Reporting on the Temporal Properties of Subliminal Events

What is the fate of a stimulus which is processed, but not consciously seen? Are there any properties of subliminal or preconscious stimuli which are available for conscious report? While psychologists have long been interested in these and similar questions, the answers obtained have varied. This variation is partly a function of the process of uncovering previously overlooked methodological limitations, and then advancing beyond them. The present work takes advantage of a masking technique known as continuous flash suppression to examine an underexplored stimulus property - temporal order. Data from three studies indicate that participants are able to judge whether a subliminal event comes before or after a cued button press. This data is taken to indicate that not all processing is suppressed equally in subliminal masking paradigms. In particular, it seems probable, especially in light of previous work, that processing in the dorsal visual pathway is spared to a greater extent, and is available for introspection. Given this, future work will focus on investigating whether these effects are robust to manipulations of physical action. Implications for theories of action control and visual awareness are discussed in light of the present findings

Constraining the Evolution of Zz Ceti

We report our analysis of the stability of pulsation periods in the DAV star (pulsating hydrogen atmosphere white dwarf) ZZ Ceti, also called R548. On the basis of observations that span 31 years, we conclude that the period 213.13 s observed in ZZ Ceti drifts at a rate dP/dt ≤ (5:5 ± 1:9) x 10-15 s s-1, after correcting for proper motion. Our results are consistent with previous Ṗ values for this mode and an improvement over them because of the larger time base. The characteristic stability timescale implied for the pulsation period is ⎸P / Ṗ ⎸=⎹≥ 1:2 Gyr, comparable to the theoretical cooling timescale for the star. Our current stability limit for the period 213.13 s is only slightly less than the present measurement for another DAV, G117-B15A, for the period 215.2 s, establishing this mode in ZZ Ceti as the second most stable optical clock known, comparable to atomic clocks and more stable than most pulsars. Constraining the cooling rate of ZZ Ceti aids theoretical evolutionary models and white dwarf cosmochronology. The drift rate of this clock is small enough that we can set interesting limits on reflex motion due to planetary companions

The Seventeenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys: Complete Release of MaNGA, MaStar and APOGEE-2 Data

This paper documents the seventeenth data release (DR17) from the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys; the fifth and final release from the fourth phase (SDSS-IV). DR17 contains the complete release of the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey, which reached its goal of surveying over 10,000 nearby galaxies. The complete release of the MaNGA Stellar Library (MaStar) accompanies this data, providing observations of almost 30,000 stars through the MaNGA instrument during bright time. DR17 also contains the complete release of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment 2 (APOGEE-2) survey which publicly releases infra-red spectra of over 650,000 stars. The main sample from the Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS), as well as the sub-survey Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey (TDSS) data were fully released in DR16. New single-fiber optical spectroscopy released in DR17 is from the SPectroscipic IDentification of ERosita Survey (SPIDERS) sub-survey and the eBOSS-RM program. Along with the primary data sets, DR17 includes 25 new or updated Value Added Catalogs (VACs). This paper concludes the release of SDSS-IV survey data. SDSS continues into its fifth phase with observations already underway for the Milky Way Mapper (MWM), Local Volume Mapper (LVM) and Black Hole Mapper (BHM) surveys

Reporting on the temporal properties of visual events masked with continuous flash suppression

© 2015 Elsevier Inc. To what extent can individuals introspect on dynamic properties of masked stimuli? Specifically, can observers report about the order in which a visual stimulus occurs, relative to a behavior, even when that stimulus is dramatically reduced in visibility via masking? Masking stimuli using continuous flash suppression, we asked participants to report on whether the stimulus appeared before or after a button-press. Data collected across three studies are consistent with the notion that information on the temporal order of events is preserved even when the visibility of the event in question is impoverished. These data may suggest that dynamic properties of masked stimuli are a promising set of features for understanding questions regarding an observer's perceptual experience and limitations of high-level information processing.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Supplemental Material, SPPS733519_suppl_mat - Porous Chambers, Echoes of Valence and Stereotypes: A Network Analysis of Online News Coverage Interconnectedness Following a Nationally Polarizing Race-Related Event

<p>Supplemental Material, SPPS733519_suppl_mat for Porous Chambers, Echoes of Valence and Stereotypes: A Network Analysis of Online News Coverage Interconnectedness Following a Nationally Polarizing Race-Related Event by Kate M. Turetsky and Travis A. Riddle in Social Psychological and Personality Science</p