Is There Semantic Conflict in the Stroop Task?

This research addressed current controversies concerning the contribution of semantic conflict to the Stroop interference effect and its reduction by a single-letter coloring and cueing procedure. On the first issue, it provides, for the first time, unambiguous evidence for a contribution of semantic conflict to the (overall) Stroop interference effect. The reported data remained inconclusive on the second issue, despite being collected in a considerable sample and analyzed with both classical (frequentist) and Bayesian inferential approaches. Given that in all past Stroop studies, semantic conflict was possibly confounded with either response conflict (e.g., when semantic-associative items [ SKYblue] are used to induce semantic conflict) or with facilitation (when color-congruent items [ BLUEblue] are used as baseline to derive a magnitude for semantic conflict), its genuine contribution to the Stroop interference effect is the most critical result reported in the present study. Indeed, it leaves no doubt – in complete contrast to dominant single-stage response competition models (e.g., Roelofs, 2003 ) – that selection occurs at the semantic level in the Stroop task. The immediate implications for the composite (as opposed to unitary) nature of the Stroop interference effect and other still unresolved issues in the Stroop literature are outlined further.

The loci of Stroop effects: a critical review of methods and evidence for levels of processing contributing to color-word Stroop effects and the implications for the loci of attentional selection

Despite instructions to ignore the irrelevant word in the Stroop task, it robustly influences the time it takes to identify the color, leading to performance decrements (interference) or enhancements (facilitation). The present review addresses two questions: (1) What levels of processing contribute to Stroop effects; and (2) Where does attentional selection occur? The methods that are used in the Stroop literature to measure the candidate varieties of interference and facilitation are critically evaluated and the processing levels that contribute to Stroop effects are discussed. It is concluded that the literature does not provide clear evidence for a distinction between conflicting and facilitating representations at phonological, semantic and response levels (together referred to as informational conflict), because the methods do not currently permit their isolated measurement. In contrast, it is argued that the evidence for task conflict as being distinct from informational conflict is strong and, thus, that there are at least two loci of attentional selection in the Stroop task. Evidence suggests that task conflict occurs earlier, has a different developmental trajectory and is independently controlled which supports the notion of a separate mechanism of attentional selection. The modifying effects of response modes and evidence for Stroop effects at the level of response execution are also discussed. It is argued that multiple studies claiming to have distinguished response and semantic conflict have not done so unambiguously and that models of Stroop task performance need to be modified to more effectively account for the loci of Stroop effects.

The musical sequence of the ballet "Lady of the Camellias"

The purpose of the article is to analyze the musical fabric of the ballet "Lady with Camellias" (Kyiv). The methodology is based on the use of general scientific methods and approaches to solve the set tasks: comparative analysis helped to reveal originality in the selection of music; musicological analysis showed the expediency of forming a musical line in accordance with ballet drama. The scientific novelty lies in the analysis of the music of the ballet "Lady of the Camellias". Conclusions. Ballet – drama is revealed by music organically embodied in choreography. The musical basis of the ballet is subordinated to the plot-semantic conflict drama. The selection of music for the ballet is varied. Although one can notice certain patterns in the metro-rhythmic and emotional organization. Display of the salon atmosphere of the 19th-century music by L. Beethoven, which serves as a kind of refrain. Stylistically similar musical fragments and even repetitions of selected works make it possible to trace the process of a gradual increase in dramatic action. The music of other composers (J. Brahms, I. Pachelbel, I. Stravinsky, G. Fore, E. Elgar) helps to reveal emotionally tense moments.

Semantic-Aware Security Orchestration in SDN/NFV-Enabled IoT Systems

IoT systems can be leveraged by Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN) technologies, thereby strengthening their overall flexibility, security and resilience. In this sense, adaptive and policy-based security frameworks for SDN/NFV-aware IoT systems can provide a remarkable added value for self-protection and self-healing, by orchestrating and enforcing dynamically security policies and associated Virtual Network Functions (VNF) or Virtual network Security Functions (VSF) according to the actual context. However, this security orchestration is subject to multiple possible inconsistencies between the policies to enforce, the already enforced management policies and the evolving status of the managed IoT system. In this regard, this paper presents a semantic-aware, zero-touch and policy-driven security orchestration framework for autonomic and conflict-less security orchestration in SDN/NFV-aware IoT scenarios while ensuring optimal allocation and Service Function Chaining (SFC) of VSF. The framework relies on Semantic technologies and considers the security policies and the evolving IoT system model to dynamically and formally detect any semantic conflict during the orchestration. In addition, our optimized SFC algorithm maximizes the QoS, security aspects and resources usage during VSF allocation. The orchestration security framework has been implemented and validated showing its feasibility and performance to detect the conflicts and optimally enforce the VSFs.

Two Approaches to the Problem of Development in the Context of Social Interactions: L.S. Vygotsky vs J. Piaget

The article is devoted to the problem of development and learning in the context of social interactions. This question is investigated on the basis of the analysis of the theoretical views of L.S. Vygotsky and J. Piaget. Both J. Piaget and L.S. Vygotsky substantiated the impact of social interactions and socialization on the development of the child’s thinking, and emphasized the close connection between the development of the child and the forms of interaction between the child and adults, as well as with other children. Two different approaches to understanding the child’s developmental paths are considered in the paper: one — from the individual to the social (J. Piaget) and the other — from the social to the individual (L.S. Vygotsky). Two different developmental mechanisms, based on the interactions and relationships of the participants of the social situation, are discussed: “socio-cognitive conflict” (J. Piaget) and “emotional-semantic” (“affective-semantic”) conflict (L.V. Vygotsky). Two possible models of designing educational environments, effective for the development of children in the learning process, are described in the paper: a model based on role exchanges and children’s cooperation (“School of J. Piaget”), and a model, based on developing forms of child-adult communities and activities (“School of L.S. Vygotsky”).

Semantic Conflict and Response Conflict in the Stroop Task

The most common ways researchers explain the Stroop effect are either through semantic or through response conflict. According to the literature, there are several methods capable of disentangling these conflicts: to use words outside of the response set, to use associatively related colors and words, or to use a “2:1” paradigm (requiring the same response for two types of stimuli). However, we believe that these methods cannot entirely differentiate semantic and response conflicts. We propose the following alternative method: when naming the color of a printed word (e.g., red, yellow, etc.) in the Stroop test, participants were asked to use different color names for some colors. For example, the red-colored stimuli had to be named by the word “yellow”. This approach allowed us to create semantically congruent stimuli, but with the conflict at the response level (the word red appears in red, but the participants have to say “yellow” because of the rule). Some stimuli remain congruent at the response level, but with the conflict at the semantic level (the word yellow appears in red, and the participants have to say “yellow” because of the rule). The results showed that semantically congruent stimuli do not produce the Stroop effect even if the meaning of the word corresponds to an incorrect response. In turn, congruence at the response level reduces the interference effect, but interference remains significant. Thus, the response conflict affects the magnitude of the Stroop effect only when there is a semantic conflict. Our data do not correspond to models that assume direct activation of responses corresponding to word meaning