Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology Subjects: Psychology >> Statistics in Psychology submitted time 2024-04-17
Abstract： Cognitive modeling has gained widespread application in psychological research. Model comparison plays a crucial role in cognitive modeling, as researchers need to select the best model for subsequent analysis or latent variable inference. Model comparison involves considering not only the fit of the models to the data (balancing overfitting and underfitting) but also the complexity of the parameter data and mathematical forms. This article categorizes and introduces three major classes of model comparison metrics commonly used in cognitive modeling, including: goodness-of-fit metrics (such as mean squared error, coefficient of determination, and ROC curves), cross-validation-based metrics (such as AIC, DIC), and marginal likelihood-based metrics. The computation methods and pros and cons of each metric are discussed, along with practical implementations in R using data from the orthogonal Go/No-Go paradigm. Based on this foundation, the article identifies the suitable contexts for each metric and discusses new approaches such as model averaging in model comparison.
Peer Review Status:
Awaiting Review
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology submitted time 2024-04-09
Abstract： Bayesian and predictive coding theories have been instrumental in elucidating sensory processing aberrations observed in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, these theories have sparked considerable debate within the scientific community. In this paper, we focus on non-social visual information, presenting a comprehensive examination of theoretical nuances and consolidating empirical evidence across three key dimensions: Bayesian inference, predictive coding processes, and predictive coding precision. Generally, hypo-priors and sharper likelihood hypothesis based on Bayesian inference merely provide descriptive insights into visual processing abnormalities associated with ASD. While perspectives emphasizing the predictive coding process enhance the specificity of visual processing aberrations, they fall short of offering a fully explanatory framework. On the other hand, hypotheses centered on predictive coding precision provide theoretical foundations, yet require further refinement of the theoretical details and their validity necessitates testing through refined empirical studies. Future research should generalize the specificity of predictive processing in ASD, test the theoretical content from the perspective of subjective experience of ASD, and examine the changes of predictive functioning in the growth of ASD through a developmental perspective.
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology Subjects: Psychology >> Educational Psychology submitted time 2024-04-04
Abstract： Teachers often experience inattentional blindness towards off-seat behavior during classroom management, which poses the question: is there a specific attentional advantage area for teachers in detecting such behavior? One study used cartoon images to prove that teachers’ detection does indeed have a location effect. However, it needs to take into account the elements of the real-world scenarios, including three-dimensional features, background and action. The present study aims to explore the impact of seating location factors (row, center versus periphery and each location) on teachers’ detection of off-seat behavior within real classroom scenarios through two experiments. This study carried out an inattentional blindness test with classroom management tasks. The final sample consisted of 230 teachers from special schools. Participants needed to face a computer screen where student seats were arranged in a three-row by three-column pattern. They were tasked to identify who raised their hands and pointed out their locations. The unexpected occurrence involved the disappearance of one student positioned in different seats throughout the task. All participants were randomly divided to nine experimental locations. The study employed a static IB task akin to self-study (Experiment 1) and a dynamic IB task modeled after interactive teaching as material (Experiment 2), both based on real classroom contexts. The results revealed that teachers do indeed have a certain attentional advantage area when it comes to detecting off-seat behavior: 1. Row effect was observed stably in both scenarios with off-seat behavior of students in the front rows being more readily detected. 2. The central inhibitory effect was noted only in static situation, not dynamic ones. In static condition, students with off-seat behavior were more likely to be detected when seated peripherally rather than centrally. 3. There was a significant correlation in detection rates among the same teachers across the two experiments, with teachers’ performance in the second experiment not being influenced by expectations set by the first. These findings indicated: 1. The inattentional blindness of individual teachers to students’ off-seat behavior is relatively stable. 2. Front row seating is more detectable for the teachers to notice the “missing student.” 3. In the static situation teacher should avoid arranging students prone to off-seat behavior in central area. The study extends the research paradigm of the IB test in educational settings. Moreover, it provides scientific basis for teachers to strategically arrange seating plans, especially for students with special needs.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2024-04-02
Abstract： The rationality of moral judgment is determined by the judgment of what is justice. An impartial judgment needs a clear logical structure, including the identification of evidence and the analysis of the rationality of judgment criteria. The justice evaluation of social affairs should be based on principle evaluation, followed by utilitarian evaluation of social utility. Sorting out the relevant information of the event as much as possible is the data basis for impartial moral judgment. Comprehensive and sufficient empathy is the methodological basis for impartial moral judgment. The universal values, which are characterized by rationality, justice, equality, fraternity, tolerance, etc., are the normative basis for impartial moral judgment.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2024-04-01
Abstract： The value of music in human evolution may be attributed to its social functions. Research has shown that both music listening and joint music-making foster prosocial behaviors and the development of prosocial skills. In order to explain these effects, we propose a theoretical model, suggesting that music enhances individuals’ empathy and positive emotional experiences through emotional contagion, while the entrainment effect of rhythm facilitates interpersonal synchrony. Furthermore, the interaction between emotional contagion and rhythmic entrainment can further enhance the prosocial effects of music. Oxytocin, the endogenous opioid system, the dopamine reward system, and auditory-motor coupling may serve as potential neurobiological foundations for the prosocial effects of music. Future research could employ the multi-pathway theoretical model to examine the prosocial effect of music and its mediating mechanisms, providing further evidence for the music-social bonding hypothesis.
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology submitted time 2024-03-15
Abstract： The coexistence of physical pain and psychological pain, two common types of pain associated with depression, complicates the timely diagnosis of depression, alleviation of symptoms, and improvement of patients’ quality of life. In-depth research into the distinct clinical manifestations and neural mechanisms of these two types of pain is of great significance for the diagnosis of depression and treatment of patients with depression. A review of the literature reveals that, in terms of behavioral indicators, individuals with depression exhibit inconsistent sensitivity to different types of physical pain and characteristics, such as a low pain threshold, long duration, and intense suffering from psychological pain, compared to healthy subjects. With respect to neural mechanisms, the patterns of physical and psychological pain in patients with depression are similar to those of healthy subjects. In the future, researchers should concentrate on the features of these two types of comorbid pain in depression, clarify the influencing factors in pain processing in depression, compare the commonalities and differences between the processing
of physical and psychological pain in depression, and elucidate the functional neuroscientific changes associated with pain in depression, thus providing a basis for more accurate diagnosis and more effective treatment.
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology submitted time 2024-03-08
Abstract： Creative thinking is the kind of thinking mode that generates novel and appropriate viewpoints or products. With the rise of embodied cognition theory, numerous researches of creative thinking from the perspective of embodied cognition have been reported. However, relevant researches in China are scarce. To promote the development of domestic research, we reviewed relevant researches from the aspects of perception of movement, visual sense, tactile sense and taste sense. Relevant embodied effects were explained from the perspectives of cognitive development theory proposed by Piaget, conceptual metaphor theory and evolutionary psychology. Future research should explore the embodied creativity from the aspects of bidirectional embodied effects, the cognitive neural mechanisms, experimental repeatability, multisensory channel integration, malevolent creativity, benevolent creativity, machine learning and so on.
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology submitted time 2024-02-27
Abstract： Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is very common and is associated with a high mortality rate. Therefore, exploring the mechanisms of the onset and development of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), a clinical prodromal stage of AD, can help prevent the disease. Previous studies have suggested a close relationship between memory decline in aMCI and multiple executive domain defects; however, key scientific questions, such as which executive domain is the key pathogenic factor, remain unanswered, and key intervention targets remain unknown. To overcome the limitations of previous studies that considered executive function as a whole or fragmented element, this study will focus on the overall structure of executive function based on the hypothesis that executive function in aMCI is associated with memory impairment. This study will use electroencephalography (EEG) technology to investigate the time domain, time-frequency, and dynamic brain network characteristics of three sub-components of executive function (inhibition, updating, and switching) in patients with aMCI. Using a three-dimensional convolutional neural network, specific neural targets of executive function defects will be identified, and the possibility of adding neural markers related to the inhibition domain for early identification of aMCI will be explored. In addition, the effects of training and the neural basis of different targeted digital interventions in patients with aMCI will be analyzed using a longitudinal design, thus revealing the crucial role of the inhibition domain-related frontal-parietal control network in the interventions. This study aims to elucidate inhibition as a new cognitive target for aMCI executive function defects and explore interventions from the perspective of computational cognitive neurology. It also aims to provide evidence-based support for the early identification, precise diagnosis, and development of treatment plans for aMCI.
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology submitted time 2024-02-20
Abstract： Memory consolidation typically occurs slowly during rest or sleep periods following memory encoding. Under stress, though, the consolidation of memories may accelerate considerably. The mechanisms underlying this rapid memory consolidation in stressful circumstances remain unclear, primarily due to the longstanding absence of quantitative methodologies for investigating the neural activities during the human memory consolidation. This research aims to employ computational neuroscience techniques to meticulously characterize neural replay during the consolidation of episodic memory under stress. Specifically, we propose an integrated approach involving cognitive psychology, neuroimaging, machine learning, neuroendocrine regulation, stress induction, and physiological and neuroendocrine assessments to examine the ’double-edged sword’ hypothesis related to stress and neural replay. Although stress might hasten the rate of neural replay, thereby facilitating memory consolidation, it could simultaneously compromise the accuracy of neural replay and disrupt its sequentiality. Our study will: (1) juxtapose the multi-dimensional characteristics of neural replay under stress and non-stress conditions; (2) probe the interplay between neural replay and memory retrieval and encoding in stressful conditions; and (3) strive to employ neuroendocrine and environmental tactics to modulate human stress responses, which in turn could influence neural replay during consolidation. The implications of this research are twofold: it could help identify the optimal brain state to enhance memory consolidation and bridge the gap between human and animal studies on neural replay. At the same time, it could illuminate new strategies for preserving episodic memory function under stress and intervening in memory deficits seen in stress-associated psychiatric disorders.
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology submitted time 2024-02-13
Abstract： The present study examined whether a high-level construal mindset promotes categorizing information according to thematic relations. In two experiments, the construal-level priming task was used to initiate a high-level versus low-level construal mindset, and then all participants were asked to complete the triad task which is the task of measuring the preference to classify. The research findings demonstrated that irrespective of whether the objects being classified were artifacts (Experiment 1) or natural objects (Experiment 2), the high-level construal mindset group exhibited a higher percentage of thematic responses in the triad task. The findings suggest that a high-level construal mindset promotes categorizing information based on thematic relations.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology submitted time 2024-02-05
Abstract： Previous studies have identified that people with Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) exhibit processing biases toward negative emotional stimuli, especially those associated with anger, in contrast to their healthy counterparts. Additionally, negative stimuli elicit excessive emotional arousal in people with IGD, yet they encounter difficulties in effective emotional regulation. These emotional processing abnormalities play a pivotal role in the maintenance and development of IGD. Simultaneously, anomalies are also observed in brain regions linked with emotional processing in people with IGD, including the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and portions of the prefrontal cortex. Future investigations could focus more on the group emotional processing in IGD, the temporal dynamics of emotional processing in IGD, strategies to enhance the emotional regulation ability of people with IGD, and the emotional processing of adolescents with IGD. Furthermore, designing and presenting emotional stimuli in diverse ways can be employed to achieve various research purposes. Meanwhile, the effects of the gender ratio of participants, as well as both long-term and short-term emotional states, on the results of emotional processing studies should also be taken into consideration.
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology submitted time 2024-01-25
Abstract： Previous studies have found that perceptual learning can improve the performance on visual search tasks. However, many cognitive processes are involved in visual search, and it is unclear at which visual processing stage perceptual learning facilitates search performance. The current study explored the mechanism of perceptual learning by dividing the eye movement metrics into three visual processing stages: search initiation time (the early visual processing stage), which represents the cognitive process of the time of processing the current location and selecting the next search location; scanning time (the middle visual processing stage), which includes the number and processing time of fixation positions; verification time (the late visual processing stage), which represents determining whether the current stimulus is the target and making a verification.
A 2 (target type: trained vs. untrained triangle) x 2 (pretest vs. posttest) within-subjects design was used to address the above issue. 24 healthy young adults (5 males; mean age: 21.23±2.02 years) participated as paid volunteers in this study. We randomly selected one of the four orientations of the triangle (Up, Down, Left, or Right) as the trained triangle, which would receive three days of training. Moreover, to ensure that the visual search training was specific to the trained triangle, the trained and untrained triangles were tested by recording the behavior results and eye movement before and after training (untrained triangle was randomly selected from the distractors). Each trial started with a fixation cross (When eye movement was recorded, the search display would not appear until the participants fixated on the center cross for more than 500 ms; when eye movement was not recorded, the central fixation cross was presented for 500 ms and then the search screen was presented). Then a search display was presented until the key response or the elapse reached 2000 ms since its onset. The response was recorded only before the fixation cross disappeared. The task of participants was to determine whether or not the target was presented as quickly as possible. Participants pressed the left arrow key to report the presence of a target or the right arrow key to report its absence.
A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was conducted with the factors of target types (trained vs. untrained triangle) and test stage (pretest vs. posttest). The behavior results found the reduced response time and increased accuracy when searching for trained stimuli after training. However, there was no significant difference in response time or accuracy between pretest and posttest for untrained stimuli. The results of eye movement tracking are as follows: (1) in the early visual processing stage, the search initiation time of the trained stimuli increased significantly after training, and there was no significant difference in the search initiation time between pretest and posttest for untrained stimuli. (2) In the middle visual processing stage, the number of fixations and the average fixation time of trained stimuli were significantly reduced after training, and there was no significant difference for untrained stimuli before and after training. (3) In the late visual processing stage, there was no significant difference in verification time between the pre-test and post-test for both trained and untrained stimuli.
In conclusion, the accuracy and search initiation time of searching for trained stimuli was increased, while the number of fixations and the fixation time decreased. Moreover, the changes in behavior and eye movement indexes did not transfer to untrained stimuli. It is suggested that perceptual learning can affect the early and middle visual processing stages, and may search performance may be improved by increasing the search latency, reducing the number of saccades, and reducing the fixation time
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology Subjects: Physics >> Interdisciplinary Physics and Related Areas of Science and Technology Subjects: Medicine, Pharmacy >> Preclinical Medicine submitted time 2024-01-21
Abstract： The non-exclusive dual-process working model proposed in De Neys’ article effectively makes up for the shortcomings of the existing theories and models, but the explanation of the switching problem and the exclusivity problem in this article cannot constitute a complete rejection of the existing switching mechanism and the traditional fast-slow dual-process model. We believe that a more powerful and logical way of explaining the theory is as follows: human reasoning process is related to the complexity of the problem being faced, and it is also closely related to the reading process of the problem; in the process of reading the problem, the brain will automatically choose different ways of reasoning for the problem of different levels of complexity; and in the process of selection, the principle of minimum energy should still be valid.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology submitted time 2024-01-15
Abstract： Prior research on facial attractiveness judgments has predominantly focused on visual information, overlooking the role of non-visual cues. Current studies have confirmed the existence of cross-modal interaction in facial attractiveness judgments, emphasizing cross-modal integration. Building on this foundation, this study integrates Face-space model and Bayesian causal inference models to propose that during the cross-modal integration process of facial attractiveness judgments, individuals naturally amalgamate various sensory inputs in the brain, forming a unified representation of the target face when inferring that different sensory information emanates from the same facial source. Future research may extend facial investigations into broader environmental contexts, examining cross-modal integration of diverse sensory information and further exploring the boundary conditions of cross-modal integration, particularly in the context of social interactions, to construct a more systematic model for cross-modal integration in facial attractiveness judgments.
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology submitted time 2024-01-14
Abstract： The spatial-numerical association of response codes (SNARC) effect is a phenomenon in which the leftward response is faster than the rightward response for smaller numbers, whereas for larger numbers, the rightward response is faster than the leftward response. Although the existence of the SNARC effect has been examined in many studies, most of these studies focused on the symbolic SNARC effect and neglected to explore the non-symbolic SNARC effect. Little is known about how symbolic and non-symbolic SNARC effects develop and whether there are differences in the cognitive mechanisms involved in these two effects. The present study aimed to simultaneously investigate the developmental characteristics and cognitive mechanisms of symbolic and non-symbolic SNARC effects to contribute to the understanding of number processing.
In Experiment 1, a large-sample cross-sectional method was used with four age groups to explore the developmental characteristics of symbolic and non-symbolic SNARC effects. Thirty-six 6- to 7-year-old children, 59 7- to 8-year-old children, 69 8- to 9-year-old children and 31 adults performed the symbolic and non-symbolic parity judgement task. Experiment 2 was based on dual coding theory and the findings from Experiment 1. In this experiment, 137 children aged 8 to 9 years, the key age at which symbolic and non-symbolic SNARC effects are observed, were selected as participants and followed longitudinally for six months to explore whether the two SNARC effects had similar cognitive mechanisms. Phonological ability, visuospatial ability, visual working memory and phonological working memory were measured at T1. At T2 (after 6 months), the participants' symbolic and non-symbolic SNARC effects were measured. The symbolic and non-symbolic SNARC effects at T1 were controlled.
The findings of this study were as follows. (1) The non-symbolic SNARC effect emerged in 6- to 7-year-old children, while the symbolic SNARC effect emerged in 8- to 9-year-old children. Thus, the non-symbolic SNARC effect emerged earlier than the symbolic SNARC effect. (2) There were no significant age differences in the symbolic or non-symbolic SNARC effects. (3) For 8- to 9-year-old children and adults with both symbolic SNARC effects and non-symbolic SNARC effects, these two effects were not significantly correlated. (4) Phonological ability and phonological working memory at T1 significantly predicted the development of the symbolic SNARC effect at T2 but not the development of the non-symbolic SNARC effect at T2. Visuospatial ability and visual working memory at T1 significantly predicted the development of the non-symbolic SNARC effect at T2 but not the development of the symbolic SNARC effect.
In conclusion, 8 to 9 years is the critical age at which symbolic and non-symbolic SNARC effects emerge simultaneously, and there is no significant difference in the size of the SNARC effects according to age. Furthermore, phonological ability and phonological working memory contribute to the symbolic SNARC effect, whereas visuospatial ability and visual working memory contribute to the non-symbolic SNARC effect. These findings suggest a difference in the cognitive mechanisms of these two SNARC effects. These findings support the hypothesis of the separation of symbolic and non-symbolic SNARC effects and extend dual coding theory.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology submitted time 2024-01-01
Abstract： The evidence accumulation model is a widely used cognitive model of human decision-making, which assumes that decision-makers continuously gather and integrate information into evidence relevant to the decision and make a decision once the accumulated evidence reaches a predefined threshold. With the increasing popularity of evidence accumulation model, some researchers claim it has reached a theoretical plateau and can be considered as the standard model for analyzing response time and choices. However, the theoretical assumptions underlying these models lack rigorous testing. As an example, the drift-diffusion model (DDM) is an instantiation of evidence accumulation and has five underlying assumptions: (1) the universality of evidence accumulation; (2) the selectivity of evidence accumulation; (3) linear integration of evidence with noise; (4) a constant decision criterion; and (5) decision-making is independent of motor execution. DDM has been widely used in cognitive tasks, such as value-based decision-making, and social decision-making, probably due to the availability of user-friendly software for parameter estimation. However, only a few studies systematically examined to what extent these five assumptions of DDM were supported by empirical studies. To fill the gap, we reviewed studies that tested these five assumptions.
For the first assumption of DDM, the universality of evidence accumulation, we only found direct evidence from studies that employed perceptual decision-making tasks. For other studies that used DDM for modeling, such as value-based decision-making or social decision-making, we found few studies that directly tested the existence of evidence accumulation. The second assumption, the selectivity of evidence accumulation, suggested that only information related to the goal would contribute to evidence accumulation. We did not find empirical data supporting this assumption except for O’Connell et al. (2012). However, evidence from conflict tasks (e.g., flanker task) suggested that information irrelevant to the goal may also be incorporated into the evidence accumulation. Data from conflict tasks inspired new models related to evidence accumulation model and called for further investigation into the mechanism behind the selectivity of evidence. The third and fourth assumptions constitute the core assumptions of DDM, i.e., “evidence accumulate-to-bound”. Regarding the third assumption, which posits that evidence with noise is accumulated linearly, supporting data were found from animal studies and human EEG studies that employed perceptual decision-making. However, human EEG data from value-based decision-making tasks has challenged the validity of this assumption. The fourth assumption, that the decision criterion is constant, is controversial and has been challenged by several other evidence accumulation models, such as collapsing boundary models. The last assumption, that decision-making is independent of motor execution, has also been questioned by empirical data from both animal studies and human behavioral and electromyography data, despite support from EEG recording.
In summary, we found that, while the standard DDM is commonly used in many sub-fields of psychology and neuroscience, empirical studies that directly tested five assumptions of DDM were mainly from perceptual decision-making tasks. Also, we found that challenging these assumptions often resulted in new computational models. These findings call for studies to test these assumptions and develop new models. Besides, these findings suggest that researchers should be cautious when interpreting the parameters estimated from standard DDM. Finally, our review suggests that increasing transparency in model assumptions will accelerate the revision of models and theories, and ultimately deepen our understanding of human cognitive processes.
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology submitted time 2023-12-06
Abstract： The spontaneity of Level-1 visual perspective taking has been widely discussed in the field of visual perspective taking. Many studies have confirmed that Level-1 visual perspective taking is spontaneously activated, but this finding has mainly been observed in the context of a single avatar’s presence. Scenarios involving two or more avatars have received scant attention. Specifically, no suitable experimental paradigm has been developed for situations with multiple avatars in this domain. Therefore, the paradigm adapted from those employed by Samson et al. (2010) and Mattan et al. (2015) was used in this study. The stimuli of virtual scenes were modeled by 3D Max, and the experimental procedures were programmed by E-Prime, recording the accuracy rate and reaction time. In contrast to previous studies, this paper explores whether and how the multiple avatars affect the process of Level-1 visual perspective taking, and clarifies the influencing factors by varying the conditions.
This study comprises three experiments. In Experiment 1, the paradigm adapted from the classic “dot-perspective task” was employed to investigate whether participants would spontaneously compute another perspective in the presence of a single avatar (target avatar). In Experiment 2, an additional avatar (irrelevant avatar) is introduced to explore how the consistency in the number of dots seen by the avatars would affect the perspective-taking process. Subsequently, Experiment 3 excluded the influence of the consistency in the number of dots seen by the avatars and investigated whether consistency in the line of sight would impact the presence of multiple avatars.
Based on the results from these three experiments, the conclusions drawn are as follows:
(1) The adapted paradigm proved to be feasible, successfully replicating the results of previous studies: which indicated that Level-1 visual perspective taking was spontaneously activated in the presence of a single avatar. The perspectives of the self and the avatar mutually interfered with each other. For self-perspective judging trials, the avatar’s perspective was spontaneously activated, leading to altercentric intrusion, and conversely, egocentric intrusion could occur.
(2) In the presence of multiple avatars, the Level-1 visual perspective-taking process remained spontaneous. Furthermore, the consistency in the number of objects seen by avatars resulted in a group-perspective effect, especially during self-perspective judgments. When the number of objects seen by the participant and the target avatar was consistent, the group perspective had a positive impact on the judgment. Conversely, if there was an inconsistency, it would impede the judgment process.
(3) When the number of objects seen by avatars was set to be inconsistent, the consistency of the line of sight could still capture the participants’ attention to both avatars. This situation leads to interference from the perspective of the irrelevant avatar, further influencing the spontaneity of Level-1 visual perspective taking, whether it was judged from the perspective of the self or the avatar.
In summary, perspective computation occurs effortlessly, flexibly, and spontaneously in scenarios involving multiple avatars, whether considering the perspective of a target or irrelevant avatar. The outcomes of perspective taking can either enhance or impede the performance in dot-perspective tasks, depending on the relationship among the “self, target avatar, and irrelevant avatar”, while exhibiting distinctive performance traits based on the specific situation.
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology submitted time 2023-12-05
Abstract： To establish a stable and sensitive experience of the world, the brain tends to use recent history when forming perceptual decisions. This results in serial dependence in perception, by which previous trials affect the current perception. The serial dependence effect can be divided into (at least) two categories: the effect of previous stimuli (i.e., the stimulus serial dependence effect) and the effect of previous decisions (i.e., the decisional serial dependence effect) on the current perception. Although separate stimulus and decisional serial dependence effects have been demonstrated in duration perception, their spatial selectivity is unclear. In the present study, we investigated whether and how serial dependence in duration perception generalizes across different visual positions of stimuli.
The modified temporal bisection task was used in three experiments. Specifically, 24 naïve volunteers participated in Experiment 1. During the experiment, the visual stimulus (a white Gaussian blob) was pseudorandomly presented in the central or peripheral (10° from the left fixation) visual field. Participants were asked to judge whether the duration of the test stimulus (i.e., 300, 395, 520, 684, or 900 ms) was shorter or longer than a reference stimulus of intermediate duration (i.e., 520 ms) once the test stimulus disappeared. A group of 23 new volunteers were recruited for Experiment 2. The task of Experiment 2 was similar to that of Experiment 1, except that the visual stimulus was pseudorandomly located at either 5° to the left or 5° to the right of the central fixation. A new set of 24 volunteers participated in Experiment 3, in which the positions of both the fixation and the visual stimulus were changed; there were thus four types of positional relationships between stimuli across trials (i.e., identity, retinal position change, external position change, and both changes).
The results showed that previous stimulus duration and previous choice exerted opposing effects on serial dependence of duration perception: specifically, a repulsive stimulus serial dependence and an attractive decisional serial dependence. In other words, current duration estimates were repelled away from the previous trial’s stimulus duration but attracted toward the previous choice. We found these effects in both the central and peripheral visual fields. More importantly, we found that the stimulus serial dependence effect was not constrained by the visual position of the stimuli: the effects were comparable between contexts in which the stimulus positions of previous and current trials were the same and when they were different. The effects fully transferred across the central and peripheral visual fields, across the left and right visual hemifields, and across different external spaces. However, we found that the decisional serial dependence effect was larger in the position-consistent context than in the position-inconsistent context. This indicates that the decisional serial dependence effect could only be partially transferred across different visual positions regardless of the types of positions (i.e., spatiotopic vs. retinotopic).
These results provide evidence that both previous stimuli duration and previous choices affect subsequent perceptual decisions about duration, resulting in repulsive and attractive serial dependence effects, respectively. The repulsive stimulus serial dependence effect fully generalizes across different visual positions, suggesting it occurs primarily in higher-level visual areas. This also implies the existence of fast-duration adaptation. The attractive decisional serial dependence effect suggests that there is decision inertia in perceptual choices. Moreover, this effect is partly contingent on the visual position, which may result from the category organization function of higher-order brain areas. This suggests that the brain takes advantage of the visual position context when forming the decisional prior. These findings are helpful for understanding the plasticity of duration perception.
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology submitted time 2023-12-01
Abstract： Is visual consciousness a discrete or continuous pattern? The attentional blink paradigm from the perspective of attentional blindness is an important tool for answering this question. Attentional blink paradigm refers to the rapid presentation of stimulus (approximately 10 per second) in a fixed spatial position, where participants need to report one or more targets among several distractions. This paradigm can effectively weaken consciousness to varying degrees by controlling the lag time, avoiding confusion in subjective judgments and errors caused by exogenous attention. Based on the perspective of integrated theory, the coexistence of two patterns in attentional blink is demonstrated, providing a compatible theoretical framework for different perspectives on this issue, and helping to further explore the reasons why measurement methods, stimulus materials, participants' reaction modes, processing levels, and attentional load affect visual consciousness patterns. Future research can optimize experimental methods and operations based on the above factors, thereby conducting in-depth empirical exploration of this issue from the perspective of attentional blink.
Subjects: Psychology >> Cognitive Psychology submitted time 2023-11-24
Abstract： Reward can improve working memory performance. However, there has been controversy on whether reward can regulate the retrieval of working memory. Some studies have presented reward signals before the retrieval stage, with the results showing that reward can affect the retrieval phase during working memory. Klink et al. (2017) indicated that reward cues presented in the retrieval phase cannot affect working memory. However, this finding lacks support in the literature and needs to be further tested. The present study aims to explore the mechanism and effect of reward on the precision of working memory during retrieval.
A total of 24 participants (experiment 1) and 60 participants (experiment 2) were recruited for two experiments. Experiment 1 included two stages: association learning and memory test. The participants first established the connection between color and value through association learning. Thereafter, a working memory test was conducted. Reward cues were presented with the memory probe during the working memory test. Experiment 2 included four stages: pretest, association learning, posttest, and confidence assessment. Pre- and post-test tasks were the same, in which the participants performed two memory tests in sequence during the retrieval phase. Colored cues were not related to rewards in the pre-test but associated with rewards in the post-test. Confidence judgment required the participants to evaluate their confidence that they can infer the color of the second cue based on the color of the first cue. This undertaking aimed to test whether the participants have expectations for the order of cues.
Results of experiment 1 showed that the effect of reward was significant in the memory test stage. In particular, memory performance with high and low reward cues was better than that with no reward cues. Results of the post-test of experiment 2 showed a significant main effect of test order. Memory performance of the first test item was particularly better than that of the second test item. Moreover, there was a significant test order by serial position of the high-reward cue interaction effect. Memory performance of the first test item was better when the high-reward cue appeared before the low-reward cue. Memory performance of the second test item was better when the low reward cue appeared before the high-reward cue. The participants’ working memory capacity was differentiated according to their performance during the pre-test to investigate the individual differences of the reward effects. Results likewise indicated that reward did not affect the memory performance of the high-capacity group. For the low-capacity group, memory performance was affected by the test order, serial position of the high-reward cue, and their interaction. Thus, the effect of reward was more evident with the low-capacity group.
The present study was the first to observe that rewards can directly regulate working memory retrieval without affecting encoding and retention. In addition, the regulation mechanism of reward on working memory retrieval involved the redistribution of working memory resources. Such a reward regulation was affected by the test order and working memory capacity. Moreover, findings indicated that individuals can adjust cognitive strategies before or during learning according to the item value to promote working memory processing. They can also adjust retrieval precision after learning according to the value of information set by the test. This flexible working memory regulation mechanism plays an important role in promoting human cognitive activities and social adaptation.
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