Deformable registration of x-ray to MRI for post-implant dosimetry in prostate brachytherapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Seyoun; Song, Danny Y.; Lee, Junghoon

2016-03-01

Post-implant dosimetric assessment in prostate brachytherapy is typically performed using CT as the standard imaging modality. However, poor soft tissue contrast in CT causes significant variability in target contouring, resulting in incorrect dose calculations for organs of interest. CT-MR fusion-based approach has been advocated taking advantage of the complementary capabilities of CT (seed identification) and MRI (soft tissue visibility), and has proved to provide more accurate dosimetry calculations. However, seed segmentation in CT requires manual review, and the accuracy is limited by the reconstructed voxel resolution. In addition, CT deposits considerable amount of radiation to the patient. In this paper, we propose an X-ray and MRI based post-implant dosimetry approach. Implanted seeds are localized using three X-ray images by solving a combinatorial optimization problem, and the identified seeds are registered to MR images by an intensity-based points-to-volume registration. We pre-process the MR images using geometric and Gaussian filtering. To accommodate potential soft tissue deformation, our registration is performed in two steps, an initial affine transformation and local deformable registration. An evolutionary optimizer in conjunction with a points-to-volume similarity metric is used for the affine registration. Local prostate deformation and seed migration are then adjusted by the deformable registration step with external and internal force constraints. We tested our algorithm on six patient data sets, achieving registration error of (1.2+/-0.8) mm in < 30 sec. Our proposed approach has the potential to be a fast and cost-effective solution for post-implant dosimetry with equivalent accuracy as the CT-MR fusion-based approach.

Aortic annulus eccentricity before and after transcatheter aortic valve implantation: Comparison of balloon-expandable and self-expanding prostheses.

PubMed

Schuhbaeck, Annika; Weingartner, Christina; Arnold, Martin; Schmid, Jasmin; Pflederer, Tobias; Marwan, Mohamed; Rixe, Johannes; Nef, Holger; Schneider, Christian; Lell, Michael; Uder, Michael; Ensminger, Stephan; Feyrer, Richard; Weyand, Michael; Achenbach, Stephan

2015-07-01

The geometry of the aortic annulus and implanted transcatheter aortic valve prosthesis might influence valve function. We investigated the influence of valve type and aortic valve calcification on post-implant geometry of catheter-based aortic valve prostheses. Eighty consecutive patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (mean age 82 ± 6 years) underwent computed tomography before and after TAVI. Aortic annulus diameters were determined. Influence of prosthesis type and degree of aortic valve calcification on post-implant eccentricity were analysed. Aortic annulus eccentricity was reduced in patients after TAVI (0.21 ± 0.06 vs. 0.08 ± 0.06, p<0.0001). Post-TAVI eccentricity was significantly lower in 65 patients following implantation of a balloon-expandable prosthesis as compared to 15 patients who received a self-expanding prosthesis (0.06 ± 0.05 vs. 0.15 ± 0.07, p<0.0001), even though the extent of aortic valve calcification was not different. After TAVI, patients with a higher calcium amount retained a significantly higher eccentricity compared to patients with lower amounts of calcium. Patients undergoing TAVI with a balloon-expandable prosthesis show a more circular shape of the implanted prosthesis as compared to patients with a self-expanding prosthesis. Eccentricity of the deployed prosthesis is affected by the extent of aortic valve calcification. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Postimplant dosimetry using a Monte Carlo dose calculation engine: a new clinical standard.

PubMed

Carrier, Jean-François; D'Amours, Michel; Verhaegen, Frank; Reniers, Brigitte; Martin, André-Guy; Vigneault, Eric; Beaulieu, Luc

2007-07-15

To use the Monte Carlo (MC) method as a dose calculation engine for postimplant dosimetry. To compare the results with clinically approved data for a sample of 28 patients. Two effects not taken into account by the clinical calculation, interseed attenuation and tissue composition, are being specifically investigated. An automated MC program was developed. The dose distributions were calculated for the target volume and organs at risk (OAR) for 28 patients. Additional MC techniques were developed to focus specifically on the interseed attenuation and tissue effects. For the clinical target volume (CTV) D(90) parameter, the mean difference between the clinical technique and the complete MC method is 10.7 Gy, with cases reaching up to 17 Gy. For all cases, the clinical technique overestimates the deposited dose in the CTV. This overestimation is mainly from a combination of two effects: the interseed attenuation (average, 6.8 Gy) and tissue composition (average, 4.1 Gy). The deposited dose in the OARs is also overestimated in the clinical calculation. The clinical technique systematically overestimates the deposited dose in the prostate and in the OARs. To reduce this systematic inaccuracy, the MC method should be considered in establishing a new standard for clinical postimplant dosimetry and dose-outcome studies in a near future.

Comparison of intraoperative dosimetric implant representation with postimplant dosimetry in patients receiving prostate brachytherapy.

PubMed

Stone, Nelson N; Hong, Suzanne; Lo, Yeh-Chi; Howard, Victor; Stock, Richard G

2003-01-01

To compare the results of intraoperative dosimetry with those of CT-based postimplant dosimetry in patients undergoing prostate seed implantation. Seventy-seven patients with T1-T3 prostate cancer received an ultrasound-guided permanent seed implant (36 received (125)I, 7 (103)Pd, and 34 a partial (103)Pd implant plus external beam radiation therapy). The implantation was augmented with an intraoperative dosimetric planning system. After the peripheral needles were placed, 5-mm axial images were acquired into the treatment planning system. Soft tissue structures (prostate, urethra, and rectum) were contoured, and exact needle positions were registered. Seeds were placed with an applicator, and their positions were entered into the planning system. The dose distributions for the implant were calculated after interior needle and seed placement. Postimplant dosimetry was performed 1 month later on the basis of CT imaging. Prostate and urethral doses were compared, by using paired t tests, for the real-time dosimetry in the operating room (OR) and the postimplant dosimetry. The mean preimplant prostate volume was 39.8 cm(3), the postneedle planning volume was 41.5 cm(3) (p<0.001), and the 1-month CT volume was 43.6 cm(3) (p<0.001). The mean difference between the OR dose received by 90% of the prostate (D(90)) and the CT D(90) was 3.4% (95% confidence interval, 2.5-6.6%; p=0.034). The mean dose to 30% of the urethra was 120% of prescription in the OR and 138% on CT. The mean difference was 18% (95% confidence interval, 13-24%; p<0.001). Although small differences exist between the OR and CT dosimetry results, these data suggest that this intraoperative implant dosimetric representation system provides a close match to the actual delivered doses. These data support the use of this system to modify the implant during surgery to achieve more consistent dosimetry results.

MR and CT image fusion for postimplant analysis in permanent prostate seed implants.

PubMed

Polo, Alfredo; Cattani, Federica; Vavassori, Andrea; Origgi, Daniela; Villa, Gaetano; Marsiglia, Hugo; Bellomi, Massimo; Tosi, Giampiero; De Cobelli, Ottavio; Orecchia, Roberto

2004-12-01

To compare the outcome of two different image-based postimplant dosimetry methods in permanent seed implantation. Between October 1999 and October 2002, 150 patients with low-risk prostate carcinoma were treated with (125)I and (103)Pd in our institution. A CT-MRI image fusion protocol was used in 21 consecutive patients treated with exclusive brachytherapy. The accuracy and reproducibility of the method was calculated, and then the CT-based dosimetry was compared with the CT-MRI-based dosimetry using the dose-volume histogram (DVH) related parameters recommended by the American Brachytherapy Society and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. Our method for CT-MRI image fusion was accurate and reproducible (median shift <1 mm). Differences in prostate volume were found, depending on the image modality used. Quality assurance DVH-related parameters strongly depended on the image modality (CT vs. CT-MRI): V(100) = 82% vs. 88%, p < 0.05. D(90) = 96% vs. 115%, p < 0.05. Those results depend on the institutional implant technique and reflect the importance of lowering inter- and intraobserver discrepancies when outlining prostate and organs at risk for postimplant dosimetry. Computed tomography-MRI fused images allow accurate determination of prostate size, significantly improving the dosimetric evaluation based on DVH analysis. This provides a consistent method to judge a prostate seed implant's quality.

BrachyView: multiple seed position reconstruction and comparison with CT post-implant dosimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alnaghy, S.; Loo, K. J.; Cutajar, D. L.; Jalayer, M.; Tenconi, C.; Favoino, M.; Rietti, R.; Tartaglia, M.; Carriero, F.; Safavi-Naeini, M.; Bucci, J.; Jakubek, J.; Pospisil, S.; Zaider, M.; Lerch, M. L. F.; Rosenfeld, A. B.; Petasecca, M.

2016-05-01

BrachyView is a novel in-body imaging system utilising high-resolution pixelated silicon detectors (Timepix) and a pinhole collimator for brachytherapy source localisation. Recent studies have investigated various options for real-time intraoperative dynamic dose treatment planning to increase the quality of implants. In a previous proof-of-concept study, the justification of the pinhole concept was shown, allowing for the next step whereby multiple active seeds are implanted into a PMMA phantom to simulate a more realistic clinical scenario. In this study, 20 seeds were implanted and imaged using a lead pinhole of 400 μ m diameter. BrachyView was able to resolve the seed positions within 1-2 mm of expected positions, which was verified by co-registering with a full clinical post-implant CT scan.

Implications of Minimizing Trauma During Conventional Cochlear Implantation

PubMed Central

Carlson, Matthew L.; Driscoll, Colin L. W.; Gifford, René H.; Service, Geoffrey J.; Tombers, Nicole M.; Hughes-Borst, Becky J.; Neff, Brian A.; Beatty, Charles W.

2014-01-01

Objective To describe the relationship between implantation-associated trauma and postoperative speech perception scores among adult and pediatric patients undergoing cochlear implantation using conventional length electrodes and minimally traumatic surgical techniques. Study Design Retrospective chart review (2002–2010). Setting Tertiary academic referral center. Patients All subjects with significant preoperative low-frequency hearing (≤70 dB HL at 250 Hz) who underwent cochlear implantation with a newer generation implant electrode (Nucleus Contour Advance, Advanced Bionics HR90K [1J and Helix], and Med El Sonata standard H array) were reviewed. Intervention(s) Preimplant and postimplant audiometric thresholds and speech recognition scores were recorded using the electronic medical record. Main Outcome Measure(s) Postimplantation pure tone threshold shifts were used as a surrogate measure for extent of intracochlear injury and correlated with postoperative speech perception scores. Results Between 2002 and 2010, 703 cochlear implant (CI) operations were performed. Data from 126 implants were included in the analysis. The mean preoperative low-frequency pure-tone average was 55.4 dB HL. Hearing preservation was observed in 55% of patients. Patients with hearing preservation were found to have significantly higher postoperative speech perception performance in the cochlear implantation-only condition than those who lost all residual hearing. Conclusion Conservation of acoustic hearing after conventional length cochlear implantation is unpredictable but remains a realistic goal. The combination of improved technology and refined surgical technique may allow for conservation of some residual hearing in more than 50% of patients. Germane to the conventional length CI recipient with substantial hearing loss, minimizing trauma allows for improved speech perception in the electric condition. These findings support the use of minimally traumatic techniques in all CI recipients, even those destined for electric-only stimulation. PMID:21659922

SU-F-J-157: Effect of Contouring Uncertainty in Post Implant Dosimetry of Low-Dose-Rate Prostate Permanent Seed Brachytherapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mashouf, S; Merino, T; Ravi, A

Purpose: There is strong evidence relating post-implant dosimetry for low-dose-rate (LDR) prostate seed brachytherapy to local control rates. The delineation of the prostate on CT images, however, represents a challenge due to the lack of soft tissue contrast in order to identify the prostate borders. This study aims at quantifying the sensitivity of clinically relevant dosimetric parameters to uncertainty in the contouring of prostate. Methods: CT images, post-op plans and contours of a cohort of patients (n=43) (low risk=55.8%, intermediate risk=39.5%, high risk=4.7%), who had received prostate seed brachytherapy, were imported into MIM Symphony treatment planning system. The prostate contoursmore » in post-implant CT images were expanded/contracted uniformly for margins of ±1.00 mm, ±2.00 mm, ±3.00 mm, ±4.00 mm and ±5.00 mm. The values for V100 and D90 were extracted from Dose Volume Histograms for each contour and compared. Results: Significant changes were observed in the values of D90 and V100 as well as the number of suboptimal plans for expansion or contraction margins of only few millimeters. Evaluation of coverage based on D90 was found to be less sensitive to expansion errors compared to V100. D90 led to a lower number of implants incorrectly identified with insufficient coverage for expanded contours which increases the accuracy of post-implant QA using CT images compared to V100. Conclusion: In order to establish a successful post implant QA for LDR prostate seed brachytherapy, it is necessary to identify the low and high thresholds of important dose metrics of the target volume such as D90 and V100. Since these parameters are sensitive to target volume definition, accurate identification of prostate borders would help to improve accuracy and predictive value of the post-implant QA process. In this respect, use of imaging modalities such as MRI where prostate is well delineated should prove useful.« less

10 kHz High-Frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Axial Low Back Pain in Patients With No History of Spinal Surgery: A Preliminary, Prospective, Open Label and Proof-of-Concept Study.

PubMed

Al-Kaisy, Adnan; Palmisani, Stefano; Smith, Thomas E; Pang, David; Lam, Khai; Burgoyne, William; Houghton, Russell; Hudson, Emma; Lucas, Jonathan

2017-01-01

To explore the effectiveness of 10 kHz high frequency spinal cord stimulation (HF10 therapy) treatment of chronic low back pain in patients who have not had spinal surgery. Patients with chronic low back pain without prior spinal surgery were evaluated by a team of spine surgeons to rule out any spinal pathology amenable to surgical interventions and by a multidisciplinary pain team to confirm eligibility for the study. After a successful (>50% back pain reduction) trial of HF10 therapy, enrolled subjects underwent permanent system implantation and were followed-up one year post-implant. About 95% of the enrolled subjects (20/21) received the permanent system. At 12 months post-implant, both back pain VAS score and ODI were significantly reduced compared with baseline values (by 73% and 48%, respectively); an estimated quality-adjusted life year gain of 0.47 and a reduction in opioid use by 64% was observed. Four more patients among those unable to work at baseline due to back pain were employed at 12 months post-implant. There were no serious adverse events. HF10 therapy may provide significant back pain relief, reduction in disability, improvement quality of life, and reduction in opioid use in chronic low back pain not resulting from spinal surgery. © 2016 The Authors. Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Neuromodulation Society.

Masticatory efficiency and oral health-related quality of life with implant-retained mandibular overdentures

PubMed Central

Sun, Xu; Zhai, Jun-Jiang; Liao, Jian; Teng, Min-Hua; Tian, Ai; Liang, Xing

2014-01-01

Objectives: To evaluate masticatory efficiency (ME) and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in patients rehabilitated with implant-retained mandibular overdentures. Methods: In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 50 edentulous patients visiting the Implant Center and Department of Prosthodontics, West China College of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China between June 2010 and June 2012 were selected and received 2 implant-retained mandibular overdenture treatments. All patients were rehabilitated with maxillary complete dentures. The ME and OHRQoL were determined both one month before the mandibular complete denture was anchored to the osseointegrated implants, and 6 months after anchoring. Paired t-tests were used to compare means of ME, and oral health impact profile-49 (OHIP-49) domains scores between pre- and post-implant. Linear regression models were utilized to seek correlations between ME and OHIP domains scores. Results: The ME increased from pre- to post-implant retained mandibular overdentures significantly (p<0.001). The total OHIP score and 4 subscales scores were changed significantly from pre- to post-implant; namely, functional limitation, psychological discomfort, physical disability, and physical pain. The total OHIP score, functional limitation, physical disability, and physical pain subscale scores were related to ME. Conclusion: Implant-retained mandibular over dentures can significantly improve patients’ ME and OHRQoL. The improvement in OHRQoL is mainly because of the improved ME. An improved chewing experience, and pain relief also contributes to improvement of OHRQoL. PMID:25316463

Effect of pulse sequence parameter selection on signal strength in positive-contrast MRI markers for MRI-based prostate postimplant assessment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lim, Tze Yee

Purpose: For postimplant dosimetric assessment, computed tomography (CT) is commonly used to identify prostate brachytherapy seeds, at the expense of accurate anatomical contouring. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is superior to CT for anatomical delineation, but identification of the negative-contrast seeds is challenging. Positive-contrast MRI markers were proposed to replace spacers to assist seed localization on MRI images. Visualization of these markers under varying scan parameters was investigated. Methods: To simulate a clinical scenario, a prostate phantom was implanted with 66 markers and 86 seeds, and imaged on a 3.0T MRI scanner using a 3D fast radiofrequency-spoiled gradient recalled echo acquisitionmore » with various combinations of scan parameters. Scan parameters, including flip angle, number of excitations, bandwidth, field-of-view, slice thickness, and encoding steps were systematically varied to study their effects on signal, noise, scan time, image resolution, and artifacts. Results: The effects of pulse sequence parameter selection on the marker signal strength and image noise were characterized. The authors also examined the tradeoff between signal-to-noise ratio, scan time, and image artifacts, such as the wraparound artifact, susceptibility artifact, chemical shift artifact, and partial volume averaging artifact. Given reasonable scan time and managable artifacts, the authors recommended scan parameter combinations that can provide robust visualization of the MRI markers. Conclusions: The recommended MRI pulse sequence protocol allows for consistent visualization of the markers to assist seed localization, potentially enabling MRI-only prostate postimplant dosimetry.« less

WE-AB-BRA-12: Post-Implant Dosimetry in Prostate Brachytherapy by X-Ray and MRI Fusion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Park, S; Song, D; Lee, J

Purpose: For post-implant dosimetric assessment after prostate brachytherapy, CT-MR fusion approach has been advocated due to the superior accuracy on both seeds localization and soft tissue delineation. However, CT deposits additional radiation to the patient, and seed identification in CT requires manual review and correction. In this study, we propose an accurate, low-dose, and cost-effective post-implant dosimetry approach based on X-ray and MRI. Methods: Implanted seeds are reconstructed using only three X-ray fluoroscopy images by solving a combinatorial optimization problem. The reconstructed seeds are then registered to MR images using an intensity-based points-to-volume registration. MR images are first pre-processed bymore » geometric and Gaussian filtering, yielding smooth candidate seed-only images. To accommodate potential soft tissue deformation, our registration is performed in two steps, an initial affine followed by local deformable registrations. An evolutionary optimizer in conjunction with a points-to-volume similarity metric is used for the affine registration. Local prostate deformation and seed migration are then adjusted by the deformable registration step with external and internal force constraints. Results: We tested our algorithm on twenty patient data sets. For quantitative evaluation, we obtained ground truth seed positions by fusing the post-implant CT-MR images. Seeds were semi-automatically extracted from CT and manually corrected and then registered to the MR images. Target registration error (TRE) was computed by measuring the Euclidean distances from the ground truth to the closest registered X-ray seeds. The overall TREs (mean±standard deviation in mm) are 1.6±1.1 (affine) and 1.3±0.8 (affine+deformable). The overall computation takes less than 1 minute. Conclusion: It has been reported that the CT-based seed localization error is ∼1.6mm and the seed localization uncertainty of 2mm results in less than 5% deviation of prostate D90. The average error of 1.3mm with our system outperforms the CT-based approach and is considered well within the clinically acceptable limit. Supported in part by NIH/NCI grant 5R01CA151395. The X-ray-based implant reconstruction method (US patent No. 8,233,686) was licensed to Acoustic MedSystems Inc.« less

Nanoscale laminin coating modulates cortical scarring response around implanted silicon microelectrode arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Wei; McConnell, George C.; Bellamkonda, Ravi V.

2006-12-01

Neural electrodes could significantly enhance the quality of life for patients with sensory and/or motor deficits as well as improve our understanding of brain functions. However, long-term electrical connectivity between neural tissue and recording sites is compromised by the development of astroglial scar around the recording probes. In this study we investigate the effect of a nanoscale laminin (LN) coating on Si-based neural probes on chronic cortical tissue reaction in a rat model. Tissue reaction was evaluated after 1 day, 1 week, and 4 weeks post-implant for coated and uncoated probes using immunohistochemical techniques to evaluate activated microglia/macrophages (ED-1), astrocytes (GFAP) and neurons (NeuN). The coating did not have an observable effect on neuronal density or proximity to the electrode surface. However, the response of microglia/macrophages and astrocytes was altered by the coating. One day post-implant, we observed an ~60% increase in ED-1 expression near LN-coated probe sites compared with control uncoated probe sites. Four weeks post-implant, we observed an ~20% reduction in ED-1 expression along with an ~50% reduction in GFAP expression at coated relative to uncoated probe sites. These results suggest that LN has a stimulatory effect on early microglia activation, accelerating the phagocytic function of these cells. This hypothesis is further supported by the increased mRNA expression of several pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1 and IL-6) in cultured microglia on LN-bound Si substrates. LN immunostaining of coated probes immediately after insertion and retrieval demonstrates that the coating integrity is not compromised by the shear force during insertion. We speculate, based on these encouraging results, that LN coating of Si neural probes could potentially improve chronic neural recordings through dispersion of the astroglial scar.

Contribution of Family Environment to Pediatric Cochlear Implant Users' Speech and Language Outcomes: Some Preliminary Findings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holt, Rachael Frush; Beer, Jessica; Kronenberger, William G.; Pisoni, David B.; Lalonde, Kaylah

2012-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate the family environments of children with cochlear implants and to examine relationships between family environment and postimplant language development and executive function. Method: Forty-five families of children with cochlear implants completed a self-report family environment questionnaire (Family Environment Scale-Fourth…

75 FR 20869 - Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes: Meeting Notice

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-21

...; (7) an update on the status of the technical basis to support Part 35 rulemaking addressing the... events for fiscal year 2010; and (10) an issue regarding signatures for post-implant written directives...: 1. Persons who wish to provide a written statement should submit an electronic copy to Ms. Cockerham...

Functionalisation of Ti6Al4V components fabricated using selective laser melting with a bioactive compound.

PubMed

Vaithilingam, Jayasheelan; Kilsby, Samuel; Goodridge, Ruth D; Christie, Steven D R; Edmondson, Steve; Hague, Richard J M

2015-01-01

Surface modification of an implant with a biomolecule is used to improve its biocompatibility and to reduce post-implant complications. In this study, a novel approach has been used to functionalise phosphonic acid monolayers with a drug. Ti6Al4V components fabricated using selective laser melting (SLM) were functionalised with Paracetamol (a pharmaceutically relevant biomolecule) using phosphonic acid based self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). The attachment, stability of the monolayers on the SLM fabricated surface and functionalisation of SAMs with Paracetamol were studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and surface wettability measurements. The obtained results confirmed that SAMs were stable on the Ti6Al4V surface for over four weeks and then began to desorb from the surface. The reaction used to functionalise the phosphonic acid monolayers with Paracetamol was noted to be successful. Thus, the proposed method has the potential to immobilise drugs/proteins to SAM coated surfaces and improve their biocompatibility and reduce post-implant complications. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Changes in sexual functioning in women after neuromodulation for voiding dysfunction.

PubMed

Yih, Jessica M; Killinger, Kim A; Boura, Judith A; Peters, Kenneth M

2013-10-01

Sacral neuromodulation is a well-established treatment for urinary and bowel disorders with potential use for other disorders such as sexual dysfunction. To evaluate changes in sexual functioning in women undergoing neuromodulation for voiding symptoms. Patients enrolled in our prospective, observational neuromodulation database study were evaluated. Data were collected from medical records, and patient-completed Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and Interstitial Cystitis Symptom-Problem Indices (ICSI-PI) at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months post-implant. Patients rated overall change in sexual functioning on scaled global response assessments (GRA) at 3, 6, and 12 months post-implant. We grouped women by baseline FSFI scores: less (score<26) and more sexually functional (score≥26). Data were analyzed with Pearson's Chi-square or Fisher's Exact test and repeated measures. Changes in FSFI and ICSI-PI scores in women grouped by baseline FSFI score<26 and ≥26. Of 167 women evaluated, FSFI scores improved overall from preimplant (mean 13.5±8.5) to 12 months (N=72; mean 15.9±8.9, P=0.004). At baseline and each follow-up point, ICSI-PI scores were similar between groups and improved through time. For patients in the FSFI<26 group there was improvement from baseline to 12-month scores (N=63; 11.9±6.9 to 14.8±8.7; P=0.0006). Improved FSFI domains included desire, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. Furthermore, of the 74 subjects in this group not sexually active at baseline, 10 became sexually active during follow-up. In the FSFI≥26 group there was slight but statistically significant decline in mean scores between baseline and 12 months (N=9; 27.4±1.1 to 24.5±3.4; P=0.0302); however one had become sexually inactive. A significant decrease was seen in the satisfaction domain. Many factors affect sexual functioning in women; however sexual function may improve along with urinary symptoms after neuromodulation. © 2013 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Rapid and efficient localization of depth electrodes and cortical labeling using free and open source medical software in epilepsy surgery candidates

PubMed Central

Princich, Juan Pablo; Wassermann, Demian; Latini, Facundo; Oddo, Silvia; Blenkmann, Alejandro Omar; Seifer, Gustavo; Kochen, Silvia

2013-01-01

Depth intracranial electrodes (IEs) placement is one of the most used procedures to identify the epileptogenic zone (EZ) in surgical treatment of drug resistant epilepsy patients, about 20–30% of this population. IEs localization is therefore a critical issue defining the EZ and its relation with eloquent functional areas. That information is then used to target the resective surgery and has great potential to affect outcome. We designed a methodological procedure intended to avoid the need for highly specialized medical resources and reduce time to identify the anatomical location of IEs, during the first instances of intracranial EEG recordings. This workflow is based on established open source software; 3D Slicer and Freesurfer that uses MRI and Post-implant CT fusion for the localization of IEs and its relation with automatic labeled surrounding cortex. To test this hypothesis we assessed the time elapsed between the surgical implantation process and the final anatomical localization of IEs by means of our proposed method compared against traditional visual analysis of raw post-implant imaging in two groups of patients. All IEs were identified in the first 24 H (6–24 H) of implantation using our method in 4 patients of the first group. For the control group; all IEs were identified by experts with an overall time range of 36 h to 3 days using traditional visual analysis. It included (7 patients), 3 patients implanted with IEs and the same 4 patients from the first group. Time to localization was restrained in this group by the specialized personnel and the image quality available. To validate our method; we trained two inexperienced operators to assess the position of IEs contacts on four patients (5 IEs) using the proposed method. We quantified the discrepancies between operators and we also assessed the efficiency of our method to define the EZ comparing the findings against the results of traditional analysis. PMID:24427112

Utilization of multiple spinal cord stimulation (SCS) waveforms in chronic pain patients.

PubMed

Berg, Anthony P; Mekel-Bobrov, Nitzan; Goldberg, Edward; Huynh, Dat; Jain, Roshini

2017-08-01

Advances in spinal cord stimulation (SCS) have improved patient outcomes, leading to its increased utilization for chronic pain. Chronic pain is dynamic showing exacerbations, variable severity, and evolving pain patterns. Given this complexity, SCS systems that provide a broad range of stimulation waveforms may be valuable. The aim of this research was to characterize the usage pattern of stimulation waveforms and field shapes in chronic pain patients implanted with the Spectra System. A review of daily device usage in a cohort of 250 patients implanted for a minimum duration of one month was conducted. With follow-ups ranging between 1 month and 1 year post-implant, 72.8% of patients used Standard Rate, 34.8% Anode Intensification, 23.2% Higher Rate, and 8.4% Burst stimulation waveforms. Collectively, 60% used 1 or more advanced waveforms, either exclusively or along with Standard Rate. A trend showed patients continuing to use up to 3 programs one year post-implant. When given a choice, SCS patients often utilize a variety of waveforms, suggesting that patients may benefit from a single system that provides multiple waveforms and field shapes to customize therapy and improve efficacy.

Speech feature discrimination in deaf children following cochlear implantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergeson, Tonya R.; Pisoni, David B.; Kirk, Karen Iler

2002-05-01

Speech feature discrimination is a fundamental perceptual skill that is often assumed to underlie word recognition and sentence comprehension performance. To investigate the development of speech feature discrimination in deaf children with cochlear implants, we conducted a retrospective analysis of results from the Minimal Pairs Test (Robbins et al., 1988) selected from patients enrolled in a longitudinal study of speech perception and language development. The MP test uses a 2AFC procedure in which children hear a word and select one of two pictures (bat-pat). All 43 children were prelingually deafened, received a cochlear implant before 6 years of age or between ages 6 and 9, and used either oral or total communication. Children were tested once every 6 months to 1 year for 7 years; not all children were tested at each interval. By 2 years postimplant, the majority of these children achieved near-ceiling levels of discrimination performance for vowel height, vowel place, and consonant manner. Most of the children also achieved plateaus but did not reach ceiling performance for consonant place and voicing. The relationship between speech feature discrimination, spoken word recognition, and sentence comprehension will be discussed. [Work supported by NIH/NIDCD Research Grant No. R01DC00064 and NIH/NIDCD Training Grant No. T32DC00012.

SU-F-T-44: A Comparison of the Pre-Plan, Intra-Operative Plan, and Post-Implant Dosimetry for a Prostate Implant Case Using Prefabricated Linear Polymer-Encapsulated Pd-103

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sheu, R; Powers, A; McGee, H

Purpose: To investigate the reproducibility and limitations of Pd-103 prostate brachytherapy using fixed length linear sources (CivaString). Methods: An LDR prostate brachytherapy case which was preplanned on MR images with prefabricated linear polymer-encapsulated Pd-103 sources (CivaString) was studied and compared with ultrasound based intra-operative planning and CT based post-implant dosimetry. We evaluated the following parameters among the three studies: prostate geometry (volume and cross sectional area), needle position and alignment deviations, and dosimetry parameters (D90). Results: The prostate volumes and axial cross sectional areas at center of prostate were measured as 41.8, 39.3 and 36.8 cc, and 14.9, 14.3, andmore » 11.3 respectively on pre-plan MR, inter-op US, and post-implant CT studies. The deviation of prostate volumes and axial cross sectional areas measured on pre-planning MR and intra-operative US were within 5%. 17 out of 19 pre-planned needles were positioned within 5mm (the template grid size). One needle location was adjusted intra-operatively and another needle was removed due to proximity to urethra. The needle pathways were not always parallel to the trans-rectal probe due to the flexibility of CivaString. The angle of deviation was up to 10 degrees. Two pairs of needles were exchanged to better fit the length of prostate at the time of implant. This resulted in a prostate D90 of 153.8 Gy (124%) and 131.4 Gy (106.7%) for intra-op and PID respectively. Conclusion: Preplanning is a necessary part of implants performed with prefabricated linear polymer sources. However, as is often the case, there were real-time deviations from the pre-plan. Intra-op planning provides the ability conform to anatomy at the time of implant. Therefore, we propose to develop a systematic way to order extra strings of different length to provide the flexibility to perform intra-operative planning with fixed length strands.« less

The healthcare utilization and cost of treating patients experiencing inappropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator shocks: a propensity score study.

PubMed

Bhavnani, Sanjeev P; Giedrimiene, Dalia; Coleman, Craig I; Guertin, Danette; Azeem, Meena; Kluger, Jeffrey

2014-10-01

Inappropriate shocks (IASs) from implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are associated with decreased quality of life, but whether they increase healthcare utilization and treatment costs is unknown. We sought to determine the impact of IASs on subsequent healthcare utilization and treatment costs. We conducted a case-control analysis of ICD patients at a single institution from 1997 to 2010 and who had ≥12 months of post-ICD implant follow-up. Cases included all patients experiencing an IAS during the first 12 months after implantation. Eligible control patients did not receive a shock of any kind during the 12 months after implantation. Propensity scores based on 36 covariates (area under curve = 0.78) were used to match cases to controls. We compared the rate (occurrences/person year [PY]) of healthcare utilization immediately following IAS to the end of the 12-month follow-up period to the rate in the no-shock group over 12 months of follow-up. We also compared 12-month postimplant treatment (outpatient clinic, emergency room, and hospitalization) costs in both groups. A total of 76 patients experiencing ≥1 IAS during the first 12 months after implant (contributing 48 PYs) were matched to 76 no-shock patients (contributing 76 PYs). Cardiovascular (CV)-related clinic visit and hospitalization rates were increased following an IAS compared to those not receiving a shock (4.0 vs 3.3 and 0.7 vs 0.5, respectively, P = 0.02 for both). CV-related emergency room visitation (0.15 vs 0.08) rates were also numerically higher following an IAS, but did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.26). Patients experiencing an IAS accrued greater treatment costs during the 12 months postimplant compared to no-shock patients ($13,973 ± $46,345 vs $6,790 ± $19,091, P = 0.001). Recipients of IAS utilize the healthcare system more frequently following an IAS than patients not experiencing a shock. This increased utilization results in higher costs of treating IAS patients during the 12 months postimplant. ©2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

SU-C-17A-02: Sirius MRI Markers for Prostate Post-Implant Assessment: MR Protocol Development

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lim, T; Wang, J; Kudchadker, R

Purpose: Currently, CT is used to visualize prostate brachytherapy sources, at the expense of accurate structure contouring. MRI is superior to CT for anatomical delineation, but the sources appear as voids on MRI images. Previously we have developed Sirius MRI markers (C4 Imaging) to replace spacers to assist source localization on MRI images. Here we develop an MRI pulse sequence protocol that enhances the signal of these markers to enable MRI-only post-implant prostate dosimetric analysis. Methods: To simulate a clinical scenario, a CIRS multi-modality prostate phantom was implanted with 66 markers and 86 sources. The implanted phantom was imaged onmore » both 1.5T and 3.0T GE scanners under various conditions, different pulse sequences (2D fast spin echo [FSE], 3D balanced steadystate free precession [bSSFP] and 3D fast spoiled gradient echo [FSPGR]), as well as varying amount of padding to simulate various patient sizes and associated signal fall-off from the surface coil elements. Standard FSE sequences from the current clinical protocols were also evaluated. Marker visibility, marker size, intra-marker distance, total scan time and artifacts were evaluated for various combinations of echo time, repetition time, flip angle, number of excitations, bandwidth, slice thickness and spacing, fieldof- view, frequency/phase encoding steps and frequency direction. Results: We have developed a 3D FSPGR pulse sequence that enhances marker signal and ensures the integrity of the marker shape while maintaining reasonable scan time. For patients contraindicated for 3.0T, we have also developed a similar sequence for 1.5T scanners. Signal fall-off with distance from prostate to coil can be compensated mainly by decreasing bandwidth. The markers are not visible using standard FSE sequences. FSPGR sequences are more robust for consistent marker visualization as compared to bSSFP sequences. Conclusion: The developed MRI pulse sequence protocol for Sirius MRI markers assists source localization to enable MRIonly post-implant prostate dosimetric analysis. S.J. Frank is a co-founder of C4 Imaging (manufactures the MRI markers)« less

Long-term results from an epiretinal prosthesis to restore sight to the blind

PubMed Central

Ho, Allen C.; Humayun, Mark S.; Dorn, Jessy D.; da Cruz, Lyndon; Dagnelie, Gislin; Handa, James; Barale, Pierre-Olivier; Sahel, José-Alain; Stanga, Paulo E.; Hafezi, Farhad; Safran, Avinoam B.; Salzmann, Joel; Santos, Arturo; Birch, David; Spencer, Rand; Cideciyan, Artur V.; de Juan, Eugene; Duncan, Jacque L.; Eliott, Dean; Fawzi, Amani; Olmos de Koo, Lisa C.; Brown, Gary C.; Haller, Julia A.; Regillo, Carl D.; Del Priore, Lucian V.; Arditi, Aries; Geruschat, Duane R.; Greenberg, Robert J.

2015-01-01

Purpose Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is a group of inherited retinal degenerations leading to blindness due to photoreceptor loss. A rare disease, it affects about 100,000 people in the United States. There is no cure and no approved medical therapy to slow or reverse RP. The purpose of this clinical trial was to evaluate the safety, reliability, and benefit of the Argus® II Retinal Prosthesis System (Second Sight Medical Products, Inc., Sylmar, CA) in restoring some visual function to subjects completely blind from RP. Herein, we report clinical trial results at 1 and 3 years post-implant. Design The study is a multicenter, single-arm, prospective clinical trial. Subjects There were 30 subjects in 10 centers in the U.S. and Europe. Subjects served as their own controls – i.e., implanted eye vs. fellow eye, and System ON vs. System OFF (native residual vision). Methods The Argus II System was implanted on and in a single eye (typically the worse-seeing eye) of blind subjects. Subjects wore glasses mounted with a small camera and a video processor that converted images into stimulation patterns sent to the electrode array on the retina. Main Outcome Measures The primary outcome measures were safety (the number, seriousness, and relatedness of adverse events) and visual function, as measured by three computer-based, objective tests. Results Twenty-nine out of 30 subjects remained implanted with functioning Argus II Systems at 3 years post-implant. Eleven subjects experienced a total of 23 serious device- or surgery-related adverse events. All were treated with standard ophthalmic care. As a group, subjects performed significantly better with the System ON than OFF on all visual function tests and functional vision assessments. Conclusions The three-year results of the Argus II trial support the long-term safety profile and benefit of the Argus II System for patients blind from RP. Earlier results from this trial were used to gain approval of the Argus II by the FDA and a CE Mark in Europe. The Argus II System is the first and only retinal implant to have both approvals. PMID:26162233

Unilateral Cochlear Implantation Reduces Tinnitus Loudness in Bimodal Hearing: A Prospective Study

PubMed Central

Servais, Jérôme J.; Hörmann, Karl; Wallhäusser-Franke, Elisabeth

2017-01-01

Perceptive and receptive aspects of subjective tinnitus like loudness and tinnitus-related distress are partly independent. The high percentage of hearing loss in individuals with tinnitus suggests causality of hearing impairment particularly for the tinnitus percept, leading to the hypothesis that restoration of auditory input has a larger effect on tinnitus loudness than on tinnitus-related distress. Furthermore, it is assumed that high levels of depression or anxiety prevent reductions of tinnitus loudness and distress following restoration of activity in the cochlea. This prospective study investigated the influence of unilateral cochlear implant (CI) on tinnitus in 19 postlingually deafened adults during 6 months following implantation. All had bimodal provision with the other ear being continuously supported by a hearing aid. On the day before CI implantation (T1, T2), and at about 3 and 6 months postsurgery (T3, T4), participants were questioned about their current tinnitus. Loudness was rated on a Numeric Rating Scale, distress was assessed by the TQ12 Tinnitus Questionnaire, and depression and anxiety were recorded with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. At T2, 79% experienced tinnitus, one participant developed tinnitus after implantation. Following implantation, tinnitus loudness was reduced significantly by 42%, while reductions in tinnitus-related distress (−24%), depression (−20%), and anxiety (−20%) did not attain statistical significance. Significant correlations existed between tinnitus measures, and between postimplantation tinnitus-related distress and anxiety and depression scores. Moreover, improvement of hearing in the CI ear was significantly correlated with reduction in tinnitus loudness. A new aspect of this study is the particular influence of CI provision on perceptive aspects of preexisting tinnitus (hypothesis 1), with the effect size regarding postimplant reduction of perceived tinnitus loudness (1.40) being much larger than effect sizes on the reduction of tinnitus-related distress (0.38), depression (0.53), and anxiety (0.53). Contrary to expectation both tinnitus measures reduce even in the majority of CI recipients with increased levels of anxiety or depression. This suggests that reduction of the tinnitus signal by restoring activity in the cochlea cannot be entirely compensated for by central tinnitus mechanisms and results in a reduction of perceptive and less so of reactive aspects of subjective tinnitus. PMID:28326059

Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors affecting the self-perception period of lower urinary tract symptoms of international prostate symptom score items.

PubMed

Kim, J H; Shim, S R; Lee, W J; Kim, H J; Kwon, S-S; Bae, J H

2012-12-01

This study investigated the influence of sociodemographic and lifestyle factors on the lower urinary tract symptom (LUTS) self-perception period and International Prostate Symptom Score. This cross-sectional study examined 209 men aged ≥ 40 years with non-treated LUTS who participated in a prostate examination survey. Questions included International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) items with self-perception periods for each item. Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were also assessed. Participants were divided by mild LUTS (IPSS less than 8) and moderate-to-severe LUTS (IPSS 8 or higher). Self-perception period of the moderate-to-severe LUTS (n = 110) was affected by BMI; the self-perception period of the mild LUTS (n = 90) was affected by age, income, occupation and concomitant disease. Moderate-to-severe LUTS were affected by self-perception period (p = 0.03). Self-perception period was affected by concern for health (p = 0.005) by multivariate analysis, and self-perception period of mild LUTS was affected by BMI (p = 0.012). Moderate-to-severe LUTS were affected by age, number of family members, concern for health and drinking (p < 0.05, respectively) by multivariate analysis. Lower urinary tract symptom was affected by self-perception period. In moderate-to-severe LUTS, age, concern for health and drinking were affecting factors of self-perception period. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

[Effect of image fusion technology of radioactive particles implantation before and after the planning target and dosimetry].

PubMed

Jiang, Y L; Yu, J P; Sun, H T; Guo, F X; Ji, Z; Fan, J H; Zhang, L J; Li, X; Wang, J J

2017-08-01

Objective: To compare the post-implant target volumes and dosimetric evaluation with pre-plan, the gross tumor volume(GTV) by CT image fusion-based and the manual delineation of target volume in CT guided radioactive seeds implantation. Methods: A total of 10 patients treated under CT-guidance (125)I seed implantation during March 2016 to April 2016 were analyzed in Peking University Third Hospital.All patients underwent pre-operative CT simulation, pre-operative planning, implantation seeds, CT scanning after seed implantation and dosimetric evaluation of GTV.In every patient, post-implant target volumes were delineated by both two methods, and were divided into two groups. Group 1: image fusion pre-implantation simulation and post-operative CT image, then the contours of GTV were automatically performed by brachytherapy treatment planning system; Group 2: the contouring of the GTV on post-operative CT image were performed manually by three senior radiation oncologists independently. The average of three data was sets. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software, version 3.2.0. The paired t -test was used to compare the target volumes and D(90) parameters in two modality. Results: In Group 1, average volume of GTV in post-operation group was 12-167(73±56) cm(3). D(90) was 101-153 (142±19)Gy. In Group 2, they were 14-186(80±58)cm(3) and 96-146(122±16) Gy respectively. In both target volumes and D(90), there was no statistical difference between pre-operation and post-operation in Group 1.The D(90) was slightly lower than that of pre-plan group, but there was no statistical difference ( P =0.142); in Group 2, between pre-operation and post-operation group, there was a significant statistical difference in the GTV ( P =0.002). The difference of D(90) was similarly ( P <0.01). Conclusion: The method of delineation of post-implant GTV through fusion pre-implantation simulation and post-operative CT scan images, the contours of GTV are automatically performed by brachytherapy treatment planning system appears to have improved more accuracy, reproducibility and convenience than manual delineation of target volume by maximum reduce the interference from artificial factor and metal artifacts. Further work and more cases are required in the future.

Borderline personality disorder symptoms and affective responding to perceptions of rejection and acceptance from romantic versus nonromantic partners.

PubMed

Lazarus, Sophie A; Scott, Lori N; Beeney, Joseph E; Wright, Aidan G C; Stepp, Stephanie D; Pilkonis, Paul A

2018-05-01

We examined event-contingent recording of daily interpersonal interactions in a diagnostically diverse sample of 101 psychiatric outpatients who were involved in a romantic relationship. We tested whether the unique effect of borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms on affective responses (i.e., hostility, sadness, guilt, fear, and positive affect) to perceptions of rejection or acceptance differed with one's romantic partner compared with nonromantic partners. BPD symptoms were associated with more frequent perceptions of rejection and less frequent perceptions of acceptance across the study. For all participants, perceptions of rejecting behavior were associated with higher within-person negative affect and lower within-person positive affect. As predicted, in interactions with romantic partners only, those with high BPD symptoms reported heightened hostility and, to a lesser extent, attenuated sadness in response to perceptions of rejection. BPD symptoms did not moderate associations between perceptions of rejection and guilt, fear, or positive affect across romantic and nonromantic partners. For all participants, perceived acceptance was associated with lower within-person negative affect and higher within-person positive affect. However, BPD symptoms were associated with attenuated positive affect in response to perceptions of accepting behavior in interactions with romantic partners only. BPD symptoms did not moderate associations between perceptions of acceptance and any of the negative affects across romantic and nonromantic partners. This study highlights the specificity of affective responses characteristic of BPD when comparisons are made with patients with other personality and psychiatric disorders. Implications for romantic relationship dysfunction are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Divergence of fine and gross motor skills in prelingually deaf children: implications for cochlear implantation.

PubMed

Horn, David L; Pisoni, David B; Miyamoto, Richard T

2006-08-01

The objective of this study was to assess relations between fine and gross motor development and spoken language processing skills in pediatric cochlear implant users. The authors conducted a retrospective analysis of longitudinal data. Prelingually deaf children who received a cochlear implant before age 5 and had no known developmental delay or cognitive impairment were included in the study. Fine and gross motor development were assessed before implantation using the Vineland Adaptive Behavioral Scales, a standardized parental report of adaptive behavior. Fine and gross motor scores reflected a given child's motor functioning with respect to a normative sample of typically developing, normal-hearing children. Relations between these preimplant scores and postimplant spoken language outcomes were assessed. In general, gross motor scores were found to be positively related to chronologic age, whereas the opposite trend was observed for fine motor scores. Fine motor scores were more strongly correlated with postimplant expressive and receptive language scores than gross motor scores. Our findings suggest a disassociation between fine and gross motor development in prelingually deaf children: fine motor skills, in contrast to gross motor skills, tend to be delayed as the prelingually deaf children get older. These findings provide new knowledge about the links between motor and spoken language development and suggest that auditory deprivation may lead to atypical development of certain motor and language skills that share common cortical processing resources.

The Protective Effect of Dietary Arthrospira (Spirulina) maxima Against Mutagenicity Induced by Benzo[alpha]pyrene in Mice

PubMed Central

Garduño-Siciliano, Leticia; Martínez-Galero, Elizdath; Mojica-Villegas, Angélica; Pages, Nicole; Gutiérrez-Salmeán, Gabriela

2014-01-01

Abstract Benzo[alpha]pyrene (B[α]P) was used to test the possible antimutagenic effects of Arthrospira (Spirulina) maxima (SP) on male and female mice. SP was orally administered at 0, 200, 400, or 800 mg/kg of body weight to animals of both sexes for 2 weeks before starting the B[α]P (intraperitoneal injection) at 125 mg/kg of body weight for 5 consecutive days. For the male dominant lethal test, each male was caged with two untreated females per week for 3 weeks. For the female dominant lethal test, each female was caged for 1 week with one untreated male. All the females were evaluated 13–15 days after mating for incidence of pregnancy, total corpora lutea, total implants and pre- and postimplant losses. SP protected from B[α]P-induced pre- and postimplant losses in the male dominant lethal test, and from B[α]P-induced postimplantation losses in treated females. Moreover, SP treatment significantly reduced the detrimental effect of B[α]P on the quality of mouse semen. Our results illustrate the protective effects of SP in relation to B[α]P-induced genetic damage to germ cells. We conclude that SP, owing mainly to the presence of phycocyanin, could be of potential clinical interest in cancer treatment or prevention of relapse. PMID:24787733

Autocapture compatibility in patients with the MembraneEX lead and Affinity pulse generators.

PubMed

Schuchert, A; Voitk, J; Liu, B; Kolk, R; Stammwitz, E; Beiras, J

2001-10-01

The first Autocapture generation worked well with all recommended leads. The newer Autocapture generation provides a more sensitive resolution for evoked response testing and its implementation in a dual-chamber device. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the performance of the Affinity SR/DR pacemaker with the new Autocapture algorithm in combination with the small surface area pacing lead MembraneEX in 129 patients. Autocapture ventricular threshold, sensing threshold, lead impedance, evoked response (ER) and polarization signals were determined at implantation and discharge, as well as after 1 and 3 months. Autocapture recommendation rate was based on the ER sensitivity test. The median pacing threshold was 0.38, 0.50, 0.75, 0.75 V at implant, discharge, 1 and 3 months post-implant, respectively. The respective data for median lead impedance were 744, 605, 649 and 691 ohms; median sensing threshold was 12.5 mV at all visits. The median ER amplitude was 9.0, 10.1, 9.9 and 10.1 mV and the median polarization signal 0.39 mV at all visits. The frequency of recommended Autocapture activation was 98.3%, 99.2%, 98.3% and 96.2% of all patients at implant, at discharge, 1 and 3 months post-implant respectively. In conclusion, the studied pulse generator enabled, in combination with this pacing lead, in >95% of all patients activation of Autocapture.

Differentiation of Competence and Affect Self-Perceptions in Elementary School Students: Extending Empirical Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arens, A. Katrin; Hasselhorn, Marcus

2015-01-01

This study aimed to address two underexplored research questions regarding support for the separation between competence and affect self-perceptions due to differential relations to outcome criteria. First, it is tested whether higher relations between affect self-perceptions and effort than between competence self-perceptions and effort can also…

Quarrelsome behavior in borderline personality disorder: influence of behavioral and affective reactivity to perceptions of others.

PubMed

Sadikaj, Gentiana; Moskowitz, D S; Russell, Jennifer J; Zuroff, David C; Paris, Joel

2013-02-01

We examined how the amplification of 3 within-person processes (behavioral reactivity to interpersonal perceptions, affect reactivity to interpersonal perceptions, and behavioral reactivity to a person's own affect) accounts for greater quarrelsome behavior among individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Using an event-contingent recording (ECR) methodology, individuals with BPD (N = 38) and community controls (N = 31) reported on their negative affect, quarrelsome behavior, and perceptions of the interaction partner's agreeable-quarrelsome behavior in interpersonal events during a 20-day period. Behavioral reactivity to negative affect was similar in both groups. However, behavioral reactivity and affect reactivity to interpersonal perceptions were elevated in individuals with BPD relative to community controls; specifically, individuals with BPD reported more quarrelsome behavior and more negative affect during interactions in which they perceived others as more cold-quarrelsome. Greater negative affect reactivity to perceptions of other's cold-quarrelsome behavior partly accounted for the increased quarrelsome behavior reported by individuals with BPD during these interactions. This pattern of results suggests a cycle in which the perception of cold-quarrelsome behavior in others triggers elevated negative affect and quarrelsome behavior in individuals with BPD, which subsequently led to more quarrelsome behavior from their interaction partners, which leads to perceptions of others as cold-quarrelsomeness, which begins the cycle anew. 2013 APA, all rights reserved

The affect heuristic, mortality salience, and risk: domain-specific effects of a natural disaster on risk-benefit perception.

PubMed

Västfjäll, Daniel; Peters, Ellen; Slovic, Paul

2014-12-01

We examine how affect and accessible thoughts following a major natural disaster influence everyday risk perception. A survey was conducted in the months following the 2004 south Asian Tsunami in a representative sample of the Swedish population (N = 733). Respondents rated their experienced affect as well as the perceived risk and benefits of various everyday decision domains. Affect influenced risk and benefit perception in a way that could be predicted from both the affect-congruency and affect heuristic literatures (increased risk perception and stronger risk-benefit correlations). However, in some decision domains, self-regulation goals primed by the natural disaster predicted risk and benefit ratings. Together, these results show that affect, accessible thoughts and motivational states influence perceptions of risks and benefits. © 2014 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

ATM Heterozygosity and the Development of Radiation-Induced Erectile Dysfunction and Urinary Morbidity Following Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-01

mentors Richard Stock, M.D., and Barry Rosenstein,PhD., regarding the natural history of prostate cancer treated with brachytherapy and the genetics...Supplement 1, 1 November 2007, Page S630 Peters CA, Stone NN, Cesaretti JA and Stock RG “The Effect of Family History on Outcome in Patients Treated...Grimm PD, et al. Centralized multi- institutional postimplant analysis for interstitial prostate brachy- therapy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 1998;41:921

Effects of Positive Affect on Risk Perceptions in Adolescence and Young Adulthood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haase, Claudia M.; Silbereisen, Rainer K.

2011-01-01

Affective influences may play a key role in adolescent risk taking, but have rarely been studied. Using an audiovisual method of affect induction, two experimental studies examined the effect of positive affect on risk perceptions in adolescence and young adulthood. Outcomes were risk perceptions regarding drinking alcohol, smoking a cigarette,…

Communication outcomes for groups of children using cochlear implants enrolled in auditory-verbal, aural-oral, and bilingual-bicultural early intervention programs.

PubMed

Dettman, Shani; Wall, Elizabeth; Constantinescu, Gabriella; Dowell, Richard

2013-04-01

The relative impact of early intervention approach on speech perception and language skills was examined in these 3 well-matched groups of children using cochlear implants. Eight children from an auditory verbal intervention program were identified. From a pediatric database, researchers blind to the outcome data, identified 23 children from auditory oral programs and 8 children from bilingual-bicultural programs with the same inclusion criteria and equivalent demographic factors. All child participants were male, had congenital profound hearing loss (pure tone average >80 dBHL), no additional disabilities, were within the normal IQ range, were monolingual English speakers, had no unusual findings on computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging, and received hearing aids and cochlear implants at a similar age and before 4 years of age. Open-set speech perception (consonant-nucleus-consonant [CNC] words and Bamford-Kowal-Bench [BKB] sentences) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) were administered. The mean age at cochlear implant was 1.7 years (range, 0.8-3.9; SD, 0.7), mean test age was 5.4 years (range, 2.5-10.1; SD, 1.7), and mean device experience was 3.7 years (range, 0.7-7.9; SD, 1.8). Results indicate mean CNC scores of 60%, 43%, and 24% and BKB scores of 77%, 77%, and 56% for the auditory-verbal (AV), aural-oral (AO), and bilingual-bicultural (BB) groups, respectively. The mean PPVT delay was 13, 19, and 26 months for AV, AO, and BB groups, respectively. Despite equivalent child demographic characteristics at the outset of this study, by 3 years postimplant, there were significant differences in AV, AO, and BB groups. Results support consistent emphasis on oral/aural input to achieve optimum spoken communication outcomes for children using cochlear implants.

Peripheral nerve field stimulation for chronic neuropathic pain: a single institution experience.

PubMed

D'Ammando, A; Messina, G; Franzini, A; Dones, I

2016-04-01

Peripheral nerve field stimulation (PNFS) is a novel neurosurgical procedure consisting of implantation of subcutaneous leads in specific painful areas in different types of painful, drug-resistant syndromes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of PNFS in several patients affected by different chronic neuropathic pain syndromes, along with its risks, limits and possible correlation between the results achieved and the patients' main symptoms. Twenty-two patients affected by different types of chronic neuropathic pain were submitted to PNFS at the Department of Neurosurgery of the Istituto Neurologico "C. Besta" in Milan between July 2009 and July 2013. The visual analog scale (VAS) and variations in the use of analgesic drugs, along with complications, were considered to assess results. In 59 % of our patients, an average pain reduction of 5.50 points on the visual analog scale was observed (average pre-implant score 8.86 and average post-implant score 3.36). These patients reduced their analgesic drug use after PNFS. We observed no early or long-term complications after our last follow-up evaluation. PNFS can be considered an effective and safe option to treat carefully selected, drug-resistant and chronic neuropathic pain patients; the reversibility of the procedure and its lack, at least in our hands, of long-term complications may contribute to wider use of this procedure.

Affective state influences perception by affecting decision parameters underlying bias and sensitivity.

PubMed

Lynn, Spencer K; Zhang, Xuan; Barrett, Lisa Feldman

2012-08-01

Studies of the effect of affect on perception often show consistent directional effects of a person's affective state on perception. Unpleasant emotions have been associated with a "locally focused" style of stimulus evaluation, and positive emotions with a "globally focused" style. Typically, however, studies of affect and perception have not been conducted under the conditions of perceptual uncertainty and behavioral risk inherent to perceptual judgments outside the laboratory. We investigated the influence of perceivers' experienced affect (valence and arousal) on the utility of social threat perception by combining signal detection theory and behavioral economics. We compared 3 perceptual decision environments that systematically differed with respect to factors that underlie uncertainty and risk: the base rate of threat, the costs of incorrect identification threat, and the perceptual similarity of threats and nonthreats. We found that no single affective state yielded the best performance on the threat perception task across the 3 environments. Unpleasant valence promoted calibration of response bias to base rate and costs, high arousal promoted calibration of perceptual sensitivity to perceptual similarity, and low arousal was associated with an optimal adjustment of bias to sensitivity. However, the strength of these associations was conditional upon the difficulty of attaining optimal bias and high sensitivity, such that the effect of the perceiver's affective state on perception differed with the cause and/or level of uncertainty and risk.

Affective State Influences Perception by Affecting Decision Parameters Underlying Bias and Sensitivity

PubMed Central

Lynn, Spencer K.; Zhang, Xuan; Barrett, Lisa Feldman

2012-01-01

Studies of the effect of affect on perception often show consistent directional effects of a person’s affective state on perception. Unpleasant emotions have been associated with a “locally focused” style of stimulus evaluation, and positive emotions with a “globally focused” style. Typically, however, studies of affect and perception have not been conducted under the conditions of perceptual uncertainty and behavioral risk inherent to perceptual judgments outside the laboratory. We investigated the influence of perceivers’ experience affect (valence and arousal) on the utility of social threat perception by combining signal detection theory and behavioral economics. We created three perceptual decision environments that systematically differed with respect to factors that underlie uncertainty and risk: the base rate of threat, the costs of incorrect identification threat, and the perceptual similarity of threats and non-threats. We found that no single affective state yielded the best performance on the threat perception task across the three environments. Unpleasant valence promoted calibration of response bias to base rate and costs, high arousal promoted calibration of perceptual sensitivity to perceptual similarity, and low arousal was associated with an optimal adjustment of bias to sensitivity. However, the strength of these associations was conditional upon the difficulty of attaining optimal bias and high sensitivity, such that the effect of the perceiver’s affective state on perception differed with the cause and/or level of uncertainty and risk. PMID:22251054

Early Sign Language Exposure and Cochlear Implantation Benefits.

PubMed

Geers, Ann E; Mitchell, Christine M; Warner-Czyz, Andrea; Wang, Nae-Yuh; Eisenberg, Laurie S

2017-07-01

Most children with hearing loss who receive cochlear implants (CI) learn spoken language, and parents must choose early on whether to use sign language to accompany speech at home. We address whether parents' use of sign language before and after CI positively influences auditory-only speech recognition, speech intelligibility, spoken language, and reading outcomes. Three groups of children with CIs from a nationwide database who differed in the duration of early sign language exposure provided in their homes were compared in their progress through elementary grades. The groups did not differ in demographic, auditory, or linguistic characteristics before implantation. Children without early sign language exposure achieved better speech recognition skills over the first 3 years postimplant and exhibited a statistically significant advantage in spoken language and reading near the end of elementary grades over children exposed to sign language. Over 70% of children without sign language exposure achieved age-appropriate spoken language compared with only 39% of those exposed for 3 or more years. Early speech perception predicted speech intelligibility in middle elementary grades. Children without sign language exposure produced speech that was more intelligible (mean = 70%) than those exposed to sign language (mean = 51%). This study provides the most compelling support yet available in CI literature for the benefits of spoken language input for promoting verbal development in children implanted by 3 years of age. Contrary to earlier published assertions, there was no advantage to parents' use of sign language either before or after CI. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

On the relationship between personal experience, affect and risk perception: The case of climate change

PubMed Central

van der Linden, Sander

2014-01-01

Examining the conceptual relationship between personal experience, affect, and risk perception is crucial in improving our understanding of how emotional and cognitive process mechanisms shape public perceptions of climate change. This study is the first to investigate the interrelated nature of these variables by contrasting three prominent social-psychological theories. In the first model, affect is viewed as a fast and associative information processing heuristic that guides perceptions of risk. In the second model, affect is seen as flowing from cognitive appraisals (i.e., affect is thought of as a post-cognitive process). Lastly, a third, dual-process model is advanced that integrates aspects from both theoretical perspectives. Four structural equation models were tested on a national sample (N = 808) of British respondents. Results initially provide support for the “cognitive” model, where personal experience with extreme weather is best conceptualized as a predictor of climate change risk perception and, in turn, risk perception a predictor of affect. Yet, closer examination strongly indicates that at the same time, risk perception and affect reciprocally influence each other in a stable feedback system. It is therefore concluded that both theoretical claims are valid and that a dual-process perspective provides a superior fit to the data. Implications for theory and risk communication are discussed. © 2014 The Authors. European Journal of Social Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. PMID:25678723

A Monte Carlo investigation of lung brachytherapy treatment planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutherland, J. G. H.; Furutani, K. M.; Thomson, R. M.

2013-07-01

Iodine-125 (125I) and Caesium-131 (131Cs) brachytherapy have been used in conjunction with sublobar resection to reduce the local recurrence of stage I non-small cell lung cancer compared with resection alone. Treatment planning for this procedure is typically performed using only a seed activity nomogram or look-up table to determine seed strand spacing for the implanted mesh. Since the post-implant seed geometry is difficult to predict, the nomogram is calculated using the TG-43 formalism for seeds in a planar geometry. In this work, the EGSnrc user-code BrachyDose is used to recalculate nomograms using a variety of tissue models for 125I and 131Cs seeds. Calculated prescription doses are compared to those calculated using TG-43. Additionally, patient CT and contour data are used to generate virtual implants to study the effects that post-implant deformation and patient-specific tissue heterogeneity have on perturbing nomogram-derived dose distributions. Differences of up to 25% in calculated prescription dose are found between TG-43 and Monte Carlo calculations with the TG-43 formalism underestimating prescription doses in general. Differences between the TG-43 formalism and Monte Carlo calculated prescription doses are greater for 125I than for 131Cs seeds. Dose distributions are found to change significantly based on implant deformation and tissues surrounding implants for patient-specific virtual implants. Results suggest that accounting for seed grid deformation and the effects of non-water media, at least approximately, are likely required to reliably predict dose distributions in lung brachytherapy patients.

Programming settings and recharge interval in a prospective study of a rechargeable sacral neuromodulation system for the treatment of overactive bladder.

PubMed

Blok, Bertil; Van Kerrebroeck, Philip; de Wachter, Stefan; Ruffion, Alain; Van der Aa, Frank; Jairam, Ranjana; Perrouin-Verbe, Marie; Elneil, Sohier

2018-02-01

The RELAX-OAB study is designed to confirm the safety, efficacy, and technical performance of the Axonics r-SNM System, a miniaturized, rechargeable SNM system approved in Europe and Canada for the treatment of bladder and bowel dysfunction. The purpose of this article is to describe study subjects' ability to charge the rechargeable neurostimulator and to document their neurostimulator program settings and recharge interval over time. Fifty-one OAB patients were implanted in a single-stage procedure. These results represent the 3-month charging experience for 48 subjects who completed the 3-month follow-up. Recharge intervals were estimated using therapy stimulation settings and subject experience was evaluated using questionnaires. Forty-seven of forty-eight (98%) subjects were able to successfully charge their device prior to follow-up within 1-month post-implant. At 3-month post-implant, 98% of subjects were able to charge prior to their follow-up visit. Average stimulation amplitude across all subjects was 1.8 mA (±1.1 mA). A total of 69% of subjects had ≥14-day recharge intervals (time between charging) and 98% of subjects had ≥7-day recharge interval. No charging related adverse events occurred. Study subjects were able to charge the Axonics r-SNM System and stimulation settings provided 2 weeks of therapy between recharging for most subjects. Subject satisfaction indicates that subjects are satisfied with rechargeable SNM therapy. © 2018 The Authors. Neurourology and Urodynamics Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A pacemaker magnet check alone is sufficient for the majority of patients postpacemaker implant.

PubMed

Jones, Michael A; Wong, Kelvin C K; Qureshi, Norman; Rajappan, Kim; Bashir, Yaver; Betts, Timothy R

2014-12-01

Patients postpacemaker implant can undergo a full assessment by pacing system programmer (PSP) or a magnet check. The former takes longer, but provides more detailed information; a magnet-mode assessment is faster, but provides only capture data in an asynchronous pacing mode. A magnet-mode assessment alone may be sufficient in most cases, and current clinical practice varies considerably. A retrospective single-center assessment of all pacemaker implants receiving PSP and magnet checks between September 2009 and April 2010. Patient records were reviewed. The results of PSP and magnet checks and any subsequent device-related management were noted. A total of 168 patients underwent pacemaker implantation, magnet-mode assessment, and then PSP interrogation during this period. Magnet-mode assessment revealed a problem in only one patient-failure of atrial capture, leading to subsequent atrial lead repositioning. None of the remaining 167 patients have a serious problem at PSP interrogation; six had minor issues at PSP check, none of which required repeat surgical intervention. The magnet-mode test only provides information on lead capture in an asynchronous pacing mode, which is the most essential data postoperatively. Our study has suggested that a magnet-mode assessment without PSP interrogation may be sufficient in the immediate postimplant assessment of these patients. Routine postimplant PSP interrogation is time consuming, labor intensive, and adds only minimal additional benefit to the safe management of these patients above and beyond a magnet check, coupled with informed assessment of the associated electrocardiogram/rhythm strip, clinical examination, and chest x-ray. ©2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Feasibility of early discharge after implantable cardioverter-defibrillator procedures.

PubMed

Choudhuri, Indrajit; Desai, Dipan; Walburg, Jon; August, Phyllis; Keller, Seth I; Suri, Ranjit

2012-10-01

Registry data demonstrate considerably low complication rates after implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) procedures for primary prevention of sudden death. Yet standard of care includes postimplant overnight in-hospital observation that may levy substantial unnecessary financial burden on health care systems. In appropriate patients, discharge soon after implant could translate into significant cost savings, if such practice does not result in complications. We applied a simple clinical algorithm to assess feasibility of discharge on the same day of ICD implantation in patients at low risk for procedural complications. We prospectively randomized primary prevention ICD candidates at low risk for complications (not pacing-dependent or requiring bridging heparin anticoagulation) to next-day discharge with overnight in-hospital observation, or same-day discharge with remote monitoring for 24 hours after ICD implant. Implants were performed via cephalic vein access, and randomization occurred after 4-hours clinical observation and device interrogation. All patients were followed for a minimum of 6 weeks to assess acute procedural complications. 71 patients comprised the study cohort (mean age 62, 79% male) after 3 were excluded. The most common indication for ICD implant was ischemic cardiomyopathy with ejection fraction ≤35%. Device data obtained through 24-hour remote monitoring was comparable to 4-hour postimplant parameters in same-day discharge patients. No acute complications occurred in same-day discharge patients; 1 next-day discharge patient developed pneumothorax. ICD implantation with same-day discharge is reasonable in patients at low risk for complications. Remote monitoring can be useful in indicating lead-parameter stability during the immediate postoperative period. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Welfare Status of Working Horses and Owners′ Perceptions of Their Animals

PubMed Central

Luna, Daniela; Vásquez, Rodrigo A.; Rojas, Manuel; Tadich, Tamara A.

2017-01-01

Simple Summary Appropriate strategies aimed at improving the welfare of working horses should contemplate the assessment of welfare status, as well as the evaluation of the human–animal relationship within each geo-cultural context. We assessed and compared the welfare status of working horses in two administrative regions of Chile and explored the nature of the owner–horse relationship from the perspective of the owner. The overall prevalence of health problems and negative behavior responses was low. However, significant differences between regions exist in the presence of lesions and the person responsible for managing horseshoeing. Two differing views were found regarding the owners’ perception of their horse: predominantly affective or instrumental. Despite the instrumental perception predominantly residing in one region, the affective perception was widely shared by owners in each region. The findings suggest that Chilean working horses have a, generally, good welfare and that the development of an affective owner–horse relationship is possible. Additionally, the results suggest that affective and instrumental perceptions of these animals can coexist. Abstract Appropriate interventions to improve working equine welfare should be proposed according to scientific evidence that arises from different geo-cultural contexts. This study aims to assess and compare the welfare status of working horses in two administrative regions of Chile and to determine how owners perceive their horses. Horses’ welfare status was assessed through direct indicators (direct observation and clinical examination) and indirect indicators (an interview with the owner). Owners′ perceptions of their horses were determined through a discourse analysis of their statements. In total, 100 horses and 100 owners were assessed. Results showed a low prevalence of health problems and negative behavior responses among horses in the two regions evaluated. Significant associations were found between inadequate body condition and the absence of deworming, and between hoof abnormalities and a low frequency of shoeing. Between regions, significant differences were found in the presence of lesions and the person responsible for horseshoeing. In regards to the owners′ appreciations, two differing perceptions of working horses were found: a predominantly affective perception and a perception of the animal as a working instrument. Although the instrumental perception was more frequent in the Araucania region, the affective perception was widely shared by both owner populations. The results reveal a good welfare status in working horses and suggest that both affective and instrumental perceptions of these animals can coexist. PMID:28788109

Trimodal speech perception: how residual acoustic hearing supplements cochlear-implant consonant recognition in the presence of visual cues.

PubMed

Sheffield, Benjamin M; Schuchman, Gerald; Bernstein, Joshua G W

2015-01-01

As cochlear implant (CI) acceptance increases and candidacy criteria are expanded, these devices are increasingly recommended for individuals with less than profound hearing loss. As a result, many individuals who receive a CI also retain acoustic hearing, often in the low frequencies, in the nonimplanted ear (i.e., bimodal hearing) and in some cases in the implanted ear (i.e., hybrid hearing) which can enhance the performance achieved by the CI alone. However, guidelines for clinical decisions pertaining to cochlear implantation are largely based on expectations for postsurgical speech-reception performance with the CI alone in auditory-only conditions. A more comprehensive prediction of postimplant performance would include the expected effects of residual acoustic hearing and visual cues on speech understanding. An evaluation of auditory-visual performance might be particularly important because of the complementary interaction between the speech information relayed by visual cues and that contained in the low-frequency auditory signal. The goal of this study was to characterize the benefit provided by residual acoustic hearing to consonant identification under auditory-alone and auditory-visual conditions for CI users. Additional information regarding the expected role of residual hearing in overall communication performance by a CI listener could potentially lead to more informed decisions regarding cochlear implantation, particularly with respect to recommendations for or against bilateral implantation for an individual who is functioning bimodally. Eleven adults 23 to 75 years old with a unilateral CI and air-conduction thresholds in the nonimplanted ear equal to or better than 80 dB HL for at least one octave frequency between 250 and 1000 Hz participated in this study. Consonant identification was measured for conditions involving combinations of electric hearing (via the CI), acoustic hearing (via the nonimplanted ear), and speechreading (visual cues). The results suggest that the benefit to CI consonant-identification performance provided by the residual acoustic hearing is even greater when visual cues are also present. An analysis of consonant confusions suggests that this is because the voicing cues provided by the residual acoustic hearing are highly complementary with the mainly place-of-articulation cues provided by the visual stimulus. These findings highlight the need for a comprehensive prediction of trimodal (acoustic, electric, and visual) postimplant speech-reception performance to inform implantation decisions. The increased influence of residual acoustic hearing under auditory-visual conditions should be taken into account when considering surgical procedures or devices that are intended to preserve acoustic hearing in the implanted ear. This is particularly relevant when evaluating the candidacy of a current bimodal CI user for a second CI (i.e., bilateral implantation). Although recent developments in CI technology and surgical techniques have increased the likelihood of preserving residual acoustic hearing, preservation cannot be guaranteed in each individual case. Therefore, the potential gain to be derived from bilateral implantation needs to be weighed against the possible loss of the benefit provided by residual acoustic hearing.

The Tripartite Model of Risk Perception (TRIRISK): Distinguishing Deliberative, Affective, and Experiential Components of Perceived Risk.

PubMed

Ferrer, Rebecca A; Klein, William M P; Persoskie, Alexander; Avishai-Yitshak, Aya; Sheeran, Paschal

2016-10-01

Although risk perception is a key predictor in health behavior theories, current conceptions of risk comprise only one (deliberative) or two (deliberative vs. affective/experiential) dimensions. This research tested a tripartite model that distinguishes among deliberative, affective, and experiential components of risk perception. In two studies, and in relation to three common diseases (cancer, heart disease, diabetes), we used confirmatory factor analyses to examine the factor structure of the tripartite risk perception (TRIRISK) model and compared the fit of the TRIRISK model to dual-factor and single-factor models. In a third study, we assessed concurrent validity by examining the impact of cancer diagnosis on (a) levels of deliberative, affective, and experiential risk perception, and (b) the strength of relations among risk components, and tested predictive validity by assessing relations with behavioral intentions to prevent cancer. The tripartite factor structure was supported, producing better model fit across diseases (studies 1 and 2). Inter-correlations among the components were significantly smaller among participants who had been diagnosed with cancer, suggesting that affected populations make finer-grained distinctions among risk perceptions (study 3). Moreover, all three risk perception components predicted unique variance in intentions to engage in preventive behavior (study 3). The TRIRISK model offers both a novel conceptualization of health-related risk perceptions, and new measures that enhance predictive validity beyond that engendered by unidimensional and bidimensional models. The present findings have implications for the ways in which risk perceptions are targeted in health behavior change interventions, health communications, and decision aids.

Children's Perceptions of TV Commercials and Products: The Effects of PSAs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christenson, Peter Gilbert

1982-01-01

Investigated whether public service announcements (PSAs) on the nature of television advertising affect (1) children's awareness of advertising intent; (2) their belief in its truthfulness; and (3) their perception of advertised products. Data indicate that PSAs can influence children's perceptions of advertising's credibility and can affect their…

Toward Instructional Leadership: Principals' Perceptions of Large-Scale Assessment in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prytula, Michelle; Noonan, Brian; Hellsten, Laurie

2013-01-01

This paper describes a study of the perceptions that Saskatchewan school principals have regarding large-scale assessment reform and their perceptions of how assessment reform has affected their roles as principals. The findings revealed that large-scale assessments, especially provincial assessments, have affected the principal in Saskatchewan…

Understanding the Cognitive and Affective Mechanisms that Underlie Proxy Risk Perceptions among Caregivers of Asthmatic Children.

PubMed

Shepperd, James A; Lipsey, Nikolette P; Pachur, Thorsten; Waters, Erika A

2018-07-01

Medical decisions made on behalf of another person-particularly those made by adult caregivers for their minor children-are often informed by the decision maker's beliefs about the treatment's risks and benefits. However, we know little about the cognitive and affective mechanisms influencing such "proxy" risk perceptions and about how proxy risk perceptions are related to prominent judgment phenomena. Adult caregivers of minor children with asthma ( N = 132) completed an online, cross-sectional survey assessing 1) cognitions and affects that form the basis of the availability, representativeness, and affect heuristics; 2) endorsement of the absent-exempt and the better-than-average effect; and 3) proxy perceived risk and unrealistic comparative optimism of an asthma exacerbation. We used the Pediatric Asthma Control and Communication Instrument (PACCI) to assess asthma severity. Respondents with higher scores on availability, representativeness, and negative affect indicated higher proxy risk perceptions and (for representativeness only) lower unrealistic optimism, irrespective of asthma severity. Conversely, respondents who showed a stronger display of the better-than-average effect indicated lower proxy risk perceptions but did not differ in unrealistic optimism. The absent-exempt effect was unrelated to proxy risk perceptions and unrealistic optimism. Heuristic judgment processes appear to contribute to caregivers' proxy risk perceptions of their child's asthma exacerbation risk. Moreover, the display of other, possibly erroneous, judgment phenomena is associated with lower caregiver risk perceptions. Designing interventions that target these mechanisms may help caregivers work with their children to reduce exacerbation risk.

SU-E-J-166: Sensitivity of Clinically Relevant Dosimetric Parameters to Contouring Uncertainty During Post Implant Dosimetry of Prostate Permanent Seed Implants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mashouf, S; University of Toronto, Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Toronto, ON; Ravi, A

Purpose: There is a strong evidence relating post-implant dosimetry for permanent seed prostate brachytherpy to local control rates. The delineation of the prostate on CT images, however, represents a challenge as it is difficult to confidently identify the prostate borders from soft tissue surrounding it. This study aims at quantifying the sensitivity of clinically relevant dosimetric parameters to prostate contouring uncertainty. Methods: The post-implant CT images and plans for a cohort of 43 patients, who have received I–125 permanent prostate seed implant in our centre, were exported to MIM Symphony LDR brachytherapy treatment planning system (MIM Software Inc., Cleveland, OH).more » The prostate contours in post-implant CT images were expanded/contracted uniformly for margins of ±1.00mm, ±2.00mm, ±3.00mm, ±4.00mm and ±5.00mm (±0.01mm). The values for V100 and D90 were extracted from Dose Volume Histograms for each contour and compared. Results: The mean value of V100 and D90 was obtained as 92.3±8.4% and 108.4±12.3% respectively (Rx=145Gy). V100 was reduced by −3.2±1.5%, −7.2±3.0%, −12.8±4.0%, −19.0±4.8%, − 25.5±5.4% for expanded contours of prostate with margins of +1mm, +2mm, +3mm, +4mm, and +5mm, respectively, while it was increased by 1.6±1.2%, 2.4±2.4%, 2.7±3.2%, 2.9±4.2%, 2.9±5.1% for the contracted contours. D90 was reduced by −6.9±3.5%, −14.5±6.1%, −23.8±7.1%, − 33.6±8.5%, −40.6±8.7% and increased by 4.1±2.6%, 6.1±5.0%, 7.2±5.7%, 8.1±7.3% and 8.1±7.3% for the same set of contours. Conclusion: Systematic expansion errors of more than 1mm may likely render a plan sub-optimal. Conversely contraction errors may Result in labeling a plan likely as optimal. The use of MRI images to contour the prostate should results in better delineation of prostate organ which increases the predictive value of post-op plans. Since observers tend to overestimate the prostate volume on CT, compared with MRI, the impact of the contouring uncertainty on V100 and D90 fortunately, has a conservative effect of underestimating the prostate coverage.« less

Negative affect, interpersonal perception, and binge eating behavior: An experience sampling study.

PubMed

Ambwani, Suman; Roche, Michael J; Minnick, Alyssa M; Pincus, Aaron L

2015-09-01

Etiological and maintenance models for disordered eating highlight the salience of negative affect and interpersonal dysfunction. This study employed a 14-day experience sampling procedure to assess the impact of negative affect and interpersonal perceptions on binge eating behavior. Young adult women (N = 40) with recurrent binge eating and significant clinical impairment recorded their mood, interpersonal behavior, and eating behaviors at six stratified semirandom intervals daily through the use of personal digital assistants. Although momentary negative affect was associated with binge eating behavior, average levels of negative affect over the experience sampling period were not, and interpersonal problems moderated the relationship between negative affect and binge eating. Interpersonal problems also intensified the association between momentary interpersonal perceptions and binge eating behavior. Lagged analyses indicated that previous levels of negative affect and interpersonal style also influence binge eating. The study findings suggest there may be important differences in how dispositional versus momentary experiences of negative affect are associated with binge eating. Results also highlight the importance of interpersonal problems for understanding relationships among negative affect, interpersonal perception, and binge eating behavior. These results offer several possibilities for attending to affective and interpersonal functioning in clinical practice. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The effect of face patch microstimulation on perception of faces and objects.

PubMed

Moeller, Sebastian; Crapse, Trinity; Chang, Le; Tsao, Doris Y

2017-05-01

What is the range of stimuli encoded by face-selective regions of the brain? We asked how electrical microstimulation of face patches in macaque inferotemporal cortex affects perception of faces and objects. We found that microstimulation strongly distorted face percepts and that this effect depended on precise targeting to the center of face patches. While microstimulation had no effect on the percept of many non-face objects, it did affect the percept of some, including non-face objects whose shape is consistent with a face (for example, apples) as well as somewhat facelike abstract images (for example, cartoon houses). Microstimulation even perturbed the percept of certain objects that did not activate the stimulated face patch at all. Overall, these results indicate that representation of facial identity is localized to face patches, but activity in these patches can also affect perception of face-compatible non-face objects, including objects normally represented in other parts of inferotemporal cortex.

Short-Term Exposure to One Dialect Affects Processing of Another

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hay, Jen; Drager, Katie; Warren, Paul

2010-01-01

It is well established that speakers accommodate in speech production. Recent work has shown a similar effect in perception--speech perception is affected by a listener's beliefs about the speaker. In this paper, we explore the consequences of such perceptual accommodation for experiments in speech perception and lexical access. Our interest is…

Language Experience Affects Grouping of Musical Instrument Sounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhatara, Anjali; Boll-Avetisyan, Natalie; Agus, Trevor; Höhle, Barbara; Nazzi, Thierry

2016-01-01

Language experience clearly affects the perception of speech, but little is known about whether these differences in perception extend to non-speech sounds. In this study, we investigated rhythmic perception of non-linguistic sounds in speakers of French and German using a grouping task, in which complexity (variability in sounds, presence of…

Does the Perception that Stress Affects Health Matter? The Association with Health and Mortality

PubMed Central

Keller, Abiola; Litzelman, Kristin; Wisk, Lauren E.; Maddox, Torsheika; Cheng, Erika Rose; Creswell, Paul D.; Witt, Whitney P.

2012-01-01

Objective This study sought to examine the relationship among the amount of stress, the perception that stress affects health, and health and mortality outcomes in a nationally-representative sample of U.S. adults. Methods Data from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey were linked to prospective National Death Index mortality data through 2006. Separate logistic regression models were used to examine the factors associated with current health status and psychological distress. Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine the impact of perceiving that stress affects health on all-cause mortality. Each model specifically examined the interaction between the amount of stress and the perception that stress affects health, controlling for sociodemographic, health behavior, and access to healthcare factors. Results 33.7% of nearly 186 million (n=28,753) U.S. adults perceived that stress affected their health a lot or to some extent. Both higher levels of reported stress and the perception that stress affects health were independently associated with an increased likelihood of worse health and mental health outcomes. The amount of stress and the perception that stress affects health interacted such that those who reported a lot of stress and that stress impacted their health a lot had a 43% increased risk of premature death (HR = 1.43, 95% CI [1.20, 1.71]). Conclusions High amounts of stress and the perception that stress impacts health are each associated with poor health and mental health. Individuals who perceived that stress affects their health and reported a large amount of stress had an increased risk of premature death. PMID:22201278

Factors Affecting the Perception of Importance and Practice of Patient Safety Management among Hospital Employees in Korea.

PubMed

Kim, In-Sook; Park, MiJeong; Park, Mi-Young; Yoo, Hana; Choi, Jihea

2013-03-01

The study was undertaken to identify factors affecting perception of the importance and practice of patient safety management (PSM) among hospital employees in Korea. This study was conducted using a descriptive design and a self-report questionnaire. Two hundred and eighty employees were recruited from three hospitals using a convenience sampling method. Measures were perception of the importance, practice, and characteristics of PSM. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including t test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation analysis, and multiple regression. Factors affecting perception of the importance of PSM were whether hospital employees were in contact with patients while on duty, weekly working hours, education on PSM, and perceived adequacy of PSM system construction. Factors affecting the practice of PSM were perceived adequacy of work load, perceived adequacy of PSM system construction and perception of its importance. The findings of this study indicate a need for developing strategies to improve perception of the importance and practice of PSM among all hospital employees, and provide a reference for future experimental studies. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The Affective Bases of Risk Perception: Negative Feelings and Stress Mediate the Relationship between Mental Imagery and Risk Perception.

PubMed

Sobkow, Agata; Traczyk, Jakub; Zaleskiewicz, Tomasz

2016-01-01

Recent research has documented that affect plays a crucial role in risk perception. When no information about numerical risk estimates is available (e.g., probability of loss or magnitude of consequences), people may rely on positive and negative affect toward perceived risk. However, determinants of affective reactions to risks are poorly understood. In a series of three experiments, we addressed the question of whether and to what degree mental imagery eliciting negative affect and stress influences risk perception. In each experiment, participants were instructed to visualize consequences of risk taking and to rate riskiness. In Experiment 1, participants who imagined negative risk consequences reported more negative affect and perceived risk as higher compared to the control condition. In Experiment 2, we found that this effect was driven by affect elicited by mental imagery rather than its vividness and intensity. In this study, imagining positive risk consequences led to lower perceived risk than visualizing negative risk consequences. Finally, we tested the hypothesis that negative affect related to higher perceived risk was caused by negative feelings of stress. In Experiment 3, we introduced risk-irrelevant stress to show that participants in the stress condition rated perceived risk as higher in comparison to the control condition. This experiment showed that higher ratings of perceived risk were influenced by psychological stress. Taken together, our results demonstrate that affect-laden mental imagery dramatically changes risk perception through negative affect (i.e., psychological stress).

The Affective Bases of Risk Perception: Negative Feelings and Stress Mediate the Relationship between Mental Imagery and Risk Perception

PubMed Central

Sobkow, Agata; Traczyk, Jakub; Zaleskiewicz, Tomasz

2016-01-01

Recent research has documented that affect plays a crucial role in risk perception. When no information about numerical risk estimates is available (e.g., probability of loss or magnitude of consequences), people may rely on positive and negative affect toward perceived risk. However, determinants of affective reactions to risks are poorly understood. In a series of three experiments, we addressed the question of whether and to what degree mental imagery eliciting negative affect and stress influences risk perception. In each experiment, participants were instructed to visualize consequences of risk taking and to rate riskiness. In Experiment 1, participants who imagined negative risk consequences reported more negative affect and perceived risk as higher compared to the control condition. In Experiment 2, we found that this effect was driven by affect elicited by mental imagery rather than its vividness and intensity. In this study, imagining positive risk consequences led to lower perceived risk than visualizing negative risk consequences. Finally, we tested the hypothesis that negative affect related to higher perceived risk was caused by negative feelings of stress. In Experiment 3, we introduced risk-irrelevant stress to show that participants in the stress condition rated perceived risk as higher in comparison to the control condition. This experiment showed that higher ratings of perceived risk were influenced by psychological stress. Taken together, our results demonstrate that affect-laden mental imagery dramatically changes risk perception through negative affect (i.e., psychological stress). PMID:27445901

Dementia

MedlinePlus

... living. Functions affected include memory, language skills, visual perception, problem solving, self-management, and the ability to ... living. Functions affected include memory, language skills, visual perception, problem solving, self-management, and the ability to ...

The Distinct Role of Comparative Risk Perceptions in a Breast Cancer Prevention Program

PubMed Central

Dillard, Amanda J.; Ubel, Peter A.; Smith, Dylan M.; Zikmund-Fisher, Brian J.; Nair, Vijay; Derry, Holly A.; Zhang, Aijun; Pitsch, Rosemarie K.; Alford, Sharon Hensley; McClure, Jennifer B.; Fagerlin, Angela

2013-01-01

Background Comparative risk perceptions may rival other types of information in terms of effects on health behavior decisions. Purpose We examined associations between comparative risk perceptions, affect, and behavior while controlling for absolute risk perceptions and actual risk. Methods Women at an increased risk of breast cancer participated in a program to learn about tamoxifen which can reduce the risk of breast cancer. Women reported comparative risk perceptions of breast cancer and completed measures of anxiety, knowledge, and tamoxifen-related behavior intentions. Three months later, women reported their behavior. Results Comparative risk perceptions were positively correlated with anxiety, knowledge, intentions, and behavior three months later. After controlling for participants’ actual risk of breast cancer and absolute risk perceptions, comparative risk perceptions predicted anxiety and knowledge, but not intentions or behavior. Conclusions Comparative risk perceptions can affect patient outcomes like anxiety and knowledge independently of absolute risk perceptions and actual risk information. PMID:21698518

Ten-year follow-up of a consecutive series of children with multichannel cochlear implants.

PubMed

Uziel, Alain S; Sillon, Martine; Vieu, Adrienne; Artieres, Françoise; Piron, Jean-Pierre; Daures, Jean-Pierre; Mondain, Michel

2007-08-01

To assess a group of children who consecutively received implants more than 10 years after implantation with regard to speech perception, speech intelligibility, receptive language level, and academic/occupational status. A prospective longitudinal study. Pediatric referral center for cochlear implantation. Eighty-two prelingually deafened children received the Nucleus multichannel cochlear implant. Cochlear implantation with Cochlear Nucleus CI22 implant. The main outcome measures were open-set Phonetically Balanced Kindergarten word test, discrimination of sentences in noise, connective discourse tracking (CDT) using voice and telephone, speech intelligibility rating (SIR), vocabulary knowledge measured using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (Revised), academic performance on French language, foreign language, and mathematics, and academic/occupational status. After 10 years of implant experience, 79 children (96%) reported that they always wear the device; 79% (65 of 82 children) could use the telephone. The mean scores were 72% for the Phonetically Balanced Kindergarten word test, 44% for word recognition in noise, 55.3 words per minute for the CDT, and 33 words per minute for the CDT via telephone. Thirty-three children (40%) developed speech intelligible to the average listener (SIR 5), and 22 (27%) developed speech intelligible to a listener with little experience of deaf person's speech (SIR 4). The measures of vocabulary showed that most (76%) of children who received implants scored below the median value of their normally hearing peers. The age at implantation was the most important factor that may influence the postimplant outcomes. Regarding educational/vocational status, 6 subjects attend universities, 3 already have a professional activity, 14 are currently at high school level, 32 are at junior high school level, 6 additional children are enrolled in a special unit for children with disability, and 3 children are still attending elementary schools. Seventeen are in further noncompulsory education studying a range of subjects at vocational level. This long-term report shows that many profoundly hearing-impaired children using cochlear implants can develop functional levels of speech perception and production, attain age-appropriate oral language, develop competency level in a language other than their primary language, and achieve satisfactory academic performance.

Usher syndrome and cochlear implantation.

PubMed

Loundon, Natalie; Marlin, Sandrine; Busquet, Denise; Denoyelle, Françoise; Roger, Gilles; Renaud, Francis; Garabedian, Erea Noel

2003-03-01

To evaluate the symptoms leading to diagnosis and the quality of rehabilitation after cochlear implantation in Usher syndrome. Retrospective cohort study. ENT department of a tertiary referral hospital. Among 210 patients given an implantation in the Ear, Nose, and Throat department, 185 were congenitally deaf and 13 had Usher syndrome (7.0%). Five had a family history of Usher, and eight were sporadic cases. Eleven cases were Usher type I, one was Usher type III, and one was not classified. The age at implantation ranged from 18 months to 44 years (mean, 6 years 1 month). The mean follow-up was 52 months (range, 9 months to 9 years). All patients had audiophonological and clinical examination, computed tomography scan of the temporal bones, ophthalmologic examination with fundoscopy, and an electroretinogram. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging and vestibular examination were performed in 9 of 13 and 10 of 13 cases, respectively. Logopedic outcome measured preimplant and postimplant closed- and open-set word recognition and oral expression at follow-up. The most frequent initial sign of Usher syndrome was delayed walking, with a mean age of 20 months. Among the 172 other congenitally deaf children with implants, when deafness was not associated with other neurologic disorders, the mean age at walking was 14 months (p < 0.001). The fundoscopy was always abnormal after the age of 5 years, and the electroretinogram was abnormal in all cases. Vestibular function was abnormal in all but one case (nonclassified). The computed tomography scan and the magnetic resonance imaging were always normal. Logopedic results with cochlear implants showed good perception skills in all but one case. The best perceptive results were obtained in children implanted before the age of 9 years. Oral language had significantly progressed in 9 of 13 at follow-up. There was no relation between the visual acuity and the logopedic results. The earliest clinical sign associated with deafness evoking Usher syndrome is late walking. The electroretinogram is the only reliable examination to enable the diagnosis. When severe profound deafness is associated with late walking, the electroretinogram should be systematically proposed. Logopedic results are linked to precocity of implantation, and early Usher's diagnosis contributes to optimize speech therapy.

Emotion perception and empathy: An individual differences test of relations.

PubMed

Olderbak, Sally; Wilhelm, Oliver

2017-10-01

Numerous theories posit a positive relation between perceiving emotion expressed in the face of a stranger (emotion perception) and feeling or cognitively understanding the emotion of that person (affective and cognitive empathy, respectively). However, when relating individual differences in emotion perception with individual differences in affective or cognitive empathy, effect sizes are contradictory, but often not significantly different from zero. Based on 4 studies (study ns range from 97 to 486 persons; n total = 958) that differ from one another on many design and sample characteristics, applying advanced modeling techniques to control for measurement error, we estimate relations between affective empathy, cognitive empathy, and emotion perception. Relations are tested separately for each of the 6 basic emotions (an emotion-specific model) as well as across all emotions (an emotion-general model). Reflecting the literature, effect sizes and statistical significance with an emotion-general model vary across the individual studies (rs range from -.001 to .24 for emotion perception with affective empathy and -.01 to .39 for emotion perception with cognitive empathy), with a meta-analysis of these results indicating emotion perception is weakly related with affective (r = .13, p = .003) and cognitive empathy (r = .13, p = .05). Relations are not strengthened in an emotion-specific model. We argue that the weak effect sizes and inconsistency across studies reflects a neglected distinction of measurement approach-specifically, empathy is assessed as typical behavior and emotion perception is assessed as maximal effort-and conclude with considerations regarding the measurement of each construct. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

The Royal College of Radiologists' audit of prostate brachytherapy in the year 2012.

PubMed

Stewart, A J; Drinkwater, K J; Laing, R W; Nobes, J P; Locke, I

2015-06-01

This audit provides a comprehensive overview of UK prostate brachytherapy practice in the year 2012, measured against existing standards, immediately before the introduction of new Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) guidelines. This audit allows comparison with European and North American brachytherapy practice and for the impact of the RCR 2012 guidelines to be assessed in the future. A web-based data collection tool was developed by the RCR Clinical Audit Committee and sent to audit leads at all cancer centres in the UK. Standards were developed based on available guidelines in use at the start of 2012 covering case mix and dosimetry. Further questions were included to reflect areas of anticipated change with the implementation of the 2012 guidelines. Audit findings were compared with similar audits of practice in Europe, the USA and Latin America. Forty-nine of 59 cancer centres submitted data. Twenty-nine centres reported carrying out prostate brachytherapy; of these, 25 (86%) provided data regarding the number of implants, staffing, dosimetry, medication and anaesthesia and follow-up. Audit standards achieved excellent compliance in most areas, although were low in post-implant dosimetry and in post-implant scanning at 30 days. This audit provides a comprehensive picture of prostate brachytherapy in the UK in 2012. Patterns of care of prostate brachytherapy are similar to practice in the USA and Europe. The number of prostate brachytherapy implants carried out in the UK has grown significantly since a previous RCR audit in 2005 and it is important that centres maintain minimum numbers of cases to ensure that experience can be maintained and compliance to guidelines achieved. Copyright © 2015 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of 3 different postimplant dosimetry methods following permanent {sup 125}I prostate seed brachytherapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marcu, Loredana G., E-mail: loredana@marcunet.com; Faculty of Science, University of Oradea; School of Chemistry and Physics, University of Adelaide, South Australia

2013-10-01

Postimplant dosimetry (PID) after Iodine-125 ({sup 125}I) implant of the prostate should offer a reliable qualitative assessment. So far, there is no consensus regarding the optimum PID method, though the latest literature is in favor of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study aims to simultaneously compare 3 PID techniques: (1) MRI-computed tomography (CT) fusion; (2) ultrasound (US)-CT fusion; and (3) manual target delineation on CT. The study comprised 10 patients with prostate cancer. CT/MR scans with urinary catheters in place for PID were done either on day 0 or day 1 postimplantation. The main parameter evaluated and compared among methodsmore » was target D90. The results show that CT-based D90s are lower than US-CT D90s (median difference,−6.85%), whereas MR-CT PID gives higher D90 than US-CT PID (median difference, 4.25%). Manual contouring on CT images tends to overestimate the prostate volume compared with transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) (median difference, 23.33%), whereas on US images the target is overestimated compared with MR-based contouring (median difference, 13.25%). Although there are certain differences among the results given by various PID techniques, the differences are statistically insignificant for this small group of patients. Any dosimetric comparison between 2 PID techniques should also account for the limitations of each technique, to allow for an accurate quantification of data. Given that PID after permanent radioactive seed implant is mandatory for quality assurance, any imaging method–based PID (MR-CT, US-CT, and CT) available in a radiotherapy department can be indicative of the quality of the procedure.« less

Predictive factors for erectile dysfunction in men with prostate cancer after brachytherapy: Is dose to the penile bulb important?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Macdonald, A. Graham; Keyes, Mira; Kruk, Alexandra

2005-09-01

Purpose: To determine predictive factors for postimplant erectile dysfunction (ED) in a cohort of patients, according to prospectively collected data; specifically, to assess the impact of penile bulb volume and D50 and D95 (dose covering 50% and 95% of the penile bulb volume, respectively) on ED. Methods and Materials: Three hundred forty-two patients were identified who were potent before implant and who had at least 2 years' follow-up. Patient, tumor, treatment, and dosimetric data were collected on all patients. Postimplant ED was defined according to both physician-documented and patient-documented outcome data. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to create multivariablemore » models of predictors for ED at 1, 2, and 3 years after implant. Results: Physician-documented rates of ED were 57%, 48%, and 38% at 1, 2, and 3 years after implant, respectively. Patient-documented rates of ED were 70% and 66% at 1 and 2 years, respectively. Multivariable analyses revealed age and degree of preimplant erectile function to be consistently significant predictors of ED. Use of hormones was significant at the 1-year physician-documented ED endpoint but not thereafter, in keeping with the time course of testosterone recovery. Penile bulb volume, D50, and D95 were not found to be predictive for ED at any time point, in contrast to previous studies. In addition, planning ultrasound target volume, number of needles, and institutional case sequence number were significant predictors of ED at various time points, consistent with a traumatic etiology of ED. Conclusions: We found no evidence to support penile bulb dosimetry as an independent predictive factor for ED after implant, using physician-documented or patient-documented outcomes.« less

Automatic seed picking for brachytherapy postimplant validation with 3D CT images.

PubMed

Zhang, Guobin; Sun, Qiyuan; Jiang, Shan; Yang, Zhiyong; Ma, Xiaodong; Jiang, Haisong

2017-11-01

Postimplant validation is an indispensable part in the brachytherapy technique. It provides the necessary feedback to ensure the quality of operation. The ability to pick implanted seed relates directly to the accuracy of validation. To address it, an automatic approach is proposed for picking implanted brachytherapy seeds in 3D CT images. In order to pick seed configuration (location and orientation) efficiently, the approach starts with the segmentation of seed from CT images using a thresholding filter which based on gray-level histogram. Through the process of filtering and denoising, the touching seed and single seed are classified. The true novelty of this approach is found in the application of the canny edge detection and improved concave points matching algorithm to separate touching seeds. Through the computation of image moments, the seed configuration can be determined efficiently. Finally, two different experiments are designed to verify the performance of the proposed approach: (1) physical phantom with 60 model seeds, and (2) patient data with 16 cases. Through assessment of validated results by a medical physicist, the proposed method exhibited promising results. Experiment on phantom demonstrates that the error of seed location and orientation is within ([Formula: see text]) mm and ([Formula: see text])[Formula: see text], respectively. In addition, the most seed location and orientation error is controlled within 0.8 mm and 3.5[Formula: see text] in all cases, respectively. The average process time of seed picking is 8.7 s per 100 seeds. In this paper, an automatic, efficient and robust approach, performed on CT images, is proposed to determine the implanted seed location as well as orientation in a 3D workspace. Through the experiments with phantom and patient data, this approach also successfully exhibits good performance.

A Prospective Quasi-Randomized Comparison of Intraoperatively Built Custom-Linked Seeds Versus Loose Seeds for Prostate Brachytherapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ishiyama, Hiromichi, E-mail: hishiyam@kitasato-u.ac.jp; Satoh, Takefumi; Kawakami, Shogo

Purpose: To compare dosimetric parameters, seed migration rates, operation times, and acute toxicities of intraoperatively built custom-linked (IBCL) seeds with those of loose seeds for prostate brachytherapy. Methods and Materials: Participants were 140 patients with low or intermediate prostate cancer prospectively allocated to an IBCL seed group (n=74) or a loose seed group (n=66), using quasirandomization (allocated by week of the month). All patients underwent prostate brachytherapy using an interactive plan technique. Computed tomography and plain radiography were performed the next day and 1 month after brachytherapy. The primary endpoint was detection of a 5% difference in dose to 90% ofmore » prostate volume on postimplant computed tomography 1 month after treatment. Seed migration was defined as a seed position >1 cm from the cluster of other seeds on radiography. A seed dropped into the seminal vesicle was also defined as a migrated seed. Results: Dosimetric parameters including the primary endpoint did not differ significantly between groups, but seed migration rate was significantly lower in the IBCL seed group (0%) than in the loose seed group (55%; P<.001). Mean operation time was slightly but significantly longer in the IBCL seed group (57 min) than in the loose seed group (50 min; P<.001). No significant differences in acute toxicities were seen between groups (median follow-up, 9 months). Conclusions: This prospective quasirandomized control trial showed no dosimetric differences between IBCL seed and loose seed groups. However, a strong trend toward decreased postimplant seed migration was shown in the IBCL seed group.« less

iELVis: An open source MATLAB toolbox for localizing and visualizing human intracranial electrode data.

PubMed

Groppe, David M; Bickel, Stephan; Dykstra, Andrew R; Wang, Xiuyuan; Mégevand, Pierre; Mercier, Manuel R; Lado, Fred A; Mehta, Ashesh D; Honey, Christopher J

2017-04-01

Intracranial electrical recordings (iEEG) and brain stimulation (iEBS) are invaluable human neuroscience methodologies. However, the value of such data is often unrealized as many laboratories lack tools for localizing electrodes relative to anatomy. To remedy this, we have developed a MATLAB toolbox for intracranial electrode localization and visualization, iELVis. NEW METHOD: iELVis uses existing tools (BioImage Suite, FSL, and FreeSurfer) for preimplant magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) segmentation, neuroimaging coregistration, and manual identification of electrodes in postimplant neuroimaging. Subsequently, iELVis implements methods for correcting electrode locations for postimplant brain shift with millimeter-scale accuracy and provides interactive visualization on 3D surfaces or in 2D slices with optional functional neuroimaging overlays. iELVis also localizes electrodes relative to FreeSurfer-based atlases and can combine data across subjects via the FreeSurfer average brain. It takes 30-60min of user time and 12-24h of computer time to localize and visualize electrodes from one brain. We demonstrate iELVis's functionality by showing that three methods for mapping primary hand somatosensory cortex (iEEG, iEBS, and functional MRI) provide highly concordant results. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: iELVis is the first public software for electrode localization that corrects for brain shift, maps electrodes to an average brain, and supports neuroimaging overlays. Moreover, its interactive visualizations are powerful and its tutorial material is extensive. iELVis promises to speed the progress and enhance the robustness of intracranial electrode research. The software and extensive tutorial materials are freely available as part of the EpiSurg software project: https://github.com/episurg/episurg. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dosimetric variations in permanent breast seed implant due to patient arm position.

PubMed

Watt, Elizabeth; Husain, Siraj; Sia, Michael; Brown, Derek; Long, Karen; Meyer, Tyler

2015-01-01

Planning and delivery for permanent breast seed implant (PBSI) are performed with the ipsilateral arm raised; however, changes in implant geometry can be expected because of healing and anatomical motion as the patient resumes her daily activities. The purpose of this study is to quantify the effect of ipsilateral arm position on postplan dosimetry. Twelve patients treated at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre were included in this study. Patients underwent two postimplant CT scans on the day of implant (Day 0) and two scans approximately 8 weeks later (Day 60). One scan at each time was taken with the ipsilateral arm raised, recreating the planning scan position, and the other with both arms down in a relaxed position beside the body, recreating a more realistic postimplant arm position. Postplans were completed on all four scans using deformable image registration (MIM Maestro). On the Day 0 scan, the V200 for the evaluation planning target volume was significantly increased in the arm-down position compared with the arm-up position. Lung, rib, and chest wall dose were significantly reduced at both time points. Left anterior descending coronary artery, heart, and skin dose showed no significant differences at either time point. Although some dosimetric indices show significant differences between the arm-up and arm-down positions, the magnitude of these differences is small and the values remain indicative of implant quality. Despite the delivery of the majority of dose with the arm down, it is reasonable to use CT scans taken in the arm-up position for postplanning. Copyright © 2015 American Brachytherapy Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Erectile Function Durability Following Permanent Prostate Brachytherapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Taira, Al V.; Merrick, Gregory S., E-mail: gmerrick@urologicresearchinstitute.or; Galbreath, Robert W.

2009-11-01

Purpose: To evaluate long-term changes in erectile function following prostate brachytherapy. Methods and Materials: This study included 226 patients with prostate cancer and preimplant erectile function assessed by the International Index of Erectile Function-6 (IIEF-6) who underwent brachytherapy in two prospective randomized trials between February 2001 and January 2003. Median follow-up was 6.4 years. Pre- and postbrachytherapy potency was defined as IIEF-6 >= 13 without pharmacologic or mechanical support. The relationship among clinical, treatment, and dosimetric parameters and erectile function was examined. Results: The 7-year actuarial rate of potency preservation was 55.6% with median postimplant IIEF of 22 in potentmore » patients. Potent patients were statistically younger (p = 0.014), had a higher preimplant IIEF (p < 0.001), were less likely to be diabetic (p = 0.002), and were more likely to report nocturnal erections (p = 0.008). Potency preservation in men with baseline IIEF scores of 29-30, 24-28, 18-23, and 13-17 were 75.5% vs. 73.6%, 51.7% vs. 44.8%, 48.0% vs. 40.0%, and 23.5% vs. 23.5% in 2004 vs. 2008. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, preimplant IIEF, hypertension, diabetes, prostate size, and brachytherapy dose to proximal penis strongly predicted for potency preservation. Impact of proximal penile dose was most pronounced for men with IIEF of 18-23 and aged 60-69. A significant minority of men who developed postimplant impotence ultimately regained erectile function. Conclusion: Potency preservation and median IIEF scores following brachytherapy are durable. Thoughtful dose sparing of proximal penile structures and early penile rehabilitation may further improve these results.« less

Establishing High-Quality Prostate Brachytherapy Using a Phantom Simulator Training Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thaker, Nikhil G.; Kudchadker, Rajat J.; Swanson, David A.

2014-11-01

Purpose: To design and implement a unique training program that uses a phantom-based simulator to teach the process of prostate brachytherapy (PB) quality assurance and improve the quality of education. Methods and Materials: Trainees in our simulator program were practicing radiation oncologists, radiation oncology residents, and fellows of the American Brachytherapy Society. The program emphasized 6 core areas of quality assurance: patient selection, simulation, treatment planning, implant technique, treatment evaluation, and outcome assessment. Using the Iodine 125 ({sup 125}I) preoperative treatment planning technique, trainees implanted their ultrasound phantoms with dummy seeds (ie, seeds with no activity). Pre- and postimplant dosimetric parametersmore » were compared and correlated using regression analysis. Results: Thirty-one trainees successfully completed the simulator program during the period under study. The mean phantom prostate size, number of seeds used, and total activity were generally consistent between trainees. All trainees met the V100 >95% objective both before and after implantation. Regardless of the initial volume of the prostate phantom, trainees' ability to cover the target volume with at least 100% of the dose (V100) was not compromised (R=0.99 pre- and postimplant). However, the V150 had lower concordance (R=0.37) and may better reflect heterogeneity control of the implant process. Conclusions: Analysis of implants from this phantom-based simulator shows a high degree of consistency between trainees and uniformly high-quality implants with respect to parameters used in clinical practice. This training program provides a valuable educational opportunity that improves the quality of PB training and likely accelerates the learning curve inherent in PB. Prostate phantom implantation can be a valuable first step in the acquisition of the required skills to safely perform PB.« less

Sci—Fri PM: Topics — 02: Evaluation of Dosimetric Variations in Partial Breast Seed Implant (PBSI) due to Patient Arm Position (Up vs. Down)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Watt, E; Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary, AB; Long, K

The planning for PBSI is done with the patient's ipsilateral arm raised, however, anatomical changes and variations are unavoidable as the patient resumes her daily activities, potentially resulting in significant deviations in implant geometry from the treatment plan. This study aims to quantify the impact of the ipsilateral arm position on the geometry and dosimetry of the implant at eight weeks, evaluated on post-plans using the MIM Symphony™ software (MIM Software, Cleveland, OH). The average dose metrics for the three patients treated at the TBCC thus far using rigid fusion and contour transfer for the arms up position were 76%more » for the CTV V100, 61% for the PTV V100, and 37% for the PTV V200; and for the arms down position 81% for the CTV V100, 64% for the PTV V100, and 42% for the PTV V200. Qualitative analysis of the post-implant CT for one of the three patients showed poor agreement between the seroma contour transferred from the pre-implant CT and the seroma visible on the post-implant CT. To obtain a clinically accurate plan for that patient, contour modifications were used, yielding improved dose metric averages for the arms-up position for all three patients of 87% for the CTV V100, 68% for the PTV V100, and 39% for the PTV V200. Overall, the data available shows that dosimetric parameters increase with the patient's arm down, both in terms of coverage and in terms of the hot spot, and accrual of more patients may confirm this in a larger population.« less

Automatic remote monitoring utilizing daily transmissions: transmission reliability and implantable cardioverter defibrillator battery longevity in the TRUST trial.

PubMed

Varma, Niraj; Love, Charles J; Schweikert, Robert; Moll, Philip; Michalski, Justin; Epstein, Andrew E

2018-04-01

Benefits of automatic remote home monitoring (HM) among implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) patients may require high transmission frequency. However, transmission reliability and effects on battery longevity remain uncertain. We hypothesized that HM would have high transmission success permitting punctual guideline based follow-up, and improve battery longevity. This was tested in the prospective randomized TRUST trial. Implantable cardioverter defibrillator patients were randomized post-implant 2:1 to HM (n = 908) (transmit daily) or to Conventional in-person monitoring [conventional management (CM), n = 431 (HM disabled)]. In both groups, five evaluations were scheduled every 3 months for 15 months. Home Monitoring technology performance was assessed by transmissions received vs. total possible, and number of scheduled HM checks failing because of missed transmissions. Battery longevity was compared in HM vs. CM at 15 months, and again in HM 3 years post-implant using continuously transmitted data. Transmission success per patient was 91% (median follow-up of 434 days). Overall, daily HM transmissions were received in 315 795 of a potential 363 450 days (87%). Only 55/3759 (1.46%) of unsuccessful scheduled evaluations in HM were attributed to transmission loss. Shock frequency and pacing percentage were similar in HM vs. CM. Fifteen month battery longevity was 12% greater in HM (93.2 ± 8.8% vs. 83.5 ± 6.0% CM, P < 0.001). In extended follow-up of HM patients, estimated battery longevity was 50.9 ± 9.1% (median 52%) at 36 months. Automatic remote HM demonstrated robust transmission reliability. Daily transmission load may be sustained without reducing battery longevity. Home Monitoring conserves battery longevity and tracks long term device performance. ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT00336284.

Fertility in Adult Bitches Previously Treated with a 4.7 mg Subcutaneous Deslorelin Implant.

PubMed

Borges, P; Fontaine, E; Maenhoudt, C; Payan-Carreira, R; Santos, N; Leblond, E; Fontaine, C; Fontbonne, A

2015-12-01

The absence of fertility problems in male dogs after a single treatment with deslorelin acetate (Suprelorin(®)) is well acknowledged. However, reports on the application of deslorelin in the bitch and information concerning fertility after implant treatment are still limited. In this retrospective study, data concerning induced and spontaneous oestruses of 39 bitches from 17 breeds, treated with deslorelin acetate implants (4.7 mg Suprelorin(®), Virbac, France), were retrieved to assess post-treatment fertility (ovulation rate, pregnancy rate and litter size). Animals were grouped according to treatment characteristics: group 1 (Gr1) - females submitted to oestrus induction, showing natural oestruses afterwards (n = 19); group 2 (Gr2) - females re-implanted with 4.7 mg deslorelin acetate to re-induce oestrus, showing subsequent spontaneous post-implant oestruses (n = 7); and group 3 (Gr3) - females submitted to a 4.7 mg deslorelin acetate implant for oestrus suppression, evaluated at subsequent spontaneous post-implant oestruses (n = 13). Comparison of fertility traits between induced and post-treatment spontaneous oestruses in Gr1 and Gr2 (short treatments), or between spontaneous oestruses after long-treatment schedules (Gr 3) revealed a slightly better performance in spontaneous cycles compared with induced cycles: ovulation rate post-treatment was 97.1%, 94.1% and 94.4% and the pregnancy rate post-treatment was 91.2%, 88.9% and 84.6% for groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Nevertheless, fertility in induced and post-treatment oestruses was considered normal. Moreover, the individual litter size did not differ within groups between induced and spontaneous cycles. From these findings, we concluded that treatment with 4.7 mg deslorelin implants did not compromise the bitches' fertility in subsequent oestruses. © 2015 The Authors. Reproduction in Domestic Animals Published by Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Effect of different professions' clothing on children's height perception.

PubMed

Rashidi, Mahmoud; Keshtkaran, Katayoun; Zabihidan, Sahar; Hosseinchari, Masoud; Pazhoohi, Farid

2012-11-01

Height is a biological factor that can affect how others perceive and behave toward an individual. Height is a biological factor that can affect how others perceive and behave toward an individual. Clothing, as a non-biological factor, can affect these perceptions of height. In this study weClothing, as a non-biological factor, can affect these perceptions of height. In this study we investigated the effect of different professions' clothing on children's perceptions of height. One investigated the effect of different professions' clothing on children's perceptions of height. One hundred and eighty primary school students participated in this study and estimated the height of an actor in the clothing of four different professions which differed in terms of prestige. The results of study showed that the difference between the perceived and actual height was larger when participants estimated the height of socially esteemed professions. Also there was no difference between girls' and boys' estimation of different professions' height. The implications of these findings are discussed.

The impact of middle manager affective commitment on perceived improvement program implementation success.

PubMed

Fryer, Ashley-Kay; Tucker, Anita L; Singer, Sara J

Recent literature suggests that middle manager affective commitment (emotional attachment, identification, and involvement) to an improvement program may influence implementation success. However, less is known about the interplay between middle manager affective commitment and frontline worker commitment, another important driver of implementation success. We contribute to this research by surveying middle managers who directly manage frontline workers on nursing units. We assess how middle manager affective commitment is related to their perceptions of implementation success and whether their perceptions of frontline worker support mediate this relationship. We also test whether a set of organizational support factors foster middle manager affective commitment. We adapt survey measures of manager affective commitment to our research context of hospitals. We surveyed 67 nurse managers from 19 U.S. hospitals. We use hierarchical linear regression to assess relationships among middle manager affective commitment to their units' falls reduction program and their perceptions of three constructs related to the program: frontline worker support, organizational support, and implementation success. Middle manager affective commitment to their unit's falls reduction program is positively associated with their perception of implementation success. This relationship is mediated by their perception of frontline worker support for the falls program. Moreover, middle managers' affective commitment to their unit's falls program mediates the relationship between perceived organizational support for the program and perceived implementation success. We, through this research, offer an important contribution by providing empirical support of factors that may influence successful implementation of an improvement program: middle manager affective commitment, frontline worker support, and organizational support for an improvement program. Increasing levels of middle manager affective commitment to an improvement program could strengthen program implementation success by facilitating frontline worker support for the program. Furthermore, providing the organizational support items in our survey construct may bolster middle manager affective commitment.

Does the perception that stress affects health matter? The association with health and mortality.

PubMed

Keller, Abiola; Litzelman, Kristin; Wisk, Lauren E; Maddox, Torsheika; Cheng, Erika Rose; Creswell, Paul D; Witt, Whitney P

2012-09-01

This study sought to examine the relationship among the amount of stress, the perception that stress affects health, and health and mortality outcomes in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Data from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey were linked to prospective National Death Index mortality data through 2006. Separate logistic regression models were used to examine the factors associated with current health status and psychological distress. Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine the impact of perceiving that stress affects health on all-cause mortality. Each model specifically examined the interaction between the amount of stress and the perception that stress affects health, controlling for sociodemographic, health behavior, and access to health care factors. 33.7% of nearly 186 million (unweighted n = 28,753) U.S. adults perceived that stress affected their health a lot or to some extent. Both higher levels of reported stress and the perception that stress affects health were independently associated with an increased likelihood of worse health and mental health outcomes. The amount of stress and the perception that stress affects health interacted such that those who reported a lot of stress and that stress impacted their health a lot had a 43% increased risk of premature death (HR = 1.43, 95% CI [1.2, 1.7]). High amounts of stress and the perception that stress impacts health are each associated with poor health and mental health. Individuals who perceived that stress affects their health and reported a large amount of stress had an increased risk of premature death. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

The role of vision in auditory distance perception.

PubMed

Calcagno, Esteban R; Abregú, Ezequiel L; Eguía, Manuel C; Vergara, Ramiro

2012-01-01

In humans, multisensory interaction is an important strategy for improving the detection of stimuli of different nature and reducing the variability of response. It is known that the presence of visual information affects the auditory perception in the horizontal plane (azimuth), but there are few researches that study the influence of vision in the auditory distance perception. In general, the data obtained from these studies are contradictory and do not completely define the way in which visual cues affect the apparent distance of a sound source. Here psychophysical experiments on auditory distance perception in humans are performed, including and excluding visual cues. The results show that the apparent distance from the source is affected by the presence of visual information and that subjects can store in their memory a representation of the environment that later improves the perception of distance.

Perceptions of emotion and age among younger, midlife, and older adults.

PubMed

Santorelli, Gennarina D; Ready, Rebecca E; Mather, Molly A

2018-03-01

Older adults report greater emotional well-being than younger persons, yet negative stereotypes about aging are pervasive. Little is known about age group perceptions of emotion in adulthood, particularly for familiar persons. Thus, this project determined perceptions of general affect in familiar younger and older adults. In two studies, participants (Study 1, younger adult n = 123, older adult n = 43; Study 2, younger adult n = 34, midlife adult n = 41, older adult n = 16) provided self-report data about their affect in general, as well as reported on the affect of a familiar younger person (aged 18--34) and a familiar older person (aged 65 or older). Emotion scales assessed high- and low-arousal positive and negative affect. Results suggest a less favorable perception of emotion experiences of older adults compared to younger adults. Specifically, participants of all age groups rated older adults as having lower positive emotions and higher negative emotions than is found in self-report data. Perceptions of emotion in older adulthood reflect stereotypes of negative functioning. Older adult participants were not immune to holding negative views about older adults. Negative perceptions about emotion experiences in later life may be detrimental to the physical and mental health of older adults.

Depression, anxiety and positive affect in people diagnosed with low-grade tumours: the role of illness perceptions.

PubMed

Keeling, Melanie; Bambrough, Jacki; Simpson, Jane

2013-06-01

People with low-grade brain tumour experience a range of emotional, behavioural and psychosocial consequences. Using Leventhal's self-regulation model to explore biopsychosocial factors associated with distress, we examine the relationships between illness perceptions, coping and depression, anxiety and positive affect. A cross-sectional, self-report study in which 74 people (54% women) diagnosed with a low-grade brain tumour completed the Illness Perceptions Questionnaire-Revised was conducted. Mean time since diagnosis was 27.69 months (SD = 19.79). Mean age was 38.30 years (SD = 10.67). The Illness Perceptions Questionnaire-Revised, in addition to clinical, demographic and coping variables previously associated with psychological distress, was used to predict three psychological outcomes: depression, anxiety and positive affect. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses demonstrated that a biopsychosocial causal attribution was a significant predictor of anxiety and depression. Illness identity also emerged as a significant predictor of depression scores. Coping through self-blame was the only coping variable to emerge as a significant predictor of anxiety scores. A combination of coping through venting, acceptance, positive reframing, denial, behavioural disengagement and self-blame contributed to the variance in all three psychological outcome scores. No illness perception variables significantly predicted positive affect. Illness perceptions play a significant role in emotional distress experienced by people with low-grade brain tumours. Illness perceptions did not play a significant role in positive affect. Coping variables were shown to significantly contribute to the scores on all three psychological outcomes. Results suggest interventions targeted at modifying illness perceptions and enhancing problem-focused coping strategies may reduce psychological distress. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Interaction of tinnitus suppression and hearing ability after cochlear implantation.

PubMed

Wang, Qian; Li, Jia-Nan; Lei, Guan-Xiong; Chen, Dai-Shi; Wang, Wei-Ze; Chen, Ai-Ting; Mong, Meng-Di; Li, Sun; Jiao, Qing-Shan; Yang, Shi-Ming

2017-10-01

To study the postoperative impact of cochlear implants (CIs) on tinnitus, as well as the impact of tinnitus on speech recognition with CI switched on. Fifty-two postlingual deafened CI recipients (21 males and 31 females) were assessed using an established Tinnitus Characteristics Questionnaire and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) before and after cochlear implantation. The tinnitus loudness was investigated when CI was switched on and off in CI recipients with persistent tinnitus. The relation between tinnitus loudness and recipients' satisfaction of cochlear implantation was analyzed by the visual analogue scale (VAS) score. With CI 'OFF', 42 CI recipients experienced tinnitus postimplant ipsilaterally and 44 contralaterally. Tinnitus was totally suppressed ipsilateral to the CI with CI 'ON' in 42.9%, partially suppressed in 42.9%, unchanged in 11.9% and aggravated in 2.4%. Tinnitus was totally suppressed contralaterally with CI 'ON' in 31.8% of CI recipients, partially suppressed in 47.7%, unchanged in 20.5%. Pearson correlation analysis showed that tinnitus loudness and the results of cochlear implant patients satisfaction was negatively correlated (r = .674, p < .001). The study suggests six-month CI activation can be effective for suppressing tinnitus. The tinnitus loudness may affect patients' satisfaction with the use of CI.

Impact of hospital security programmes and workplace aggression on nurse perceptions of safety.

PubMed

Blando, James D; O'Hagan, Emily; Casteel, Carri; Nocera, Mary-Alice; Peek-Asa, Corinne

2013-04-01

To assess how nurses' perception of their safety and risk of violence was affected by their work environment and whether this perception correlated with their actual risk. The work environment has an impact on nurses' perception of their risk of violence and this perception affects worker productivity, quality, employee retention, worker satisfaction and their actual safety. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in person of 314 emergency department nurses and 143 psychiatric nurses, and assault data was collected from injury logs. This study found that nurses in the emergency and psychiatric units differed in their perception of violence and safety. The workplace elements that led to a perception of lower risk of violence were not correlated with a lower rate of injury from violent acts. The nurses' beliefs about the adequacy of security equipment, security guards and the frequency of verbal abuse were strongly correlated with perceived safety. Several factors that influence nurses' perception of their risk of violence are not well correlated with their actual risk. Managers must address workplace elements that affect nurse perceptions because this has an impact on quality and employee retention. They must also address factors that have an impact on the actual risk of violence because this study showed, for the first time, that these may differ from perceptions. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Risk perception of tsunami in the community of Arauco, Chile - a contribution of risk perception to disaster risk management at local level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubisch, M. Sc. Susanne; Edilia Jaque Castillo, Dra.; Braun, JProf. Andreas Ch., ,, Dr.

2017-04-01

The research was carried out in the city center of the coastal community of Arauco, Central Chile. The community of Arauco was one of the most affected communities of the tsunami in Chile, the 27th of February 2010. For the data evaluation, the affected inhabitants of the community have been surveyed via standardized questionnaires. Furthermore experts of different fields, amongst others, Disaster Risk Management (DRM), risk education, urban and regional planning, as well as geology have been consulted in form of expert interviews. The results revealed a high risk perception part of the affected community and a weakness of DRM especially at local level, which opens a gap between the evaluation and treatment of risk by experts and risk perception of the affected community. The risk perception of the affected community, here, is predominantly determined by ecological vulnerability, expressed in direct and indirect experience of a tsunami and by institutional vulnerability, expressed among others by a weakness of DRM at local level and a mistrust in responsible institutions for DRM. Due to the institutional vulnerability and the mistrust in responsible institutions we recommend a Community Based Approach (CBA) to strengthen DRM at local level and to take advantage of the high risk perception and knowledge of the affected community. Involving the community in DRM, we assume to close the gap between risk evaluation of experts and risk perception of the inhabitants and to come up with the unique necessities and conditions at local level. Especially in centralized countries, DRM is less effective, because at the one hand, decisions are made distant from the affected communities, so that measures often do not come up with the unique conditions and necessities at local level, and on the other hand measures often do not find acceptance by the affected community. Furthermore centralized DRM is often not effective and quick in response in case of emergency. Another obstacle for an effective DRM, often forms the general mistrust in governmental institutions. In these cases the participation of the affected communities in form of CBAs are assumed to overcome these problems.

Do prehospital discharge pacemaker checks provide any additional clinical benefit?

PubMed

Wheelan, Kevin R; Legge, Darlene M; Sakowski, Brent C; Bruce, Susan S; Roberts, David C; Johnston, L Murphy; Moore, B Jane; Beveridge, Thomas P; Wells, Peter J; Vallabahn, Ravi; Donsky, Michael S; Franklin, Jay O

2005-08-01

We performed a retrospective analysis of 250 records of consecutive, newly implanted, pacemaker patients from a single center to determine the rate of postimplant complications and observations discovered before and during the prehospital discharge evaluation. No observations occurred in 246 of 250 patients (98.4%) (1-sided 95% confidence interval 96.4%). Of the 250 patients, 4 had observations that were discovered at the prehospital discharge check and required reprogramming to increase the sensitivity safety margin (3 atrial and 1 ventricular). We documented only 1 complication that was discovered before the predischarge evaluation through telemetry and resulted in an atrial lead revision.

Telemedicine and cardiac implants: what is the benefit?

PubMed Central

Varma, Niraj; Ricci, Renato Pietro

2013-01-01

Cardiac implantable electronic devices are increasing in prevalence. The post-implant follow-up is important for monitoring both device function and patient condition. However, practice is inconsistent. For example, ICD follow-up schedules vary from 3 monthly to yearly according to facility and physician preference and availability of resources. Recommended follow-up schedules impose significant burden. Importantly, no surveillance occurs between follow-up visits. In contrast, implantable devices with automatic remote monitoring capability provide a means for performing constant surveillance, with the ability to identify salient problems rapidly. Remote home monitoring reduces the volume of device clinic visits and provides early detection of patient and/or system problems. PMID:23211231

The developmental dynamics of children's academic performance and mothers' homework-related affect and practices.

PubMed

Silinskas, Gintautas; Kiuru, Noona; Aunola, Kaisa; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina; Nurmi, Jari-Erik

2015-04-01

This study investigated the longitudinal associations between children's academic performance and their mothers' affect, practices, and perceptions of their children in homework situations. The children's (n = 2,261) performance in reading and math was tested in Grade 1 and Grade 4, and the mothers (n = 1,476) filled out questionnaires on their affect, practices, and perceptions while their children were in Grades 2, 3, and 4. The results showed, first, that the more help in homework the mothers reported, the slower was the development of their children's academic performance from Grade 1 to Grade 4. This negative association was true especially if mothers perceived their children not to be able to work autonomously. Second, children's good academic performance in Grade 1 predicted mothers' perception of child's ability to be autonomous and positive affect in homework situations later on, whereas poor performance predicted mothers' negative affect, help, and monitoring. Finally, mothers' negative affect mediated the association between children's poor performance, maternal practices, and perceptions of their children. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Increased discriminability of authenticity from multimodal laughter is driven by auditory information.

PubMed

Lavan, Nadine; McGettigan, Carolyn

2017-10-01

We present an investigation of the perception of authenticity in audiovisual laughter, in which we contrast spontaneous and volitional samples and examine the contributions of unimodal affective information to multimodal percepts. In a pilot study, we demonstrate that listeners perceive spontaneous laughs as more authentic than volitional ones, both in unimodal (audio-only, visual-only) and multimodal contexts (audiovisual). In the main experiment, we show that the discriminability of volitional and spontaneous laughter is enhanced for multimodal laughter. Analyses of relationships between affective ratings and the perception of authenticity show that, while both unimodal percepts significantly predict evaluations of audiovisual laughter, it is auditory affective cues that have the greater influence on multimodal percepts. We discuss differences and potential mismatches in emotion signalling through voices and faces, in the context of spontaneous and volitional behaviour, and highlight issues that should be addressed in future studies of dynamic multimodal emotion processing.

The Role of Affective and Cognitive Individual Differences in Social Perception.

PubMed

Aquino, Antonio; Haddock, Geoffrey; Maio, Gregory R; Wolf, Lukas J; Alparone, Francesca R

2016-06-01

Three studies explored the connection between social perception processes and individual differences in the use of affective and cognitive information in relation to attitudes. Study 1 revealed that individuals high in need for affect (NFA) accentuated differences in evaluations of warm and cold traits, whereas individuals high in need for cognition (NFC) accentuated differences in evaluations of competent and incompetent traits. Study 2 revealed that individual differences in NFA predicted liking of warm or cold targets, whereas individual differences in NFC predicted perceptions of competent or incompetent targets. Furthermore, the effects of NFA and NFC were independent of structural bases and meta-bases of attitudes. Study 3 revealed that differences in the evaluation of warm and cold traits mediated the effects of NFA and NFC on liking of targets. The implications for social perception processes and for individual differences in affect-cognition are discussed. © 2016 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Physicians' communication and perceptions of patients: is it how they look, how they talk, or is it just the doctor?

PubMed

Street, Richard L; Gordon, Howard; Haidet, Paul

2007-08-01

Although physicians' communication style and perceptions affect outcomes, few studies have examined how these perceptions relate to the way physicians communicate with patients. Moreover, while any number of factors may affect the communication process, few studies have analyzed these effects collectively in order to identify the most powerful influences on physician communication and perceptions. Adopting an ecological approach, this investigation examined: (a) the relationships of physicians' patient-centered communication (informative, supportive, partnership-building) and affect (positive, contentious) on their perceptions of the patient, and (b) the degree to which communication and perceptions were affected by the physicians' characteristics, patients' demographic characteristics, physician-patient concordance, and the patient's communication. Physicians (N=29) and patients (N=207) from 10 outpatient settings in the United States participated in the study. From audio-recordings of these visits, coders rated the physicians' communication and affect as well as the patients' participation and affect. Doctors were more patient-centered with patients they perceived as better communicators, more satisfied, and more likely to adhere. Physicians displayed more patient-centered communication and more favorably perceived patients who expressed positive affect, were more involved, and who were less contentious. Physicians were more contentious with black patients, whom they also perceived as less effective communicators and less satisfied. Finally, physicians who reported a patient-centered orientation to the doctor-patient relationship also were more patient-centered in their communication. The results suggest that reciprocity and mutual influence have a strong effect on these interactions in that more positive (or negative) communication from one participant leads to similar responses from the other. Physicians' encounters with black patients revealed communicative difficulties that may lower quality of care for these patients.

Students' Achievement Goals, Emotion Perception Ability and Affect and Performance in the Classroom: A Multilevel Examination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vassiou, Aikaterini; Mouratidis, Athanasios; Andreou, Eleni; Kafetsios, Konstantinos

2016-01-01

Performance at school is affected not only by students' achievement goals but also by emotional exchanges among classmates and their teacher. In this study, we investigated relationships between students' achievement goals and emotion perception ability and class affect and performance. Participants were 949 Greek adolescent students in 49 classes…

Affective Responses to Acute Exercise in Elderly Impaired Males: The Moderating Effects of Self-Efficacy and Age.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McAuley, Edward; And Others

1995-01-01

Examined relationships between perceptions of personal efficacy and affective responsibility to acute exercise in elderly male inpatients and outpatients at a Veterans Administration Medical Center. A significant change in feelings of fatigue was revealed over time but exercise effects on affect were shown to be moderated by perceptions of…

A comparison of postimplant dosimetry for {sup 103}Pd versus {sup 131}Cs seeds on a retrospective series of PBSI patients

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ravi, Ananth; Keller, Brian M.; Pignol, Jean-Philippe

2011-11-15

Purpose: Permanent breast seed implantation (PBSI) is an accelerated partial breast irradiation technique performed using stranded {sup 103}Pd radioactive seeds (average energy of 21 keV, 16.97 day half-life). Since 2004, {sup 131}Cs brachytherapy sources have become clinically available. The {sup 131}Cs radionuclide has a higher energy (average energy of 30 keV) and a shorter half-life (9.7 days) than {sup 103}Pd. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not there are dosimetric benefits to using {sup 131}Cs brachytherapy seeds for PBSI. Methods: The prescribed dose for PBSI using {sup 103}Pd is 90 Gy, which was adjusted for {supmore » 131}Cs implants to account for the shorter half-life. A retrospective cohort of 30 patients, who have already undergone a {sup 103}Pd implant, was used for this study. The treatments were planned using the Variseed treatment planning system. The air kerma strength of the {sup 131}Cs seeds was adjusted in all preimplantation treatment plans so that the V{sub 100} (the volume within the target that receives 100% or more of the prescribed dose) were equivalent at time of implantation. Two month follow-up CT scans were available for all 30 patients and each patient was reevaluated using {sup 131}Cs seeds. The postimplant dosimetric parameters were compared using a two tailed t-test. Results: The prescribed dose for {sup 131}Cs was calculated to be 77 Gy; this dose would have the same biological effect as a PBSI implant with {sup 103}Pd of 90 Gy. The activities of the {sup 131}Cs sources were adjusted to an average of 2.2 {+-} 0.8 U for {sup 131}Cs compared to 2.5 {+-} 1.1 U for {sup 103}Pd in order to get an equivalent V{sub 100} as the {sup 103}Pd preimplants. While the use of {sup 131}Cs significantly reduces the preimplant V{sub 200} (the volume within the target that receives 200% or more of the prescribed dose) compared to {sup 103}Pd by 13.5 {+-} 9.0%, the reduction observed on the 2 month postimplant plan was 12.4 {+-} 5.1% which accounted for seed motion, implantation inaccuracies and tissue changes. This translates into an absolute reduction of 4.1 cm{sup 3} of tissue receiving 200% of the dose. Conclusions: This analysis of 30 early stage breast cancer patients who underwent the PBSI procedure shows that there is a theoretical dosimetric advantage to using {sup 131}Cs. However, in a realistic implant that will have seed misplacements and tissue changes, the use of {sup 131}Cs may not result in any clinically significant benefit.« less

Factors Affecting Parent’s Perception on Air Quality—From the Individual to the Community Level

PubMed Central

Guo, Yulin; Liu, Fengfeng; Lu, Yuanan; Mao, Zongfu; Lu, Hanson; Wu, Yanyan; Chu, Yuanyuan; Yu, Lichen; Liu, Yisi; Ren, Meng; Li, Na; Chen, Xi; Xiang, Hao

2016-01-01

The perception of air quality significantly affects the acceptance of the public of the government’s environmental policies. The aim of this research is to explore the relationship between the perception of the air quality of parents and scientific monitoring data and to analyze the factors that affect parents’ perceptions. Scientific data of air quality were obtained from Wuhan’s environmental condition reports. One thousand parents were investigated for their knowledge and perception of air quality. Scientific data show that the air quality of Wuhan follows an improving trend in general, while most participants believed that the air quality of Wuhan has deteriorated, which indicates a significant difference between public perception and reality. On the individual level, respondents with an age of 40 or above (40 or above: OR = 3.252; 95% CI: 1.170–9.040), a higher educational level (college and above: OR = 7.598; 95% CI: 2.244–25.732) or children with poor healthy conditions (poor: OR = 6.864; 95% CI: 2.212–21.302) have much more negative perception of air quality. On the community level, industrial facilities, vehicles and city construction have major effects on parents’ perception of air quality. Our investigation provides baseline information for environmental policy researchers and makers regarding the public’s perception and expectation of air quality and the benefits to the environmental policy completing and enforcing. PMID:27187432

Factors Affecting Parent's Perception on Air Quality-From the Individual to the Community Level.

PubMed

Guo, Yulin; Liu, Fengfeng; Lu, Yuanan; Mao, Zongfu; Lu, Hanson; Wu, Yanyan; Chu, Yuanyuan; Yu, Lichen; Liu, Yisi; Ren, Meng; Li, Na; Chen, Xi; Xiang, Hao

2016-05-12

The perception of air quality significantly affects the acceptance of the public of the government's environmental policies. The aim of this research is to explore the relationship between the perception of the air quality of parents and scientific monitoring data and to analyze the factors that affect parents' perceptions. Scientific data of air quality were obtained from Wuhan's environmental condition reports. One thousand parents were investigated for their knowledge and perception of air quality. Scientific data show that the air quality of Wuhan follows an improving trend in general, while most participants believed that the air quality of Wuhan has deteriorated, which indicates a significant difference between public perception and reality. On the individual level, respondents with an age of 40 or above (40 or above: OR = 3.252; 95% CI: 1.170-9.040), a higher educational level (college and above: OR = 7.598; 95% CI: 2.244-25.732) or children with poor healthy conditions (poor: OR = 6.864; 95% CI: 2.212-21.302) have much more negative perception of air quality. On the community level, industrial facilities, vehicles and city construction have major effects on parents' perception of air quality. Our investigation provides baseline information for environmental policy researchers and makers regarding the public's perception and expectation of air quality and the benefits to the environmental policy completing and enforcing.

Impaired perception of harmonic complexity in congenital amusia: a case study.

PubMed

Reed, Catherine L; Cahn, Steven J; Cory, Christopher; Szaflarski, Jerzy P

2011-07-01

This study investigates whether congenital amusia (an inability to perceive music from birth) also impairs the perception of musical qualities that do not rely on fine-grained pitch discrimination. We established that G.G. (64-year-old male, age-typical hearing) met the criteria of congenital amusia and demonstrated music-specific deficits (e.g., language processing, intonation, prosody, fine-grained pitch processing, pitch discrimination, identification of discrepant tones and direction of pitch for tones in a series, pitch discrimination within scale segments, predictability of tone sequences, recognition versus knowing memory for melodies, and short-term memory for melodies). Next, we conducted tests of tonal fusion, harmonic complexity, and affect perception: recognizing timbre, assessing consonance and dissonance, and recognizing musical affect from harmony. G.G. displayed relatively unimpaired perception and production of environmental sounds, prosody, and emotion conveyed by speech compared with impaired fine-grained pitch perception, tonal sequence discrimination, and melody recognition. Importantly, G.G. could not perform tests of tonal fusion that do not rely on pitch discrimination: He could not distinguish concurrent notes, timbre, consonance/dissonance, simultaneous notes, and musical affect. Results indicate at least three distinct problems-one with pitch discrimination, one with harmonic simultaneity, and one with musical affect-and each has distinct consequences for music perception.

A study on the risk perception of light pollution and the process of social amplification of risk in Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Kyung Hee; Choi, Jae Wook; Lee, Eunil; Cho, Yong Min; Ahn, Hyung Rae

2015-05-01

In this study, the risk perception level of each light pollution type was analyzed, and the effects of the variables (e.g., psychometric paradigm factor, trust in the government, etc.) on the process of the increase in the risk perception were analyzed. For the sample population (1096 persons) in Korea, the risk perception levels of each light pollution type and other environmental and health risk factors were compared, and the relative magnitude was examined. In addition, to test which variables affect the group with high-risk perception of each light pollution type, a logistic regression analysis was performed. For the group with highest risk perception of light pollution, the odds ratios (OR) of all psychometric paradigms (excluding controllability) increased compared to those of the group with low-risk perception. Additionally, the level showing the acquisition of information from the media and the recollection level of media criticism on each light pollution type showed a statistically significant increase. Especially, the risk perception of light trespass increased as trust in the government decreased. The significance of this study includes the finding that the public's risk perception of light pollution was significantly affected by the psychometric paradigm factors. Moreover, this study analyzed the differences of the variables that affect the increase in the risk perception of each light pollution type and provided a theoretical framework that can practically reflect the strategy for the risk communication of light pollution.

The influence of physical self-perception of female college students participating in Pilates classes on perceived health state and psychological wellbeing

PubMed Central

Roh, Su Yeon

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of physical self-perception of female college students participating in Pilates on perceived health state and psychological wellbeing. The subjects of this study were 187 female college students participating in Pilates classes in six universities located in Gyeonggi-do. The collected data was analyzed by using SPSS and AMOS 18.0 version. The results are as follows. First, the physical self-perception of female college students participating in Pilates classes affects their perceived health state. Second, the physical self-perception of female college students participating in Pilates classes affects their psychological well-being. Third, the perceived health state of female college students participating in Pilates classes affects their psychological well-being. Fourth, there is a causal relationship among the physical self-perception, perceived health state, and psychological well-being of female college students participating in Pilates classes. In particular, the physical self-perception obtained by the students through their Pilates classes strengthens their psychological well-being through their perceived health state. PMID:29740551

The influence of physical self-perception of female college students participating in Pilates classes on perceived health state and psychological wellbeing.

PubMed

Roh, Su Yeon

2018-04-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of physical self-perception of female college students participating in Pilates on perceived health state and psychological wellbeing. The subjects of this study were 187 female college students participating in Pilates classes in six universities located in Gyeonggi-do. The collected data was analyzed by using SPSS and AMOS 18.0 version. The results are as follows. First, the physical self-perception of female college students participating in Pilates classes affects their perceived health state. Second, the physical self-perception of female college students participating in Pilates classes affects their psychological well-being. Third, the perceived health state of female college students participating in Pilates classes affects their psychological well-being. Fourth, there is a causal relationship among the physical self-perception, perceived health state, and psychological well-being of female college students participating in Pilates classes. In particular, the physical self-perception obtained by the students through their Pilates classes strengthens their psychological well-being through their perceived health state.

Graphic Warning Labels Elicit Affective and Thoughtful Responses from Smokers: Results of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Evans, Abigail T; Peters, Ellen; Strasser, Andrew A; Emery, Lydia F; Sheerin, Kaitlin M; Romer, Daniel

2015-01-01

Observational research suggests that placing graphic images on cigarette warning labels can reduce smoking rates, but field studies lack experimental control. Our primary objective was to determine the psychological processes set in motion by naturalistic exposure to graphic vs. text-only warnings in a randomized clinical trial involving exposure to modified cigarette packs over a 4-week period. Theories of graphic-warning impact were tested by examining affect toward smoking, credibility of warning information, risk perceptions, quit intentions, warning label memory, and smoking risk knowledge. Adults who smoked between 5 and 40 cigarettes daily (N = 293; mean age = 33.7), did not have a contra-indicated medical condition, and did not intend to quit were recruited from Philadelphia, PA and Columbus, OH. Smokers were randomly assigned to receive their own brand of cigarettes for four weeks in one of three warning conditions: text only, graphic images plus text, or graphic images with elaborated text. Data from 244 participants who completed the trial were analyzed in structural-equation models. The presence of graphic images (compared to text-only) caused more negative affect toward smoking, a process that indirectly influenced risk perceptions and quit intentions (e.g., image->negative affect->risk perception->quit intention). Negative affect from graphic images also enhanced warning credibility including through increased scrutiny of the warnings, a process that also indirectly affected risk perceptions and quit intentions (e.g., image->negative affect->risk scrutiny->warning credibility->risk perception->quit intention). Unexpectedly, elaborated text reduced warning credibility. Finally, graphic warnings increased warning-information recall and indirectly increased smoking-risk knowledge at the end of the trial and one month later. In the first naturalistic clinical trial conducted, graphic warning labels are more effective than text-only warnings in encouraging smokers to consider quitting and in educating them about smoking's risks. Negative affective reactions to smoking, thinking about risks, and perceptions of credibility are mediators of their impact. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01782053.

Feeling good, feeling bad: influences of maternal perceptions of the child and marital adjustment on well-being in mothers of children with an autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Lickenbrock, Diane M; Ekas, Naomi V; Whitman, Thomas L

2011-07-01

Mothers of children with an autism spectrum disorder (n = 49) participated in a 30-day diary study which examined associations between mothers' positive and negative perceptions of their children, marital adjustment, and maternal well-being. Hierarchical linear modeling results revealed that marital adjustment mediated associations between positive perceptions and maternal well-being. Mothers who reported higher levels of positive perceptions of the child were higher in marital adjustment and well-being. Results also revealed that marital adjustment moderated the relation between negative perceptions and negative maternal affect. Mothers low in marital adjustment had a positive association between negative maternal perceptions of the child and negative maternal affect. These findings highlight the dynamic roles that mothers' perceptions and marital adjustment play in determining maternal psychological outcomes.

Can Inexperienced Listeners Hear Who Is Flat? The Role of Timbre and Vibrato.

PubMed

Erickson, Molly L

2016-09-01

Research has shown that the distribution of spectral energy and the presence of vibrato in a complex tone can affect pitch perception. This study sought to answer the questions: "Does timbre affect the perception of difference in pitch in complex synthetic stimuli modeled after singing voices?" "Does vibrato affect the perception of difference in pitch in complex synthetic stimuli modeled after singing voices?" and "Does the direction of timbre difference affect the perception of pitch difference?" This is a repeated-measures factorial design. The experiment consisted of three experimental blocks at the pitches A3, G4, and F5, each with a vibrato and no-vibrato subblock. For each block, two reference stimuli (mezzo-soprano and soprano) and six test stimuli (mezzo-soprano at frequencies of -1%, -2%, and -3%, soprano at frequencies of -1%, -2%, and -3%) were synthesized on the vowel /ɑ/. Each reference stimulus was paired with itself, with the other reference stimulus, and with all the test stimuli. Vibrato stimuli had a rate of 5.6 Hz and a frequency vibrato extent of ±50 cents. Listeners indicated the degree to which stimuli differed in pitch. Differences in timbre and vibrato were significant main effects on the perception of pitch difference. The direction of timbre difference was a consistent significant effect on the perception of pitch difference for the pitch G4; however, this was not a consistent effect at the pitches A3 and F5. Numerous factors can affect the perception of pitch including timbre and presence of vibrato. Copyright © 2016 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Perception of parental attitudes and the level of female adolescents' self-esteem affected with anorexia nervosa].

PubMed

Witkowska, Bogumiła

2013-01-01

The article's aim is to look for correlation between a parent - child relationship and the level of self-esteem in the perception of girls affected with anorexia nervosa (who meet the criteria of DSM-IV-TR). The differences in the perception of parental attitudes (of mothers and fathers) and self-esteem of girls suffering from anorexia nervosa and their healthy peers were also analyzed. Two equally numbered groups of girls: the clinical group (30 persons affected with anorexia nervosa) and control group (30 healthy girls) in the 15-20 age range were examined. Two test were applied: Parent-Child Relations Questionnaire (PCR) A. Roe and M. Siegelman in the authorized translation by W. S. Kowalski to investigate characteristic behavior of parents of small children as perceived by youth or adults and a Questionnaire "What are you like?" by P. Sears in adaptation of J. Kostrzewski, which is used to study self-esteem. The results confirmed the expected relationship between perception of parental attitudes and the level of self-esteem of girls affected with anorexia nervosa. Parental attitudes characterized by love and protection promote higher self-esteem of their daughters and the experience of higher demands and rejection by both parents lowers their self-esteem. The comparison of average attitudes of mothers and fathers in perception of their daughters diagnosed with anorexia nervosa did not confirm significant statistical differences. Comparison of maternal attitudes in the perception of their daughters from the group affected by anorexia and the healthy group revealed significant differences in full range of attitudes. The differences in perception of the attitudes of their fathers were statistically substantial regarding the attitudes concerning love and rejection. Self-esteem of persons treated for anorexia is significantly lower than of their healthy peers.

Factors affecting patient's perception of anticancer treatments side-effects: an observational study.

PubMed

Russo, Stefania; Cinausero, Marika; Gerratana, Lorenzo; Bozza, Claudia; Iacono, Donatella; Driol, Pamela; Deroma, Laura; Sottile, Roberta; Fasola, Gianpiero; Puglisi, Fabio

2014-02-01

Analysis of relative importance of side effects of anticancer therapy is extremely useful in the process of clinical decision making. There is evidence that patients' perception of the side effects of anticancer treatments changes over time. Aim of this study was to evaluate the cancer patients' perceptions of physical and non-physical side effects of contemporary anticancer therapy. Four hundred and sixty-four patients entered the study (153 men and 311 women). Participants were asked to rank their side effects in order of distress by using two sets of cards naming physical and non-physical effects, respectively. Influencing factors, including treatment and patient characteristics, were also analysed. Patients ranked the non-physical side effect 'Affects my family or partner' first. 'Constantly tired' and 'Loss of hair' were ranked second and third, respectively. Significant differences from previous studies on this topic emerged. In particular, 'Vomiting', a predominant concern in previous studies, almost disappeared, whereas 'Nausea' and 'Loss of hair' remained important side effects in the patients' perception. Interestingly, marital status was predominant in driving patients' perception, being associated with several side effects ('Constantly tired', 'Loss of appetite', 'Affects my work/Home duties', 'Affects my social activities', 'Infertility'). Other significant factors influencing patient's perception of side effects included age, disease characteristics and ongoing anticancer therapy. This study provided information on current status of patients' perceptions of side effects of anticancer treatment. These results could be used in pre-treatment patient education and counselling.

Beliefs of Pre-Service Teachers toward Competitive Activities and the Effect on Implementation and Planning for Physical Education Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernstein, Eve; Herman, Ariela M.; Lysniak, Ulana

2013-01-01

The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) is the framework for this study. TRA, or attitude theory, suggests that teachers' affect and cognition or knowledge may influence how an individual interprets an activity (Ajzen, 2005). Attitudes may affect teachers' perceptions and beliefs about PE, and these perceptions and beliefs may affect how teachers…

Affective and physiological correlates of the perception of unimodal and bimodal emotional stimuli.

PubMed

Rosa, Pedro J; Oliveira, Jorge; Alghazzawi, Daniyal; Fardoun, Habib; Gamito, Pedro

2017-08-01

Despite the multisensory nature of perception, previous research on emotions has been focused on unimodal emotional cues with visual stimuli. To the best of our knowledge, there is no evidence on the extent to which incongruent emotional cues from visual and auditory sensory channels affect pupil size. To investigate the effects of audiovisual emotional information perception on the physiological and affective response, but also to determine the impact of mismatched cues in emotional perception on these physiological indexes. Pupil size, electrodermal activity and affective subjective responses were recorded while 30 participants were exposed to visual and auditory stimuli with varied emotional content in three different experimental conditions: pictures and sounds presented alone (unimodal), emotionally matched audio-visual stimuli (bimodal congruent) and emotionally mismatched audio-visual stimuli (bimodal incongruent). The data revealed no effect of emotional incongruence on physiological and affective responses. On the other hand, pupil size covaried with skin conductance response (SCR), but the subjective experience was partially dissociated from autonomic responses. Emotional stimuli are able to trigger physiological responses regardless of valence, sensory modality or level of emotional congruence.

God and Genes in the Caring Professions: Clinician and Clergy Perceptions of Religion and Genetics

PubMed Central

Bartlett, Virginia L; Johnson, Rolanda L

2013-01-01

Little is known about how care providers’ perceptions of religion and genetics affect interactions with patients/parishioners. This study investigates clinicians’ and clergy’s perceptions of and experiences with religion and genetics in their clinical and pastoral interactions. An exploratory qualitative study designed to elicit care providers’ descriptions of experiences with religion and genetics in clinical or pastoral interactions. Thirteen focus groups were conducted with members of the caring professions: physicians, nurses, and genetics counselors (clinicians), ministers and chaplains (clergy). Preliminary analysis of qualitative data is presented here. Preliminary analysis highlights four positions in professional perceptions of the relationship between science and faith. Further, differences among professional perceptions appear to influence perceptions of needed or available resources for interactions with religion and genetics. Clinicians’ and clergy’s perceptions of how religion and genetics relate are not defined solely by professional affiliation. These non-role-defined perceptions may affect clinical and pastoral interactions, especially regarding resources for patients and parishioners. PMID:19170091

Affective signals of threat increase perceived proximity.

PubMed

Cole, Shana; Balcetis, Emily; Dunning, David

2013-01-01

Do stimuli appear to be closer when they are more threatening? We tested people's perceptions of distance to stimuli that they felt were threatening relative to perceptions of stimuli they felt were disgusting or neutral. Two studies demonstrated that stimuli that emitted affective signals of threat (e.g., an aggressive male student) were seen as physically closer than stimuli that emitted affective signals of disgust (e.g., a repulsive male student) or no affective signal. Even after controlling for the direct effects of physiological arousal, object familiarity, and intensity of the negative emotional reaction, we found that threatening stimuli appeared to be physically closer than did disgusting ones (Study 2). These findings highlight the links among biased perception, action regulation, and successful navigation of the environment.

A new look at emotion perception: Concepts speed and shape facial emotion recognition.

PubMed

Nook, Erik C; Lindquist, Kristen A; Zaki, Jamil

2015-10-01

Decades ago, the "New Look" movement challenged how scientists thought about vision by suggesting that conceptual processes shape visual perceptions. Currently, affective scientists are likewise debating the role of concepts in emotion perception. Here, we utilized a repetition-priming paradigm in conjunction with signal detection and individual difference analyses to examine how providing emotion labels-which correspond to discrete emotion concepts-affects emotion recognition. In Study 1, pairing emotional faces with emotion labels (e.g., "sad") increased individuals' speed and sensitivity in recognizing emotions. Additionally, individuals with alexithymia-who have difficulty labeling their own emotions-struggled to recognize emotions based on visual cues alone, but not when emotion labels were provided. Study 2 replicated these findings and further demonstrated that emotion concepts can shape perceptions of facial expressions. Together, these results suggest that emotion perception involves conceptual processing. We discuss the implications of these findings for affective, social, and clinical psychology. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

[Factors affecting the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in inpatient units: perception of nurses].

PubMed

Citolino, Clairton Marcos Filho; Santos, Eduesley Santana; Silva, Rita de Cassia Gengo E; Nogueira, Lilia de Souza

2015-12-01

To identify, in the perception of nurses, the factors that affect the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in adult inpatient units, and investigate the influence of both work shifts and professional experience length of time in the perception of these factors. A descriptive, exploratory study conducted at a hospital specialized in cardiology and pneumology with the application of a questionnaire to 49 nurses working in inpatient units. The majority of nurses reported that the high number of professionals in the scenario (75.5%), the lack of harmony (77.6%) or stress of any member of staff (67.3%), lack of material and/or equipment failure (57.1%), lack of familiarity with the emergency trolleys (98.0%) and presence of family members at the beginning of the cardiopulmonary arrest assistance (57.1%) are factors that adversely affect the quality of care provided during CPR. Professional experience length of time and the shift of nurses did not influence the perception of these factors. The identification of factors that affect the quality of CPR in the perception of nurses serves as parameter to implement improvements and training of the staff working in inpatient units.

Dopamine Precursor Depletion Influences Pain Affect Rather than Pain Sensation

PubMed Central

Schulz, Enrico; Baumkötter, Jochen; Ploner, Markus

2014-01-01

Pain is a multidimensional experience, which includes sensory, cognitive, and affective aspects. Converging lines of evidence indicate that dopaminergic neurotransmission plays an important role in human pain perception. However, the precise effects of dopamine on different aspects of pain perception remain to be elucidated. To address this question, we experimentally decreased dopaminergic neurotransmission in 22 healthy human subjects using Acute Phenylalanine and Tyrosine Depletion (APTD). During APTD and a control condition we applied brief painful laser stimuli to the hand, assessed different aspects of pain perception, and recorded electroencephalographic responses. APTD-induced decreases of cerebral dopaminergic activity did not influence sensory aspects of pain perception. In contrast, APTD yielded increases of pain unpleasantness. The increases of unpleasantness ratings positively correlated with effectiveness of APTD. Our finding of an influence of dopaminergic neurotransmission on affective but not sensory aspects of phasic pain suggests that analgesic effects of dopamine might be mediated by indirect effects on pain affect rather than by direct effects on ascending nociceptive signals. These findings contribute to our understanding of the complex relationship between dopamine and pain perception, which may play a role in various clinical pain states. PMID:24760082

Socialization of Affect: Effects of Parent Attitudes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saarni, Carolyn

Children's beliefs about why affective expressive behavior should be dissociated from internal state were elicited via a structured interview and investigated in conjunction with their parents' (1) attitudes toward children's expressive behavior, (2) perceptions of their own self-monitoring, and (3) perceptions of their families'"social…

Mental Health: What's Normal, What's Not?

MedlinePlus

... health provider is likely to ask about: Your perceptions. How much your signs and symptoms affect your ... to rule out any underlying health conditions. Others' perceptions. Your perceptions alone might not give you an ...

The Effect of Incorrect Reliability Information on Expectations, Perceptions, and Use of Automation.

PubMed

Barg-Walkow, Laura H; Rogers, Wendy A

2016-03-01

We examined how providing artificially high or low statements about automation reliability affected expectations, perceptions, and use of automation over time. One common method of introducing automation is providing explicit statements about the automation's capabilities. Research is needed to understand how expectations from such introductions affect perceptions and use of automation. Explicit-statement introductions were manipulated to set higher-than (90%), same-as (75%), or lower-than (60%) levels of expectations in a dual-task scenario with 75% reliable automation. Two experiments were conducted to assess expectations, perceptions, compliance, reliance, and task performance over (a) 2 days and (b) 4 days. The baseline assessments showed initial expectations of automation reliability matched introduced levels of expectation. For the duration of each experiment, the lower-than groups' perceptions were lower than the actual automation reliability. However, the higher-than groups' perceptions were no different from actual automation reliability after Day 1 in either study. There were few differences between groups for automation use, which generally stayed the same or increased with experience using the system. Introductory statements describing artificially low automation reliability have a long-lasting impact on perceptions about automation performance. Statements including incorrect automation reliability do not appear to affect use of automation. Introductions should be designed according to desired outcomes for expectations, perceptions, and use of the automation. Low expectations have long-lasting effects. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Objectification in Virtual Romantic Contexts: Perceived Discrepancies between Self and Partner Ideals Differentially affect Body Consciousness in Women and Men

PubMed Central

Overstreet, Nicole M.; Quinn, Diane M.; Marsh, Kerry L.

2015-01-01

The current study examined whether exposure to sexually objectifying images in a potential romantic partner's virtual apartment affects discrepancies between people's perception of their own appearance (i.e., self-perceptions) and their perception of the body ideal that is considered desirable to a romantic partner (i.e., partner-ideals). Participants were 114 heterosexual undergraduate students (57 women and 57 men) from a northeastern U.S. university. The study used a 2 (Participant Gender) x 2 (Virtual Environment: Sexualized vs. Non-Sexualized) between-subjects design. We predicted that women exposed to sexually objectifying images in a virtual environment would report greater discrepancies between their self-perceptions and partner-ideals than men, which in turn would contribute to women's body consciousness. Findings support this hypothesis and show that perceived discrepancies account for the relationship between exposure to sexually objectifying images and body consciousness for women but not men. We also found gender asymmetries in objectification responses when each component of perceived discrepancies, i.e., self-perceptions versus perceptions of a romantic partner's body ideal, were examined separately. For men, exposure to muscular sexualized images was significantly associated with their self-perceptions but not their perceptions of the body size that is considered desirable to a romantic partner. For women, exposure to thin sexualized images was significantly associated with their perceptions that a romantic partner preferred a woman with a smaller body size. However, exposure to these images did not affect women's self-perceptions. Implications for gender asymmetries in objectification responses and perceived discrepancies that include a romantic partner's perceptions are discussed. PMID:26594085

Categorical Perception of Affective and Linguistic Facial Expressions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCullough, Stephen; Emmorey, Karen

2009-01-01

Two experiments investigated categorical perception (CP) effects for affective facial expressions and linguistic facial expressions from American Sign Language (ASL) for Deaf native signers and hearing non-signers. Facial expressions were presented in isolation (Experiment 1) or in an ASL verb context (Experiment 2). Participants performed ABX…

Ethical Ideologies: Do They Affect Shopping Behaviors and Perceptions of Morality?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cho, Hyeon; Yoo, Jeong-Ju; Johnson, Kim K. P.

2005-01-01

Counterfeiting is a serious problem facing several industries, including the medical, agricultural, and apparel industries (Bloch, Bush, & Campbell, 1993). The authors investigated whether ethical viewpoints affect perceptions of the morality of particular shopping behaviors, attitudes toward counterfeit products, and intentions to purchase such…

Details for Manuscript Number SSM-D-06-01956R1 “Physicians” Communication and Perceptions of Patients: Is it How They Look, How They Talk, or is it Just the Doctor?”

PubMed Central

Street, Richard L.; Gordon, Howard; Haidet, Paul

2010-01-01

Although physicians’ communication style and perceptions affect outcomes, few studies have examined how these perceptions relate to the way physicians communicate with patients. Moreover, while any number of factors may affect the communication process, few studies have analyzed these effects collectively in order to identify the most powerful influences on physician communication and perceptions. Adopting an ecological approach, this investigation examined: (a) the relationships of physicians’ patient-centered communication (informative, supportive, partnership-building) and affect (positive, contentious) on their perceptions of the patient, and (b) the degree to which communication and perceptions were affected by the physicians’ characteristics, patients’ demographic characteristics, physician-patient concordance, and the patient’s communication. Physicians (N = 29) and patients (N = 207) from 10 outpatient settings in the United States participated in the study. From audio-recordings of these visits, coders rated the physicians’ communication and affect as well as the patients’ participation and affect. Doctors were more patient-centered with patients they perceived as better communicators, more satisfied, and more likely to adhere. Physicians displayed more patient-centered communication and more favorably perceived patients who expressed positive affect, were more involved, and who were less contentious. Physicians were more contentious with black patients, whom they also perceived as less effective communicators and less satisfied. Finally, physicians who reported a patient-centered orientation to the doctor-patient relationship also were more patient-centered in their communication. The results suggest that reciprocity and mutual influence have a strong effect on these interactions in that more positive (or negative) communication from one participant leads to similar responses from the other. Physicians’ encounters with black patients revealed communicative difficulties that may lower quality of care for these patients. PMID:17462801

Adolescents' Perceptions of Cannabis Use by Their Peers: Does It Have Anything to Do with Behavior?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheppard, Margaret A.

1989-01-01

Exposed students (N=2,319) in grades 7-10 to drug use study results showing use of cannabis (marijuana) as uncommon among peer group. Measured influence of new data on perceptions and how changed perceptions might affect cannabis use. Found changing perceptions was difficult. Found student perceptions of drug use bore no relationship to personal…

The Effect of Preparatory Set on Musical Response in College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartel, Lee R.

1992-01-01

Presents study results on the cognitive-affective response to music as affected by three dimensions of preparatory set. Explores self-perception of musicality, attitude toward style concepts and valuing of music experiences, and beliefs and expectations of music listening. Concludes that perception of musicality, general attitude, style…

A Case Study of Peer Educators in a Community-Based Program to Reduce Teen Pregnancy: Selected Characteristics Prior to Training, Perceptions of Training and Work, and Perceptions of How Participation in the Program Has Affected Them

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beshers, Sarah C.

2007-01-01

This investigation is a case study of peer educators in a community-based teen pregnancy prevention program. Research questions focused on identifying ways in which peer educators differed from other teens and exploring the perceptions of the peer educators about their experience in the program and the ways in which it has affected them. Data were…

Emotion perception, but not affect perception, is impaired with semantic memory loss.

PubMed

Lindquist, Kristen A; Gendron, Maria; Barrett, Lisa Feldman; Dickerson, Bradford C

2014-04-01

For decades, psychologists and neuroscientists have hypothesized that the ability to perceive emotions on others' faces is inborn, prelinguistic, and universal. Concept knowledge about emotion has been assumed to be epiphenomenal to emotion perception. In this article, we report findings from 3 patients with semantic dementia that cannot be explained by this "basic emotion" view. These patients, who have substantial deficits in semantic processing abilities, spontaneously perceived pleasant and unpleasant expressions on faces, but not discrete emotions such as anger, disgust, fear, or sadness, even in a task that did not require the use of emotion words. Our findings support the hypothesis that discrete emotion concept knowledge helps transform perceptions of affect (positively or negatively valenced facial expressions) into perceptions of discrete emotions such as anger, disgust, fear, and sadness. These findings have important consequences for understanding the processes supporting emotion perception.

Emotion perception, but not affect perception, is impaired with semantic memory loss

PubMed Central

Lindquist, Kristen A.; Gendron, Maria; Feldman Barrett, Lisa; Dickerson, Bradford C.

2014-01-01

For decades, psychologists and neuroscientists have hypothesized that the ability to perceive emotions on others’ faces is inborn, pre-linguistic, and universal. Concept knowledge about emotion has been assumed to be epiphenomenal to emotion perception. In this paper, we report findings from three patients with semantic dementia that cannot be explained by this “basic emotion” view. These patients, who have substantial deficits in semantic processing abilities, spontaneously perceived pleasant and unpleasant expressions on faces, but not discrete emotions such as anger, disgust, fear, or sadness, even in a task that did not require the use of emotion words. Our findings support the hypothesis that discrete emotion concept knowledge helps transform perceptions of affect (positively or negatively valenced facial expressions) into perceptions of discrete emotions such as anger, disgust, fear and sadness. These findings have important consequences for understanding the processes supporting emotion perception. PMID:24512242

Disentangling the influence of value predispositions and risk/benefit perceptions on support for nanotechnology among the American public.

PubMed

Kim, Jiyoun; Yeo, Sara K; Brossard, Dominique; Scheufele, Dietram A; Xenos, Michael A

2014-05-01

Using nanotechnology as a case study, this article explores (1) how people's perceptions of benefits and risks are related to their approval of nanotechnology, (2) which information-processing factors contribute to public risk/benefit perceptions, and (3) whether individuals' predispositions (i.e., deference to scientific authority and ideology) may moderate the relationship between cognitive processing and risk perceptions of the technology. Results indicate that benefit perceptions positively affect public support for nanotechnology; perceptions of risk tend to be more influenced by systematic processing than by heuristic cues, whereas both heuristic and systematic processing influence benefit perceptions. People who are more liberal-minded tend to be more affected by systematic processing when thinking about the benefits of nanotechnology than those who are more conservative. Compared to less deferent individuals, those who are more deferent to scientific authority tend to be less influenced by systematic processing when making judgments about the benefits and risks of nanotechnology. Implications are discussed. © 2013 Society for Risk Analysis.

Reward priming eliminates color-driven affect in perception.

PubMed

Hu, Kesong

2018-01-03

Brain and behavior evidence suggests that colors have distinct affective properties. Here, we investigated how reward influences color-driven affect in perception. In Experiment 1, we assessed competition between blue and red patches during a temporal-order judgment (TOJ) across a range of stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs). During the value reinforcement, reward was linked to either blue (version 1) or red (version 2) in the experiment. The same stimuli then served as test ones in the following unrewarded, unspeeded TOJ task. Our analysis showed that blue patches were consistently seen as occurring first, even when objectively appearing 2nd at short SOAs. This accelerated perception of blue over red was disrupted by prior primes related to reward (vs. neutral) but not perceptional (blue vs. red) priming. Experiment 2 replicated the findings of Experiment 1 while uncoupling action and stimulus values. These results are consistent with the blue-approach and red-avoidance motivation hypothesis and highlight an active nature of the association of reward priming and color processing. Together, the present study implies a link between reward and color affect and contributes to the understanding of how reward influences color affect in visual processing.

Exercise Experiences and Changes in Affective Attitude: Direct and Indirect Effects of In Situ Measurements of Experiences

PubMed Central

Sudeck, Gorden; Schmid, Julia; Conzelmann, Achim

2016-01-01

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between exercise experiences (perceptions of competence, perceived exertion, acute affective responses to exercise) and affective attitudes toward exercise. This relationship was analyzed in a non-laboratory setting during a 13-weeks exercise program. Materials and Methods: 56 women and 49 men (aged 35–65 years; Mage = 50.0 years; SD = 8.2 years) took part in the longitudinal study. Affective responses to exercise (affective valence, positive activation, calmness) as well as perceptions of competence and perceived exertion were measured at the beginning, during, and end of three exercise sessions within the 13-weeks exercise program. Affective attitude toward exercise were measured before and at the end of the exercise program. A two-level path analysis was conducted. The direct and indirect effects of exercise experiences on changes in affective attitude were analyzed on the between-person level: firstly, it was tested whether perceptions of competence and perceived exertion directly relate to changes in affective attitude. Secondly, it was assessed whether perceptions of competence and perceived exertion indirectly relate to changes in affective attitudes—imparted via the affective response during exercise. Results and Conclusion: At the between-person level, a direct effect on changes in affective attitude was found for perceptions of competence (β = 0.24, p < 0.05). The model revealed one significant indirect pathway between perceived exertion and changes in affective attitude via positive activation: on average, the less strenuous people perceive physical exercise to be, the more awake they will feel during exercise (β = -0.57, p < 0.05). Those people with higher average levels of positive activation during exercise exhibit more improvements in affective attitudes toward exercise from the beginning to the end of the 13-weeks exercise program (β = 0.24, p < 0.05). Main study results have revealed that in situ experiences predicted changes in affective attitude during multi-week exercise programs. These relevant in situ experiences encompass cognitive factors, the sensation of interoceptive cues, and affective responses to exercise. Considering the predictive role of affective attitudes for exercise behavior, these findings suggest that exercise interventions should put greater emphasis on specific exercise experiences. PMID:27378992

An Investigation of High School Students' and Teachers' Perceptions of Academic Achievement and Underachievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morales, Natalie Ann

2014-01-01

This study investigated high school students' and teachers' perceptions of academic self perception, environmental perceptions, goal valuation, and motivation/self-regulation as factors affecting students' academic achievement. A two-way MANOVA was conducted to determine if high school students' gender and academic programs,…

Graphic Warning Labels Elicit Affective and Thoughtful Responses from Smokers: Results of a Randomized Clinical Trial

PubMed Central

Evans, Abigail T.; Peters, Ellen; Strasser, Andrew A.; Emery, Lydia F.; Sheerin, Kaitlin M.; Romer, Daniel

2015-01-01

Objective Observational research suggests that placing graphic images on cigarette warning labels can reduce smoking rates, but field studies lack experimental control. Our primary objective was to determine the psychological processes set in motion by naturalistic exposure to graphic vs. text-only warnings in a randomized clinical trial involving exposure to modified cigarette packs over a 4-week period. Theories of graphic-warning impact were tested by examining affect toward smoking, credibility of warning information, risk perceptions, quit intentions, warning label memory, and smoking risk knowledge. Methods Adults who smoked between 5 and 40 cigarettes daily (N = 293; mean age = 33.7), did not have a contra-indicated medical condition, and did not intend to quit were recruited from Philadelphia, PA and Columbus, OH. Smokers were randomly assigned to receive their own brand of cigarettes for four weeks in one of three warning conditions: text only, graphic images plus text, or graphic images with elaborated text. Results Data from 244 participants who completed the trial were analyzed in structural-equation models. The presence of graphic images (compared to text-only) caused more negative affect toward smoking, a process that indirectly influenced risk perceptions and quit intentions (e.g., image->negative affect->risk perception->quit intention). Negative affect from graphic images also enhanced warning credibility including through increased scrutiny of the warnings, a process that also indirectly affected risk perceptions and quit intentions (e.g., image->negative affect->risk scrutiny->warning credibility->risk perception->quit intention). Unexpectedly, elaborated text reduced warning credibility. Finally, graphic warnings increased warning-information recall and indirectly increased smoking-risk knowledge at the end of the trial and one month later. Conclusions In the first naturalistic clinical trial conducted, graphic warning labels are more effective than text-only warnings in encouraging smokers to consider quitting and in educating them about smoking’s risks. Negative affective reactions to smoking, thinking about risks, and perceptions of credibility are mediators of their impact. Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01782053 PMID:26672982

Cochlear implants in children implanted in Jordan: A parental overview.

PubMed

Alkhamra, Rana A

2015-07-01

Exploring the perspective of parents on the cochlear implant process in Jordan. Sixty parents of deaf children were surveyed on the information gathering process prior to cochlear implant surgery, and their implant outcome expectations post-surgery. Whether child or parent characteristics may impact parents' post-surgical expectations was explored. Although parents used a variety of information sources when considering a cochlear implant, the ear, nose and throat doctor comprised their major source of information (60%). Parents received a range of information prior to cochlear implant but agreed (93.3%) on the need for a multidisciplinary team approach. Post-surgically, parents' expected major developments in the areas of spoken language (97%), and auditory skills (100%). Receiving education in mainstream schools (92%) was expected too. Parents perceived the cochlear implant decision as the best decision they can make for their child (98.3%). A significant correlation was found between parents contentment with the cochlear implant decision and expecting developments in the area of reading and writing (r=0.7). Child's age at implantation and age at hearing loss diagnosis significantly affected parents' post-implant outcome expectations (p<0.05). Despite the general satisfaction from the information quantity and quality prior to cochlear implant, parents agree on the need for a comprehensive multidisciplinary team approach during the different stages of the cochlear implant process. Parents' education about cochlear implants prior to the surgery can affect their post-surgical outcome expectations. The parental perspective presented in this study can help professionals develop better understanding of parents' needs and expectations and henceforth improve their services and support during the different stages of the cochlear implant process. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Post-Traumatic Tremor and Thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation: Evidence for Use of Diffusion Tensor Imaging.

PubMed

Boccard, Sandra G J; Rebelo, Pedro; Cheeran, Binith; Green, Alexander; FitzGerald, James J; Aziz, Tipu Z

2016-12-01

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a well-established treatment to reduce tremor, notably in Parkinson disease. DBS may also be effective in post-traumatic tremor, one of the most common movement disorders caused by head injury. However, the cohorts of patients often have multiple lesions that may impact the outcome depending on which fiber tracts are affected. A 20-year-old man presented after road traffic accident with severe closed head injury and polytrauma. Computed tomography scan showed left frontal and basal ganglia hemorrhagic contusions and intraventricular hemorrhage. A disabling tremor evolved in step with motor recovery. Despite high-intensity signals in the intended thalamic target, a visual analysis of the preoperative diffusion tensor imaging revealed preservation of connectivity of the intended target, ventralis oralis posterior thalamic nucleus (VOP). This was confirmed by the postoperative tractography study presented here. DBS of the VOP/zona incerta was performed. Six months postimplant, marked improvement of action (postural, kinetic, and intention) tremor was achieved. We demonstrated a strong connectivity between the VOP and the superior frontal gyrus containing the premotor cortex and other central brain areas responsible for movement control. In spite of an existing lesion in the target, the preservation of these tracts may be relevant to the improvement of the patient's symptoms by DBS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of language in the experience and perception of emotion: a neuroimaging meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Brooks, Jeffrey A.; Shablack, Holly; Gendron, Maria; Satpute, Ajay B.; Parrish, Michael H.

2017-01-01

Abstract Recent behavioral and neuroimaging studies demonstrate that labeling one’s emotional experiences and perceptions alters those states. Here, we used a comprehensive meta-analysis of the neuroimaging literature to systematically explore whether the presence of emotion words in experimental tasks has an impact on the neural representation of emotional experiences and perceptions across studies. Using a database of 386 studies, we assessed brain activity when emotion words (e.g. ‘anger’, ‘disgust’) and more general affect words (e.g. ‘pleasant’, ‘unpleasant’) were present in experimental tasks vs not present. As predicted, when emotion words were present, we observed more frequent activations in regions related to semantic processing. When emotion words were not present, we observed more frequent activations in the amygdala and parahippocampal gyrus, bilaterally. The presence of affect words did not have the same effect on the neural representation of emotional experiences and perceptions, suggesting that our observed effects are specific to emotion words. These findings are consistent with the psychological constructionist prediction that in the absence of accessible emotion concepts, the meaning of affective experiences and perceptions are ambiguous. Findings are also consistent with the regulatory role of ‘affect labeling’. Implications of the role of language in emotion construction and regulation are discussed. PMID:27539864

Seed Placement in Permanent Breast Seed Implant Brachytherapy: Are Concerns Over Accuracy Valid?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Morton, Daniel, E-mail: dmorton@bccancer.bc.ca; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia; Hilts, Michelle

Purpose: To evaluate seed placement accuracy in permanent breast seed implant brachytherapy (PBSI), to identify any systematic errors and evaluate their effect on dosimetry. Methods and Materials: Treatment plans and postimplant computed tomography scans for 20 PBSI patients were spatially registered and used to evaluate differences between planned and implanted seed positions, termed seed displacements. For each patient, the mean total and directional seed displacements were determined in both standard room coordinates and in needle coordinates relative to needle insertion angle. Seeds were labeled according to their proximity to the anatomy within the breast, to evaluate the influence of anatomicmore » regions on seed placement. Dosimetry within an evaluative target volume (seroma + 5 mm), skin, breast, and ribs was evaluated to determine the impact of seed placement on the treatment. Results: The overall mean (±SD) difference between implanted and planned positions was 9 ± 5 mm for the aggregate seed population. No significant systematic directional displacements were observed for this whole population. However, for individual patients, systematic displacements were observed, implying that intrapatient offsets occur during the procedure. Mean displacements for seeds in the different anatomic areas were not found to be significantly different from the mean for the entire seed population. However, small directional trends were observed within the anatomy, potentially indicating some bias in the delivery. Despite observed differences between the planned and implanted seed positions, the median (range) V{sub 90} for the 20 patients was 97% (66%-100%), and acceptable dosimetry was achieved for critical structures. Conclusions: No significant trends or systematic errors were observed in the placement of seeds in PBSI, including seeds implanted directly into the seroma. Recorded seed displacements may be related to intrapatient setup adjustments. Despite observed seed displacements, acceptable postimplant dosimetry was achieved.« less

External closed-circuit cooling system for management of patients after device implantation: A feasibility study.

PubMed

Giofrè, Fabrizio; Ferrari, Paola; Leidi, Cristina; Foschi, Maria Laura; Senni, Michele; De Filippo, Paolo

2017-08-15

In the first 24h after pacemaker or implantable cardioverter/defibrillator (ICD) implantation or replacement, the occurrence of hematoma and pain in the surgically treated region is not infrequent and may result in re-intervention and/or more severe complications, such as infections. Currently, the post-implant phase management is very empiric. The aim of this study was to test the clinical applicability and usefulness of an external close-circuit cooling system for the management of the early post-implant period in patients with high risk of hematoma due to anticoagulant and/or antiplatelet therapy. We studied 135 patients (78M; 71±11years) with high risk of hematoma occurrence after pace-maker (63 patients) or ICD (72 patients) implantation or replacement. Immediately after the intervention, a closed-circuit cooling system (CAREPACE™ system, Zamar, Italy) was externally applied on the pre-pectoral region to each patient and maintained for 24h. The system has a compressive pad and a refrigerating circuit in which non-toxic glycolic fluid is pumped. The fluid temperature was set and kept at 5°C for the whole period. The compressive and cooling effect of the system was well tolerated by all the patients at the temperature set. Four patients complained of noise due to machine operation, but in none the treatment was interrupted. The average length of hospital stay was 2.8±0.4days. No clinically significant hematoma was observed at discharge and after one month follow-up visit. This new system can be used for the management of the early phase after device implantation or replacement and appears clinically useful and well tolerated. Further studies on a larger scale are needed to test the potential reduction of post-intervention complications and the cost-effectiveness of this device. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Role of Automatic Wireless Remote Monitoring Immediately Following ICD Implant: The Lumos-T Reduces Routine Office Device Follow-Up Study (TRUST) Trial.

PubMed

Varma, Niraj; Epstein, Andrew E; Schweikert, Robert; Michalski, Justin; Love, Charles J

2016-03-01

The incidence of unscheduled encounters and problem occurrence between ICD implant and first in-person evaluation (IPE) recommended at 12 weeks is unknown. Automatic remote home monitoring (HM) may be useful in this potentially unstable period. ICD patients were randomized 2:1 to HM enabled post-implant (n = 908) or to conventional monitoring (CM; n = 431). Groups were compared between implant and prior to first scheduled IPE for IPE incidence, causes, and actionability (reprogramming, system revision, medication changes) and event detection time. HM and CM patients were similar (mean age 63 years, 72% male, LVEF 29%, primary prevention 73%, DDD 57%). In the post-implant interval assessed (HM 100 ± 21.3 days vs. CM 101 ± 20.8 days, P = 0.54), 85.4% (776/908) HM patients and 87.7% CM (378/431) patients had no cause for IPE (P = 0.31). When IPE occurred, actionability in HM (64/177 [36.2%]) was greater versus CM (15/62 [24.2%], P = 0.12). Actionable items were discovered sooner with HM (P = 0.025). Device reprogramming or lead revision was triggered following 53/177 (29.9%) IPEs in HM versus 9/62 (14.5%) in CM (P = 0.018). Arrhythmia detection was enhanced by HM: 276 atrial and ventricular episodes were detected in 135 follow-ups in contrast to CM (65 episodes at 17 IPEs). More silent arrhythmic episodes were discovered by HM (7.2% vs. 1.5% [P = 0.15]). Since 27/42 (64.3%) IPEs driven by HM alerts were actionable, event notification was a valuable method for problem detection. Importantly, HM did not increase incidence of non-actionable IPEs (P = 0.72). Activation of automatic remote monitoring should be encouraged soon post-ICD implant. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Use of cone beam computed tomography in implant dentistry: the International Congress of Oral Implantologists consensus report.

PubMed

Benavides, Erika; Rios, Hector F; Ganz, Scott D; An, Chang-Hyeon; Resnik, Randolph; Reardon, Gayle Tieszen; Feldman, Steven J; Mah, James K; Hatcher, David; Kim, Myung-Jin; Sohn, Dong-Seok; Palti, Ady; Perel, Morton L; Judy, Kenneth W M; Misch, Carl E; Wang, Hom-Lay

2012-04-01

The International Congress of Oral Implantologists has supported the development of this consensus report involving the use of Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) in implant dentistry with the intent of providing scientifically based guidance to clinicians regarding its use as an adjunct to traditional imaging modalities. The literature regarding CBCT and implant dentistry was systematically reviewed. A PubMed search that included studies published between January 1, 2000, and July 31, 2011, was conducted. Oral presentations, in conjunction with these studies, were given by Dr. Erika Benavides, Dr. Scott Ganz, Dr. James Mah, Dr. Myung-Jin Kim, and Dr. David Hatcher at a meeting of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists in Seoul, Korea, on October 6-8, 2011. The studies published could be divided into four main groups: diagnostics, implant planning, surgical guidance, and postimplant evaluation. The literature supports the use of CBCT in dental implant treatment planning particularly in regards to linear measurements, three-dimensional evaluation of alveolar ridge topography, proximity to vital anatomical structures, and fabrication of surgical guides. Areas such as CBCT-derived bone density measurements, CBCT-aided surgical navigation, and postimplant CBCT artifacts need further research. ICOI RECOMMENDATIONS: All CBCT examinations, as all other radiographic examinations, must be justified on an individualized needs basis. The benefits to the patient for each CBCT scan must outweigh the potential risks. CBCT scans should not be taken without initially obtaining thorough medical and dental histories and performing a comprehensive clinical examination. CBCT should be considered as an imaging alternative in cases where the projected implant receptor or bone augmentation site(s) are suspect, and conventional radiography may not be able to assess the true regional three-dimensional anatomical presentation. The smallest possible field of view should be used, and the entire image volume should be interpreted.

[Perception of residents in world heritage site to the effects of ecological migration: a case study of three migrant resettlement spots in Wulingyuan, Hunan Province of South-central China].

PubMed

Wang, Kai; Ou, Yan; Ge, Quan-Sheng

2012-06-01

Based on the investigation in three typical migrant resettlement spots in Wulingyuan Scenic Area, a demonstration analysis was conducted on the residents' perception to the effects of ecological migration on world heritage site. The residents in the 3 spots had great differences in the positive perception to the economic effects of ecological migration, but less differences in the perception to the negative indices. The residents had high identity with the positive socio-cultural effects, but weak perception to the negative effects. The residents in the 3 resettlement spots had obvious differences in the perception to the effects on resources and environment, but mostly agreed that the negative psychological effects were not so obvious. The negative comments were given to the main migration policies. Age, educational level, monthly income, and proportion of tourism input were the main factors affecting the residents' perception, and the way of resettlement as well as the proportion of tourism input also had important effects on the residents' perception. Migration policy was the dominant factor affecting the integral perception of the residents to ecological migration.

Coherent modulation of stimulus colour can affect visually induced self-motion perception.

PubMed

Nakamura, Shinji; Seno, Takeharu; Ito, Hiroyuki; Sunaga, Shoji

2010-01-01

The effects of dynamic colour modulation on vection were investigated to examine whether perceived variation of illumination affects self-motion perception. Participants observed expanding optic flow which simulated their forward self-motion. Onset latency, accumulated duration, and estimated magnitude of the self-motion were measured as indices of vection strength. Colour of the dots in the visual stimulus was modulated between white and red (experiment 1), white and grey (experiment 2), and grey and red (experiment 3). The results indicated that coherent colour oscillation in the visual stimulus significantly suppressed the strength of vection, whereas incoherent or static colour modulation did not affect vection. There was no effect of the types of the colour modulation; both achromatic and chromatic modulations turned out to be effective in inhibiting self-motion perception. Moreover, in a situation where the simulated direction of a spotlight was manipulated dynamically, vection strength was also suppressed (experiment 4). These results suggest that observer's perception of illumination is critical for self-motion perception, and rapid variation of perceived illumination would impair the reliabilities of visual information in determining self-motion.

When managers and their teams disagree: a longitudinal look at the consequences of differences in perceptions of organizational support.

PubMed

Bashshur, Michael R; Hernández, Ana; González-Romá, Vicente

2011-05-01

The authors argue that over time the difference between team members' perception of the organizational support received by the team (or team climate for organizational support) and their manager's perception of the organizational support received by the team has an effect on important outcomes and emergent states, such as team performance and team positive and negative affect above and beyond the main effects of climate perceptions themselves. With a longitudinal sample of 179 teams at Time 1 and 154 teams at Time 2, the authors tested their predictions using a combined polynomial regression and response surface analyses approach. The results supported the authors' predictions. When team managers and team members' perceptions of organizational support were high and in agreement, outcomes were maximized. When team managers and team members disagreed, team negative affect increased and team performance and team positive affect decreased. The negative effects of disagreement were most amplified when managers perceived that the team received higher levels of support than did the team itself.

Memory colours affect colour appearance.

PubMed

Witzel, Christoph; Olkkonen, Maria; Gegenfurtner, Karl R

2016-01-01

Memory colour effects show that colour perception is affected by memory and prior knowledge and hence by cognition. None of Firestone & Scholl's (F&S's) potential pitfalls apply to our work on memory colours. We present a Bayesian model of colour appearance to illustrate that an interaction between perception and memory is plausible from the perspective of vision science.

How Interviewers' Nonverbal Behaviors Can Affect Children's Perceptions and Suggestibility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almerigogna, Jehanne; Ost, James; Akehurst, Lucy; Fluck, Mike

2008-01-01

We conducted two studies to examine how interviewers' nonverbal behaviors affect children's perceptions and suggestibility. In the first study, 42 8- to 10-year-olds watched video clips showing an interviewer displaying combinations of supportive and nonsupportive nonverbal behaviors and were asked to rate the interviewer on six attributes (e.g.,…

Public School Principals' Perceptions of Selected External Factors Affecting Job Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reisert, John E.

Based on principals' own perceptions, this paper examines how the principal's role has changed, what constitutes principals' major problems or concerns, and how state and federal regulations and community pressures have affected the principal's role. The project identified and interviewed 56 public school principals for an 11-county area served by…

Reactions to Lexical, Syntactical, and Text Layout Variations of a Print Advertisement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Motes, William H.; And Others

1992-01-01

Assesses reader reactions to a broad range of lexical, syntactical, and text layout conditions, both in isolation and interactively. Finds that, although the role of these elements in affecting readers' perceptions is not as critical as was presumed, certain perceptions are significantly affected by specific lexical, syntactical, and layout…

Micro-Valences: Perceiving Affective Valence in Everyday Objects

PubMed Central

Lebrecht, Sophie; Bar, Moshe; Barrett, Lisa Feldman; Tarr, Michael J.

2012-01-01

Perceiving the affective valence of objects influences how we think about and react to the world around us. Conversely, the speed and quality with which we visually recognize objects in a visual scene can vary dramatically depending on that scene’s affective content. Although typical visual scenes contain mostly “everyday” objects, the affect perception in visual objects has been studied using somewhat atypical stimuli with strong affective valences (e.g., guns or roses). Here we explore whether affective valence must be strong or overt to exert an effect on our visual perception. We conclude that everyday objects carry subtle affective valences – “micro-valences” – which are intrinsic to their perceptual representation. PMID:22529828

A reappraisal of the uncanny valley: categorical perception or frequency-based sensitization?

PubMed Central

Burleigh, Tyler J.; Schoenherr, Jordan R.

2015-01-01

The uncanny valley (UCV) hypothesis describes a non-linear relationship between perceived human-likeness and affective response. The “uncanny valley” refers to an intermediate level of human-likeness that is associated with strong negative affect. Recent studies have suggested that the uncanny valley might result from the categorical perception of human-like stimuli during identification. When presented with stimuli sharing human-like traits, participants attempt to segment the continuum in “human” and “non-human” categories. Due to the ambiguity of stimuli located at a category boundary, categorization difficulty gives rise to a strong, negative affective response. Importantly, researchers who have studied the UCV in terms of categorical perception have focused on categorization responses rather than affective ratings. In the present study, we examined whether the negative affect associated with the UCV might be explained in terms of an individual's degree of exposure to stimuli. In two experiments, we tested a frequency-based model against a categorical perception model using a category-learning paradigm. We manipulated the frequency of exemplars that were presented to participants from two categories during a training phase. We then examined categorization and affective responses functions, as well as the relationship between categorization and affective responses. Supporting previous findings, categorization responses suggested that participants acquired novel category structures that reflected a category boundary. These category structures appeared to influence affective ratings of eeriness. Crucially, participants' ratings of eeriness were additionally affected by exemplar frequency. Taken together, these findings suggest that the UCV is determined by both categorical properties as well as the frequency of individual exemplars retained in memory. PMID:25653623

Perceptions and Attitudes of Mothers about Child Neglect in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polat, Selda; Tasar, Aysin; Ozkan, Secil; Yeltekin, Sevinc; Cakir, Bahar Cuhac; Akbaba, Sevil; Sahin, Figen; Camurdan, Aysu Duyan; Beyazova, Ufuk

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceptions and attitudes about child neglect of a group of mothers, in Ankara, Turkey, and to determine the factors affecting perception and attitudes of these mothers about child neglect. A questionnaire consisting of 15 scenarios about perception of child neglect and 12 behavioral descriptions about…

"Are the Good Beautiful or the Beautiful Good?" The Relationship between Children's Perceptions of Ability and Perceptions of Physical Attractiveness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Felson, Richard B.; Bohrnstedt, George W.

1979-01-01

Children's ratings were obtained, examining reciprocal feedback between perceptions of physical attractiveness and ability. Data supported the conclusion that perceptions of ability affect those of physical attractiveness but not vice versa. The role of the relative ambiguity of stimuli associated with physical attractiveness may explain the…

Bodily action penetrates affective perception

PubMed Central

Rigutti, Sara; Gerbino, Walter

2016-01-01

Fantoni & Gerbino (2014) showed that subtle postural shifts associated with reaching can have a strong hedonic impact and affect how actors experience facial expressions of emotion. Using a novel Motor Action Mood Induction Procedure (MAMIP), they found consistent congruency effects in participants who performed a facial emotion identification task after a sequence of visually-guided reaches: a face perceived as neutral in a baseline condition appeared slightly happy after comfortable actions and slightly angry after uncomfortable actions. However, skeptics about the penetrability of perception (Zeimbekis & Raftopoulos, 2015) would consider such evidence insufficient to demonstrate that observer’s internal states induced by action comfort/discomfort affect perception in a top-down fashion. The action-modulated mood might have produced a back-end memory effect capable of affecting post-perceptual and decision processing, but not front-end perception. Here, we present evidence that performing a facial emotion detection (not identification) task after MAMIP exhibits systematic mood-congruent sensitivity changes, rather than response bias changes attributable to cognitive set shifts; i.e., we show that observer’s internal states induced by bodily action can modulate affective perception. The detection threshold for happiness was lower after fifty comfortable than uncomfortable reaches; while the detection threshold for anger was lower after fifty uncomfortable than comfortable reaches. Action valence induced an overall sensitivity improvement in detecting subtle variations of congruent facial expressions (happiness after positive comfortable actions, anger after negative uncomfortable actions), in the absence of significant response bias shifts. Notably, both comfortable and uncomfortable reaches impact sensitivity in an approximately symmetric way relative to a baseline inaction condition. All of these constitute compelling evidence of a genuine top-down effect on perception: specifically, facial expressions of emotion are penetrable by action-induced mood. Affective priming by action valence is a candidate mechanism for the influence of observer’s internal states on properties experienced as phenomenally objective and yet loaded with meaning. PMID:26893964

After the fall of the Berlin Wall: perceptions and consequences of stability and change among middle-aged and older East and West Germans.

PubMed

Westerhof, Gerben J; Keyes, Corey L M

2006-09-01

This study empirically tested the self-systems theory of subjective change in light of the rapid change after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The theory predicts that individuals have a tendency to perceive stability and that perceived stability exerts a strong positive effect on subjective well-being. We would expect perceptions of decline and, to a lesser extent, perceptions of improvement to be related to lower levels of subjective well-being. Data were from respondents aged 40-85 years who participated in the German Aging Survey. We used measures of well-being and temporal comparisons during the past 10 years (1986-1996). West Germans reported more stability than East Germans, in particular in the public domain and in older age groups. Compared with perceptions of stability, perceptions of decline were related to less life satisfaction and more negative affect, and perceptions of growth to more negative affect. Temporal comparisons were unrelated to positive affect. Our findings both confirm and reject the self-systems theory of subjective change as it relates to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Studying temporal comparisons is important in understanding the effects of historical events and their timing within an individual life course.

Motion perception without Nystagmus--a novel manifestation of cerebellar stroke.

PubMed

Shaikh, Aasef G

2014-01-01

The motion perception and the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) each serve distinct functions. The VOR keeps the gaze steady on the target of interest, whereas vestibular perception serves a number of tasks, including awareness of self-motion and orientation in space. VOR and motion perception might abide the same neurophysiological principles, but their distinct anatomical correlates were proposed. In patients with cerebellar stroke in distribution of medial division of posterior inferior cerebellar artery, we asked whether specific location of the focal lesion in vestibulocerebellum could cause impaired perception of motion but normal eye movements. Thirteen patients were studied, 5 consistently perceived spinning of surrounding environment (vertigo), but the eye movements were normal. This group was called "disease model." Remaining 8 patients were also symptomatic for vertigo, but they had spontaneous nystagmus. The latter group was called "disease control." Magnetic resonance imaging in both groups consistently revealed focal cerebellar infarct affecting posterior cerebellar vermis (lobule IX). In the "disease model" group, only part of lobule IX was affected. In the disease control group, however, complete lobule IX was involved. This study discovered a novel presentation of cerebellar stroke where only motion perception was affected, but there was an absence of objective neurologic signs. Copyright © 2014 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rubber Hand Illusion Affects Joint Angle Perception

PubMed Central

Butz, Martin V.; Kutter, Esther F.; Lorenz, Corinna

2014-01-01

The Rubber Hand Illusion (RHI) is a well-established experimental paradigm. It has been shown that the RHI can affect hand location estimates, arm and hand motion towards goals, the subjective visual appearance of the own hand, and the feeling of body ownership. Several studies also indicate that the peri-hand space is partially remapped around the rubber hand. Nonetheless, the question remains if and to what extent the RHI can affect the perception of other body parts. In this study we ask if the RHI can alter the perception of the elbow joint. Participants had to adjust an angular representation on a screen according to their proprioceptive perception of their own elbow joint angle. The results show that the RHI does indeed alter the elbow joint estimation, increasing the agreement with the position and orientation of the artificial hand. Thus, the results show that the brain does not only adjust the perception of the hand in body-relative space, but it also modifies the perception of other body parts. In conclusion, we propose that the brain continuously strives to maintain a consistent internal body image and that this image can be influenced by the available sensory information sources, which are mediated and mapped onto each other by means of a postural, kinematic body model. PMID:24671172

Do Students' Approaches to Learning Affect Their Perceptions of Using Computing and Information Technology?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jelfs, Anne; Colbourn, Chris

2002-01-01

Discusses the use of communication and information technology (C&IT) in higher education in the United Kingdom and describes research that examined student perceptions of using C&IT for a virtual seminar series in psychology. Identified student learning approaches within the group and how it affected their adoption or rejection of the…

Environment Matters: Exploring the Relationships between the Classroom Environment and College Students' Affect in Mathematics Learning in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Wenlan; Yin, Hongbiao; Lu, Genshu; Zhang, Qiaoping

2017-01-01

This study explored the relationships between Chinese college students' perceptions of the classroom environment and some affective aspects in the study of mathematics. A total of 2529 students responded to three measures that were specifically designed to assess college students' perceptions of the mathematics classroom environment, their…

The Factors Affecting the Intercultural Sensitivity Perception Level of Psychological Counseling and Guidance Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuncel, Ibrahim; Aricioglu, Ahu

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the factors affecting the intercultural sensitivity perception levels of Psychological Counseling and Guidance students. This study was conducted in Pamukkale University which is located in the western part of Turkey. Data were gathered from 524 freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior students who are…

Perceptions of Educational Barriers Affecting the Academic Achievement of Latino K-12 Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becerra, David

2012-01-01

This study examined different factors affecting the perceptions of barriers in academic achievement of Latino K-12 students. The study used data from 1,508 participants who identified themselves as being of Hispanic or Latino heritage in the 2004 National Survey of Latinos: Education, compiled by the Pew Hispanic Center between August 7 and…

Principal Leadership Behaviors Which Teachers at Different Career Stages Perceive as Affecting Job Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Valari

2013-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of teachers as to how the leadership of their principal affects their job satisfaction. This study collected the view of teachers at different career stages and examined their perceptions and needs. The participants consisted of 12 elementary school teachers at three different…

The Effect of Program Context on Childrens' Learning from a Television News Story.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drew, Dan; Reeves, Byron

To test the assumptions that children's perceptions of a news program affect their learning and that their perceptions are in turn affected by age and program context, a study was undertaken involving 435 third through seventh graders. The specific independent and perceptual variables examined were: believability, liking the story and program,…

Development of Chromatic Induction in Infancy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okamura, Hiromi; Kanazawa, So; Yamaguchi, Masami K.

2007-01-01

The perception of colour in an embedded field is affected by the surround colour. This phenomenon is known as chromatic induction. In the present study we investigated whether the colour perception by infants aged 5-7 months could be affected by the surround colour. In Experiments 1 and 2 each stimulus was composed of an array of six squares in…

Cognitive and Socio-Affective Outcomes of Project-Based Learning: Perceptions of Greek Second Chance School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koutrouba, Konstantina; Karageorgou, Elissavet

2013-01-01

The present questionnaire-based study was conducted in 2010 in order to examine 677 Greek Second Chance School (SCS) students' perceptions about the cognitive and socio-affective outcomes of project-based learning. Data elaboration, statistical and factor analysis showed that the participants found that project-based learning offered a second…

A Qualitative Study of Indian and Indian Immigrant Adolescents' Perceptions of the Factors Affecting Their Engagement and Performance in School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Areepattamannil, Shaljan; Freeman, John G.; Klinger, Don A.

2018-01-01

Although a growing body of quantitative research has examined the non-cognitive factors affecting the school engagement and performance of adolescents across cultures, there is relatively sparse qualitative research investigating the perceptions of adolescents regarding the factors influencing their engagement and performance in school. This focus…

Mathematics Teachers' Perceptions of Their Students' Mathematical Competence: Relations to Mathematics Achievement, Affect, and Engagement in Singapore and Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Areepattamannil, Shaljan; Kaur, Berinderjeet

2013-01-01

This study, drawing on data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011, examined whether mathematics teachers' perceptions of their students' mathematical competence were related to mathematics achievement, affect toward mathematics, and engagement in mathematics lessons among Grade 8 students in Singapore and…

Intra- and Interindividual Variability in the Behavioral, Affective, and Perceptual Effects of Alcohol Consumption in a Social Context.

PubMed

Franzen, Minita; Sadikaj, Gentiana; Moskowitz, Debbie S; Ostafin, Brian D; Aan Het Rot, Marije

2018-05-01

We examined the influence of interindividual differences in alcohol use on the intraindividual associations of drinking occurrence with interpersonal behaviors, affect, and perceptions of others during naturally occurring social interactions. For 14 consecutive days, 219 psychology freshmen (55% female; M age  = 20.7 years, SD = 2.18) recorded their behaviors, affect, and perceptions in social interactions soon after an interpersonal event occurred. Interpersonal behaviors and perceptions were assessed in terms of dominance-submissiveness and agreeableness-quarrelsomeness. Participants also reported the number of alcoholic drinks consumed within 3 hours of each interaction. We considered the intraindividual associations of (i) having a drinking episode and (ii) the number of drinks during an episode with behaviors, affect, and perceptions and examined interindividual differences in drinking frequency and intensity during social interactions as potential moderators of these associations. Social drinking frequency and intensity moderated the associations between drinking episode and behaviors, affect, and perceptions in social interactions. During a drinking episode, more frequent social drinkers perceived others as more dominant than less frequent social drinkers. During a drinking episode in which more alcohol was consumed than usual, more frequent social drinkers also reported behaving more dominantly and experiencing less pleasant affect. As more frequent social drinkers had different interpersonal responses to drinking than less frequent social drinkers, including when they had consumed larger amounts of alcohol than usual, our results suggest a differential susceptibility to the effects of alcohol during naturally occurring social interactions among drinkers with varying drinking frequency. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Research Society on Alcoholism.

Maximum saliency bias in binocular fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Yuhao; Stafford, Tom; Fox, Charles

2016-07-01

Subjective experience at any instant consists of a single ("unitary"), coherent interpretation of sense data rather than a "Bayesian blur" of alternatives. However, computation of Bayes-optimal actions has no role for unitary perception, instead being required to integrate over every possible action-percept pair to maximise expected utility. So what is the role of unitary coherent percepts, and how are they computed? Recent work provided objective evidence for non-Bayes-optimal, unitary coherent, perception and action in humans; and further suggested that the percept selected is not the maximum a posteriori percept but is instead affected by utility. The present study uses a binocular fusion task first to reproduce the same effect in a new domain, and second, to test multiple hypotheses about exactly how utility may affect the percept. After accounting for high experimental noise, it finds that both Bayes optimality (maximise expected utility) and the previously proposed maximum-utility hypothesis are outperformed in fitting the data by a modified maximum-salience hypothesis, using unsigned utility magnitudes in place of signed utilities in the bias function.

Threat perception after the Boston Marathon bombings: The effects of personal relevance and conceptual framing.

PubMed

Wormwood, Jolie Baumann; Lynn, Spencer K; Feldman Barrett, Lisa; Quigley, Karen S

2016-01-01

We examined how the Boston Marathon bombings affected threat perception in the Boston community. In a threat perception task, participants attempted to "shoot" armed targets and avoid shooting unarmed targets. Participants viewing images of the bombings accompanied by affectively negative music and text (e.g., "Terror Strikes Boston") made more false alarms (i.e., more errors "shooting" unarmed targets) compared to participants viewing the same images accompanied by affectively positive music and text (e.g., "Boston Strong") and participants who did not view bombing images. This difference appears to be driven by decreased sensitivity (i.e., decreased ability to distinguish guns from non-guns) as opposed to a more liberal bias (i.e., favouring the "shoot" response). Additionally, the more strongly affected the participant was by the bombings, the more their sensitivity was reduced in the negatively framed condition, suggesting that this framing was particularly detrimental to the most vulnerable individuals in the affected community.

Perception, memory and aesthetics of indeterminate art.

PubMed

Ishai, Alumit; Fairhall, Scott L; Pepperell, Robert

2007-07-12

Indeterminate art, in which familiar objects are only suggestive, invokes a perceptual conundrum as apparently detailed and vivid images resist identification. We hypothesized that compared with paintings that depict meaningful content, object recognition in indeterminate images would be delayed, and tested whether aesthetic affect depends on meaningful content. Subjects performed object recognition and judgment of aesthetic affect tasks. Response latencies were significantly longer for indeterminate images and subjects perceived recognizable objects in 24% of these paintings. Although the aesthetic affect rating of all paintings was similar, judgement latencies for the indeterminate paintings were significantly longer. A surprise memory test revealed that more representational than indeterminate paintings were remembered and that affective strength increased the probability of subsequent recall. Our results suggest that perception and memory of art depend on semantic aspects, whereas, aesthetic affect depends on formal visual features. The longer latencies associated with indeterminate paintings reflect the underlying cognitive processes that mediate object resolution. Indeterminate art works therefore comprise a rich set of stimuli with which the neural correlates of visual perception can be investigated.

The Role of Negative Affect and Physiological Regulation in maternal attribution

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhe; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Bell, Martha Ann

2016-01-01

SYNOPSIS Objective Mothers who attribute child misbehaviors to children’s intentions, and not to situational causes, show more hostile parenting behaviors. Why are some mothers more likely than others to make more hostile attributions (i.e., high intentional attributions and low situational attributions) when confronted with child challenging behaviors? We examined the relation between mothers’ perception of child challenging behaviors and their hostile attributions of child misbehaviors, with an emphasis on how maternal negative affect and resting vagal activity moderated this relation. Design 160 mothers of 3- to 7-year-old children reported their perceptions of child problem behaviors, their attributions regarding child misbehaviors, and their temperamental negative affect. Mothers’ respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was measured during resting state. Results Maternal perceptions of child challenging behaviors were positively related to hostile maternal attributions, and this relation was strongest in mothers with high negative affect and low resting RSA. Conclusions These findings indicate the importance of considering mothers’ affective and physiological attributes when examining social-cognitive processes in parenting. PMID:27667969

Methods for Incorporating Oxygen-Generating Biomaterials into Cell Culture and Microcapsule Systems.

PubMed

McQuilling, John Patrick; Opara, Emmanuel C

2017-01-01

A major obstacle to long-term performance of tissue construct implants in regenerative medicine is the inherent hypoxia to which cells in the engineered construct are exposed prior to vascularization of the implant. Various approaches are currently being designed to address this problem. An emerging area of interest on this issue is the use of peroxide-based materials to generate oxygen during the critical period of extended hypoxia that occurs from the time cells are in culture waiting to be used in tissue engineering devices through the immediate post-implant period. In this chapter we provide protocols that we have developed for using these chemical oxygen generators in cell culture and tissue constructs as illustrated by pancreatic islet cell microencapsulation.

Thermal perception thresholds among workers in a cold climate.

PubMed

Burström, Lage; Björ, Bodil; Nilsson, Tohr; Pettersson, Hans; Rödin, Ingemar; Wahlström, Jens

2017-10-01

To investigate whether exposure to cold could influence the thermal perception thresholds in a working population. This cross-sectional study was comprised of 251 males and females and was carried out at two mines in the northern part of Norway and Sweden. The testing included a baseline questionnaire, a clinical examination and measurements of thermal perception thresholds, on both hands, the index (Digit 2) and little (Digit 5) fingers, for heat and cold. The thermal perception thresholds were affected by age, gender and test site. The thresholds were impaired by experiences of frostbite in the fingers and the use of medication that potentially could affect neurosensory functions. No differences were found between the calculated normative values for these workers and those in other comparative investigations conducted in warmer climates. The study provided no support for the hypothesis that living and working in cold climate will lead to impaired thermal perception thresholds. Exposure to cold that had caused localized damage in the form of frostbite was shown to lead to impaired thermal perception.

Contrast affects flicker and speed perception differently

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, P.; Stone, L. S.

1997-01-01

We have previously shown that contrast affects speed perception, with lower-contrast, drifting gratings perceived as moving slower. In a recent study, we examined the implications of this result on models of speed perception that use the amplitude of the response of linear spatio-temporal filters to determine speed. In this study, we investigate whether the contrast dependence of speed can be understood within the context of models in which speed estimation is made using the temporal frequency of the response of linear spatio-temporal filters. We measured the effect of contrast on flicker perception and found that contrast manipulations produce opposite effects on perceived drift rate and perceived flicker rate, i.e., reducing contrast increases the apparent temporal frequency of counterphase modulated gratings. This finding argues that, if a temporal frequency-based algorithm underlies speed perception, either flicker and speed perception must not be based on the output of the same mechanism or contrast effects on perceived spatial frequency reconcile the disparate effects observed for perceived temporal frequency and speed.

Use of a Cutaneous Body Image (CBI) scale to evaluate self perception of body image in acne vulgaris.

PubMed

Amr, Mostafa; Kaliyadan, Feroze; Shams, Tarek

2014-01-01

Skin disorders such as acne, which have significant cosmetic implications, can affect the self-perception of cutaneous body image. There are many scales which measure self-perception of cutaneous body image. We evaluated the use of a simple Cutaneous Body Image (CBI) scale to assess self-perception of body image in a sample of young Arab patients affected with acne. A total of 70 patients with acne answered the CBI questionnaire. The CBI score was correlated with the severity of acne and acne scarring, gender, and history of retinoids use. There was no statistically significant correlation between CBI and the other parameters - gender, acne/acne scarring severity, and use of retinoids. Our study suggests that cutaneous body image perception in Arab patients with acne was not dependent on variables like gender and severity of acne or acne scarring. A simple CBI scale alone is not a sufficiently reliable tool to assess self-perception of body image in patients with acne vulgaris.

Teaching social perception skills to adolescents with autism and intellectual disabilities using video-based group instruction.

PubMed

Stauch, Tiffany A; Plavnick, Joshua B; Sankar, Sudha; Gallagher, Annie C

2018-05-17

Few interventions focus on teaching social skills to adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disabilities (ID) that are consistently used during interactions with peers ( Carter et al., 2014). The present study evaluated the effects of video-based group instruction (VGI) on the acquisition of social perception skills of five adolescents with ASD or ID in a public school setting. Social perception involves observing affective behaviors of others, discriminating relevant environmental stimuli, and differentially reinforcing the affective behavior of another person. Typically developing peers supported VGI implementation as social partners for participants. A multiple probe design across behaviors demonstrated the effectiveness of VGI for teaching social perception skills. Four of five participants acquired and maintained the targeted social perception skills, and we observed some transfer to a nontreatment setting. Results of this study suggest VGI may support the acquisition of social perception among adolescents with ASD or ID. © 2018 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

When does risk perception predict protection motivation for health threats? A person-by-situation analysis.

PubMed

Ferrer, Rebecca A; Klein, William M P; Avishai, Aya; Jones, Katelyn; Villegas, Megan; Sheeran, Paschal

2018-01-01

Although risk perception is a key concept in many health behavior theories, little research has explicitly tested when risk perception predicts motivation to take protective action against a health threat (protection motivation). The present study tackled this question by (a) adopting a multidimensional model of risk perception that comprises deliberative, affective, and experiential components (the TRIRISK model), and (b) taking a person-by-situation approach. We leveraged a highly intensive within-subjects paradigm to test features of the health threat (i.e., perceived severity) and individual differences (e.g., emotion reappraisal) as moderators of the relationship between the three types of risk perception and protection motivation in a within-subjects design. Multi-level modeling of 2968 observations (32 health threats across 94 participants) showed interactions among the TRIRISK components and moderation both by person-level and situational factors. For instance, affective risk perception better predicted protection motivation when deliberative risk perception was high, when the threat was less severe, and among participants who engage less in emotional reappraisal. These findings support the TRIRISK model and offer new insights into when risk perceptions predict protection motivation.

When does risk perception predict protection motivation for health threats? A person-by-situation analysis

PubMed Central

Klein, William M. P.; Avishai, Aya; Jones, Katelyn; Villegas, Megan; Sheeran, Paschal

2018-01-01

Although risk perception is a key concept in many health behavior theories, little research has explicitly tested when risk perception predicts motivation to take protective action against a health threat (protection motivation). The present study tackled this question by (a) adopting a multidimensional model of risk perception that comprises deliberative, affective, and experiential components (the TRIRISK model), and (b) taking a person-by-situation approach. We leveraged a highly intensive within-subjects paradigm to test features of the health threat (i.e., perceived severity) and individual differences (e.g., emotion reappraisal) as moderators of the relationship between the three types of risk perception and protection motivation in a within-subjects design. Multi-level modeling of 2968 observations (32 health threats across 94 participants) showed interactions among the TRIRISK components and moderation both by person-level and situational factors. For instance, affective risk perception better predicted protection motivation when deliberative risk perception was high, when the threat was less severe, and among participants who engage less in emotional reappraisal. These findings support the TRIRISK model and offer new insights into when risk perceptions predict protection motivation. PMID:29494705

The influence of positive affect on the components of expectancy motivation.

PubMed

Erez, Amir; Isen, Alice M

2002-12-01

The influence of positive affect on expectancy motivation was investigated in 2 studies. The results of Study 1 indicated that positive affect improved people's performance and affected their perceptions of expectancy and valence. In Study 1, in which outcomes depended on chance, positive affect did not influence people's perceptions of instrumentality. In Study 2, in which the link between performance and outcomes was specified, positive affect influenced all 3 components of expectancy motivation. Together, the results of Studies 1 and 2 indicated that positive affect interacts with task conditions in influencing motivation and that its influence on motivation occurs not through general effects, such as response bias or general activation, but rather through its influence on the cognitive processes involved in motivation.

Altered Esthetics in Primary Central Incisors: The Child's Perception.

PubMed

Soares, Fernanda Cunha; Cardoso, Mariane; Bolan, Michele

2015-01-01

This study's purpose was to determine preschool-age children's social perceptions and self-perceptions regarding altered dental esthetics. A cross-sectional study was carried out involving 431 four- to five-year-olds. The participants were shown four photographs of children with incisors exhibiting discoloration, crown fracture, missing tooth, or normal teeth. The children were asked four questions for analysis of social perceptions and two additional questions for analysis of self-perceptions. Binary logistic regression was used for the statistical analysis. Children had negative social perceptions, as a significant association was found between their negative feelings and the altered dental esthetics in children pictured in the photographs. The affected anterior incisor was indicated as the main reason for this feeling (odds ratio equals 4.68, 95 percent confidence interval [CI] equals 2.39 to 9.15). When analyzing self-perceptions, a significant association was found between negative feelings and the child's own altered dental esthetics. Children with altered esthetics felt 1.92-fold sadder than those without altered esthetics (95 percent CI equals 1.22 to 3.02). Again, the affected teeth were indicated as the main reason for this feeling (prevalence ratio equals 1.22) in comparison to reasons cited. Four- to five-year-olds have negative social perceptions and self-perceptions regarding altered dental esthetics.

Living Large: Affect Amplification in Visual Perception Predicts Emotional Reactivity to Events in Daily Life

PubMed Central

Palder, Spencer L.; Ode, Scott; Liu, Tianwei; Robinson, Michael D.

2012-01-01

It was hypothesized that affect-amplifying individuals would be more reactive to affective events in daily life. Affect amplification was quantified in terms of overestimating the font size of positive and negative, relative to neutral, words in a basic perception task. Subsequently, the same (N = 70) individuals completed a daily diary protocol in which they reported on levels of daily stressors, provocations, and social support as well as six emotion-related outcomes for 14 consecutive days. Individual differences in affect amplification moderated reactivity to daily affective events in all such analyses. For example, daily stressor levels predicted cognitive failures at high, but not low, levels of affect amplification. Affect amplification, then, appears to have widespread utility in understanding individual differences in emotional reactivity. PMID:22989107

Memory Perceptions and Memory Performance in Adulthood and Aging.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hultsch, D. F.; And Others

1985-01-01

This article reviews two questionnaires designed to measure people's perceptions of their own memories and identifies several research questions requiring further study. Results show that, in general, memory perceptions appear to be multidimensional and involve belief and affective components as well as knowledge components. (CT)

The Sound of Social Cognition: Toddlers' Understanding of How Sound Influences Others

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williamson, Rebecca A.; Brooks, Rechele; Meltzoff, Andrew N.

2015-01-01

Understanding others' perceptions is a fundamental aspect of social cognition. Children's construal of visual perception is well investigated, but there is little work on children's understanding of others' auditory perception. The current study assesses toddlers' recognition that producing different sounds can affect others…

Do aggression and rule-breaking have different interpersonal correlates? A study of antisocial behavior subtypes, negative affect, and hostile perceptions of others.

PubMed

Burt, S Alexandra; Mikolajewski, Amy J; Larson, Christine L

2009-01-01

There is mounting evidence that physical aggression and nonaggressive, rule-breaking delinquency constitute two separable though correlated subtypes of antisocial behavior. Even so, it remains unclear whether these behavioral subtypes have meaningfully different interpersonal correlates, particularly as they are subsumed within the same broad domain of antisocial behavior. To evaluate this, we examined whether hostile perceptions of others (assessed via exposure to a series of neutral unknown faces) were linked to level and type of antisocial behavior aggression vs. rule-breaking, and moreover, whether this association persisted even when also considering the common association with negative affect (as manipulated via written recollection of one's best and worst life experiences). Analyses revealed that aggression, but not rule-breaking, was uniquely tied to hostile perceptions of others. Furthermore, this association persisted over and above the common association of both hostile perceptions and aggression with negative affect (at both trait and state levels). Such results provide additional support for clinically meaningful differences between the behavioral subtypes of aggression and nonaggressive rule-breaking and for the independent role of hostile perceptions in aggressive behavior.

Exploring Factors Affecting Learner's Perception of Learning Information and Communication Technology: A HLM Analysis of a National Farmers' Training Program in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yueh, Hsiu-Ping; Chen, Tzy-Ling; Chiu, Li-An; Lin, Wei-Chien

2013-01-01

The present study, pertaining to a national information literacy training program for both farmers and rural communities in Taiwan, explores factors that affect learners' perception of learning information and communication technology (ICT). It further analyzes effects of individual characteristics and varied training designs on learners'…

Ethical Perceptions of Accounting Students in a Portuguese University: The Influence of Individual Factors and Personal Traits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costa, Alberto J.; Pinheiro, Margarida M.; Ribeiro, Mariana S.

2016-01-01

Our purpose is to empirically examine whether gender, age, work experience, and attendance of a course on ethics affect the ethical perceptions of Portuguese accounting students and analyze the influence of some individual factors that may affect their ethical decision-making. Additionally, we consider the degree of importance assigned to a list…

Nursing Faculty Perceptions on Teaching Critical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Doris A.

2010-01-01

The perceptions of nursing faculty teaching critical thinking (CT) affective attributes and cognitive skills are described in this quantitative, descriptive study. The study sample consisted of nurse educators from the National League of Nursing database. The purpose of the study was to gain nursing faculty perception of which teaching strategies…

Do School Resources Influence the Relationship between Adolescent Financial Background and Their School Perceptions?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Summersett-Ringgold, Faith C.; Li, Kaigang; Haynie, Denise L.; Iannotti, Ronald J.

2015-01-01

Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) influences students' school perceptions and affects their performance, engagement, and personal beliefs. This study examined the effects of school population SES and school resources on the association between student SES and student perceptions. Methods: School liking, classmate social relationships, family…

Lesion-Site Affects Grammatical Gender Assignment in German: Perception and Production Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hofmann, Juliane; Kotz, Sonja A.; Marschhauser, Anke; von Cramon, D. Yves; Friederici, Angela D.

2007-01-01

Two experiments investigated phonological, derivational-morphological and semantic aspects of grammatical gender assignment in a perception and a production task in German aphasic patients and age-matched controls. The agreement of a gender indicating adjective (feminine, masculine or neuter) and a noun was evaluated during perception in…

Perception of English Intonation by English, Spanish, and Chinese Listeners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grabe, Esther; Rosner, Burton S.; Garcia-Albea, Jose E.; Zhou, Xiaolin

2003-01-01

Native language affects the perception of segmental phonetic structure, of stress, and of semantic and pragmatic effects of intonation. Similarly, native language might influence the perception of similarities and differences among intonation contours. To test this hypothesis, a cross-language experiment was conducted. An English utterance was…

EFL College Students' Perceptions of Classroom English Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Nouh, Nowreyah A.; Abdul-Kareem, Muneera M.; Taqi, Hanan A.

2014-01-01

Students' perceptions of their classroom English tests play a crucial role in affecting their performance. Hence, the present study is interested in soliciting college students' perceptions of their classroom English tests to find out the reasons behind test difficulties. Participants were 585 female college students chosen randomly from all grade…

Six-month-old infants' perception of the hollow face illusion: evidence for a general convexity bias.

PubMed

Corrow, Sherryse L; Mathison, Jordan; Granrud, Carl E; Yonas, Albert

2014-01-01

Corrow, Granrud, Mathison, and Yonas (2011, Perception, 40, 1376-1383) found evidence that 6-month-old infants perceive the hollow face illusion. In the present study we asked whether 6-month-old infants perceive illusory depth reversal for a nonface object and whether infants' perception of the hollow face illusion is affected by mask orientation inversion. In experiment 1 infants viewed a concave bowl, and their reaches were recorded under monocular and binocular viewing conditions. Infants reached to the bowl as if it were convex significantly more often in the monocular than in the binocular viewing condition. These results suggest that infants perceive illusory depth reversal with a nonface stimulus and that the infant visual system has a bias to perceive objects as convex. Infants in experiment 2 viewed a concave face-like mask in upright and inverted orientations. Infants reached to the display as if it were convex more in the monocular than in the binocular condition; however, mask orientation had no effect on reaching. Previous findings that adults' perception of the hollow face illusion is affected by mask orientation inversion have been interpreted as evidence of stored-knowledge influences on perception. However, we found no evidence of such influences in infants, suggesting that their perception of this illusion may not be affected by stored knowledge, and that perceived depth reversal is not face-specific in infants.

Cultural Differences in Affect Intensity Perception in the Context of Advertising

PubMed Central

Pogosyan, Marianna; Engelmann, Jan B.

2011-01-01

Cultural differences in the perception of positive affect intensity within an advertising context were investigated among American, Japanese, and Russian participants. Participants were asked to rate the intensity of facial expressions of positive emotions, which displayed either subtle, low intensity, or salient, high intensity expressions of positive affect. In agreement with previous findings from cross-cultural psychological research, current results demonstrate both cross-cultural agreement and differences in the perception of positive affect intensity across the three cultures. Specifically, American participants perceived high arousal (HA) images as significantly less calm than participants from the other two cultures, while the Japanese participants perceived low arousal (LA) images as significantly more excited than participants from the other cultures. The underlying mechanisms of these cultural differences were further investigated through difference scores that probed for cultural differences in perception and categorization of positive emotions. Findings indicate that rating differences are due to (1) perceptual differences in the extent to which HA images were discriminated from LA images, and (2) categorization differences in the extent to which facial expressions were grouped into affect intensity categories. Specifically, American participants revealed significantly higher perceptual differentiation between arousal levels of facial expressions in high and intermediate intensity categories. Japanese participants, on the other hand, did not discriminate between high and low arousal affect categories to the same extent as did the American and Russian participants. These findings indicate the presence of cultural differences in underlying decoding mechanisms of facial expressions of positive affect intensity. Implications of these results for global advertising are discussed. PMID:22084635

Cultural differences in affect intensity perception in the context of advertising.

PubMed

Pogosyan, Marianna; Engelmann, Jan B

2011-01-01

Cultural differences in the perception of positive affect intensity within an advertising context were investigated among American, Japanese, and Russian participants. Participants were asked to rate the intensity of facial expressions of positive emotions, which displayed either subtle, low intensity, or salient, high intensity expressions of positive affect. In agreement with previous findings from cross-cultural psychological research, current results demonstrate both cross-cultural agreement and differences in the perception of positive affect intensity across the three cultures. Specifically, American participants perceived high arousal (HA) images as significantly less calm than participants from the other two cultures, while the Japanese participants perceived low arousal (LA) images as significantly more excited than participants from the other cultures. The underlying mechanisms of these cultural differences were further investigated through difference scores that probed for cultural differences in perception and categorization of positive emotions. Findings indicate that rating differences are due to (1) perceptual differences in the extent to which HA images were discriminated from LA images, and (2) categorization differences in the extent to which facial expressions were grouped into affect intensity categories. Specifically, American participants revealed significantly higher perceptual differentiation between arousal levels of facial expressions in high and intermediate intensity categories. Japanese participants, on the other hand, did not discriminate between high and low arousal affect categories to the same extent as did the American and Russian participants. These findings indicate the presence of cultural differences in underlying decoding mechanisms of facial expressions of positive affect intensity. Implications of these results for global advertising are discussed.

Core affect and the psychological construction of emotion.

PubMed

Russell, James A

2003-01-01

At the heart of emotion, mood, and any other emotionally charged event are states experienced as simply feeling good or bad, energized or enervated. These states--called core affect--influence reflexes, perception, cognition, and behavior and are influenced by many causes internal and external, but people have no direct access to these causal connections. Core affect can therefore be experienced as free-floating (mood) or can be attributed to some cause (and thereby begin an emotional episode). These basic processes spawn a broad framework that includes perception of the core-affect-altering properties of stimuli, motives, empathy, emotional meta-experience, and affect versus emotion regulation; it accounts for prototypical emotional episodes, such as fear and anger, as core affect attributed to something plus various nonemotional processes.

The Role of Neuroticism in the Maintenance of Chronic Baseline Stress Perception and Negative Affect.

PubMed

Abbasi, Irum Saeed

2016-03-04

The influence of neuroticism on stress perception and its associated negative affect is explored in a quasi-experimental repeated measure study. The study involves manipulating the stress perception and affect of high N group (n = 24) and low N group (n = 28) three times; first, through exposure to neutral stimuli; second, through exposure to a laboratory stressor; third, through exposure to positive stimuli. The results reveal that after exposure to neutral stimuli, there is a significant difference in the baseline Perceived Stress Scores (PSS) (p = .005) and Negative Affect (NA) scores (p = .001) of the two groups. During the stress task, however, both groups show a non-significant difference in the PSS (p = .200) and NA scores (p = .367). After exposure to positive stimuli, there is a significant difference in the PSS scores (p = .001), but a non-significant difference in the NA scores (p = .661) of the two groups. When compared across three conditions, the high N group report significantly higher perceived stress (p = .002), but not significantly higher negative affect (p = .123) than the low N group. Finally for both PSS and NA scores, there is no interaction between neuroticism and any of the three treatment conditions (p = .176; p = .338, respectively). This study shows that the high N group may be at risk for health disparities due to maintaining a chronic higher baseline stress perception and negative affect state under neutral conditions, than the low N group. Implications of the study are discussed.

Macroscopic brain dynamics during verbal and pictorial processing of affective stimuli.

PubMed

Keil, Andreas

2006-01-01

Emotions can be viewed as action dispositions, preparing an individual to act efficiently and successfully in situations of behavioral relevance. To initiate optimized behavior, it is essential to accurately process the perceptual elements indicative of emotional relevance. The present chapter discusses effects of affective content on neural and behavioral parameters of perception, across different information channels. Electrocortical data are presented from studies examining affective perception with pictures and words in different task contexts. As a main result, these data suggest that sensory facilitation has an important role in affective processing. Affective pictures appear to facilitate perception as a function of emotional arousal at multiple levels of visual analysis. If the discrimination between affectively arousing vs. nonarousing content relies on fine-grained differences, amplification of the cortical representation may occur as early as 60-90 ms after stimulus onset. Affectively arousing information as conveyed via visual verbal channels was not subject to such very early enhancement. However, electrocortical indices of lexical access and/or activation of semantic networks showed that affectively arousing content may enhance the formation of semantic representations during word encoding. It can be concluded that affective arousal is associated with activation of widespread networks, which act to optimize sensory processing. On the basis of prioritized sensory analysis for affectively relevant stimuli, subsequent steps such as working memory, motor preparation, and action may be adjusted to meet the adaptive requirements of the situation perceived.

Affective design identification on the development of batik convection product

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prastawa, H.; Purwaningsih, R.

2017-11-01

The affective design is increasingly applied to product development in order to meet the desires and preferences of customers. Batik is a traditional Indonesian culture containing historical and cultural values. The development of batik design is one of the efforts to strengthen the identity and superiority of Indonesia’s creative industries as well as to preserve batik as the cultural heritage of the nation. Batik product designs offered by the manufacturers do not necessarily correspond with the wishes of consumers, especially the affective values involved. Therefore it is necessary to identify consumer perceptions of convection- based batik product in the form of clothing and fabrics, especially the affective value as the consideration for the designer or manufacturer to develop design alternatives to batik convection products. This research aims to obtain information on consumer affective value, to identify the affective value perception differences among X and Y Generation and to classify affective value in the corresponding cluster of the batik products convection. This study uses Kansei engineering to determine the perception of affective design in the form of Kansei word. Cluster Analysis was used to form clusters that classify affective value of the same class. The results showed that there were 16 pairs of Kansei word which was worth as an affective consumer desire, the 3 indicators that had significant differences among X and Y Generation and 4 clusters with different characteristics.

Effects of inverting contour and features on processing for static and dynamic face perception: an MEG study.

PubMed

Miki, Kensaku; Takeshima, Yasuyuki; Watanabe, Shoko; Honda, Yukiko; Kakigi, Ryusuke

2011-04-06

We investigated the effects of inverting facial contour (hair and chin) and features (eyes, nose and mouth) on processing for static and dynamic face perception using magnetoencephalography (MEG). We used apparent motion, in which the first stimulus (S1) was replaced by a second stimulus (S2) with no interstimulus interval and subjects perceived visual motion, and presented three conditions as follows: (1) U&U: Upright contour and Upright features, (2) U&I: Upright contour and Inverted features, and (3) I&I: Inverted contour and Inverted features. In static face perception (S1 onset), the peak latency of the fusiform area's activity, which was related to static face perception, was significantly longer for U&I and I&I than for U&U in the right hemisphere and for U&I than for U&U and I&I in the left. In dynamic face perception (S2 onset), the strength (moment) of the occipitotemporal area's activity, which was related to dynamic face perception, was significantly larger for I&I than for U&U and U&I in the right hemisphere, but not the left. These results can be summarized as follows: (1) in static face perception, the activity of the right fusiform area was more affected by the inversion of features while that of the left fusiform area was more affected by the disruption of the spatial relation between the contour and features, and (2) in dynamic face perception, the activity of the right occipitotemporal area was affected by the inversion of the facial contour. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cognitive style as a factor in accounting students' perceptions of career-choice factors.

PubMed

Gul, F; Huang, A; Subramaniam, N

1992-12-01

Since prior studies of individuals' perceptions of career-choice factors have not considered the effect of cognitive styles of subjects, this study, using 68 accounting students, investigated the mediating effects of the field dependent-independent cognitive dimension on perceptions of the importance of career-choice factors. The results, in general, show that cognitive style affected individuals' perceptions of career-choice factors, suggesting that future studies of individuals' perceptions should take into account individual cognitive differences.

Individual Differences in Beat Perception Affect Gait Responses to Low- and High-Groove Music

PubMed Central

Leow, Li-Ann; Parrott, Taylor; Grahn, Jessica A.

2014-01-01

Slowed gait in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) can be improved when patients synchronize footsteps to isochronous metronome cues, but limited retention of such improvements suggest that permanent cueing regimes are needed for long-term improvements. If so, music might make permanent cueing regimes more pleasant, improving adherence; however, music cueing requires patients to synchronize movements to the “beat,” which might be difficult for patients with PD who tend to show weak beat perception. One solution may be to use high-groove music, which has high beat salience that may facilitate synchronization, and affective properties, which may improve motivation to move. As a first step to understanding how beat perception affects gait in complex neurological disorders, we examined how beat perception ability affected gait in neurotypical adults. Synchronization performance and gait parameters were assessed as healthy young adults with strong or weak beat perception synchronized to low-groove music, high-groove music, and metronome cues. High-groove music was predicted to elicit better synchronization than low-groove music, due to its higher beat salience. Two musical tempi, or rates, were used: (1) preferred tempo: beat rate matched to preferred step rate and (2) faster tempo: beat rate adjusted to 22.5% faster than preferred step rate. For both strong and weak beat-perceivers, synchronization performance was best with metronome cues, followed by high-groove music, and worst with low-groove music. In addition, high-groove music elicited longer and faster steps than low-groove music, both at preferred tempo and at faster tempo. Low-groove music was particularly detrimental to gait in weak beat-perceivers, who showed slower and shorter steps compared to uncued walking. The findings show that individual differences in beat perception affect gait when synchronizing footsteps to music, and have implications for using music in gait rehabilitation. PMID:25374521

Factors Affecting Parent-Child Relationships One Year After Positive Newborn Screening for Cystic Fibrosis or Congenital Hypothyroidism

PubMed Central

Tluczek, Audrey; Clark, Roseanne; McKechnie, Anne Chevalier; Brown, Roger L.

2014-01-01

Objective Examine factors that mediate parent-infant relationships 12 months after positive newborn screening (NBS). Method We examined effects of infant diagnosis, parents’ perceptions of child vulnerability and child attachment, parental depression and anxiety on parent-infant feeding interactions for 131 mothers and 118 fathers of 131 infants whose NBS and diagnostics confirmed cystic fibrosis (CF, n=23), congenital hypothyroidism (CH, n=35), CF carrier status (CF-C, n=38), or healthy, normal NBS (H, n=35). Results Separate composite indicator structural equation models for mothers and fathers showed neonatal diagnosis was not associated with increased anxiety or depression. In comparison to the H group, CF group parents reported higher perceptions of child vulnerability (p< 0.001, p=0.002); and CF-C group fathers viewed their children as more attached (p=0.021). High maternal perception of child vulnerability was associated with low perceptions of child attachment (p=0.001) which was associated with task-oriented feeding behavior (p=0.016, p=0.029). Parental task-oriented feeding behavior was associated with less positive (p< 0.001, p< 0.001) and more negative interactions (p< 0.001, p= 0.001) with their infants. High paternal perception of child vulnerability was associated with negative parent interactions (p< 0.001). High parental affective involvement and verbalization was associated with high infant affective expressiveness, communicative skills, and social responsiveness (mothers’ p< 0.001, fathers’ p< 0.001). High parental negative affect and/or inconsistent and intrusive behavior was associated with infant dysregulation and irritability (mothers’ p< 0.001, fathers’ p< 0.001). Conclusion The severity of conditions identified through NBS can affect parents’ perceptions of their child’s vulnerability and attachment. Infant feeding problems in the context of chronic health conditions, like CF, could represent signs of more deeply rooted concerns regarding the parent-child relationship that merit additional clinical evaluation. PMID:25493463

Instructors Who Resist "College Lite": The Neutralizing Effect of Instructor Immediacy on Students' Course-Workload Violations and Perceptions of Instructor Credibility and Affective Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mottet, Timothy P.; Parker-Raley, Jessica; Beebe, Steven A.; Cunningham, Cory

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an instructor's nonverbal immediacy behaviors and course-workload demands on student perceptions of instructor credibility and student higher-order affective learning. H1 and H2 predicted that an instructor's nonverbal immediacy behaviors would neutralize the instructor's violations of…

Task Difficulty Differentially Affects Two Measures of Processing Load: The Pupil Response during Sentence Processing and Delayed Cued Recall of the Sentences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zekveld, Adriana A.; Festen, Joost M.; Kramer, Kramera

2013-01-01

Purpose: In this study, the authors assessed the influence of masking level (29% or 71% sentence perception) and test modality on the processing load during language perception as reflected by the pupil response. In addition, the authors administered a delayed cued stimulus recall test to examine whether processing load affected the encoding of…

Preschool Children's Perceptions of the Value of Affection as Seen in Their Drawings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Günindi, Yunus

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of children in preschool education with regard to the value of affection in the pictures they draw. The study involved 199 children aged 60 months old or above. The descriptive research method was used and data were collected with the draw-and-explain technique. During the collection of the…

The ECE Pre-Service Teachers' Perception on Factors Affecting the Integration of Educational Computer Games in Two Conditions: Selecting versus Redesigning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sancar Tokmak, Hatice; Ozgelen, Sinan

2013-01-01

This case study aimed to examine early childhood education (ECE) pre-service teachers' perception on the factors affecting integration of educational computer games to their instruction in two areas: selecting and redesigning. Twenty-six ECE pre-service teachers participated in the study. The data was collected through open-ended questionnaires,…

Effect of Parkinson Disease on Emotion Perception Using the Persian Affective Voices Test.

PubMed

Saffarian, Arezoo; Shavaki, Yunes Amiri; Shahidi, Gholam Ali; Jafari, Zahra

2018-05-04

Emotion perception plays a major role in proper communication with people in different social interactions. Nonverbal affect bursts can be used to evaluate vocal emotion perception. The present study was a preliminary step to establishing the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Montreal Affective Voices (MAV) test, as well as to investigate the effect of Parkinson disease (PD) on vocal emotion perception. The short, emotional sound made by pronouncing the vowel "a" in Persian was recorded by 22 actors and actresses to develop the Persian version of the MAV, the Persian Affective Voices (PAV), for emotions of happiness, sadness, pleasure, pain, anger, disgust, fear, surprise, and neutrality. The results of the recordings of five of the actresses and five of the actors who obtained the highest score were used to generate the test. For convergent validity assessment, the correlation between the PAV and a speech prosody comprehension test was examined using a gender- and age-matched control group. To investigate the effect of the PD on emotion perception, the PAV test was performed on 28 patients with mild PD between ages 50 and 70 years. The PAV showed a high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.80). A significant positive correlation was observed between the PAV and the speech prosody comprehension test. The test-retest reliability also showed the high repeatability of the PAV (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.815, P ≤ 0.001). A significant difference was observed between the patients with PD and the controls in all subtests. The PAV test is a useful psychometric tool for examining vocal emotion perception that can be used in both behavioral and neuroimaging studies. Copyright © 2018 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Climate change and coastal environmental risk perceptions in Florida.

PubMed

Carlton, Stuart J; Jacobson, Susan K

2013-11-30

Understanding public perceptions of climate change risks is a prerequisite for effective climate communication and adaptation. Many studies of climate risk perceptions have either analyzed a general operationalization of climate change risk or employed a case-study approach of specific adaptive processes. This study takes a different approach, examining attitudes toward 17 specific, climate-related coastal risks and cognitive, affective, and risk-specific predictors of risk perception. A survey of 558 undergraduates revealed that risks to the physical environment were a greater concern than economic or biological risks. Perceptions of greater physical environment risks were significantly associated with having more pro-environmental attitudes, being female, and being more Democratic-leaning. Perceptions of greater economic risks were significantly associated with having more negative environmental attitudes, being female, and being more Republican-leaning. Perceptions of greater biological risks were significantly associated with more positive environmental attitudes. The findings suggest that focusing on physical environment risks maybe more salient to this audience than communications about general climate change adaptation. The results demonstrate that climate change beliefs and risk perceptions are multifactorial and complex and are shaped by individuals' attitudes and basic beliefs. Climate risk communications need to apply this knowledge to better target cognitive and affective processes of specific audiences, rather than providing simple characterizations of risks. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dispositional sources of sanction perceptions: Emotionality, cognitive style, intolerance of ambiguity, and self-efficacy.

PubMed

Pickett, Justin T; Bushway, Shawn D

2015-12-01

This study contributes to efforts to identify the sources of arrest risk perceptions and ambiguity (or lack of confidence) in such perceptions. Drawing on dual-process theories of reasoning, we argue that arrest risk perceptions often represent intuitive judgments that are influenced by cognitive heuristics and dispositional attributes. Multivariate regression models are estimated with data from 3 national surveys to test 6 hypotheses about the relationships between specific dispositional attributes and perceived arrest risk and ambiguity. We find evidence that dispositional positive affect and intolerance of ambiguity are both positively related to perceived arrest risk, and are also both negatively related to ambiguity. We also find evidence that cognitive reflection and general self-efficacy are, respectively, positively and negatively associated with ambiguity. Mixed evidence emerges about whether cognitive reflection is related to risk perceptions, and about whether either dispositional negative affect or thoughtfully reflective decision making correlate with ambiguity. Taken together, the results provide partial support for each of our hypotheses, and suggest that dispositional attributes are important sources of perceptions of arrest risk as well as of ambiguity in such perceptions. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Associations Among Individuals’ Perceptions of Future Time, Individual Resources, and Subjective Well-Being in Old Age

PubMed Central

Hoppmann, Christiane A.; Infurna, Frank J.; Ram, Nilam; Gerstorf, Denis

2015-01-01

Objectives Perceptions of future time are of key interest to aging research because of their implications for subjective well-being. Interestingly, perceptions about future time are only moderately associated with age, pointing to a vast heterogeneity in future time perceptions among older adults. We examine associations between future time perceptions, age, and subjective well-being across two studies, including moderations by individual resources. Method Using data from the Berlin Aging Study (N = 516; Mage = 85 years), we link one operationalization (subjective nearness to death) and age to subjective well-being. Using Health and Retirement Study data (N = 2,596; Mage = 77 years), we examine associations of another future time perception indicator (subjective future life expectancy) and age with subjective well-being. Results Consistent across studies, perceptions of limited time left were associated with poorer subjective well-being (lower life satisfaction and positive affect; more negative affect and depressive symptoms). Importantly, individual resources moderated future time perception–subjective well-being associations with those of better health exhibiting reduced future time perception–subjective well-being associations. Discussion We discuss our findings in the context of the Model of Strength and Vulnerability Integration. PMID:26437862

A Comparative Study on the Visual Perceptions of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmetoglu, Emine; Aral, Neriman; Butun Ayhan, Aynur

This study was conducted in order to (a) compare the visual perceptions of seven-year-old children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with those of normally developing children of the same age and development level and (b) determine whether the visual perceptions of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder vary with respect to gender, having received preschool education and parents` educational level. A total of 60 children, 30 with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and 30 with normal development, were assigned to the study. Data about children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and their families was collected by using a General Information Form and the visual perception of children was examined through the Frostig Developmental Test of Visual Perception. The Mann-Whitney U-test and Kruskal-Wallis variance analysis was used to determine whether there was a difference of between the visual perceptions of children with normal development and those diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and to discover whether the variables of gender, preschool education and parents` educational status affected the visual perceptions of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The results showed that there was a statistically meaningful difference between the visual perceptions of the two groups and that the visual perceptions of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were affected meaningfully by gender, preschool education and parents` educational status.

Associations Among Individuals' Perceptions of Future Time, Individual Resources, and Subjective Well-Being in Old Age.

PubMed

Hoppmann, Christiane A; Infurna, Frank J; Ram, Nilam; Gerstorf, Denis

2017-05-01

Perceptions of future time are of key interest to aging research because of their implications for subjective well-being. Interestingly, perceptions about future time are only moderately associated with age when looking at the second half of life, pointing to a vast heterogeneity in future time perceptions among older adults. We examine associations between future time perceptions, age, and subjective well-being across two studies, including moderations by individual resources. Using data from the Berlin Aging Study (N = 516; Mage = 85 years), we link one operationalization (subjective nearness to death) and age to subjective well-being. Using Health and Retirement Study data (N = 2,596; Mage = 77 years), we examine associations of another future time perception indicator (subjective future life expectancy) and age with subjective well-being. Consistent across studies, perceptions of limited time left were associated with poorer subjective well-being (lower life satisfaction and positive affect; more negative affect and depressive symptoms). Importantly, individual resources moderated future time perception-subjective well-being associations with those of better health exhibiting reduced future time perception-subjective well-being associations. We discuss our findings in the context of the Model of Strength and Vulnerability Integration. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Interoceptive Awareness, Positive Affect, and Decision Making in Major Depressive Disorder

PubMed Central

Furman, Daniella J.; Waugh, Christian E.; Bhattacharjee, Kalpa; Thompson, Renee J.; Gotlib, Ian H.

2013-01-01

Background Little work has examined the relation between interoceptive awareness and symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Existing research suggests that depressed individuals exhibit impaired heartbeat perception, though the results of this research have been equivocal. Importantly, depressed participants in these studies have had comorbid anxiety disorders, making it difficult to draw inferences about interoceptive awareness in MDD. The current study addresses this issue by assessing heartbeat perception in depressed women without current anxiety disorders and exploring the relation between interoception and perturbations in both affective intensity and decision making, components of MDD postulated to be related to bodily awareness. Methods Depressed women without concurrent anxiety disorders (n=25) and never-disordered controls (n=36) performed a heartbeat perception task. Participants completed the self-report Affect Intensity Measure (AIM), and decision-making difficulty was assessed in MDD participants using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Results Depressed women exhibited poorer heartbeat perception accuracy than did control participants. Impaired accuracy in MDD participants was associated with reduced positive affectivity and difficulty in decision making. Limitations Our sample was composed exclusively of females and was heterogeneous with respect to treatment status, thereby limiting our ability to generalize results to depressed males and to exclude the contribution of exogenous factors to the observed group differences. Conclusions Results of this study suggest that for depressed individuals without anxiety comorbidities, disrupted perception of bodily responses reduces both the experience of positive arousal and the ability to use interoceptive feedback to inform decision making. PMID:23972662

Tone Discrimination as a Window into Acoustic Perceptual Deficits in Parkinson's Disease

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Troche, Joshua; Troche, Michelle S.; Berkowitz, Rebecca; Grossman, Murray; Reilly, Jamie

2012-01-01

Purpose: Deficits in auditory perception compromise a range of linguistic processes in persons with Parkinson's disease (PD), including speech perception and sensitivity to affective and linguistic prosody. An unanswered question is whether this deficit exists not only at the level of speech perception, but also at a more pervasive level of…

EFL Proficiency in Language Learning and Learner Autonomy Perceptions of Turkish Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ünal, Süleyman; Çeliköz, Nadir; Sari, Irfan

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine the relationships of Turkish-English Language Teaching (ELT) learners' perceptions of learner autonomy with ELT learner's proficiency level in language learning. Particularly, the study aimed at investigating to what extent ELT learners' autonomy perceptions are affected by proficiency level of learners.…

Development of a 15-Item Scale to Measure Parental Perceptions of Their Neighborhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quigg, Robin; Gray, Andrew; Reeder, Anthony Ivor; Holt, Alec; Waters, Debra L.

2015-01-01

Socioecological theory suggests that there are a range of influences that affect the physical activity levels of children, including parents' perceptions of the neighborhood. A questionnaire instrument to quantify parental neighborhood perceptions was developed for the Location of Children's Activity in Their Environment study as a potential…

The Effects of Students' Course Perceptions on Their Domain Identification, Motivational Beliefs, and Goals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Brett D.; Tendhar, Chosang; Paretti, Marie C.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine whether students' perceptions in a first-year university engineering course affected their engineering identification, motivational beliefs, and engineering major and career goals. Based on current motivation models and theories, we hypothesized that students' perceptions of the components of the MUSIC…

How Employees' Perception of Information Technology Application and Their Knowledge Management Capacity Influence Organisational Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo, Yen-Ku; Ye, Kung-Don

2010-01-01

This study investigates how workers' gender, work experience, designated division, and appointment affect (i) their perception of information technology (IT) within the organisation, (ii) their self-perceived capacity in knowledge management (KM), and (iii) their perception of organisational performance (OP). Furthermore, the study also examines…

Perceptions of Libraries, 2010: Context and Community. A Report to the OCLC Membership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gauder, Brad, Ed.

2011-01-01

This report is a sequel to the 2005 "Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources." This new report provides updated information and new insights into information consumers and their online habits, preferences, and perceptions. Particular attention was paid to how the current economic downturn has affected the information-seeking behaviors…

Post-"Psychological Contract" Violation: The Durability and Transferability of Employee Perceptions. The Case of TimTec.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pate, Judy; Malone, Charles

2000-01-01

Interviews with 20 employees 5 years after a factory closure explored pre- and postlayoff experiences and perceptions of current employers. The experience of the violation of the psychological contract affected perceptions of loyalty, commitment, and trust that were transferred to the current employer. (SK)

Perceptions of Women: Influence of Performance, Marital and Parental Variables.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Etaugh, Claire; Poertner, Patricia

The labor force participation of women with young children has increased dramatically in recent years, stimulating research concerning how perceptions of a woman's competence and personality are affected by her employment and family roles. Relatively little is known, however, about perceptions of women with very young children. This study explored…

Science Perceptions of Prospective Class Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulucinar Sagir, Safak

2017-01-01

The perceptions of class teachers, who will deliver science education at the elementary school, of information and science are significant as these affect the quality of education received by children. The aim of this research is to determine perceptions of prospective class teachers of science. The sample group of the research consists of 120…

Body Mass Index Self-Perception and Weight Management Behaviors during Late Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Kyeongra; Turk, Melanie T.; Allison, Virginia L.; James, Khara A.; Chasens, Eileen

2014-01-01

Background: This study examined the relationship between actual body weight and self-perceived weight, and how perception of one's weight affects weight management behaviors among US adolescents. Methods: Adolescents ages 16-19 years with objectively-measured weight and height and self-reported perception of weight, weight-loss efforts, and…

MAT@USC Candidates and Latino English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lomeli, Cynthia Leticia

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to further understand the perceptions of MAT@USC teacher candidates and how their perceptions and previous experiences affect the educational experiences of Latino English language learners. Three questions were developed to guide this study: (1) What are the perceptions of MAT@USC candidates in selected courses…

Non-auditory factors affecting urban soundscape evaluation.

PubMed

Jeon, Jin Yong; Lee, Pyoung Jik; Hong, Joo Young; Cabrera, Densil

2011-12-01

The aim of this study is to characterize urban spaces, which combine landscape, acoustics, and lighting, and to investigate people's perceptions of urban soundscapes through quantitative and qualitative analyses. A general questionnaire survey and soundwalk were performed to investigate soundscape perception in urban spaces. Non-auditory factors (visual image, day lighting, and olfactory perceptions), as well as acoustic comfort, were selected as the main contexts that affect soundscape perception, and context preferences and overall impressions were evaluated using an 11-point numerical scale. For qualitative analysis, a semantic differential test was performed in the form of a social survey, and subjects were also asked to describe their impressions during a soundwalk. The results showed that urban soundscapes can be characterized by soundmarks, and soundscape perceptions are dominated by acoustic comfort, visual images, and day lighting, whereas reverberance in urban spaces does not yield consistent preference judgments. It is posited that the subjective evaluation of reverberance can be replaced by physical measurements. The categories extracted from the qualitative analysis revealed that spatial impressions such as openness and density emerged as some of the contexts of soundscape perception. © 2011 Acoustical Society of America

The effect of contextual sound cues on visual fidelity perception.

PubMed

Rojas, David; Cowan, Brent; Kapralos, Bill; Collins, Karen; Dubrowski, Adam

2014-01-01

Previous work has shown that sound can affect the perception of visual fidelity. Here we build upon this previous work by examining the effect of contextual sound cues (i.e., sounds that are related to the visuals) on visual fidelity perception. Results suggest that contextual sound cues do influence visual fidelity perception and, more specifically, our perception of visual fidelity increases with contextual sound cues. These results have implications for designers of multimodal virtual worlds and serious games that, with the appropriate use of contextual sounds, can reduce visual rendering requirements without a corresponding decrease in the perception of visual fidelity.

Factors that affect college students' perceptions of rape: what is the role of gender and other situational factors?

PubMed

Vandiver, Donna M; Dupalo, Jessica Rager

2013-05-01

Prior research has shown that various situational factors and behaviors can affect one's perception of whether a rape has occurred. Moreover, some hold false beliefs about rape. This can also affect one's perception of ambiguous situations. This study included the administration of a survey to 584 college students; the survey examined the prevalence of rape myths and responses to vignettes of potential rape scenarios. It was found that although the majority of this sample did not support rape myths, male students were significantly more likely than female students to support rape myths. Furthermore, approximately 20% of students did support one subscale of the rape myth scale: He didn't mean to [commit rape]. The results also revealed an interaction effect between the observer's sex and the victim's sex, suggesting a complex gender relationship.

Perceptions of employment relations and permanence in the organization: mediating effects of affective commitment in relations of psychological contract and intention to quit.

PubMed

Alcover, Carlos-María; Martínez-Iñigo, David; Chambel, Maria José

2012-06-01

Working conditions in call/contact centers influence employees' perceptions of their relations with the organization and their attitudes to work. Such perceptions can be analyzed through the psychological contract. The association between the relational/transactional orientation of the psychological contract and intention to quit the organization was examined, as well as the mediating role of affective commitment in employment relations. Data were collected from 973 employees in a cross-sectional survey. Analysis confirmed that there was a statistically significant relation between the orientation of the psychological contract and intention to quit, which was positive for transactionally oriented and negative for relationally oriented contracts. A mediating role for affective commitment was also confirmed, and a full mediating effect was reported for both orientations.

Interparental Relationship Sensitivity Leads to Adolescent Internalizing Problems: Different Genotypes, Different Pathways

PubMed Central

Schlomer, Gabriel L.; Fosco, Gregory M.; Cleveland, H. H.; Vandenbergh, David J.; Feinberg, Mark E.

2015-01-01

Several studies have established that child interparental conflict evaluations link parent relationship functioning and adolescent adjustment. Using differential susceptibility theory and its vantage sensitivity complement as their framework, the authors examined differences between adolescents who vary in the DRD4 7 repeat genotype (i.e. 7+ vs. 7−) in how both interparental conflict and positivity affect adolescents’ evaluations of interparental conflict (i.e., threat appraisals) and how these evaluations affect internalizing problems. Results from longitudinal multiple-group path models using PROSPER data (N = 452) supported the hypothesis that threat appraisals for 7+ adolescents would be more affected by perceptions of interparental positivity compared to 7− adolescents; however, threat appraisals for 7+ adolescents were also less affected by interparental conflict. Among 7− adolescents, interparental conflict perceptions were associated with higher threat appraisals, and no association was found for perceptions of positivity. For adolescents of both genotypes, higher threat was associated with greater internalizing problems. PMID:25843974

Maternal perception of fetal movements in late pregnancy is affected by type and duration of fetal movement.

PubMed

Brown, Rebecca; Higgins, Lucy E; Johnstone, Edward D; Wijekoon, Jayawan H; Heazell, Alexander E P

2016-01-01

A reduction in fetal movements has been proposed to identify pregnancies at risk of stillbirth. The utility of this approach is limited by variability in maternal perception of fetal movements. We aimed to determine the proportion of fetal movements observed by ultrasound that were maternally perceived and identify factors that affected maternal perception. During 30-min recordings, women (n = 21) depressed a trigger upon perception of a fetal movement, while an ultrasound operator recorded observed movements according to the fetal parts involved. Women perceived between 2.4% and 81.0% (median 44.8%) of movements observed on scan. Synchronous movement of the fetal trunk and limbs was more likely to be recognized than either part in isolation (60.5% versus 37.5% and 30%, respectively). The ultrasound operator judged the fetus to be moving for a significantly greater proportion of the time than mothers (median 1.5% of total recording time versus 0.7%). There was no significant relationship between the ability to perceive fetal activity and placental site, parity, amniotic fluid index or maternal body mass index. Variations in maternal perception of fetal movements may affect detection of a clinically significant reduction in fetal movements for some women.

The Effects of Perceptions of Organizational Structure on Job Involvement, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment Among Indian Police Officers.

PubMed

Lambert, Eric G; Qureshi, Hanif; Klahm, Charles; Smith, Brad; Frank, James

2017-12-01

Successful police organizations rely on involved, satisfied, and committed workers. The concepts of job involvement (i.e., connection with the job), job satisfaction (i.e., affective feeling toward the job), and organizational commitment (i.e., bond with the employing organization) have been shown to significantly affect intentions and behaviors of employees. The current study used multivariate ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis on survey results from a sample of 827 Indian police officers to explore how perceptions of work environment factors affect officers' job involvement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Organizational support, formalization (i.e., level of codified written rules and guidelines), promotional opportunities, institutional communication (i.e., salient work information is transmitted), and input into decision-making (i.e., having a voice in the process) significantly influenced the job involvement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment of Indian police officers. Specifically, in the multivariate analysis, perceptions of formalization and instrumental communication had a positive relationship with job involvement; perceptions of organizational support, promotional opportunities, instrumental communication, and input into decision-making had positive associations with job satisfaction; and perceptions of organizational support, formalization, promotional opportunities, instrumental communication, and input into decision-making had positive relationships with organizational commitment.

Perceptions of the motivational climate, need satisfaction, and indices of well- and ill-being among hip hop dancers.

PubMed

Quested, Eleanor; Duda, Joan L

2009-01-01

Grounded in the self-determination theoretical framework (SDT) formulated by Deci and Ryan, and specifically the basic needs mini-theory (BNT), this study examined the relationship between perceptions of the motivational climate manifested in hip hop environments, satisfaction of the three basic needs, and indicators of well- and ill-being among hip hop dancers. Fifty-nine hip hop dancers (mean age: 20.29 years) completed a questionnaire assessing the variables of interest in the study. Perceptions of a task-involving climate were positively associated with satisfaction of the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Perceptions of an ego-involving climate negatively predicted relatedness. Satisfaction of the need for competence was positively associated with positive affect, and negatively linked to negative affect. Competence need satisfaction significantly mediated the relationship between a perceived task-involving climate and positive and negative affective states. In sum, the findings provided partial support for the facets of SDT and BNT. The results also indicated that promoting the task-involving features of dance learning environments may be beneficial to dancers' well-being.

Comparison of urethral diameters for calculating the urethral dose after permanent prostate brachytherapy.

PubMed

Tanaka, Osamu; Hayashi, Shinya; Matsuo, Masayuki; Nakano, Masahiro; Kubota, Yasuaki; Maeda, Sunaho; Ohtakara, Kazuhiro; Deguchi, Takashi; Hoshi, Hiroaki

2007-08-01

No studies have yet evaluated the effects of a dosimetric analysis for different urethral volumes. We therefore evaluated the effects of a dosimetric analysis to determine the different urethral volumes. This study was based on computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (CT/MRI) combined findings in 30 patients who had undergone prostate brachytherapy. Postimplant CT/MRI scans were performed 30 days after the implant. The urethra was contoured based on its diameter (8, 6, 4, 2, and 0 mm). The total urethral volume-in cubic centimeters [UrV150/200(cc)] and percent (UrV150%/200%), of the urethra receiving 150% or 200% of the prescribed dose-and the doses (UrD90/30/5) in Grays to 90%, 30%, and 5% of the urethral volume were measured based on the urethral diameters. The UrV150(cc) and UrD30 were statistically different between the of 8-, 6-, 4-, 2-, and 0-mm diameters, whereas the UrD5 was statistically different only between the 8-, 6-, and 4-mm diameters. Especially for UrD5, there was an approximately 40-Gy difference between the mean values for the 8- and 0-mm diameters. We recommend that the urethra should be contoured as a 4- to 6-mm diameter circle or one side of a triangle of 5-7 mm. By standardizing the urethral diameter, the urethral dose will be less affected by the total urethral volume.

Gangs of Chicago: Perceptions of crime and its effect on the recreation behavior of Latino residents in urban communities

Treesearch

Monika Stodolska; Juan Carlos Acevedo; Kimberly J. Shinew

2009-01-01

Perception of safety is an important factor affecting the leisure behavior of Latinos residing in urban neighborhoods. Yet research on how fear of crime and fear of gangs in particular affect leisure of ethnic and racial minorities is underdeveloped. The objectives of this study are to examine how gangs operate in recreation spaces in Latino neighborhoods, how gangs...

Skin Color and Self-Perceptions of Immigrant and U.S.-Born Latinas: The Moderating Role of Racial Socialization and Ethnic Identity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Telzer, Eva H.; Vazquez Garcia, Heidie A.

2009-01-01

Research has increasingly identified race as a salient characteristic that affects one's life experiences and psychological well-being. However, little is known about how skin color affects the emotional health of Latinos. The present study examined how skin color relates to the self-perceptions of immigrant (N = 26) and U.S.-born (N = 55) Latina…

Comparison of perceptions of oral health-related quality of life in adolescents affected with ectodermal dysplasias relative to caregivers.

PubMed

Kohli, Richie; Levy, Steven; Kummet, Colleen M; Dawson, Deborah V; Stanford, Clark M

2011-01-01

The objective of this study was to assess the perceived oral health-related quality of life (OHQoL) of adolescents affected with one of the ectodermal dysplasias (EDs). Data were collected from 2003 to 2007 in a cross-sectional study of a convenience sample of individuals affected by ED (n = 35) using the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ11-14) for children and the Parent-Caregiver Perceptions Questionnaire for their caregivers. The main findings of this study were that individuals who were affected with ED in the older age group (15- to 19-year-olds) perceived more functional problems than younger individuals (11- to 14-year-olds) (p= .04). Females with ED (n = 13) perceived more emotional problems than males (n = 22; p= .01). Although caregivers tended to report slightly higher OHQoL scores (indicating worse OHQoL), no significant differences were observed between children's and parents' total OHQoL and individual domains' median scores (p > .05). Thus, the perceptions of oral health and well-being may vary by age and gender for children who have ED. Caution is warranted concerning using parents as proxies for their children when assessing the child's OHQoL. ©2011 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Parents' perceptions of autism spectrum disorder etiology and recurrence risk and effects of their perceptions on family planning: Recommendations for genetic counselors.

PubMed

Selkirk, Christina G; McCarthy Veach, Patricia; Lian, Fengqin; Schimmenti, Lisa; LeRoy, Bonnie S

2009-10-01

Knowledge about the etiology of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) is increasing, but causes remain elusive for most cases. Genetic counselors are positioned to help families that have children with ASDs despite uncertainty regarding etiology. To determine how genetic counselors might best provide services, an anonymous survey was conducted with 255 parents whose children were diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Questions concerned: 1) their perceptions of ASD cause(s) and 2) recurrence risk, 3) whether perceived risk affected family planning decisions, 4) whether parents had received genetic services, and 5) how genetic counselors might assist families. The most prevalent perceived cause was genetic influences (72.6%). Most parents' recurrence risk perceptions were inaccurately high and significantly affected family planning. Only 10% had seen a genetic professional related to an ASD. Parents provided several suggestions for genetic counselor best practices. Findings indicate the importance of genetic counselor awareness of parent perceptions in order to best help families who have children with ASDs.

Affective and cognitive reactions to subliminal flicker from fluorescent lighting.

PubMed

Knez, Igor

2014-05-01

This study renews the classical concept of subliminal perception (Peirce & Jastrow, 1884) by investigating the impact of subliminal flicker from fluorescent lighting on affect and cognitive performance. It was predicted that low compared to high frequency lighting (latter compared to former emits non-flickering light) would evoke larger changes in affective states and also impair cognitive performance. Subjects reported high rather than low frequency lighting to be more pleasant, which, in turn, enhanced their problem solving performance. This suggests that sensory processing can take place outside of conscious awareness resulting in conscious emotional consequences; indicating a role of affect in subliminal/implicit perception, and that positive affect may facilitate cognitive task performance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Randomized trial of the effect of contact lens wear on self-perception in children.

PubMed

Walline, Jeffrey J; Jones, Lisa A; Sinnott, Loraine; Chitkara, Monica; Coffey, Bradley; Jackson, John Mark; Manny, Ruth E; Rah, Marjorie J; Prinstein, Mitchell J

2009-03-01

To determine whether contact lens wear affects children's self-perceptions. The Adolescent and Child Health Initiative to Encourage Vision Empowerment Study was a randomized, single-masked trial conducted at five clinical centers in the United States. Subjects were 8- to 11-year-old myopic children randomly assigned to wear spectacles (n = 237) or soft contact lenses (n = 247) for 3 years. The primary endpoint was the Self-Perception Profile for Children Global Self-Worth scale. Secondary outcomes included the Physical Appearance, Athletic Competence, Scholastic Competence, Behavioral Conduct, and Social Acceptance Self-Perception Profile for Children scales. Global self-worth was not affected by contact lens wear [analysis of variance (ANOVA), difference = 0.06; 95% CI, -0.004 to 0.117]. Physical appearance (ANOVA, difference = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.22), athletic competence (ANOVA, difference = 0.08; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.15), and social acceptance (ANOVA, difference = 0.10; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.17) were all greater for contact lens wearers. Although contact lens wear does not affect global self-perceptions of 8- to 11-year-old myopic children their physical appearance, athletic competence, and social acceptance self-perceptions are likely to improve with contact lens wear. Eye care practitioners should consider the social and visual benefits of contact lens wear when choosing the most appropriate vision correction modality for children as young as 8 years of age.

The Interactive Effects of Facial Expressions of Emotion and Verbal Messages on Perceptions of Affective Meaning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedman, Howard S.

1979-01-01

Students' perceptions of sincerity, dominance, and positivity were measured by pairing happy, angry, surprised and sad faces of teachers with teachers' comments characterized as positive or negative and dominant or submissive. Clear effects of facial-verbal combinations emerged; there were no sex differences other than in perceptions of sincerity.…

Music Piracy--Differences in the Ethical Perceptions of Business Majors and Music Business Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Susan Lee

2004-01-01

In this study, the author investigated the ethical perceptions of business majors and music business majors from a private university and observed whether the taking of a business ethics course affected students' perceptions regarding the ethical aspects of downloading, sharing, copying, and selling copyrighted music from Internet and non-Internet…

Being and Becoming: Teachers' Perceptions of Sex-Roles and Actions toward their Male and Female Pupils.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Terry D.

1982-01-01

Discusses the changes in sex roles which elementary teachers in Victoria, Australia, perceived to have occurred during the past decade and how such perceptions affected them and their teaching of male and female pupils. Interviews and observation methods were used. Results showed differences between male and female teachers' perceptions of…

Inclusive Education in Spain: How Do Skills, Resources, and Supports Affect Regular Education Teachers' Perceptions of Inclusion?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiner, Esther; Cardona, Maria Cristina

2013-01-01

This study examined regular education teachers' perceptions of inclusion in elementary and secondary schools in Spain and how these perceptions may differ depending on teaching experience, skills, and the availability of resources and supports. Stratified random sampling procedures were used to draw a representative sample of 336 general education…

A Study of Teachers' Perceptions of School-Level Factors Affecting Transition Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lazaroff, Kurt Charles

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore teacher perceptions of providing transition services to high school students with special needs and to understand the variables that act as facilitators or barriers to providing those services. A qualitative research method was used to understand the perceptions of school personnel of transition services in…

Fusing a Reversed and Informal Learning Scheme and Space: Student Perceptions of Active Learning in Physical Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donnelly, Julie; Hernández, Florencio E.

2018-01-01

Physical chemistry students often have negative perceptions and low expectations for success in physical chemistry, attitudes that likely affect their performance in the course. Despite the results of several studies indicating increased positive perception of physical chemistry when active learning strategies are used, a recent survey of faculty…

Perceptions of Retirement Affect Career Commitment: The Mediating Role of Retirement System Satisfaction for Two Teacher Age Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Justin L.; Conley, Sharon; You, Sukkyung

2015-01-01

This study investigated a sample of California elementary, intermediate, and high school employed teachers (N = 247) to assess the effects of retirement perceptions on career commitment among teachers who are in different age groupings. Using path analysis, the influence of five retirement perceptions variables was examined: concerns about…

The Development of the Mealings, Demuth, Dillon, and Buchholz Classroom Speech Perception Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mealings, Kiri T.; Demuth, Katherine; Buchholz, Jörg; Dillon, Harvey

2015-01-01

Purpose: Open-plan classroom styles are increasingly being adopted in Australia despite evidence that their high intrusive noise levels adversely affect learning. The aim of this study was to develop a new Australian speech perception task (the Mealings, Demuth, Dillon, and Buchholz Classroom Speech Perception Test) and use it in an open-plan…

The Relationship between Teacher Perceptions of Pupil Attractiveness and Academic Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Kirstine

2016-01-01

There is an established literature that suggests teacher perceptions of pupils affect how they interact with them, how they teach them and how they rate their ability and behaviour. Evidence also indicates that a teacher's perception of a child is often based on ascriptive characteristics such as gender, ethnicity and socio-economic background…

Native Speaker Dichotomy: Stakeholders' Preferences and Perceptions of Native and Non-Native Speaking English Language Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atamturk, Nurdan; Atamturk, Hakan; Dimililer, Celen

2018-01-01

Addressing the perceptions and the preferences of the upper-secondary school students, teachers, parents and administrators of the native speaking (NS) and non-native speaking (NNS) English teachers as well as investigating the variables affecting these preferences and perceptions, this study explores whether or not the native speaker myth is…

Role Perceptions and Job Stress among Special Education School Principals: Do They Differ from Principals of Regular Schools?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaziel, Haim Henry; Cohen-Azaria, Yael; Ermenc, Klara Skubic

2012-01-01

The objective of the present study was to compare principals' perceptions of their leadership roles in regular (Dovno, 1999) versus special education (Zaretzky, Faircloth & Moreau, 2005) schools, and how these perceptions affect feelings of job stress (Friedman, 2001; Margalit, 1999). We predicted that regular school principals would differ in…

Associations between thin slice ratings of affect and rapport and perceived patient-centeredness in primary care: Comparison of audio and video recordings.

PubMed

Henry, Stephen G; Penner, Louis A; Eggly, Susan

2017-06-01

To investigate associations between ratings of "thin slices" from recorded clinic visits and perceived patient-centeredness; to compare ratings from video recordings (sound and images) versus audio recordings (sound only). We analyzed 133 video-recorded primary care visits and patient perceptions of patient-centeredness. Observers rated thirty-second thin slices on variables assessing patient affect, physician affect, and patient-physician rapport. Video and audio ratings were collected independently. In multivariable analyses, ratings of physician positive affect (but not patient positive affect) were significantly positively associated with perceived patient-centeredness using both video and audio thin slices. Patient-physician rapport was significantly positively associated with perceived patient-centeredness using audio, but not video thin slices. Ratings from video and audio thin slices were highly correlated and had similar underlying factor structures. Physician (but not patient) positive affect is significantly associated with perceptions of patient-centeredness and can be measured reliably using either video or audio thin slices. Additional studies are needed to determine whether ratings of patient-physician rapport are associated with perceived patient-centeredness. Observer ratings of physician positive affect have a meaningful positive association with patients' perceptions of patient-centeredness. Patients appear to be highly attuned to physician positive affect during patient-physician interactions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Intrapersonal Variability in Negative Affect as a Moderator of Accuracy and Bias in Interpersonal Perception.

PubMed

Sadikaj, Gentiana; Moskowitz, D S; Zuroff, David C

2015-08-01

High intrapersonal variability has frequently been found to be related to poor personal and interpersonal outcomes. Little research has examined processes by which intrapersonal variability influences outcomes. This study explored the relation of intrapersonal variability in negative affect (negative affect flux) to accuracy and bias in the perception of a romantic partner's quarrelsome behavior. A sample of 93 cohabiting couples participated in a study using an event-contingent recording (ECR) methodology in which they reported their negative affect, quarrelsome behavior, and perception of their partner's quarrelsome behavior in interactions with each other during a 20-day period. Negative affect flux was operationalized as the within-person standard deviation of negative affect scores across couple interactions. Findings suggested that participants were both accurate in tracking changes in their partner's quarrelsome behavior and biased in assuming their partner's quarrelsome behavior mirrored their own quarrelsome behavior. Negative affect flux moderated both accuracy and bias of assumed similarity such that participants with higher flux manifested both greater tracking accuracy and larger bias of assumed similarity. Negative affect flux may be related to enhanced vigilance to close others' negative behavior, which may explain higher tracking accuracy and propensity to rely on a person's own negative behavior as a means of judging others' negative behavior. These processes may augment these individuals' negative interpersonal behavior, enhance cycles of negative social interactions, and lead to poor intrapersonal and interpersonal outcomes.

Pain patients' experiences of validation and invalidation from physicians before and after multimodal pain rehabilitation: Associations with pain, negative affectivity, and treatment outcome.

PubMed

Edlund, Sara M; Wurm, Matilda; Holländare, Fredrik; Linton, Steven J; Fruzzetti, Alan E; Tillfors, Maria

2017-10-01

Validating and invalidating responses play an important role in communication with pain patients, for example regarding emotion regulation and adherence to treatment. However, it is unclear how patients' perceptions of validation and invalidation relate to patient characteristics and treatment outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of subgroups based on pain patients' perceptions of validation and invalidation from their physicians. The stability of these perceptions and differences between subgroups regarding pain, pain interference, negative affectivity and treatment outcome were also explored. A total of 108 pain patients answered questionnaires regarding perceived validation and invalidation, pain severity, pain interference, and negative affectivity before and after pain rehabilitation treatment. Two cluster analyses using perceived validation and invalidation were performed, one on pre-scores and one on post-scores. The stability of patient perceptions from pre- to post-treatment was investigated, and clusters were compared on pain severity, pain interference, and negative affectivity. Finally, the connection between perceived validation and invalidation and treatment outcome was explored. Three clusters emerged both before and after treatment: (1) low validation and heightened invalidation, (2) moderate validation and invalidation, and (3) high validation and low invalidation. Perceptions of validation and invalidation were generally stable over time, although there were individuals whose perceptions changed. When compared to the other two clusters, the low validation/heightened invalidation cluster displayed significantly higher levels of pain interference and negative affectivity post-treatment but not pre-treatment. The whole sample significantly improved on pain interference and depression, but treatment outcome was independent of cluster. Unexpectedly, differences between clusters on pain interference and negative affectivity were only found post-treatment. This appeared to be due to the pre- and post-heightened invalidation clusters not containing the same individuals. Therefore, additional analyses were conducted to investigate the individuals who changed clusters. Results showed that patients scoring high on negative affectivity ended up in the heightened invalidation cluster post-treatment. Taken together, most patients felt understood when communicating with their rehabilitation physician. However, a smaller group of patients experienced the opposite: low levels of validation and heightened levels of invalidation. This group stood out as more problematic, reporting greater pain interference and negative affectivity when compared to the other groups after treatment. Patient perceptions were typically stable over time, but some individuals changed cluster, and these movements seemed to be related to negative affectivity and pain interference. These results do not support a connection between perceived validation and invalidation from physicians (meeting the patients pre- and post-treatment) and treatment outcome. Overall, our results suggest that there is a connection between negative affectivity and pain interference in the patients, and perceived validation and invalidation from the physicians. In clinical practice, it is important to pay attention to comorbid psychological problems and level of pain interference, since these factors may negatively influence effective communication. A focus on decreasing invalidating responses and/or increasing validating responses might be particularly important for patients with high levels of psychological problems and pain interference. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Attitudes and perceptions about prairie dogs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lamb, Berton Lee; Reading, Richard P.; Andelt, William F.; Hoogland, John L.

2006-01-01

We sometimes get the impression that all ranchers and farmers of the western United States hate prairie dogs, and that people everywhere else love them. This generality contains elements of truth, but better documentation of attitudes and perceptions is paramount for good conservation. In this chapter we examine attitudes and perceptions about prairie dogs, and how state and federal actions affect these viewpoints. We also investigate how wildlife managers might respond to attitudes and perceptions about prairie dogs.

Are we on the same page? Staff nurse and manager perceptions of work environment, quality of care and anticipated nurse turnover.

PubMed

Gormley, Denise K

2011-01-01

The purpose was to examine differences in perceptions of work environment and quality of care between nurse managers and staff nurses, and the relationship between nurses' perceptions of the work environment and intention to leave. It is important for managers to understand how staff nurses perceive the work environment as these perceptions may affect nurses' intention to leave the organization. Few studies have examined the perceptions of nurses compared with nurse manager/directors regarding the organizational influences on intention to leave. This study was a cross-sectional, non-experimental design. A total of 336 nurses and managers participated from two Midwestern hospitals. Participants completed the Perceived Nurse Work Environment Scale (PNWE), Anticipated Turnover Scale (ATS), and a researcher developed perception of quality scale. Data were analysed for descriptive statistics, Analysis of Variance, and Pearson's correlation. Significant differences were found between nurses and managers on perceptions of work environment. Managers rated work environment higher than staff on all subscales. Work environment was related to anticipated turnover. Managers and staff nurses are 'not on the same page' in perceptions of work environment. Nurse managers need to understand the organizational influences that may affect nurses' intention to leave. Strategies to improve the work environment are necessary to meet the needs of the staff nurse. © 2010 The Author. Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Air quality perception of pedestrians in an urban outdoor Mediterranean environment: A field survey approach.

PubMed

Pantavou, Katerina; Lykoudis, Spyridon; Psiloglou, Basil

2017-01-01

Perception plays a significant role on people's response to preventive measures. In the view of public awareness, the aim of this study was to explore factors that affect air quality perception and to reveal its potential patterns. Air quality perception of individuals, in terms of dust and overall air quality, was examined in relation to air pollutants concentrations, meteorological variables, personal characteristics as well as their thermal sensation and health condition. The data used were obtained from environmental measurements, in situ and from stations, and questionnaire surveys conducted in an outdoor urban Mediterranean area, Athens, Greece. The participants were asked to report their air quality perception and thermal sensation based on predefined scales. A thermal index, Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET), was estimated to obtain an objective measure of thermal sensation. Particulate matter (PM 10 ) and nitrogen oxide (NO) were associated with dust perception. Nitrogen oxides (NO x ) and carbon monoxide (CO) were associated to air quality perception. Age, area of residence, health symptoms and thermal sensation also affected the perception of air quality. Dusty or poor air quality conditions were more likely to be reported when pollutants' concentrations were increased. Younger people, participants residing in the city center, experiencing health symptoms or warm thermal sensation showed a trend towards reporting more unfavorable air quality conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Speech perception in older adults: the importance of speech-specific cognitive abilities.

PubMed

Sommers, M S

1997-05-01

To provide a critical evaluation of studies examining the contribution of changes in language-specific cognitive abilities to the speech perception difficulties of older adults. A review of the literature on aging and speech perception. The research considered in the present review suggests that age-related changes in absolute sensitivity is the principal factor affecting older listeners' speech perception in quiet. However, under less favorable listening conditions, changes in a number of speech-specific cognitive abilities can also affect spoken language processing in older people. Clinically, these findings suggest that hearing aids, which have been the traditional treatment for improving speech perception in older adults, are likely to offer considerable benefit in quiet listening situations because the amplification they provide can serve to compensate for age-related hearing losses. However, such devices may be less beneficial in more natural environments, (e.g., noisy backgrounds, multiple talkers, reverberant rooms) because they are less effective for improving speech perception difficulties that result from age-related cognitive declines. It is suggested that an integrative approach to designing test batteries that can assess both sensory and cognitive abilities needed for processing spoken language offers the most promising approach for developing therapeutic interventions to improve speech perception in older adults.

[Perceptions and adaptation strategies of herders in desert steppe of Inner Mongolia to climate change].

PubMed

Han, Ying; Hou, Xiang-yang

2011-04-01

Desert steppe is very vulnerable to climate change. The herders caring for their livestock in such a natural environment have to face the challenges of rapid climate change. In this paper, a household-level questionnaire was conducted in the Suniteyou District of Inner Mongolia, China, aimed to analyze the herders' perceptions and adaptation strategies to climate change, extreme climate events in particular. In this Steppe where precipitation is rare and meteorological disasters are frequent, drought is the main extreme climate event with the broadest affecting area, the highest affecting degree, and the greatest frequency. The sensitivity of the herders to drought is far higher than that to other extreme climate events, and also, the perceptions to drought induce the herders having deep perceptions to the extreme climate events such as strong wing, dust storm, and heavy snow. Relative to the perceptions to long-term climate change, the perceptions to short-term climate change are more deep and precise. The herders can estimate the long-term climate change trend according to their perceptions to the latest 10 years climate change. They attribute the poor livestock health and the reduced forage yield greatly to climate change. Yet, the herders are inexperienced in implementing efficient adaptation strategies. Generally, their adaptation measures are quite simplex and rather passive.

How hard they hit? Perception, adaptation and public health implications of heat waves in urban and peri-urban Pakistan.

PubMed

Rauf, Sara; Bakhsh, Khuda; Abbas, Azhar; Hassan, Sarfraz; Ali, Asghar; Kächele, Harald

2017-04-01

Heat waves threaten human health given the fast changing climatic scenarios in the recent past. Adaptation to heat waves would take place when people perceive their impacts based on their knowledge. The present study examines perception level and its determinants resulting in adaptation to heat waves in Pakistan. The study used cross-sectional data from urban and peri-urban respondents of Faisalabad District. The study employs a health belief model to assess risk perception among the respondents. Logistic model is used to determine factors affecting level of knowledge, perception and adaptation to heat waves. Around 30% of peri-urban respondents have a low level of knowledge about the fatal impacts of heat waves. Risk perception of heat waves is very low among urban (57%) and peri-urban (66%) respondents. Households' knowledge on heat waves is significantly related to age, gender, education, wealth and access to health services. Determinants of perception include knowledge of heat waves, age and joint effect of marital status and knowledge while income level, family size, urban/peri-urban background, perceived barriers, perceived benefits and cues to action significantly affect adaptation to heat waves. To reduce deadly health impacts, mass awareness campaigns are needed to build perception and improve adaptation to heat waves.

Nutrition communication: consumer perceptions and predicting intentions.

PubMed

Dean, Moira; Lähteenmäki, Liisa; Shepherd, Richard

2011-02-01

Health claims on food products, which aim at informing the public about the health benefits of the product, represent one type of nutrition communication; the use of these is regulated by the European Union. This paper provides an overview of the research on health claims, including consumers' perceptions of such claims and their intention to buy products that carry health-related claims. This is followed by a discussion on the results from some recent studies investigating public perceptions and willingness to use products with health claims. In these studies, claims are presented in the form of messages of different lengths, types, framing, with and without qualifying words and symbols. They also investigate how perceptions and intentions are affected by individual needs and product characteristics. Results show that adding health claims to products does increase their perceived healthiness. Claim structure was found to make a difference to perceptions, but its influence depended on the level of relevance, familiarity and individuals' need for information. Further, the type of health benefit proposed and the base product used also affected perceptions of healthiness. The paper concludes that while healthiness perceptions relating to products with health claims may vary between men and women, old and young and between countries, the main factor influencing perceived healthiness and intention to buy a product with health claim is personal relevance.

A cross-language study of perception of lexical stress in English.

PubMed

Yu, Vickie Y; Andruski, Jean E

2010-08-01

This study investigates the question of whether language background affects the perception of lexical stress in English. Thirty native English speakers and 30 native Chinese learners of English participated in a stressed-syllable identification task and a discrimination task involving three types of stimuli (real words/pseudowords/hums). The results show that both language groups were able to identify and discriminate stress patterns. Lexical and segmental information affected the English and Chinese speakers in varying degrees. English and Chinese speakers showed different response patterns to trochaic vs. iambic stress across the three types of stimuli. An acoustic analysis revealed that two language groups used different acoustic cues to process lexical stress. The findings suggest that the different degrees of lexical and segmental effects can be explained by language background, which in turn supports the hypothesis that language background affects the perception of lexical stress in English.

Law enforcement officers' risk perceptions toward on-duty motor-vehicle events.

PubMed

Tiesman, Hope M; Heick, Rebecca J; Konda, Srinivas; Hendricks, Scott

Motor-vehicle-related events (MVEs) are the leading cause of on-duty death for law enforcement officers, yet little is known about how officers view this significant job hazard. The purpose of this paper is to explore officers' motor-vehicle risk perception and examine how prior on-duty MVEs and the death or injury of a fellow officer influences this perception. A state-wide random sample of 136 law enforcement agencies was drawn using publically accessible databases, stratified on type and size of agency. In total, 60 agencies agreed to participate and a cross-sectional questionnaire was distributed to 1,466 officers. Using six-point Likert scales, composite scores for motor-vehicle and intentional violence risk perception were derived. A linear regression multivariable model was used to examine factors affecting motor-vehicle risk perception. Motor-vehicle risk perception scores were significantly higher than intentional violence scores. A prior on-duty motor-vehicle crash, prior roadside incident, or knowledge of fellow officer's injury or death from a MVE significantly increased motor-vehicle risk perception scores. After controlling for potential confounders though, only prior on-duty crashes and roadside incidents impacted motor-vehicle risk perception. The study comprised primarily small, rural agencies and generalizability may be limited. Also, although the data were collected anonymously, reporting and response biases may affect these findings. This study involved a large and diverse cohort of officers and explored motor-vehicle risk perception. A better understanding of officers' risk perceptions will assist in the development and implementation of occupational injury prevention programs, training, and policy.

Five-year safety and performance results from the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System clinical trial

PubMed Central

da Cruz, Lyndon; Dorn, Jessy D.; Humayun, Mark S.; Dagnelie, Gislin; Handa, James; Barale, Pierre-Olivier; Sahel, José-Alain; Stanga, Paulo E.; Hafezi, Farhad; Safran, Avinoam B.; Salzmann, Joel; Santos, Arturo; Birch, David; Spencer, Rand; Cideciyan, Artur V.; de Juan, Eugene; Duncan, Jacque L.; Eliott, Dean; Fawzi, Amani; Olmos de Koo, Lisa C.; Ho, Allen C.; Brown, Gary; Haller, Julia; Regillo, Carl; Del Priore, Lucian V.; Arditi, Aries; Greenberg, Robert J.

2016-01-01

Purpose The Argus® II Retinal Prosthesis System (Second Sight Medical Products, Inc., Sylmar, CA) was developed to restore some vision to patients blind from retinitis pigmentosa (RP) or outer retinal degeneration. A clinical trial was initiated in 2006 to study the long-term safety and efficacy of the Argus II System in patients with bare or no light perception due to end-stage RP. Design The study is a prospective, multicenter, single-arm, clinical trial. Within-patient controls included the non-implanted fellow eye and patients' native residual vision compared to their vision when using the System. Subjects There were 30 subjects in 10 centers in the U.S. and Europe. Methods The worse-seeing eye of blind patients was implanted with the Argus II System. Patients wore glasses mounted with a small camera and a video processor that converted images into stimulation patterns sent to the electrode array on the retina. Main Outcome Measures The primary outcome measures were safety (the number, seriousness, and relatedness of adverse events) and visual function, as measured by three computer-based, objective tests. Secondary measures included functional vision performance on objectively-scored real-world tasks. Results Twenty-four out of 30 patients remained implanted with functioning Argus II Systems at 5 years post-implant. Only one additional serious adverse event was experienced since the 3-year time point. Patients performed significantly better with the System ON than OFF on all visual function tests and functional vision tasks. Conclusions The five-year results of the Argus II trial support the long-term safety profile and benefit of the Argus II System for patients blind from RP. The Argus II is the first and only retinal implant to have market approval in the European Economic Area, the United States, and Canada. PMID:27453256

Impact of mandibular implant prostheses on the oral health-related quality of life in partially and completely edentulous patients.

PubMed

Yunus, Norsiah; Masood, Mohd; Saub, Roslan; Al-Hashedi, Ashwaq Ali; Taiyeb Ali, Tara Bai; Thomason, John Mark

2016-07-01

To assess the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of patients provided with mandibular implant fixed partial prostheses (IFPP) for rehabilitation of two adjacent missing posterior teeth and complete denture patients provided with mandibular implant-supported overdenture (ISOD). The response to change in OHRQoL with implant prostheses was additionally compared. In this prospective study, 20 IFPP (mean age 47.0; SD 12.9 years) and 28 ISOD (mean age 61.5; SD 9.1 years) patients received 2 mandibular implants. Metal ceramic nonsplinted fixed prostheses were provided in IFPP group, while in ISOD group, the mandibular overdentures were retained by nonsplinted attachments. Patients rated their oral health-related quality of life using OHIP-14 Malaysian version at baseline (T0), 2-3 months (T1) and 1 year (T2) postimplant treatment. Mean OHIP-14 for total and domain scores between groups and intervals was analysed using repeated-measures ANOVA and t-test. Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used for the comparison of mean score change and effect size, while the association between pre- and post-treatment scores was determined using multivariate linear regression modelling. The total OHIP and domain scores before implant treatment were significantly higher (lower OHRQoL) in IFPP than in ISOD groups, except for physical pain where this domain showed similar impact in both groups. Postimplant scores between groups at T1 and T2 showed no significant difference. The mean score changes at T0-T1 and T0-T2 for total OHIP-14 and domains were significantly greater in IFPP except in the domains of physical pain and disability which showed no difference. Large effect size (ES) was observed for total OHIP-14 in IFPP while moderate in ISOD. Improved OHRQoL was dependent on the treatment group and pretreatment score. Improvement in OHRQoL occurred following both mandibular implant-supported overdentures and implant fixed partial prostheses. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Flow dynamics of a novel counterpulsation device characterized by CFD and PIV modeling

PubMed Central

Giridharan, GA; Lederer, C; Berthe, A; Goubergrits, L; Hutzenlaub, J; Slaughter, MS; Dowling, RD; Spence, PA; Koenig, SC

2017-01-01

Background Historically, single port valveless pneumatic blood pumps have had a high incidence of thrombus formation due to areas of blood stagnation and hemolysis due to areas of high shear stress. Methods To ensure minimal hemolysis and favorable blood washing characteristics, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) were used to evaluate the design of a new single port, valveless counterpulsation device (Symphony). The Symphony design was tested in 6-hour acute (n=8), 5-day (n=8) and 30-day (n=2) chronic experiments in a calf model (Jersey, 76 kg). Venous blood samples were collected during acute (hourly) and chronic (weekly) time courses to analyze for temporal changes in biochemical markers and quantify plasma free hemoglobin. At the end of the study, animals were euthanized and the Symphony and end-organs (brain, liver, kidney, lungs, heart, and spleen) were examined for thrombus formations. Results Both the PIV and CFD showed the development of a strong moving vortex during filling phase and that blood exited the Symphony uniformly from all areas during ejection phase. The laminar shear stresses estimated by CFD remained well below the hemolysis threshold of 400 Pa inside the Symphony throughout filling and ejection phases. No areas of persistent blood stagnation or flow separation were observed. The maximum plasma free hemoglobin (< 10 mg/dl), average platelet count (pre-implant = 473 ± 56 K/μL and post-implant = 331 ± 62 K/μL), and average hematocrit (pre-implant = 31 ± 2 % and post-implant = 29 ± 2 %) were normal at all measured time-points for each test animal in acute and chronic experiments. There were no changes in measures of hepatic function (ALP, ALT) or renal function (creatinine) from pre-Symphony implantation values. The necropsy examination showed no signs of thrombus formation in the Symphony or end organs. Conclusions These data suggest that the designed Symphony has good washing characteristics without persistent areas of blood stagnation sites during the entire pump cycle, and has a low risk of hemolysis and thrombus formations. PMID:21680224

[The effects of subliminal and supraliminal presentation of trait-related words on person perception].

PubMed

Mori, T; Sakamoto, A

1997-12-01

The present experiment was conducted to investigate how prior information affects subsequent person perception and when perceivers can control such an effect. One of three types of trait related words (i.e., hostility-related, friendliness-related, and neutral words) was subliminally or supraliminally presented to subjects, and subsequently, subjects rated the impression of four targets: a hostile person, a friendly person, a neutral person and themselves. Although results did not show that supraliminally presented words affected targets' impressions, they showed that the impressions sometimes varied with the valence of subliminally presented words regardless of targets' valence. The mechanism and controllability of priming effects in person perception were discussed.

Gender Differences in Students' Perceptions of Information Technology as a Career

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Theda; Allen, Alesha

2006-01-01

This paper reports on an investigation into first year students' perceptions of IT as a career. There are many stereotypes of the typical IT professional. These stereotypes are often depicted in the media and affect students' perceptions of the career and whether they should study IT or not. An exploratory study into male and female first year…

Teacher Perceptions and Use of Data-Driven Instruction: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melucci, Laura

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine how teacher perceptions of data and use of data-driven instruction affect student performance in English language arts (ELA). This study investigated teachers' perceptions of using data in the classroom and what supports they need to do so. The goal of the research was to increase the level of knowledge…

Measuring the Reader Self-Perceptions of Adolescents: Introducing the RSPS2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henk, William A.; Marinak, Barbara A.; Melnick, Steven A.

2013-01-01

This paper introduces a new affective instrument for assessing the reader self-perceptions of students in grades seven through ten. The Reader Self-Perception Scale 2 (RSPS2) builds upon its predecessor, the RSPS, a tool that measures the reading efficacy beliefs of children in grades four through six. New items were created for the RSPS2 to…

A Leader's Understanding: Faculty Perception of Academic Quality and Effective Implementation of Online Modality in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyers, Jayson

2017-01-01

The study's purpose was to examine attitudes and perceptions of full-time faculty within colleges and universities that segregate or integrate the online modality. In examining the faculty attitudes, this research provided an understanding about how structure of an online strategy within an institution may affect the perceptions or support of…

Student and Faculty Perceptions of Service Quality: The Moderating Role of the Institutional Aspects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duževic, Ines; Ceh Casni, Anita

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore key attributes of service quality in the Croatian higher education system. In particular, the study aims to compare student and faculty perceptions of service quality and to identify institutional aspects that may affect the perceptions of these two customers. Principal component analysis is used to define…

The Effects of Positive Portrayals of Black Television Characters on Black Children's Racial Attitudes, Self-Perception, and Racial Identification.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonvillain, Jocelyn F.; Huston, Aletha C.

Children's perceptions and attitudes about racial groups are often affected by the information they receive from the view of their parents, their peers, their schools, and the mass media. A study was designed to examine the effects of positive portrayals of black television characters on black children's racial attitudes, self-perception, and…

Learners' Perceptions of the Benefits of Voice Tool-Based Tasks on Their Spoken Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilches, Astrid

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate learners' perceptions of the benefits of tasks using voice tools to reinforce their oral skills. Additionally, this study seeks to determine what aspects of task design affected the students' perceptions. Beginner learners aged 18 to 36 with little or no experience in the use of technological tools for…

Teachers' Perceptions of School Principals' Leadership Styles and Parental Involvement--The Case of the Arab Education System in Israel

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arar, Khalid; Abramovitz, Ruth; Daod, Saeda; Awad, Yasir; Khalil, Mahmood

2016-01-01

This study deals with teachers' perceptions of principals' leadership style as it affects parental involvement (PI) in the special context of the Arab education system in Israel. Contemporary perceptions of education within the Western individualist society, including in the majority society in Israel, regard the full spectrum of PI, ranging from…

Forest landscape assessment: the effects of pre-experience education on public perception of scenic beauty

Treesearch

Chad D. Pierskalla; Kevin E. Saunders; David W. McGill; David A. Smaldone

2008-01-01

Aldo Leopold argued for a type of "ecological aesthetic," where perceptions of natural landscape beauty are tied to an understanding of the natural process of forests. The purpose of this study is to examine how education affects perceptions of scenic beauty. Thirty-two students were assigned to four groups, with each group participating in a different...

Dynamic facial expressions evoke distinct activation in the face perception network: a connectivity analysis study.

PubMed

Foley, Elaine; Rippon, Gina; Thai, Ngoc Jade; Longe, Olivia; Senior, Carl

2012-02-01

Very little is known about the neural structures involved in the perception of realistic dynamic facial expressions. In the present study, a unique set of naturalistic dynamic facial emotional expressions was created. Through fMRI and connectivity analysis, a dynamic face perception network was identified, which is demonstrated to extend Haxby et al.'s [Haxby, J. V., Hoffman, E. A., & Gobbini, M. I. The distributed human neural system for face perception. Trends in Cognitive Science, 4, 223-233, 2000] distributed neural system for face perception. This network includes early visual regions, such as the inferior occipital gyrus, which is identified as insensitive to motion or affect but sensitive to the visual stimulus, the STS, identified as specifically sensitive to motion, and the amygdala, recruited to process affect. Measures of effective connectivity between these regions revealed that dynamic facial stimuli were associated with specific increases in connectivity between early visual regions, such as the inferior occipital gyrus and the STS, along with coupling between the STS and the amygdala, as well as the inferior frontal gyrus. These findings support the presence of a distributed network of cortical regions that mediate the perception of different dynamic facial expressions.

Enhanced Sensitivity to Subphonemic Segments in Dyslexia: A New Instance of Allophonic Perception

PubMed Central

Serniclaes, Willy; Seck, M’ballo

2018-01-01

Although dyslexia can be individuated in many different ways, it has only three discernable sources: a visual deficit that affects the perception of letters, a phonological deficit that affects the perception of speech sounds, and an audio-visual deficit that disturbs the association of letters with speech sounds. However, the very nature of each of these core deficits remains debatable. The phonological deficit in dyslexia, which is generally attributed to a deficit of phonological awareness, might result from a specific mode of speech perception characterized by the use of allophonic (i.e., subphonemic) units. Here we will summarize the available evidence and present new data in support of the “allophonic theory” of dyslexia. Previous studies have shown that the dyslexia deficit in the categorical perception of phonemic features (e.g., the voicing contrast between /t/ and /d/) is due to the enhanced sensitivity to allophonic features (e.g., the difference between two variants of /d/). Another consequence of allophonic perception is that it should also give rise to an enhanced sensitivity to allophonic segments, such as those that take place within a consonant cluster. This latter prediction is validated by the data presented in this paper. PMID:29587419

Method and simulation to study 3D crosstalk perception

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khaustova, Dar'ya; Blondé, Laurent; Huynh-Thu, Quan; Vienne, Cyril; Doyen, Didier

2012-03-01

To various degrees, all modern 3DTV displays suffer from crosstalk, which can lead to a decrease of both visual quality and visual comfort, and also affect perception of depth. In the absence of a perfect 3D display technology, crosstalk has to be taken into account when studying perception of 3D stereoscopic content. In order to improve 3D presentation systems and understand how to efficiently eliminate crosstalk, it is necessary to understand its impact on human perception. In this paper, we present a practical method to study the perception of crosstalk. The approach consists of four steps: (1) physical measurements of a 3DTV, (2) building of a crosstalk surface based on those measurements and representing specifically the behavior of that 3TV, (3) manipulation of the crosstalk function and application on reference images to produce test images degraded by crosstalk in various ways, and (4) psychophysical tests. Our approach allows both a realistic representation of the behavior of a 3DTV and the easy manipulation of its resulting crosstalk in order to conduct psycho-visual experiments. Our approach can be used in all studies requiring the understanding of how crosstalk affects perception of stereoscopic content and how it can be corrected efficiently.

Voluntary movement affects simultaneous perception of auditory and tactile stimuli presented to a non-moving body part.

PubMed

Hao, Qiao; Ora, Hiroki; Ogawa, Ken-Ichiro; Ogata, Taiki; Miyake, Yoshihiro

2016-09-13

The simultaneous perception of multimodal sensory information has a crucial role for effective reactions to the external environment. Voluntary movements are known to occasionally affect simultaneous perception of auditory and tactile stimuli presented to the moving body part. However, little is known about spatial limits on the effect of voluntary movements on simultaneous perception, especially when tactile stimuli are presented to a non-moving body part. We examined the effect of voluntary movement on the simultaneous perception of auditory and tactile stimuli presented to the non-moving body part. We considered the possible mechanism using a temporal order judgement task under three experimental conditions: voluntary movement, where participants voluntarily moved their right index finger and judged the temporal order of auditory and tactile stimuli presented to their non-moving left index finger; passive movement; and no movement. During voluntary movement, the auditory stimulus needed to be presented before the tactile stimulus so that they were perceived as occurring simultaneously. This subjective simultaneity differed significantly from the passive movement and no movement conditions. This finding indicates that the effect of voluntary movement on simultaneous perception of auditory and tactile stimuli extends to the non-moving body part.

Evidence for distinct mechanisms underlying attentional priming and sensory memory for bistable perception.

PubMed

Brinkhuis, M A B; Kristjánsson, Á; Brascamp, J W

2015-08-01

Attentional selection in visual search paradigms and perceptual selection in bistable perception paradigms show functional similarities. For example, both are sensitive to trial history: They are biased toward previously selected targets or interpretations. We investigated whether priming by target selection in visual search and sensory memory for bistable perception are related. We did this by presenting two trial types to observers. We presented either ambiguous spheres that rotated over a central axis and could be perceived as rotating in one of two directions, or search displays in which the unambiguously rotating target and distractor spheres closely resembled the two possible interpretations of the ambiguous stimulus. We interleaved both trial types within experiments, to see whether priming by target selection during search trials would affect the perceptual outcome of bistable perception and, conversely, whether sensory memory during bistable perception would affect target selection times during search. Whereas we found intertrial repetition effects among consecutive search trials and among consecutive bistable trials, we did not find cross-paradigm effects. Thus, even though we could ascertain that our experiments robustly elicited processes of both search priming and sensory memory for bistable perception, these same experiments revealed no interaction between the two.

The influence of context on distinct facial expressions of disgust.

PubMed

Reschke, Peter J; Walle, Eric A; Knothe, Jennifer M; Lopez, Lukas D

2018-06-11

Face perception is susceptible to contextual influence and perceived physical similarities between emotion cues. However, studies often use structurally homogeneous facial expressions, making it difficult to explore how within-emotion variability in facial configuration affects emotion perception. This study examined the influence of context on the emotional perception of categorically identical, yet physically distinct, facial expressions of disgust. Participants categorized two perceptually distinct disgust facial expressions, "closed" (i.e., scrunched nose, closed mouth) and "open" (i.e., scrunched nose, open mouth, protruding tongue), that were embedded in contexts comprising emotion postures and scenes. Results demonstrated that the effect of nonfacial elements was significantly stronger for "open" disgust facial expressions than "closed" disgust facial expressions. These findings provide support that physical similarity within discrete categories of facial expressions is mutable and plays an important role in affective face perception. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Body ownership promotes visual awareness.

PubMed

van der Hoort, Björn; Reingardt, Maria; Ehrsson, H Henrik

2017-08-17

The sense of ownership of one's body is important for survival, e.g., in defending the body against a threat. However, in addition to affecting behavior, it also affects perception of the world. In the case of visuospatial perception, it has been shown that the sense of ownership causes external space to be perceptually scaled according to the size of the body. Here, we investigated the effect of ownership on another fundamental aspect of visual perception: visual awareness. In two binocular rivalry experiments, we manipulated the sense of ownership of a stranger's hand through visuotactile stimulation while that hand was one of the rival stimuli. The results show that ownership, but not mere visuotactile stimulation, increases the dominance of the hand percept. This effect is due to a combination of longer perceptual dominance durations and shorter suppression durations. Together, these results suggest that the sense of body ownership promotes visual awareness.

When environmental action does not activate concern: the case of impaired water quality in two rural watersheds.

PubMed

Stough-Hunter, Anjel; Lekies, Kristi S; Donnermeyer, Joseph F

2014-12-01

Little research has considered how residents' perceptions of their local environment may interact with efforts to increase environmental concern, particularly in areas in need of remediation. This study examined the process by which local environmental action may affect environmental concern. A model was presented for exploring the effects of community-based watershed organizations (CWOs) on environmental concern that also incorporates existing perceptions of the local environment. Survey data were collected from area residents in two watersheds in southwestern Pennsylvania, USA, an area affected by abandoned mine drainage. The findings suggest that residents' perceptions of local water quality and importance of improving water quality are important predictors of level of environmental concern and desire for action; however, in this case, having an active or inactive CWO did not influence these perceptions. The implications of these findings raise important questions concerning strategies and policy making around environmental remediation at the local level.

Body ownership promotes visual awareness

PubMed Central

Reingardt, Maria; Ehrsson, H Henrik

2017-01-01

The sense of ownership of one’s body is important for survival, e.g., in defending the body against a threat. However, in addition to affecting behavior, it also affects perception of the world. In the case of visuospatial perception, it has been shown that the sense of ownership causes external space to be perceptually scaled according to the size of the body. Here, we investigated the effect of ownership on another fundamental aspect of visual perception: visual awareness. In two binocular rivalry experiments, we manipulated the sense of ownership of a stranger’s hand through visuotactile stimulation while that hand was one of the rival stimuli. The results show that ownership, but not mere visuotactile stimulation, increases the dominance of the hand percept. This effect is due to a combination of longer perceptual dominance durations and shorter suppression durations. Together, these results suggest that the sense of body ownership promotes visual awareness. PMID:28826500

How does trust affect acceptance of a nuclear power plant (NPP): A survey among people living with Qinshan NPP in China

PubMed Central

Feldman, Marcus W.

2017-01-01

It is difficult to know whether different dimensions of trust have different effects on local residents’ acceptance of nuclear power plants (NPPs). In previous research such trust has been considered as a single dimensional concept. This paper divides trust into goodwill trust and competence trust, and we explore the ways in which trust affects acceptance of NPPs through structural equation modeling. A survey of 491 people was conducted in Haiyan County, China, where the Qinshan nuclear power plant is located. We find that goodwill trust is significantly correlated with competence trust, and each can indirectly promote residents’ acceptance of NPPs but by different paths. Goodwill trust improves acceptance of NPPs by decreasing risk perception, while competence trust improves acceptance of NPPs by increasing benefit perception. However, the associations between goodwill trust and benefit perception, competence trust and risk perception, are not significant. PMID:29176852

How does trust affect acceptance of a nuclear power plant (NPP): A survey among people living with Qinshan NPP in China.

PubMed

Xiao, Qunying; Liu, Huijun; Feldman, Marcus W

2017-01-01

It is difficult to know whether different dimensions of trust have different effects on local residents' acceptance of nuclear power plants (NPPs). In previous research such trust has been considered as a single dimensional concept. This paper divides trust into goodwill trust and competence trust, and we explore the ways in which trust affects acceptance of NPPs through structural equation modeling. A survey of 491 people was conducted in Haiyan County, China, where the Qinshan nuclear power plant is located. We find that goodwill trust is significantly correlated with competence trust, and each can indirectly promote residents' acceptance of NPPs but by different paths. Goodwill trust improves acceptance of NPPs by decreasing risk perception, while competence trust improves acceptance of NPPs by increasing benefit perception. However, the associations between goodwill trust and benefit perception, competence trust and risk perception, are not significant.

The Relative Salience of Daily and Enduring Influences on Off-Job Reactions to Work Stress.

PubMed

Calderwood, Charles; Ackerman, Phillip L

2016-12-01

Work stress is an important determinant of employee health and wellness. The occupational health community is recognizing that one contributor to these relationships may be the presence of negative off-job reactivity to work, which we argue involves continued thoughts directed towards work (cognitive reactivity), continued negative mood stemming from work (affective reactivity), and the alteration of post-work behaviours in response to work factors (behavioural reactivity). We explored the relative contributions of daily work stressors, affective traits, and subjective job stress perceptions to negative off-job reactivity. These relationships were evaluated in a study of hospital nurses (n = 75), who completed trait measures and then provided self-assessments of daily work stress and off-job reactions for four work days. The results of several multilevel analyses indicated that a main-effects model best described the data when predicting cognitive, affective, and behavioural reactivity from daily work stressors, affective traits, and subjective job stress perceptions. A series of multilevel dominance analyses revealed that subjective job stress perceptions dominated the prediction of behavioural reactivity, while trait negative affect dominated the prediction of affective reactivity. Theoretical implications and the relative salience of daily and enduring contributors to negative off-job reactivity are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Lexical and affective prosody in children with high-functioning autism.

PubMed

Grossman, Ruth B; Bemis, Rhyannon H; Plesa Skwerer, Daniela; Tager-Flusberg, Helen

2010-06-01

To investigate the perception and production of lexical stress and processing of affective prosody in adolescents with high-functioning autism (HFA). We hypothesized preserved processing of lexical and affective prosody but atypical lexical prosody production. Sixteen children with HFA and 15 typically developing (TD) peers participated in 3 experiments that examined the following: (a) perception of affective prosody (Experiment 1), (b) lexical stress perception (Experiment 2), and (c) lexical stress production (Experiment 3). In Experiment 1, participants labeled sad, happy, and neutral spoken sentences that were low-pass filtered, to eliminate verbal content. In Experiment 2, participants disambiguated word meanings based on lexical stress (HOTdog vs. hot DOG). In Experiment 3, participants produced these words in a sentence completion task. Productions were analyzed with acoustic measures. Accuracy levels showed no group differences. Participants with HFA could determine affect from filtered sentences and disambiguate words on the basis of lexical stress. They produced appropriately differentiated lexical stress patterns but demonstrated atypically long productions, indicating reduced ability in natural prosody production. Children with HFA were as capable as their TD peers in receptive tasks of lexical stress and affective prosody. Prosody productions were atypically long, despite accurate differentiation of lexical stress patterns. Future research should use larger samples and spontaneous versus elicited productions.

Perception of the material properties of wood based on vision, audition, and touch.

PubMed

Fujisaki, Waka; Tokita, Midori; Kariya, Kenji

2015-04-01

Most research on the multimodal perception of material properties has investigated the perception of material properties of two modalities such as vision-touch, vision-audition, audition-touch, and vision-action. Here, we investigated whether the same affective classifications of materials can be found in three different modalities of vision, audition, and touch, using wood as the target object. Fifty participants took part in an experiment involving the three modalities of vision, audition, and touch, in isolation. Twenty-two different wood types including genuine, processed, and fake were perceptually evaluated using a questionnaire consisting of twenty-three items (12 perceptual and 11 affective). The results demonstrated that evaluations of the affective properties of wood were similar in all three modalities. The elements of "expensiveness, sturdiness, rareness, interestingness, and sophisticatedness" and "pleasantness, relaxed feelings, and liked-disliked" were separately grouped for all three senses. Our results suggest that the affective material properties of wood are at least partly represented in a supramodal fashion. Our results also suggest an association between perceptual and affective properties, which will be a useful tool not only in science, but also in applied fields. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Effects of loneliness on illness perception in persons with a chronic disease.

PubMed

Özkan Tuncay, Fatma; Fertelli, Tülay; Mollaoğlu, Mukadder

2018-04-01

To determine the effects of loneliness on illness perception in persons with a chronic disease. How an illness is perceived not only affects all dimensions of a person's life but also plays an important role in his/her coping with the complications and consequences of the disease. One of the factors that influence the illness perception is loneliness. The study is a descriptive study. The study sample included 206 individuals over the 18 years of age, conscious, having had a chronic illness at least 1 year, having no communication problems and agreeing to participate in the study after being informed about the study. Data were collected with the Personal Information Form, the Illness Perception Questionnaire and the University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale. The forms were administered to the participants in an unoccupied patient room, and the data were collected through face-to-face interviews. The results of the study revealed that individuals with a chronic disease perceived emotional symptoms accompanying the disease more intensely that they accepted their disease was a chronic one and that their personal control and treatment control of the disease were at a middle level. The mean score the participants obtained from the University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale was 38.49 ± 11.15. There was a significant negative correlation between this mean score and the mean scores obtained from the following subscales consequences, treatment control, illness perception and emotional representations. In this study, it was concluded that the participants perceived their loneliness level as moderate and that their illness perception was negatively affected as their loneliness levels increased. The knowledge of clinical nurses about perception of patients with chronic illnesses and conditions affecting that perception will enhance compliance with the illness management or treatment strategies. Clinical nurses should observe residents closely for signs of depression and loneliness and support their sense of coherence to reduce emotional and social loneliness. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Analysis of Factors Affecting Women of Childbearing Age to Screen Using Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid.

PubMed

Sidabutar, Sondang; Martini, Santi; Wahyuni, Chatarina Umbul

2017-02-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient factors such as knowledge, attitude, motivation, perception, socio-economic status and travel time to health facilities and assess how these factors affected patients' decision to pursue cervical cancer screening with visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA). A total of 80 women of childbearing age who visited Kenjeran and Balongsari Public Health Centers for health assessments were involved in this study. Patients who agreed to participate in the study underwent a verbal questionnaire to evaluate various factors. Bivariate analysis concluded that knowledge, attitude, motivation, perception, socioeconomic status, and travel time to health facilities were significantly different between women who received VIA screening and women who did not receive VIA screening ( p < 0.05). The factors of knowledge, attitudes, motivation, perception, socio-economic status, and the travel time to health facilities accounted for 2.920-fold, 2.043-fold, 3.704-fold, 2.965-fold, 3.198-fold and 2.386-fold possibility, respectively, of patients to pursue cervical cancer screening with VIA. Multivariate analysis showed that perception, socio-economic status, and travel time to health facilities were the most important factors influencing whether or not women pursued VIA screening. Knowledge, attitude, motivation, perception, socio-economic status, and travel time to health facilities appears to affect women's' decision to pursue cervical cancer screening with VIA, with the largest intake being the motivational factor.

Community Perception of Water Quality in a Mining-Affected Area: A Case Study for the Certej Catchment in the Apuseni Mountains in Romania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dogaru, Diana; Zobrist, Jürg; Balteanu, Dan; Popescu, Claudia; Sima, Mihaela; Amini, Manouchehr; Yang, Hong

2009-06-01

Mining-contaminated sites and the affected communities at risk are important issues on the agenda of both researchers and policy makers, particularly in the former communist block countries in Eastern Europe. Integrated analyses and expert based assessments concerning mining affected areas are important in providing solid policy guidelines for environmental and social risk management and mitigation. Based on a survey for 103 households conducted in a former mining site in the Certej Catchment of the Apuseni Mountains, western Romania, this study assesses local communities’ perceptions on the quality of water in their living area. Logistic regression was used to examine peoples’ perception on the quality of the main river water and of the drinking water based on several predictors relating to social and economic conditions. The results from the perception analysis were then compared with the measurements of heavy metal contamination of the main river and drinking water undertaken in the same study area. The findings indicate that perception and measurement results for the water quality in the Certej Catchment are convergent, suggesting an obvious risk that mining activities pose on the surface water. However, the perception on drinking water quality was little predicted by the regression model and does not seem to be so much related to mining as to other explanatory factors, such as special mineralogy of rock and soils or improper water treatment infrastructure, facts suggested by the measurements of the contaminants. Discussion about the implications of these joint findings for risk mitigation policies completes this article.

Community perception of water quality in a mining-affected area: a case study for the Certej catchment in the Apuseni Mountains in Romania.

PubMed

Dogaru, Diana; Zobrist, Jürg; Balteanu, Dan; Popescu, Claudia; Sima, Mihaela; Amini, Manouchehr; Yang, Hong

2009-06-01

Mining-contaminated sites and the affected communities at risk are important issues on the agenda of both researchers and policy makers, particularly in the former communist block countries in Eastern Europe. Integrated analyses and expert based assessments concerning mining affected areas are important in providing solid policy guidelines for environmental and social risk management and mitigation. Based on a survey for 103 households conducted in a former mining site in the Certej Catchment of the Apuseni Mountains, western Romania, this study assesses local communities' perceptions on the quality of water in their living area. Logistic regression was used to examine peoples' perception on the quality of the main river water and of the drinking water based on several predictors relating to social and economic conditions. The results from the perception analysis were then compared with the measurements of heavy metal contamination of the main river and drinking water undertaken in the same study area. The findings indicate that perception and measurement results for the water quality in the Certej Catchment are convergent, suggesting an obvious risk that mining activities pose on the surface water. However, the perception on drinking water quality was little predicted by the regression model and does not seem to be so much related to mining as to other explanatory factors, such as special mineralogy of rock and soils or improper water treatment infrastructure, facts suggested by the measurements of the contaminants. Discussion about the implications of these joint findings for risk mitigation policies completes this article.

Effects of uncertainty, transmission type, driver age and gender on brake reaction and movement time.

PubMed

Warshawsky-Livne, Lora; Shinar, David

2002-01-01

Braking time (BT) is a critical component in safe driving, and various approaches have been applied to minimize it. This study analyzed the components of BT in order to assess the effects of age, gender, vehicle transmission type, and event uncertainty, on its two primary components, perception-reaction time and brake-movement time. Perception-reaction time and brake-movement time were measured at the onset of lights for 72 subjects in a simulator. The six experimental conditions were three levels of uncertainty conditions (none, some, and some + false alarms) and two types of transmission (manual and automatic). The 72 subjects, half male and half female, were further divided into three age groups (mean of 23, 30, and 62 years). Each subject had 10 trials in each of the three levels of uncertainty conditions. Transmission type did not significantly affect either perception-reaction time or brake-movement time. Perception-reaction time increased significantly from 0.32 to 0.42 s (P < .05) as uncertainty increased but brake-movement time did not change. Perception-reaction time increased (from 0.35 to 0.43 s) with age but brake-movement time did not change with age. Gender did not affect perception-reaction time but did affect brake-movement time (males 0.19 s vs. females 0.16 s). At 90 km/h, a car travels 0.25 m in 0.01 s. Consequently, even such small effects multiplied by millions of vehicle-kilometers can contribute to significant savings in lives and damages.

Disentangling beat perception from sequential learning and examining the influence of attention and musical abilities on ERP responses to rhythm.

PubMed

Bouwer, Fleur L; Werner, Carola M; Knetemann, Myrthe; Honing, Henkjan

2016-05-01

Beat perception is the ability to perceive temporal regularity in musical rhythm. When a beat is perceived, predictions about upcoming events can be generated. These predictions can influence processing of subsequent rhythmic events. However, statistical learning of the order of sounds in a sequence can also affect processing of rhythmic events and must be differentiated from beat perception. In the current study, using EEG, we examined the effects of attention and musical abilities on beat perception. To ensure we measured beat perception and not absolute perception of temporal intervals, we used alternating loud and soft tones to create a rhythm with two hierarchical metrical levels. To control for sequential learning of the order of the different sounds, we used temporally regular (isochronous) and jittered rhythmic sequences. The order of sounds was identical in both conditions, but only the regular condition allowed for the perception of a beat. Unexpected intensity decrements were introduced on the beat and offbeat. In the regular condition, both beat perception and sequential learning were expected to enhance detection of these deviants on the beat. In the jittered condition, only sequential learning was expected to affect processing of the deviants. ERP responses to deviants were larger on the beat than offbeat in both conditions. Importantly, this difference was larger in the regular condition than in the jittered condition, suggesting that beat perception influenced responses to rhythmic events in addition to sequential learning. The influence of beat perception was present both with and without attention directed at the rhythm. Moreover, beat perception as measured with ERPs correlated with musical abilities, but only when attention was directed at the stimuli. Our study shows that beat perception is possible when attention is not directed at a rhythm. In addition, our results suggest that attention may mediate the influence of musical abilities on beat perception. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

When does Subliminal Affective Image Priming Influence the Ability of Schizophrenic Patients to Perceive Face Emotions?

PubMed Central

Vaina, Lucia M.; Rana, Kunjan D.; Cotos, Ionela; Li-Yang, Chen; Huang, Melissa A.; Podea, Delia

2014-01-01

Background Deficits in face emotion perception are among the most pervasive aspects of schizophrenia impairments which strongly affects interpersonal communication and social skills. Material/Methods Schizophrenic patients (PSZ) and healthy control subjects (HCS) performed 2 psychophysical tasks. One, the SAFFIMAP test, was designed to determine the impact of subliminally presented affective or neutral images on the accuracy of face-expression (angry or neutral) perception. In the second test, FEP, subjects saw pictures of face-expression and were asked to rate them as angry, happy, or neutral. The following clinical scales were used to determine the acute symptoms in PSZ: Positive and Negative Syndrome (PANSS), Young Mania Rating (YMRS), Hamilton Depression (HAM-D), and Hamilton Anxiety (HAM-A). Results On the SAFFIMAP test, different from the HCS group, the PSZ group tended to categorize the neutral expression of test faces as angry and their response to the test-face expression was not influenced by the affective content of the primes. In PSZ, the PANSS-positive score was significantly correlated with correct perception of angry faces for aggressive or pleasant primes. YMRS scores were strongly correlated with PSZ’s tendency to recognize angry face expressions when the prime was a pleasant or a neutral image. The HAM-D score was positively correlated with categorizing the test-faces as neutral, regardless of the affective content of the prime or of the test-face expression (angry or neutral). Conclusions Despite its exploratory nature, this study provides the first evidence that conscious perception and categorization of facial emotions (neutral or angry) in PSZ is directly affected by their positive or negative symptoms of the disease as defined by their individual scores on the clinical diagnostic scales. PMID:25537115

When does subliminal affective image priming influence the ability of schizophrenic patients to perceive face emotions?

PubMed

Vaina, Lucia Maria; Rana, Kunjan D; Cotos, Ionela; Li-Yang, Chen; Huang, Melissa A; Podea, Delia

2014-12-24

Deficits in face emotion perception are among the most pervasive aspects of schizophrenia impairments which strongly affects interpersonal communication and social skills. Schizophrenic patients (PSZ) and healthy control subjects (HCS) performed 2 psychophysical tasks. One, the SAFFIMAP test, was designed to determine the impact of subliminally presented affective or neutral images on the accuracy of face-expression (angry or neutral) perception. In the second test, FEP, subjects saw pictures of face-expression and were asked to rate them as angry, happy, or neutral. The following clinical scales were used to determine the acute symptoms in PSZ: Positive and Negative Syndrome (PANSS), Young Mania Rating (YMRS), Hamilton Depression (HAM-D), and Hamilton Anxiety (HAM-A). On the SAFFIMAP test, different from the HCS group, the PSZ group tended to categorize the neutral expression of test faces as angry and their response to the test-face expression was not influenced by the affective content of the primes. In PSZ, the PANSS-positive score was significantly correlated with correct perception of angry faces for aggressive or pleasant primes. YMRS scores were strongly correlated with PSZ's tendency to recognize angry face expressions when the prime was a pleasant or a neutral image. The HAM-D score was positively correlated with categorizing the test-faces as neutral, regardless of the affective content of the prime or of the test-face expression (angry or neutral). Despite its exploratory nature, this study provides the first evidence that conscious perception and categorization of facial emotions (neutral or angry) in PSZ is directly affected by their positive or negative symptoms of the disease as defined by their individual scores on the clinical diagnostic scales.

Affect, risk perception, and the use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes: a population study of U.S. adults.

PubMed

Popova, Lucy; Owusu, Daniel; Weaver, Scott R; Kemp, Catherine B; Mertz, C K; Pechacek, Terry F; Slovic, Paul

2018-03-22

Tobacco companies argue that the decision to smoke is made by well-informed rational adults who have considered all the risks and benefits of smoking. Yet in promoting their products, the tobacco industry frequently relies on affect, portraying their products as part of a desirable lifestyle. Research examining the roles of affect and perceived risks in smoking has been scant and non-existent for novel tobacco products, such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). We examined the relationship between affect, perceived risk, and current use for cigarettes and e-cigarettes in 2015 in a nationally representative sample of 5398 U.S. adults who were aware of e-cigarettes. Participants held various affective associations with tobacco products, and affect towards cigarettes was more negative than affect towards e-cigarettes. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), affect towards cigarettes and e-cigarettes was associated with cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use respectively, and these associations were both direct and partially mediated by risk perceptions towards smoking and e-cigarette use. More positive affect towards cigarettes or e-cigarettes was associated with lower perceived risks, which in turn was associated with higher odds of being a current cigarette or e-cigarette user. In developing models explaining tobacco use behavior, or in creating public communication campaigns aimed at curbing tobacco use, it is useful to focus not only on the reason based predictors, such as perceptions of risks and benefits, but also on affective predictors. Educational efforts aimed at further smoking reductions should highlight and reinforce negative images and associations with cigarettes.

Perceptions of Burnout, Its Prevention, and Its Effect on Patient Care as Described by Oncology Nurses in the Hospital Setting
.

PubMed

Russell, Kimberly

2016-01-01

To identify overall perceptions of burnout within the inpatient oncology nursing population, how they perceived that burnout affected the care they provided, and how they perceived that burnout could be decreased.
. A quantitative descriptive study using questionnaires to describe perceptions of burnout.
. A university-affiliated hospital using inpatient oncology nurses from three nursing units at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian in Pennsylvania.
. A convenience sample of 61 nurses. 
. Two instruments were used to investigate various aspects about perceptions of burnout among inpatient oncology nurses. Nurses participated on an anonymous voluntary basis by completing these instruments. 
. Perceived burnout, perception of how burnout affects care provided to patients, and strategies to relieve burnout.
. Inpatient oncology nurses report a moderate level of perceived burnout. In addition, this nursing population perceived that this burnout had a negative impact on the care they provided. Nurses believed they experienced burnout because of increased nurse-patient ratios and skipped or shortened lunches or breaks. However, they perceived that burnout could be prevented when adequate resources, collaboration, teamwork, and the support of family and friends existed. 
. As a result of the level of care needed by inpatients with cancer, the association between burnout experienced by nurses and how it can affect care is important to recognize. One such association identified was that a relationship existed between the nurses' interactions with patients' family, friends, or visitors and increased perceptions of burnout and depersonalization. As a result, nurses can experience increased burnout and act in a manner that lacks compassion because of emotional detachment.
. With extremely ill inpatients with cancer, nurses need to be able to manage high levels of demands from patients and their family members to provide quality and compassionate care. Nurses reported that they experience burnout because of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization as a result of missed, shortened, or skipped breaks and lunches. This perception can affect the nurse's ability to perform physically and mentally, resulting in negative effects on nurse-patient relationships.

The effect of social stress on chronic pain perception in female and male mice.

PubMed

Aghajani, Marjan; Vaez Mahdavi, Mohammad Reza; Khalili Najafabadi, Mohsen; Ghazanfari, Tooba

2012-01-01

The current investigations on social stress primarily point to the negative health consequences of being in a stressful social hierarchy. The repetitive nature of such stressors seems to affect behavioral response to pain both in rodents and humans. Moreover, a large discrepancy in the possibility of social stresses affecting pain perception in the two genders exists. The present study examined the effect of chronic social stress on nociceptive responses of both sexes by implementing of food deprivation, food intake inequality and unstable social status (cage-mate change every 3 days) for a period of 14 days in 96 Balb/c mice. In this regard we injected 20 µl formalin 2% into the plantar surface of hind paw at the end of stress period and scored pain behaviors of all subjects, then serum concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines were measured. Our results showed that there was significant difference in chronic phase of formalin test following implementation of food deprivation and inequality (P<0.05) as compared to control group, so that pain perception was decreased considerably and this decline in inequality exposed subjects was well above isolated ones (P<0.05); whereas unstable social situation did not affect pain perception. Moreover, IL-1 and IL-6 concentrations in serum of stressed mice of both genders were well above control group (p<0.05). Finally, despite chronic pain perception in control and unstable male subjects was larger than females; the decrease of chronic pain perception in male stressed animals (poverty and inequality experienced subjects) was much more than stressed females. These results revealed that although food deprivation and social inequality can induce hypoalgesia, some socioeconomic situations like social instability don't affect pain sensation, whereas there were similar increases of proinflammatory cytokines level in all socially stressed subjects. In addition, males display larger hypoalgesic responses to inequality as compared with females.

Singers' and Nonsingers' Perception of Vocal Vibrato.

PubMed

Reddy, A Anita; Subramanian, Uma

2015-09-01

Vibrato, a small, nevertheless an important component in the singing voice is known to enrich the overall singing voice quality. However, in the perception of overall performance, it is often neglected. Singing performance is often appreciated by a mixed audience of those who love music, but not necessarily sing and other singers who may or may not be teachers of singing. The objectives of the present study were aimed at investigating singers' and nonsingers' perception of vocal vibrato and its effect on the ratings of singer's overall performance. Prerecorded audio samples of the chorus of a hymn (How Great Thou Art) as sung by 10 singers (both men and women) were played via a speaker to two groups of judges which consisted of three experienced singers and three experienced nonsingers. The singer judges (SJs) were vocal instructors in Western classical, music theater, pop, and contemporary styles. Seven parameters (presence of vibrato, rate, extent, conspicuousness, quality, periodicity, and type) related to vibrato were evaluated through auditory perception by these two groups of judges on a rating scale developed specifically for the study, and one parameter evaluated singer's overall performance. Cohen's Kappa statistical analysis was used for inter-rater reliability within groups. Nonsinger judges (NSJs) within the group showed varied ratings as did SJs, yet SJs did have higher agreement than NSJs. Chi-square analysis was used across groups. Both groups were distinct from each other in their perception of vibrato. Ratings of singer's overall performance were not affected for NSJs, but certainly affected for SJ. It could not be concluded that ratings on singer's overall performance was affected as a result of vibrato. Since vibrato is often over-ridden by the singer's voice. But a rare occasion can arise where a vibrato may not sound pleasant and can affect the listener's perception of the singer's performance. Often a feedback from listeners would help monitor singers' performance. Copyright © 2015 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

To what extent do Gestalt grouping principles influence tactile perception?

PubMed

Gallace, Alberto; Spence, Charles

2011-07-01

Since their formulation by the Gestalt movement more than a century ago, the principles of perceptual grouping have primarily been investigated in the visual modality and, to a lesser extent, in the auditory modality. The present review addresses the question of whether the same grouping principles also affect the perception of tactile stimuli. Although, to date, only a few studies have explicitly investigated the existence of Gestalt grouping principles in the tactile modality, we argue that many more studies have indirectly provided evidence relevant to this topic. Reviewing this body of research, we argue that similar principles to those reported previously in visual and auditory studies also govern the perceptual grouping of tactile stimuli. In particular, we highlight evidence showing that the principles of proximity, similarity, common fate, good continuation, and closure affect tactile perception in both unimodal and crossmodal settings. We also highlight that the grouping of tactile stimuli is often affected by visual and auditory information that happen to be presented simultaneously. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and applied benefits that might pertain to the further study of Gestalt principles operating in both unisensory and multisensory tactile perception.

Examining the relationship between affect and implicit associations: implications for risk perception.

PubMed

Dohle, Simone; Keller, Carmen; Siegrist, Michael

2010-07-01

It has been suggested that affect may play an important role in risk perception. Slovic et al. argued that people make use of the "affect heuristic" when assessing risks because it is easier and more efficient to rely on spontaneous affective reactions than to analyze all available information. In the present studies, a single category implicit association test (SC-IAT) to measure associations evoked by different hazards was employed. In the first study, we tested the extent to which the SC-IAT corresponds to the theoretical construct of affect in a risk framework. Specifically, we found that the SC-IAT correlates with other explicit measures that claim to measure affect, as well as with a measure of trust, but not with a measure that captures a different construct (subjective knowledge). In the second study, we addressed the question of whether hazards that vary along the dread dimension of the psychometric paradigm also differ in the affect they evoke. The results of the SC-IAT indicated that a high-dread hazard (nuclear power) elicits negative associations. Moreover, the high-dread hazard evoked more negative associations than a medium-dread hazard (hydroelectric power). In contrast, a nondread hazard (home appliances) led to positive associations. The results of our study highlight the importance of affect in shaping attitudes and opinions toward risks. The results further suggest that implicit measures may provide valuable insight into people's risk perception above and beyond explicit measures.

Direct Evidence for the Economy of Action: Glucose and the Perception of Geographical Slant

PubMed Central

Schnall, Simone; Zadra, Jonathan R.; Proffitt, Dennis R.

2012-01-01

When locomoting in a physically challenging environment, the body draws upon available energy reserves to accommodate increased metabolic demand. Ingested glucose supplements the body’s energy resources, whereas non-caloric sweetener does not. Two experiments demonstrate that participants who had consumed a glucose-containing drink perceived a hills slant to be less steep than did participants who had consumed a drink containing non-caloric sweetener. The glucose manipulation influenced participants’ explicit awareness of hill slant but, as predicted, it did not affect a visually-guided action of orienting a tilting palmboard to be parallel to the hill. Measured individual differences in factors related to bioenergetic state such as fatigue, sleep quality, fitness, mood, and stress also affected perception such that lower energetic states were associated with steeper perceptions of hill slant. This research shows that the perception of the environment’s spatial layout is influenced by the energetic resources available for locomotion within it. Our findings are consistent with the view that spatial perceptions are influenced by bioenergetic factors. PMID:20514996

Reactions to psychological contract breaches and organizational citizenship behaviours: An experimental manipulation of severity.

PubMed

Atkinson, Theresa P; Matthews, Russell A; Henderson, Alexandra A; Spitzmueller, Christiane

2018-01-30

Grounded in affective events theory, we investigated the effects of experimentally manipulated psychological contract breaches on participants' feelings of violation, subsequent perceptions of psychological contract strength, and organizational citizenship behaviours in a sample of working adults. Results support previous findings that pre-existing relational psychological contract strength interacts with severity of unmet promises or expectations. Specifically, individuals with high relational contracts who experience low severity of unmet promises/expectations have the lowest breach perceptions, whereas individuals with high relational contracts who experience more severe levels unmet promises/expectations experience the highest level of breach perceptions. Results also support the concept of a breach spiral in that prior perceptions of breach led to an increased likelihood of subsequent perceptions of breach following the experimental manipulation. Furthermore, consistent with affective events theory, results support the argument that a psychological contract breach's effect on specific organizational citizenship behaviours is mediated by feelings of violation and the reassessment of relational contracts. These effects were present even after controlling for the direct effects of the manipulated severity of unmet promises/expectations. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Factors Affecting Prepharmacy Students' Perceptions of the Professional Role of Pharmacists

PubMed Central

Plake, Kimberly S.; Newton, Gail D.; Mason, Holly L.

2010-01-01

Objective To assess prepharmacy students' perceptions of the professional role of pharmacists prior to enrollment in pharmacy school, and the association between perceptions and student demographics. Methods A 58-question survey instrument regarding pharmacists' roles, work experiences, and demographics was developed and administered to students (N = 127) enrolled in an organic chemistry laboratory experience at Purdue University. Results Theory of planned behavior subscales (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control) were influenced by students' grade point average, gender, and application to pharmacy school, while unpaid work experience affected professional commitment. Students evaluated work experience related to their pharmacy studies more positively than non-pharmacy-related areas in the theory of planned behavior subscales. Conclusions Evaluating students' perceptions may be beneficial in helping pharmacy educators design their curricula, as well as allowing admissions committees to select the most qualified students to promote the development of positive perceptions toward the professional role of pharmacists. Grade point average (GPA) and application to pharmacy school were associated with significant differences for the theory of planned behavior and professional commitment subscales. PMID:21301595

Tourism sector preparedness in zones with a high seismic risk: Case study of the Capital Region of Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lihui, W.; Wang, D.

2017-12-01

Japan is a country highly vulnerable to natural disasters, especially earthquakes. Tourism, as a strategic industry in Japan, is especially vulnerable to destructive earthquake disasters owing to the characteristics of vulnerability, sensitivity and substitutability. Here we aim to provide theoretical understanding of the perception and responses of tourism managers towards damaging disasters in tourism destinations with high seismic risks. We conducted surveys among the mangers of tourism businesses in the capital area of Japan in 2014 and applied structural equation modeling techniques to empirically test the proposed model with four latent variables, which are risk perception, threat knowledge, disaster preparedness and earthquake preparedness. Our results show that threat knowledge affects risk perception and disaster preparedness positively. In addition, disaster preparedness positively affects earthquake preparedness. However, the proposed paths from risk perception to disaster preparedness, risk perception to earthquake preparedness, and threat knowledge to earthquake preparedness were not statistically significant. Our results may provide references for policymakers in promoting crisis planning in tourism destination with high seismic risks.

Trends and correlates of the public’s perception of healthcare systems in the European Union: a multilevel analysis of Eurobarometer survey data from 2009 to 2013

PubMed Central

AlSaud, AlJohara M; Taddese, Henock B; Filippidis, Filippos T

2018-01-01

Objective The aim of the study is to assess trends in public perceptions of health systems in 27 European Union (EU) member states following the financial crisis (2009–2013), in order to discuss observed changes in the context of the financial crisis. Design Repeated cross-sectional studies. Setting 27 EU countries. Participants EU citizens aged 15 years and older. Methods The study mainly uses the Eurobarometer Social Climate Survey, conducted annually between 2009 and 2013, thereby analysing 116 706 observations. A multilevel logistic regression was carried out to analyse trends over time and the factors associated with citizens’ perceptions of their healthcare systems. Results Europeans generally exhibit positive perceptions of their national healthcare systems, 64.0% (95% CI 63.6% to 64.4%). However, we observed a significant drop in positive perceptions in the years following the crisis, especially within countries most affected by the crisis. Concerning fiscal characteristics, wealthier countries and those dedicating higher proportion of their national income to health were more likely to maintain positive perceptions. At the individual level, perceptions of healthcare systems were significantly associated with respondents’ self-perceptions of their social status, financial capacity and overall satisfaction in life. Conclusions Our finding confirms previous observations that citizens’ perceptions of their healthcare systems may reflect their overall prospects within the broader socioeconomic systems they live in; which have in turn been affected by the financial crisis and the policy measures instituted in response. PMID:29317413

A cognitive-perceptual model of symptom perception in males and females: the roles of negative affect, selective attention, health anxiety and psychological job demands.

PubMed

Goodwin, Laura; Fairclough, Stephen H; Poole, Helen M

2013-06-01

Kolk et al.'s model of symptom perception underlines the effects of trait negative affect, selective attention and external stressors. The current study tested this model in 263 males and 498 females from an occupational sample. Trait negative affect was associated with symptom reporting in females only, and selective attention and psychological job demands were associated with symptom reporting in both genders. Health anxiety was associated with symptom reporting in males only. Future studies might consider the inclusion of selective attention, which was more strongly associated with symptom reporting than negative affect. Psychological job demands appear to influence symptom reporting in both males and females.

Reduced sensitivity for visual textures affects judgments of shape-from-shading and step-climbing behaviour in older adults.

PubMed

Schofield, Andrew J; Curzon-Jones, Benjamin; Hollands, Mark A

2017-02-01

Falls on stairs are a major hazard for older adults. Visual decline in normal ageing can affect step-climbing ability, altering gait and reducing toe clearance. Here we show that a loss of fine-grained visual information associated with age can affect the perception of surface undulations in patterned surfaces. We go on to show that such cues affect the limb trajectories of young adults, but due to their lack of sensitivity, not that of older adults. Interestingly neither the perceived height of a step nor conscious awareness is altered by our visual manipulation, but stepping behaviour is, suggesting that the influence of shape perception on stepping behaviour is via the unconscious, action-centred, dorsal visual pathway.

Consumer risk perceptions toward agricultural biotechnology, self-protection, and food demand: the case of milk in the United States.

PubMed

Zepeda, Lydia; Douthitt, Robin; You, So-Ye

2003-10-01

This study is an econometric systems approach to modeling the factors and linkages affecting risk perceptions toward agricultural biotechnology, self-protection actions, and food demand. This model is applied to milk in the United States, but it can be adapted to other products as well as other categories of risk perceptions. The contribution of this formulation is the ability to examine how explanatory factors influence risk perceptions and whether they translate into behavior and ultimately what impact this has on aggregate markets. Hadden's outrage factors on heightening risk perceptions are among the factors examined. In particular, the article examines the role of labeling as a means of permitting informed consent to mitigate outrage factors. The effects of attitudinal, economic, and demographic factors on risk perceptions are also explored, as well as the linkage between risk perceptions, consumer behavior, and food demand. Because risk perceptions and self-protection actions are categorical variables and demand is a continuous variable, the model is estimated as a two-stage mixed system with a covariance correction procedure suggested by Amemiya. The findings indicate that it is the availability of labeling, not the price difference, between that labeled milk and milk produced with recombinant bovine Somatotropin (rbST) that significantly affects consumer's selection of rbST-free milk. The results indicate that greater availability of labeled milk would not only significantly increase the proportion of consumers who purchased labeled milk, its availability would also reduce the perception of risk associated with rbST, whether consumers purchase it or not. In other words, availability of rbST-free milk translates into lower risk perceptions toward milk produced with rbST.

Law enforcement officers’ risk perceptions toward on-duty motor-vehicle events

PubMed Central

Tiesman, Hope M.; Heick, Rebecca J.; Konda, Srinivas; Hendricks, Scott

2015-01-01

Purpose Motor-vehicle-related events (MVEs) are the leading cause of on-duty death for law enforcement officers, yet little is known about how officers view this significant job hazard. The purpose of this paper is to explore officers’ motor-vehicle risk perception and examine how prior on-duty MVEs and the death or injury of a fellow officer influences this perception. Design/methodology/approach A state-wide random sample of 136 law enforcement agencies was drawn using publically accessible databases, stratified on type and size of agency. In total, 60 agencies agreed to participate and a cross-sectional questionnaire was distributed to 1,466 officers. Using six-point Likert scales, composite scores for motor-vehicle and intentional violence risk perception were derived. A linear regression multivariable model was used to examine factors affecting motor-vehicle risk perception. Findings Motor-vehicle risk perception scores were significantly higher than intentional violence scores. A prior on-duty motor-vehicle crash, prior roadside incident, or knowledge of fellow officer’s injury or death from a MVE significantly increased motor-vehicle risk perception scores. After controlling for potential confounders though, only prior on-duty crashes and roadside incidents impacted motor-vehicle risk perception. Research limitations/implications The study comprised primarily small, rural agencies and generalizability may be limited. Also, although the data were collected anonymously, reporting and response biases may affect these findings. Originality/value This study involved a large and diverse cohort of officers and explored motor-vehicle risk perception. A better understanding of officers’ risk perceptions will assist in the development and implementation of occupational injury prevention programs, training, and policy. PMID:26380563

A research on motion design for APP's loading pages based on time perception

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Huai; Hu, Xiaoyun

2018-04-01

Due to restrictions caused by objective reasons like network bandwidth, hardware performance and etc., waiting is still an inevitable phenomenon that appears in our using mobile-terminal products. Relevant researches show that users' feelings in a waiting scenario can affect their evaluations on the whole product and services the product provides. With the development of user experience and inter-facial design subjects, the role of motion effect in the interface design has attracted more and more scholars' attention. In the current studies, the research theory of motion design in a waiting scenario is imperfect. This article will use the basic theory and experimental research methods of cognitive psychology to explore the motion design's impact on user's time perception when users are waiting for loading APP pages. Firstly, the article analyzes the factors that affect waiting experience of loading APP pages based on the theory of time perception, and then discusses motion design's impact on the level of time-perception when loading pages and its design strategy. Moreover, by the operation analysis of existing loading motion designs, the article classifies the existing loading motions and designs an experiment to verify the impact of different types of motions on the user's time perception. The result shows that the waiting time perception of mobile's terminals' APPs is related to the loading motion types, the combination type of loading motions can effectively shorten the waiting time perception as it scores a higher mean value in the length of time perception.

Seeing is Believing? An Examination of Perceptions of Local Weather Conditions and Climate Change Among Residents in the U.S. Gulf Coast.

PubMed

Shao, Wanyun; Goidel, Kirby

2016-11-01

What role do objective weather conditions play in coastal residents' perceptions of local climate shifts and how do these perceptions affect attitudes toward climate change? While scholars have increasingly investigated the role of weather and climate conditions on climate-related attitudes and behaviors, they typically assume that residents accurately perceive shifts in local climate patterns. We directly test this assumption using the largest and most comprehensive survey of Gulf Coast residents conducted to date supplemented with monthly temperature data from the U.S. Historical Climatology Network and extreme weather events data from National Climatic Data Center. We find objective conditions have limited explanatory power in determining perceptions of local climate patterns. Only the 15- and 19-year hurricane trends and decadal summer temperature trend have some effects on perceptions of these weather conditions, while the decadal trend of total number of extreme weather events and 15- and 19-year winter temperature trends are correlated with belief in climate change. Partisan affiliation, in contrast, plays a powerful role affecting individual perceptions of changing patterns of air temperatures, flooding, droughts, and hurricanes, as well as belief in the existence of climate change and concern for future consequences. At least when it comes to changing local conditions, "seeing is not believing." Political orientations rather than local conditions drive perceptions of local weather conditions and these perceptions-rather than objectively measured weather conditions-influence climate-related attitudes. © 2016 Society for Risk Analysis.

Middle East respiratory syndrome risk perception among students at a university in South Korea, 2015.

PubMed

Yang, Seongwoo; Cho, Sung-Il

2017-06-01

The 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak in South Korea was a serious threat to public health, and was exacerbated by the inappropriate responses of major institutions and the public. This study examined the sources of confusion during the MERS outbreak and identified the factors that can affect people's behavior. An online survey of the risk perception of university students in South Korea was performed after the epidemic had peaked. The questionnaire addressed the major social determinants in South Korea during the MERS epidemic. The analysis included data from 1,470 subjects who provided complete answers. The students had 53.5% of the essential knowledge about MERS. Women showed higher risk perception than men, and trust in the media was positively associated with risk perception (P < .001). Additionally, risk perception was positively associated with overreaction by the public (odds ratio, 2.80; 95% confidence interval, 2.17-3.60; P < .001). These findings suggest that media content affected the public's perception of MERS risk and that perception of a high level of risk led to overreaction. Risk perception was associated with most of the social factors examined and overreaction by the public. Therefore, providing accurate information and data to the public, establishing trust, and facilitating the development of an attitude will all be important in future crises. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of Condensation on Peri-implant Bone Density and Remodeling

PubMed Central

Wang, L.; Wu, Y.; Perez, K.C.; Hyman, S.; Brunski, J.B.; Tulu, U.; Bao, C.; Salmon, B.; Helms, J.A.

2017-01-01

Bone condensation is thought to densify interfacial bone and thus improve implant primary stability, but scant data substantiate either claim. We developed a murine oral implant model to test these hypotheses. Osteotomies were created in healed maxillary extraction sites 1) by drilling or 2) by drilling followed by stepwise condensation with tapered osteotomes. Condensation increased interfacial bone density, as measured by a significant change in bone volume/total volume and trabecular spacing, but it simultaneously damaged the bone. On postimplant day 1, the condensed bone interface exhibited microfractures and osteoclast activity. Finite element modeling, mechanical testing, and immunohistochemical analyses at multiple time points throughout the osseointegration period demonstrated that condensation caused very high interfacial strains, marginal bone resorption, and no improvement in implant stability. Collectively, these multiscale analyses demonstrate that condensation does not positively contribute to implant stability. PMID:28048963

Effects of Condensation on Peri-implant Bone Density and Remodeling.

PubMed

Wang, L; Wu, Y; Perez, K C; Hyman, S; Brunski, J B; Tulu, U; Bao, C; Salmon, B; Helms, J A

2017-04-01

Bone condensation is thought to densify interfacial bone and thus improve implant primary stability, but scant data substantiate either claim. We developed a murine oral implant model to test these hypotheses. Osteotomies were created in healed maxillary extraction sites 1) by drilling or 2) by drilling followed by stepwise condensation with tapered osteotomes. Condensation increased interfacial bone density, as measured by a significant change in bone volume/total volume and trabecular spacing, but it simultaneously damaged the bone. On postimplant day 1, the condensed bone interface exhibited microfractures and osteoclast activity. Finite element modeling, mechanical testing, and immunohistochemical analyses at multiple time points throughout the osseointegration period demonstrated that condensation caused very high interfacial strains, marginal bone resorption, and no improvement in implant stability. Collectively, these multiscale analyses demonstrate that condensation does not positively contribute to implant stability.

NMOS contact resistance reduction with selenium implant into NiPt silicide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, K. V.; Khaja, F. A.; Ni, C. N.; Muthukrishnan, S.; Darlark, A.; Lei, J.; Peidous, I.; Brand, A.; Henry, T.; Variam, N.; Erokhin, Y.

2012-11-01

A 25% reduction in NMOS contact resistance (Rc) was achieved by Selenium implantation into NiPt silicide film in VIISta Trident high-current single-wafer implanter. The Trident implanter is designed for shallow high-dose implants with high beam currents to maintain high throughput (for low CoO), with improved micro-uniformity and no energy contamination. The integration of Se implant was realized using a test chip dedicated to investigating silicide/junction related electrical properties and testable after silicidation. The silicide module processes were optimized, including the pre-clean (prior to RF PVD NiPt dep) and pre- and post-implant anneals. A 270°C soak anneal was used for RTP1, whereas a msec laser anneal was employed for RTP2 with sufficient process window (800-850°C), while maintaining excellent junction characteristics without Rs degradation.

Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation of dopant-defect systems under submicrosecond laser thermal processes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fisicaro, G.; Pelaz, Lourdes; Lopez, P.

2012-11-06

An innovative Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) code has been developed, which rules the post-implant kinetics of the defects system in the extremely far-from-the equilibrium conditions caused by the laser irradiation close to the liquid-solid interface. It considers defect diffusion, annihilation and clustering. The code properly implements, consistently to the stochastic formalism, the fast varying local event rates related to the thermal field T(r,t) evolution. This feature of our numerical method represents an important advancement with respect to current state of the art KMC codes. The reduction of the implantation damage and its reorganization in defect aggregates are studied as amore » function of the process conditions. Phosphorus activation efficiency, experimentally determined in similar conditions, has been related to the emerging damage scenario.« less

The Effects of Oncologist Implicit Racial Bias in Racially Discordant Oncology Interactions

PubMed Central

Dovidio, John F.; Gonzalez, Richard; Albrecht, Terrance L.; Chapman, Robert; Foster, Tanina; Harper, Felicity W.K.; Hagiwara, Nao; Hamel, Lauren M.; Shields, Anthony F.; Gadgeel, Shirish; Simon, Michael S.; Griggs, Jennifer J.; Eggly, Susan

2016-01-01

Purpose Health providers’ implicit racial bias negatively affects communication and patient reactions to many medical interactions. However, its effects on racially discordant oncology interactions are largely unknown. Thus, we examined whether oncologist implicit racial bias has similar effects in oncology interactions. We further investigated whether oncologist implicit bias negatively affects patients’ perceptions of recommended treatments (i.e., degree of confidence, expected difficulty). We predicted oncologist implicit bias would negatively affect communication, patient reactions to interactions, and, indirectly, patient perceptions of recommended treatments. Methods Participants were 18 non-black medical oncologists and 112 black patients. Oncologists completed an implicit racial bias measure several weeks before video-recorded treatment discussions with new patients. Observers rated oncologist communication and recorded interaction length of time and amount of time oncologists and patients spoke. Following interactions, patients answered questions about oncologists’ patient-centeredness and difficulty remembering contents of the interaction, distress, trust, and treatment perceptions. Results As predicted, oncologists higher in implicit racial bias had shorter interactions, and patients and observers rated these oncologists’ communication as less patient-centered and supportive. Higher implicit bias also was associated with more patient difficulty remembering contents of the interaction. In addition, oncologist implicit bias indirectly predicted less patient confidence in recommended treatments, and greater perceived difficulty completing them, through its impact on oncologists’ communication (as rated by both patients and observers). Conclusion Oncologist implicit racial bias is negatively associated with oncologist communication, patients’ reactions to racially discordant oncology interactions, and patient perceptions of recommended treatments. These perceptions could subsequently directly affect patient-treatment decisions. Thus, implicit racial bias is a likely source of racial treatment disparities and must be addressed in oncology training and practice. PMID:27325865

The Effects of Oncologist Implicit Racial Bias in Racially Discordant Oncology Interactions.

PubMed

Penner, Louis A; Dovidio, John F; Gonzalez, Richard; Albrecht, Terrance L; Chapman, Robert; Foster, Tanina; Harper, Felicity W K; Hagiwara, Nao; Hamel, Lauren M; Shields, Anthony F; Gadgeel, Shirish; Simon, Michael S; Griggs, Jennifer J; Eggly, Susan

2016-08-20

Health providers' implicit racial bias negatively affects communication and patient reactions to many medical interactions. However, its effects on racially discordant oncology interactions are largely unknown. Thus, we examined whether oncologist implicit racial bias has similar effects in oncology interactions. We further investigated whether oncologist implicit bias negatively affects patients' perceptions of recommended treatments (i.e., degree of confidence, expected difficulty). We predicted oncologist implicit bias would negatively affect communication, patient reactions to interactions, and, indirectly, patient perceptions of recommended treatments. Participants were 18 non-black medical oncologists and 112 black patients. Oncologists completed an implicit racial bias measure several weeks before video-recorded treatment discussions with new patients. Observers rated oncologist communication and recorded interaction length of time and amount of time oncologists and patients spoke. Following interactions, patients answered questions about oncologists' patient-centeredness and difficulty remembering contents of the interaction, distress, trust, and treatment perceptions. As predicted, oncologists higher in implicit racial bias had shorter interactions, and patients and observers rated these oncologists' communication as less patient-centered and supportive. Higher implicit bias also was associated with more patient difficulty remembering contents of the interaction. In addition, oncologist implicit bias indirectly predicted less patient confidence in recommended treatments, and greater perceived difficulty completing them, through its impact on oncologists' communication (as rated by both patients and observers). Oncologist implicit racial bias is negatively associated with oncologist communication, patients' reactions to racially discordant oncology interactions, and patient perceptions of recommended treatments. These perceptions could subsequently directly affect patient-treatment decisions. Thus, implicit racial bias is a likely source of racial treatment disparities and must be addressed in oncology training and practice. © 2016 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Perceptions of Institutional Climate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shultz, Eileen L.; And Others

A study was conducted at Kutztown University (Pennsylvania) to examine issues affecting women in higher education. Areas addressed in the study include aspirations for advancement, perceptions of family support, perceived institutional support, perceived barriers to advancement, and networks perceived to support faculty. Data were solicited…

Labeling, Attention and Perception, A Developmental Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sagi, Abraham

1979-01-01

Findings of this Israeli study suggest that perception is affected by lables, learning, and selective attention; that these effects are determined developmentally; and that as age increases, the effects of verbal cues diminish, while the effects of perceptual cues increase. (Author/DLS)

The perception of emotion and focus prosody with varying acoustic cues in cochlear implant simulations with varying filter slopes

PubMed Central

van de Velde, Daan J.; Schiller, Niels O.; van Heuven, Vincent J.; Levelt, Claartje C.; van Ginkel, Joost; Beers, Mieke; Briaire, Jeroen J.; Frijns, Johan H. M.

2017-01-01

This study aimed to find the optimal filter slope for cochlear implant simulations (vocoding) by testing the effect of a wide range of slopes on the discrimination of emotional and linguistic (focus) prosody, with varying availability of F0 and duration cues. Forty normally hearing participants judged if (non-)vocoded sentences were pronounced with happy or sad emotion, or with adjectival or nominal focus. Sentences were recorded as natural stimuli and manipulated to contain only emotion- or focus-relevant segmental duration or F0 information or both, and then noise-vocoded with 5, 20, 80, 120, and 160 dB/octave filter slopes. Performance increased with steeper slopes, but only up to 120 dB/octave, with bigger effects for emotion than for focus perception. For emotion, results with both cues most closely resembled results with F0, while for focus results with both cues most closely resembled those with duration, showing emotion perception relies primarily on F0, and focus perception on duration. This suggests that filter slopes affect focus perception less than emotion perception because for emotion, F0 is both more informative and more affected. The performance increase until extreme filter slope values suggests that much performance improvement in prosody perception is still to be gained for CI users. PMID:28599540

Are vegans the same as vegetarians? The effect of diet on perceptions of masculinity.

PubMed

Thomas, Margaret A

2016-02-01

Food and food consumption matters in interpersonal interactions. Foods consumed can affect how a person is perceived by others in terms of morality, likeability, and gender. Food consumption can be used as a strategy for gendered presentation, either in terms of what foods are consumed or in the amount of food consumed. Finally, foods themselves are associated with gender. Previous research (Browarnik, 2012; Ruby & Heine, 2011) shows inconsistent patterns in the association between vegetarianism and masculinity. The current research conceptually replicates and extends this research by including the explicit label of vegetarian. The four studies in this article provide increased information about the effects of diet on gendered perceptions. Study 1 shows that vegetarian and omnivorous targets are rated equally in terms of masculinity. Study 2 shows that perceptions of vegetarians and vegans are similar, though comparing this research with past research indicates that perceptions of vegetarians are more variable. Study 3 shows that veganism leads perceptions of decreased masculinity relative to omnivores. Finally, Study 4 tests one possible mechanism for the results of Study 3, that it is the choice to be vegan that impacts perceptions of gender. Implications include increased knowledge about how meatless diets can affect the perceptions of gender in others. Multiple directions for future research are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Music Training and Education Slow the Deterioration of Music Perception Produced by Presbycusis in the Elderly

PubMed Central

Moreno-Gómez, Felipe N.; Véliz, Guillermo; Rojas, Marcos; Martínez, Cristián; Olmedo, Rubén; Panussis, Felipe; Dagnino-Subiabre, Alexies; Delgado, Carolina; Delano, Paul H.

2017-01-01

The perception of music depends on the normal function of the peripheral and central auditory system. Aged subjects without hearing loss have altered music perception, including pitch and temporal features. Presbycusis or age-related hearing loss is a frequent condition in elderly people, produced by neurodegenerative processes that affect the cochlear receptor cells and brain circuits involved in auditory perception. Clinically, presbycusis patients have bilateral high-frequency hearing loss and deteriorated speech intelligibility. Music impairments in presbycusis subjects can be attributed to the normal aging processes and to presbycusis neuropathological changes. However, whether presbycusis further impairs music perception remains controversial. Here, we developed a computerized version of the Montreal battery of evaluation of amusia (MBEA) and assessed music perception in 175 Chilean adults aged between 18 and 90 years without hearing complaints and in symptomatic presbycusis patients. We give normative data for MBEA performance in a Latin-American population, showing age and educational effects. In addition, we found that symptomatic presbycusis was the most relevant factor determining global MBEA accuracy in aged subjects. Moreover, we show that melodic impairments in presbycusis individuals were diminished by music training, while the performance in temporal tasks were affected by the educational level and music training. We conclude that music training and education are important factors as they can slow the deterioration of music perception produced by age-related hearing loss. PMID:28579956

Visual processing and social cognition in schizophrenia: relationships among eye movements, biological motion perception, and empathy.

PubMed

Matsumoto, Yukiko; Takahashi, Hideyuki; Murai, Toshiya; Takahashi, Hidehiko

2015-01-01

Schizophrenia patients have impairments at several levels of cognition including visual attention (eye movements), perception, and social cognition. However, it remains unclear how lower-level cognitive deficits influence higher-level cognition. To elucidate the hierarchical path linking deficient cognitions, we focused on biological motion perception, which is involved in both the early stage of visual perception (attention) and higher social cognition, and is impaired in schizophrenia. Seventeen schizophrenia patients and 18 healthy controls participated in the study. Using point-light walker stimuli, we examined eye movements during biological motion perception in schizophrenia. We assessed relationships among eye movements, biological motion perception and empathy. In the biological motion detection task, schizophrenia patients showed lower accuracy and fixated longer than healthy controls. As opposed to controls, patients exhibiting longer fixation durations and fewer numbers of fixations demonstrated higher accuracy. Additionally, in the patient group, the correlations between accuracy and affective empathy index and between eye movement index and affective empathy index were significant. The altered gaze patterns in patients indicate that top-down attention compensates for impaired bottom-up attention. Furthermore, aberrant eye movements might lead to deficits in biological motion perception and finally link to social cognitive impairments. The current findings merit further investigation for understanding the mechanism of social cognitive training and its development. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

Music Training and Education Slow the Deterioration of Music Perception Produced by Presbycusis in the Elderly.

PubMed

Moreno-Gómez, Felipe N; Véliz, Guillermo; Rojas, Marcos; Martínez, Cristián; Olmedo, Rubén; Panussis, Felipe; Dagnino-Subiabre, Alexies; Delgado, Carolina; Delano, Paul H

2017-01-01

The perception of music depends on the normal function of the peripheral and central auditory system. Aged subjects without hearing loss have altered music perception, including pitch and temporal features. Presbycusis or age-related hearing loss is a frequent condition in elderly people, produced by neurodegenerative processes that affect the cochlear receptor cells and brain circuits involved in auditory perception. Clinically, presbycusis patients have bilateral high-frequency hearing loss and deteriorated speech intelligibility. Music impairments in presbycusis subjects can be attributed to the normal aging processes and to presbycusis neuropathological changes. However, whether presbycusis further impairs music perception remains controversial. Here, we developed a computerized version of the Montreal battery of evaluation of amusia (MBEA) and assessed music perception in 175 Chilean adults aged between 18 and 90 years without hearing complaints and in symptomatic presbycusis patients. We give normative data for MBEA performance in a Latin-American population, showing age and educational effects. In addition, we found that symptomatic presbycusis was the most relevant factor determining global MBEA accuracy in aged subjects. Moreover, we show that melodic impairments in presbycusis individuals were diminished by music training, while the performance in temporal tasks were affected by the educational level and music training. We conclude that music training and education are important factors as they can slow the deterioration of music perception produced by age-related hearing loss.

Effect of technology on aging perception.

PubMed

Juárez, Ma Rodrigo; González, Víctor M; Favela, Jesús

2018-06-01

Technology can assist older adults to maintain an active lifestyle. To better understand the effect that technology has on aging perception, we conducted two studies. In the first study, through supraliminal priming, we analyzed the effects of aging- and technology-related stimuli on age estimation. In the second study, we conducted a technological intervention with a group of elders who used four interactive devices and analyzed effects on perceived aging. Results showed that technology-related stimuli did not affect estimated age. From the second study, we generated a sociotechnical model that explains the processes connecting technology use with successful aging. We concluded that the use of technology affects aging perception, although it depends on whether the elder people have a proactive attitude toward their aging process a priori.

Relationships between High School Chemistry Students' Perceptions of a Constructivist Learning Environment and their STEM Career Expectations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wild, Andrew

2015-09-01

Considerable attention has been devoted to factors affecting the persistence of women and historically underrepresented ethnic groups in their science education trajectories. The literature has focused more on structural factors that affect longitudinal outcomes rather than classroom experiences. This exploratory survey study described relationships among high school chemistry students' perceptions of a constructivist learning environment (CLE) and STEM career expectations. The sample included 693 students from 7 public high schools within the San Francisco Bay Area. Students' perceptions of a CLE predicted their expectations of entering a science career, but not engineering, computer, health, or mathematics-related careers. When all groups of students perceived the learning environment as more constructivist, they were more likely to expect science careers.

Peers and teachers as sources of relatedness perceptions, motivation, and affective responses in physical education.

PubMed

Cox, Anne; Duncheon, Nicole; McDavid, Lindley

2009-12-01

Research has demonstrated the importance of relatedness perceptions to self-determined motivation in physical education. Therefore, studies have begun to examine the social factors contributing to feelings of relatedness. The purpose of this study was to examine teacher (perceived emotional support) and peer (acceptance, friendship quality) relationship variables to feelings of relatedness, motivation, and affective responses in junior high physical education students (N = 411). Results revealed that perceived relatedness mediated the relationship between variables and self-determined motivation and related directly to the amount of enjoyment and worry students experienced. These findings demonstrate that relationships with both teachers and peers are important for students' relatedness perceptions, motivation, enjoyment, and worry in physical education.

Psychosocial and cultural factors affecting the perceived risk of genetically modified food: an overview of the literature.

PubMed

Finucane, Melissa L; Holup, Joan L

2005-04-01

The rapid globalization of the world economy has increased the need for an astute understanding of cultural differences in perceptions, values, and ways of thinking about new food technologies. In this paper, we describe how socio-psychological and cultural factors may affect public perceptions of the risk of genetically modified (GM) food. We present psychological, sociological, and anthropological research on risk perception as a framework for understanding cross-national differences in reactions to GM food. Differences in the cultural values and circumstances of people in the US, European countries, and the developing world are examined. The implications of cultural theory for risk communication and decision making about GM food are discussed and directions for future research highlighted.

The effect of pathological narcissism on interpersonal and affective processes in social interactions.

PubMed

Wright, Aidan G C; Stepp, Stephanie D; Scott, Lori N; Hallquist, Michael N; Beeney, Joseph E; Lazarus, Sophie A; Pilkonis, Paul A

2017-10-01

Narcissism has significant interpersonal costs, yet little research has examined behavioral and affective patterns characteristic of narcissism in naturalistic settings. Here we studied the effect of narcissistic features on the dynamic processes of interpersonal behavior and affect in daily life. We used interpersonal theory to generate transactional models of social interaction (i.e., linkages among perceptions of others' behavior, affect, and one's own behavior) predicted to be characteristic of narcissism. Psychiatric outpatients (N = 102) completed clinical interviews and a 21-day ecological momentary assessment protocol using smartphones. After social interactions (N = 5,781), participants reported on perceptions of their interaction partner's behavior (scored along the dimensions of dominant-submissive and affiliative-quarrelsome), their own affect, and their own behavior. Multilevel structural equation modeling was used to examine dynamic links among behavior and affect across interactions, and the role of narcissism in moderating these links. Results showed that perceptions of others' dominance did not predict dominant behavior, but did predict quarrelsome behavior, and this link was potentiated by narcissism. Furthermore, the link between others' dominance and one's own quarrelsome behavior was mediated by negative affect. Moderated mediation was also found: Narcissism amplified the link between ratings of others' dominance and one's own quarrelsomeness and negative affect. Narcissism did not moderate the link between other dominance and own dominance, nor the link between other affiliation and own affiliation. These results suggest that narcissism is associated with specific interpersonal and affective processes, such that sensitivity to others' dominance triggers antagonistic behavior in daily life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Not explicit but implicit memory is influenced by individual perception style

PubMed Central

Tsushima, Yoshiaki

2018-01-01

Not only explicit but also implicit memory has considerable influence on our daily life. However, it is still unclear whether explicit and implicit memories are sensitive to individual differences. Here, we investigated how individual perception style (global or local) correlates with implicit and explicit memory. As a result, we found that not explicit but implicit memory was affected by the perception style: local perception style people more greatly used implicit memory than global perception style people. These results help us to make the new effective application adapting to individual perception style and understand some clinical symptoms such as autistic spectrum disorder. Furthermore, this finding might give us new insight of memory involving consciousness and unconsciousness as well as relationship between implicit/explicit memory and individual perception style. PMID:29370212

Not explicit but implicit memory is influenced by individual perception style.

PubMed

Hine, Kyoko; Tsushima, Yoshiaki

2018-01-01

Not only explicit but also implicit memory has considerable influence on our daily life. However, it is still unclear whether explicit and implicit memories are sensitive to individual differences. Here, we investigated how individual perception style (global or local) correlates with implicit and explicit memory. As a result, we found that not explicit but implicit memory was affected by the perception style: local perception style people more greatly used implicit memory than global perception style people. These results help us to make the new effective application adapting to individual perception style and understand some clinical symptoms such as autistic spectrum disorder. Furthermore, this finding might give us new insight of memory involving consciousness and unconsciousness as well as relationship between implicit/explicit memory and individual perception style.

Hearts and Minds: The Priority of Affective versus Cognitive Factors in Person Perception.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Kari; Hippel, William von

1995-01-01

In two experiments, affect-based and cognition-based attitudes toward a person were induced by varying sequence of affective and cognitive information presented to subjects while holding content constant. Results indicated affect-based attitudes were most effectively changed by affective persuasive appeals, whether these appeals were produced by…

The role of age in the perceptions of politics--job performance relationship: a three-study constructive replication.

PubMed

Treadway, Darren C; Ferris, Gerald R; Hochwarter, Wayne; Perrewé, Pamela; Witt, L A; Goodman, Joseph M

2005-09-01

This research examined the interaction of organizational politics perceptions and employee age on job performance in 3 studies. On the basis of conservation of resources theory, the authors predicted that perceptions of politics would demonstrate their most detrimental effects on job performance for older workers. Results across the 3 studies provided strong support for the hypothesis that increases in politics perceptions are associated with decreases in job performance for older employees and that perceptions of politics do not affect younger employees' performance. Implications of these results, strengths and limitations, and directions for future research are discussed. Copyright 2005 APA, all rights reserved.

Don't know responses to cognitive and affective risk perception measures: Exploring prevalence and socio-demographic moderators.

PubMed

Janssen, Eva; Verduyn, Philippe; Waters, Erika A

2018-05-01

Many people report uncertainty when appraising their risk of cancer and other diseases, but prior research about the topic has focused solely on cognitive risk perceptions. We investigated uncertainty related to cognitive and affective risk questions. We also explored whether any differences in uncertainty between cognitive and affective questions varied in magnitude by item-specific or socio-demographic characteristics. Secondary analysis of data collected for a 2 × 2 × 3 full-factorial risk communication experiment (N = 835) that was embedded within an online survey. We investigated the frequency of 'don't know' responses (DKR) to eight perceived risk items that varied according to whether they assessed (1) cognitive versus affective perceived risk, (2) absolute versus comparative risk, and (3) colon cancer versus 'any exercise-related diseases'. Socio-demographics were as follows: sex, age, education, family history, and numeracy. We analysed the data using multilevel logistic regression. The odds of DKR were lower for affective than cognitive perceived risk (OR = 0.64, p < .001). This difference occurred for absolute but not comparative risk perceptions (interaction effect, p = .004), but no interactions for disease type or demographic characteristics were found (ps > .05). Lower uncertainty for affective (vs. cognitive) absolute perceived risk items is consistent with research stating: (1) Risk perceptions are grounded in people's feelings about a hazard, and (2) feelings are easier for people to access than facts. Including affective perceived risk items in health behaviour surveys may reduce missing data and improve data quality. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Many people report that they don't know their risk (i.e., risk uncertainty). Evidence is growing for the importance of feelings of risk in explaining health behaviour. Feelings are easier for people to access than facts. What does this study add? Don't know responding is higher for absolute cognitive than absolute affective risk questions. This difference does not vary in magnitude by demographic characteristics. Affective perceived risk questions in surveys may reduce missing data and improve data quality. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

Instrumental textural perception of food and comparative biomaterials

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Texture is an important food quality attribute affecting consumer acceptance. Consumers characterize texture as either crispy or crunchy, and the moisture content and internal structure of the products are significant factors in its perception. Exposing an extruded corn snack (ECS), an extruded biod...

Managerial Perceptions Regarding Salary Increase Criteria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyer, Lee; And Others

1976-01-01

Results of study indicate that managers feel job performance should be most important determinant of salary increases for themselves and for subordinates; that organizations do not place sufficient emphasis on this criterion; and that job satisfaction is affected to some degree by this perception. (RW)

Faculty Perceptions of Organizational Politics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrence, Janet; Ott, Molly

2013-01-01

This study focuses on a contested area of shared governance, intercollegiate athletics. The researchers consider how faculty perceptions of organizational politics shape their orientations toward collaborative decision-making in this domain. The results provide insights into ways social cognitions about campus-level decision-making affect faculty…

Visitor employed photography: its potential and use in evaluating visitors' perceptions of resource impacts in trail and park settings

Treesearch

Catherine E. Dorwart; Roger L. Moore; Yu-Fai Leung

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine visitors' perceptions and to determine how their perceptions affected overall recreation experiences along a 2.9-mile segment of the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A purposive sample of 28 visitors was selected for this study. The study consisted of three parts, including a trail impact...

The neural processing of masked speech

PubMed Central

Scott, Sophie K; McGettigan, Carolyn

2014-01-01

Spoken language is rarely heard in silence, and a great deal of interest in psychoacoustics has focused on the ways that the perception of speech is affected by properties of masking noise. In this review we first briefly outline the neuroanatomy of speech perception. We then summarise the neurobiological aspects of the perception of masked speech, and investigate this as a function of masker type, masker level and task. PMID:23685149

Chemosensory Communication of Gender Information: Masculinity Bias in Body Odor Perception and Femininity Bias Introduced by Chemosignals During Social Perception.

PubMed

Mutic, Smiljana; Moellers, Eileen M; Wiesmann, Martin; Freiherr, Jessica

2015-01-01

Human body odor is a source of important social information. In this study, we explore whether the sex of an individual can be established based on smelling axillary odor and whether exposure to male and female odors biases chemosensory and social perception. In a double-blind, pseudo-randomized application, 31 healthy normosmic heterosexual male and female raters were exposed to male and female chemosignals (odor samples of 27 heterosexual donors collected during a cardio workout) and a no odor sample. Recipients rated chemosensory samples on a masculinity-femininity scale and provided intensity, familiarity and pleasantness ratings. Additionally, the modulation of social perception (gender-neutral faces and personality attributes) and affective introspection (mood) by male and female chemosignals was assessed. Male and female axillary odors were rated as rather masculine, regardless of the sex of the donor. As opposed to the masculinity bias in the odor perception, a femininity bias modulating social perception appeared. A facilitated femininity detection in gender-neutral faces and personality attributes in male and female chemosignals appeared. No chemosensory effect on mood of the rater was observed. The results are discussed with regards to the use of male and female chemosignals in affective and social communication.

Integrative cortical dysfunction and pervasive motion perception deficit in fragile X syndrome.

PubMed

Kogan, C S; Bertone, A; Cornish, K; Boutet, I; Der Kaloustian, V M; Andermann, E; Faubert, J; Chaudhuri, A

2004-11-09

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is associated with neurologic deficits recently attributed to the magnocellular pathway of the lateral geniculate nucleus. To test the hypotheses that FXS individuals 1) have a pervasive visual motion perception impairment affecting neocortical circuits in the parietal lobe and 2) have deficits in integrative neocortical mechanisms necessary for perception of complex stimuli. Psychophysical tests of visual motion and form perception defined by either first-order (luminance) or second-order (texture) attributes were used to probe early and later occipito-temporal and occipito-parietal functioning. When compared to developmental- and age-matched controls, FXS individuals displayed severe impairments in first- and second-order motion perception. This deficit was accompanied by near normal perception for first-order form stimuli but not second-order form stimuli. Impaired visual motion processing for first- and second-order stimuli suggests that both early- and later-level neurologic function of the parietal lobe are affected in Fragile X syndrome (FXS). Furthermore, this deficit likely stems from abnormal input from the magnocellular compartment of the lateral geniculate nucleus. Impaired visual form and motion processing for complex visual stimuli with normal processing for simple (i.e., first-order) form stimuli suggests that FXS individuals have normal early form processing accompanied by a generalized impairment in neurologic mechanisms necessary for integrating all early visual input.

Autobiographical memories of childhood and sources of subjectivity in parents' perceptions of infant temperament.

PubMed

Manczak, Erika M; Mangelsdorf, Sarah C; McAdams, Dan P; Wong, Maria S; Schoppe-Sullivan, Sarah; Brown, Geoffrey L

2016-08-01

The current study examined whether autobiographical memories from parents' own childhoods, prebirth expectations, and personality traits contributed to their perceptions of their infants' temperament. It also investigated whether mothers and fathers differed in the extent to which these three sources of subjectivity predicted their perceptions. During the third trimester of pregnancy, expectant mothers and fathers in 96 families completed assessments of their personality traits and expectations for their children's temperament, as well as provided characteristic memories of their relationships with their own caregivers as children. Memories were then coded for themes of growth versus safety and compared to parents' ratings of perceived child temperament 15 months later. Analyses revealed that, for both parents, prebirth expectations predicted perceptions of positive temperament behaviors. Moreover, fathers who described childhoods characterized by exploration and opportunities for growth also perceived their children as displaying more positive temperamental behaviors, whereas those who described greater safety focus in memories and who had higher levels of negative affectivity reported more negative temperamental behaviors. These findings suggest that mothers' and fathers' perceptions of their children are differently related to psychological variables, including autobiographical memories. In turn, it is possible that these subjective perceptions may affect the parenting environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemosensory Communication of Gender Information: Masculinity Bias in Body Odor Perception and Femininity Bias Introduced by Chemosignals During Social Perception

PubMed Central

Mutic, Smiljana; Moellers, Eileen M.; Wiesmann, Martin; Freiherr, Jessica

2016-01-01

Human body odor is a source of important social information. In this study, we explore whether the sex of an individual can be established based on smelling axillary odor and whether exposure to male and female odors biases chemosensory and social perception. In a double-blind, pseudo-randomized application, 31 healthy normosmic heterosexual male and female raters were exposed to male and female chemosignals (odor samples of 27 heterosexual donors collected during a cardio workout) and a no odor sample. Recipients rated chemosensory samples on a masculinity-femininity scale and provided intensity, familiarity and pleasantness ratings. Additionally, the modulation of social perception (gender-neutral faces and personality attributes) and affective introspection (mood) by male and female chemosignals was assessed. Male and female axillary odors were rated as rather masculine, regardless of the sex of the donor. As opposed to the masculinity bias in the odor perception, a femininity bias modulating social perception appeared. A facilitated femininity detection in gender-neutral faces and personality attributes in male and female chemosignals appeared. No chemosensory effect on mood of the rater was observed. The results are discussed with regards to the use of male and female chemosignals in affective and social communication. PMID:26834656

Competition Field Perceptions of Table-tennis Athletes and their Performance

PubMed Central

Liu, Ying-Chieh; Wang, Ming-Yueh; Hsu, Chi-Yueh

2018-01-01

Abstract The distinction between positive and negative perceptions is fundamental in perception models. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between field perceptions of table tennis players and the outcome (net result) during the matches in a competition. Experimental data were collected from 10 elite table tennis players and analysed. The results addressed the following three competition field perceptions: (1) before the service, the player’s positive perceptions had significant effect on the positive outcome (winning rate) of that service; (2) the perception after the net result of the previous service increased the positive outcome of the next service, and (3) the player’s positive/negative perception during the matches affected the win/loss outcome of that competition. In conclusion, the player’s positive perceptions enhanced their winning rate during table tennis competitions. Therefore, during the training program, coaches need to develop positive perceptions and strengthen the psychological quality of table tennis players. PMID:29599876

Perceiving while acting: action affects perception.

PubMed

Schubö, Anna; Prinz, Wolfgang; Aschersleben, Gisa

2004-08-01

In two experiments we studied how motor responses affect stimulus encoding when stimuli and responses are functionally unrelated and merely overlap in time. Such R-S effects across S-R assignments have been reported by Schubö, Aschersleben, and Prinz (2001), who found that stimulus encoding was affected by concurrent response execution in the sense of a contrast (i.e., emphasizing differences). The present study aimed at elucidating the mechanisms underlying this effect. Experiment 1 studied the time course of the R-S effect. Contrast was only obtained for short intertrial intervals (ITIs). With long ITIs contrast turned into assimilation (i.e., emphasizing similarities). Experiment 2 excluded an interpretation of the assimilation effect in terms of motor repetition. Our findings support the notion of a shared representational domain for perception and action control, and suggest that contrast between stimulus and response codes emerges when two S-R assignments compete with each other in perception. When perceptual competition is over, assimilation emerges in memory.

The effects of alphabet and expertise on letter perception

PubMed Central

Wiley, Robert W.; Wilson, Colin; Rapp, Brenda

2016-01-01

Long-standing questions in human perception concern the nature of the visual features that underlie letter recognition and the extent to which the visual processing of letters is affected by differences in alphabets and levels of viewer expertise. We examined these issues in a novel approach using a same-different judgment task on pairs of letters from the Arabic alphabet with two participant groups—one with no prior exposure to Arabic and one with reading proficiency. Hierarchical clustering and linear mixed-effects modeling of reaction times and accuracy provide evidence that both the specific characteristics of the alphabet and observers’ previous experience with it affect how letters are perceived and visually processed. The findings of this research further our understanding of the multiple factors that affect letter perception and support the view of a visual system that dynamically adjusts its weighting of visual features as expert readers come to more efficiently and effectively discriminate the letters of the specific alphabet they are viewing. PMID:26913778

The Effect of Differences in Day and Night Lighting Distributions on Drivers' Speed Perception.

PubMed

Kim, Jonathan D; Perrone, John A; Isler, Robert B

2017-06-01

Previous research has shown that changes to contrast levels in the visual environment caused by fog can affect drivers' perceptions of speed. It is not easy, however, to extrapolate these results to other driving scenarios in which contrast is affected, such as during nighttime driving, because the measure of contrast is more complex when considering factors such as the illumination provided by headlights. Therefore, we investigated the differences in lighting distribution patterns between day- and nighttime driving on speed perception using prerendered 3D scenarios representing driving on a rural road. A two-alternative forced-choice design based on the method of constant stimuli was utilised, with 32 participants viewing a series of pairs of scenarios (day vs. night driving) from a driver's perspective while indicating for each pair whether the second scenario was faster or slower than the first scenario. Our results indicated that speed discrimination accuracy was minimally affected by changes in lighting distribution patterns between day and night.

Self-determination theory and diminished functioning: the role of interpersonal control and psychological need thwarting.

PubMed

Bartholomew, Kimberley J; Ntoumanis, Nikos; Ryan, Richard M; Bosch, Jos A; Thøgersen-Ntoumani, Cecilie

2011-11-01

Drawing from self-determination theory, three studies explored the social-environmental conditions that satisfy versus thwart psychological needs and, in turn, affect psychological functioning and well-being or ill-being. In cross-sectional Studies 1 and 2, structural equation modeling analyses supported latent factor models in which need satisfaction was predicted by athletes' perceptions of autonomy support, and need thwarting was better predicted by coach control. Athletes' perceptions of need satisfaction predicted positive outcomes associated with sport participation (vitality and positive affect), whereas need thwarting more consistently predicted maladaptive outcomes (disordered eating, burnout, depression, negative affect, and physical symptoms). In addition, athletes' perceptions of psychological need thwarting were significantly associated with perturbed physiological arousal (elevated levels of secretory immunoglobulin A) prior to training. The final study involved the completion of a diary and supported the relations observed in the cross-sectional studies at a daily level. These findings have important implications for the operationalization and measurement of interpersonal styles and psychological needs.

Antecedents of Psychological Contract Breach: The Role of Job Demands, Job Resources, and Affect

PubMed Central

Vantilborgh, Tim; Bidee, Jemima; Pepermans, Roland; Griep, Yannick; Hofmans, Joeri

2016-01-01

While it has been shown that psychological contract breach leads to detrimental outcomes, relatively little is known about factors leading to perceptions of breach. We examine if job demands and resources predict breach perceptions. We argue that perceiving high demands elicits negative affect, while perceiving high resources stimulates positive affect. Positive and negative affect, in turn, influence the likelihood that psychological contract breaches are perceived. We conducted two experience sampling studies to test our hypotheses: the first using daily surveys in a sample of volunteers, the second using weekly surveys in samples of volunteers and paid employees. Our results confirm that job demands and resources are associated with negative and positive affect respectively. Mediation analyses revealed that people who experienced high job resources were less likely to report psychological contract breach, because they experienced high levels of positive affect. The mediating role of negative affect was more complex, as it increased the likelihood to perceive psychological contract breach, but only in the short-term. PMID:27171275

Antecedents of Psychological Contract Breach: The Role of Job Demands, Job Resources, and Affect.

PubMed

Vantilborgh, Tim; Bidee, Jemima; Pepermans, Roland; Griep, Yannick; Hofmans, Joeri

2016-01-01

While it has been shown that psychological contract breach leads to detrimental outcomes, relatively little is known about factors leading to perceptions of breach. We examine if job demands and resources predict breach perceptions. We argue that perceiving high demands elicits negative affect, while perceiving high resources stimulates positive affect. Positive and negative affect, in turn, influence the likelihood that psychological contract breaches are perceived. We conducted two experience sampling studies to test our hypotheses: the first using daily surveys in a sample of volunteers, the second using weekly surveys in samples of volunteers and paid employees. Our results confirm that job demands and resources are associated with negative and positive affect respectively. Mediation analyses revealed that people who experienced high job resources were less likely to report psychological contract breach, because they experienced high levels of positive affect. The mediating role of negative affect was more complex, as it increased the likelihood to perceive psychological contract breach, but only in the short-term.

The prevalence of visual hallucinations in non-affective psychosis, and the role of perception and attention.

PubMed

van Ommen, M M; van Beilen, M; Cornelissen, F W; Smid, H G O M; Knegtering, H; Aleman, A; van Laar, T

2016-06-01

Little is known about visual hallucinations (VH) in psychosis. We investigated the prevalence and the role of bottom-up and top-down processing in VH. The prevailing view is that VH are probably related to altered top-down processing, rather than to distorted bottom-up processing. Conversely, VH in Parkinson's disease are associated with impaired visual perception and attention, as proposed by the Perception and Attention Deficit (PAD) model. Auditory hallucinations (AH) in psychosis, however, are thought to be related to increased attention. Our retrospective database study included 1119 patients with non-affective psychosis and 586 controls. The Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences established the VH rate. Scores on visual perception tests [Degraded Facial Affect Recognition (DFAR), Benton Facial Recognition Task] and attention tests [Response Set-shifting Task, Continuous Performance Test-HQ (CPT-HQ)] were compared between 75 VH patients, 706 non-VH patients and 485 non-VH controls. The lifetime VH rate was 37%. The patient groups performed similarly on cognitive tasks; both groups showed worse perception (DFAR) than controls. Non-VH patients showed worse attention (CPT-HQ) than controls, whereas VH patients did not perform differently. We did not find significant VH-related impairments in bottom-up processing or direct top-down alterations. However, the results suggest a relatively spared attentional performance in VH patients, whereas face perception and processing speed were equally impaired in both patient groups relative to controls. This would match better with the increased attention hypothesis than with the PAD model. Our finding that VH frequently co-occur with AH may support an increased attention-induced 'hallucination proneness'.

Testing whether barriers to a hypothetical screening test affect unrelated perceived benefits and vice versa: A randomised, experimental study.

PubMed

Ghanouni, Alex; Nuttall, Ella; Wardle, Jane; von Wagner, Christian

2017-02-01

Determine whether (fictitious) health screening test benefits affect perceptions of (unrelated) barriers, and barriers affect perceptions of benefits. UK adults were recruited via an online survey panel and randomised to receive a vignette describing a hypothetical screening test with either high or low benefits (higher vs. lower mortality reduction) and high or low barriers (severe vs. mild side-effects; a 2×2 factorial design). ANOVAs compared mean perceived benefits and barriers scores. Screening 'intentions' were compared using Pearson's χ 2 test. Benefits were rated less favourably when barriers were high (mean: 27.4, standard deviation: 5.3) than when they were low (M: 28.5, SD: 4.8; p=0.010, partial η 2 =0.031). Barriers were rated more negatively when benefits were low (M: 17.1, SD: 7.6) than when they were high (M: 15.7, SD: 7.3; p=0.023, partial η 2 =0.024). Most intended to have the test in all conditions (73-81%); except for the low benefit-high barrier condition (37%; p<0.0005; N=218). Perceptions of test attributes may be influenced by unrelated characteristics. Reducing screening test barriers alone may have suboptimal effects on perceptions of barriers if benefits remain low; increasing screening benefits may not improve perceptions of benefits if barriers remain high. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

What’s in a Face? How Face Gender and Current Affect Influence Perceived Emotion

PubMed Central

Harris, Daniel A.; Hayes-Skelton, Sarah A.; Ciaramitaro, Vivian M.

2016-01-01

Faces drive our social interactions. A vast literature suggests an interaction between gender and emotional face perception, with studies using different methodologies demonstrating that the gender of a face can affect how emotions are processed. However, how different is our perception of affective male and female faces? Furthermore, how does our current affective state when viewing faces influence our perceptual biases? We presented participants with a series of faces morphed along an emotional continuum from happy to angry. Participants judged each face morph as either happy or angry. We determined each participant’s unique emotional ‘neutral’ point, defined as the face morph judged to be perceived equally happy and angry, separately for male and female faces. We also assessed how current state affect influenced these perceptual neutral points. Our results indicate that, for both male and female participants, the emotional neutral point for male faces is perceptually biased to be happier than for female faces. This bias suggests that more happiness is required to perceive a male face as emotionally neutral, i.e., we are biased to perceive a male face as more negative. Interestingly, we also find that perceptual biases in perceiving female faces are correlated with current mood, such that positive state affect correlates with perceiving female faces as happier, while we find no significant correlation between negative state affect and the perception of facial emotion. Furthermore, we find reaction time biases, with slower responses for angry male faces compared to angry female faces. PMID:27733839

Emotional face processing and flat affect in schizophrenia: functional and structural neural correlates.

PubMed

Lepage, M; Sergerie, K; Benoit, A; Czechowska, Y; Dickie, E; Armony, J L

2011-09-01

There is a general consensus in the literature that schizophrenia causes difficulties with facial emotion perception and discrimination. Functional brain imaging studies have observed reduced limbic activity during facial emotion perception but few studies have examined the relation to flat affect severity. A total of 26 people with schizophrenia and 26 healthy controls took part in this event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Sad, happy and neutral faces were presented in a pseudo-random order and participants indicated the gender of the face presented. Manual segmentation of the amygdala was performed on a structural T1 image. Both the schizophrenia group and the healthy control group rated the emotional valence of facial expressions similarly. Both groups exhibited increased brain activity during the perception of emotional faces relative to neutral ones in multiple brain regions, including multiple prefrontal regions bilaterally, the right amygdala, right cingulate cortex and cuneus. Group comparisons, however, revealed increased activity in the healthy group in the anterior cingulate, right parahippocampal gyrus and multiple visual areas. In schizophrenia, the severity of flat affect correlated significantly with neural activity in several brain areas including the amygdala and parahippocampal region bilaterally. These results suggest that many of the brain regions involved in emotional face perception, including the amygdala, are equally recruited in both schizophrenia and controls, but flat affect can also moderate activity in some other brain regions, notably in the left amygdala and parahippocampal gyrus bilaterally. There were no significant group differences in the volume of the amygdala.

The Influence of Flankers on Race Categorization of Faces

PubMed Central

Sun, Hsin-Mei; Balas, Benjamin

2012-01-01

Context affects multiple cognitive and perceptual processes. In the present study, we asked how the context of a set of faces affected the perception of a target face’s race in two distinct tasks. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants categorized target faces according to perceived racial category (Black or White). In Experiment 1, the target face was presented alone, or with Black or White flanker faces. The orientation of flanker faces was also manipulated to investigate how face inversion effect interacts with the influences of flanker faces on the target face. The results showed that participants were more likely to categorize the target face as White when it was surrounded by inverted White faces (an assimilation effect). Experiment 2 further examined how different aspects of the visual context affect the perception of the target face by manipulating flanker faces’ shape and pigmentation as well as their orientation. The results showed that flanker faces’ shape and pigmentation affected the perception of the target face differently. While shape elicited a contrast effect, pigmentation appeared to be assimilative. These novel findings suggest that the perceived race of a face is modulated by the appearance of other faces and their distinct shape and pigmentation properties. However, the contrast and assimilation effects elicited by flanker faces’ shape and pigmentation may be specific to race categorization, since the same stimuli used in a delayed matching task (Experiment 3) revealed that flanker pigmentation induced a contrast effect on the perception of target pigmentation. PMID:22825930

Influential sources affecting Bangkok adolescent body image perceptions.

PubMed

Thianthai, Chulanee

2006-01-01

The study of body image-related problems in non-Western countries is still very limited. Thus, this study aims to identify the main influential sources and show how they affect the body image perceptions of Bangkok adolescents. The researcher recruited 400 Thai male and female adolescents in Bangkok, attending high school to freshmen level, ranging from 16-19 years, to participate in this study. Survey questionnaires were distributed to every student and follow-up interviews conducted with 40 students. The findings showed that there are eight main influential sources respectively ranked from the most influential to the least influential: magazines, television, peer group, familial, fashion trend, the opposite gender, self-realization and health knowledge. Similar to those studies conducted in Western countries, more than half of the total percentage was the influence of mass media and peer groups. Bangkok adolescents also internalized Western ideal beauty through these mass media channels. Alike studies conducted in the West, there was similarities in the process of how these influential sources affect Bangkok adolescent body image perception, with the exception of familial source. In conclusion, taking the approach of identifying the main influential sources and understanding how they affect adolescent body image perceptions can help prevent adolescents from having unhealthy views and taking risky measures toward their bodies. More studies conducted in non-Western countries are needed in order to build a cultural sensitive program, catered to the body image problems occurring in adolescents within that particular society.

Trends and correlates of the public's perception of healthcare systems in the European Union: a multilevel analysis of Eurobarometer survey data from 2009 to 2013.

PubMed

AlSaud, AlJohara M; Taddese, Henock B; Filippidis, Filippos T

2018-01-08

The aim of the study is to assess trends in public perceptions of health systems in 27 European Union (EU) member states following the financial crisis (2009-2013), in order to discuss observed changes in the context of the financial crisis. Repeated cross-sectional studies. 27 EU countries. EU citizens aged 15 years and older. The study mainly uses the Eurobarometer Social Climate Survey, conducted annually between 2009 and 2013, thereby analysing 116 706 observations. A multilevel logistic regression was carried out to analyse trends over time and the factors associated with citizens' perceptions of their healthcare systems. Europeans generally exhibit positive perceptions of their national healthcare systems, 64.0% (95% CI 63.6% to 64.4%). However, we observed a significant drop in positive perceptions in the years following the crisis, especially within countries most affected by the crisis. Concerning fiscal characteristics, wealthier countries and those dedicating higher proportion of their national income to health were more likely to maintain positive perceptions. At the individual level, perceptions of healthcare systems were significantly associated with respondents' self-perceptions of their social status, financial capacity and overall satisfaction in life. Our finding confirms previous observations that citizens' perceptions of their healthcare systems may reflect their overall prospects within the broader socioeconomic systems they live in; which have in turn been affected by the financial crisis and the policy measures instituted in response. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Risk perceptions of public health and food safety hazards in poultry husbandry by citizens, poultry farmers and poultry veterinarians.

PubMed

van Asselt, M; Poortvliet, P M; Ekkel, E D; Kemp, B; Stassen, E N

2018-02-01

Differences in risk perceptions of public health and food safety hazards in various poultry husbandry systems by various stakeholder groups, may affect the acceptability of those husbandry systems. Therefore, the objective was to gain insight into risk perceptions of citizens, poultry farmers, and poultry veterinarians regarding food safety and public health hazards in poultry husbandry systems, and into factors explaining these risk perceptions. We surveyed risk perceptions of Campylobacter contamination of broiler meat, avian influenza introduction in laying hens, and altered dioxin levels in eggs for the most commonly used broiler and laying hen husbandry systems in Dutch citizens (n = 2,259), poultry farmers (n = 100), and poultry veterinarians (n = 41). Citizens perceived the risks of the three hazards in the indoor systems higher and in the outdoor systems lower than did the professionals. Citizens reported higher concerns regarding aspects reflecting underlying psychological factors of risk perception compared to professionals. Professionals indicated a relatively low level of personal control, which might imply risk denial. Of the socio-demographic characteristics, gender and childhood residence were associated with risk perceptions. The influence of other factors of risks perception are discussed. It is suggested that risk perceptions of all stakeholder groups are influenced by affect, stigma, and underlying values. To adapt current or new husbandry systems that can count on societal support, views of key stakeholders and multiple aspects such as animal welfare, public health, food safety, and underlying values should be considered integrally. When trade-offs, such as between animal welfare and public health have to be made, insight into underlying values might help to find consensus among stakeholders. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Poultry Science Association.

Risk perceptions of public health and food safety hazards in poultry husbandry by citizens, poultry farmers and poultry veterinarians

PubMed Central

Poortvliet, P M; Ekkel, E D; Kemp, B; Stassen, E N

2018-01-01

Abstract Differences in risk perceptions of public health and food safety hazards in various poultry husbandry systems by various stakeholder groups, may affect the acceptability of those husbandry systems. Therefore, the objective was to gain insight into risk perceptions of citizens, poultry farmers, and poultry veterinarians regarding food safety and public health hazards in poultry husbandry systems, and into factors explaining these risk perceptions. We surveyed risk perceptions of Campylobacter contamination of broiler meat, avian influenza introduction in laying hens, and altered dioxin levels in eggs for the most commonly used broiler and laying hen husbandry systems in Dutch citizens (n = 2,259), poultry farmers (n = 100), and poultry veterinarians (n = 41). Citizens perceived the risks of the three hazards in the indoor systems higher and in the outdoor systems lower than did the professionals. Citizens reported higher concerns regarding aspects reflecting underlying psychological factors of risk perception compared to professionals. Professionals indicated a relatively low level of personal control, which might imply risk denial. Of the socio-demographic characteristics, gender and childhood residence were associated with risk perceptions. The influence of other factors of risks perception are discussed. It is suggested that risk perceptions of all stakeholder groups are influenced by affect, stigma, and underlying values. To adapt current or new husbandry systems that can count on societal support, views of key stakeholders and multiple aspects such as animal welfare, public health, food safety, and underlying values should be considered integrally. When trade-offs, such as between animal welfare and public health have to be made, insight into underlying values might help to find consensus among stakeholders. PMID:29161444

Student Perceptions of Small-Group Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florez, Ida Rose; McCaslin, Mary

2008-01-01

Background/Context: Elementary school teachers regularly arrange students in small groups for learning activities. A rich literature discusses various types of small-group learning formats and how those formats affect achievement. Few studies, however, have examined students' perceptions of small-group learning experiences. Our work extends the…

Evolved Navigation Theory and Horizontal Visual Illusions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Russell E.; Willey, Chela R.

2011-01-01

Environmental perception is prerequisite to most vertebrate behavior and its modern investigation initiated the founding of experimental psychology. Navigation costs may affect environmental perception, such as overestimating distances while encumbered (Solomon, 1949). However, little is known about how this occurs in real-world navigation or how…

Lexical Effects on Second Language Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kemp, Renee Lorraine

2017-01-01

Speech production and perception are inextricably linked systems. Speakers modify their speech in response to listener characteristics, such as age, hearing ability, and language background. Listener-oriented modifications in speech production, commonly referred to as clear speech, have also been found to affect speech perception by enhancing…

A Research Note: Occupational Attainments and Perceptions of Status among Working Wives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Philliber, William W.; Hiller, Dana V.

1979-01-01

Data from six national surveys are combined and analyzed to determine how strongly occupational attainments affect the status perceptions of working wives. The results indicate that the effects are limited to women married to men with middle-class jobs. (Author)

Perceptions and attitude effects on nanotechnology acceptance: an exploratory framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganesh Pillai, Rajani; Bezbaruah, Achintya N.

2017-02-01

Existing literature in people's attitude toward nanotechnology and acceptance of nanotechnology applications has generally investigated the impact of factors at the individual or context levels. While this vast body of research is very informative, a comprehensive understanding of how attitude toward nanotechnology are formed and factors influencing the acceptance of nanotechnology are elusive. This paper proposes an exploratory nanotechnology perception-attitude-acceptance framework (Nano-PAAF) to build a systematic understanding of the phenomenon. The framework proposes that perceptions of risks and benefits of nanotechnology are influenced by cognitive, affective, and sociocultural factors. The sociodemographic factors of consumers and contextual factors mitigate the influence of cognitive, affective, and sociocultural factors on the perception of risks and benefits. The perceived risks and benefits in turn influence people's attitude toward nanotechnology, which then influences acceptance of nanotechnology products. This framework will need further development over time to incorporate emerging knowledge and is expected to be useful for researchers, decision and policy makers, industry, and business entities.

Career stress and female managers' health in Taiwan's hospitals: a multilevel model approach.

PubMed

Chen, Duan-Rung; Lin, Yeh-Yun; Chung, Kuo-Piao

2008-01-01

This study investigates how perception-induced stress (barrier) and social capital (facilitator) affect the health of female managers. On the basis of the responses of 229 valid questionnaires of middle- and high-level female managers in large-scale hospitals, using a multilevel data analysis approach, this study investigates how perception-induced stress and social capital influence self-reported poor health of female managers. Analysis results indicate that all 3 perception-induced stresses (i.e., promotion-related procedural justice, promotion rate, and work-family conflict) and 2 social capital variables (i.e., mentor-assisted promotion and higher ranking mentor in other departments) are significantly associated with the health of female mangers. Factors involving the career success of women also affect their health. Health care organizations expecting to benefit from the long-term contribution of female elites must promote organizational equity and more heavily emphasize flexible work schedules, family-friendly policies, and perception management practices. In addition, adequately designed mentorship practices can greatly benefit female managers.

Understanding consumers' perception of lamb meat using free word association.

PubMed

de Andrade, Juliana Cunha; de Aguiar Sobral, Louise; Ares, Gastón; Deliza, Rosires

2016-07-01

The aims of the present study were to gather information about Brazilian consumers' perception of lamb meat and to study whether the perception is affected by the consumption frequency of this type of meat. A total of 1025 Brazilian consumers completed word association task with lamb meat. The elicited words were analyzed using inductive coding. Participants' associations with lamb meat were mainly related to sensory characteristics and hedonic attitudes and feelings, indicating that they might be the main motivations for consuming this product. Participants strongly associated lamb meat with special consumption occasions, which suggests that lack of perceived appropriateness for everyday consumption situations might be a barrier for increasing lamb meat consumption. Conceptualization of lamb meat was strongly affected by frequency of consumption of this product. Results from the present work provide a comprehensive insight on Brazilian consumers' perception of lamb meat, which can be used to develop strategies to increase its consumption and improve profitability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimal Timing of Heart Transplant After HeartMate II Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation.

PubMed

Steffen, Robert J; Blackstone, Eugene H; Smedira, Nicholas G; Soltesz, Edward G; Hoercher, Katherine J; Thuita, Lucy; Starling, Randall C; Mountis, Maria; Moazami, Nader

2017-11-01

Optimal timing of heart transplantation in patients supported with second-generation left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) is unknown. Despite this, patients with LVADs continue to receive priority on the heart transplant waiting list. Our objective was to determine the optimal timing of transplantation for patients bridged with continuous-flow LVADs. A total of 301 HeartMate II LVADs (Thoratec Corp, Pleasanton, CA) were implanted in 285 patients from October 2004 to June 2013, and 86 patients underwent transplantation through the end of follow-up. Optimal transplantation timing was the product of surviving on LVAD support and surviving transplant. Three-year survival after both HeartMate II implantation and heart transplantation was unchanged when transplantation occurred within 9 months of implantation. Survival decreased as the duration of support exceeded this. Preoperative risk factors for death on HeartMate II support were prior valve operation, prior coronary artery bypass grafting, low albumin, low glomerular filtration rate, higher mean arterial pressure, hypertension, and earlier date of implant. Survival for patients without these risk factors was lowest when transplant was performed within 3 months but was relatively constant with increased duration of support. Longer duration of support was associated with poorer survival for patients with many of these risk factors. Device reimplantation, intracranial hemorrhage, and postimplant dialysis during HeartMate II support were associated with decreased survival. Survival of patients supported by the HeartMate II is affected by preoperative comorbidities and postoperative complications. Transplantation before complications is imperative in optimizing survival. Copyright © 2017 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Visualization of early post-implantation mouse embryogenesis using 3D imaging modality (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Chih-Wei; Le, Henry H.; Li-Villarreal, Nanbing; Piazza, Victor G.; Kalaga, Sowmya; Dickinson, Mary E.

2017-02-01

Hemodynamic force is vital to cardiovascular remodeling in the early post-implantation mouse embryo. Here, we present work using microCT and lightsheet microscopy to establish the critical sequence of developmental events required for forming functional vasculature and circulation in the embryo, yolk sac, and placenta in the context of normal and impaired flow. A flow impaired model, Mlc2a+/- will be used to determine how hemodynamic force affects the specific events during embryonic development and vascular remodeling between the 4 and 29-somite stage using microCT. We have recently established high-resolution methods for the generation of 3D image volumes from the whole embryo within the deciduum (Hsu et al., in revision). This method enables the careful characterization of 3D images of vitelline and umbilical vessel remodeling to define how poor blood flow impacts both vitelline and umbilical vessel remodeling. Novel lightsheet live imaging techniques will be used to determine the consequence of impaired blood flow on yolk sac vasculature remodeling and formation of umbilical vessels using transgenic reporters: Flk-myr::mCherry, Flk1-H2B::YFP, or ɛGlobin-GFP. High-resolution 3D imaging of fixed and ScaleA2-cleared whole mount embryos labeled with Ki67 and Caspase3 will also be performed using lightsheet microscopy to quantify the proliferation and apoptotic indexes of early post-implanted embryos and yolk sac. This multi-modality approach is aimed at revealing further information about the cellular mechanisms required for proper vessel remodeling and the initial stages in placentation during early post-implantation development.

Organizational justice and health: Studying mental preoccupation with work and social support as mediators for lagged and reversed relationships.

PubMed

Eib, Constanze; Bernhard-Oettel, Claudia; Magnusson Hanson, Linda L; Leineweber, Constanze

2018-03-05

Organizational justice perceptions are considered a predictor of health and well-being. To date, empirical evidence about whether organizational justice perceptions predict health or health predicts organizational justice perceptions is mixed. Furthermore, the processes underlying these relationships are largely unknown. In this article, we study whether bidirectional relationships can be explained by 2 different mediation mechanisms. First, based on the allostatic load model, we suggest that the relationships between organizational justice perceptions and different health indicators are mediated through mental preoccupation with work. Second, based on the affective perception and affective reaction assumption, we investigate if the relationships between different health indicators and organizational justice perceptions are mediated by social support at work. Using a large-scale Swedish panel study (N = 3,236), we test the bidirectional mediating relationships between procedural justice perceptions and self-rated health, depressive symptoms, and sickness absence with a cross-lagged design with 3 waves of data. Significant lagged effects from procedural justice to health were found for models predicting depressive symptoms and sickness absence. Mental preoccupation with work was not found to mediate the longitudinal relationship between procedural justice perceptions and indicators of health. Significant lagged effects from health indicators to procedural justice were found for models involving self-rated health, depressive symptoms, and sickness absence. Social support mediated the longitudinal relationships between all 3 health indicators and procedural justice. Results are discussed in light of previous studies and implications for theory and practice are outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Misconceptions and biases in German students' perception of multiple energy sources: implications for science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Roh Pin

2016-04-01

Misconceptions and biases in energy perception could influence people's support for developments integral to the success of restructuring a nation's energy system. Science education, in equipping young adults with the cognitive skills and knowledge necessary to navigate in the confusing energy environment, could play a key role in paving the way for informed decision-making. This study examined German students' knowledge of the contribution of diverse energy sources to their nation's energy mix as well as their affective energy responses so as to identify implications for science education. Specifically, the study investigated whether and to what extent students hold mistaken beliefs about the role of multiple energy sources in their nation's energy mix, and assessed how misconceptions could act as self-generated reference points to underpin support/resistance of proposed developments. An in-depth analysis of spontaneous affective associations with five key energy sources also enabled the identification of underlying concerns driving people's energy responses and facilitated an examination of how affective perception, in acting as a heuristic, could lead to biases in energy judgment and decision-making. Finally, subgroup analysis differentiated by education and gender supported insights into a 'two culture' effect on energy perception and the challenge it poses to science education.

Genomics studies on musical aptitude, music perception, and practice.

PubMed

Järvelä, Irma

2018-03-23

When searching for genetic markers inherited together with musical aptitude, genes affecting inner ear development and brain function were identified. The alpha-synuclein gene (SNCA), located in the most significant linkage region of musical aptitude, was overexpressed when listening and performing music. The GATA-binding protein 2 gene (GATA2) was located in the best associated region of musical aptitude and regulates SNCA in dopaminergic neurons, thus linking DNA- and RNA-based studies of music-related traits together. In addition to SNCA, several other genes were linked to dopamine metabolism. Mutations in SNCA predispose to Lewy-body dementia and cause Parkinson disease in humans and affect song production in songbirds. Several other birdsong genes were found in transcriptome analysis, suggesting a common evolutionary background of sound perception and production in humans and songbirds. Regions of positive selection with musical aptitude contained genes affecting auditory perception, cognitive performance, memory, human language development, and song perception and production of songbirds. The data support the role of dopaminergic pathway and their link to the reward mechanism as a molecular determinant in positive selection of music. Integration of gene-level data from the literature across multiple species prioritized activity-dependent immediate early genes as candidate genes in musical aptitude and listening to and performing music. © 2018 New York Academy of Sciences.

The rise of global warming skepticism: exploring affective image associations in the United States over time.

PubMed

Smith, Nicholas; Leiserowitz, Anthony

2012-06-01

This article explores how affective image associations to global warming have changed over time. Four nationally representative surveys of the American public were conducted between 2002 and 2010 to assess public global warming risk perceptions, policy preferences, and behavior. Affective images (positive or negative feelings and cognitive representations) were collected and content analyzed. The results demonstrate a large increase in "naysayer" associations, indicating extreme skepticism about the issue of climate change. Multiple regression analyses found that holistic affect and "naysayer" associations were more significant predictors of global warming risk perceptions than cultural worldviews or sociodemographic variables, including political party and ideology. The results demonstrate the important role affective imagery plays in judgment and decision-making processes, how these variables change over time, and how global warming is currently perceived by the American public. © 2012 Society for Risk Analysis.

Risky feelings: Why a 6% risk of cancer doesn’t always feel like 6%

PubMed Central

Zikmund-Fisher, Brian J.; Fagerlin, Angela; Ubel, Peter A.

2010-01-01

Objective Emotion plays a strong role in the perception of risk information but is frequently underemphasized in the decision-making and communication literature. We sought to discuss and put into context several lines of research that have explored the links between emotion and risk perceptions, Methods In this article, we provide a focused, “state of the science” review of research revealing the ways that emotion, or affect, influences people’s cancer-related decisions. We identify illustrative experimental research studies that demonstrate the role of affect in people’s estimates of cancer risk, their decisions between different cancer treatments, their perceptions of the chance of cancer recurrence, and their reactions to different methods of presenting risk information. Results These studies show that people have strong affective reactions to cancer risk information and that the way risk information is presented often determines the emotional gist people take away from such communications. Conclusion Cancer researchers, educators and oncologists need to be aware that emotions are often more influential in decision making about cancer treatments and prevention behaviors than factual knowledge is. Practice Implications Anticipating and assessing affective reactions is an essential step in the evaluation and improvement of cancer risk communications. PMID:20739135

The influence of mood on the perception of hearing-loss related quality of life in people with hearing loss and their significant others.

PubMed

Preminger, Jill E; Meeks, Suzanne

2010-04-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate the congruent/incongruent perceptions of hearing-loss related quality of life between members of couples and to determine how incongruence was affected by individual psychosocial characteristics, specifically measures of mood (negative affect and positive affect), stress, and communication in the marriage. An exploratory correlational analysis was performed on data for 52 couples in which only one member had a hearing loss. In the regression analyses the independent variables were hearing-loss related quality of life scores measured in people with hearing loss, measured in significant others, and differences in hearing-loss related quality of life among members of a couple. The results demonstrate that both in people with hearing loss and their significant others, perceptions of hearing-loss related quality of life is highly correlated with negative mood scores. Incongruence in hearing-loss related quality of life scores reported by members of a couple were highly correlated with negative affect measured within each individual. Future research evaluating the effectiveness of audiologic rehabilitation can use measures of mood as an outcome variable.

The development of an arm activity survey for breast cancer survivors using the Protection Motivation Theory.

PubMed

Lee, Teresa S; Kilbreath, Sharon L; Sullivan, Gerard; Refshauge, Kathryn M; Beith, Jane M

2007-05-08

Current research evidence indicates that women should return to normal use of their arm after breast cancer surgery. However, it appears some women continue to hold the view that they are supposed to protect their arm from strenuous activities because of the risk of lymphoedema. Many factors contribute to women's perceptions about lymphoedema and their ability to use their affected arm, and it is the aim of this study to explore and understand these perceptions. A survey, based on the Protection Motivation Theory, has been developed and tested. The survey assesses whether subjective norms, fear and/or coping attributes predict women's intention to use their affected arm. In addition, the survey includes questions regarding cancer treatment and demographic characteristics, arm and chest symptoms, and arm function. Recruitment of 170 breast cancer survivors has begun at 3 cancer treatment sites in Sydney, Australia. This study will identify perceptions that help predict the extent women use their affected arm. The results will also determine whether upper limb impairments arise secondary to over-protection of the affected arm. Identification of factors that limit arm use will enable appropriate prevention and better provision of treatment to improve upper limb outcomes.

Risky feelings: why a 6% risk of cancer does not always feel like 6%.

PubMed

Zikmund-Fisher, Brian J; Fagerlin, Angela; Ubel, Peter A

2010-12-01

Emotion plays a strong role in the perception of risk information but is frequently underemphasized in the decision-making and communication literature. We sought to discuss and put into context several lines of research that have explored the links between emotion and risk perceptions. In this article, we provide a focused, "state of the science" review of research revealing the ways that emotion, or affect, influences people's cancer-related decisions. We identify illustrative experimental research studies that demonstrate the role of affect in people's estimates of cancer risk, their decisions between different cancer treatments, their perceptions of the chance of cancer recurrence, and their reactions to different methods of presenting risk information. These studies show that people have strong affective reactions to cancer risk information and that the way risk information is presented often determines the emotional gist people take away from such communications. Cancer researchers, educators and oncologists need to be aware that emotions are often more influential in decision making about cancer treatments and prevention behaviors than factual knowledge is. Anticipating and assessing affective reactions is an essential step in the evaluation and improvement of cancer risk communications. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Product design enhancement using apparent usability and affective quality.

PubMed

Seva, Rosemary R; Gosiaco, Katherine Grace T; Santos, Ma Crea Eurice D; Pangilinan, Denise Mae L

2011-03-01

In this study, apparent usability and affective quality were integrated in a design framework called the Usability Perception and Emotion Enhancement Model (UPEEM). The UPEEM was validated using structural equation modeling (SEM). The methodology consists of four phases namely product selection, attribute identification, design alternative generation, and design alternative evaluation. The first stage involved the selection of a product that highly involves the consumer. In the attribute identification stage, design elements of the product were identified. The possible values of these elements were also determined for use in the experimentation process. Design of experiments was used to identify how the attributes will be varied in the design alternative stage and which of the attributes significantly contribute to affective quality, apparent usability, and desirability in the design evaluation stage. Results suggest that product attributes related to form are relevant in eliciting intense affect and perception of usability in mobile phones especially those directly related to functionality and aesthetics. This study considered only four product attributes among so many due to the constraints of the research design employed. Attributes related to aesthetic perception of a product enhance apparent usability such as those related to dimensional ratios. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

EFFECTS OF SENSORI-MOTOR LEARNING ON MELODY PROCESSING ACROSS DEVELOPMENT

PubMed Central

WAKEFIELD, Elizabeth M.; JAMES, Karin H.

2014-01-01

Actions influence perceptions, but how this occurs may change across the lifespan. Studies have investigated how object-directed actions (e.g., learning about objects through manipulation) affect subsequent perception, but how abstract actions affect perception, and how this may change across development, have not been well studied. In the present study, we address this question, teaching children (4–7 year-olds) and adults sung melodies, with or without an abstract motor component, and using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to determine how these melodies are subsequently processed. Results demonstrated developmental change in the motor cortices and Middle Temporal Gyrus. Results have implications for understanding sensori-motor integration in the developing brain, and may provide insight into motor learning use in some music education techniques. PMID:25653926

Comparison of gender and victim response to violence in popular movies.

PubMed

Firman, D M

1991-01-01

The overwhelming statistics of crime against women affect their perceptions and quality of life. The media have a significant effect on both perceptions and behavior. The manner, therefore, in which fictional victims are portrayed could affect perceptions of control in real-life women fearing victimization and in their potential assailants. Popular crime-drama movies and the difference between male and female behaviors were examined in this pilot study. A total of 65 responses were evaluated from a random sample of film videos. Active attempts to gain control were exhibited by 81% of the male responses, whereas only 17% of the women did so, chi 2 (1, N = 65) = 28.99, p less than .001. The relationship of results and myths concerning women as victims is discussed.

Preadapting to Weightlessness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reschke, M. F.; Parker, D. E.; Arrott, A. P.

1986-01-01

Report discusses physiological and physical concepts of proposed training system to precondition astronauts to weightless environment. System prevents motion sickness, often experienced during early part of orbital flight. Also helps prevent seasickness and other forms of terrestrial motion sickness, often experienced during early part of orbital flight. Training affects subject's perception of inner-ear signals, visual signals, and kinesthetic motion perception. Changed perception resembles that of astronauts who spent many days in space and adapted to weightlessness.

Understanding shame in adults: retrospective perceptions of parental-bonding during childhood.

PubMed

Lutwak, N; Ferrari, J R

1997-10-01

The association between perceptions of parental-bonding style during childhood and moral affect of shame at young adulthood were examined with 264 women and 140 men (mean age [+/- SD] = 20.4 +/- 1.6 years old). Shame affect was significantly positively related to fear of negative evaluation by others and social avoidance, and negatively related to recalled parental care in one's childhood. Multiple regression analyses indicated that maternal protectiveness, paternal care, fear of negative social evaluation, and social avoidance were significant predictors of shame, explaining 41% of the variance. Results support object relations theory, which states that shame is a moral affect associated with social evaluation apprehension and may have developmental implications for one's parental relations.

Workshop V: Cultural Perception and Bias/Science Practice and Ethics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuan, Kwek Leong; Lin, Jauyn Grace; Pierron-Bohnes, Veronique; Dawson, Silvina Ponce

2015-12-01

Despite the objectivity of science, the local work environment affects the daily activities of scientists. Differences in cultural perception can affect female scientists in the workplace directly. The pressure currently exerted on researchers, on the other hand, is altering how science is practiced and seems to affect women and men differently. In this paper we summarize the discussions that took place on this topic in Workshop V of the 5th IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics. We present some of the results of the 2010 Global Survey of Physicists analyzed by region and data from France and Taiwan. We also include the recommendations that were formulated at the end of the workshop.

Community characteristics as predictors of perceived HMO quality.

PubMed

Ahern, M M; Hendryx, M S

1998-06-01

We model the impact of community characteristics on people's perceptions of the quality of their health care experiences in HMOs. We focus on three community characteristics: sense of community, population density, and population diversity. Sense of community refers to people's perception of interconnection, shared responsibility, and common goals. Population density and population diversity are community characteristics that affect transactions costs in terms of time and energy, and affect people's perceptions of their community. We use data from a 1993 Florida poll to estimate the relationship between HMO members' perceptions of problems with health care experiences (cost, choice, access, satisfaction) and community characteristics. We find that all three community variables are significantly associated with perceptions of health care problems. We also find that effects of community variables operate differently for those in HMOs vs. those under traditional insurance. This study is consistent with research showing that community characteristics impact the health status of community institutions. Results suggest that providers may be able to improve care by being more responsive to individuals' need for community, that providers and communities can mutually gain by collaborating to improve community health, and that it may be cost-beneficial to factor community issues more strongly into health care policy.

Motor-sensory confluence in tactile perception.

PubMed

Saig, Avraham; Gordon, Goren; Assa, Eldad; Arieli, Amos; Ahissar, Ehud

2012-10-03

Perception involves motor control of sensory organs. However, the dynamics underlying emergence of perception from motor-sensory interactions are not yet known. Two extreme possibilities are as follows: (1) motor and sensory signals interact within an open-loop scheme in which motor signals determine sensory sampling but are not affected by sensory processing and (2) motor and sensory signals are affected by each other within a closed-loop scheme. We studied the scheme of motor-sensory interactions in humans using a novel object localization task that enabled monitoring the relevant overt motor and sensory variables. We found that motor variables were dynamically controlled within each perceptual trial, such that they gradually converged to steady values. Training on this task resulted in improvement in perceptual acuity, which was achieved solely by changes in motor variables, without any change in the acuity of sensory readout. The within-trial dynamics is captured by a hierarchical closed-loop model in which lower loops actively maintain constant sensory coding, and higher loops maintain constant sensory update flow. These findings demonstrate interchangeability of motor and sensory variables in perception, motor convergence during perception, and a consistent hierarchical closed-loop perceptual model.

The Effect of Social Trust on Citizens’ Health Risk Perception in the Context of a Petrochemical Industrial Complex

PubMed Central

López-Navarro, Miguel Ángel; Llorens-Monzonís, Jaume; Tortosa-Edo, Vicente

2013-01-01

Perceived risk of environmental threats often translates into psychological stress with a wide range of effects on health and well-being. Petrochemical industrial complexes constitute one of the sites that can cause considerable pollution and health problems. The uncertainty around emissions results in a perception of risk for citizens residing in neighboring areas, which translates into anxiety and physiological stress. In this context, social trust is a key factor in managing the perceived risk. In the case of industrial risks, it is essential to distinguish between trust in the companies that make up the industry, and trust in public institutions. In the context of a petrochemical industrial complex located in the port of Castellón (Spain), this paper primarily discusses how trust—both in the companies located in the petrochemical complex and in the public institutions—affects citizens’ health risk perception. The research findings confirm that while the trust in companies negatively affects citizens’ health risk perception, trust in public institutions does not exert a direct and significant effect. Analysis also revealed that trust in public institutions and health risk perception are essentially linked indirectly (through trust in companies). PMID:23337129

Difference in perception of angular displacement according to applied waveforms.

PubMed

Kushiro, Keisuke; Goto, Fumiyuki

2013-05-01

This study shows that the differences in the waveforms of angular rotation affect the perception and memory of angular displacement. During daily life, when we turn our head during various activities, our brain calculates how much angular displacement our head has undergone. However, how we obtain an accurate estimation of this angular displacement remains unclarified. This study aims to clarify this issue by investigating the perception and memory of passive rotation for three different waveforms of angular velocity rotation (sinusoidal (sine), triangle, and step). Thirteen healthy young subjects sitting on a servo-controlled chair were passively rotated at 60° or 120° about the earth-vertical axis by using one of these three angular velocity waveforms. They then attempted to reproduce the rotation angle by rotating the chair in the same direction in which they had been passively rotated using a handheld controller. The gain (reproduced angle/passively rotated angle) was calculated and used for the evaluation of the perception and memory of angular rotation. The gain for step rotation was larger than that for sine and triangle rotations, with statistical significance. This confirms that the difference in the waveforms of angular rotation affects the perception and memory of angular displacement.

Professors' Facebook content affects students' perceptions and expectations.

PubMed

Sleigh, Merry J; Smith, Aimee W; Laboe, Jason

2013-07-01

Abstract Facebook users must make choices about level of self-disclosure, and this self-disclosure can influence perceptions of the profile's author. We examined whether the specific type of self-disclosure on a professor's profile would affect students' perceptions of the professor and expectations of his classroom. We created six Facebook profiles for a fictitious male professor, each with a specific emphasis: politically conservative, politically liberal, religious, family oriented, socially oriented, or professional. Undergraduate students randomly viewed one profile and responded to questions that assessed their perceptions and expectations. The social professor was perceived as less skilled but more popular, while his profile was perceived as inappropriate and entertaining. Students reacted more strongly and negatively to the politically focused profiles in comparison to the religious, family, and professional profiles. Students reported being most interested in professional information on a professor's Facebook profile, yet they reported being least influenced by the professional profile. In general, students expressed neutrality about their interest in finding and friending professors on Facebook. These findings suggest that students have the potential to form perceptions about the classroom environment and about their professors based on the specific details disclosed in professors' Facebook profiles.

Perceptions of nonshared childhood environment in bulimia nervosa.

PubMed

Wonderlich, S; Ukestad, L; Perzacki, R

1994-06-01

The aim of this research was to identify perceptions of nonshared childhood environmental factors associated with bulimia nervosa and the comorbid personality traits associated with this disorder. Twenty-nine individuals with bulimia nervosa and 27 normal controls compared themselves to a sibling on a measure specifically designed to assess perceptions of nonshared environmental factors in parental, peer, and sibling relationships. Also, bulimic individuals' primary clinicians completed a series of ratings for each of the DSM-III personality disorders. Bulimic individuals were more likely than controls to rate their fathers as showing less affection and more control toward them than toward their sibling. Among bulimic individuals, borderline personality disorder ratings were associated with the perception that both mother and father showed less affection toward the bulimic individual than toward her sibling. Avoidant and depressive personality ratings were associated with perceptions of unique experiences with peers. These data provide preliminary evidence suggesting that the paternal relationship may be a source of nonshared environmental experience associated with bulimia nervosa. Borderline personality disorder among bulimics appears related to more pervasive within-family experiences across both the maternal and paternal relationship, while depressive and avoidant personality seems related to unique peer experiences.

Anticipating the perceived risk of nanotechnologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satterfield, Terre; Kandlikar, Milind; Beaudrie, Christian E. H.; Conti, Joseph; Herr Harthorn, Barbara

2009-11-01

Understanding emerging trends in public perceptions of nanomaterials is critically important for those who regulate risks. A number of surveys have explored public perceptions of their risks and benefits. In this paper we meta-analyse these surveys to assess the extent to which the following four hypotheses derived from previous studies of new technologies might be said to be valid for nanotechnologies: risk aversion will prevail over benefit appreciation; an increase in knowledge will not result in reduced aversion to risks; judgements will be malleable and subject to persuasion given risk-centric information; and contextual, psychometric and attitudinal predictors of perceived risk from prior studies can help anticipate future perceptions of nanotechnologies. We find that half the public has at least some familiarity with nanotechnology, and those who perceive greater benefits outnumber those who perceive greater risks by 3 to 1. However, a large minority of those surveyed (44%) is unsure, suggesting that risk judgements are highly malleable. Nanotechnology risk perceptions also appear to contradict some long-standing findings. In particular, unfamiliarity with nanotechnology is, contrary to expectations, not strongly associated with risk aversion and reduced `knowledge deficits' are correlated with positive perceptions in this early and controversy-free period. Psychometric variables, trust and affect continue to drive risk perceptions in this new context, although the influence of both trust and affect is mediated, even reversed, by demographic and cultural variables. Given the potential malleability of perceptions, novel methods for understanding future public responses to nanotechnologies will need to be developed.

Subjective perception of safety in healthy individuals working with 7 T MRI scanners: a retrospective multicenter survey.

PubMed

Fatahi, Mahsa; Demenescu, Liliana Ramona; Speck, Oliver

2016-06-01

To retrospectively assess perception of safety of healthy individuals working with human 7 Tesla (T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners. A total of 66 healthy individuals with a mean age of 31 ± 7 years participated in this retrospective multicentre survey study. Nonparametric correlation analysis was conducted to evaluate the relation between self-reported perception of safety and prevalence of sensory effects while working with 7 T MRI scanners for an average 47 months. The results indicated that 98.5 % of the study participants had a neutral or positive feeling about safety aspects at 7 T MRI scanners. 45.5 % reported that they feel very safe and none of the participants stated that they feel moderately or very unsafe while working with 7 T MRI scanners. Perception of safety was not affected by the number of hours per week spent in the vicinity of the 7 T MRI scanner or the duration of experience with 7 T MRI. More than 50 % of individuals experienced vertigo and metallic taste while working with 7 T MRI scanners. However, participants' perceptions of safety were not affected by the prevalence of MR-related symptoms. The overall data indicated an average perception of a moderately safe work environment. To our knowledge, this study delineates the first attempt to assess the subjective safety perception among 7 T MRI workers and suggests further investigations are indicated.

British Students' Perceptions of Ethical Issues in International Marketing: An Empirical Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amin, Sammy G.

1996-01-01

A survey investigated 122 British business students' perceptions of ethics in international marketing practices, particularly as they are affected by demographic characteristics. In response to 12 specific scenarios, students indicated relatively liberal attitudes. Implications for global marketing specialists and for business education are…

Who's Really Struggling?: Middle School Teachers' Perceptions of Struggling Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moreau, Leah K.

2014-01-01

This study explored middle school teachers' perceptions of struggling readers, including influences such as: understandings of components and factors relating to reading difficulties; views of struggling readers' behaviours and affect; classroom implications of their difficulties; and feelings of both competency and responsibility in the teaching…

Age Trends in the Perception of Verbal Reinforcers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solomon, Daniel; Ali, Faizunisa A.

1972-01-01

Major findings of this study are that (a) there is an increasing tendency, with increasing age, to make differential use of different communication channels according to the aspect of meaning considered, and (b) the relative importance of intonation to perceptions of affective meaning increases with age. (Authors)

An Insight into Student Perceptions of Cyberbullying

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seo, Kay Kyeong-Ju; Tunningley, Joan; Warner, Zachary; Buening, Jonathan

2016-01-01

Cyberbullying is a major public concern due to its physical, emotional, and psychological impact affecting both victims and perpetrators. This study analyzed existing survey results from seventh- and eighth-grade students at a school in the midwestern United States to investigate possible similarities and differences in perceptions of…

Teacher Educators' Perceptions and Practices Pertaining to Multicultural Teacher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burcalow, Janet V.

This study focuses on three questions: (1) What are the perceptions of teacher educators regarding five education approaches titled: "Educational Equality,""Cultural Understanding,""Individual Development,""Power Parity," and "Bilingual/Bicultural Education"? (2) Do variables such as age, race, gender, or professional responsibilities affect the…

The role of imagination in experiencing natural environments

Treesearch

Herbert Schroeder

2010-01-01

The experience of natural environments and places is multifaceted, involving psychological functions such as perception, cognition, memory, emotion, and imagination. Environmental perception and cognition were key topics in early research in environmental psychology. More recently, attention has also been directed to affective dimensions of environmental experience,...

Bridges and Barriers: Adolescent Perceptions of Student-Teacher Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McHugh, Rebecca Munnell; Horner, Christy Galletta; Colditz, Jason B.; Wallace, Tanner LeBaron

2013-01-01

In urban secondary schools where underpreparation and dropping out are real world concerns, students understand that their relationships with teachers affect their learning. Using descriptive coding and thematic analysis of focus group data, we explore adolescents' perceptions of the "bridges" that foster and the "barriers"…

Convergent and Discriminant Validation of Self-Perceptions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soares, Louise M.; Soares, Anthony T.

In order to dimensionalize further the construct of self concept through within-network nomological research, nine different self-scales descriptive of academic settings were administered to students in grades 1-12, their peers, and their teachers. The subjects were administered the Affective Perception Inventory (API), which measures nine…

Physical Attractiveness, Opportunity, and Success in Everyday Exchange.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mulford, Matthew; Orbell, John; Shatto, Catherine; Stockard, Jean

1998-01-01

Addresses the role of perceived physical attractiveness in everyday exchange. Indicates that decisions to enter into play and to cooperate with others is directly related to individuals' perceptions of others' attractiveness, but that individuals' perceptions of their own attractiveness affects men's and women's decisions differently. Suggests…

Memory for sound, with an ear toward hearing in complex auditory scenes.

PubMed

Snyder, Joel S; Gregg, Melissa K

2011-10-01

An area of research that has experienced recent growth is the study of memory during perception of simple and complex auditory scenes. These studies have provided important information about how well auditory objects are encoded in memory and how well listeners can notice changes in auditory scenes. These are significant developments because they present an opportunity to better understand how we hear in realistic situations, how higher-level aspects of hearing such as semantics and prior exposure affect perception, and the similarities and differences between auditory perception and perception in other modalities, such as vision and touch. The research also poses exciting challenges for behavioral and neural models of how auditory perception and memory work.

The Influence of a Model's Reinforcement Contingency and Affective Response on Children's Perceptions of the Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thelen, Mark H.; And Others

1977-01-01

Assesses the influence of model consequences on perceived model affect and, conversely, assesses the influence of model affect on perceived model consequences. Also appraises the influence of model consequences and model affect on perceived model attractiveness, perceived model competence, and perceived task attractiveness. (Author/RK)

Embodied affectivity: on moving and being moved

PubMed Central

Fuchs, Thomas; Koch, Sabine C.

2014-01-01

There is a growing body of research indicating that bodily sensation and behavior strongly influences one's emotional reaction toward certain situations or objects. On this background, a framework model of embodied affectivity1 is suggested: we regard emotions as resulting from the circular interaction between affective qualities or affordances in the environment and the subject's bodily resonance, be it in the form of sensations, postures, expressive movements or movement tendencies. Motion and emotion are thus intrinsically connected: one is moved by movement (perception; impression; affection2) and moved to move (action; expression; e-motion). Through its resonance, the body functions as a medium of emotional perception: it colors or charges self-experience and the environment with affective valences while it remains itself in the background of one's own awareness. This model is then applied to emotional social understanding or interaffectivity which is regarded as an intertwinement of two cycles of embodied affectivity, thus continuously modifying each partner's affective affordances and bodily resonance. We conclude with considerations of how embodied affectivity is altered in psychopathology and can be addressed in psychotherapy of the embodied self. PMID:24936191

The role of the affect and availability heuristics in risk communication.

PubMed

Keller, Carmen; Siegrist, Michael; Gutscher, Heinz

2006-06-01

Results of past research suggest that affect plays an important role in risk perception. Because affect may also increase the availability of risks, affect and availability are closely related concepts. Three studies tested the hypothesis that evoking negative affect (fear), either through past experience or through experimental manipulation, results in greater perceived risk. The present research focused on perception of flooding risk. Study 1 and Study 2 showed that participants who received risk information concerning a longer time period (e.g., 30 years) perceived more danger compared with participants who received risk information for one year. Study 2 showed that the interpretation of risk information was influenced by participants' own experiences with flooding. In Study 3, affect was experimentally manipulated. After looking at photographs depicting houses in a flooded region, participants perceived greater risk compared with participants in a control group. Taken together, the results of these three studies suggest that affect is important for successful risk communication. Results of the present research are in line with the affect heuristic proposed by Slovic and colleagues.

Integration of visual and motion cues for simulator requirements and ride quality investigation. [computerized simulation of aircraft landing, visual perception of aircraft pilots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, L. R.

1975-01-01

Preliminary tests and evaluation are presented of pilot performance during landing (flight paths) using computer generated images (video tapes). Psychophysiological factors affecting pilot visual perception were measured. A turning flight maneuver (pitch and roll) was specifically studied using a training device, and the scaling laws involved were determined. Also presented are medical studies (abstracts) on human response to gravity variations without visual cues, acceleration stimuli effects on the semicircular canals, and neurons affecting eye movements, and vestibular tests.

The effect of mathematics games to the student perception of mathematics subject: A case study in Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Kuda, Klang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdul Hadi, Normi; Mohd Noor, Norlenda; Abd Halim, Suhaila; Alwadood, Zuraida; Khairol Azmi, Nurul Nisa'

2013-04-01

Mathematics is a basic subject in primary and secondary schools. Early exposure to mathematics is very important since it will affect the student perception towards this subject for their entire life. Therefore, a program called 'Mini Hari Matematik' was conducted to expose the basic mathematics concept through some games which fit the knowledge of Standard four and five students. A questionnaire regarding student perception towards this subject was distributed before and after the program. From the analysis, the program has positively changed the student's perception towards mathematics.

Cross-Cultural Differences in the Processing of Non-Verbal Affective Vocalizations by Japanese and Canadian Listeners

PubMed Central

Koeda, Michihiko; Belin, Pascal; Hama, Tomoko; Masuda, Tadashi; Matsuura, Masato; Okubo, Yoshiro

2013-01-01

The Montreal Affective Voices (MAVs) consist of a database of non-verbal affect bursts portrayed by Canadian actors, and high recognitions accuracies were observed in Canadian listeners. Whether listeners from other cultures would be as accurate is unclear. We tested for cross-cultural differences in perception of the MAVs: Japanese listeners were asked to rate the MAVs on several affective dimensions and ratings were compared to those obtained by Canadian listeners. Significant Group × Emotion interactions were observed for ratings of Intensity, Valence, and Arousal. Whereas Intensity and Valence ratings did not differ across cultural groups for sad and happy vocalizations, they were significantly less intense and less negative in Japanese listeners for angry, disgusted, and fearful vocalizations. Similarly, pleased vocalizations were rated as less intense and less positive by Japanese listeners. These results demonstrate important cross-cultural differences in affective perception not just of non-verbal vocalizations expressing positive affect (Sauter et al., 2010), but also of vocalizations expressing basic negative emotions. PMID:23516137

Cross-cultural differences in the processing of non-verbal affective vocalizations by Japanese and canadian listeners.

PubMed

Koeda, Michihiko; Belin, Pascal; Hama, Tomoko; Masuda, Tadashi; Matsuura, Masato; Okubo, Yoshiro

2013-01-01

The Montreal Affective Voices (MAVs) consist of a database of non-verbal affect bursts portrayed by Canadian actors, and high recognitions accuracies were observed in Canadian listeners. Whether listeners from other cultures would be as accurate is unclear. We tested for cross-cultural differences in perception of the MAVs: Japanese listeners were asked to rate the MAVs on several affective dimensions and ratings were compared to those obtained by Canadian listeners. Significant Group × Emotion interactions were observed for ratings of Intensity, Valence, and Arousal. Whereas Intensity and Valence ratings did not differ across cultural groups for sad and happy vocalizations, they were significantly less intense and less negative in Japanese listeners for angry, disgusted, and fearful vocalizations. Similarly, pleased vocalizations were rated as less intense and less positive by Japanese listeners. These results demonstrate important cross-cultural differences in affective perception not just of non-verbal vocalizations expressing positive affect (Sauter et al., 2010), but also of vocalizations expressing basic negative emotions.

Effect of patient socioeconomic status on perceptions of first- and second-year medical students

PubMed Central

Woo, James K.H.; Ghorayeb, Sahar H.; Lee, Cheong K.; Sangha, Harpreet; Richter, Suzanne

2004-01-01

Background Physician decision-making and perceptions of patients are affected by a patient's socioeconomic status (SES). We sought to determine if the perceptions of first- and second-year medical students are similarly affected. We also wanted to determine whether a student's own SES affects his or her perceptions of patients from a low or high SES background. Methods Two similar videos of a physician–patient interview were created. One video featured a patient of apparently high SES and the other featured a patient of apparently low SES. Differences in SES were portrayed by means of clothing, accessories and dialogue. First- and second-year medical students at the University of Western Ontario were recruited to view 1 of the videos and to answer a questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale. Results Responses were obtained from 205 (89%) of the 231 medical students invited to participate. Respondents' perceptions of the low SES and high SES patients were significantly different in the following respects. The low SES patient was perceived to be less compliant in taking medications and less likely to return for follow-up visits; was perceived to have a lower level of social support, poorer overall health and a worse prognosis; and was perceived to be more adversely affected in his occupational duties by illness (p < 0.05). Furthermore, second-year students who watched the video with the low SES patient were less inclined to want that patient in their practice than second-year students who watched the video with the high SES patient (p = 0.032). One hundred and six students (52%) were categorized as having high SES and 37 (18%) as having low SES (the remaining students were categorized as having mid-level SES). Among students who watched the video with the low SES patient, the level of agreement with the statement “This person is the kind of patient I would like to have in my practice” was greater among low SES students than among high SES students (p = 0.012). Interpretation First- and second-year medical students have negative perceptions of low SES patients on several dimensions. PMID:15210639

A comparison of the anticipated benefits and received outcomes of pediatric cochlear implantation: parental perspectives.

PubMed

Hyde, Merv; Punch, Renée; Komesaroff, Linda

2010-01-01

Findings of a study that investigated parents' expectations and experiences of their children's outcomes with cochlear implants are presented. A survey completed by 247 parents whose children had received implants in eastern Australia compared parents' reports of their preimplant expectations with their experiences of postimplant outcomes on several items related to communication, academic, and psychosocial domains. Quantitative findings derived from the survey data were extended and elaborated on by qualitative findings from interviews with 27 of the parents. The findings indicated that parents' relatively high expectations of their children's outcomes largely had been met, although a tenth of survey respondents reported that their expectations had not been met. It appeared that professionals generally provided parents with realistic expectations. The qualitative findings revealed a complex interaction among parents' expectations, hopes, and determination that their children would do well with the implant. Implications for professionals are discussed.

Animal Model Development for the Penn State Pediatric Ventricular Assist Device

PubMed Central

Carney, Elizabeth L.; Clark, J. Brian; Myers, John L.; Peterson, Rebecca; Wilson, Ronald P.; Weiss, William J.

2009-01-01

In March 2004, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) awarded five contracts to develop devices providing circulatory support for infants and small children with congenital and acquired cardiac disease. Since 2004, the team at Penn State College of Medicine has developed a pneumatically-actuated ventricular assist device (VAD) with mechanical tilting disk valves. To date, hemodynamic performance, thrombogenesis, and hemolysis have been chronically evaluated in 16 animals, including 4 pygmy goats and 12 sheep. Major complications, mainly respiratory failure, have been encountered and resolved by a multi-disciplinary team. Multi-modal analgesia, appropriate antibiotic therapy, and attentive animal care have contributed to successful outcomes. Time after implant has ranged from 0–40 days. Most recently, a sheep implanted with Version 3 Infant VAD was electively terminated at 35 days post-implant, with no major adverse events. This report describes a successful in vivo model for evaluating a pediatric VAD. PMID:19849686

Business Services' Impact on Student Retention: Exploring Student and Administrator Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hassabis, Haris

2014-01-01

High student attrition rates for first-year university students affect the financial and long-term sustainability of institutions. Previous researchers failed to provide workable solutions to improving student retention. This study was an exploration of students' and administrators' perceptions of business services and their potential impact on…

Effects of Text Messaging on College Students' Perceptions of Personal Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudson, Heather K.; Bliss, Kadi R.; Fetro, Joyce V.

2012-01-01

Four focus groups of undergraduate students (n = 32) were conducted to elicit perceptions regarding how text messaging affects personal health. Participant responses were coded and themed into five health dimensions: physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual. Results of focus groups showed several main themes linked each dimension of…

Barriers Affecting Physical Activity in Rural Communities: Perceptions of Parents and Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McWhinney, Sharon; McDonald, Andrea; Dawkins-Moultin, Lenna; Outley, Corliss; McKyer, E. Lisako; Thomas, Audrene

2011-01-01

A comprehensive understanding of the barriers inhibiting physical activity among children is critical in the fight against childhood obesity. This qualitative interview study examined parents' and children's perceptions of the barriers to physical activity in rural communities of low socioeconomic status. Parents and children concurred that the…

Plain Language in Environmental Policy Documents: An Assessment of Reader Comprehension and Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Natasha; McDavid, Justin; Derthick, Katie; Dowell, Randy; Spyridakis, Jan

2012-01-01

Several government agencies are seeking quality improvement in environmental policy documents by asking for the implementation of Plain Language (PL) guidelines. Our mixed-methods research examines whether the application of certain PL guidelines affects the comprehension and perceptions of readers of environmental policy documents. Results show…

Developing Academic Self-Efficacy: Strategies to Support Gifted Elementary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merriman, Lauren

2012-01-01

Self-efficacy is the belief in one's capacity to perform and accomplish goals. Specifically, academic self-efficacy refers to a student's perception of their ability to engage and successfully complete academic tasks. Self-efficacy affects students' behavioral choices, motivation, thought patterns and responses, perception of control, and…

An FMRI Study of Olfactory Cues to Perception of Conspecific Stress

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

modulate recognition of fear in ambiguous facial expressions. Psychol Sci 20: 177-183. 23. Pause BM, Ohrt A, Prehn A, Ferstl R (2004) Positive...emotional priming of facial affect perception in females is diminished by chemosensory anxiety signals. Chem Senses 29: 797-805. 24. Prehn A, Ohrt A

Teacher Perceptions of an Online Tutoring Program for Elementary Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whetstone, Patti; Clark, Amy; Flake, Mari Wheeler

2014-01-01

This study explores elementary teacher perceptions related to the implementation of an online tutoring program. Teachers were surveyed regarding factors that affected use of the online tutoring program as a supplement to mathematics instruction. Results indicated that teachers overwhelmingly reported positive views of the training and support…

Adult Literacy Education Program Administrators' Perceptions of Occupational Stress and Coping Mechanisms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engelmann, Stephanie

2014-01-01

Job performance may be adversely affected by stress. Job stress is a primary contributor to serious physical and emotional health consequences. This quantitative study examined adult literacy program administrator perceptions of occupational stress and coping mechanisms related to job satisfaction, job efficacy, career longevity, and overall…

Why Lunch Matters: Assessing Physicians' Perceptions about Industry Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fugh-Berman; Adriane J.; Scialli, Anthony R.; Bell, Alicia M.

2010-01-01

Many studies have shown that pharmaceutical marketing affects prescribing choices. Studies that have assessed the effects of educational interventions on perceptions of pharmaceutical promotion have found mixed results. This study assesses the short-term effects of an educational intervention about marketing tactics on the attitudes and fund of…

Singer Perceptions of Collegiate Mid-Level Choral Experiences: A Descriptive Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Major, Marci L.; Dakon, Jacob M.

2016-01-01

In this descriptive study, researchers surveyed choristers (N = 630) from 16 mid-level collegiate choirs nationwide to investigate their perceptions and behaviors as they related to the strategies used by directors to facilitate ensemble identity. Also investigated were the factors affecting choristers' dedication to choir and their intentions…

Teacher Perceptions of the Use of a Public-Private Partnership for School Facility Provision

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bradley-Levine, Jill

2008-01-01

This article considers how the private finance initiative, a contract for infrastructure, affected teachers' perceptions of efficacy, job satisfaction, and morale at an urban secondary school in the United Kingdom. Qualitative data collection techniques, including unstructured observation and semistructured personal interviews, were utilized to…

Student Perceptions of Their Doctoral Programs: Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moffett, David W.

2015-01-01

The Investigator studied three Doctor of Philosophy program concentrations for a two year period, 2013-2015. The intent of the confidential study was to determine factors affecting program participants' perceptions most. A mixed methods embedded study was applied, with the quantitative portion representing the secondary data source and the…

Culturally-Anchored Values and University Education Experience Perception

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitsis, Ann; Foley, Patrick

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine whether business students' gender, age and culturally-anchored values affect their perceptions of their university course experience. Design/methodology/approach: Culturally diverse business students (n 1/4 548) studying at an Australian university were surveyed using previously established scales.…

Effect of Student Vulnerability on Perceptions of Teacher-Student Sexual Involvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fromuth, Mary Ellen; Mackey, Amber L.; Wilson, Amy

2010-01-01

This study explored whether the vulnerability of an adolescent student affected perceptions of teacher sexual misconduct. Respondents (150 male and 150 female undergraduates) read scenarios depicting teacher sexual misconduct varied by respondent gender, gender dyad (male teacher-female student and female teacher-male student), and three levels of…

Neuropsychology of Timing and Time Perception

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meck, W.H.

2005-01-01

Interval timing in the range of milliseconds to minutes is affected in a variety of neurological and psychiatric populations involving disruption of the frontal cortex, hippocampus, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. Our understanding of these distortions in timing and time perception are aided by the analysis of the sources of variance attributable…

Perception and Attention for Visualization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haroz, Steve

2013-01-01

This work examines how a better understanding of visual perception and attention can impact visualization design. In a collection of studies, I explore how different levels of the visual system can measurably affect a variety of visualization metrics. The results show that expert preference, user performance, and even computational performance are…

Mexican American Mothers' Perceptions of Childhood Obesity: A Theory-Guided Systematic Literature Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sosa, Erica T.

2012-01-01

Childhood obesity continues to increase, disproportionately affecting Mexican American children. The aims of this review are to (a) assess the literature regarding Mexican American mothers' knowledge and perceptions of childhood obesity, prevention, and their role in prevention; (b) critically evaluate the methodological quality of the research…

Does Viewing Documentary Films Affect Environmental Perceptions and Behaviors?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janpol, Henry L.; Dilts, Rachel

2016-01-01

This research explored whether viewing documentary films about the natural or built environment can exert a measurable influence on behaviors and perceptions. Different documentary films were viewed by subjects. One film emphasized the natural environment, while the other focused on the built environment. After viewing a film, a computer game…

What Do Schools Need? School Professionals' Perceptions of School Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahtola, Annarilla; Kiiski-Mäki, Hanna

2014-01-01

Indirect work of school psychologists has not actualized itself widely in everyday practices. To understand this contradiction, the working environment of school psychologists, that is, the school, is worthy of closer examination. In the present study, we wanted to find out which factors affect school professionals' perceptions of school…

Specific Previous Experience Affects Perception of Harmony and Meter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Creel, Sarah C.

2011-01-01

Prior knowledge shapes our experiences, but which prior knowledge shapes which experiences? This question is addressed in the domain of music perception. Three experiments were used to determine whether listeners activate specific musical memories during music listening. Each experiment provided listeners with one of two musical contexts that was…

75 FR 39022 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Survey of Health Care Professionals' Awareness and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-07

...; Comment Request; Survey of Health Care Professionals' Awareness and Perceptions of the National Cancer... of Health Care Professionals' Awareness and Perceptions of the National Cancer Institute's Intramural...: Yearly. Affected Public: Individual adults. Type of Respondents: Health care providers (AMA members who...

A Qualitative Study Investigating Facility Managers' Perceptions of the Classroom Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parr, Eric Shannon

2017-01-01

Facility managers have the challenge of adhering to community college policies and procedures while fulfilling requirements of administration, students, and teachers concerning specific needs of classroom aesthetics. The role of facility manager and how specific entities affect perceptions of the design and implementation of classroom aesthetics…

College Students' Perceptions of Short Message Service-Supported Collaborative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zamani-Miandashti, Naser; Ataei, Pouria

2015-01-01

Interaction is a major success factor that affects collaborative learning. This study examined the perceptions of college students about short message service (SMS) supported collaborative learning. Seventy-five BSc students from three classes were asked to cooperate on group assignments. The participants used their mobile phones to exchange text…

Motivational Goal Orientation, Perceptions of Biology and Physics Classroom Learning Environments, and Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koul, Ravinder; Roy, Laura; Lerdpornkulrat, Thanita

2012-01-01

Researchers have reported persuasive evidence that students' perceptions of their classroom learning environment account for significant variance in cognitive and affective outcomes (e.g. intrinsic motivation, self-concept, liking for particular subjects and students' intention to drop out). The study reported in this paper investigated the…

Aspects of Young Children's Perceptions of Gender-Typed Occupations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levy, Gary D.; Sadovsky, Adrienne L.; Troseth, Georgene L.

2000-01-01

Investigated young children's perceived competencies of men and women in gender-typed occupations, perceptions about how much money they earn in gender-typed occupations, and affective reactions regarding growing up to have gender-typed occupations. Children perceived differential competencies of men and women regarding gender-typed occupations…

Negative Affect, Risk Perception, and Adolescent Risk Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curry, Laura A.; Youngblade, Lise M.

2006-01-01

The prevalence, etiology, and consequences of adolescent risk behavior have stimulated much research. The current study examined relationships among anger and depressive symptomatology (DS), risk perception, self-restraint, and adolescent risk behavior. Telephone surveys were conducted with 290 14- to 20-year-olds (173 females; M = 15.98 years).…

Physical Aggression in Higher Education: Student-Athletes' Perceptions and Reporting Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pappas, Jason Christopher

2010-01-01

This study examined internal (personal) and external (situational) factors that previous research found affected perceptions of physical aggression and associated reporting behaviors among student-athletes. Results of this study suggested certain factors significantly impacted a student-athlete's decision to report and who received that report.…

Investigation of Learners' Perceptions for Video Summarization and Recommendation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Jie Chi; Chen, Sherry Y.

2012-01-01

Recently, multimedia-based learning is widespread in educational settings. A number of studies investigate how to develop effective techniques to manage a huge volume of video sources, such as summarization and recommendation. However, few studies examine how these techniques affect learners' perceptions in multimedia learning systems. This…

Left Lateralized Enhancement of Orofacial Somatosensory Processing Due to Speech Sounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ito, Takayuki; Johns, Alexis R.; Ostry, David J.

2013-01-01

Purpose: Somatosensory information associated with speech articulatory movements affects the perception of speech sounds and vice versa, suggesting an intimate linkage between speech production and perception systems. However, it is unclear which cortical processes are involved in the interaction between speech sounds and orofacial somatosensory…

Academic Librarians' Changing Perceptions of Faculty Status and Tenure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silva, Elise; Galbraith, Quinn; Groesbeck, Michael

2017-01-01

This study explores how time and experience affect an academic librarian's perception of tenure. Researchers surveyed 846 librarians at ARL institutions, reporting on institutions that offer both tenure and faculty status for their academic librarians or neither. The survey reported how librarians rated tenure's benefit to patrons, its effect in…

Perception of Upright: Multisensory Convergence and the Role of Temporo-Parietal Cortex

PubMed Central

Kheradmand, Amir; Winnick, Ariel

2017-01-01

We inherently maintain a stable perception of the world despite frequent changes in the head, eye, and body positions. Such “orientation constancy” is a prerequisite for coherent spatial perception and sensorimotor planning. As a multimodal sensory reference, perception of upright represents neural processes that subserve orientation constancy through integration of sensory information encoding the eye, head, and body positions. Although perception of upright is distinct from perception of body orientation, they share similar neural substrates within the cerebral cortical networks involved in perception of spatial orientation. These cortical networks, mainly within the temporo-parietal junction, are crucial for multisensory processing and integration that generate sensory reference frames for coherent perception of self-position and extrapersonal space transformations. In this review, we focus on these neural mechanisms and discuss (i) neurobehavioral aspects of orientation constancy, (ii) sensory models that address the neurophysiology underlying perception of upright, and (iii) the current evidence for the role of cerebral cortex in perception of upright and orientation constancy, including findings from the neurological disorders that affect cortical function. PMID:29118736

Sex Rules: Emerging Adults’ Perceptions of Gender’s Impact on Sexuality

PubMed Central

Maas, Megan K.; Shearer, Cindy L.; Gillen, Meghan M.; Lefkowitz, Eva S.

2015-01-01

Past research often explains gender differences in sexual behavior according to differences in social norms for men and women. Yet, individuals’ perceptions and internalizations of current social norms are not well understood. This study aimed to examine emerging adults’ perceptions of how being male or female impacts their sexuality and how their perceptions would differ if they were another gender. Participants (N = 205) were college students, 61% female, and ranged from age 18–25 (M = 20.5, SD = 1.7). Participants answered open-ended questions about gender and responses were coded for content, positive tone, and negative tone. In describing how being female affected their sexual thoughts and feelings, women were more likely than men to focus on reputation concerns and describe limits and contexts in which sexual behavior was acceptable. In describing how being male affected their sexual thoughts and feelings, men were more likely than women to focus on issues of desire. Women’s perceptions about how their sexual thoughts and feelings would differ if they were male were consistent with men’s perceptions of their own gender’s actual impact on sexuality, and vice versa. Women’s descriptions of their own gender’s impact on sexuality were more emotionally laden than men’s. Finally, being older was associated with less negative and more positive emotional tone in men’s and women’s responses respectively. PMID:26478696

Perceptive rehabilitation and trunk posture alignment in patients with Parkinson disease: a single blind randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Morrone, Michelangelo; Miccinilli, Sandra; Bravi, Marco; Paolucci, Teresa; Melgari, Jean M; Salomone, Gaetano; Picelli, Alessandro; Spadini, Ennio; Ranavolo, Alberto; Saraceni, Vincenzo M; DI Lazzaro, Vincenzo; Sterzi, Silvia

2016-12-01

Recent studies aimed to evaluate the potential effects of perceptive rehabilitation in Parkinson Disease reporting promising preliminary results for postural balance and pain symptoms. To date, no randomized controlled trial was carried out to compare the effects of perceptive rehabilitation and conventional treatment in patients with Parkinson Disease. To evaluate whether a perceptive rehabilitation treatment could be more effective than a conventional physical therapy program in improving postural control and gait pattern in patients with Parkinson Disease. Single blind, randomized controlled trial. Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine of a University Hospital. Twenty outpatients affected by idiopathic Parkinson Disease at Hoehn and Yahr stage ≤3. Recruited patients were divided into two groups: the first one underwent individual treatment with Surfaces for Perceptive Rehabilitation (Su-Per), consisting of rigid wood surfaces supporting deformable latex cones of various dimensions, and the second one received conventional group physical therapy treatment. Each patient underwent a training program consisting of ten, 45-minute sessions, three days a week for 4 consecutive weeks. Each subject was evaluated before treatment, immediately after treatment and at one month of follow-up, by an optoelectronic stereophotogrammetric system for gait and posture analysis, and by a computerized platform for stabilometric assessment. Kyphosis angle decreased after ten sessions of perceptive rehabilitation, thus showing a substantial difference with respect to the control group. No significant differences were found as for gait parameters (cadence, gait speed and stride length) within Su-Per group and between groups. Parameters of static and dynamic evaluation on stabilometric platform failed to demonstrate any statistically relevant difference both within-groups and between-groups. Perceptive training may help patients affected by Parkinson Disease into restoring a correct midline perception and, in turn, to improve postural control. Perceptive surfaces represent an alternative to conventional rehabilitation of postural disorders in Parkinson Disease. Further studies are needed to determine if the association of perceptive treatment and active motor training would be useful in improving also gait dexterity.

Side Effect Perceptions and Their Impact on Treatment Decisions in Women.

PubMed

Waters, Erika A; Pachur, Thorsten; Colditz, Graham A

2017-04-01

Side effects prompt some patients to forego otherwise-beneficial therapies. This study explored which characteristics make side effects particularly aversive. We used a psychometric approach, originating from research on risk perception, to identify the factors (or components) underlying side effect perceptions. Women ( N = 149) aged 40 to 74 years were recruited from a patient registry to complete an online experiment. Participants were presented with hypothetical scenarios in which an effective and necessary medication conferred a small risk of a single side effect (e.g., nausea, dizziness). They rated a broad range of side effects on several characteristics (e.g., embarrassing, treatable). In addition, we collected 4 measures of aversiveness for each side effect: choosing to take the medication, willingness to pay to avoid the side effect (WTP), negative affective attitude associated with the side effect, and how each side effect ranks among others in terms of undesirability. A principal components analysis (PCA) was used to identify the components underlying side effect perceptions. Then, for each aversiveness measure separately, regression analyses were used to determine which components predicted differences in aversiveness among the side effects. The PCA revealed 4 components underlying side effect perceptions: affective challenge (e.g., frightening), social challenge (e.g., disfiguring), physical challenge (e.g., painful), and familiarity (e.g., common). Side effects perceived as affectively and physically challenging elicited the highest levels of aversiveness across all 4 measures. Understanding what side effect characteristics are most aversive may inform interventions to improve medical decisions and facilitate the translation of novel biomedical therapies into clinical practice.

Side Effect Perceptions and their Impact on Treatment Decisions in Women

PubMed Central

Waters, Erika A.; Pachur, Thorsten; Colditz, Graham A.

2016-01-01

Background Side effects prompt some patients to forego otherwise-beneficial therapies. This study explored which characteristics make side effects particularly aversive. Methods We used a psychometric approach, originating from research on risk perception, to identify the factors (or components) underlying side effect perceptions. Women (N=149) aged 40–74 were recruited from a patient registry to complete an online experiment. Participants were presented with hypothetical scenarios in which an effective and necessary medication conferred a small risk of a single side effect (e.g., nausea, dizziness). They rated a broad range of side effects on several characteristics (e.g., embarrassing, treatable). In addition, we collected four measures of aversiveness for each side effect: choosing to take the medication, willingness to pay to avoid the side effect (WTP), negative affective attitude associated with the side effect, and how each side effect ranks among others in terms of undesirability. A principle-components analysis (PCA) was used to identify the components underlying side effect perceptions. Then, for each aversiveness measure separately, regression analyses were used to determine which components predicted differences in aversiveness among the side effects. Results The PCA revealed four components underlying side effect perceptions: affective challenge (e.g., frightening), social challenge (e.g., disfiguring), physical challenge (e.g., painful), and familiarity (e.g., common). Side effects perceived as affectively and physically challenging elicited the highest levels of aversiveness across all four measures. Conclusions Understanding what side effect characteristics are most aversive may inform interventions to improve medical decisions and facilitate the translation of novel biomedical therapies into clinical practice. PMID:27216581

Individual identity and affective valence in marmoset calls: in vivo brain imaging with vocal sound playback.

PubMed

Kato, Masaki; Yokoyama, Chihiro; Kawasaki, Akihiro; Takeda, Chiho; Koike, Taku; Onoe, Hirotaka; Iriki, Atsushi

2018-05-01

As with humans, vocal communication is an important social tool for nonhuman primates. Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) often produce whistle-like 'phee' calls when they are visually separated from conspecifics. The neural processes specific to phee call perception, however, are largely unknown, despite the possibility that these processes involve social information. Here, we examined behavioral and whole-brain mapping evidence regarding the detection of individual conspecific phee calls using an audio playback procedure. Phee calls evoked sound exploratory responses when the caller changed, indicating that marmosets can discriminate between caller identities. Positron emission tomography with [ 18 F] fluorodeoxyglucose revealed that perception of phee calls from a single subject was associated with activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal, medial prefrontal, orbitofrontal cortices, and the amygdala. These findings suggest that these regions are implicated in cognitive and affective processing of salient social information. However, phee calls from multiple subjects induced brain activation in only some of these regions, such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. We also found distinctive brain deactivation and functional connectivity associated with phee call perception depending on the caller change. According to changes in pupillary size, phee calls from a single subject induced a higher arousal level compared with those from multiple subjects. These results suggest that marmoset phee calls convey information about individual identity and affective valence depending on the consistency or variability of the caller. Based on the flexible perception of the call based on individual recognition, humans and marmosets may share some neural mechanisms underlying conspecific vocal perception.

The influence of sensorimotor experience on the aesthetic evaluation of dance across the life span.

PubMed

Kirsch, Louise P; Cross, Emily S

2018-01-01

Understanding how action perception, embodiment, and emotion interact is essential for advancing knowledge about how we perceive and interact with each other in a social world. One tool that has proved particularly useful in the past decade for exploring the relationship between perception, action, and affect is dance. Dance is, in its essence, a rich and multisensory art form that can be used to help answer not only basic questions about social cognition but also questions concerning how aging shapes the relationship between action perception, and the role played by affect, emotion, and aesthetics in social perception. In the present study, we used a 1-week physical and visual dance training paradigm to instill varying degrees of sensorimotor experience among non-dancers from three distinct age groups (early adolescents, young adults, and older adults). Our aim was to begin to build an understanding of how aging influences the relationship between action embodiment and affective (or aesthetic) value, at both brain and behavioral levels. On balance, our results point toward a similar positive effect of sensorimotor training on aesthetic evaluations across the life span on a behavioral level, but to rather different neural substrates supporting implicit aesthetic judgment of dance movements at different life stages. Taken together, the present study contributes valuable first insights into the relationship between sensorimotor experience and affective evaluations across ages, and underscores the utility of dance as a stimulus and training intervention for addressing key questions relevant to human neuroscience as well as the arts and humanities. © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pollution going multimodal: the complex impact of the human-altered sensory environment on animal perception and performance

PubMed Central

Halfwerk, Wouter; Slabbekoorn, Hans

2015-01-01

Anthropogenic sensory pollution is affecting ecosystems worldwide. Human actions generate acoustic noise, emanate artificial light and emit chemical substances. All of these pollutants are known to affect animals. Most studies on anthropogenic pollution address the impact of pollutants in unimodal sensory domains. High levels of anthropogenic noise, for example, have been shown to interfere with acoustic signals and cues. However, animals rely on multiple senses, and pollutants often co-occur. Thus, a full ecological assessment of the impact of anthropogenic activities requires a multimodal approach. We describe how sensory pollutants can co-occur and how covariance among pollutants may differ from natural situations. We review how animals combine information that arrives at their sensory systems through different modalities and outline how sensory conditions can interfere with multimodal perception. Finally, we describe how sensory pollutants can affect the perception, behaviour and endocrinology of animals within and across sensory modalities. We conclude that sensory pollution can affect animals in complex ways due to interactions among sensory stimuli, neural processing and behavioural and endocrinal feedback. We call for more empirical data on covariance among sensory conditions, for instance, data on correlated levels in noise and light pollution. Furthermore, we encourage researchers to test animal responses to a full-factorial set of sensory pollutants in the presence or the absence of ecologically important signals and cues. We realize that such approach is often time and energy consuming, but we think this is the only way to fully understand the multimodal impact of sensory pollution on animal performance and perception. PMID:25904319

Affective and Cognitive Orientations in Intergroup Perception

PubMed Central

Wolf, Lukas J.; von Hecker, Ulrich; Maio, Gregory R.

2017-01-01

Three studies examined the role of need for affect (NFA) and need for cognition (NFC) in intergroup perception. We hypothesized that NFA predicts a preference for stereotypically warm groups over stereotypically cold groups, whereas NFC predicts a preference for stereotypically competent groups over stereotypically incompetent groups. Study 1 supported these hypotheses for attitudes toward stereotypically ambivalent groups, which are stereotyped as high on one of the trait dimensions (e.g., high warmth) and low on the other (e.g., low competence), but not for stereotypically univalent groups, which are seen as high or low on both dimensions. Studies 2 and 3 replicated this pattern for stereotypically ambivalent groups, and yielded provocative evidence regarding several putative mechanisms underlying these associations. Together, these findings help integrate and extend past evidence on attitude-relevant individual differences with research on intergroup perception. PMID:28903673

Flexible kinesthetic distance perception: when do your arms tell you how far you have walked?

PubMed

Harrison, Steven J; Kuznetsov, Nikita; Breheim, Samuel

2013-01-01

Given the flexible organization of locomotion evidenced in the many ways the limbs can be coordinated, the authors explored the potentially correspondingly flexible organization of nonvisual (kinesthetic) distance perception. As kinesthetic distance perception is known to be affected by how the limbs are coordinated, the authors probed the potential perceptual contribution of the arms during locomotion by manipulating arm-leg coordination patterns in blind-walked distance-matching tasks. Whereas manipulation of arm-leg coordination for walking with free-swinging arms had no observable perceptual consequences, comparable manipulation for walking with hiking poles did affect distance matching. These results suggest that under conditions in which the arms act to propel the body (e.g., crawling or stair-climbing) a person's nonvisual sense of movement is conveyed in the coordinated actions of all four limbs.

Risk perceptions and smoking decisions of adult Chinese men.

PubMed

Lin, Wanchuan; Sloan, Frank

2015-01-01

This study analyzes effects of changes in risk perceptions of smoking's health harms on actual and attempted quits and quitting intentions of male smokers in China. Our survey of 5000+ male smokers was conducted two years after their neighbor's lung cancer diagnosis. We use proximity to a lung cancer neighbor as an exogenous determinant of individual's smoking risk perception. We show that learning of a neighbor's lung cancer diagnosis substantially affects smokers' subjective beliefs about smoking's harms, which in turn affects decisions about continued smoking and intentions to quit. Our study findings offer important public policy implications in indicating the importance of designing health-warning messages that fit smokers' personal circumstances as opposed to warnings solely based on edicts from scientific experts and/or epidemiological evidence. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Time perception in patients with major depressive disorder during vagus nerve stimulation.

PubMed

Biermann, T; Kreil, S; Groemer, T W; Maihöfner, C; Richter-Schmiedinger, T; Kornhuber, J; Sperling, W

2011-07-01

Affective disorders may affect patients' time perception. Several studies have described time as a function of the frontal lobe. The activating eff ects of vagus nerve stimulation on the frontal lobe might also modulate time perception in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Time perception was investigated in 30 patients with MDD and in 7 patients with therapy-resistant MDD. In these 7 patients, a VNS system was implanted and time perception was assessed before and during stimulation. A time estimation task in which patients were asked "How many seconds have passed?" tested time perception at 4 defined time points (34 s, 77 s, 192 s and 230 s). The differences between the estimated and actual durations were calculated and used for subsequent analysis. Patients with MDD and healthy controls estimated the set time points relatively accurately. A general linear model revealed a significant main eff ect of group but not of age or sex. The passing of time was perceived as significantly slower in patients undergoing VNS compared to patients with MDD at all time points (T34: t = − 4.2; df = 35; p < 0.001; T77: t = − 4.8; df = 35; p < 0.001; T192: t = − 2.0; df = 35; p = 0.059; T230 t = −2.2; df = 35; p = 0.039) as well as compared to healthy controls (at only T77: t = 4.1; df = 35; p < 0.001). There were no differences in time perception with regard to age, sex or polarity of depression (uni- or bipolar). VNS is capable of changing the perception of time. This discovery furthers the basic research on circadian rhythms in patients with psychiatric disorders.

I Don't Know It but I Like You: The Influence of Nonconscious Affect on Person Perception.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monahan, Jennifer L.

1998-01-01

Proposes a model of unconscious affect. Tests predictions about the influence of nonconscious affect on evaluations made of undergraduate student conversational interactants. Uses a subliminal priming task to induce a positive nonconscious affective response toward the target persons. Rates primed target as more likable and attractive yet not more…

Do the opportunities for learning and personal development lead to happiness? It depends on work-family conciliation.

PubMed

Rego, Arménio; Pina E Cunha, Miguel

2009-07-01

The study shows how the perceptions of opportunities for learning and personal development predict five dimensions of affective well-being (AWB: pleasure, comfort, placidity, enthusiasm, and vigor), and how this relationship is moderated by the perceptions of work-family conciliation. A sample comprising 404 individuals was collected. The findings show the following: (1) both the perceptions of opportunities for learning and personal development and perceptions of work-family conciliation predict AWB, the happier individuals being those who have high perceptions on both variables; (2) both variables interact in predicting AWB, in such a way that perceptions of high opportunities for learning and personal development may not lead to higher AWB if work-family conciliation is low. Post hoc analysis also suggests that the relationship between the perceptions of opportunities for learning and personal development and AWB tends to be nonlinear for individuals with perceptions of low work-family conciliation. (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Spatial representation of pitch height: the SMARC effect.

PubMed

Rusconi, Elena; Kwan, Bonnie; Giordano, Bruno L; Umiltà, Carlo; Butterworth, Brian

2006-03-01

Through the preferential pairing of response positions to pitch, here we show that the internal representation of pitch height is spatial in nature and affects performance, especially in musically trained participants, when response alternatives are either vertically or horizontally aligned. The finding that our cognitive system maps pitch height onto an internal representation of space, which in turn affects motor performance even when this perceptual attribute is irrelevant to the task, extends previous studies on auditory perception and suggests an interesting analogy between music perception and mathematical cognition. Both the basic elements of mathematical cognition (i.e. numbers) and the basic elements of musical cognition (i.e. pitches), appear to be mapped onto a mental spatial representation in a way that affects motor performance.

Sex differences in amygdala activation during the perception of facial affect.

PubMed

Killgore, W D; Yurgelun-Todd, D A

2001-08-08

The cognitive and affective systems of the cerebral cortex are often more lateralized in males than females, but it is unclear whether these differences extend to subcortical systems. We used fMRI to examine sex differences in lateralized amygdala activity during happy and fearful face perception. Amygdala activation differed for men and women depending on the valence of the expression. Overall, males were more lateralized than females, but the direction differed between valence conditions. Happy faces produced greater right than left amygdala activation for males but not females. Both sexes showed greater left amygdala activation for fearful faces. These findings suggest that the lateralization of affective function may extend beyond the cortex to subcortical regions such as the amygdala.

The influence of brewing water characteristic on sensory perception of pour-over local coffee

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fibrianto, K.; Ardianti, A. D.; Pradipta, K.; Sunarharum, W. B.

2018-01-01

The coffee quality can be characterized by its multisensory perceptions. The content and mineral composition and other substances of brewing water can affect the result of brewed-coffee. The water may influence in extraction capabilities and flavor clarity. The ground Dampit coffee and two commercial instant coffee with pour-over method were used in this study. Various types of commercial drinking water were used to brew the coffee. The result suggests that the different brewing water affects the intensity of sweet and chocolate aroma, as well as oily mouth-feel. Surprisingly, taste and flavour attributes were not affected by the pH of brewing water within the range of 5.5 to 9.1.

Assessment of perception and intention in pesticide purchase in Taiwan.

PubMed

Yeh, Jong Chao; Liao, Chih-Hsiang

2016-05-01

Environmental chemical agents such as pesticides can be purchased easily at a relatively low price, and this has resulted in high concern of environmental toxicity to human health, due to their persistence in various environmental bodies. Hence, this study aims to propose important factors influencing pesticide purchase intentions, including consumers' perceptions of the brand image and the ecological health risk. Since consumers are primary users, the seller knows the product's features but not the psychology of those who purchase it. Therefore, we attempted to clarify purchase intentions and perceptions using structural equation modeling techniques to empirically analyze survey data from 324 pesticide consumers in Taiwan. Our results demonstrate that perceived brand image positively affects perceived quality of a product, whereas perceived risk negatively affects perceived quality and purchase intentions. Furthermore, this study provides evidence that perceived quality positively affects purchase intentions. These relationships suggest that perceived quality mediates both the positive association between brand image and purchase intentions and the negative association between perceived risk and purchase intentions. Based on such outcomes, we propose that consumers need to be informed of pesticides related to costs and environmental benefits.

Inhomogeneous Point-Processes to Instantaneously Assess Affective Haptic Perception through Heartbeat Dynamics Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valenza, G.; Greco, A.; Citi, L.; Bianchi, M.; Barbieri, R.; Scilingo, E. P.

2016-06-01

This study proposes the application of a comprehensive signal processing framework, based on inhomogeneous point-process models of heartbeat dynamics, to instantaneously assess affective haptic perception using electrocardiogram-derived information exclusively. The framework relies on inverse-Gaussian point-processes with Laguerre expansion of the nonlinear Wiener-Volterra kernels, accounting for the long-term information given by the past heartbeat events. Up to cubic-order nonlinearities allow for an instantaneous estimation of the dynamic spectrum and bispectrum of the considered cardiovascular dynamics, as well as for instantaneous measures of complexity, through Lyapunov exponents and entropy. Short-term caress-like stimuli were administered for 4.3-25 seconds on the forearms of 32 healthy volunteers (16 females) through a wearable haptic device, by selectively superimposing two levels of force, 2 N and 6 N, and two levels of velocity, 9.4 mm/s and 65 mm/s. Results demonstrated that our instantaneous linear and nonlinear features were able to finely characterize the affective haptic perception, with a recognition accuracy of 69.79% along the force dimension, and 81.25% along the velocity dimension.

A multi-level analysis of the effects of age and gender stereotypes on trust in anthropomorphic technology by younger and older adults.

PubMed

Pak, Richard; McLaughlin, Anne Collins; Bass, Brock

2014-01-01

Previous research has shown that gender stereotypes, elicited by the appearance of the anthropomorphic technology, can alter perceptions of system reliability. The current study examined whether stereotypes about the perceived age and gender of anthropomorphic technology interacted with reliability to affect trust in such technology. Participants included a cross-section of younger and older adults. Through a factorial survey, participants responded to health-related vignettes containing anthropomorphic technology with a specific age, gender, and level of past reliability by rating their trust in the system. Trust in the technology was affected by the age and gender of the user as well as its appearance and reliability. Perceptions of anthropomorphic technology can be affected by pre-existing stereotypes about the capability of a specific age or gender. The perceived age and gender of automation can alter perceptions of the anthropomorphic technology such as trust. Thus, designers of automation should design anthropomorphic interfaces with an awareness that the perceived age and gender will interact with the user’s age and gender

Perception of childhood obesity in mothers of preschool children.

PubMed

Kim, Hae Ok; Kim, Gyo Nam; Park, Euna

2015-04-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the perception of childhood obesity in mothers of preschool children using Q methodology. A total of 38 Q statements about childhood obesity were obtained from 41 participants. The QUANL PC program was used to analyze the results. There were three types of perception toward obesity in mothers of preschool children: the "authoritative discipline type," the "generous home meal focused type," and the "home meal based on household financial situation type." The perception of mothers toward childhood obesity can affect the extent of maternal interaction with children or meal preparation for the family. Based on these results, it is necessary to plan specific programs according to the types of maternal perception toward childhood obesity.

Which brain networks related to art perception are we talking about?. Comment on "Move me, astonish me…" delight my eyes and brain: The Vienna Integrated Model of top-down and bottom-up processes in Art Perception (VIMAP) and corresponding affective, evaluative, and neurophysiological correlates; by Matthew Pelowski et al.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayala, Francisco J.; Cela-Conde, Camilo J.

2017-07-01

The proposal by the Vienna Integrated Model of Art Perception (Pelowski et al., [4]; VIMAP, hereafter) is a valuable and much needed attempt to summarize and understand the cognitive processes underlying art perception. Very important in their model is, as expected, to ascertain the psychological and brain processes correlated with the perception of beauty in art works. In this commentary we'll focus exclusively on the consideration of VIMAP's section 5, ;Model stages and corresponding areas of the brain.; We'll examine the evidence advanced by VIMAP in the section about brain networks related to the perception of art.

Clinician perceptions of using a smartphone app with prolonged exposure therapy.

PubMed

Kuhn, Eric; Eftekhari, Afsoon; Hoffman, Julia E; Crowley, Jill J; Ramsey, Kelly M; Reger, Greg M; Ruzek, Josef I

2014-11-01

Clinician perceptions of clinical innovations affect their adoption and spread. This study investigated mental health clinicians' (n = 163) perceptions of a patient-facing smartphone application (app) for prolonged exposure (PE) therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder, before its public release. After reading a description of the app, participants rated perceptions of it based on diffusion of innovations theory constructs. Perceptions were generally favorable regarding the app's relative advantage over existing PE practices, compatibility with their values and needs, and complexity. Age (<40 years), smartphone ownership, and having used apps in care related to more favorable perceptions. Smartphone ownership, relative advantage, and complexity significantly predicted intention to use the app if it were available. These findings suggest that clinicians are receptive to using a PE app and that dissemination efforts should target sub-groups of PE clinicians to maximize adoption.

Lexical and Affective Prosody in Children with High-Functioning Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grossman, Ruth B.; Bemis, Rhyannon H.; Skwerer, Daniela Plesa; Tager-Flusberg, Helen

2010-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the perception and production of lexical stress and processing of affective prosody in adolescents with high-functioning autism (HFA). We hypothesized preserved processing of lexical and affective prosody but atypical lexical prosody production. Method: Sixteen children with HFA and 15 typically developing (TD) peers…

Association between illness perceptions and return-to-work expectations in workers with common mental health symptoms.

PubMed

Løvvik, Camilla; Øverland, Simon; Hysing, Mari; Broadbent, Elizabeth; Reme, Silje E

2014-03-01

Mental health symptoms (MHSs) may affect people's work capacity and lead to sickness absence and disability. Expectations and perceptions of illness have been shown to influence return to work (RTW) across health conditions, but we know little about illness perceptions and RTW-expectations in MHSs. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between illness perceptions and RTW-expectations in a group struggling with work participation due to MHSs. Cross-sectional associations between illness perceptions and return to work expectations at baseline were analyzed for 1,193 participants who reported that MHSs affected their work participation. The study was part of a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of job focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) combined with supported employment (IPS). Participants were from a working age population with diverse job status. There was a strong and salient relationship between illness perceptions and RTW-expectations. When adjusting for demographic and clinical variables, the components consequences, personal control, identity and illness concern remained significantly associated with uncertain and negative RTW-expectations. Less illness understanding remained significantly associated with uncertain RTW-expectations, while timeline and emotional representations remained significantly associated with negative RTW-expectations. In the fully adjusted model only the consequences component (believing that illness has more severe consequences) remained significantly associated with RTW-expectations. Openly asked, participants reported work, personal relationships and stress as main causes of their illness. In people with MHSs who struggle with work participation, perceptions and beliefs about their problems are strongly associated with their expectations to return to work.

Audiovisual Interval Size Estimation Is Associated with Early Musical Training.

PubMed

Abel, Mary Kathryn; Li, H Charles; Russo, Frank A; Schlaug, Gottfried; Loui, Psyche

2016-01-01

Although pitch is a fundamental attribute of auditory perception, substantial individual differences exist in our ability to perceive differences in pitch. Little is known about how these individual differences in the auditory modality might affect crossmodal processes such as audiovisual perception. In this study, we asked whether individual differences in pitch perception might affect audiovisual perception, as it relates to age of onset and number of years of musical training. Fifty-seven subjects made subjective ratings of interval size when given point-light displays of audio, visual, and audiovisual stimuli of sung intervals. Audiovisual stimuli were divided into congruent and incongruent (audiovisual-mismatched) stimuli. Participants' ratings correlated strongly with interval size in audio-only, visual-only, and audiovisual-congruent conditions. In the audiovisual-incongruent condition, ratings correlated more with audio than with visual stimuli, particularly for subjects who had better pitch perception abilities and higher nonverbal IQ scores. To further investigate the effects of age of onset and length of musical training, subjects were divided into musically trained and untrained groups. Results showed that among subjects with musical training, the degree to which participants' ratings correlated with auditory interval size during incongruent audiovisual perception was correlated with both nonverbal IQ and age of onset of musical training. After partialing out nonverbal IQ, pitch discrimination thresholds were no longer associated with incongruent audio scores, whereas age of onset of musical training remained associated with incongruent audio scores. These findings invite future research on the developmental effects of musical training, particularly those relating to the process of audiovisual perception.

Audiovisual Interval Size Estimation Is Associated with Early Musical Training

PubMed Central

Abel, Mary Kathryn; Li, H. Charles; Russo, Frank A.; Schlaug, Gottfried; Loui, Psyche

2016-01-01

Although pitch is a fundamental attribute of auditory perception, substantial individual differences exist in our ability to perceive differences in pitch. Little is known about how these individual differences in the auditory modality might affect crossmodal processes such as audiovisual perception. In this study, we asked whether individual differences in pitch perception might affect audiovisual perception, as it relates to age of onset and number of years of musical training. Fifty-seven subjects made subjective ratings of interval size when given point-light displays of audio, visual, and audiovisual stimuli of sung intervals. Audiovisual stimuli were divided into congruent and incongruent (audiovisual-mismatched) stimuli. Participants’ ratings correlated strongly with interval size in audio-only, visual-only, and audiovisual-congruent conditions. In the audiovisual-incongruent condition, ratings correlated more with audio than with visual stimuli, particularly for subjects who had better pitch perception abilities and higher nonverbal IQ scores. To further investigate the effects of age of onset and length of musical training, subjects were divided into musically trained and untrained groups. Results showed that among subjects with musical training, the degree to which participants’ ratings correlated with auditory interval size during incongruent audiovisual perception was correlated with both nonverbal IQ and age of onset of musical training. After partialing out nonverbal IQ, pitch discrimination thresholds were no longer associated with incongruent audio scores, whereas age of onset of musical training remained associated with incongruent audio scores. These findings invite future research on the developmental effects of musical training, particularly those relating to the process of audiovisual perception. PMID:27760134

How soft is that pillow? The perceptual localization of the hand and the haptic assessment of contact rigidity.

PubMed

Pressman, Assaf; Karniel, Amir; Mussa-Ivaldi, Ferdinando A

2011-04-27

A new haptic illusion is described, in which the location of the mobile object affects the perception of its rigidity. There is theoretical and experimental support for the notion that limb position sense results from the brain combining ongoing sensory information with expectations arising from prior experience. How does this probabilistic state information affect one's tactile perception of the environment mechanics? In a simple estimation process, human subjects were asked to report the relative rigidity of two simulated virtual objects. One of the objects remained fixed in space and had various coefficients of stiffness. The other virtual object had constant stiffness but moved with respect to the subjects. Earlier work suggested that the perception of an object's rigidity is consistent with a process of regression between the contact force and the perceived amount of penetration inside the object's boundary. The amount of penetration perceived by the subject was affected by varying the position of the object. This, in turn, had a predictable effect on the perceived rigidity of the contact. Subjects' reports on the relative rigidity of the object are best accounted for by a probabilistic model in which the perceived boundary of the object is estimated based on its current location and on past observations. Therefore, the perception of contact rigidity is accounted for by a stochastic process of state estimation underlying proprioceptive localization of the hand.

The relationship between low perceived numeracy and cancer knowledge, beliefs, and affect.

PubMed

Ross, Katherine; Stoler, Justin; Carcioppolo, Nick

2018-01-01

Low numeracy may skew patient perceptions of information about cancer. This paper examines the relationship between self-reported measures of perceived numeracy and cancer knowledge, beliefs, and affect, using results from 3,052 respondents to the 2007 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS-3). Chi-squared tests were used to identify differences in responses between high- and low-numeracy groups using three measures of perceived numeracy. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between the three perceived numeracy measures and cancer information overload, cancer fatalism, cancer prevention knowledge, and cancer worry. Respondents with low perceived numeracy as expressed by discomfort with medical statistics were more likely to report information overload, to display fatalistic attitudes towards cancer, to lack knowledge about cancer prevention, and to indicate that they worried about cancer more frequently. After controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, this measure of perceived numeracy remained significantly associated with information overload, fatalism, lower prevention knowledge, and worry. The other measures of perceived numeracy, which measured understanding and use of health statistics, were not associated with cancer perceptions. Our findings suggest that individuals with low perceived numeracy broadly differ from individuals with high perceived numeracy in their perceptions of cancer and cancer prevention. By improving our understanding of how perceived numeracy affects patient perceptions of cancer, health providers can improve educational strategies and targeted health messaging.

[Long-term effects of permanent pacemaker implantation on tricuspid valve regurgitation].

PubMed

Ren, Chong-lei; Wang, Yao; Wang, Rong; Li, Bo-jun; Geng, Ren-yi; Gao, Chang-qing

2012-08-14

To explore the long-term effects of permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) on tricuspid valve regurgitation (TR) in Chinese patients so as to determine the incidence and related factors, evaluate its effects on heart structure and function and ascertain the exact mechanism of TR after PPI. A total of 430 patients undergoing permanent pacemaker replacement at our hospital between January 2000 and June 2011 were recruited. The patients with isolated atrial lead implantation procedures, significant heart valve disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were excluded. The data of 108 patients who had Doppler echocardiograms performed before the first pacemaker implantation procedure and this pacemaker replacement procedure were obtained and retrospectively analyzed. According to the post-implant grade of TR, the patients were divided into two groups: normal tricuspid (n = 79) and abnormal tricuspid (n = 29). Their clinical characteristics and echocardiographic data between two groups were analyzed and compared. The mean follow-up time (from the first pacemaker implantation) was (13 ± 6) years (range: 4 - 34). Among 108 patients with initially normal tricuspid post-implant, 29 patients (26.9%) developed significant TR during the follow-up. In comparison to those in normal tricuspid group, the patients in abnormal tricuspid group had a longer time from the first pacemaker implantation ((16 ± 7) vs (12 ± 5) years, P = 0.003), more transtricuspid leads (1.31 ± 0.66 vs 1.10 ± 0.30, P = 0.026), larger right atrial size ((38 ± 7) vs (35 ± 4) mm, P = 0.028) and higher prevalence of mild TR and mitral valve regurgitation (MR) pre-implantation (TR: 21% vs 4%, P = 0.015, MR: 28% vs 5%, P = 0.003). The size of right atrium, right ventricle and left atrium in abnormal tricuspid group were more than those in normal tricuspid group. The prevalence of significant MR post-implantation in abnormal tricuspid group was higher than that in normal tricuspid group. The ejection fraction in abnormal tricuspid group was lower than that in normal tricuspid group during the follow-up. Abnormal TR after PPI during a long-term follow-up is quite common. The related factors include the time interval from the first pacemaker implantation, number of transtricuspid lead, right atrial size, mild TR and MR pre-implantation.

Scanning electron microscopy of chronically implanted intracortical microelectrode arrays in non-human primates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrese, James C.; Aceros, Juan; Donoghue, John P.

2016-04-01

Objective. Signal attenuation is a major problem facing intracortical sensors for chronic neuroprosthetic applications. Many studies suggest that failure is due to gliosis around the electrode tips, however, mechanical and material causes of failure are often overlooked. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors contributing to progressive signal decline by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to visualize structural changes in chronically implanted arrays and histology to examine the tissue response at corresponding implant sites. Approach. We examined eight chronically implanted intracortical microelectrode arrays (MEAs) explanted from non-human primates at times ranging from 37 to 1051 days post-implant. We used SEM, in vivo neural recordings, and histology (GFAP, Iba-1, NeuN). Three MEAs that were never implanted were also imaged as controls. Main results. SEM revealed progressive corrosion of the platinum electrode tips and changes to the underlying silicon. The parylene insulation was prone to cracking and delamination, and in some instances the silicone elastomer also delaminated from the edges of the MEA. Substantial tissue encapsulation was observed and was often seen growing into defects in the platinum and parylene. These material defects became more common as the time in vivo increased. Histology at 37 and 1051 days post-implant showed gliosis, disruption of normal cortical architecture with minimal neuronal loss, and high Iba-1 reactivity, especially within the arachnoid and dura. Electrode tracts were either absent or barely visible in the cortex at 1051 days, but were seen in the fibrotic encapsulation material suggesting that the MEAs were lifted out of the brain. Neural recordings showed a progressive drop in impedance, signal amplitude, and viable channels over time. Significance. These results provide evidence that signal loss in MEAs is truly multifactorial. Gliosis occurs in the first few months after implantation but does not prevent useful recordings for several years. Progressive meningeal fibrosis encapsulates and lifts MEAs out of the cortex while ongoing foreign body reactions lead to progressive degradation of the materials. Long-term impedance drops are due to the corrosion of platinum, cracking and delamination of parylene, and delamination of silicone elastomer. Oxygen radicals released by cells of the immune system likely mediate the degradation of these materials. Future MEA designs must address these problems through more durable insulation materials, more inert electrode alloys, and pharmacologic suppression of fibroblasts and leukocytes.

Scanning electron microscopy of chronically implanted intracortical microelectrode arrays in non-human primates

PubMed Central

Barrese, James C; Aceros, Juan; Donoghue, John P

2016-01-01

Objective Signal attenuation is a major problem facing intracortical sensors for chronic neuroprosthetic applications. Many studies suggest that failure is due to gliosis around the electrode tips, however, mechanical and material causes of failure are often overlooked. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors contributing to progressive signal decline by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to visualize structural changes in chronically implanted arrays and histology to examine the tissue response at corresponding implant sites. Approach We examined eight chronically implanted intracortical microelectrode arrays (MEAs) explanted from non-human primates at times ranging from 37 to 1051 days post-implant. We used SEM, in vivo neural recordings, and histology (GFAP, Iba-1, NeuN). Three MEAs that were never implanted were also imaged as controls. Main results SEM revealed progressive corrosion of the platinum electrode tips and changes to the underlying silicon. The parylene insulation was prone to cracking and delamination, and in some instances the silicone elastomer also delaminated from the edges of the MEA. Substantial tissue encapsulation was observed and was often seen growing into defects in the platinum and parylene. These material defects became more common as the time in vivo increased. Histology at 37 and 1051 days post-implant showed gliosis, disruption of normal cortical architecture with minimal neuronal loss, and high Iba-1 reactivity, especially within the arachnoid and dura. Electrode tracts were either absent or barely visible in the cortex at 1051 days, but were seen in the fibrotic encapsulation material suggesting that the MEAs were lifted out of the brain. Neural recordings showed a progressive drop in impedance, signal amplitude, and viable channels over time. Significance These results provide evidence that signal loss in MEAs is truly multifactorial. Gliosis occurs in the first few months after implantation but does not prevent useful recordings for several years. Progressive meningeal fibrosis encapsulates and lifts MEAs out of the cortex while ongoing foreign body reactions lead to progressive degradation of the materials. Long-term impedance drops are due to the corrosion of platinum, cracking and delamination of parylene, and delamination of silicone elastomer. Oxygen radicals released by cells of the immune system likely mediate the degradation of these materials. Future MEA designs must address these problems through more durable insulation materials, more inert electrode alloys, and pharmacologic suppression of fibroblasts and leukocytes. PMID:26824680

Scanning electron microscopy of chronically implanted intracortical microelectrode arrays in non-human primates.

PubMed

Barrese, James C; Aceros, Juan; Donoghue, John P

2016-04-01

Signal attenuation is a major problem facing intracortical sensors for chronic neuroprosthetic applications. Many studies suggest that failure is due to gliosis around the electrode tips, however, mechanical and material causes of failure are often overlooked. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors contributing to progressive signal decline by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to visualize structural changes in chronically implanted arrays and histology to examine the tissue response at corresponding implant sites. We examined eight chronically implanted intracortical microelectrode arrays (MEAs) explanted from non-human primates at times ranging from 37 to 1051 days post-implant. We used SEM, in vivo neural recordings, and histology (GFAP, Iba-1, NeuN). Three MEAs that were never implanted were also imaged as controls. SEM revealed progressive corrosion of the platinum electrode tips and changes to the underlying silicon. The parylene insulation was prone to cracking and delamination, and in some instances the silicone elastomer also delaminated from the edges of the MEA. Substantial tissue encapsulation was observed and was often seen growing into defects in the platinum and parylene. These material defects became more common as the time in vivo increased. Histology at 37 and 1051 days post-implant showed gliosis, disruption of normal cortical architecture with minimal neuronal loss, and high Iba-1 reactivity, especially within the arachnoid and dura. Electrode tracts were either absent or barely visible in the cortex at 1051 days, but were seen in the fibrotic encapsulation material suggesting that the MEAs were lifted out of the brain. Neural recordings showed a progressive drop in impedance, signal amplitude, and viable channels over time. These results provide evidence that signal loss in MEAs is truly multifactorial. Gliosis occurs in the first few months after implantation but does not prevent useful recordings for several years. Progressive meningeal fibrosis encapsulates and lifts MEAs out of the cortex while ongoing foreign body reactions lead to progressive degradation of the materials. Long-term impedance drops are due to the corrosion of platinum, cracking and delamination of parylene, and delamination of silicone elastomer. Oxygen radicals released by cells of the immune system likely mediate the degradation of these materials. Future MEA designs must address these problems through more durable insulation materials, more inert electrode alloys, and pharmacologic suppression of fibroblasts and leukocytes.

Combination of intrathecal opioids with bupivacaine attenuates opioid dose escalation in chronic noncancer pain patients.

PubMed

Veizi, I Elias; Hayek, Salim M; Narouze, Samer; Pope, Jason E; Mekhail, Nagy

2011-10-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of intrathecal (IT) coadministration of bupivacaine with opioids during the initial phase of opioid titration and up to 1 year after implantation of an IT drug delivery system (IDDS). The study was designed as a retrospective study. OUTCOMES ANALYZED: The outcomes analyzed for this study were pain relief, oral opioid consumption, IT opioid, and bupivacaine dosage. METHODS AND PATIENT POPULATION: The patient population for this study were consecutively implanted patients over a period of 6 years in a tertiary single center with multiple practitioners. In this retrospective study, 126 consecutive noncancer intractable pain patients were implanted with IDDS and initiated with an IT opioid (O) as a single medication or an IT opioid and bupivacaine (O + B). Pain intensity, amount of oral opioids, dose, rate, and concentration of IT opioids and bupivacaine, and number and type of IT medication used were recorded at preimplant, implant, and at 3, 6, and 12 months postimplant. The intervention used for the study was the IT delivery device implant. Significant reduction in pain intensity was observed in both groups at 12 months postimplant (O group: baseline 7.42 ± 2.1 to 5.85 ± 2.8 [n = 72, P < 0.001]; O + B group 7.35 ± 2 to 5.03 ± 2.4 (n = 54; P < 0.001]). The combination of opioids with bupivacaine from the start of IT infusion treatment resulted in a reduced progression of opioid dose escalation in comparison to patients started with opioids (O group). The rate of increase of IT opioids in the O group at 12 months was 535 ± 180%, whereas in the O + B, the dose increase was significantly lower at 185 ± 85% (P < 0.004). In both groups, there was a statistically significant decrease in oral opioid consumption compared with preimplant doses. Concomitant initial coadministration of IT bupivacaine with opioids blunts the rate of IT opioid dose escalation during the first year after implant of an IDDS. More studies are necessary to thoroughly examine IT opioid dose escalation and the effects of addition of bupivacaine to IT opioids. Blunting IT opioid dose escalation may be a beneficial long-term effect of IT bupivacaine. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Differences in Perceptions of Child Sexual Abuse Based on Perpetrator Age and Respondent Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giglio, Jessie J.; Wolfteich, Paula M.; Gabrenya, William K.; Sohn, Mary L.

2011-01-01

Child sexual abuse changes the lives of countless children. Child sexual abuse victims experience short and long term negative outcomes that affect their daily functioning. In this study, undergraduate students' perceptions of CSA were obtained using vignettes with an adult or child perpetrator and a general questionnaire. Results indicated…

Chief School Administrator Perceptions of Professional School Counselors on Measures of Employability in Minnesota.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Walter B., Jr.; Morotti, Allan A.; Coursol, Diane H.

1997-01-01

Examines public relations misperceptions that may affect the future employment of school counselors in one state. Focuses on actions that address negative opinions of school counselors and which might impede their employability. Reports on characteristics of the school district and respondents and gives administrators' perceptions of the…

Rhythm's Gonna Get You: Regular Meter Facilitates Semantic Sentence Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothermich, Kathrin; Schmidt-Kassow, Maren; Kotz, Sonja A.

2012-01-01

Rhythm is a phenomenon that fundamentally affects the perception of events unfolding in time. In language, we define "rhythm" as the temporal structure that underlies the perception and production of utterances, whereas "meter" is defined as the regular occurrence of beats (i.e. stressed syllables). In stress-timed languages such as German, this…

The Effects of Podcasting on Student Perceptions of Community within the Online Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferguson, Larry A.

2010-01-01

This study examined the effects of using podcasts as a medium of communication toward affecting student perception of community within the online learning environment. A control and treatment group comparison design was employed with 184 online undergraduate students selected through purposive sampling at Ashland Community and Technical College.…

Chinese Students' Perceptions of the Effects of Western University Examination Formats on Their Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tait, Carolyn

2010-01-01

The recruitment of Asian students into western universities has highlighted the debate about commercialisation of education, academic standards and the role of culture and language in approaches to learning. This article investigates Chinese students' perceptions of how two typical examination formats (multiple choice and essay) affect their…