Search results for "Percept"

The Adequate Stimulus

2008

The term adequate stimulus describes that class of environmental phenomena that requires the least amount of energy to elicit a percept mediated by a particular sensory system, implying that the receptive organs of that sensory system are specialized to detect those phenomena. It was difficult to transfer this concept to the perception of pain and to the nociceptive system. Many different stimuli may cause pain (pin prick, burn injury, freeze injury, inflammation, etc.), none of which needs particularly low amounts of energy. The common denominator of those stimuli is that they threaten to cause tissue damage (in Greek: νoξη Noxe). Hence the adequate stimulus to elicit pain is traditionally…

Is it Quantum Sentience or Quantum Consciousness? A Review of Social Behaviours Observed in Primitive and Present-Day Microorganisms

2015

Social and intelligent behavioural designs have been observed in primitive and present day microorganisms in all three kingdoms of life. These behavioural patterns help microorganisms, to understand, evaluate and judge their constantly varying environment. Behaviour is represented as conscious moment, which occurs due to an event, which may be intentional or unintentional. Microorganisms have the capability of displaying behaviours, which can be compared to cognitive actions of the neural system in higher organisms. This review is a collection of social behaviours observed in present-day microorganisms as well as predicted behaviours in microfossils that have been studied so far. The intent…

Impact of training on beer flavor perception and description: Are trained and untrained subjects really different?

2001

This study examines the effect of beer assessment training on verbal and nonverbal performance. Two groups of subjects are asked to sort, match, and describe a set of 12 beers (6 supplemented and 6 commercial beers). Subjects from the first group are enrolled in a beer-training program. Subjects in the second group are untrained beer consumers. Results show that although both groups perform the matching task equally well, trained subjects performed better on supplemented beers and untrained subjects on commercial beers. Examination of the generated vocabulary shows that 44% of the terms are common to trained and untrained subjects. However, an analysis of the terms' efficiency shows that wh…

The effect of texture on face identification and configural information processing

2014

Shape and texture are an integral part of face identity. In the present study, the importance of face texture for face identification and detection of configural manipulation (i.e., spatial relation among facial features) was examined by comparing grayscale face photographs (i.e., real faces) and line drawings of the same faces. Whereas real faces provide information about texture and shape of faces, line drawings are lacking texture cues. A change-detection task and a forced-choice identification task were used with both stimuli categories. Within the change detection task, participants had to decide whether the size of the eyes of two sequentially presented faces had changed or not. After…

The impact of camera perspectives on the perception of a speaker

1990

Exploring relationships between pianists’ body movements, their expressive intentions, and structural elements of the music

2011

Body movements during music performance have been found to be indicative of the performer’s musical intentionality, and contribute to an observer’s perception of expressive playing. This study investigates the effect of structural elements of the score, and the playing of different levels of expression on body movements during a piano performance. Pianists were required to play the same piece in four different performance conditions. Their movements were tracked by an optical motion capture system, and the comparisons that were made between specific parts of the body used, performance condition, and musical score locations were subsequently statistically examined. We found that the head an…

An eye tracking comparison of external pointing cues and internal continuous cues in learning with complex animations

2010

Abstract Two experiments used eye tracking to investigate a novel cueing approach for directing learner attention to low salience, high relevance aspects of a complex animation. In the first experiment, comprehension of a piano mechanism animation containing spreading-colour cues was compared with comprehension obtained with arrow cues or no cues. Eye tracking data revealed differences in learner attention patterns between the different experimental conditions. The second experiment used eye tracking with synchronized and non-synchronized cues to investigate the role of dynamic direction of attention in cueing effectiveness. Results of Experiment 1 showed that spreading-colour cues resulted…

How perceived persuasive intent and reactance contribute to third-person perceptions: evidence from two experiments

2016

In two experiments, this study presents a process model that explains third-person perceptions (TPP) as a function of perceived persuasive intent and reactance. Using two nonstudent samples, findings were internally replicated for two topics. The study shows that media messages evoking perceptions of persuasive intent also activate reactance, which in turn predicts TPP topic-independently. Remarkably, half of the total stimulus effect on TPP could be explained through reactance, which offers new implications for existing theoretical explanations of strong TPP after undesirable messages but weak effects after, for example, prosocial messages.

Threats and attitudes toward Russian-speaking immigrants: a comparative study between younger and older Finns

2014

Using integrated threat theory as a theoretical lens to detect negative attitudes toward minority groups, this study compares and contrasts the perceptions and attitudes of older and younger Finns toward Russian-speaking minorities in Finland. A sample of high school students between 16 and 20 years of age represented the younger generation, while individuals over 65 years of age represented the older generation. The total sample was 242. Results indicated that there is a positive correlation between threat perception and prejudice. Results revealed that both groups have prejudices against Russian speakers and that these prejudices are related to the perception of realistic threat and negat…

Audiovisual Representation in Spanish and European Election Debates

2020

The presence of ever more conflicting stances between Europhiles and Eurosceptics has revealed some audiovisual discourses unknown until now. The fragmentation of inconclusive narrative discourse and staged situations with a clear intent to clash all make it necessary to analyse in detail the role given by the audiovisual media to the European process of democratisation. This study addresses the audiovisual discourse in Spanish public television (TVE) with the intention of discovering how the different topics addressed in debates are dealt with in audiovisual production, and whether those topics have benefited from certain decisions by the production team that are subjective a priori. Using…