Dynamics of history-dependent perceptual judgment

Identical physical inputs do not always evoke identical percepts. To investigate the role of stimulus history in tactile perception, we designed a task in which rats had to judge each vibrissal vibration, in a long series, as strong or weak depending on its mean speed. After a low-speed stimulus (trial n − 1), rats were more likely to report the next stimulus (trial n) as strong, and after a high-speed stimulus, they were more likely to report the next stimulus as weak, a repulsive effect that did not depend on choice or reward on trial n − 1. This effect could be tracked over several preceding trials (i.e., n − 2 and earlier) and was characterized by an exponential decay function, reflecting a trial-by-trial incorporation of sensory history. Surprisingly, the influence of trial n − 1 strengthened as the time interval between n − 1 and n grew. Human subjects receiving fingertip vibrations showed these same key findings. We are able to account for the repulsive stimulus history effect, and its detailed time scale, through a single-parameter model, wherein each new stimulus gradually updates the subject’s decision criterion. This model points to mechanisms underlying how the past affects the ongoing subjective experience

Dynamics of the judgment of tactile stimulus intensity

In the future, artificial agents will need to make assessments of tactile stimuli in order to interact intelligently with the environment and with humans. Such assessments will depend on exquisite and robust mechanosensors, but sensors alone do not make judgments and choices. Rather, the central processing of mechanosensor inputs must be implemented with algorithms that produce ‘behavioral states’ in the artificial agent that resemble or mimic perceptual judgments in biology. In this study, we consider the problem of perceptual judgment as applied to vibration intensity. By a combination of computational modeling and simulation followed by psychophysical testing of vibration intensity perception in rats, we show that a simple yet highly salient judgment—is the current stimulus strong or weak?—can be explained as the comparison of ongoing sensory input against a criterion constructed as the time-weighted average of the history of recent stimuli. Simulations and experiments explore how judgments are shaped by the distribution of stimuli along the intensity dimension and, most importantly, by the time constant of integration which dictates the dynamics of criterion updating. The findings of this study imply that judgments made by the real nervous system are not absolute readouts of physical parameters but are context-dependent; algorithms of this form can be built into artificial systems

Rastreo de familiares de una paciente con miocardiopatía hipertrófica obstructiva

Introducción: La miocardiopatía hipertrófica familiar es la modalidad hereditaria autosómica dominante de la miocardiopatía hipertrófica, de penetrancia incompleta y expresión variable. Se exponen los estudios realizados a los familiares de un caso índice de miocardiopatía hipertrófica obstructiva, dado un 50% de probabilidad de padecer la enfermedad. Material y métodos: A partir de un caso índice se reclutaron familiares (hijos y hermanos) del caso índice, quienes fueron invitados a realizarse electrocardiograma, ecocardiograma transtorácico, prueba de esfuerzo y Holter cardíaco de manera voluntaria. Se aplicó una encuesta semiestructurada para obtener datos sociodemográficos, antecedentes personales, familiares y hábito de práctica de actividad física. Para el diagnóstico se siguieron los criterios utilizados por la guía de la Sociedad española de cardiología. Resultados: En los 11 casos evaluados se identificaron 4 miembros de la familia con criterios diagnósticos de miocardiopatía hipertrófica y 5 con hipertensión arterial. Conclusión: Con el estudio de los familiares de la paciente índice se logró descubrir la afectación de esta enfermedad en 2 familiares de primer grado y en 2 familiares de segundo grado, con predominancia para el sexo masculino (3:1); en la paciente femenina se encontró, además, hipertensión arterial y miocardiopatía hipertrófica asociadas a fibrilación auricular. Ninguno de ellos tuvo historia personal de síncope o resucitación de muerte súbita

The Job Change: A Three-Part Process with Variations for Men and Women

There are three essential elements in the job-change process: 1) reasons for quitting the previous job; 2) unemployment between jobs; and 3) job search strategy in getting the present job. Of these three, job search has most often been the topic of prior sociological research. Using earnings as an indicator of job quality, I find that job-quit type is a more important factor than job-search type, and continuity of employment between jobs is a better predictor than either of these. There are variations by gender: Women report quitting for personal reasons much more often than men, but are similar to other women in present earnings. Men who quit for personal reasons are in the lowest present-pay group. Both women and men suffer earnings penalties when unemployed between jobs, but females’ penalties are greater. Overall, the best outcomes are found for workers who are able to maximize their job-change choices by securing a new job before the job-quit and having no break in employment between jobs. © 1997 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights received