Luminance and timing control during visual presentation of natural scenes

In the study of visual cognition, accurate control of stimulus presentation is of primary importance yet is complicated by hardware malfunctioning, software variability, and visual materials used. Here, we describe VISTO 2.0, a low-cost and open-source device which is capable to measure the timing and temporal luminance profile of visual stimuli. This device represents a major improvement over VISTO (De Cesarei, Marzocchi, & Loftus, 2021), as it is only sensitive to a light spectrum in the visible range, is easier to assemble, and has a modular design that can be extended to other sensory modalities

ElectroMagnetoEncephalography Software: Overview and Integration with Other EEG/MEG Toolboxes

EMEGS (electromagnetic encephalography software) is a MATLAB toolbox designed to provide novice as well as expert users in the field of neuroscience with a variety of functions to perform analysis of EEG and MEG data. The software consists of a set of graphical interfaces devoted to preprocessing, analysis, and visualization of electromagnetic data. Moreover, it can be extended using a plug-in interface. Here, an overview of the capabilities of the toolbox is provided, together with a simple tutorial for both a standard ERP analysis and a time-frequency analysis. Latest features and future directions of the software development are presented in the final section

Effects of Picture Size Reduction and Blurring on Emotional Engagement

The activity of basic motivational systems is reflected in emotional responses to arousing stimuli, such as natural pictures. The manipulation of picture properties such as size or detail allows for investigation into the extent to which separate emotional reactions are similarly modulated by perceptual changes, or, rather, may subserve different functions. Pursuing this line of research, the present study examined the effects of two types of perceptual degradation, namely picture size reduction and blurring, on emotional responses. Both manipulations reduced picture relevance and dampened affective modulation of skin conductance, possibly because of a reduced action preparation in response to degraded or remote pictures. However, the affective modulation of the startle reflex did not vary with picture degradation, suggesting that the identification of these degraded affective cues activated the neural circuits mediating appetitive or defensive motivation

Disclosure of Disability by University Students: Development of a Study Protocol

Within the life course of a person with disability, higher education represents an important step, and the disclosure of a disability is one of the first and most important choices that the person with disability has to take. Based on a review of the literature, it is described how a research protocol for investigating the effects of Self Efficacy and Metacognition on the Disclosure of Disability by university students is developed. These data would provide information concerning the predictive effects of the metacognitive skills, social support and self-efficacy on the attitudes towards the disclosure of a disability

Disclosure of Disability by University Students: Development of a Study Protocol

Within the life course of a person with disability, higher education represents an important step, and the disclosure of a disability is one of the first and most important choices that the person with disability has to take. Based on a review of the literature, it is described how a research pro-tocol for investigating the effects of Self Efficacy and Metacognition on the Disclosure of Disability by university students is developed. These data would provide information concerning the predic-tive effects of the metacognitive skills, social support and self-efficacy on the attitudes towards the disclosure of a disability