scholarly journals Reaction Times to High-Contrast Brake Lamps

1991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Sivak ◽  
Michael Flannagan ◽  
Andrew W. Gellatly
Keyword(s):  

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vishak Sagar ◽  
Ranit Sengupta ◽  
Devarajan Sridharan

AbstractSelective attention enables prioritizing the most important information for differential sensory processing and decision-making. Here, we address an active debate regarding whether attention reflects a unitary phenomenon or involves the operation of dissociable sensory enhancement (perceptual sensitivity) and decisional gating (choice bias) processes. We developed a multialternative task in which participants detected and localized orientation changes in gratings at one of four spatial locations. Exogenous attention cues (high contrast flashes) preceded or followed the change events in close temporal proximity. Analysis of participants’ behavior with a multidimensional signal detection model revealed markedly distinct effects of exogenous cueing on perceptual sensitivity and choice bias. Whereas sensitivity enhancement was localized to the stimulus proximal to the exogenous cue, bias enhancement occurred even for distal stimuli in the cued hemifield. Modulations of sensitivity and bias were uncorrelated at both cued and uncued locations. Finally, exogenous cueing produced reaction time benefits only at the cued location and costs only at locations contralateral to the cue. These disparate effects of exogenous cueing on sensitivity, bias and reaction times could be parsimoniously explained within the framework of a diffusion-decision model, in which the drift rate was determined by a linear combination of sensitivity and bias at each location. Exogenous cueing effects on sensitivity and bias differed systematically from previously reported effects of endogenous cueing. We propose that the search for shared neural substrates of exogenous and endogenous attention would benefit from investigating neural correlates of their component sensory and decisional mechanisms.Significance statementWhen we voluntarily direct attention “endogenously”, we are able to better perceive stimuli at the attended location (sensitivity), and to prioritize information from that location for guiding behavioral decisions (bias). But when a salient stimulus, such as a flash of lightning, captures our attention “exogenously”, does it also produce these same effects? To answer this question, we designed a multiple alternative task in which task events occurred in close conjunction with salient exogenous cues (high contrast flashes). We discovered that exogenous attention enhanced both sensitivity and bias for cued stimuli, but each of these changes followed distinct spatial patterns across locations. Our results provide novel insights into component processes of exogenous attention and motivate the search for their neural correlates.



Author(s):  
Rebecca A Kozak ◽  
Brian D Corneil

Humans have a remarkable capacity to rapidly interact with the surrounding environment, often by transforming visual input into motor output on a moment-to-moment basis. But what visual features promote rapid reaching? High contrast, fast-moving targets elicit strong responses in the superior colliculus (SC), a structure associated with express saccades and implicated in rapid electromyographic (EMG) responses on upper limb muscles. To test the influence of stimulus properties on rapid reaches, we had human subjects perform visually guided reaches to moving targets varied by speed (experiment 1) or speed and contrast (experiment 2), in an emerging target paradigm which has recently been shown to robustly elicit fast visuomotor responses. Our analysis focused on stimulus-locked responses (SLRs) on upper limb muscles. SLRs appear within <100 ms of target presentation, and as the first wave of muscle recruitment, they have been hypothesized to arise from the SC. Across 32 subjects studied in both experiments, 97% expressed SLRs in the emerging target paradigm, whereas only 69% expressed SLRs in an immediate response paradigm towards static targets. Faster moving targets (experiment 1) evoked large magnitude SLRs, while high contrast fast moving targets (experiment 2) evoked short latency, large magnitude SLRs. In some instances, SLR magnitude exceeded the magnitude of movement aligned activity. Both large magnitude and short latency SLRs were correlated with short latency reach reaction times. Our results support the hypothesis that, in scenarios requiring expedited responses, a subcortical pathway originating in the SC elicits the earliest wave of muscle recruitment, expediting reaction times.



Author(s):  
Russell L. Steere ◽  
Eric F. Erbe ◽  
J. Michael Moseley

We have designed and built an electronic device which compares the resistance of a defined area of vacuum evaporated material with a variable resistor. When the two resistances are matched, the device automatically disconnects the primary side of the substrate transformer and stops further evaporation.This approach to controlled evaporation in conjunction with the modified guns and evaporation source permits reliably reproducible multiple Pt shadow films from a single Pt wrapped carbon point source. The reproducibility from consecutive C point sources is also reliable. Furthermore, the device we have developed permits us to select a predetermined resistance so that low contrast high-resolution shadows, heavy high contrast shadows, or any grade in between can be selected at will. The reproducibility and quality of results are demonstrated in Figures 1-4 which represent evaporations at various settings of the variable resistor.



Author(s):  
J.N. Turner ◽  
M. Siemens ◽  
D. Szarowski ◽  
D.N. Collins

A classic preparation of central nervous system tissue (CNS) is the Golgi procedure popularized by Cajal. The method is partially specific as only a few cells are impregnated with silver chromate usualy after osmium post fixation. Samples are observable by light (LM) or electron microscopy (EM). However, the impregnation is often so dense that structures are masked in EM, and the osmium background may be undesirable in LM. Gold toning is used for a subtle but high contrast EM preparation, and osmium can be omitted for LM. We are investigating these preparations as part of a study to develop correlative LM and EM (particularly HVEM) methodologies in neurobiology. Confocal light microscopy is particularly useful as the impregnated cells have extensive three-dimensional structure in tissue samples from one to several hundred micrometers thick. Boyde has observed similar preparations in the tandem scanning reflected light microscope (TSRLM).



Author(s):  
Uwe Lücken ◽  
Michael Felsmann ◽  
Wim M. Busing ◽  
Frank de Jong

A new microscope for the study of life science specimen has been developed. Special attention has been given to the problems of unstained samples, cryo-specimens and x-ray analysis at low concentrations.A new objective lens with a Cs of 6.2 mm and a focal length of 5.9 mm for high-contrast imaging has been developed. The contrast of a TWIN lens (f = 2.8 mm, Cs = 2 mm) and the BioTWTN are compared at the level of mean and SD of slow scan CCD images. Figure 1a shows 500 +/- 150 and Fig. 1b only 500 +/- 40 counts/pixel. The contrast-forming mechanism for amplitude contrast is dependent on the wavelength, the objective aperture and the focal length. For similar image conditions (same voltage, same objective aperture) the BioTWIN shows more than double the contrast of the TWIN lens. For phasecontrast specimens (like thin frozen-hydrated films) the contrast at Scherzer focus is approximately proportional to the √ Cs.



Author(s):  
T. M. Weatherby ◽  
P.H. Lenz

Crustaceans, as well as other arthropods, are covered with sensory setae and hairs, including mechanoand chemosensory sensillae with a ciliary origin. Calanoid copepods are small planktonic crustaceans forming a major link in marine food webs. In conjunction with behavioral and physiological studies of the antennae of calanoids, we undertook the ultrastructural characterization of sensory setae on the antennae of Pleuromamma xiphias.Distal mechanoreceptive setae exhibit exceptional behavioral and physiological performance characteristics: high sensitivity (<10 nm displacements), fast reaction times (<1 msec latency) and phase locking to high frequencies (1-2 kHz). Unusual structural features of the mechanoreceptors are likely to be related to their physiological sensitivity. These features include a large number (up to 3000) of microtubules in each sensory cell dendrite, arising from or anchored to electron dense rods associated with the ciliary basal body microtubule doublets. The microtubules are arranged in a regular array, with bridges between and within rows. These bundles of microtubules extend far into each mechanoreceptive seta and terminate in a staggered fashion along the dendritic membrane, contacting a large membrane surface area and providing a large potential site of mechanotransduction.



Author(s):  
Akira Tonomura

Electron holography is a two-step imaging method. However, the ultimate performance of holographic imaging is mainly determined by the brightness of the electron beam used in the hologram-formation process. In our 350kV holography electron microscope (see Fig. 1), the decrease in the inherently high brightness of field-emitted electrons is minimized by superposing a magnetic lens in the gun, for a resulting value of 2 × 109 A/cm2 sr. This high brightness has lead to the following distinguished features. The minimum spacing (d) of carrier fringes is d = 0.09 Å, thus allowing a reconstructed image with a resolution, at least in principle, as high as 3d=0.3 Å. The precision in phase measurement can be as high as 2π/100, since the position of fringes can be known precisely from a high-contrast hologram formed under highly collimated illumination. Dynamic observation becomes possible because the current density is high.



Author(s):  
A. Olsen ◽  
J.C.H. Spence ◽  
P. Petroff

Since the point resolution of the JEOL 200CX electron microscope is up = 2.6Å it is not possible to obtain a true structure image of any of the III-V or elemental semiconductors with this machine. Since the information resolution limit set by electronic instability (1) u0 = (2/πλΔ)½ = 1.4Å for Δ = 50Å, it is however possible to obtain, by choice of focus and thickness, clear lattice images both resembling (see figure 2(b)), and not resembling, the true crystal structure (see (2) for an example of a Fourier image which is structurally incorrect). The crucial difficulty in using the information between Up and u0 is the fractional accuracy with which Af and Cs must be determined, and these accuracies Δff/4Δf = (2λu2Δf)-1 and ΔCS/CS = (λ3u4Cs)-1 (for a π/4 phase change, Δff the Fourier image period) are strongly dependent on spatial frequency u. Note that ΔCs(up)/Cs ≈ 10%, independent of CS and λ. Note also that the number n of identical high contrast spurious Fourier images within the depth of field Δz = (αu)-1 (α beam divergence) decreases with increasing high voltage, since n = 2Δz/Δff = θ/α = λu/α (θ the scattering angle). Thus image matching becomes easier in semiconductors at higher voltage because there are fewer high contrast identical images in any focal series.



2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 2170-2188
Author(s):  
Lindsey R. Squires ◽  
Sara J. Ohlfest ◽  
Kristen E. Santoro ◽  
Jennifer L. Roberts

Purpose The purpose of this systematic review was to determine evidence of a cognate effect for young multilingual children (ages 3;0–8;11 [years;months], preschool to second grade) in terms of task-level and child-level factors that may influence cognate performance. Cognates are pairs of vocabulary words that share meaning with similar phonology and/or orthography in more than one language, such as rose – rosa (English–Spanish) or carrot – carotte (English–French). Despite the cognate advantage noted with older bilingual children and bilingual adults, there has been no systematic examination of the cognate research in young multilingual children. Method We conducted searches of multiple electronic databases and hand-searched article bibliographies for studies that examined young multilingual children's performance with cognates based on study inclusion criteria aligned to the research questions. Results The review yielded 16 articles. The majority of the studies (12/16, 75%) demonstrated a positive cognate effect for young multilingual children (measured in higher accuracy, faster reaction times, and doublet translation equivalents on cognates as compared to noncognates). However, not all bilingual children demonstrated a cognate effect. Both task-level factors (cognate definition, type of cognate task, word characteristics) and child-level factors (level of bilingualism, age) appear to influence young bilingual children's performance on cognates. Conclusions Contrary to early 1990s research, current researchers suggest that even young multilingual children may demonstrate sensitivity to cognate vocabulary words. Given the limits in study quality, more high-quality research is needed, particularly to address test validity in cognate assessments, to develop appropriate cognate definitions for children, and to refine word-level features. Only one study included a brief instruction prior to assessment, warranting cognate treatment studies as an area of future need. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12753179



2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1482-1488
Author(s):  
Jennifer J. Thistle

Purpose Previous research with children with and without disabilities has demonstrated that visual–perceptual factors can influence the speech of locating a target on an array. Adults without disabilities often facilitate the learning and use of a child's augmentative and alternative communication system. The current research examined how the presence of symbol background color influenced the speed with which adults without disabilities located target line drawings in 2 studies. Method Both studies used a between-subjects design. In the 1st study, 30 adults (ages 18–29 years) located targets in a 16-symbol array. In the 2nd study, 30 adults (ages 18–34 years) located targets in a 60-symbol array. There were 3 conditions in each study: symbol background color, symbol background white with a black border, and symbol background white with a color border. Results In the 1st study, reaction times across groups were not significantly different. In the 2nd study, participants in the symbol background color condition were significantly faster than participants in the other conditions, and participants in the symbol background white with black border were significantly slower than participants in the other conditions. Conclusion Communication partners may benefit from the presence of background color, especially when supporting children using displays with many symbols.



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