Biomedical subjects

Dirk Kerzel

Publications and source records attributed to Dirk Kerzel.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Mental extrapolation of target position is strongest with weak motion signals and motor responses.

Some accounts hold that the position of moving objects is extrapolated either in visual perception or visual short-term memory ("representational momentum"). However, some studies did not find forward displacement of the final position when smooth motion was used, whereas reliable displacement was observed with implied motion. To resolve this conflict, the frequency of position changes was varied to sample motion types between the extreme cases of implied and smooth motion. A continuous function relating frequency of target change and displacement was found: Displacement increased when the frequency of position changes was reduced. Further, the response mode was varied. Probe judgments produced less forward displacement than motor judgments such as mouse or natural pointing movements. Also, localization judgments were susceptible to motion context, but not to variations of probe shape or expectancy about trajectory length. It is suggested that forward displacement results from the extrapolation of the next step in the observed motion sequence.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2003

Centripetal force draws the eyes, not memory of the target, toward the center.

Many observers believe that a target will continue on a curved trajectory after exiting a spiral tube. Similarly, when observers were asked to localize the final position of a target moving on a circular orbit, displacement of the judged position in the direction of forward motion ("representational momentum") and toward the center of the orbit was observed (cf. T. L. Hubbard, 1996). The present study shows that memory displacement of targets on a circular orbit is affected by eye movements. Forward displacement was larger with ocular pursuit of the target, whereas inward displacement was larger with motionless eyes. The results challenge an account attributing forward and inward displacement to mental analogues of momentum and centripetal force, respectively.

Eye Movements↗

PubMed2002

Different localization of motion onset with pointing and relative judgements.

When observers are asked to judge the first position of a moving object, displacements of the judged onset in the direction of and in the direction opposite to the motion have been reported. These errors have been referred to as the Fröhlich illusion and the onset repulsion effect, respectively. To resolve the apparent contradiction between these results, a number of experimental parameters were investigated. Displacement in the direction opposite to motion was only observed when observers pointed to the onset of a slowly moving target. At higher velocities, no displacement with pointing was observed. In contrast, relative judgements of motion onset were accurate at slow velocities, but displaced in the direction of motion at fast velocities. Whether the target moved on a linear or circular trajectory did not alter the results. In one experiment, a dissociation between perceptual and memory-based judgements was found. Overall, the experimental task determined whether displacement in the direction of or in the direction opposite to motion occurred.

Fingers↗

PubMed2002

Evidence for effects of phonological correspondence between visible speech and written syllables.

The present study investigated compatibility effects between written and spoken syllables. Participants saw the syllables "Ba" or "Da" printed on a speaker's mouth that was articulating either /b wedge / or /d wedge /. Participants classified either the printed syllable or the mouth movement by pressing a left or right key. Responses were faster when mouth movement and letters were congruent regardless of imperative stimulus dimension. As the two stimulus dimensions (mouth movements and letters) showed dimensional overlap, but did not overlap with the response, stimulus-response compatibility was ruled out according to some models. It is argued that the compatibility effect was due to the competition of phonological codes at a stage preceding response selection. Also, the results lend support to the view that Stroop-like tasks are ambiguous with regard to the locus of compatibility effects. Stimulus-response and stimulus-stimulus compatibility may be observed.

Cognition↗

PubMed2002

Effects of stimulus material on the Fröhlich illusion.

In the Fröhlich illusion, judgements of the first position of a moving object are typically displaced in the direction of motion. The illusion has been obtained with linear motion of a small target, and with rotary motion of a spatially extended line. We compared judgements of the initial orientation of a small dot and a line that rotated around the point of fixation. The illusion was absent with the dot, whereas it was reliably obtained with the line. When the density of the line was reduced to two dots, the illusion persisted. However, the illusion was absent when a half-line extending to only one side from fixation was presented. We discuss the results with respect to two attentional accounts of the Fröhlich illusion and an account based on spatiotemporal integration.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Memory for the position of stationary objects: disentangling foveal bias and memory averaging.

The perceived and remembered position of stationary target objects is subject to a large number of distortions. Objects are localized toward the fovea, and when an additional object (distractor) is presented, a tendency to average target and distractor position was observed. These distortions in visual short-term memory have been referred to as foveal bias and memory averaging, respectively. Because most studies on memory averaging did not monitor eye fixation, foveal bias and memory averaging may have been confounded. That is, observers may have fixated the distractor. To disentangle these factors, target and distractor were presented in the periphery, and fixation was monitored. Memory averaging was not observed. Rather a bias away from the distractor occurred when the distractor was briefly presented during the retention interval, or when it was visible throughout the trial. In contrast, a foveal bias was observed regardless of whether an additional object was present.

Fixation, Ocular↗

PubMed2002

Attention shifts and memory averaging.

When observers are asked to localize the final position of a moving stimulus, judgements may be influenced by additional elements that are presented in the visual scene. Typically, judgements arc biased toward a salient non-target element. It has been assumed that the non-target element acts as a landmark and attracts the remembered final target position. The present study investigated the effects of briefly flashed non-target elements on localization performance. Similar to landmark attraction, localization was biased toward these elements. However, an influence was only noted if the distractor was presented at the time of target disappearance or briefly thereafter. It is suggested that memory traces of distracting elements are only averaged with the final target position if they are highly activated at the time the target vanishes.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

The locus of "memory displacement" is at least partially perceptual: effects of velocity, expectation, friction, memory averaging, and weight.

When observers are asked to localize the final position of a moving target, the judged position is usually displaced from the actual position. It has been suggested that mental processes derived from a number of invariant and noninvariant principles produce the mislocalization in memory. In this study, the effects of velocity, expectation, friction, memory averaging, and weight were reconsidered, and evidence was accumulated that supports the alternative view that the distortions arise to a large degree at a perceptual level. Effects of velocity and expectation were present when observers still perceived a persisting image of the target. It is suggested that the active reorienting of the perceptual organs explains the distortions. Furthermore, distortions of the perceived center of a visible stimulus may explain effects that have previously been attributed to memory averaging and mental analogues of weight. Thus, the locus of memory displacement is at least partially perceptual.

Acceleration↗