Semantic integration of multidimensional perceptual information in L1 sentence comprehension

Many studies have substantiated the perceptual symbol system, which assumes a routine generation of perceptual information during language comprehension, but little is known about the processing format in which the perceptual information of different dimensions is conveyed simultaneously during sentence comprehension. The current study provides the first experimental evidence of how multidimensional perceptual information (color and shape) was processed during online sentence comprehension in Mandarin. We designed three consecutive sentence–picture verification tasks that only differed in the delay of the display of pictures preceded by declarative sentences. The processing was analyzed in three stages based on time intervals (i.e., 0ms, +750ms, +1500ms). The response accuracy and response time data were reported. The initial stage (i.e., ISI=0ms) attested the match effect of color and shape, but the simulated representation of color and shape did not interact. In the intermediate stage (i.e., ISI=750ms), the routinely simulated color and shape interacted, but the match facilitation was found only in cases where one perceptual information was in mismatch while the other was not. In the final stage (i.e., ISI=1500ms), the match facilitation of one particular perceptual property was influenced by a mismatch with the other perceptual property. These results suggested that multiple perceptual information presented simultaneously was processed in an additive manner to a large extent before entering into the final stage, where the simulated perceptual information was integrated in a multiplicative manner. The results also suggested that color and shape were comparable to object recognition when conjointly conveyed. In relation to other evidence from behavioral and event-related potential studies on sentence reading in the discussion, we subscribed to the idea that the full semantic integration became available over time.

Emergence of Frequency-Dependent Motor Variability Within Supra-Second Auditory Cueing

Motor variability (MV) is an essential feature of the sensory motor system, and it plays an important role in sensory-motor learning. MV facilitates motor adaptation during auditory-motor synchronization (AMS). In AMS, individuals receive a series of similar auditory stimuli that come in a periodic manner at a fixed interval called an inter-stimulus interval (ISI). Peri-second ISI (1 second range) and supra-second ISI (>1 second) are differently processed, since these intervals involve different amount of cognitive resources. Supra-second ISI involves more top-down attention as compared to peri-second ISI. In this study we examined the effect of tone frequency (perceptual property of auditory stimuli) on predictive tapping and MV under peri-second and supra-second ranges. We examined the effect of tone frequency (a perceptual property of auditory stimuli) on predictive tapping and motor variability (MV) under short (peri-second) and long (supra-second) inter-stimulus intervals. Among 30 healthy participants (aged 18–35 years, M = 24.6 years), we randomly assigned equal numbers of these two inter-stimulus conditions to isochronous sound sequences. In their attempt to synchronize their motor responses with the tone, participants reproduced the ISI in their inter-tap intervals (ITIs). We analyzed their predictive tapping in terms of negative asynchrony (in which the tap occurs before the tone) and small positive asynchrony (0-100 ms), whereas we analyzed MV using the coefficient of variation (CV) of the ITI. We found that participants showed predictive tapping under short ISI, irrespective of the tone frequency. Moreover, their MV was unaffected by tone frequency. These findings imply that participants expressed MV in a predictive rather than reactive manner under short, but not long, ISI. Under long ISI, tone frequency had a significant effect on MV such that there was higher MV with the low-frequency than with the high-frequency tone. Thus, low-frequency tones are most suitable for auditory-motor learning in the supra-second range.

A wrinkle in and of time: Contraction of felt duration with a single perceptual switch

The way we represent and perceive time has crucial implications for studying temporality in conscious experience. Contrasting positions posit that temporal information is separately abstracted out like any other perceptual property through specialized mechanisms or that time is represented through the temporality of experiences themselves. To add to this debate, we investigate alterations in felt time in conditions where only conscious visual experience is altered through perceptual switches while a bistable figure remains physically unchanged. We predicted that if perceived time is a function of temporally evolving conscious content, then a break in it (here via a perceptual switch) would also lead to a break in felt time. In three experiments, we showed participants a Necker cube which was manipulated to induce a perceptual switch (experiment 1(a) and 1(b)) or left to switch on its own (experiment 2). We asked participants to report both perceptual switches and felt durations (experiment 1(a) and 2) or only estimate time (experiment 1(b). Over these three experiments, we find evidence of contraction of felt time in trials with a perceptual switch, consistent with the idea that perceived time is a function of temporally evolving conscious experience. Additionally, we present a phenomenological demonstration to support our empirical data. Overall, the study provides evidence for temporal mirroring and isomorphism in visual experience, arguing for a link between the timing of experience and time perception.

Recent Advances in Saliency Estimation for Omnidirectional Images, Image Groups, and Video Sequences

We present a review of methods for automatic estimation of visual saliency: the perceptual property that makes specific elements in a scene stand out and grab the attention of the viewer. We focus on domains that are especially recent and relevant, as they make saliency estimation particularly useful and/or effective: omnidirectional images, image groups for co-saliency, and video sequences. For each domain, we perform a selection of recent methods, we highlight their commonalities and differences, and describe their unique approaches. We also report and analyze the datasets involved in the development of such methods, in order to reveal additional peculiarities of each domain, such as the representation used for the ground truth saliency information (scanpaths, saliency maps, or salient object regions). We define domain-specific evaluation measures, and provide quantitative comparisons on the basis of common datasets and evaluation criteria, highlighting the different impact of existing approaches on each domain. We conclude by synthesizing the emerging directions for research in the specialized literature, which include novel representations for omnidirectional images, inter- and intra- image saliency decomposition for co-saliency, and saliency shift for video saliency estimation.

Non-contact Method for Measurement of Colour Variation in a Cotton Sample

Colour is the visual perceptual property in the cotton grade classification of Universal Cotton Standards. We undertook an experimental study on the variation in cotton colour using the Non-contact method. Rd (degree of reflectance) and +b (yellowness) are globally recognized colour parameters of cotton, which are measured by HVI (High Volume Instrument). The Non-contact method is used for the evaluation of colour variation within cotton samples. The results obtained from the Non-contact method were compared with those of other conventional methods used globally for the color measurement of cotton fibers. Additionally image analysis is interpreted with the variation in cotton colour. Results confirmed a strong co-relation between the Non-contact method and image analysis for the colour variation of cotton.

Relationalism about Perception vs. Relationalism about Perceptuals

There is a tension at the heart of Lucy Allais’s new account of Kant’s transcendental idealism. The problem arises from her use of two incompatible theories in contemporary philosophy – relationalism about perception, or naïve realism, and relationalism about colour, or more generally relationalism about any such perceptual property. The problem is that the former requires a more robust form of realism about the properties of the objects of perception than can be accommodated in the partially idealistic framework of the latter. On Allais’s interpretation, Kant’s notorious attempt to balance realism and idealism remains unstable.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF COLOUR PREFERENCES TOWARDS CLOTHING AMONG YOUNG GIRLS AND BOYS

Colour, is the visual perceptual property corresponding in human beings to the names called red, green, blue, and so on and so forth. Colours are derived from the spectrum of light, interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors. Colour categories and physical specifications are related to objects or materials based on their physical properties such as light absorption, reflection, or emission.The meanings of colors vary according to cultures and environments. Each color has many aspects which may be expressed as the language of color by understanding few concepts. Colour is a form of non-verbal communication. The perception of color stems from varying spectral sensitivity of different types of cone cells in the retina to different parts of the spectrum, and thus colors may be defined and quantified by the degree to which they stimulate these cells.The science of color is called chromatics, colorimetry, or simply color science. It includes the perception of color by the human eye and brain, the origin of color in materials, color in art, and the physics of electromagnetic radiation in the visible range (that is, what we commonly refer to as light).

Determination of soil pH by using digital image processing technique

Soil is recognized as one of the most valuable natural resource whose soil pH property used to describe the degree of acidity or basicity which affect nutrient availability and ultimately plant growth. Fifty soil samples were collected and their pH was determined by using digital image processing technique. Soil colour is visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories i.e red, green, blue and others. Soil colours are the parts of visual perceptual property where digital values of red, green and blue (RGB) provide a clue for spectral signature capture of different pH in soil. For the capturing images, digital camera was used. Transformation of the multispectral image was carried out through TNT Mips spatial software. On the basis of RGB grey values, pixels properties and their digital correlations, results showed that there was a clear cut gap in grey values of colours in the images 1, 2, 3, 4,10,11,14 and 16. Ranges of soil pH and pH index values were 7.30-7.50 and 0.0070-0.0261, respectively in deep brown colour. Similarly, soil pH range varies from 6.80-7.04 and 5.58-6.58 in light yellowish and greenish colour respectively while their corresponding pH index values were 0.0071-0.0451 and 0.0084-0.0239. Thus soil pH range varies from 7.30-7.50, 6.80-7.04 and 5.58-6.58 in deep brown colour, light yellowish colour and greenish colour respectively.

Object-Based Techniques for Image Retrieval

To overcome the drawback of using only low-level features for the description of image content and to fill the gap between the perceptual property and semantic meaning, this chapter presents an object-based scheme and some object level techniques for image retrieval. According to a multi-layer description model, images are analyzed in different levels for progressive understanding, and this procedure helps to gain comprehensive representations of the objects in images. The main propulsion of the chapter includes a multi-layer description model that describes the image content with a hierarchical structure; an efficient region-based scheme for meaningful information extraction; a combined feature set to represent the image at a visual perception level; an iterative training-and-testing procedure for object region recognition; a decision function for reflecting common contents in object description and a combined feature and object matching process, as well as a self-adaptive relevance feedback that could work with or without memory. With the proposed techniques, a prototype retrieval system has been implemented. Real retrieval experiments have been conducted; results show that the object-based scheme is quite efficient and the performance of object level techniques have been confirmed.