in perceivers have received little attention. Research on judgment, decision-making, and neuroeconomics indicate the active role of visual attention in constructing decisions. This study examined the role of visual attention in the perception of animacy by manipulating the relative visual attention to targets. Among Studies 1a to 1c conducted in this study, participants saw two face illustrations alternately; one of the faces was shown to be longer than the other. The participants chose the face that they considered more animated and rounder. Consequently, longer visual attention towards targets facilitated animacy perception and preference rather than the perception of roundness. Furthermore, pre-registered Study 2 examined the underlying mechanisms. The results suggest that mere exposure, rather than orienting behaviour, might play a key role in the perception of animacy. These results suggest that in the reverse relationship between attention and animacy perception, animate objects capture attention, and attention results in the perception of animacy.

Author(s):  
Dunja Apostolov-Dimitrijevic

This paper explains political democratization in Post-Milosevic Serbia, utilizing two different accounts of the democratization process: one rooted in the rational choice framework and the other in structuralism. While rational choice explains the decisive role of political leadership in overcoming path dependence, the structuralist explanations show the transnational linkages that encourage democratization in the face of domestic setbacks. This particular debate between the two types of explanations represents the larger debate concerning the role of internal factors and external linkages in propelling democratization in transitional societies. The paper concludes by integrating the two sets of explanations offered by each theoretical perspective, in order to develop a coherent understanding of Serbia's democratization.   Full text available at: https://doi.org/10.22215/rera.v9i1.240


Author(s):  
Eva Sørensen

Political communication is becoming increasingly mediatized. Mediatization refers both to a gradual increase in the role of the media in political communication and the spillover effects that this increase has had on the way politics takes place and is organized and relatedly, the performance of political leadership. Of particular importance for political leadership styles is the surge of drama politics, the fragmentation of political communication and the active role of citizens in political communication. Chapter 9’s typology of democratic political leadership performance lays the ground for an analysis of how paternalist, populist, engaged, and interactive political leadership styles are affected by the increased mediatization. The analysis suggests that an interactive political leadership style is more viable than the other three political leadership styles to patterns of mediatization in the age of governance.


2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 685-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Marie Gingras

Résumé.Dans ce texte, nous tentons d'évaluer le rôle sociopolitique des journalistes en posant les éléments fondamentaux d'une conceptualisation du rôle des médias en démocratie et en analysant les résultats d'une recherche empirique sur l'engagement des journalistes envers la démocratie menée de l'été 2008 au printemps 2010. Notre étude prend appui sur la dichotomie entre un rôle actif des médias et un rôle instrumental face au système politique, dichotomie que nous faisons porter sur les journalistes. Nous prétendons que les médias et les journalistes jouent le rôle de « médiateurs » dans les sociétés libérales, c'est-à-dire d'agents individuels ou collectifs par qui transitent des messages explicites ou implicites; ces agents ajoutent une couche de sens par diverses méthodes dont la sélection des nouvelles, la hiérarchisation des sujets ou le cadrage de personnes ou d'événements.Abstract.This paper aims to assess the sociopolitical role of journalists through a conceptual approach linking media and democracy and through an analysis of the data resulting from an investigation of journalists' commitment to democracy that was conducted from the summer of 2008 to the spring of 2010. Our study is founded on the dichotomy between an active role for the media and an instrumental one in the face of the political system, and this dichotomy is applied to journalists. We believe that the media and journalists function as “mediators” in liberal societies, that is, as individual or collective agents through whom explicit or implicit messages pass; these agents add a layer of signification by diverse methods, among which are the selection of news, the categorization of issues or the framing of individuals or events.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (17) ◽  
pp. 8975-8987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Allepuz-Fuster ◽  
Michael J O’Brien ◽  
Noelia González-Polo ◽  
Bianca Pereira ◽  
Zuzer Dhoondia ◽  
...  

AbstractGene loops are formed by the interaction of initiation and termination factors occupying the distal ends of a gene during transcription. RNAPII is believed to affect gene looping indirectly owing to its essential role in transcription. The results presented here, however, demonstrate a direct role of RNAPII in gene looping through the Rpb4 subunit. 3C analysis revealed that gene looping is abolished in the rpb4Δ mutant. In contrast to the other looping-defective mutants, rpb4Δ cells do not exhibit a transcription termination defect. RPB4 overexpression, however, rescued the transcription termination and gene looping defect of sua7-1, a mutant of TFIIB. Furthermore, RPB4 overexpression rescued the ssu72-2 gene looping defect, while SSU72 overexpression restored the formation of gene loops in rpb4Δ cells. Interestingly, the interaction of TFIIB with Ssu72 is compromised in rpb4Δ cells. These results suggest that the TFIIB–Ssu72 interaction, which is critical for gene loop formation, is facilitated by Rpb4. We propose that Rpb4 is promoting the transfer of RNAPII from the terminator to the promoter for reinitiation of transcription through TFIIB–Ssu72 mediated gene looping.


2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Gentens ◽  
Juhani Rudanko

Abstract This article reports on a corpus-based study of diachronic change and constructional competition in the system of English complementation, with a focus on variation in non-finite complements of the adjective fearful. Fearful occurs with prepositional (of -ing) subject-controlled gerunds and with to-infinitives, which can further be distinguished into subject extraposition, subject control, and tough-constructions. Recent decades show a drastic decline of the to-infinitival patterns, concomitant to the loss of one of the senses of fearful. We examine the diachronic distribution and competition of the two construction pairs that show functional overlap, i.e. tough-constructions and extraposition constructions on the one hand, and infinitival and gerundial subject-control patterns on the other. This allows us to show the import of the ‘Great Complement Shift’ in the face of constructional attrition and to investigate new principles motivating the choice for either the to-infinitival or the gerundial subject-control construction. More specifically, the study provides further evidence for the ‘Choice Principle’, which involves the (lack of) agentivity of the understood subject in the event described by the lower clause. In this way, the study adds new explanatory factors and descriptive insights to our knowledge of the broader diachronic change known as the Great Complement Shift.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur Ervannudin Dan Bima Wahyu Widodo

<p align="center">Abstract<strong></strong></p><p>Education is the key for a country to win the competition in today's era. The era of globalization has had implications for all aspects of our lives. Both positive and negative impacts. The positive impact of these developments such as the implementation of democracy in our country. The democratic system automatically make decentralization as a way to run this system. Decentralization as an attempt delegation of authority from superiors to subordinates to achieve a common goal.Decentralization of education to make officials and actors in the region have the authority to regulate and manage their own their own potential. However, there are many things that keep pace with the development of this run. As well as the opportunities, challenges, obstacles and the active role of society towards quality education. Opportunities that looks real is the potential of what we have. Such as human resource potential is quite large. These opportunities coupled with the implementation of MEAs in the year 2016. MEA becomes the arena for success not only in our country alone, but without success on the international arena area. As for the obstacles that lurk is the readiness of all elements of education in this country in the face of these challenges. However, we need not fear because we had something different from other nations. Community participation into something different and distinctive for the nation of Indonesia. </p><p><strong>Key Word :</strong> Decentralization, Education, Quality<strong></strong></p><p align="center"><strong> </strong></p><p align="center"><strong>Abstrak</strong></p><p>Pendidikan adalah kunci bagi suatu negara untuk memenangkan persaingan di era sekarang ini. Era globalisasi membawa dampak bagi segala lini kehidupan kita. Dampak positif maupun dampak negatif. Dampak positif dari perkembangan ini seperti terlaksananya demokrasi di negara kita. Sistem demokrasi dengan otomatis menjadikan desentralisasi sebagai jalan untuk menjalankan sistem ini. Desentralisasi sebagai upaya pelimpahan wewenang dari atasan kepada bawahan untuk mencapai tujuan bersama. Desentralisasi pendidikan menjadikan pejabat dan pelaku di daerah memiliki wewenang untuk mengatur dan mengelola sendiri potensinya sendiri. Namun demikian ada banyak hal yang mengikuti dengan perkembangan yang dijalankan ini. Seperti halnya peluang, tantangan, hambatan serta peran aktif masyarakat untuk menuju pendidikan yang berkualitas. Peluang yang terlihat nyata adalah potensi dari apa yang kita miliki. Seperti potensi sumber daya manusia yang cukup besar. Peluang ini ditambah dengan diberlakukannya MEA pada tahun 2016 ini. MEA menjadi arena untuk meraih kesuksesan bukan hanya di negara kita saja tetapi meraih sukses pada kancah kawasan internasional. Adapun hambatan yang mengintai adalah kesiapan segenap elemen pendidikan di negara ini dalam menghadapi tantangan ini. Namun demikian kita tidak perlu takut karena kita punya sesuatu yang berbeda dari bangsa lain. Peran serta masyarakat menjadi sesuatu yang berbeda dan khas bagi bangsa indonesia.</p><p><strong>Kata Kunci :</strong> Desentralisasi, Pendidikan, Kualitas.</p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 516-521
Author(s):  
Aarushi Agarwal ◽  
Ajeet Patel ◽  
Tara Singh ◽  
Trayambak Tiwari ◽  
Anju Lata Singh

Purpose of the study: To answer the two existing controversies regarding attention and consciousness as brain processes. 1) Can one be aware of objects or events without attending to it? 2) Can one attend to objects or events without being aware of it? And also how top-down attention and awareness have opposing functions. Methodology: This article is a systematic review of the relationship between visual attention and awareness. An extensive elaborate study on concepts relating to attention and consciousness dissociation has been done. In this article we also narrow it down to experimental design that requires independent manipulation of each. Which include top-down attention and awareness aspect of consciousness? Main Findings: Many researches have been put forward supporting the independent nature of attention from awareness using sophisticated experimental and physiological shreds of evidence. On the other hand, some researches still stick to the contemporary common-sense notion of no awareness no attention. Our evaluation suggests an independent nature of attention and awareness. Application: This article intends to give a clear perspective of the ongoing debate on the relationship between attention and consciousness. Simplification of both umbrella terms will give basis for building more empirical evidence. Novelty: Further, this article put forward studies on both sides of debate aiming to bridge the gap to get a conclusive outlook in the future.


Author(s):  
Muhammad Abdul Karim

Indonesian Islam has gone through a long journey in its history since the first advent up to the present day. In this course, one should note that the process of Islamization was formed under a set of historical and cultural complexity. Among those, the role of Islamic preaching is the most important. Under this canopy, the process of transmission and transformation took the first place as the main force. As the Qur’an and Sunna are the major sources for all Muslims around the world. Both had also become the main streams in Islamicization. Seerat-e-nabi, beside the Qur’an, in this case has a place of honor. It became one of the major sources of all Islamic heritages in Indonesia. The prophet Muhammad PBUH (peace be upon him) was immersed within the Indonesian Islamic traditions in various fields and spheres. It is fair to say that the story of the islamicization of the Indonesian archipelago and the face of Indonesian Islam today is culturally formed by the determination of seerat-e-nabi, besides the Qur’anic scripture. In the other words, the birth and the face of Islam really depend on how its adherents interpret and take a cultural reception on the seerat-e-nabi. This paper tries to capture the prophetic heritage in Indonesian Islam in twofold analysis; transmission and transformation. The former tries to explore how the heritage of seerat-e-nabi flowed into the scene of Indonesian moslem life through various modes of transmission up to the present day. The latter aims at how the seerat-e-nabi became the force and inspiration for the various receptions of institutional matters.    


2020 ◽  
pp. 1354067X2095754
Author(s):  
Luca Tateo

The pandemic of COVID-19 has brought to the front a particular object: the face mask. I have explored the way people make-meaning of an object generally associated with the medical context that, under exceptional circumstances, can become a presence in everyday life. Understanding how people make meaning of their use is important. Using cultural psychology, I analyse preferences toward different types of face masks people would wear in public. The study involved 2 groups, 44 Norwegian university students and 60 international academics. In particular, I have focused on the role of the mask in regulating people affective experience. The mask evokes safety and fear, it mediates in the auto-dialogue between “I” and “Me” through the “Other”, and in the hetero-dialogue between “I” and the “Other” through “Me” The dialogue is characterized by a certain ambivalence, as expected. Meaning-making is indeed the way to deal with the ambivalence of human existence.


2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 1215-1237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Tommasi ◽  
Mirta Fiorio ◽  
Jérôme Yelnik ◽  
Paul Krack ◽  
Francesca Sala ◽  
...  

It is solidly established that top–down (goal-driven) and bottom–up (stimulus-driven) attention mechanisms depend on distributed cortical networks, including prefrontal and frontoparietal regions. On the other hand, it is less clear whether the BG also contribute to one or the other of these mechanisms, or to both. The current study was principally undertaken to clarify this issue. Parkinson disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disorder primarily affecting the BG, has proven to be an effective model for investigating the contribution of the BG to different brain functions; therefore, we set out to investigate deficits of top–down and bottom–up attention in a selected cohort of PD patients. With this objective in mind, we compared the performance on three computerized tasks of two groups of 12 parkinsonian patients (assessed without any treatment), one otherwise pharmacologically treated and the other also surgically treated, with that of a group of controls. The main behavioral tool for our study was an attentional capture task, which enabled us to tap the competition between top–down and bottom–up mechanisms of visual attention. This task was suitably combined with a choice RT and a simple RT task to isolate any specific deficit of attention from deficits in motor response selection and initiation. In the two groups of patients, we found an equivalent increase of attentional capture but also comparable delays in target selection in the absence of any salient distractor (reflecting impaired top–down mechanisms) and movement initiation compared with controls. In contrast, motor response selection processes appeared to be prolonged only in the operated patients. Our results confirm that the BG are involved in both motor and cognitive domains. Specifically, damage to the BG, as it occurs in PD, leads to a distinct deficit of top–down control of visual attention, and this can account, albeit indirectly, for the enhancement of attentional capture, reflecting weakened ability of top–down mechanisms to antagonize bottom–up control.


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