Size Judgment Task Research Articles

Activating words without language: beta and theta oscillations reflect lexical access and control processes during verbal and non-verbal object recognition tasks.

The intention to name an object modulates neural responses during object recognition tasks. However, the nature of this modulation is still unclear. We established whether a core operation in language, i.e. lexical access, can be observed even when the task does not require language (size-judgment task), and whether response selection in verbal versus non-verbal semantic tasks relies on similar neuronal processes. We measured and compared neuronal oscillatory activities and behavioral responses to the same set of pictures of meaningful objects, while the type of task participants had to perform (picture-naming versus size-judgment) and the type of stimuli to measure lexical access (cognate versus non-cognate) were manipulated. Despite activation of words was facilitated when the task required explicit word-retrieval (picture-naming task), lexical access occurred even without the intention to name the object (non-verbal size-judgment task). Activation of words and response selection were accompanied by beta (25-35Hz) desynchronization and theta (3-7Hz) synchronization, respectively. These effects were observed in both picture-naming and size-judgment tasks, suggesting that words became activated via similar mechanisms, irrespective of whether the task involves language explicitly. This finding has important implications to understand the link between core linguistic operations and performance in verbal and non-verbal semantic tasks.

Hand constraint reduces brain activity and affects the speed of verbal responses on semantic tasks

According to the theory of embodied cognition, semantic processing is closely coupled with body movements. For example, constraining hand movements inhibits memory for objects that can be manipulated with the hands. However, it has not been confirmed whether body constraint reduces brain activity related to semantics. We measured the effect of hand constraint on semantic processing in the parietal lobe using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. A pair of words representing the names of hand-manipulable (e.g., cup or pencil) or nonmanipulable (e.g., windmill or fountain) objects were presented, and participants were asked to identify which object was larger. The reaction time (RT) in the judgment task and the activation of the left intraparietal sulcus (LIPS) and left inferior parietal lobule (LIPL), including the supramarginal gyrus and angular gyrus, were analyzed. We found that constraint of hand movement suppressed brain activity in the LIPS toward hand-manipulable objects and affected RT in the size judgment task. These results indicate that body constraint reduces the activity of brain regions involved in semantics. Hand constraint might inhibit motor simulation, which, in turn, would inhibit body-related semantic processing.

Encoding tasks moderated the reward effect on brain activity during memory retrieval

Previous studies have explored the effects of retrieval reward and depth of processing in encoding on recognition, but it remains unclear whether and how reward and depth of processing during encoding influence recognition. We investigated the effect and neural mechanisms of encoding reward and processing depth on recognition using event-related potentials (ERPs) in this study. In the study phase, participants were asked to perform two encoding tasks: congruity-judgment (deep processing) and size-judgment (shallow processing) in reward and no-reward conditions. The test phases included object (item) and background (source) tests. The results of item retrieval showed that the accuracy of rewarded items was higher than that of unrewarded items only in the congruity-judgment task, and the reward effect (the average amplitudes in the reward condition were significantly more positive than those in the no-reward condition) in the 300–500 and 500–700 ms were greater in the congruity-judgment task than in the size-judgment task. The results of source retrieval showed that the accuracy of rewarded items was higher than that of unrewarded items, that the difference in the size-judgment task was significantly larger, and that the reward effect in the 300–500 and 500–700 ms were greater in the size-judgment task than in the congruity-judgment task. In conclusion, the encoding task moderated the reward effect in item and source memory.

Is a boat bigger than a ship? Null results in the investigation of vowel sound symbolism on size judgements in real language.

Sound symbolism is the phenomenon by which certain kinds of phonemes are associated with perceptual and/or semantic properties. In this article, we explored size sound symbolism (i.e., the mil/mal effect) in which high-front vowels (e.g., /i/) show an association with smallness, while low-back vowels (e.g., /ɑ/) show an association with largeness. This has previously been demonstrated with nonwords, but its impact on the processing of real language is unknown. We investigated this using a size judgement task, in which participants classified words for small or large objects, containing a small- or large-associated vowel, based on their size. Words were presented auditorily in Experiment 1 and visually in Experiment 2. We did not observe an effect of vowel congruence (i.e., between object size and the size association of its vowel) in either of the experiments. This suggests that there are limits to the impact of sound symbolism on the processing of real language.

Size Perception Bias and Reach-to-Grasp Kinematics: An Exploratory Study on the Virtual Hand With a Consumer Immersive Virtual-Reality Device

While studies have increasingly used virtual hands and objects in virtual environments to investigate various processes of psychological phenomena, conflicting findings have been reported even at the most basic level of perception and action. To reconcile this situation, the present study aimed 1) to assess biases in size perception of a virtual hand using a strict psychophysical method and 2) to provide firm and conclusive evidence of the kinematic characteristics of reach-to-grasp movements with various virtual effectors (whole hand or fingertips only, with or without tactile feedback of a target object). Experiments were conducted using a consumer immersive virtual reality device. In a size judgment task, participants judged whether a presented virtual hand or an everyday object was larger than the remembered size. The results showed the same amplitude of underestimation (approximately 5%) for the virtual hand and the object, and no influence of object location, visuo-proprioceptive congruency, or short-term experience of controlling the virtual hand. Furthermore, there was a moderate positive correlation between actual hand size and perception bias. Analyses of reach-to-grasp movements revealed longer movement times and larger maximum grip aperture (MGA) for a virtual, as opposed to a physical, environment, but the MGA did not change when grasping was performed without tactile feedback. The MGA appeared earlier in the time course of grasping movements in all virtual reality conditions, regardless of the type of virtual effector. These findings confirm and corroborate previous evidence and may contribute to the field of virtual hand interfaces for interactions with virtual worlds.

Attentional capture from looming alters perception

ABSTRACT Studies suggest looming motion represents a special class of attentional capture stimulus due to behavioural urgency: the need to act upon objects moving toward us in an environment. In particular, one theory suggests that faster reaction times to targets cued by looming relative to receding motion are driven by post-attentional, motor-priming processes beyond the attentional capture effects seen with other stimulus qualities such as colour pop-out. The present study tested this theory using a relative size judgment task where targets were pre-cued by looming and receding optic flow fields. Results show systematic increases in the perceived size of targets that were cued by looming flow fields, consistent with previous attentional capture studies using onset cues. These results challenge theories attributing behavioural changes from looming motion to motor-priming alone.

Using large-scale augmented floor surfaces for industrial applications and evaluation on perceived sizes

Large high-resolution displays (LHRDs) provide an enabling technology to achieve immersive, isometrically registered, virtual environments. It has been shown that LHRDs allow better size judgments, higher collaboration performance, and shorter task completion times. This paper presents novel insights into human size perception using large-scale floor displays, in particular in-depth evaluations of size judgment accuracy, precision, and task completion time. These investigations have been performed in the context of six, novel applications in the domain of automotive production planning. In our studies, we used a 54-sqm sized LED floor and a standard tablet visualizing relatively scaled and true to scale 2D content, which users had to estimate using different aids. The study involved 22 participants and three different conditions. Results indicate that true to scale floor visualizations reduce the mean absolute percentage error of spatial estimations. In all three conditions, we did not find the typical overestimation or underestimation of size judgments.

Visual Size Processing in Early Visual Cortex Follows Lateral Occipital Cortex Involvement.

Neural activation in the early visual cortex (EVC) reflects the perceived rather than retinal size of stimuli, suggesting that feedback possibly from extrastriate regions modulates retinal size information in EVC. Meanwhile, the lateral occipital cortex (LOC) has been suggested to be critically involved in object size processing. To test for the potential contributions of feedback modulations on size representations in EVC, we investigated the dynamics of relevant processes using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Specifically, we briefly disrupted the neural activity of EVC and LOC at early, intermediate, and late time windows while participants performed size judgment tasks in either an illusory or neutral context. TMS over EVC and LOC allowed determining whether these two brain regions are relevant for generating phenomenological size impressions. Furthermore, the temporal order of TMS effects allowed inferences on the dynamics of information exchange between the two areas. Particularly, if feedback signals from LOC to EVC are crucial for generating altered size representations in EVC, then TMS effects over EVC should be observed simultaneously or later than the effects following LOC stimulation. The data from 20 humans (13 females) revealed that TMS over both EVC and LOC impaired illusory size perception. However, the strongest effects of TMS applied over EVC occurred later than those of LOC, supporting a functionally relevant feedback modulation from LOC to EVC for scaling size information. Our results suggest that context integration and the concomitant change of perceived size require LOC and result in modulating representations in EVC via recurrent processing.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT How we perceive an object's size is not entirely determined by its physical size or the size of its retinal representation but also the spatial context. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation, we investigated the role of the early visual cortex (EVC) and the higher-level visual area, lateral occipital cortex (LOC), known to be critically involved in object processing, in transforming an initial retinal representation into one that reflects perceived size. Transcranial magnetic stimulation altered size perception earlier over LOC compared with EVC, suggesting that context integration and the concomitant change in perceived size representations in EVC rely on feedback from LOC.

There's a SNARC in the Size Congruity Task.

The size congruity effect involves interference between numerical magnitude and physical size of visually presented numbers: congruent numbers (either both small or both large in numerical magnitude and physical size) are responded to faster than incongruent ones (small numerical magnitude/large physical size or vice versa). Besides, numerical magnitude is associated with lateralized response codes, leading to the Spatial Numerical Association of Response Codes (SNARC) effect: small numerical magnitudes are preferably responded to on the left side and large ones on the right side. Whereas size congruity effects are ascribed to interference between stimulus dimensions in the decision stage, SNARC effects are understood as (in)compatibilities in stimulus-response combinations. Accordingly, size congruity and SNARC effects were previously found to be independent in parity and in physical size judgment tasks. We investigated their dependency in numerical magnitude judgment tasks. We obtained independent size congruity and SNARC effects in these tasks and replicated this observation for the parity judgment task. The results confirm and extend the notion that size congruity and SNARC effects operate in different representational spaces. We discuss possible implications for number representation.

Similarities in Autistic and Neurotypical Visual-Haptic Perception When Making Judgements About ConflictingSensory Stimuli.

A number of studies have shown that multisensory performance is well predicted by a statistically optimal maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) model. Under this model unisensory estimates are combined additively and weighted according to relative reliability. Recent theories have proposed that atypical sensation and perception commonly reported in autism spectrum condition (ASC) may result from differences in the use of reliability information. Furthermore, experimental studies have indicated that multisensory processing is less effective in those with the condition in comparison to neurotypical (NT) controls. In the present study, adults with ASC (n=13) and a matched NT group (n=13) completed a visual-haptic size judgement task (cf. Gori et al., 2008) in which participants compared the height of wooden blocks using either vision or haptics, and in a dual modality condition in which visual-haptic stimuli were presented in size conflict. Participants with ASC tended to produce more reliable estimates than the NT group. However, dual modality performance was not well predicted by the MLE model for either group. Performance was subsequently compared to alternative models in which the participant either switched between modalities trial to trial (rather than integrating) and a model of non-optimal integration. Performance of both groups was statistically comparable to the cue-switching model. These findings suggest that adults with ASC adopted a similar strategy to NTs when processing conflicting visual-haptic information. Findings are discussed in relation to multisensory perception in ASC and methodological considerations associated with multisensory conflict paradigms.

Cortical pattern separation and item-specific memory encoding

Pattern separation and pattern completion are fundamental brain processes thought to be critical for episodic memory encoding and retrieval, and for discrimination between similar memories. These processes are best understood in the hippocampus, but are proposed to occur throughout the brain, in particular in sensory regions. Cortical, as well as hippocampal, pattern separation may therefore support formation of event-unique memory traces. Using fMRI, we investigated cortical pattern separation and pattern completion and their relationship to encoding activity predicting subsequent item-specific compared to gist memory. During scanning, participants viewed images of novel objects, repeated objects, and objects which were both perceptually and conceptually similar to previously presented images, while performing a size judgement task. In a later surprise recognition test, they judged whether test items were ‘same’ ‘similar’ or ‘new’ relative to studied items. Activity consistent with pattern separation – responses to similar items as if novel – was observed in bilateral occipito-temporal cortex. Activity consistent with pattern completion – responses to similar items as if repeated – was observed in left prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Curve fitting analysis further revealed that graded responses to change in image conceptual and perceptual similarity in bilateral prefrontal and right parietal regions met specific computational predictions for pattern separation for one or both of these similarity dimensions. Functional overlap between encoding activity predicting subsequent item-specific recognition and pattern separation activity was also observed in left occipital cortex and bilateral inferior frontal cortex. The findings suggest that extrahippocampal regions including sensory and prefrontal cortex contribute to pattern separation and pattern completion of visual input, consistent with the proposal that cortical pattern separation contributes to formation of item-specific memory traces, facilitating accurate recognition memory.

Priming for novel object associations: Neural differences from object item priming and equivalent forms of recognition.

The neural substrates of associative and item priming and recognition were investigated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging study over two separate sessions. In the priming session, participants decided which object of a pair was bigger during both study and test phases. In the recognition session, participants saw different object pairs and performed the same size-judgement task followed by an associative recognition memory task. Associative priming was accompanied by reduced activity in the right middle occipital gyrus as well as in bilateral hippocampus. Object item priming was accompanied by reduced activity in extensive priming-related areas in the bilateral occipitotemporofrontal cortex, as well as in the perirhinal cortex, but not in the hippocampus. Associative recognition was characterized by activity increases in regions linked to recollection, such as the hippocampus, posterior cingulate cortex, anterior medial frontal gyrus and posterior parahippocampal cortex. Item object priming and recognition recruited broadly overlapping regions (e.g., bilateral middle occipital and prefrontal cortices, left fusiform gyrus), even though the BOLD response was in opposite directions. These regions along with the precuneus, where both item priming and recognition were accompanied by activation, have been found to respond to object familiarity. The minimal structural overlap between object associative priming and recollection-based associative recognition suggests that they depend on largely different stimulus-related information and that the different directions of the effects indicate distinct retrieval mechanisms. In contrast, item priming and familiarity-based recognition seemed mainly based on common memory information, although the extent of common processing between priming and familiarity remains unclear. Further implications of these findings are discussed.

The role of early stages of cortical visual processing in size and distance judgment: A transcranial direct current stimulation study

Recent research suggests that V1 plays an active role in the judgment of size and distance. Nevertheless, no research has been performed using direct brain stimulation to address this issue. We used transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) to directly modulate the early stages of cortical visual processing while measuring size and distance perception with a psychophysical scaling method of magnitude estimation in a repeated-measures design. The subjects randomly received anodal, cathodal, and sham tDCS in separate sessions starting with size or distance judgment tasks. Power functions were fit to the size judgment data, whereas logarithmic functions were fit to distance judgment data. Slopes and R2 were compared with separate repeated-measures analyses of variance with two factors: task (size vs. distance) and tDCS (anodal vs. cathodal vs. sham). Anodal tDCS significantly decreased slopes, apparently interfering with size perception. No effects were found for distance perception. Consistent with previous studies, the results of the size task appeared to reflect a prothetic continuum, whereas the results of the distance task seemed to reflect a metathetic continuum. The differential effects of tDCS on these tasks may support the hypothesis that different physiological mechanisms underlie judgments on these two continua. The results further suggest the complex involvement of the early visual cortex in size judgment tasks that go beyond the simple representation of low-level stimulus properties. This supports predictive coding models and experimental findings that suggest that higher-order visual areas may inhibit incoming information from the early visual cortex through feedback connections when complex tasks are performed.

Large Scale Brain Functional Networks Support Sentence Comprehension: Evidence from Both Explicit and Implicit Language Tasks

Previous studies have indicated that sentences are comprehended via widespread brain regions in the fronto-temporo-parietal network in explicit language tasks (e.g., semantic congruency judgment tasks), and through restricted temporal or frontal regions in implicit language tasks (e.g., font size judgment tasks). This discrepancy has raised questions regarding a common network for sentence comprehension that acts regardless of task effect and whether different tasks modulate network properties. To this end, we constructed brain functional networks based on 27 subjects’ fMRI data that was collected while performing explicit and implicit language tasks. We found that network properties and network hubs corresponding to the implicit language task were similar to those associated with the explicit language task. We also found common hubs in occipital, temporal and frontal regions in both tasks. Compared with the implicit language task, the explicit language task resulted in greater global efficiency and increased integrated betweenness centrality of the left inferior frontal gyrus, which is a key region related to sentence comprehension. These results suggest that brain functional networks support both explicit and implicit sentence comprehension; in addition, these two types of language tasks may modulate the properties of brain functional networks.

The visual system’s intrinsic bias and knowledge of size mediate perceived size and location in the dark.

Dimly lit targets in the dark are perceived as located about an implicit slanted surface that delineates the visual system's intrinsic bias (Ooi, Wu, & He, 2001). If the intrinsic bias reflects the internal model of visual space-as proposed here-its influence should extend beyond target localization. Our first 2 experiments demonstrated that the intrinsic bias also influences perceived target size. We employed a size-matching task and an action task to measure the perceived size of a dimly lit target at various locations in the dark. Then using the size distance invariance hypothesis along with the accurately perceived target angular declination, we converted the perceived sizes to locations. We found that the derived locations from the size judgment tasks can be fitted by slanted curves that resemble the intrinsic bias profile from judged target locations. Our third experiment revealed that armed with the explicit knowledge of target size, an observer perceives target locations in the dark following an intrinsic bias-like profile that is shifted slightly farther from the observer than the profile obtained without knowledge of target size (i.e., slightly more veridical). Altogether, we showed that the intrinsic bias serves as an internal model, or memory, of ground surface layouts when the visual system cannot rely on external depth information. This memory/model can also be weakly influenced by top-down knowledge.

Monetary rewards influence strategic memory retrieval: an event-related potential study

Event Abstract Back to Event Monetary rewards influence strategic memory retrieval: an event-related potential study Teresa M. Halsband1*, Nicola K. Ferdinand1 and Axel Mecklinger1 1 Saarland University, Germany Monetary rewards and anticipation of rewards during study were found to support memory formation whereas their role on memory retrieval processes is unclear so far. Retrieval orientation is a flexible cognitive state adopted to strategically initiate processes according to particular retrieval demands in response to a retrieval cue. It is therefore one possible aspect of retrieval that can be modulated by rewards. This study investigates whether retrieval orientations during memory testing are modulated by rewards that were linked to performance in an incidental study task. In a size judgment task, participants saw mixed series of pictures and words. Each stimulus was preceded by a high or low reward cue that indicated the monetary reward for a correct and fast response in this task. 24 hours later, the participants performed an unexpected recognition memory exclusion task with words as test items. They were asked to respond with one key to the previously presented words (targets) and with a second key to previously presented pictures (non-targets) as well as to new words. The target/non-target designation was switched in another retrieval block and reward conditions were nested within target condition. Event-related potentials (ERPs) to new items were used as markers for retrieval orientations. In addition to the well-known material-specific effect of retrieval orientation, a fronto-centrally distributed, reward-specific retrieval orientation effect was found. This suggests that irrespective of the type of targeted memory representations, the retrieval of items that were linked to a high monetary reward during study was optimized and characterized by a greater prioritization of target information. Funding: Supported by German Research Foundation (DFG, IRTG 1457). Keywords: EEG, memory and learning Conference: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Poster Sessions: Neural Bases of Memory and Learning Citation: Halsband TM, Ferdinand NK and Mecklinger A (2011). Monetary rewards influence strategic memory retrieval: an event-related potential study. Conference Abstract: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00213 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 21 Nov 2011; Published Online: 28 Nov 2011. * Correspondence: Dr. Teresa M Halsband, Saarland University, Saarland, Germany, t.halsband@mx.uni-saarland.de Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Teresa M Halsband Nicola K Ferdinand Axel Mecklinger Google Teresa M Halsband Nicola K Ferdinand Axel Mecklinger Google Scholar Teresa M Halsband Nicola K Ferdinand Axel Mecklinger PubMed Teresa M Halsband Nicola K Ferdinand Axel Mecklinger Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Do our brain hemispheres exchange some stimulus aspects better than others?

The communication between the two brain hemispheres involves considerable information losses. This study investigated whether these losses might be reduced for frequently processed stimulus attributes and currently attended stimulus properties. It was assumed that size should be more often processed than animateness, since estimating object size is essential for motor planning. Thus, if the transfer deficits were curbed for frequently processed stimulus aspects, then they should be smaller for size than for animateness. By contrast, if the transfer losses were reduced for currently attended stimulus features, then they should depend on the task: in a size judgement task they should be smaller for size, and in an animateness judgement task they should be smaller for animateness. To test the interhemispheric transmission of the two stimulus properties, a lateralized priming paradigm was implemented, in which one group of participants judged targets according to their size and another group according to their animateness. It was found that the transfer deficits were virtually absent for size, but very pronounced for animateness. Hence, the present data provide the first evidence that interhemispheric transmission losses vary for particular stimulus features and that they may be reduced with practice. Since there was no priming for unattended stimulus properties, it remains open whether attention to certain stimulus aspects can improve the interhemispheric exchange as well.

An electrophysiological study of boundary conditions for control of recollection in the exclusion task

Event-related potentials (ERPs) were collected in a memory retrieval task that was designed to assess the resolution with which people exerted control over memory retrieval. Participants were first required to indicate whether the objects denoted by concrete nouns (i) had pleasant or unpleasant connotations, (ii) were typically smaller or larger than a shoebox, or (iii) were easy or difficult to draw. They then completed a retrieval task where old (studied) and new words were presented. Participants pressed one key for words encountered in the drawing task, and a second key for all other test words (new words as well as those encountered in the pleasantness and size judgment tasks). The left-parietal ERP old/new effect – an electrophysiological index of recollection – was reliable for words from the drawing task only. This finding is consistent with the view that participants were successful at prioritising recollection of some kinds of information over others. The data also provide an insight into the resolution with which this prioritisation can be implemented, because there was little evidence of a left-parietal ERP old/new effect for words to which a size judgment was made, despite the fact that visual imagery is likely to have been employed for drawing as well as for size judgments.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of bilingual word processing

Studies with monolingual adults have identified successive stages occurring in different brain regions for processing single written words. We combined magnetoencephalography and magnetic resonance imaging to compare these stages between the first (L1) and second (L2) languages in bilingual adults. L1 words in a size judgment task evoked a typical left-lateralized sequence of activity first in ventral occipitotemporal cortex (VOT: previously associated with visual word-form encoding) and then ventral frontotemporal regions (associated with lexico-semantic processing). Compared to L1, words in L2 activated right VOT more strongly from ∼135 ms; this activation was attenuated when words became highly familiar with repetition. At ∼400 ms, L2 responses were generally later than L1, more bilateral, and included the same lateral occipitotemporal areas as were activated by pictures. We propose that acquiring a language involves the recruitment of right hemisphere and posterior visual areas that are not necessary once fluency is achieved.

Does the semantic activation of quantity representations influence motor parameters?

In size and parity judgment tasks, we investigated whether the activation of numerical quantity exerts an influence on motor response parameters such as response force. Results showed typically strong effects on reaction time of numerical distance in the size judgment task (Experiments 1 and 2) and SNARC-compatibility (Experiment 1) in both tasks, indicating that semantic quantity representations were activated. Response force, however, varied at most weakly with the numerical magnitudes of the digits. Our results place limits on previously suggested interconnections of the magnitude and response systems. Activations within the magnitude system seem to have a strong influence on the initiation and selection of which action to produce, but only a little influence on the dynamics of response production (i.e., response execution).