131 research outputs found
fMRI Evidence for Modality-Specific Processing of Conceptual Knowledge on Six Modalities
Traditional theories assume that amodal representations, such as feature lists and semantic
networks, represent conceptual knowledge about the world. According to this view, the
sensory, motor, and introspective states that arise during perception and action are irrelevant
to representing knowledge. Instead the conceptual system lies outside modality-specific
systems and operates according to different principles. Increasingly, however, researchers
report that modality-specific systems become active during purely conceptual tasks,
suggesting that these systems play central roles in representing knowledge (for a review, see
Martin, 2001, Handbook of Functional Neuroimaging of Cognition). In particular,
researchers report that the visual system becomes active while processing visual properties,
and that the motor system becomes active while processing action properties. The present
study corroborates and extends these findings. During fMRI, subjects verified whether or not
properties could potentially be true of concepts (e.g., BLENDER-loud). Subjects received
only linguistic stimuli, and nothing was said about using imagery. Highly related false
properties were used on false trials to block word association strategies (e.g., BUFFALOwinged).
To assess the full extent of the modality-specific hypothesis, properties were
verified on each of six modalities. Examples include GEMSTONE-glittering (vision),
BLENDER-loud (audition), FAUCET-turned (motor), MARBLE-cool (touch),
CUCUMBER-bland (taste), and SOAP-perfumed (smell). Neural activity during property
verification was compared to a lexical decision baseline. For all six sets of the modalityspecific
properties, significant activation was observed in the respective neural system.
Finding modality-specific processing across six modalities contributes to the growing
conclusion that knowledge is grounded in modality-specific systems of the brain
Realising context-sensitive mobile messaging
Mobile technologies aim to assist people as they move from place to place going about their daily work and social routines. Established and very popular mobile technologies include short-text messages and multimedia messages with newer growing technologies including Bluetooth mobile data transfer protocols and mobile web access.Here we present new work which combines all of the above technologies to fulfil some of the predictions for future context aware messaging. We present a context sensitive mobile messaging system which derives context in the form of physical locations through location sensing and the co-location of people through Bluetooth familiarity
Verifying Different-modality Properties for Concepts Produces Switching Costs
According to perceptual symbol systems (Barsalou, 1999), sensory-motor
simulations underlie the representation of concepts. It follows that
sensory-motor phenomena should arise in conceptual processing. Previous
studies have shown that switching from one modality to another during
perceptual processing incurs a processing cost. If perceptual simulation
underlies conceptual processing, then verifying the properties of
concepts should exhibit a switching cost as well. For example, verifying
a property in the auditory modality (e.g., BLENDER-loud) should be
slower after verifying a property in a different modality (e.g.,
CRANBERRIES-tart) than in the same modality (e.g., LEAVES-rustling).
Only words were presented to subjects, and there were no instructions to
use imagery. Nevertheless switching modalities incurred a cost,
analogous to switching modalities in perception. A second experiment
showed that this effect was not due to associative priming between
properties in the same modality. These results support the hypothesis
that perceptual simulation underlies conceptual processing
Learning from multimedia and hypermedia
Computer-based multimedia and hypermedia resources (e.g., the world wide web) have become one of the primary sources of academic information for a majority of pupils and students. In line with this expansion in the field of education, the scientific study of learning from multimedia and hypermedia has become a very active field of research. In this chapter we provide a short overview with regard to research on learning with multimedia and hypermedia. In two review sections, we describe the educational benefits of multiple representations and of learner control, as these are the two defining characteristics of hypermedia. In a third review section we describe recent scientific trends in the field of multimedia/hypermedia learning. In all three review sections we will point to relevant European work on multimedia/hypermedia carried out within the last 5 years, and often carried out within the Kaleidoscope Network of Excellence. According to the interdisciplinary nature of the field this work might come not only from psychology, but also from technology or pedagogy. Comparing the different research activities on multimedia and hypermedia that have dominated the international scientific discourse in the last decade reveals some important differences. Most important, a gap seems to exist between researchers mainly interested in a “serious” educational use of multimedia/ hypermedia and researchers mainly interested in “serious” experimental research on learning with multimedia/hypermedia. Recent discussions about the pros and cons of “design-based research” or “use-inspired basic research” can be seen as a direct consequence of an increasing awareness of the tensions within these two different cultures of research on education
On the indistinguishability of exemplar memory and abstraction in category representation
No abstract available
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