PAPER Signal clarity: an account of the variability in infant quantity discrimination tasks
Infants have shown variable success in quantity comparison tasks, with infants of a given age som... more Infants have shown variable success in quantity comparison tasks, with infants of a given age sometimes successfully discriminating numerical differences at a 2:3 ratio but requiring 1:2 and even 1:4 ratios of change at other times. The current explanations for these variable results include the two-systems proposal -a theoretical framework that suggests that there are multiple systems at play and that these systems do not communicate early in infancy,
Research has examined a wide range of factors that are associated with adolescent risk-taking, dr... more Research has examined a wide range of factors that are associated with adolescent risk-taking, drawn from across academic subdisciplines. These factors and their role in adolescent risk-taking tend to be examined in isolation of other factors, which poses problems for gaining a clear understanding of adolescent risk-taking. The present essay reviews a number of these factors – specifically, social-contextual influences, cognitive and affective decision-making tendencies, impulsivity, sensation seeking, and sex differences – and organizes them within an opportunity-propensity framework. The implications of this approach for risk-taking interventions are briefly discussed
Using a psychophysical approach coupled with eye-tracking measures, we varied length and width of... more Using a psychophysical approach coupled with eye-tracking measures, we varied length and width of shape stimuli to determine the objective parameters that corresponded to subjective determination of square/rectangle judgments. Participants viewed a two-dimensional shape stimulus and made a two-alternative forced-choice whether it was a square or rectangle. Participants' gaze was tracked throughout the task to explore directed visual attention to the vertical and horizontal axes of space. Behavioral results provide threshold values for two-dimensional square/rectangle perception, and eye-tracking data indicated that participants directed attention to the major and minor principal axes. Results are consistent with the use of the major and minor principal axis of space for shape perception and may have theoretical and empirical implications for orientation via geometric cues.
This presentation was given at the Annual Meeting for the Society for Personality and Social Psyc... more This presentation was given at the Annual Meeting for the Society for Personality and Social Psychology
When making decisions, most people tend to avoid uncertain outcomes or risks. However, individual... more When making decisions, most people tend to avoid uncertain outcomes or risks. However, individual differences, such as optimism versus pessimism and liberalism versus conservatism, may lead to variable approaches and outcomes in the decisionmaking process. Thus, the goal of this research is to examine individual differences in decision-making preferences and whether these associate with personality characteristics (i.e., optimism/pessimism and conservative/liberal views). To test this, the current study involves a probabilistic gambling task, adapted from behavioral judgment and decisionmaking research. Participants are shown "wheel-of-fortune-like" spinner wheel stimuli divided into green, red, and gray sections. The relative proportion of each color represents the respective probability of a win, loss, or no change in a bank of points, and participants' task is to choose between two simultaneously presented wheels. In a key set of trials, participants are presented with truly ambiguous choices, in which the relative win-to-loss ratios are objectively identical, though the likelihood of neutral outcomes vary. In addition, participants complete the Revised Life Orientation Test, which measures optimistic versus pessimistic views, and the Liberal-Conservative Self-Report Scale.
Manipulation of Filled and Unfilled Shapes and Shape Words Confirms Saliency Manipulation in a Delayed Match-to-Sample Task
The extent to which geometric processing is isolated from other processes remains a long-standing... more The extent to which geometric processing is isolated from other processes remains a long-standing question. Sturz, Edwards, and Boyer (2014) developed a delayed match-to-sample task that presented a sample of a shape, shape word, or bi-dimensional stimulus (shape and shape word). Post delay, participants identified the sample shape or the sample word by selecting between two shapes or two shape words. An asymmetrical pattern of interference emerged with increased reaction times and errors occurring in matching shape targets but not word targets. This was interpreted as shape words activating a semantic and spatial representation of shapes, but shapes only activating a spatial representation; however, such a pattern of results could have resulted from the shape word being more salient than the shape. The present experiments replicated and extended these results by manipulating figure-ground relations to contrast the original condition with an alternative to address an explanation based upon sample shape saliency (Experiment 1) and by confirming the effectiveness of the saliency manipulation (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 replicated the asymmetrical pattern of results for both conditions, and Experiment 2 confirmed the saliency manipulation. Collectively, these results undermine a pure saliency explanation and have comparative implications for the isolation of geometric processing
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 2016
Some theorists propose a domain-specific cognitive system dedicated to processing geometric infor... more Some theorists propose a domain-specific cognitive system dedicated to processing geometric information, but existence of this system remains debatable because of challenges in isolating geometric from linguistic and semantic processing. Recently, Sturz, Edwards, and Boyer (2014) developed a delayed match-to-sample task that presented a sample of a shape, shape word, or bidimensional stimulus composed of a shape and shape word. After a delay, participants identified the sample shape or the sample word by selecting between 2 shapes or 2 shape words. An asymmetrical pattern of interference emerged such that increased response times (RTs) and errors occurred in matching shape targets but not word targets. This was interpreted as shape words activating a semantic and spatial representation of shapes, but shapes only activating a spatial representation. The present experiments attempted to replicate and extend these results by manipulating figure-ground relations to contrast the original condition with an alternative to address an explanation based upon sample shape saliency (Experiment 1), by confirming the effectiveness of the saliency manipulation (Experiment 2), and by explicitly testing the assumption that shapes did not activate a semantic representation by reversing the sample-to-target matching criteria (Experiment 3). Experiment 1 replicated the asymmetrical pattern of results for both conditions, and Experiment 2 confirmed the saliency manipulation, which together undermine a pure saliency explanation. Experiment 3 produced a symmetrical pattern of results and suggests that the reversed matching criteria forced shapes to be processed in both a spatial and semantic fashion. These results provide support for a cognitive system dedicated to processing geometric information isolated from linguistic and semantic processing.
Nativists have postulated fundamental geometric knowledge that predates linguistic and symbolic t... more Nativists have postulated fundamental geometric knowledge that predates linguistic and symbolic thought. Central to these claims is the proposal for an isolated cognitive system dedicated to processing geometric information. Testing such hypotheses presents challenges due to difficulties in eliminating the combination of geometric and non-geometric information through language. We present evidence using a modified matching interference paradigm that an incongruent shape word interferes with identifying a two-dimensional geometric shape, but an incongruent two-dimensional geometric shape does not interfere with identifying a shape word. This asymmetry in interference effects between two-dimensional geometric shapes and their corresponding shape words suggests that shape words activate spatial representations of shapes but shapes do not activate linguistic representations of shape words. These results appear consistent with hypotheses concerning a cognitive system dedicated to processing geometric information isolated from linguistic processing and provide evidence consistent with hypotheses concerning knowledge of geometric properties of space that predates linguistic and symbolic thought.
Elementary school-aged children have great difficulty reasoning proportionally and struggle with ... more Elementary school-aged children have great difficulty reasoning proportionally and struggle with fractions and decimals, theoretically because proportions do not abide by the same principles as more familiar whole number quantities. The present study examines individual differences in proportional reasoning and whole number representations and tests a prediction for a nonlinearity in the development of relations between the two. Pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students completed a battery of computerized tasks, including a proportional reasoning task, "which is more?" and "which is #?" whole number comparison tasks, and symbolic and nonsymbolic numerical line-estimation tasks. The results indicate that though younger children's performance on each of the whole number comparison and number line estimation tasks were significantly positively correlated, performance on each was negatively correlated with performance on the proportional reasoning task. By contrast, older children's performance on the proportional, whole number comparison, and number line estimation tasks were all positively correlated. These findings support the proposal that better counting abilities early in development interfere with early proportional reasoning capacities, though the two are positively related later in development.
PAPER Signal clarity: an account of the variability in infant quantity discrimination tasks
Infants have shown variable success in quantity comparison tasks, with infants of a given age som... more Infants have shown variable success in quantity comparison tasks, with infants of a given age sometimes successfully discriminating numerical differences at a 2:3 ratio but requiring 1:2 and even 1:4 ratios of change at other times. The current explanations for these variable results include the two-systems proposal -a theoretical framework that suggests that there are multiple systems at play and that these systems do not communicate early in infancy,
Research has examined a wide range of factors that are associated with adolescent risk-taking, dr... more Research has examined a wide range of factors that are associated with adolescent risk-taking, drawn from across academic subdisciplines. These factors and their role in adolescent risk-taking tend to be examined in isolation of other factors, which poses problems for gaining a clear understanding of adolescent risk-taking. The present essay reviews a number of these factors – specifically, social-contextual influences, cognitive and affective decision-making tendencies, impulsivity, sensation seeking, and sex differences – and organizes them within an opportunity-propensity framework. The implications of this approach for risk-taking interventions are briefly discussed
Using a psychophysical approach coupled with eye-tracking measures, we varied length and width of... more Using a psychophysical approach coupled with eye-tracking measures, we varied length and width of shape stimuli to determine the objective parameters that corresponded to subjective determination of square/rectangle judgments. Participants viewed a two-dimensional shape stimulus and made a two-alternative forced-choice whether it was a square or rectangle. Participants' gaze was tracked throughout the task to explore directed visual attention to the vertical and horizontal axes of space. Behavioral results provide threshold values for two-dimensional square/rectangle perception, and eye-tracking data indicated that participants directed attention to the major and minor principal axes. Results are consistent with the use of the major and minor principal axis of space for shape perception and may have theoretical and empirical implications for orientation via geometric cues.
This presentation was given at the Annual Meeting for the Society for Personality and Social Psyc... more This presentation was given at the Annual Meeting for the Society for Personality and Social Psychology
When making decisions, most people tend to avoid uncertain outcomes or risks. However, individual... more When making decisions, most people tend to avoid uncertain outcomes or risks. However, individual differences, such as optimism versus pessimism and liberalism versus conservatism, may lead to variable approaches and outcomes in the decisionmaking process. Thus, the goal of this research is to examine individual differences in decision-making preferences and whether these associate with personality characteristics (i.e., optimism/pessimism and conservative/liberal views). To test this, the current study involves a probabilistic gambling task, adapted from behavioral judgment and decisionmaking research. Participants are shown "wheel-of-fortune-like" spinner wheel stimuli divided into green, red, and gray sections. The relative proportion of each color represents the respective probability of a win, loss, or no change in a bank of points, and participants' task is to choose between two simultaneously presented wheels. In a key set of trials, participants are presented with truly ambiguous choices, in which the relative win-to-loss ratios are objectively identical, though the likelihood of neutral outcomes vary. In addition, participants complete the Revised Life Orientation Test, which measures optimistic versus pessimistic views, and the Liberal-Conservative Self-Report Scale.
Manipulation of Filled and Unfilled Shapes and Shape Words Confirms Saliency Manipulation in a Delayed Match-to-Sample Task
The extent to which geometric processing is isolated from other processes remains a long-standing... more The extent to which geometric processing is isolated from other processes remains a long-standing question. Sturz, Edwards, and Boyer (2014) developed a delayed match-to-sample task that presented a sample of a shape, shape word, or bi-dimensional stimulus (shape and shape word). Post delay, participants identified the sample shape or the sample word by selecting between two shapes or two shape words. An asymmetrical pattern of interference emerged with increased reaction times and errors occurring in matching shape targets but not word targets. This was interpreted as shape words activating a semantic and spatial representation of shapes, but shapes only activating a spatial representation; however, such a pattern of results could have resulted from the shape word being more salient than the shape. The present experiments replicated and extended these results by manipulating figure-ground relations to contrast the original condition with an alternative to address an explanation based upon sample shape saliency (Experiment 1) and by confirming the effectiveness of the saliency manipulation (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 replicated the asymmetrical pattern of results for both conditions, and Experiment 2 confirmed the saliency manipulation. Collectively, these results undermine a pure saliency explanation and have comparative implications for the isolation of geometric processing
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 2016
Some theorists propose a domain-specific cognitive system dedicated to processing geometric infor... more Some theorists propose a domain-specific cognitive system dedicated to processing geometric information, but existence of this system remains debatable because of challenges in isolating geometric from linguistic and semantic processing. Recently, Sturz, Edwards, and Boyer (2014) developed a delayed match-to-sample task that presented a sample of a shape, shape word, or bidimensional stimulus composed of a shape and shape word. After a delay, participants identified the sample shape or the sample word by selecting between 2 shapes or 2 shape words. An asymmetrical pattern of interference emerged such that increased response times (RTs) and errors occurred in matching shape targets but not word targets. This was interpreted as shape words activating a semantic and spatial representation of shapes, but shapes only activating a spatial representation. The present experiments attempted to replicate and extend these results by manipulating figure-ground relations to contrast the original condition with an alternative to address an explanation based upon sample shape saliency (Experiment 1), by confirming the effectiveness of the saliency manipulation (Experiment 2), and by explicitly testing the assumption that shapes did not activate a semantic representation by reversing the sample-to-target matching criteria (Experiment 3). Experiment 1 replicated the asymmetrical pattern of results for both conditions, and Experiment 2 confirmed the saliency manipulation, which together undermine a pure saliency explanation. Experiment 3 produced a symmetrical pattern of results and suggests that the reversed matching criteria forced shapes to be processed in both a spatial and semantic fashion. These results provide support for a cognitive system dedicated to processing geometric information isolated from linguistic and semantic processing.
Nativists have postulated fundamental geometric knowledge that predates linguistic and symbolic t... more Nativists have postulated fundamental geometric knowledge that predates linguistic and symbolic thought. Central to these claims is the proposal for an isolated cognitive system dedicated to processing geometric information. Testing such hypotheses presents challenges due to difficulties in eliminating the combination of geometric and non-geometric information through language. We present evidence using a modified matching interference paradigm that an incongruent shape word interferes with identifying a two-dimensional geometric shape, but an incongruent two-dimensional geometric shape does not interfere with identifying a shape word. This asymmetry in interference effects between two-dimensional geometric shapes and their corresponding shape words suggests that shape words activate spatial representations of shapes but shapes do not activate linguistic representations of shape words. These results appear consistent with hypotheses concerning a cognitive system dedicated to processing geometric information isolated from linguistic processing and provide evidence consistent with hypotheses concerning knowledge of geometric properties of space that predates linguistic and symbolic thought.
Elementary school-aged children have great difficulty reasoning proportionally and struggle with ... more Elementary school-aged children have great difficulty reasoning proportionally and struggle with fractions and decimals, theoretically because proportions do not abide by the same principles as more familiar whole number quantities. The present study examines individual differences in proportional reasoning and whole number representations and tests a prediction for a nonlinearity in the development of relations between the two. Pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students completed a battery of computerized tasks, including a proportional reasoning task, "which is more?" and "which is #?" whole number comparison tasks, and symbolic and nonsymbolic numerical line-estimation tasks. The results indicate that though younger children's performance on each of the whole number comparison and number line estimation tasks were significantly positively correlated, performance on each was negatively correlated with performance on the proportional reasoning task. By contrast, older children's performance on the proportional, whole number comparison, and number line estimation tasks were all positively correlated. These findings support the proposal that better counting abilities early in development interfere with early proportional reasoning capacities, though the two are positively related later in development.
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