Short article: When are moving images remembered better? Study–test congruence and the dynamic superiority effect

It has previously been shown that moving images are remembered better than static ones. In two experiments, we investigated the basis for this dynamic superiority effect. Participants studied scenes presented as a single static image, a sequence of still images, or a moving video clip, and 3 days later completed a recognition test in which familiar and novel scenes were presented in all three formats. We found a marked congruency effect: For a given study format, accuracy was highest when test items were shown in the same format. Neither the dynamic superiority effect nor the study–test congruency effect was affected by encoding (Experiment 1) or retrieval (Experiment 2) manipulations, suggesting that these effects are relatively impervious to strategic control. The results demonstrate that the spatio-temporal properties of complex, realistic scenes are preserved in long-term memory. </jats:p

Fast categorization of stimuli with multivalued dimensions

The extended generalized context model's (EGCM's)ability to account for the time course of categorization of stimuli with multivalued dimensions was tested in two experiments. In each experiment, the participants were first trained to classify stimuli (semicircles of variable size with a radial line of variable orientation) into two categories. In the subsequent transfer stage, they categorized a set of transfer stimuli. The time available on each transfer trial was manipulated. Responses had to be given within 400 msec, within 700 msec, or without time pressure. Different category structures were used in Experiments I and 2. The results of both experiments showed reliable effects of response deadline. The EGCM accounted for the data and performed consistently better than an alternative model.peer-reviewe

Exemplar models and category specific effects

In recent years, there have been numerous reports of patients with brain damage who show selective identification or recognition deficits for objects from specific categories (see Forde, in press; Humphreys & Forde, 2000, for reviews). The most common deficit appears to be a selective impairment in the identification of living things, accompanied by relatively unimpaired recognition or identification of artificial or non-living objects. However, despite the large number of reported cases with category-specific processing deficits, there is still no agreement on the mechanisms that produce these deficits. It is not even clear whether all such cases can be understood in terms of a single process or mechanism, or whether categoryspecific deficits can be caused by a variety of different factors. In this chapter, we explore category-specific deficits from a theoretical viewpoint that evolved from recent research on perceptual categorization and identification. Although some efforts have been made to model category-specific deficits with connectionist models (e.g., Farah & McClelland, 1991; Humphreys, Lamote, & Lloyd-Jones, 1995), we are not aware of any attempts to apply classical models of categorization and identification1 to the neuropsychological data on category-specificity (with the exception of a study by Dixon, Bub, & Arguin, 1997, which will be discussed in detail later)

Perceptual similarity in autism

People with autism have consistently been found to outperform controls on visuo-spatial tasks such as block design, embedded figures, and visual search tasks. Plaisted, O’Riordan, and others (Bonnel et al., 2003; O’Riordan & Plaisted, 2001; O’Riordan, Plaisted, Driver, & Baron-Cohen, 2001; Plaisted, O’Riordan, & Baron-Cohen, 1998a, 1998b) have suggested that these findings might be explained in terms of reduced perceptual similarity in autism, and that reduced perceptual similarity could also account for the difficulties that people with autism have in making generalizations to novel situations. In this study, high-functioning adults with autism and ability-matched controls performed a low-level categorization task designed to examine perceptual similarity. Results were analysed using standard statistical techniques and modeled using a quantitative model of categorization. This analysis revealed that participants with autism required reliably longer to learn the category structure than did the control group but, contrary to the predictions of the reduced perceptual similarity hypothesis, no evidence was found of more accurate performance by the participants with autism during the generalization stage. Our results suggest that when all participants are attending to the same attributes of an object in the visual domain, people with autism will not display signs of enhanced perceptual similarity.peer-reviewe

Guidelines for Usable Cybersecurity: Past and Present

Usability is arguably one of the most significant social topics and issues within the field of cybersecurity today. Supported by the need for confidentiality, integrity, availability and other concerns, security features have become standard components of the digital environment which pervade our lives requiring use by novices and experts alike. As security features are exposed to wider cross-sections of the society, it is imperative that these functions are highly usable. This is especially because poor usability in this context typically translates into inadequate application of cybersecurity tools and functionality, thereby ultimately limiting their effectiveness. With this goal of highly usable security in mind, there have been a plethora of studies in the literature focused on identifying security usability problems and proposing guidelines and recommendations to address them. Our paper aims to contribute to the field by consolidating a number of existing design guidelines and defining an initial core list for future reference. Whilst investigating this topic, we take the opportunity to provide an up-to-date review of pertinent cybersecurity usability issues and evaluation techniques applied to date. We expect this research paper to be of use to researchers and practitioners with interest in cybersecurity systems which appreciate the human and social elements of design

Trustworthy and Effective Communication of Cybersecurity Risks: A Review

Slowly but surely, academia and industry are fully accepting the importance of the human element as it pertains to achieving security and trust. Undoubtedly, one of the main motivations for this is the increase in attacks (e.g., social engineering and phishing) which exploit humans and exemplify why many authors regard them as the weakest link in the security chain. As research in the socio-technical security and trust fields gains momentum, it is crucial to intermittently pause and reflect on their progress while also considering related domains to determine whether there are any established principles which may be transferred. Comparison of the states-of-the-arts may assist in planning work going forward and identifying useful future directions for the less mature socio-technical field. This paper seeks to fulfil several of these goals, particularly as they relate to the emerging cybersecurity-risk communication domain. The literature reviews which we conduct here are beneficial and indeed noteworthy as they pull together a number of the key aspects which may affect the trustworthiness and effectiveness of communications on cybersecurity risks. In particular, we draw on information-trustworthiness research and the established field of risk communication. An appreciation of these aspects and precepts is imperative if systems are to be designed that play to individuals' strengths and assist them in maintaining security and protecting their applications and information