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This paper aims to expand the literature on the determinants of the Cognitive Reflection Test scores, exploring the effects that the items sequence has on (1) Cognitive Reflection Test scores, (2) response time, (3) the relationship between Cognitive Reflection Test scores and response time, and (4) Cognitive Reflection scores, response time, and the relationship between both variables on men and women. The current study also explored the sex differences on Cognitive Reflection Test and response time according to items sequence. The results showed that manipulating the items sequence, the performance on the Cognitive Reflection Test improved significantly, but the response time were not significantly affected, although the results suggest that first items of the sequence could be working as training items. A positive relationship between Cognitive Reflection Test scores and response time was also found, except when the scores were maximized. Finally, some differences between men and women on the results were also found. The implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the sequential stage model, the selection and the execution of a motor response are two distinct independent processes. Here, we propose a new adaptive paradigm for identifying the individual duration of the response preparatory period based on the motor reaction time (RT) data. The results are compared using the paradigm with constant values of the preparatory period. Two groups of participants performed on either an easy (Group 1) or a hard (Group 2) response selection task with two types of stimuli based on the preparatory period parameters: (1) stimuli with a constant preparatory period duration of 0 or 1200 ms and (2) stimuli with adaptive preparatory period durations. Our analysis showed an increase in the duration of the response selection process as a function of increasing task complexity when using both paradigms with constant and adaptive values of the preparatory period duration. We conclude that the adaptive paradigm proposed in the current paper has several important advantages over the constant paradigm in terms of measuring the response accuracy while being equally efficiently in capturing other critical response parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Making decisions is an important aspect of people's lives. Decisions can be highly critical in nature, with mistakes possibly resulting in extremely adverse consequences. Yet, such decisions have often to be made within a very short period of time and with limited information. This can result in decreased accuracy and efficiency. In this paper, we explore the possibility of increasing speed and accuracy of users engaged in the discrimination of realistic targets presented for a very short time, in the presence of unimodal or bimodal cues. More specifically, we present results from an experiment where users were asked to discriminate between targets rapidly appearing in an indoor environment. Unimodal (auditory) or bimodal (audio-visual) cues could shortly precede the target stimulus, warning the users about its location. Our findings show that, when used to facilitate perceptual decision under time pressure, and in condition of limited information in real-world scenarios, spoken cues can be effective in boosting performance (accuracy, reaction times or both), and even more so when presented in bimodal form. However, we also found that cue timing plays a critical role and, if the cue-stimulus interval is too short, cues may offer no advantage. In a post-hoc analysis of our data, we also show that congruency between the response location and both the target location and the cues, can interfere with the speed and accuracy in the task. These effects should be taken in consideration, particularly when investigating performance in realistic tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we reexamined the typical analysis methods of a visuomotor sequence learning task, namely the ASRT task (J. H. Howard & Howard, 1997). We pointed out that the current analysis of data could be improved by paying more attention to pre-existing biases (i.e. by eliminating artifacts by using new filters) and by introducing a new data grouping that is more in line with the task’s inherent statistical structure. These suggestions result in more types of learning scores that can be quantified and also in purer measures. Importantly, the filtering method proposed in this paper also results in higher individual variability, possibly indicating that it had been masked previously with the usual methods. The implications of our findings relate to other sequence learning tasks as well, and opens up opportunities to study different types of implicit learning phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motorsports have become an excellent playground for testing the limits of technology, machines, and human drivers. This paper presents a study that used a professional racing simulator to compare the behavior of human and autonomous drivers under an aggressive driving scenario. A professional simulator offers a close-to-real emulation of underlying physics and vehicle dynamics, as well as a wealth of clean telemetry data. In the first study, the participants' task was to achieve the fastest lap while keeping the car on the track. We grouped the resulting laps according to the performance (lap-time), defining driving behaviors at various performance levels. An extensive analysis of vehicle control features obtained from telemetry data was performed with the goal of predicting the driving performance and informing an autonomous system. In the second part of the study, a state-of-the-art reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm was trained to control the brake, throttle and steering of the simulated racing car. We investigated how the features used to predict driving performance in humans can be used in autonomous driving. Our study investigates human driving patterns with the goal of finding traces that could improve the performance of RL approaches. Conversely, they can also be applied to training (professional) drivers to improve their racing line., Competing Interests: The commercial affiliation with AVL GmbH and Know-Center GmbH does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Background and Aim: Predicting overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) is important because the condition is frequent, often requires hospitalization and is potentially preventable. The risk of OHE is related to pre-existing discrete cognitive defects, and for clinical practice it is recommended to apply two different psychometric tests to detect such deficits. We used the continuous reaction time test (CRT) and the portosystemic encephalopathy (PSE) syndrome test and examined their single and combined value for OHE prediction in cirrhosis patients., Patients and Methods: We studied 130 clinically mentally unimpaired cirrhosis patients by the two tests and followed them for an average of 38.5 months. The CRT measures velocity and stability of motor reaction times to 150 repeated auditory signals. The PSE is a five sub-set paper-and-pencil test battery evaluating cognitive and psychomotor processing, speed and vision-motor coordination. We collected data on episodes of OHE during follow-up. The clinical course was analysed in patient groups according to the outcome of each test and of both tests together. No anti-HE treatment was initiated except for cases with OHE., Results: At baseline, the CRT test was abnormal in 74 patients and the PSE in 47. During follow-up 35 patients (27%) experienced 74 OHE events. 23 patients with abnormal CRT experienced OHE (prediction sensitivity 65%). The PSE predicted OHE in 14 patients (prediction sensitivity 40%). One or both tests were abnormal in 87/130 (67%) and this predicted OHE in 27 patients (21%) (prediction sensitivity 77%)., Conclusion: The CRT test was clinically useful in identifying two-thirds of clinically mentally unimpaired cirrhosis patients who later experienced OHE, and the use of both the CRT and PSE showed satisfactory prediction by identifying three-fourths of later OHE cases., Competing Interests: MM Lauridsen has given lectures paid by Norgine, MM Lauridsen has a consultant agreement with Umecrine Cognition, MM Lauridsen is on the steering committee in the International Society for Hepatic Encephalopathy and Nitrogen Metabolism (ISHEN). This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

The capture of exogenous attention by negative stimuli has been interpreted as adaptive for survival in a diverse and changing environment. In the present paper, we investigate the neural responses towards two discrete negative emotions with different biological meanings, disgust and fear, and its potential relationships with heart rate variability (HRV) as an index of emotional regulation. With that aim, 30 participants performed a digit categorization task while fear, disgust and neutral distractor pictures were presented. Resting HRV at baseline, behavioral responses, and event-related potentials were recorded. Whereas P1 amplitudes were highest to fear distractors, the disgust stimulation led to augmented P2 amplitudes compared to the rest of distractors. Interestingly, increased N2 amplitudes were also found to disgust distractors, but only in high HRV participants. Neural source estimation data point to the involvement of the insula in this exogenous attentional response to disgust. Additionally, disgust distractors provoked longer reaction times than fear and neutral distractors in the high HRV group. Present findings are interpreted in evolutionary terms suggesting that exogenous attention is captured by negative stimuli following a different time course for fear and disgust. Possible HRV influences on neural mechanisms underlying exogenous attention are discussed considering the potential important role of this variable in emotional regulation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the use of the Aimsun microsimulation program to simulate vehicle violating behaviors and observe their impact on road traffic crash risk. Plugins for violations of speeding, slow driving, and abrupt stopping were developed using Aimsun’s API and SDK module. A safety analysis plugin for investigating probability of rear-end collisions was developed, and a method for analyzing collision risk is proposed. A Fuzzy C-mean Clustering algorithm was developed to identify high risk states in different road segments over time. Results of a simulation experiment based on the G15 Expressway in Shanghai showed that abrupt stopping had the greatest impact on increasing collision risk, and the impact of violations increased with traffic volume. The methodology allows for the evaluation and monitoring of risks, alerting of road hazards, and identification of hotspots, and could be applied to the operations of existing facilities or planning of future ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lunge motion is one of the fundamental attacks used in modern fencing, asking for a high level of coordination, speed and accuracy to be efficient. The aim of the current paper was the assessment of fencer's performance and response time in lunge attacks under uncertain conditions. For this study, an innovative fencing lunge simulator was designed. The performance of 11 regional to national-level fencers performing lunges in Fixed, Moving and Uncertain conditions was assessed. The results highlighted notably that i) Accuracy and success decreased significantly in Moving and Uncertain conditions with regard to Fixed ones ii) Movement and Reaction times were also affected by the experimental conditions iii) Different fencer profiles were distinguishable among subjects. In conclusion, the hypothesis that fencers may privilege an adaptation to the attack conditions and preserve accuracy instead of privileging quickness was supported by the results. Such simulators may be further used to analyze in more detail the motor control strategies of fencers through the measure and processing of biomechanical quantities and a wider range of fencing levels. It has also a great potential to be used as training device to improve fencer's performance to adapt his attack to controlled opponent's motion., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

There is extensive evidence showing that bilinguals activate the lexical and the syntactic representations of both languages in a nonselective way. However, the extent to which the lexical and the syntactic levels of representations interact during second language (L2) sentence processing and how those interactions are modulated by L2 proficiency remain unclear. This paper aimed to directly address these issues by using an online technique (eye-tracking) that is highly sensitive to the lexical and syntactic processes involved in sentence reading. To that purpose, native-speakers of European Portuguese (EP) learning English as L2 at intermediate and advanced levels of proficiency were asked to silently read temporally ambiguous L2 relative clause (RC) sentences disambiguated with a High-Attachment (HA) or Low-Attachment (LA) strategy while their eye-movements were monitored. Since EP and English native speakers differ in the way they process and comprehend this syntactic structure (EP: HA, English: LA), HA preferences were used as a marker of L1 RC syntax interference. Additionally, the cognate status of the complex NP that preceded the RC was manipulated to further analyze how the lexical co-activation of both languages would also affect the syntactic representations of the non-target (L1) language. Results showed cognate facilitation in early and late reading time measures regardless of L2 proficiency, and also that the cognate status of the complex NP impacted L2 reading performance, particularly at lower levels of L2 proficiency. These findings provide compelling evidence for a bilingual reading system that seems to be highly dynamic and interactive not only within each level of processing, but, importantly, across levels of representation. They also suggested that, as the level of L2 proficiency increases, L1 RC syntax interference becomes stronger, in a syntactic parser that seems to operate in a more integrated and nonselective way, with both strategies being equally available to guide L2 reading comprehension. Results are discussed attending to the current models of bilingual syntactic processing., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The recognition potential (RP) is an early visually evoked response (~250 ms) whose magnitude is sensitive to object recognizability and related factors. The RP is often measured when objects are embedded in a rapid stream of masking stimuli (the RSS paradigm), especially in reading research. The idea is that RSS provides greater stimulus-dependent variations in RP, compared to the corresponding variations without RSS. However, this idea has never been subject to systematic evaluation. We directly test whether RSS can enhance 2 types of RP stimulus selectivity, by measuring the RP in conditions that only differ in the presence or absence of a masking stream and in the type of stimulus shown. We measure the effect of image inversion on RP for Chinese characters (experiment 1); the effect of orthographical correctness on RP for Chinese characters (experiment 3); and as a control study, the effect of image inversion on the N170 response to faces (experiment 2). To ensure a fair comparison, the earliest negative deflections (RP/N170) measured with and without RSS should at least have similar channel ranges, and topographical distributions of both amplitude and selectivity. Our first set of results clearly supports this. Our main results clearly show an increase in stimulus-selectivity for RSS over non-RSS in both of the RP (Chinese character) experiments, but no such enhancement in the N170 (face) experiment. This provides incentive for investigations into the underlying mechanisms of selectivity enhancement. Our findings may also help to explain contradictory findings between RP/N170 studies that differ only in the use of noise masks, which is sometimes treated as trivial detail in papers that do not reference the RP/RSS literature., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

In a companion paper [1], we have presented a generic approach for inferring how subjects make optimal decisions under uncertainty. From a Bayesian decision theoretic perspective, uncertain representations correspond to ''posterior'' beliefs, which result from integrating (sensory) information with subjective ''prior'' beliefs. Preferences and goals are encoded through a ''loss'' (or ''utility'') function, which measures the cost incurred by making any admissible decision for any given (hidden or unknown) state of the world. By assuming that subjects make optimal decisions on the basis of updated (posterior) beliefs and utility (loss) functions, one can evaluate the likelihood of observed behaviour. In this paper, we describe a concrete implementation of this meta-Bayesian approach (i.e. a Bayesian treatment of Bayesian decision theoretic predictions) and demonstrate its utility by applying it to both simulated and empirical reaction time data from an associative learning task. Here, inter-trial variability in reaction times is modelled as reflecting the dynamics of the subjects' internal recognition process, i.e. the updating of representations (posterior densities) of hidden states over trials while subjects learn probabilistic audio-visual associations. We use this paradigm to demonstrate that our meta-Bayesian framework allows for (i) probabilistic inference on the dynamics of the subject's representation of environmental states, and for (ii) model selection to disambiguate between alternative preferences (loss functions) human subjects could employ when dealing with trade-offs, such as between speed and accuracy. Finally, we illustrate how our approach can be used to quantify subjective beliefs and preferences that underlie inter-individual differences in behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a generic approach that can be used to infer how subjects make optimal decisions under uncertainty. This approach induces a distinction between a subject's perceptual model, which underlies the representation of a hidden ''state of affairs'' and a response model, which predicts the ensuing behavioural (or neurophysiological) responses to those inputs. We start with the premise that subjects continuously update a probabilistic representation of the causes of their sensory inputs to optimise their behaviour. In addition, subjects have preferences or goals that guide decisions about actions given the above uncertain representation of these hidden causes or state of affairs. From a Bayesian decision theoretic perspective, uncertain representations are so-called ''posterior'' beliefs, which are influenced by subjective ''prior'' beliefs. Preferences and goals are encoded through a ''loss'' (or ''utility'') function, which measures the cost incurred by making any admissible decision for any given (hidden) state of affair. By assuming that subjects make optimal decisions on the basis of updated (posterior) beliefs and utility (loss) functions, one can evaluate the likelihood of observed behaviour. Critically, this enables one to ''observe the observer'', i.e. identify (context- or subject-dependent) prior beliefs and utility-functions using psychophysical or neurophysiological measures. In this paper, we describe the main theoretical components of this meta-Bayesian approach (i.e. a Bayesian treatment of Bayesian decision theoretic predictions). In a companion paper ('Observing the observer (II): deciding when to decide'), we describe a concrete implementation of it and demonstrate its utility by applying it to simulated and real reaction time data from an associative learning task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we probe the interaction between sequential and hierarchical learning by investigating implicit learning in a group of school-aged children. We administered a serial reaction time task, in the form of a modified Simon Task in which the stimuli were organised following the rules of two distinct artificial grammars, specifically Lindenmayer systems: the Fibonacci grammar (Fib) and the Skip grammar (a modification of the former). The choice of grammars is determined by the goal of this study, which is to investigate how sensitivity to structure emerges in the course of exposure to an input whose surface transitional properties (by hypothesis) bootstrap structure. The studies conducted to date have been mainly designed to investigate low-level superficial regularities, learnable in purely statistical terms, whereas hierarchical learning has not been effectively investigated yet. The possibility to directly pinpoint the interplay between sequential and hierarchical learning is instead at the core of our study: we presented children with two grammars, Fib and Skip, which share the same transitional regularities, thus providing identical opportunities for sequential learning, while crucially differing in their hierarchical structure. More particularly, there are specific points in the sequence (k-points), which, despite giving rise to the same transitional regularities in the two grammars, support hierarchical reconstruction in Fib but not in Skip. In our protocol, children were simply asked to perform a traditional Simon Task, and they were completely unaware of the real purposes of the task. Results indicate that sequential learning occurred in both grammars, as shown by the decrease in reaction times throughout the task, while differences were found in the sensitivity to k-points: these, we contend, play a role in hierarchical reconstruction in Fib, whereas they are devoid of structural significance in Skip. More particularly, we found that children were faster in correspondence to k-points in sequences produced by Fib, thus providing an entirely new kind of evidence for the hypothesis that implicit learning involves an early activation of strategies of hierarchical reconstruction, based on a straightforward interplay with the statistically-based computation of transitional regularities on the sequences of symbols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explicit consumers responses are often adverse for the validity of procedures used to estimate consumers’ willingness-to-pay (WTP). This paper investigates if price evaluations occur automatically and to what extent these automatic processes can be used to implicitly estimate consumers’ WTP. An adapted version of the task-rule congruency (TRC) paradigm was used in two studies. Results of the first study provided evidence for the notion that prices are automatically evaluated. However, the used procedure had limitations that restricted its utility as an implicit WTP estimate. The procedure was adjusted, and an additional study was conducted. The results of the second study also indicated that prices were evaluated automatically. Additionally, the procedure used during the second study allowed to explore to what extent the observed TRC effects could be used to implicitly estimate consumers’ WTP. Taken together, these studies provided evidence for the notion that prices are evaluated automatically. Furthermore, the procedure has the potential to be further developed into an implicit estimate of consumers’ WTP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent work has shown that listeners process words faster if said by a member of the group that typically uses the word. This paper further explores how the social distributions of words affect lexical access by exploring whether access is facilitated by invoking more abstract social categories. We conduct four experiments, all of which combine an Implicit Association Task with a Lexical Decision Task. Participants sorted real and nonsense words while at the same time sorting older and younger faces (exp. 1), male and female faces (exp. 2), stereotypically male and female objects (exp. 3), and framed and unframed objects, which were always stereotypically male or female (exp. 4). Across the experiments, lexical decision to socially skewed words is facilitated when the socially congruent category is sorted with the same hand. This suggests that the lexicon contains social detail from which individuals make social abstractions that can influence lexical access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classically, in the bouba-kiki association task, a subject is asked to find the best association between one of two shapes–a round one and a spiky one–and one of two pseudowords–bouba and kiki. Numerous studies report that spiky shapes are associated with kiki, and round shapes with bouba. This task is likely the most prevalent in the study of non-conventional relationships between linguistic forms and meanings, also known as sound symbolism. However, associative tasks are explicit in the sense that they highlight phonetic and visual contrasts and require subjects to establish a crossmodal link between stimuli of different natures. Additionally, recent studies have raised the question whether visual resemblances between the target shapes and the letters explain the pattern of association, at least in literate subjects. In this paper, we report a more implicit testing paradigm of the bouba-kiki effect with the use of a lexical decision task with character strings presented in round or spiky frames. Pseudowords and words are, furthermore, displayed with either an angular or a curvy font to investigate possible graphemic bias. Innovative analyses of response times are performed with GAMLSS models, which offer a large range of possible distributions of error terms, and a generalized Gama distribution is found to be the most appropriate. No sound symbolic effect appears to be significant, but an interaction effect is in particular observed between spiky shapes and angular letters leading to faster response times. We discuss these results with respect to the visual saliency of angular shapes, priming, brain activation, synaesthesia and ideasthesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous data suggest zero-value, neutral outcomes (draw) are subjectively assigned negative rather than positive valence. The combined observations of faster rather than slower reaction times, subsequent actions defined by shift rather than stay behaviour, reduced flexibility, and, larger rather than smaller deviations from optimal performance following draws all align with the consequences of explicitly negative outcomes such as losses. We further tested the relationships between neutral, positive and negative outcomes by manipulating value salience and observing their behavioural profiles. Despite speeded reaction times and a non-significant bias towards shift behaviour similar to losses when draws were assigned the value of 0 (Experiment 1), the degree of shift behaviour approached an approximation of optimal performance when the draw value was explicitly positive (+1). This was in contrast to when the draw value was explicitly negative (-1), which led to a significant increase in the degree of shift behaviour (Experiment 2). Similar modifications were absent when the same value manipulations were applied to win or lose trials (Experiment 3). Rather than viewing draws as neutral and valence-free outcomes, the processing cascade generated by draws produces a complex behavioural profile containing elements found in response to both explicitly positive and explicitly negative results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When multiple strategies can be used to solve a type of problem, the observed response time distributions are often mixtures of multiple underlying base distributions each representing one of these strategies. For the case of two possible strategies, the observed response time distributions obey the fixed-point property. That is, there exists one reaction time that has the same probability of being observed irrespective of the actual mixture proportion of each strategy. In this paper we discuss how to compute this fixed-point, and how to statistically assess the probability that indeed the observed response times are generated by two competing strategies. Accompanying this paper is a free R package that can be used to compute and test the presence or absence of the fixed-point property in response time data, allowing for easy to use tests of strategic behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper reports long-term treatment impact estimates for a randomized evaluation of an early childhood intervention designed to promote children's developmental outcomes and improve the quality of Head Start centers serving high-violence and high-crime areas in inner-city Chicago. Initial evaluations of end-of-preschool data reported that the program led to reductions in child behavioral problems and gains in measures of executive function and academic achievement. For this report, we analyzed adolescent follow-up data taken 10 to 11 years after program completion. We found evidence that the program had positive long-term effects on students’ executive function and grades, though effects were somewhat imprecise and dependent on the inclusion of baseline covariates. Results also indicated that treated children had heightened sensitivity to emotional stimuli, and we found no evidence of long-run effects on measures of behavioral problems. These findings raise the possibility that developing programs that improve on the Head Start model could carry long-run benefits for affected children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing dependence on smartphones for everyday activities, a large number of pedestrians nowadays are constantly fixated on their smartphone screens, and hence are susceptible to walking off pavements or colliding with other pedestrians. Reduced attention and situational awareness can render smartphone-occupied users, or smombies, oblivious to potential risks when using their smartphones while walking or driving. In this paper, we introduce a smartphone application, called Smombie Guardian, that detects obstacles and alerts smombies as they walk while viewing their smartphone screens to prevent potential collisions. Based on a user study with 74 participants who used Smombie Guardian in a real-life scenario, we highlight the effectiveness, usefulness, and unobtrusiveness of the algorithm and Smombie Guardian in helping users to avoid potential obstacles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies indicated that cognitive conflict continues to bias actions even after a movement has been initiated. The present paper examined whether cognitive control also biases actions after movement initiation. To this end, we had participants perform a Stroop task in which we manipulated the item-specific proportion of (in)congruent trials (80% congruent vs. 20% congruent). Importantly, participants responded via mouse movements, allowing us to evaluate various movement parameters: initiation times, movement times, and movement accuracy. Results showed that mouse movements were faster and more accurate during congruent trials compared to incongruent trials. Moreover, we observed that this congruency effect was larger for 80% congruent compared to 20% congruent items, which reflects item-specific cognitive control. Notably, when responses were initiated very fast – rendering virtually no time for stimulus processing before movement onset – this item-specific control was observed only in movement times. However, for relatively slow initiated responses, item specific control was observed both in initiation and in movement times. These findings demonstrate that item-specific cognitive control biases actions before and after movement initiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human decision making is accompanied by a sense of confidence. According to Bayesian decision theory, confidence reflects the learned probability of making a correct response, given available data (e.g., accumulated stimulus evidence and response time). Although optimal, independently learning these probabilities for all possible data combinations is computationally intractable. Here, we describe a novel model of confidence implementing a low-dimensional approximation of this optimal yet intractable solution. This model allows efficient estimation of confidence, while at the same time accounting for idiosyncrasies, different kinds of biases and deviation from the optimal probability correct. Our model dissociates confidence biases resulting from the estimate of the reliability of evidence by individuals (captured by parameter α), from confidence biases resulting from general stimulus independent under and overconfidence (captured by parameter β). We provide empirical evidence that this model accurately fits both choice data (accuracy, response time) and trial-by-trial confidence ratings simultaneously. Finally, we test and empirically validate two novel predictions of the model, namely that 1) changes in confidence can be independent of performance and 2) selectively manipulating each parameter of our model leads to distinct patterns of confidence judgments. As a tractable and flexible account of the computation of confidence, our model offers a clear framework to interpret and further resolve different forms of confidence biases. Author summary: Mathematical and computational work has shown that in order to optimize decision making, humans and other adaptive agents must compute confidence in their perception and actions. Currently, it remains unknown how this confidence is computed. We demonstrate how humans can approximate confidence in a tractable manner. Our computational model makes novel predictions about when confidence will be biased (e.g., over- or underconfidence due to selective environmental feedback). We empirically tested these predictions in a novel experimental paradigm, by providing continuous model-based feedback. We observed that different feedback manipulations elicited distinct patterns of confidence judgments, in ways predicted by the model. Overall, we offer a framework to both interpret optimal confidence and resolve confidence biases that characterize several psychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cognitive neuroscience and psychology, reaction times are an important behavioral measure. However, in instrumental learning and goal-directed decision making experiments, findings often rely only on choice probabilities from a value-based model, instead of reaction times. Recent advancements have shown that it is possible to connect value-based decision models with reaction time models. However, typically these models do not provide an integrated account of both value-based choices and reaction times, but simply link two types of models. Here, we propose a novel integrative joint model of both choices and reaction times by combining a computational account of Bayesian sequential decision making with a sampling procedure. This allows us to describe how internal uncertainty in the planning process shapes reaction time distributions. Specifically, we use a recent context-specific Bayesian forward planning model which we extend by a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampler to obtain both choices and reaction times. As we will show this makes the sampler an integral part of the decision making process and enables us to reproduce, using simulations, well-known experimental findings in value based-decision making as well as classical inhibition and switching tasks. Specifically, we use the proposed model to explain both choice behavior and reaction times in instrumental learning and automatized behavior, in the Eriksen flanker task and in task switching. These findings show that the proposed joint behavioral model may describe common underlying processes in these different decision making paradigms. Author summary: Many influential results in psychology and cognitive neuroscience rest on reaction time effects in behavioral experiments, for example in studies about human decision making. For the particular case of decisions based on the value of options, however, findings often rely on analyses of choices using specific computational models. Until recently, these models did not allow for analysis of reaction times. In this article we introduce a new model of how to explain both choices and reaction times in decision making experiments that involve evaluating expected outcomes over multiple steps. Importantly, the model explains how the brain can make good decisions quickly, even in the face of many potential choices and in complex environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When exploring the mechanisms involved in perceiving numbers we must distinguish between two types of numbers: subset numbers (e.g., perceiving "2" when two plates and one cup are displayed on a table) and the total number of items (e.g., perceiving "3" objects in the previous example). Combining feature perception theories with number perception theories, the current paper explores the mechanisms involved in the perception of small numbers in feature-defined subsets. The paper introduces several theories for how subset items can be represented and examines an important prediction of those theories: Will the number of distractors affect the perception of small subset items? In two experiments, we found that the response time (RT) for counting small target items that differ from their distractors by a single feature was faster when there were few distractors compared to many distractors. This was found for different types of distractors: distractors within and outside the subitizing range. Only when distractors were organized in a specific pattern, allowing distractor grouping, the increase in the number of distractors did not affect target counting. The current study suggests that even when performing simple counting of subset targets, the enumeration process can begin only once the locations of the targets have been identified and the targets' shape is bound to these locations. This pre-counting procedure depends on the number of individual locations occupied by the distractors. These findings are further discussed within the context of the object file theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we show that response facilitation in choice reaction tasks achieved by priming the (previously perceived) effect is based on stimulus-response associations rather than on response-effect associations. The reduced key-press response time is not accounted for by earlier established couplings between the key-press movement and its subsequent effect, but instead results from couplings between this effect and the contingent key-release movement. This key-release movement is an intrinsic part of the entire performed response action in each trial of a reaction-time task, and always spontaneously follows the key-press movement. Eliminating the key-release movement from the task leads to the disappearance of the response facilitation, which raises the question whether response-effect associations actually play a role in studies that use the effect-priming paradigm. Together the three experiments presented in the paper cast serious doubts on the claim that action-effect couplings are acquired and utilized by the cognitive system in the service of action selection, and that the priming paradigm by itself can provide convincing evidence for this claim. As a corollary, we question whether the related two-step model for the ideomotor principle holds a satisfying explanation for how anticipation of future states guides action planning. The results presented here may have profound implications for priming studies in other disciplines of psychology as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tendency to mimic the behaviour of others is affected by a variety of social factors, and it has been argued that such "mirroring" is often unconsciously deployed as a means of increasing affiliation during interpersonal interactions. However, the relationship between automatic motor imitation and status/power is currently unclear. This paper reports five experiments that investigated whether social status (Experiments 1, 2, and 3) or power (Experiments 4 and 5) had a moderating effect on automatic imitation (AI) in finger-movement tasks, using a series of different manipulations. Experiments 1 and 2 manipulated the social status of the observed person using an associative learning task. Experiment 3 manipulated social status via perceived competence at a simple computer game. Experiment 4 manipulated participants' power (relative to the actors) in a card-choosing task. Finally, Experiment 5 primed participants using a writing task, to induce the sense of being powerful or powerless. No significant interactions were found between congruency and social status/power in any of the studies. Additionally, Bayesian hypothesis testing indicated that the null hypothesis should be favoured over the experimental hypothesis in all five studies. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for AI tasks, social effects on mimicry, and the hypothesis of mimicry as a strategic mechanism to promote affiliation.

In this paper, we examined the age-related changes in control of preprogramed movement, with emphasis on its accuracy. Forty-nine healthy subjects participated in this study, and were divided into three groups depending on their ages: the young group (20–39 years) (n = 16), the middle-age group (40–59 years) (n = 16), and the elderly group (60–79 years) (n = 17). We asked the subjects to perform step-tracking movements of the wrist joint with a manipulandum, and recorded the movements. We evaluated the accuracy of control of preprogramed movement in the three groups in terms of the primary submovement, which was identified as the first segment of the step-tracking movement based on the bell-shaped velocity profile, and calculated the distance between the end position of the primary submovement and the target (i.e. error). The error in the young group was found to be significantly smaller than that in the middle-age and elderly groups, i.e., the error was larger for the higher age groups. These results suggest that young subjects have better control of preprogramed movement than middle-age or elderly subjects. Finally, we examined the temporal property of the primary submovement and its age-related changes. The duration of the primary submovement tended to be longer for the aged groups, although significance was reached only for the elderly group. In particular, the ratio of the duration of the primary submovement to total movement time tended to be lower for the aged groups, suggesting that the proportion of additional movements that are required to compensate for the incomplete control in the preprogramed movement, which are under feedback control, was higher for the aged groups. Consequently, our results indicate that the distance between the end point of the primary submovement and the target center (i.e. error) in the step-tracking movement is a useful parameter to evaluate the age-related changes in control of preprogramed movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the influence of depth of field on change detection in both pictorial and solid scenes. In this work, a within-subjects experiment is conducted using a flicker paradigm, with which the hit rate and response time for change detection are obtained. The results show that depth of field has effects on change detection: the hit rate is smaller and response time is longer in the scene with small depth of field than in the scene with large depth of field or uniform blur. It is concluded that when depth of field is small and binocular disparity is not zero in a picture, the influence of depth of field on change detection is more significant than binocular disparity. This conclusion leads to the result that the change in the sharp area is detected easier and faster than in the area that is closer to the observer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the concept of a social autonomous agent to conceptualize such Autonomous Vehicles (AVs), which interacts with other AVs using social manners similar to human behavior. The presented AVs also have the capability of predicting intentions, i.e. mentalizing and copying the actions of each other, i.e. mirroring. Exploratory Agent Based Modeling (EABM) level of the Cognitive Agent Based Computing (CABC) framework has been utilized to design the proposed social agent. Furthermore, to emulate the functionality of mentalizing and mirroring modules of proposed social agent, a tailored mathematical model of the Richardson’s arms race model has also been presented. The performance of the proposed social agent has been validated at two levels–firstly it has been simulated using NetLogo, a standard agent-based modeling tool and also, at a practical level using a prototype AV. The simulation results have confirmed that the proposed social agent-based collision avoidance strategy is 78.52% more efficient than Random walk based collision avoidance strategy in congested flock-like topologies. Whereas practical results have confirmed that the proposed scheme can avoid rear end and lateral collisions with the efficiency of 99.876% as compared with the IEEE 802.11n-based existing state of the art mirroring neuron-based collision avoidance scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is clinically undetectable and the diagnosis requires psychometric tests. However, a lack of clarity exists as to whether the tests are in fact able to detect changes in cognition. Aim: To examine if the continuous reaction time test (CRT) can detect changes in cognition with anti-HE intervention in patients with cirrhosis and without clinically manifest hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Methods: Firstly, we conducted a reproducibility analysis and secondly measured change in CRT induced by anti-HE treatment in a randomized controlled pilot study: We stratified 44 patients with liver cirrhosis and without clinically manifest HE according to a normal (n = 22) or abnormal (n = 22) CRT. Each stratum was then block randomized to receive multimodal anti-HE intervention (lactulose+branched-chain amino acids+rifaximin) or triple placebos for 3 months in a double-blinded fashion. The CRT is a simple PC-based test and the test result, the CRT index (normal threshold > 1.9), describes the patient’s stability of alertness during the 10–minute test. Our study outcome was the change in CRT index in each group at study exit. The portosystemic encephalopathy (PSE) test, a paper-and-pencil test battery (normal threshold above -5), was used as a comparator test according to international guidelines. Results: The patients with an abnormal CRT index who were randomized to receive the active intervention normalized or improved their CRT index (mean change 0.92 ± 0.29, p = 0.01). Additionally, their PSE improved (change 3.85 ± 1.83, p = 0.03). There was no such effect in any of the other study groups. Conclusion: In this cohort of patients with liver cirrhosis and no manifest HE, the CRT identified a group in whom cognition improved with intensive anti-HE intervention. This finding infers that the CRT can detect a response to treatment and might help in selecting patients for treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies carried out in Moscow residents have revealed that the prevalence of chronic toxoplasmosis is very close to those in countries of Eastern and Central Europe. Our findings also demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between the rate of traffic accidents and the seroprevalence of chronic toxoplasmosis in drivers who were held responsible for accidents. The latter was 2.37 times higher in drivers who were involved in road accidents compared with control groups. These results suggest that the consequences of chronic toxoplasmosis (particularly a slower reaction time and decreased concentration) might contribute to the peculiarities of the epidemiology of road traffic accidents in the Russian Federation and might interfere with the successful implementation of the Federal Programme named “Increase road traffic safety”. Suggestions for how to address overcome this problem are discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we aim to examine the relationship between traffic flow and potential conflict risks by using crash surrogate metrics. It has been widely recognized that one traffic flow corresponds to two distinct traffic states with different speeds and densities. In view of this, instead of simply aggregating traffic conditions with the same traffic volume, we represent potential conflict risks at a traffic flow fundamental diagram. Two crash surrogate metrics, namely, Aggregated Crash Index and Time to Collision, are used in this study to represent the potential conflict risks with respect to different traffic conditions. Furthermore, Beijing North Ring III and Next Generation SIMulation Interstate 80 datasets are utilized to carry out case studies. By using the proposed procedure, both datasets generate similar trends, which demonstrate the applicability of the proposed methodology and the transferability of our conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensory substitution devices engage sensory modalities other than vision to communicate information typically obtained through the sense of sight. In this paper, we examine the ability of subjects who are blind to follow simple verbal and vibrotactile commands that allow them to navigate a complex path. A total of eleven visually impaired subjects were enrolled in the study. Prototype systems were developed to deliver verbal and vibrotactile commands to allow an investigator to guide a subject through a course. Using this mode, subjects could follow commands easily and navigate significantly faster than with their cane alone (p <0.05). The feedback modes were similar with respect to the increased speed for course completion. Subjects rated usability of the feedback systems as “above average” with scores of 76.3 and 90.9 on the system usability scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals are not perfectly consistent, and interindividual variability is a common feature in all varieties of human behavior. Some individuals respond more variably than others, however, and this difference may be important to understanding how the brain works. In this paper, we explore genetic contributions to response time (RT) slope variability on a reflexive attention task. We are interested in such variability because we believe it is an important part of the overall picture of attention that, if understood, has the potential to improve intervention for those with attentional deficits. Genetic association studies are valuable in discovering biological pathways of variability and several studies have found such associations with a sustained attention task. Here, we expand our knowledge to include a reflexive attention task. We ask whether specific candidate genes are associated with interindividual variability on a childhood reflexive attention task in 9-16 year olds. The genetic makers considered are on 11 genes: APOE, BDNF, CHRNA4, COMT, DRD4, HTR4, IGF2, MAOA, SLC5A7, SLC6A3, and SNAP25. We find significant associations with variability with markers on nine and we discuss the results in terms of neurotransmitters associated with each gene and the characteristics of the associated measures from the reflexive attention task.

Background: Efficient cognitive tasks sensitive to longitudinal deterioration in small cohorts of Huntington's disease (HD) patients are lacking in HD research. We thus developed and assessed the digitized arithmetic task (DAT), which combines inner language and executive functions in approximately 4 minutes. Methods: We assessed the psychometric properties of DAT in three languages, across four European sites, in 77 early-stage HD patients (age: 52 ± 11 years; 27 females), and 57 controls (age: 50 ± 10, 31 females). Forty-eight HD patients and 34 controls were followed up to one year with 96 participants who underwent MRI brain imaging (HD patients = 46) at baseline and 50 participants (HD patients = 22) at one year. Linear mixed models and Pearson correlations were used to assess associations with clinical assessment. Results: At baseline, HD patients were less accurate (p = 0.0002) with increased response time (p<0.0001) when compared to DAT in controls. Test-retest reliability in HD patients ranged from good to excellent for response time (range: 0.63–0.79) and from questionable to acceptable for accuracy (range: r = 0.52–0.69). Only DAT, the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale, the Symbol Digit Modalities Test, and Total Functional Capacity scores were able to detect a decline within a one-year follow-up in HD patients (all p< 0.05). In contrast with all the other cognitive tasks, DAT correlated with striatal atrophy over time (p = 0.037) but not with motor impairment. Conclusions: DAT is fast, reliable, motor-free, applicable in several languages, and able to unmask cognitive decline correlated with striatal atrophy in small cohorts of HD patients. This likely makes it a useful endpoint in future trials for HD and other neurodegenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When older adults step over obstacles during multitasking, their performance is impaired; the impairment results from central and/or sensory interference. The purpose was to determine if sensory interference alters performance under low levels of cognitive, temporal, and gait demand, and if the change in performance is different for younger versus older adults. Participants included 17 younger adults (20.9±1.9 years) and 14 older adults (69.7±5.4 years). The concurrent task was a single, simple reaction time (RT) task: depress button in response to light cue. The gait task was stepping over an obstacle (8 m walkway) in three conditions: (1) no sensory interference (no RT task), (2) low sensory interference (light cue on obstacle, allowed concurrent foveation of cue and obstacle), or (3) high sensory interference (light cue away from obstacle, prevented concurrent foveation of cue and obstacle). When standing, the light cue location was not relevant (no sensory interference). An interaction (sensory interference by task, p<0.01) indicated that RT was longer for high sensory interference during walking, but RT was not altered for standing, confirming that sensory interference increased RT during obstacle approach. An interaction (sensory interference by age, p<0.01) was observed for foot placement before the obstacle: With high sensory interference, younger adults placed the trail foot closer to the obstacle while older adults placed it farther back from the obstacle. The change increases the likelihood of tripping with the trail foot for younger adults, but with the lead limb for older adults. Recovery from a lead limb trip is more difficult due to shorter time for corrective actions. Overall, visual sensory interference impaired both RT and gait behavior with low levels of multitask demand. Changes in foot placement increased trip risk for both ages, but for different limbs, reducing the likelihood of balance recovery in older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Stroop task is a well-established tool to investigate the influence of competing visual categories on decision making. Neuroimaging as well as rTMS studies have demonstrated the involvement of parietal structures, particularly the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), in this task. Given its reliability, the numerical Stroop task was used to compare the effects of different TMS targeting approaches by Sack and colleagues (Sack AT 2009), who elegantly demonstrated the superiority of individualized fMRI targeting. We performed the present study to test whether fMRI-guided rTMS effects on numerical Stroop task performance could still be observed while using more advanced techniques that have emerged in the last decade (e.g., electrical sham, robotic coil holder system, etc.). To do so we used a traditional reaction time analysis and we performed, post-hoc, a more advanced comprehensive drift diffusion modeling approach. Fifteen participants performed the numerical Stroop task while active or sham 10 Hz rTMS was applied over the region of the right intraparietal sulcus (IPS) showing the strongest functional activation in the Incongruent > Congruent contrast. This target was determined based on individualized fMRI data collected during a separate session. Contrary to our assumption, the classical reaction time analysis did not show any superiority of active rTMS over sham, probably due to confounds such as potential cumulative rTMS effects, and the effect of practice. However, the modeling approach revealed a robust effect of rTMS on the drift rate variable, suggesting differential processing of congruent and incongruent properties in perceptual decision-making, and more generally, illustrating that more advanced computational analysis of performance can elucidate the effects of rTMS on the brain where simpler methods may not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research demonstrating that positive episodic simulation enhances future expectancies has relied on explicit expectancy measures. The current study investigated the effects of episodic simulation on implicit expectancies. Using the Future Thinking Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (FT-IRAP), participants made true/false decisions to indicate whether or not they expected positive/negative outcomes after adopting orientations consistent or inconsistent with an optimistic disposition. The outcome measure, DIRAP, was based on response time differences between consistent and inconsistent blocks. Participants then engaged in either positive simulation training, in which they imagined positive future events, or a neutral visualisation task before repeating the FT-IRAP twice following 10-minute intervals. Positive simulation training increased DIRAP scores for don't-expect-negative trials–boosting participants' readiness to affirm that negative events were unlikely to happen to them. Although findings did not generalise across all trial types, they show potential for positive simulation training to enhance implicit future expectancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Typically studies of the effects of aging on cognitive-motor performance emphasize changes in elderly populations. Although some research is directly concerned with when age-related decline actually begins, studies are often based on relatively simple reaction time tasks, making it impossible to gauge the impact of experience in compensating for this decline in a real world task. The present study investigates age-related changes in cognitive motor performance through adolescence and adulthood in a complex real world task, the real-time strategy video game StarCraft 2. In this paper we analyze the influence of age on performance using a dataset of 3,305 players, aged 16-44, collected by Thompson, Blair, Chen & Henrey [1]. Using a piecewise regression analysis, we find that age-related slowing of within-game, self-initiated response times begins at 24 years of age. We find no evidence for the common belief expertise should attenuate domain-specific cognitive decline. Domain-specific response time declines appear to persist regardless of skill level. A second analysis of dual-task performance finds no evidence of a corresponding age-related decline. Finally, an exploratory analyses of other age-related differences suggests that older participants may have been compensating for a loss in response speed through the use of game mechanics that reduce cognitive load.

Haptic perception is bidirectionally related to exploratory movements, which means that exploration influences perception, but perception also influences exploration. We can optimize or change exploratory movements according to the perception and/or the task, consciously or unconsciously. This paper presents a psychophysical experiment on active roughness perception to investigate movement changes as the haptic task changes. Exerted normal force and scanning velocity are measured in different perceptual tasks (discrimination or identification) using rough and smooth stimuli. The results show that humans use a greater variation in contact force for the smooth stimuli than for the rough stimuli. Moreover, they use higher scanning velocities and shorter break times between stimuli in the discrimination task than in the identification task. Thus, in roughness perception humans spontaneously use different strategies that seem effective for the perceptual task and the stimuli. A control task, in which the participants just explore the stimuli without any perceptual objective, shows that humans use a smaller contact force and a lower scanning velocity for the rough stimuli than for the smooth stimuli. Possibly, these strategies are related to aversiveness while exploring stimuli.

Previous research has suggested that the perception of time is influenced by concurrent magnitude information (e.g., numerical magnitude in digits, spatial distance), but the locus of the effect is unclear, with some findings suggesting that concurrent magnitudes such as space affect temporal memories and others suggesting that numerical magnitudes in digits affect the clock speed during time encoding. The current paper reports 6 experiments in which participants perceived a stimulus duration and then reproduced it. We showed that though a digit of a large magnitude (e.g., 9), relative to a digit of a small magnitude (e.g., 2), led to a longer reproduced duration when the digits were presented during the perception of the stimulus duration, such a magnitude effect disappeared when the digits were presented during the reproduction of the stimulus duration. These findings disconfirm the account that large numerical magnitudes accelerate the speed of an internal clock during time encoding, as such an account incorrectly predicts that a large numerical magnitude should lead to a shorter reproduced duration when presented during reproduction. Instead, the findings suggest that numerical magnitudes, like other magnitudes such as space, affect temporal memories when numerical magnitudes and temporal durations are concurrently held in memory. Under this account, concurrent numerical magnitudes have the chance to influence the memory of the perceived duration when they are presented during perception but not when they are presented at the reproduction stage.

Solenoid connectors play important role in electronic stability system design, with the features of small size, low cost, fast response time and high reliability. The main production process challenge for solenoid connectors is the accurate detection of defects, which is closely related to safe driving. Both faultless and defective products have similar color and shape at the defect location, making proper inspection challenging. To address these issues, we proposed a defect detection model called PO-YOLOv5 to achieve accurate defect detection for solenoid connectors. First, an additional prediction head was added to enable the model to acquire more semantic information to detect larger-scale defective features. Second, we introduced dynamic convolution to learn complementary connections between the four dimensions of the convolution kernel by utilizing its multidimensional attention mechanism. Replacing conventional convolution with dynamic convolution enhances the detection accuracy of the model and reduces the inference time. Finally, we validated PO-YOLOv5 versus the state-of-the-art object detection methods on the same solenoid connectors dataset. Experiments revealed that our proposed approach exhibited higher accuracy. The mAP (mean Average Precision) result of PO-YOLOv5 was found to be about 90.1%. Compared with the original YOLOv5, PO-YOLOv5 exhibited improved precision by about 3%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ambulance response times are considered important. Busy ambulances are common, but little is known about their effect on response times. Objective: To assess the extent of busy ambulances in Central Norway and their impact on ambulance response times. Design: This was a retrospective observational study. We used machine learning on data from nearby incidents to assess the probability of up to five different ambulances being candidates to respond to a medical emergency incident. For each incident, the probability of a busy ambulance was estimated by summing the probabilities of candidate ambulances being busy at the time of the incident. The difference in response time that may be attributable to busy ambulances was estimated by comparing groups of nearby incidents with different estimated busy probabilities. Setting: Medical emergency incidents with ambulance response in Central Norway from 2013 to 2022. Main outcome measures: Prevalence of busy ambulances and differences in response times associated with busy ambulances. Results: The estimated probability of busy ambulances for all 216,787 acute incidents with ambulance response was 26.7% (95% confidence interval (CI) 26.6 to 26.9). Comparing nearby incidents, each 10-percentage point increase in the probability of a busy ambulance was associated with a delay of 0.60 minutes (95% CI 0.58 to 0.62). For incidents in rural and urban areas, the probability of a busy ambulance was 21.6% (95% CI 21.5 to 21.8) and 35.0% (95% CI 34.8 to 35.2), respectively. The delay associated with a 10-percentage point increase in busy probability was 0.81 minutes (95% CI 0.78 to 0.84) and 0.30 minutes (95% CI 0.28 to 0.32), respectively. Conclusion: Ambulances were often busy, which was associated with delayed ambulance response times. In rural areas, the probability of busy ambulances was lower, although the potentially longer delays when ambulances were busy made these areas more vulnerable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personal recognition using palm–vein patterns has emerged as a promising alternative for human recognition because of its uniqueness, stability, live body identification, flexibility, and difficulty to cheat. With the expanding application of palm–vein pattern recognition, the corresponding growth of the database has resulted in a long response time. To shorten the response time of identification, this paper proposes a simple and useful classification for palm–vein identification based on principal direction features. In the registration process, the Gaussian-Radon transform is adopted to extract the orientation matrix and then compute the principal direction of a palm–vein image based on the orientation matrix. The database can be classified into six bins based on the value of the principal direction. In the identification process, the principal direction of the test sample is first extracted to ascertain the corresponding bin. One-by-one matching with the training samples is then performed in the bin. To improve recognition efficiency while maintaining better recognition accuracy, two neighborhood bins of the corresponding bin are continuously searched to identify the input palm–vein image. Evaluation experiments are conducted on three different databases, namely, PolyU, CASIA, and the database of this study. Experimental results show that the searching range of one test sample in PolyU, CASIA and our database by the proposed method for palm–vein identification can be reduced to 14.29%, 14.50%, and 14.28%, with retrieval accuracy of 96.67%, 96.00%, and 97.71%, respectively. With 10,000 training samples in the database, the execution time of the identification process by the traditional method is 18.56 s, while that by the proposed approach is 3.16 s. The experimental results confirm that the proposed approach is more efficient than the traditional method, especially for a large database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an experiment that explored the role of domain–general inhibitory control on language switching. Reaction times (RTs) and event–related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded when low–proficient bilinguals with high and low inhibitory control (IC) switched between overt picture naming in both their L1 and L2. Results showed that the language switch costs of bilinguals with high–IC were symmetrical, while that of bilinguals with low–IC were not. The N2 component failed to show a significant interaction between group, language and task, indicating that inhibition may not comes into play during the language task schema competition phase. The late positive component (LPC), however, showed larger amplitudes for L2 repeat and switch trials than for L1 trials in the high–IC group, indicating that inhibition may play a key role during the lexical response selection phase. These findings suggest that domain–general inhibitory control plays an important role in modulating language switch costs and its influence can be specified in lexical selection phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with high levels of psychopathic traits tend to undervalue long-term, affiliative relationships, but it remains unclear what motivates them to engage in social interactions at all. Their experience of social reward may provide an important clue. In Study 1 of this paper, a large sample of participants (N = 505) completed a measure of psychopathic traits (Self-Report Psychopathy Scale Short-Form) and a measure of social reward value (Social Reward Questionnaire) to explore what aspects of social reward are associated with psychopathic traits. In Study 2 (N = 110), the same measures were administered to a new group of participants along with two experimental tasks investigating monetary and social reward value. Psychopathic traits were found to be positively correlated with the enjoyment of callous treatment of others and negatively associated with the enjoyment of positive social interactions. This indicates a pattern of ‘inverted’ social reward in which being cruel is enjoyable and being kind is not. Interpersonal psychopathic traits were also positively associated with the difference between mean reaction times (RTs) in the monetary and social experimental reward tasks; individuals with high levels of these traits responded comparatively faster to social than monetary reward. We speculate that this may be because social approval/admiration has particular value for these individuals, who have a tendency to use and manipulate others. Together, these studies provide evidence that the self-serving and cruel social behaviour seen in psychopathy may in part be explained by what these individuals find rewarding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose that human cognition consists of cascading cycles of recurring brain events. Each cognitive cycle senses the current situation, interprets it with reference to ongoing goals, and then selects an internal or external action in response. While most aspects of the cognitive cycle are unconscious, each cycle also yields a momentary ''ignition'' of conscious broadcasting. Neuroscientists have independently proposed ideas similar to the cognitive cycle, the fundamental hypothesis of the LIDA model of cognition. High-level cognition, such as deliberation, planning, etc., is typically enabled by multiple cognitive cycles. In this paper we describe a timing model LIDA's cognitive cycle. Based on empirical and simulation data we propose that an initial phase of perception (stimulus recognition) occurs 80-100 ms from stimulus onset under optimal conditions. It is followed by a conscious episode (broadcast) 200-280 ms after stimulus onset, and an action selection phase 60-110 ms from the start of the conscious phase. One cognitive cycle would therefore take 260-390 ms. The LIDA timing model is consistent with brain evidence indicating a fundamental role for a theta-gamma wave, spreading forward from sensory cortices to rostral corticothalamic regions. This posteriofrontal theta-gamma wave may be experienced as a conscious perceptual event starting at 200-280 ms post stimulus. The action selection component of the cycle is proposed to involve frontal, striatal and cerebellar regions. Thus the cycle is inherently recurrent, as the anatomy of the thalamocortical system suggests. The LIDA model fits a large body of cognitive and neuroscientific evidence. Finally, we describe two LIDA-based software agents: the LIDA Reaction Time agent that simulates human performance in a simple reaction time task, and the LIDA Allport agent which models phenomenal simultaneity within timeframes comparable to human subjects. While there are many models of reaction time performance, these results fall naturally out of a biologically and computationally plausible cognitive architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to determine whether the reaction time (RT) to the starting signal has an impact on the points scored by elite male motorcycle speedway riders, or whether it depends on the starting position (gate). Differences among junior and senior riders, and how it changes during a single match (15 heats) and in the subsequent phases of the competitive season (the main and knockout phases) were investigated. The database of reaction times to the starting signal obtained by motorcycle speedway riders was collected from a mobile application called PGE Ekstraliga ver. 1.0.66 (PGE Ekstraliga, Warsaw, Poland). The database included 1.261 results obtained by 65 male riders (age 25.9 ±7.6 years), competing in the highest league in Poland (PGE Speedway Ekstraliga) in the 2021 competitive season. Reaction time was measured using the Pegasus Speedway © telemetry system (Black Burst, Warsaw, PL). Riders scoring 3 points during a heat had the fastest reaction time (F(3,1257) = 8.90, p<0.001, η2 = 0.02), but RT did not influence the final result of the match (p<0.130). The times differ depending on the occupied starting position (F(3,1257) = 6.89, p<0.001, η2 = 0.02), with the fastest RT in the inner position–A compared to the B (p<0.05) and C (p <0.001) positions. Senior riders showed significantly faster RT (0.246s) compared to junior ones (0.258s) (p<0.001). The width of the starting line affects the reaction time (F(3,1257) = 7.94, p<0.001, η2 = 0.02). In the last (15th) heat of the match, RT was the fastest. The fast reaction time during the start affects the scoring of more points in a heat but depends on riders' experience, the starting position and the straight width of the motorcycle speedway stadium. Coaches should pay attention to these factors when programming training measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: New indices, calculated on data from the widely used Dot Probe Task, were recently proposed to capture variability in biased attention allocation. We observed that it remains unclear which data pattern is meant to be indicative of dynamic bias and thus to be captured by these indices. Moreover, we hypothesized that the new indices are sensitive to SD differences at the response time (RT) level in the absence of bias. Method: Randomly generated datasets were analyzed to assess properties of the Attention Bias Variability (ABV) and Trial Level Bias Score (TL-BS) indices. Sensitivity to creating differences in 1) RT standard deviation, 2) mean RT, and 3) bias magnitude were assessed. In addition, two possible definitions of dynamic attention bias were explored by creating differences in 4) frequency of bias switching, and 5) bias magnitude in the presence of constant switching. Results: ABV and TL-BS indices were found highly sensitive to increasing SD at the response time level, insensitive to increasing bias, linearly sensitive to increasing bias magnitude in the presence of bias switches, and non-linearly sensitive to increasing the frequency of bias switches. The ABV index was also found responsive to increasing mean response times in the absence of bias. Conclusion: Recently proposed DPT derived variability indices cannot uncouple measurement error from bias variability. Significant group differences may be observed even if there is no bias present in any individual dataset. This renders the new indices in their current form unfit for empirical purposes. Our discussion focuses on fostering debate and ideas for new research to validate the potentially very important notion of biased attention being dynamic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]