Texture discrimination task

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The texture discrimination task is a common task used in visual perception learning. In this task, the subject must respond to the central letter task (in order to ensure that the subject remains fixated on the letter) and then identify the orientation of a target array in a peripheral location of the test stimulus. [1]

The test stimulus and mask stimulus (composed of randomly oriented V-shaped patterns) are separated by a period of time known as the stimulus-to-mask onset asynchrony. The shorter the stimulus-to-mask onset asynchrony, the more difficult the task becomes.

A 2015 study has shown that gamers typically do better than non-gamers in this task. [2]

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Filling-in

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P3b

The P3b is a subcomponent of the P300, an event-related potential (ERP) component that can be observed in human scalp recordings of brain electrical activity. The P3b is a positive-going amplitude peaking at around 300 ms, though the peak will vary in latency from 250–500 ms or later depending upon the task and on the individual subject response. Amplitudes are typically highest on the scalp over parietal brain areas.

Stimulus onset asynchrony

Stimulus-onset asynchrony (SOA) is a measure used in experimental psychology. SOA denotes the amount of time between the start of one stimulus, S1, and the start of another stimulus, S2. In this respect, a stimulus may consist of, e.g., a presented image, sound or printed word. A short time interval between S1 and S2 may lead to interference in the neural processing of these two patterns. Conversely, a very long SOA may lead to a situation where the brain activity caused by S1 may have faded, such that S2 has become an isolated event. Typical research questions concern the facilitation, deterioration, or biasing effects of the sequential stimulus presentation on a required later response. In one type of study on subliminal stimulation, called "pattern masking," subliminality is achieved by masking the subliminal stimulus with a second stimulus composed of either random parts of letters or numbers, or containing different kinds of figural properties. Here, the critical parameter is the time interval between the onset of the subliminal stimulus and the onset of the masking stimulus. In psycholinguistics the stimuli are typically a prime and a target, in which case the stimulus-onset asynchrony is measured from the beginning of the prime (S1) until the beginning of the target (S2). This time can be manipulated experimentally to determine its effects on other dependent measures such as reaction time or brain activity.

In the psychology of perception and motor control, the term response priming denotes a special form of priming. Generally, priming effects take place whenever a response to a target stimulus is influenced by a prime stimulus presented at an earlier time. The distinctive feature of response priming is that prime and target are presented in quick succession and are coupled to identical or alternative motor responses. When a speeded motor response is performed to classify the target stimulus, a prime immediately preceding the target can thus induce response conflicts when assigned to a different response as the target. These response conflicts have observable effects on motor behavior, leading to priming effects, e.g., in response times and error rates. A special property of response priming is its independence from visual awareness of the prime.

The term psychological refractory period (PRP) refers to the period of time during which the response to a second stimulus is significantly slowed because a first stimulus is still being processed. This delay in response time when one is required to divide attention can exhibit a negative effect that is evident in many fields of study. The PRP can be used to investigate many areas of research that study processes which require divided attention, such as reading aloud, language, or driving and talking on the phone. PRP effects related to personality, age, and level of alcohol or caffeine intake have also been investigated.

Images and other stimuli contain both local features and global features. Precedence refers to the level of processing to which attention is first directed. Global precedence occurs when an individual more readily identifies the global feature when presented with a stimulus containing both global and local features. The global aspect of an object embodies the larger, overall image as a whole, whereas the local aspect consists of the individual features that make up this larger whole. Global processing is the act of processing a visual stimulus holistically. Although global precedence is generally more prevalent than local precedence, local precedence also occurs under certain circumstances and for certain individuals. Global precedence is closely related to the Gestalt principles of grouping in that the global whole is a grouping of proximal and similar objects. Within global precedence, there is also the global interference effect, which occurs when an individual is directed to identify the local characteristic, and the global characteristic subsequently interferes by slowing the reaction time.

Anthony Marcel is a British psychologist who contributed to the early debate on the nature of unconscious perceptual processes in the 1970s and 1980s. Marcel argued in favour of an unconscious mind that "…automatically re-describe(s) sensory data into every representational form and to the highest levels of description available to the organism.” Marcel sparked controversy with his claim to have demonstrated unconscious priming. As of 2013 Marcel was working at the University of Hertfordshire and Cambridge University where his research focused on consciousness and phenomenological experience.

Dennis M. Levi is a South African optometrist. He is professor of optometry and vision science and a professor of neuroscience at the School of Optometry of the University of California at Berkeley, in California in the United States. He is a former dean of the same school, an appointment he took up in 2001. He was previously the Cullen Distinguished Professor of Optometry on the faculty of the University of Houston, in Houston, Texas, where he also did his PhD. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.

References

  1. Yotsumoto, Y; Chang, LH; Watanabe, T; Sasaki, Y (2009). "Interference and feature specificity in visual perceptual learning". Vision Res. 49: 2611–23. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2009.08.001. PMC   2764795 . PMID   19665036.
  2. "PLOS ONE: Frequent Video Game Players Resist Perceptual Interference". Journals.plos.org. Retrieved June 22, 2015.