Breaking Through Complexity. Visual and Conceptual Dimensions in Logo Evaluation

This research investigates the effects of visual and conceptual complexity (VC and CC) on brand logo evaluations at single and multiple exposures. Building upon the theoretical distinction between visual and conceptual constructs and on a processing fluency account, it is proposed that the effects of VC and CC on attitude toward the logo change across exposures following opposite patterns, and are driven by the mechanisms of perceptual fluency and conceptual fluency, respectively. The results of a hybrid experimental study suggest that the initially positive effect of VC on attitude toward the logo becomes negative with multiple exposures, whereas the initially negative effect of CC on attitude toward the logo becomes positive as exposures increase. The findings contribute to research on consumer reactions to the visual elements of brands, and offer guidelines to brand managers and logo designers for leveraging on VC and CC, as well as on the number of exposures, in order to raise the attractiveness of logos

Does study duration have opposite effects on recognition and repetition priming?

We investigated whether manipulating the duration for which an item is studied has opposite effects on recognition memory and repetition priming, as has been reported by Voss and Gonsalves (2010). Robust evidence of this would support the idea that distinct explicit and implicit memory systems drive recognition and priming, and would constitute evidence against a single-system model (Berry, Shanks, Speekenbrink, & Henson, 2012). Across seven experiments using study durations ranging from 40 ms to 2250 ms, and two different priming tasks (a classification task in Experiments 1a, 2a, 3a, and 4, and a continuous identification with recognition (CID-R) task in Experiments 1b, 2b, and 3b), we found that although a longer study duration improved subsequent recognition in each experiment, there was either no detectable effect on priming (Experiments 1a, 2a, and 4) or a similar effect to that on recognition, albeit smaller in magnitude (Experiments 1b, 2b, 3a, and 3b). Our findings (1) question whether study duration has opposite effects on recognition and priming, and (2) are robustly consistent with a single-system model of recognition and priming

Gitksan medicinal plants-cultural choice and efficacy

BACKGROUND: The use of plants for healing by any cultural group is integrally related to local concepts of the nature of disease, the nature of plants, and the world view of the culture. The physical and chemical properties of the plants themselves also bear on their selection by people for medicines, as does the array of plants available for people to choose from. I examine use of medicinal plants from a "biobehavioral" perspective to illuminate cultural selection of plants used for medicine by the Gitksan of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. METHODS: Consultant consensus, "intercultural consensus", independent use of the same plants by other cultural groups, and phytochemistry and bioassay results from the literature, were employed in analysis of probable empirical efficacy of plant uses. RESULTS: 70% of 37 Gitksan medicinal plants were used similarly by other cultures where direct diffusion is not known to have occurred; eleven plants, including the eight most frequently mentioned medicinal plants, also show active phytochemicals or bioassays indicating probable physiologically based therapeutic effects. CONCLUSION: Analysis of intercultural consensus revealed that the majority of cultures in the British Columbia region within the plant ranges use the same plants, or closely related species, in similar ways. The rigor of this analysis is effected by the lack of consistent data on all taxa of interest for all cultures within the region

Transfer of Learning Transformed

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/96651/1/j.1467-9922.2012.00740.x.pd

Produção de memórias falsas com listas de associados : análise do efeito do nível de processamento e da natureza da prova de memória

As memórias falsas têm sido amplamente estudadas com base num procedimento experimental designado paradigma DRM (Deese/Roediger/McDermott). Esse paradigma promove a criação de ilusões de memória a partir da apresentação de listas de palavras associadas a um item que não consta da lista. Uma das linhas de investigação com o paradigma DRM visa identificar o momento da criação das falsas memórias e explicar os mecanismos que estão na sua origem. Neste artigo, pretendemos fazer uma revisão da investigação sobre o efeito do nível de processamento e da natureza da tarefa de memória na facilitação ou inibição da produção de memórias falsas com listas de associados semânticos.False memories have been widely studied using an experimental procedure called DRM paradigm (Deese/Roediger/McDermott). This paradigm produces memory illusions due to the presentation of lists of words associated to a critical nonpresented word. One line of research on this topic aims at identifying the moment when the false memories are created and the explanation of the mechanisms underling false memories. In this paper we present a review about the effect of level-of-processing and the nature of memory task for the boost or inhibition of false memories created by means of lists of semantic associates.Le paradigme DRM (Deese/Roediger/McDermott) est un des plus connus et plus robustes parmi les études des faux mémoires dans le contexte du laboratoire. Ce paradigme permet la création d illusions de mémoire à partir des mots sémantiquement associés à un item qui n a pas été présenté. Au milieu des investigations basées sur le paradigme DRM il y a des études dont l objectif est d identifier e d´expliquer les mécanismes qui sont à l origine de la production des faux mémoires. Plus spécifiquement, on a pour but de faire une révision de la recherche sur l effet du niveau de codification et de la nature des tâches de mémoire sur la facilitation ou l´inhibition de la production de faux mémoires à partir des mots sémantiquement associés.Los falsos recuerdos han sido muy estudiados mediante la aplicación del paradigma DRM (Deese/Roediger/McDermott). El paradigma permite producir ilusiones de memoria tras la presentación de listas de palabras asociadas a una palabra que no se incluye en la lista. Una de las líneas de investigación que utilizan el paradigma DRM busca identificar el preciso momento de la creación de falsos recuerdos y explicar los mecanismos que originan ese efecto. El objetivo de este artículo es hacer una revisión de la investigación sobre el efecto de los niveles de procesamiento y la naturaleza de la tarea de memoria en la facilitación y inhibición de la producción de falsos recuerdos con listas de asociados semánticos.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)Centro de Investigação em Psicologia da Universidade do Minho (CIPsi

The benefit of retrieval practice over elaborative restudy in primary school vocabulary learning

The testing effect is the phenomenon that retrieval practice of learning material after studying enhanceslong-term retention more than restudying. We examined retrieval practice in primary school vocabularylearning in two experiments. Nine-year-old children studied word definitions and completed exercisesaccording to three learning conditions: pure restudy, elaborative restudy or retrieval practice. Children inthe pure restudy condition reread and partly copied the definitions. In the elaborative restudy conditionchildren reread the definitions and connected semantically related words to the target words. Childrenin the retrieval practice condition recalled the words based on their definitions. Overall, on the fill-in-the-blank test after one week children in the retrieval practice condition outperformed children in theother conditions, but on the multiple-choice test there were no differences. Retrieval practice may beeffective for primary school vocabulary learning, but there is uncertainty about the practical value andthe magnitude of the retrieval practice effect

Cerebellar-dependent delay eyeblink conditioning in adolescents with Specific Language Impairment

Cerebellar impairments have been hypothesized as part of the pathogenesis of Specific Language Impairment (SLI), although direct evidence of cerebellar involvement is sparse. Eyeblink Conditioning (EBC) is a learning task with well documented cerebellar pathways. This is the first study of EBC in affected adolescents and controls. 16 adolescent controls, 15 adolescents with SLI, and 12 adult controls participated in a delay EBC task. Affected children had low general language performance, grammatical deficits but no speech impairments. The affected group did not differ from the control adolescent or control adult group, showing intact cerebellar functioning on the EBC task. This study did not support cerebellar impairment at the level of basic learning pathways as part of the pathogenesis of SLI. Outcomes do not rule out cerebellar influences on speech impairment, or possible other forms of cerebellar functioning as contributing to SLI