Different roles of similarity and predictability in auditory stream segregation

Sound sources often emit trains of discrete sounds, such as a series of footsteps. Previously, two dif¬ferent principles have been suggested for how the human auditory system binds discrete sounds to¬gether into perceptual units. The feature similarity principle is based on linking sounds with similar characteristics over time. The predictability principle is based on linking sounds that follow each other in a predictable manner. The present study compared the effects of these two principles. Participants were presented with tone sequences and instructed to continuously indicate whether they perceived a single coherent sequence or two concurrent streams of sound. We investigated the influence of separate manipulations of similarity and predictability on these perceptual reports. Both grouping principles affected perception of the tone sequences, albeit with different characteristics. In particular, results suggest that whereas predictability is only analyzed for the currently perceived sound organization, feature similarity is also analyzed for alternative groupings of sound. Moreover, changing similarity or predictability within an ongoing sound sequence led to markedly different dynamic effects. Taken together, these results provide evidence for different roles of similarity and predictability in auditory scene analysis, suggesting that forming auditory stream representations and competition between alter¬natives rely on partly different processes

Modulation-frequency acts as a primary cue for auditory stream segregation

In our surrounding acoustic world sounds are produced by different sources and interfere with each other before arriving to the ears. A key function of the auditory system is to provide consistent and robust descriptions of the coherent sound groupings and sequences (auditory objects), which likely correspond to the various sound sources in the environment. This function has been termed auditory stream segregation. In the current study we tested the effects of separation in the frequency of amplitude modulation on the segregation of concurrent sound sequences in the auditory stream-segregation paradigm (van Noorden 1975). The aim of the study was to assess 1) whether differential amplitude modulation would help in separating concurrent sound sequences and 2) whether this cue would interact with previously studied static cues (carrier frequency and location difference) in segregating concurrent streams of sound. We found that amplitude modulation difference is utilized as a primary cue for the stream segregation and it interacts with other primary cues such as frequency and location difference

Billions in Motion: Latino Immigrants, Remittances and Banking

Research on how remitters choose the means to send money home, including projections of remittance flows to Mexico and Central America that illustrate the extraordinary growth in recent years and the potential for continued growth and a demographic portrait of Latino remittance senders drawn from the Pew Hispanic Center/Kaiser Family Foundation National Survey of Latinos. Study is partially based on a Bendixen survey of Latino immigrants in USA.Remittances, Latino Immigrants, Remittances, Banking, USA Inmigrantes latinos, remesas, banca, EUA

Sound predictability as a higher-order cue in auditory scene analysis

A major challenge for the auditory system is to disentangle signals emitted by two or more sound sources that are active in a temporally interleaved manner (sequential stream segregation). Besides distinct characteristics of the individual signals (e.g., their timbre, location, and pitch), one important cue for distinguishing the sound sources is how their emitted signals unfold over time. It seems intuitively plausible that signals that unfold predictably with respect to their acoustic features and time-points of occurrence, such as the repetitive signature of a train moving on the rails, can be more readily identified as originating from one sound source. Based on this rationale, predictive elements have successfully been incorporated into computational models of auditory scene analysis for many years

Investigating brand equity of third-party service providers

Purpose: This research applies theory and techniques from the services and marketing literature to a supply chain context consisting of a shipper or seller, a customer or buyer, and a third-party logistics service provider (3PL) to investigate corporate brand equity resulting from service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty towards the 3PL. Design/methodology/approach: A conceptual model was developed from the literature and tested with Finnish industrial firms using an online survey. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling to examine relationships among the four constructs. Findings: Hypothesised relationships among the four constructs in the conceptual model were supported however the relationship between loyalty and corporate brand equity was weak. Research limitations/implications: This investigatory research is based on a one country sample making transferability and generalisability to other countries difficult. Practical implications: The findings of this research should enable 3PL managers to determine service offerings that are most important to either shippers or customers, develop a service package using such offerings to satisfy needs, and thus build loyalty and corporate brand equity among both parties. Originality/value: This paper adds to our knowledge of these constructs in a supply chain context, particularly for 3PLs, and provides an interdisciplinary approach to research in the supply chain domain

2003 Multilingual Survey of California Voters

Provides an analysis of the views of California's major racial and ethnic groups on the gubernatorial recall, Governor Gray Davis' performance in office, the candidates seeking to replace him, and the racial classification initiative

Web-based learning in the field of empirical research methods

This study focuses on the development of a complex web-based learning environment aimed at promoting the acquisition of applicable knowledge in the context of studying empirical research methods at university. This learning environment was then modified further on an empirical basis. The main focus of the present article is to describe the conceptualisation of the learning environment and research activities which were guided by an integrative research paradigm. The learning environment consisted of highly structured, complex texts in which the process of empirical research was illustrated in a detailed manner. By combining these texts with other instructional measures, the learning environment is given a flexible hypertext-structure. The effectiveness of the learning environment as a whole was investigated in three studies (two evaluation studies in the field and one experimental study in the laboratory). It was demonstrated that the additional instructional measures (e.g. a specific feedback-guidance and time-management measures) were not effective. The importance of cognitive, motivational and emotional learning prerequisites for the successful utilisation of the learning environment was highlighted. The implementation of special training and additional preparatory modules is recommended in order to optimise the fit between students' prerequisites and learning environmIm Zentrum der vorliegenden Arbeit steht zum einen die Konzeptualisierung einer Lernumgebung zur Förderung des Erwerbs anwendbaren Wissens im Kontext der universitären Ausbildung in empirischen Forschungsmethoden. Zum anderen werden ausgehend von einem integrativen Forschungsparadigma Forschungsaktivitäten beschrieben, die die empirische Basis zur Weiterentwicklung der Lernumgebung bereitstellen. Die Lernumgebung besteht aus hoch strukturierten, komplexen Texten, in welchen der Prozess empirischer Forschung auf detaillierte Weise veranschaulicht wird. Diese Texte wurden mit anderen instruktionalen Maßnahmen kombiniert, wodurch die Lernumgebung eine flexible, hypertextartige Struktur bekam. Die Effektivität der gesamten Lernumgebung wurde im Rahmen dreier empirischer Studien untersucht, von denen zwei als Evaluationsstudien im Feld durchgeführt wurden; die dritte war eine experimentelle Laborstudie. Es wurde gezeigt, dass die zusätzlichen instruktionalen Maßnahmen (z. B. eine spezifische Feedback-Anleitung und eine Zeitmanagement-Maßnahme) nicht wirksam waren. Die Bedeutung kognitiver, motivationaler und emotionaler Lernvoraussetzungen für die erfolgreiche Nutzung der Lernumgebung konnte nachgewiesen werden. Um die Passung zwischen den Eingangsvoraussetzungen der Studierenden und der Lernumgebung zu verbessern, wurde die Implementation eines speziellen Trainings und eines zusätzlichen vorbereitenden Moduls vorgeschlag

Old Worlds, New Travels: Jack London’s People of the Abyss, Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, and the Cultural Politics of Travel

Ye