Symbol Discrimination Research Articles

Ability to Select AAC Graphic Symbols by Severity of Alzheimer’s Disease and Number of Symbols

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the graphic-symbol selection ability of patients with dementia of Alzheimer's type (DAT) based on the severity of dementia by conducting symbol identification and symbol discrimination tasks with increasing numbers of symbols. These tasks were performed with both normal elderly individuals and DAT patients to explore how cognitive load affects them differently.Methods: A total of 21 normal elderly individuals, 17 mild DAT patients, and 20 moderate to severe DAT patients were assessed. They performed symbol identification and symbol discrimination tasks using the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Symbol Assessment Tool. The number of symbols increased in six steps, from 4 to 72. Accuracy and response time were measured for statistical analysis.Results: In the symbol identification task, there was no significant difference in accuracy among the three groups. However, normal group showed significantly faster responses compared to moderate to severe DAT group. In the symbol discrimination task, normal group showed higher accuracy and significantly faster responses than moderate to severe DAT group. As the number of symbols increased, response times increased across all groups, with more time required for the symbol discrimination task.Conclusion: It was confirmed that the greater the severity of DAT, the more cognitive load and impaired information processing were reflected in symbol selection. Findings suggest that response time is a more sensitive indicator of cognitive decline in DAT patients and highlight the need to adjust the number of symbols and presentation methods according to the severity of the patient’s condition in dementia interventions.

Gender Discrimination and Mental Health Among Health Care Workers: Findings from a Mixed Methods Study.

Background: Gender discrimination among healthcare workers (HCWs) negatively impacts their mental health and career development; however, few studies have explored how experiences of gender discrimination change during times of health system strain. Methods: This survey-based study assesses the associations between gender discrimination and four stress-related mental health outcomes (posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and burnout), as well as the qualitative experiences of gender discrimination in healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Among women, increased gender discrimination was associated with heightened symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and burnout after adjusting for demographics and pandemic-related stressors; however, among men, increased gender discrimination was only associated with heightened symptoms of depression. Using thematic analysis, we identified five themes that describe experiences of gender discrimination faced by women in healthcare, including differential valuing of work and contributions, gendered roles and assumptions about roles, maternal discrimination, objectification, and "old boys club." We also identified two themes describing how men perceived gender discrimination, including instances of symbolic discrimination and woman provider preference. Conclusion: These findings suggest that experiences of gender discrimination persist during times of health system strain and negatively impact women HCWs' mental health.

Japanese public opinion on reporting the real names of juvenile criminals: An examination from the perspective of justification preferences

PurposeThis study examined Japanese citizens’ attitudes toward disclosing juvenile offenders’ real names in terms of justification preferences, which are strongly related to attitudes toward punishment and justice. MethodsA total of 1,207 citizens participated in an online survey. A multiple regression analysis was conducted with attitudes toward revealing real names as the dependent variable and preferences for justification, beliefs about juvenile offenders, perceptions of delinquency, and demographic variables as the independent variables. ResultsThe preference for rehabilitation predicted disapproval, while general deterrence and incapacitation predicted support for reporting real names. This suggests that the fear of hindering rehabilitation leads people to reject reporting real names, while the idea that it is important for deterring crime leads people to support it. Symbolic discrimination against juvenile offenders was also suggested as a reason for supporting the reporting of real names in conjunction with beliefs about juvenile offenders. ConclusionsThe results can be seen as an expression of the penal populism that has emerged in Japan in recent years. The paper also discusses a hybrid measure of preference for justification used in the present study.

Reporting the real names of juvenile offenders: A study of Japanese perspectives through the lens of symbolic discrimination

This study examined Japanese attitudes toward reporting the real names of juvenile offenders, through the lens of symbolic discrimination. This topic has attracted much attention in recent literature. As extant research suggests that the Japanese public considers Japan's Juvenile Law to be outdated, we hypothesized that the notion of symbolic discrimination—which argues that juveniles should not be treated differently from adults—would be related to attitudes toward real-name reportage. After an online survey of 961 Japanese people aged 14 years and older, a multiple regression analysis was conducted to investigate attitudes toward real-name reportage of and symbolic discrimination against juvenile offenders, including appropriate punishment for bad behavior (balance) and adversity experienced by juvenile offenders (adversity). The results showed that, in addition to several of the participants' beliefs about and perceptions of juvenile offenders and crimes, balance was associated with support for real-name reportage, demonstrating that symbolic discrimination was related to support for the same.

Study of variability of cognitive performance in captive fallow deer (Dama dama) through g and c factors

Psychometric studies reveal a variability that ranges between 30 and 75 % for different cognitive processes, both in humans and non-human animals. This variability has been ascribed to a “general intelligence” factor (g). Current studies implemented in non-human animals to identify individual differences in cognitive skills are still far from those applied in humans. We tested for cognitive performance in a fallow deer herd using a test battery of eight tasks based on measures for cognitive development in untamed confined wild animals: motor control, spatial memory, colour and tone discrimination and inversion, inhibitory control and symbol discrimination tests. g factor explained 60 % of the variability in cognitive performance. Significant correlations, both positive and negative, were found between the different cognitive processes studied. Likewise, the cognitive performance of the group was affected by a “collective intelligence” factor (c), inferred through variables describing the hierarchical structure of the studied population but which, however does not affect individual intelligence quotient of the members of the group.

Gender Discourses in Positioning Indonesian Female Migrant Workers

Indonesian female migrant workers are a group that has over time experienced physical, psychological, and verbal violence in their jobs in foreign countries. The story presented of the struggles of this subordinated group of women remains one-sided and incomplete. The untold part of the story are the experiences they have encountered domestically from within their own country, Indonesia. This article argues that the subordinated position of Indonesian female migrant workers is initially created and strongly reinforced through the discrimination they face within specific social settings in the Indonesian context. One such social setting is at Indonesian international airports. Indonesian international airports are where the female migrant workers are positioned as “others”; rules put in place and their enforcement by airport officials and other passengers show the exclusion of female migrant workers from Indonesian society. Such positioning is an act of discrimination, exploitation, and exercise of power. This study examines what discourses are used in positioning these Indonesian female migrant workers in Soekarno Hatta International Airport, Jakarta. The authors argue, using research data and gender theories, that the positioning of Indonesian female migrant workers is a discursive act. It is committed by various individuals, particularly those (in the power system) that have the position of “we” and “us”, to preserve the social classes, which have become normalized throughout Indonesian history. The research found that the discrimination against female migrant workers is strongly connected to their social class. Although they have financial capital, their position is considered lower than other people in the airport, which creates multiple forms of discrimination, from material to symbolic discrimination and stereotypes.

Size Discriminability of Circular Tactile Point Symbols

Size Discriminability of Circular Tactile Point Symbols

The structure of preliteracy competence in children aged five to seven years

Children´s early literacy development is a key contributor to later literacy skills and overall academic achievement. We have developed a set of tests that assesses preliteracy competence based on well-established foreign and Slovenian instruments or tools. A sample of 307 children aged from five to seven years were tested. A high Cronbach alpha coefficient (alpha = 0.87) indicates that the design instrument is an internally reliable instrument. This paper showcases and describes the differences in the development of preliteracy competence in different age group. The results show that children between 5 and 7 show the greatest development of the abilities to discern the initial sound, to analyse the sound, to notice the removal of sounds or syllables from a meaningless word, and to recall words on a given phoneme. Exploratory factor analysis with oblimin rotation revealed that preliteracy competence is best understood as a four-dimensional construct among children aged five to seven years. The first dimension is defined by higher-level phonological awareness, verbal memory, and rapid automatic naming, so it is metaphonology. The second factor, named perceptual language structure, expresses macro-linguistic structure (syllable, rhymes) and discrimination of words that sound similar. The third factor, named vocabulary, is saturated mostly by syllable analysis, vocabulary and word comprehension. The fourth factor is visual processing and capturing, which enable storage and refreshing of non-verbal information and the discrimination of symbols. The differences in development of preliteracy competency indicate intervention in the following areas: phonological awareness, verbal short-term memory, visual processing (discrimination and short-term memory) and vocabulary knowledge.

Evaluation of Aircrew Low-Intensity Threat Laser Eye Protection

Prototype low-intensity threat laser eye protection (LIT-LEP) spectacles were evaluated for US Coast Guard (USCG) cockpits and night vision goggle compatibility. The impetus for interest in aviation LIT-LEP is driven in part by the fact that easily accessible 0.5-2.0 W high-power laser pointers exceed safety standards for direct on-axis viewing. A repeated-measures experimental design was used to assess LIT-LEP performance relative to a no-LEP control for the following tasks: Near- and far contrast acuity, night vision goggle far-contrast acuity, emissive and non-emissive light source color-vision screening, and USCG multifunctional display color symbol discrimination reaction time and accuracy. Near- and far-contrast acuity results demonstrated good LIT-LEP performance for typical in- and out-of-cockpit lighting conditions. Night vision goggle performance suffered marginally at only one contrast level (85%; 20/30 acuity line). Color vision test results showed good color balance in that S-, M-, and L-cone performance did not demonstrate a clinical diagnostic color defect for emissive or non-emissive light sources when wearing LIT-LEP. Color symbol discrimination reaction-time-task results based on inverse efficiency scores revealed that some non-primary flight display colors exhibited a combination of slower speed and decreased accuracy. The findings will contribute to an acquisition decision as well as guide future LEP designs.

Consideration of Multiple Discrimination Discourse and Anti-Discrimination Education Methodology

이 연구는 교육학 분야에 다중차별 담론을 활성화함으로써 차별에 대한 기존의 인식에 전환을 촉구하고 인식의 확장에 기초한 반차별 및 인권 교육의 새로운 방법과 내용을 모색하는 것을 목표로 한다. 이를 위해 먼저 개인의 정체성을 구성하는 다양한 요소들, 즉 성별, 민족, 신체(장애), 종교, 언어, 계층, 성적지향 등이 사회적 권력관계 속에서 어떻게 차별의 이유로 작용하는지를 사회심리학적, 민족학적, 사회학적으로 고찰하고, 기존의 전통적 차별 연구가 가진 인식론적 제한점과 현대 사회의 차별에 대한 법적 접근 방식의 실효성에 대하여 다중차별 개념을 기초로 문제를 제기한다. 나아가 다중차별 개념과 차별의 교차성 이론을 분석함으로써 이 개념을 교육현장에서 어떻게 다룰 것인지 그 방법을 모색한다. 문헌연구로부터 얻게 된 이 연구의 성과는 무엇보다 차별의 다중성과 교차성에 대한 분석과정 자체가 반차별 교육의 주요한 컨텐츠가 될 수 있음에 대한 발견이다. 즉, 차별의 교차성에 대한 인식론적 접근이 차별의 다양한 현상을 해석하는 의미있는 도구가 될뿐만 아니라 차별이 오늘날 상징질서 속에 편입되어 어떻게 사회의 구조가 되었는지, 이러한 구조가 어떻게 행위자의 내부에 구조화(내면화)되는지, 이 과정에서 상징차별은 어떻게 상호 교차되는지와 같은 풍부한 교육 컨텐츠가 다중차별 담론에 내재되어 있음을 밝힌다. 이러한 결론 위에서 이 연구는 교차적 접근에 기초한 반차별 교육의 수업 전략을 아이디어 차원에서 제시한다.The objective of this study is to urge the transition of awareness about discrimination through discourse on multiple discrimination in the field of pedagogy and to seek for new methods and contents of anti-discrimination and human rights education based on the expansion of awareness. To do so, this study examines socio-psychologically, ethnologically and sociologically how various factors constituting identity of individuals such as sex, ethnicity, body (disability), religion, language, class and sexual orientation act as reasons for discrimination in the middle of social power relations. The problem is posed based on the concept of multiple discrimination about epistemological limitations of the traditional discrimination studies and the effectiveness of legal approach to discrimination in the contemporary society. Furthermore, the method of handling this concept at education sites is discussed by analyzing the concept of multiple discrimination and the intersectionality theory of discrimination. The outcome of this study obtained from the literature is the discovery that the process of analyzing the multiplicity and intersectionality of discrimination can become primary contents of anti-discrimination education. In other words, epistemological approach to intersectionality of discrimination is not only a meaningful tool to interpret various phenomena of discrimination but discourse that internalizes rich educational contents including how discrimination turned into a social structure in the midst of symbolic order, how this structure is structuralized (internalized) within the agent, and how symbolic discrimination intersects mutually. Based on this conclusion, this study proposes an idea on the anti-discrimination education strategy by taking an intersectional approach.

Usability Evaluation of Tactile Map Symbols across Three Production Technologies

Introduction Technological advances have introduced three-dimensional (3-D) printing as an option for creating tactile maps for people with visual impairments (that is, those who are blind or have low vision), diversifying the types of map products that are available. At the same time, it presents a challenge to map makers to implement designs across multiple production methods. We evaluated map symbols to determine their discriminability across three different materials: microcapsule paper, 3-D printer plastic, and embossed paper. Methods In a single session lasting less than 90 minutes, participants completed a matching task and provided informal feedback regarding their preferences. We measured speed and accuracy to establish discriminability of map symbols on each of the materials. Eighteen participants were recruited from a referred sample among attendees at the American Council of the Blind annual convention in 2013. Results Response times were significantly different across the three materials (p < 0.001). Without sacrificing accuracy, response times were faster for the 3-D printed graphics than for either the microcapsule paper (p < 0.001) or the embossed paper (p < 0.001). User preference was divided across the three materials. Some people disliked the “sharp” corners of the 3-D printed symbols, while others preferred their “crisp” edges. Discussion Our results demonstrate faster discriminability of a set of tactile symbols produced on a 3-D printer compared to those same symbols printed on microcapsule paper, the material for which the symbols were originally designed. Participant feedback reflected preferences both in favor of and against reading symbols produced on the 3-D printer. Implications for practitioners This article discusses the functional equivalence of tactile symbols produced across multiple production technologies. It addresses two considerations when using 3-D printing to make tactile maps: preparing digital files for printing and the printing work flow. Digital files ready for printing on each of the three materials are available for download (Brittell, Lobben, & Lawrence 2016).

Visual-graphic symbol acquisition in school age children with developmental and language delays

Augmented language systems have become both an integral component of communication intervention programs for children with severe communicative impairments and spurred research on their language and communication development. This study examined intrinsic and extrinsic factors that may influence the language development process for children with developmental disabilities, by exploring the relationship between varying degrees of symbol arbitrariness and extant speech comprehension skills in the discrimination, learning, and use of symbols for communication. For the study, 13 school-aged participants (M = 8.24 [years; months]), with both developmental and language delays, were provided experience with iconic Blissymbols and an arbitrary symbol set of lexigrams via observational computerized experience sessions. There was a modest difference in their ability to learn arbitrary versus iconic symbols. There were no differences if the vocabulary item was unknown prior to the symbol learning experience. These findings suggest that iconicity of a symbol may not be a critical factor in learning a symbol-referent relationship if a target referent is not yet known in comprehension.

Symbol Discrimination Speed in Children With Visual Impairments.

We measured visual acuity and visual discrimination speed simultaneously in children with visual impairments to determine whether they are slower than children with normal vision. Five- to twelve-year-old children with visual impairments due to ocular dysfunction (VIo; n = 30) or cerebral visual impairment (CVI; n = 17) performed a speed-acuity test in which they indicated the orientation of Landolt-C symbols as quickly and accurately as possible. The reaction times for symbols ranging between -0.3 and 1.2 logMAR relative to acuity threshold were compared with normative data. To test whether children were already slow in merely detecting symbols, we also compared their reaction times on a simple visual detection task (VDT) to normative data. An auditory detection task (ADT) was used to probe for other, more general deficits. Of the children with visual impairments, 88% had abnormally long reaction times in the speed-acuity test. This deficit was partly explained by their reduced acuity, but 40% still needed more time to discriminate acuity-matched optotypes. Children responded late in the VDT too, especially those with CVI, but this impairment could not fully account for their slow symbol discrimination. In children with CVI, reaction times in the ADT were affected as much as those in the VDT, suggesting more general sensorimotor problems in CVI. The speed-acuity test offers additional insight in visual impairment. Children with VIo and CVI are abnormally slow in discerning foveal details. Magnification of materials is often insufficient to compensate for this deficit, partly because stimulus detection is already hampered.

Development of Symbol Discrimination Speed in Children With Normal Vision.

Many visually guided tasks require rapid perception of visual details, but how fast children can discern foveal stimuli and how this ability improves with age are still unknown. To fill this gap, we tested normally sighted children between 5 and 12 years of age with a combined symbol-discrimination reaction-time test. Children (n = 94) had to indicate, as fast and accurately as possible, the orientation of a Landolt C symbol (90 trials). Task difficulty was manipulated by varying symbol size (-0.43 to 1.09 logMAR at 5 m). The resulting reaction times were analyzed with a drift-diffusion model. Reaction times on a visual and auditory detection task were measured to assess the contribution of other factors, such as delays in stimulus detection and executing the motor response. Detection and discrimination were significantly faster in older children. Five-year-olds needed ∼440 ms for visual detection and ∼980 ms for discrimination of the largest symbols while 12-year-olds needed only ∼250 ms and ∼500 ms for this. The extra time needed for discrimination compared with detection decreased with age. The decrease in reaction time with increasing optotype size was also age-dependent and indicated an increase in sensitivity with age. Despite the time pressure, acuity thresholds were normal (within the EN ISO-8597 standard). Our data revealed substantial developmental improvements in visual discrimination speed, which suggests that an important optimization takes place in the developing visual system of 5- to 12-year-old children. Since the speed-acuity test allows for quick and reliable assessment of visual recognition acuity and speed, it may be useful in clinical testing too.

Perceived HIV-related stigma among university students in South Africa: implications for HIV testing

HIV-related stigma, and particularly perceived stigma, has a negative impact across the HIV care continuum. This study adds to our understanding of stigma by assessing how perceived stigma varies from one context to another and how such differences are associated with the location where individuals would prefer an HIV test. We used self-administered questionnaire data (n = 378) obtained from a convenience sample of students (18 years and older) attending a tertiary education institution in Durban, South Africa. Perceived stigma in the university environment was compared to perceived stigma in the home community environment. Multiple logistic regression analysis tested whether a higher level of perceived stigma in one setting was associated with a preference for HIV testing in the other setting. While levels of symbolic stigma and discrimination were low, a large proportion of the sample perceived that people living with HIV experience some form of stigmatisation in the home community and university environments (47% vs 41%, p = 0.09). A total of 31% reported less perceived stigma in the university environment. Students who perceived less stigma in the university environment were significantly more likely to report a preference for HIV testing at the university clinic rather than at a clinic in their community (aOR: 2.03; p < 0.01). Perceptions common across settings that people living with HIV experience stigmatisation are of great concern, especially for efforts to increase demand for HIV testing among young people. Results suggest that HIV-testing services in environments perceived to be less stigmatising than home communities could provide preferred alternatives for HIV testing.

Detecting Visual Function Abnormality with a Contrast-Dependent Visual Test in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

In addition to diabetic retinopathy, diabetes also causes early retinal neurodegeneration and other eye problems, which cause various types of visual deficits. This study used a computer-based visual test (Macular Multi-Function Assessment (MMFA)) to assess contrast-dependent macular visual function in patients with type 2 diabetes to collect more visual information than possible with only the visual acuity test. Because the MMFA is a newly developed test, this study first compared the agreement and discriminative ability of the MMFA and the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) contrast acuity charts. Then symbol discrimination performances of diabetic patients and controls were evaluated at 4 contrast levels using the MMFA. Seventy-seven patients and 45 controls participated. The agreement between MMFA and ETDRS scores was examined by fitting three-level linear mixed-effect models to estimate the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). The estimated areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to compare the discriminative ability of diseased versus non-diseased participants between the two tests. The MMFA scores of patients and controls were compared with multiple linear regression analysis after adjusting the effects of age, sex, hypertension and cataract. Results showed that the scores of the MMFA and ETDRS tests displayed high levels of agreement and acceptable and similar discriminative ability. The MMFA performance was correlated with the severity of diabetic retinopathy. Most of the MMFA scores differed significantly between the diabetic patients and controls. In the low contrast condition, the MMFA scores were significantly lower for 006Eon-DR patients than for controls. The potential utility of the MMFA as an easy screening tool for contrast-dependent visual function and for detecting early functional visual change in patients with type 2 diabetes is discussed.

The Role of Stereotyping in Public Policy Legitimation: The Case of the pigs Label

This article aims at deconstructing the “pigs” label, bestowed by the media on four southern European countries – Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece – in the wake of the ongoing Eurozone debt crisis. The article will demonstrate that the “pigs” label has no correspondence to reality by discussing the evolution of several European countries on the fields of economy, education, social policies and health. The “pigs” label should be viewed instead as an instance of symbolic discrimination and as part of an hegemonic narrative aiming at legitimizing austerity policies in Southern Europe and postulating the incompatibility between social development and economic growth.

A model of symbol discrimination in vibration blur

A model of symbol discrimination in vibration blur

Following the time course of face gender and expression processing: A task-dependent ERP study

The effects of task demands and the interaction between gender and expression in face perception were studied using event-related potentials (ERPs). Participants performed three different tasks with male and female faces that were emotionally inexpressive or that showed happy or angry expressions. In two of the tasks (gender and expression categorization) facial properties were task-relevant while in a third task (symbol discrimination) facial information was irrelevant. Effects of expression were observed on the visual P100 component under all task conditions, suggesting the operation of an automatic process that is not influenced by task demands. The earliest interaction between expression and gender was observed later in the face-sensitive N170 component. This component showed differential modulations by specific combinations of gender and expression (e.g., angry male vs. angry female faces). Main effects of expression and task were observed in a later occipito-temporal component peaking around 230ms post-stimulus onset (EPN or early posterior negativity). Less positive amplitudes in the presence of angry faces and during performance of the gender and expression tasks were observed. Finally, task demands also modulated a positive component peaking around 400ms (LPC, or late positive complex) that showed enhanced amplitude for the gender task. The pattern of results obtained here adds new evidence about the sequence of operations involved in face processing and the interaction of facial properties (gender and expression) in response to different task demands.

Within Stimulus Prompting to Teach Symbol Discrimination Using an iPad® Speech Generating Device

This study evaluated the effects of within stimulus prompting and prompt fading to teach four preschool children with autism picture symbol discrimination using an iPad® and the Proloqu2Go application as a speech-generating device. Participants were taught to discriminate between a progressively more complex field of picture-symbols depicted on the screen of an iPad with a five-phased training procedure. All participants acquired discrimination between picture-symbols while using the iPad to mand for preferred items in a field of four picture-symbols. The results provide tentative support for a procedure to teach children with autism to discriminate between picture symbols while manding using a handheld speech-generating device.