Failure to detect changes in color for lines rotating in depth: the effects of grouping and type of color change

AbstractA new technique for measuring change detection was introduced in which contours rotating in depth around a vertical axis (in a computer display) could be altered in color as they passed through their point of minimum extension (the median plane) where a thin static vertical occluder hid the change. Sets of five or six contours were either strongly grouped (similar in length, orientation and spacing) or weakly grouped (of variable length, orientation and spacing). Changes consisted of one line changing to a new color or else two lines swapping colors. The measure was the proportion of missed changes. When subjects were not instructed to look for change almost no changes were reported although subjects were told beforehand that they would have to describe the configuration after viewing it. When subjects were instructed to look for changes, it was found that detection of color change was significantly better for strongly grouped lines. It is proposed that grouping, by reducing redundancy, also reduces attentional demands with respect to the properties on which it is based, making it easier to attend to and therefore detect changes in other properties. We found that it was much easier to detect the introduction of a new color than to detect a swap between two existing colors. It is hypothesized that swap-type changes were harder to detect because they required attention to a conjunction of position and color

Unrealistic Optimism in the Pursuit of Academic Success

Although the ability to evaluate one’s own knowledge and performance is critical to learning, the correlation between students’ self-evaluation and actual performance measures is modest at best. In this study we examine the effect of offering extra credit for students’ accurate prediction (self-accuracy) of their performance on four exams in two semester-long classes on Personality. The courses emphasized the role of self-awareness. Despite these motivational interventions and performance feedback, there was minimal change in accuracy over the semester; a large proportion of students remained unrealistically optimistic about their performance in the face of evidence to the contrary. Moreover, inaccurately inflated confidence was related to poorer academic performance. A small minority of students improved in accuracy and exam performance over the each of the courses, offering a potentially useful source of comparison for addressing unrealistic optimism. We discuss the findings as reflecting the powerful influence of protecting self-esteem and suggest the need for realistic self-appraisal as a factor in academic succes

The Need for a Central Panel Approach to Administrative Adjudication: Pros, Cons, and Selected Practices

The goal of this report is to document the growth of the central panel movement that has now emerged in a majority of states. This research is designed to provide data-informed recommendations to states and municipalities considering the adoption of a central panel system or the enlargement of the jurisdiction encompassed by an existing central panel as well as to states considering the adoption of a more final decision-making authority for their central panel ALJs. The work is also intended to inform the debate over whether the central panel approach is something that the federal government should consider. This research looks at such issues as the cost efficiency of central panels as well as the effect that central panels have on fairness. We also look at what characteristics are most likely to increase efficiency while maintaining the benefits of expertise and specialization, including finality of decision-making, whether jurisdiction is mandatory or optional, and how judges are assigned to cases

Setting the Mood for Critical Thinking in the Classroom

Most current efforts to enhance critical thinking focus on skills practice and training. The empirical research from the fields of cognition and affect sciences suggest that positive mood, even when transiently induced, can have beneficial effects on cognitive flexibility and problem solving. We undertook this study to test this hypothesis in a practical setting. Using an A-B-A-B within subject design, we measured the impact of positive (versus neutral) mood on critical thinking demonstrated on four essay exams in an undergraduate course in personality. There was a significant enhancing effect of positive mood on critical thinking in female students, but not in male students. We discuss possible sex differences that may account for the partial support of the mood-critical thinking effect

The Reset Hypothesis: Lactation and Maternal Metabolism

For maternal metabolism, pregnancy ends not with delivery, but with weaning. In several recent epidemiological studies, authors have reported an association between duration of breast-feeding and reduced maternal risk of metabolic disease. These findings parallel data from animal models showing favorable changes in metabolism associated with lactation. During gestation, visceral fat accumulates, and insulin resistance and lipid and triglyceride levels increase. These changes appear to reverse more quickly, and more completely, with lactation. In this article, we review animal and human studies regarding the effects of lactation on adiposity, lipid, and glucose homeostasis. We hypothesize that lactation plays an important role in “resetting” maternal metabolism after pregnancy

Pleomorphic adenoma of a molar salivary gland

SummaryPleomorphic adenoma of a buccal or molar minor salivary gland, which lies on the external aspect of buccinator, has not been reported previously. We report a case of a pleomorphic adenoma apparently arising from such a gland. Histologically there was marked cystic degeneration producing an apparently empty lumen surrounded by an encapsulated cellular mass. While the final diagnosis was pleomorphic adenoma, there were a number of features of myoepithelioma and the differences between these entities are discussed

Inflammation and weight gain in reproductive-aged women

To investigate whether mid-pregnancy inflammation predicts rate of subsequent gestational weight gain (GWG), and whether inflammation at 3 years postpartum is associated with weight and waist circumference (WC) gain during a median of 4.4 years follow-up

How useful is the Rehearsal Scale for Children – Chinese in measuring emotional rehearsal in pre-adolescents of different ages?

The Rehearsal Scale for Children – Chinese (RSC-C) measures thepropensity to rehearse emotionally taxing experiences in children,however, the initial development of the scale has overlooked thevalidity of the scale for pre-adolescents of different ages whosecognitive development may differ considerably. Therefore, the aim ofthis study was to explore the internal validity of RSC-C for the differentage groups (aged 6-7, 8-9 and 10-12) across an age range of 6 to12years. Confirmatory factor analysis based on the original factorstructure suggested that the internal validity of the RSC-C is poor andthe scale was modified for the age groups concerned. Test-retest reliability for the modified scales was stronger for the younger age groups and moderate concurrent validity against the Chinese Trait Anxiety Scale for Children (CTAS-C) was established. No gender differences were found. The results highlight the importance of testing the validity of a psychometric instrument across different age ranges, given the potential for significant developmental differences. Thecurrent study also provided a new set of psychometrically sound RSC-C for the different age groups to promote greater understanding of the role of emotional rehearsal and psychological stress in physical and psychological well-being in young children

Duration of Lactation and Maternal Adipokines at 3 Years Postpartum

Objective: Lactation has been associated with reduced maternal risk of type 2 diabetes, the metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. We examined the relationship between breastfeeding duration and maternal adipokines at 3 years postpartum. Research Design and Methods: We used linear regression to relate the duration of lactation to maternal leptin, adiponectin, ghrelin, and peptide YY (PYY) at 3 years postpartum among 570 participants with 3-year postpartum blood samples (178 fasting), prospectively collected lactation history, and no intervening pregnancy in Project Viva, a cohort study of mothers and children. Results: A total of 88% of mothers had initiated breastfeeding, 26% had breastfed $\geq 12$ months, and 42% had exclusively breastfed for $\geq 3$ months. In multivariate analyses, we found that duration of total breastfeeding was directly related to PYY and ghrelin, and exclusive breastfeeding duration was directly related to ghrelin (predicted mean for never exclusively breastfeeding: 790.6 pg/mL vs. $\geq 6$ months of exclusive breastfeeding: 1,008.1 pg/mL; P < 0.01) at 3 years postpartum, adjusting for pregravid BMI, gestational weight gain, family history of diabetes, parity, smoking status, and age. We found a nonlinear pattern of association between exclusive breastfeeding duration and adiponectin in multivariate-adjusted models. Conclusions: In this prospective cohort study, we found a direct relationship between the duration of lactation and both ghrelin and PYY at 3 years postpartum