The role of grouping in shape formation: New effects due to the directional symmetry

Generation of social assets and sharing knowledge in a hybrid intentional community: pilot analysis from Latvia

Generavimas socialinių lėšų ir iš anksto apgalvotų žinių dalinimas mišrioje bendruomenėje: bandomasis tyrimas Latvijoje. The present paper is an attempt to investigate the dynamics of social assets building and knowledge exchange among the members of an intentional community (the National Library of Latvia users’ community) based on a hybrid social infrastructure consisting of online and offline (face-to-face) links and communication channels. Although the theoretical framework is primarily based on the social capital theory, knowledge management studies and the theory of social categorization, insights from applied epistemology are also included. The proposed model hypothesizes a positive …

Effect of Handedness on Mental Rotation

The impact of the dominant hand on the response time and precision in mental rotational tasks seems to be controversial. The goal of this study was to compare the differences in response times of mental rotation tasks when the task is performed with the dominant or non-dominant hand. In this study, 44 right-handers and 45 left-handers participated in mental rotation tests with 2-D and 3-D figures. Findings indicate that the right-handers had shorter response times than left-handers in tests with both types of figures.

Gaze Parameters in the Analysis of Ambiguous Geometric Shapes.

This study explores perceptual organisation and shape perception when viewing a tetragon and an additional element (a dot) that is located at varying positions and distances next to the tetragon. The aim of the study is to determine the factors that can alter the interpretation of object configuration and impact whether the presented tetragon is perceived as a diamond or a square. Methods used in this study are a forced-choice task as a subjective measurement and eye tracking as an objective measurement of perceptual processes. Overall, 31 stimuli were presented to the participants: a tetragon in two different sizes with an additional element (a dot) located inside or outside the object at…

The Impact Of Hybrid Infrastructure On Trust, Motivation And Knowledge Sharing In An Intentional Community: A Latvian Case Study

The role of ICT infrastructure in enhancing innovation processes through fostering knowledge and information exchange is a controversial topic in regional science. Opposing views exist, in particular, with regard to two topics: a) the persistence of a specific role of geographical proximity in knowledge exchange processes in the age of global virtual networking; b) the capability of virtual networking to recreate the social assets of a physical community (trust, solidarity?). Existing studies primarily focus on aggregated data, rely on doubtful epistemological assumptions (e.g. the equation of information with knowledge), and neglect several epistemological principles of social cognition (e…

KNOWLEDGE SHARING AND ENRICHMENT IN THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA: THE ROLE OF PHYSICAL VS VIRTUAL COMMUNITY LINKAGES

The role of ICT accessibility in enhancing regional innovation through knowledge and information exchange is a recently popular and controversial topic in regional science. Opposing views exist, related to the bigger or lesser importance of geographical proximity in knowledge exchange in an age dominated by virtual global channels. Existing studies primarily focus on regions (macro level) as units of analysis, without investigating socio-cognitive dynamics in detail, and rely on doubtful epistemological assumptions (i.e. the equation of information with knowledge). It may be hypothesized that the debate would benefit from: a) analyses focused on the micro (individual) level; b) a more compl…

Simple Configuration Effects on Eye Movements in Horizontal Scanning Tasks

When reading text, observers alternate periods of stable gaze (fixations) and shifts of gaze (saccades). An important debate in the literature concerns the processes that drive the control of these eye movements. Past studies using strings of letters rather than meaningful text ('z-reading') suggest that eye movement control during reading is, to a large extent, controlled by low-level image properties. These studies, however, have failed to take into account perceptual grouping processes that could drive these low-level effects. We here study the role of various grouping factors in horizontal scanning eye movements, and compare these to reading meaningful text. The results show that sequen…

Visual grouping under isoluminant condition: impact of mental fatigue

Instead of selecting arbitrary elements our visual perception prefers only certain grouping of information. There is ample evidence that the visual attention and perception is substantially impaired in the presence of mental fatigue. The question is how visual grouping, which can be considered a bottom-up controlled neuronal gain mechanism, is influenced. The main purpose of our study is to determine the influence of mental fatigue on visual grouping of definite information – color and configuration of stimuli in the psychophysical experiment. Individuals provided subjective data by filling in the questionnaire about their health and general feeling. The objective evidence was obtained in t…