Biomedical subjects

E J Hass

Publications and source records attributed to E J Hass.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1987

A method for examining gestural language structure.

This experiment tested the hypothesis that syntactic constituents in American Sign Language (ASL) serve as perceptual units. We adapted the strategy first employed by Fodor and Bever in 1965 in a study of the psychological reality of linguistic speech segments. Four deaf subjects were shown ASL sign sequences constructed to contain a single constituent break. The dependent measure was the subjective location of a light flash occurring during the sign sequence. The prediction that the flashes would be attracted to the constituent boundary was supported for two of the subjects, while the other two showed random placement of the flash location on either side of the constituent boundary. The two subjects not performing in the predicted direction were more proficient in English (written) than the two giving the effect. It was suggested that this relatively greater proficiency may have interfered in some way with the ASL syntax to produce the results obtained.

Adult↗

PubMed1987

Lateral asymmetry in visual detection under hypnosis.

It has been suggested that the hypnotic state results in a greater relative activation or priming of the right cerebral hemisphere than of the left hemisphere. The experiment reported here employed hypnosis to produce such a priming effect in a visual-detection task. Subjects were required to detect the presence or absence of a gap in outline squares presented either to the left visual field or right visual field, with response time as the primary dependent measure. Those subjects who were hypnotized produced a 50-msec. response time difference favoring squares presented to the left visual field whereas control subjects and simulator-control subjects showed no lateral asymmetries. The result is classified as a material-nonspecific priming effect and discussed with regard to the nature of processing resources.

Attention↗

PubMed1985

Effects of a concurrent memory task on hemispheric asymmetries in categorization.

Recent research on the division of processing between the two cerebral hemispheres has often employed two concurrent tasks to investigate the dynamic nature of hemispheric asymmetries. The experiment reported here explored the effects of two concurrent high-level cognitive tasks (memory retention and semantic categorization) on the direction and magnitude of hemispheric differences in the processing of words and pictures. Subjects were required to categorize words and pictures presented to either the left visual field-right hemisphere (LVF-RH) or the right visual field-left hemisphere (RVF-LH). The categorization could be performed while holding either verbal material in memory (digit span), pictorial material in memory (serial nonsense figure recognition), or with no concurrent memory task. The effects produced hemisphere-specific, material-nonspecific interference. The verbal task removed a RVF-LH advantage at word categorization and enhanced a LVF-RH advantage on picture categorization; the pictorial task interfered with picture categorization in the LVF-RH, while enhancing a RVF-LH advantage at word categorization. The results are discussed in terms of multiple resource models of hemisphere function, capacity limitations, and the functional locus of processing required to produce various dynamic hemispheric effects.

Attention↗

PubMed1984

Alternative to the wavelength interpretation of the auditory kappa effect.

We argue that the simple wavelength interpretation of the auditory kappa effect proposed by Yoblick and Salvendy in 1970 is inadequate since only the frequency of an incoming soundwave is preserved at the tympanic membrane. Alternative explanations are proposed in terms of psychological variables. The kappa effect with tonal intervals is explained using an imputed velocity model in which frequency differences are equated to phenomenological "distances." The continuous tone effect is explained in terms of previously observed correlations between frequency and the volume or " bigness " of a tone and between size and perceived duration.

Acoustic Stimulation↗