Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1970. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

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Previous studies have indicated that concurrent multimodal stimulation can interfere with prenatal perceptual learning. However, the nature and extent of this interference is not well understood. This study further assessed this issue by exposing three groups of bobwhite quail embryos to (a) no unusual prenatal stimulation, (b) a bobwhite maternal call, or (c) a maternal call + light compound in the period prior to hatching. Experiments differed in terms of the types of stimuli presented during postnatal preference tests (Exp 1 = familiar call vs. unfamiliar call; Exp 2 = familiar compound vs. unfamiliar compound; Exp 3 = familiar compound verses unfamiliar call; Exp 4 = familiar call vs. unfamiliar compound). Embryos receiving no supplemental stimulation showed no preference between stimulus events in all testing conditions. Embryos receiving exposure to a unimodal call preferred the familiar call over the unfamiliar call regardless of the presence or absence of patterned light during testing. Embryos receiving concurrent audio-visual exposure showed no preference between stimulus events in Exp 1 and Exp 4, but did prefer the familiar call when it was paired with light during testing (Exp 2 and 3). These findings suggest that concurrent multimodal stimulation does not interfere with prenatal perceptual learning by overwhelming the young organism's limited attentional capacities. Rather, multimodal biases what information is attended to during exposure and subsequent testing. Results are discussed within an attentional-bias framework, which maintains that young organisms tend to initially process non-redundant compound events as integrative units rather than processing the components of the compound separately. / Master of Science

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2004. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 48-55). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url%5Fver=Z39.88-2004&res%5Fdat=xri:pqdiss&rft%5Fval%5Ffmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft%5Fdat=xri:pqdiss:MQ99389

ABSTRACT Introduction: Human newborn and animal studies provide support for the intersensory redundancy hypothesis, which posits that learning is more effective when information is presented simultaneously in two modalities than one alone. Whether the same is true in the human fetus is unknown and was examined in this study. Methods: 63 low-risk fetuses (≥36 weeks gestation) were randomly assigned to one of 6 experimental groups: each group included one of 3 stimulus conditions [unimodal (music), unimodal (maternal sway) or bimodal (music and maternal sway)], and one of 2 pieces of music (music A, 4/4 time; music B, 3/4 time) composed for the study. Laboratory pre-testing included a 2 min no-music, 2 min music (A or B), 2 min no-music observation while fetal heart rate (FHR) and body movements were recorded. Subsequently, mothers carried out the assigned intervention at home, twice a day for 5 days. On day 6, laboratory testing was repeated first with the familiar (A or B) and then the novel music. Results: The initial testing showed a difference between Music A and Music B, F (1, 61) = 8.203, p <.01, where FHR decreased to Music A and increased to Music B. The same FHR response was found when fetuses were exposed to the opposite music for the first time in the novelty testing, F (1, 44) = 4.543, p <.05, following intervention. Music A elicited a response in both the unimodal music only and sway only groups, F (29, 203) = 1.871, p < .01, and F (29, 174) = 1.818, p < .01, respectively. In music B only the multimodal group showed an effect of intervention, F = (29, 203) = 1.914, p < .005. Conclusions: Fetal response to music A and B was qualitatively different. During pretesting, FHR decreased to music A and increased to music B. When the stimulus elicited an attention response (FHR decrease) learning was observed in both the unimodal or multimodal conditions. This is seen with music A (4/4 time) music where the fetus learns the stimulus. When the stimulus did not elicit a FHR decrease (Music B, 3/4 time), there was evidence that a multimodal stimulus was more effective providing some support for the intersensory redundancy hypothesis. / Thesis (Master, Nursing) -- Queen's University, 2007-10-18 16:52:55.68

The primary goal of the empirical research outlined in this thesis was to examine a number of the factors contributing to the design of more ergonomic multisensory warning signals, that is, signals that elicit efficient and effective responses from interface operators under demanding conditions. To achieve this goal, a series of experiments was conducted in order to examine the nature and consequences of the crossmodal links inherent in spatial attention between various different sensory modalities, such as audition, vision, and touch, in an applied setting. In particular, a laboratory-based simulated driving task was used to investigate the effectiveness of various different auditory and vibrotactile cues in orienting a driver's attention to potential emergency driving events seen through the front windscreen or rearview mirror. The results of the first set of auditory spatial cuing experiments highlighted a significant performance advantage when the target driving events occurred in the cued, rather than the uncued, direction, with the biggest benefits being seen following spatially-predictive auditory or verbal cues. The second set of vibrotactile spatial cuing experiments demonstrated the potential utility of vibrotactile warning signals for presenting spatial information to car drivers, and the results were successfully replicated in a study using a high-fidelity driving simulator. The third set of experiments, incorporating an orthogonal task design, were conducted in order to examine the mechanisms responsible for the advantageous spatial cuing effects reported in the earlier experiments. Taken together, the results demonstrated that while directional congruency between a warning signal and target driving event may be sufficient to facilitate performance due to the priming of the appropriate response, attentional facilitation (i.e., perceptual enhancement) typically requires the co-location of the cue and target within the same functional region of space. In sum, this thesis demonstrates the potential value of approaching the design of effective multisensory warning signals for human operators by studying the information processing mechanisms in the human brain. The findings outlined here add to the literature concerning the brain's differential representation of stimuli presented in peripersonal as opposed to extrapersonal space. Further experimental chapters detail experiments that examined verbal directional cuing, olfactory cuing, and crossmodal interactions in virtual haptic environments.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2007. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (p. 49-52).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1994. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-71). Also available via the Internet.

This study explored the critical features of temporal synchrony for the facilitation of prenatal perceptual learning with respect to unimodal stimulation using an animal model, the bobwhite quail. The following related hypotheses were examined: (1) the availability of temporal synchrony is a critical feature to facilitate prenatal perceptual learning, (2) a single temporally synchronous note is sufficient to facilitate prenatal perceptual learning, with respect to unimodal stimulation, and (3) in situations where embryos are exposed to a single temporally synchronous note, facilitated perceptual learning, with respect to unimodal stimulation, will be optimal when the temporally synchronous note occurs at the onset of the stimulation bout. To assess these hypotheses, two experiments were conducted in which quail embryos were exposed to various audio-visual configurations of a bobwhite maternal call and tested at 24 hr after hatching for evidence of facilitated prenatal perceptual learning with respect to unimodal stimulation. Experiment 1 explored if intermodal equivalence was sufficient to facilitate prenatal perceptual learning with respect to unimodal stimulation. A Bimodal Sequential Temporal Equivalence (BSTE) condition was created that provided embryos with sequential auditory and visual stimulation in which the same amodal properties (rate, duration, rhythm) were made available across modalities. Experiment 2 assessed: (a) whether a limited number of temporally synchronous notes are sufficient for facilitated prenatal perceptual learning with respect to unimodal stimulation, and (b) whether there is a relationship between timing of occurrence of a temporally synchronous note and the facilitation of prenatal perceptual learning. Results revealed that prenatal exposure to BSTE was not sufficient to facilitate perceptual learning. In contrast, a maternal call that contained a single temporally synchronous note was sufficient to facilitate embryos’ prenatal perceptual learning with respect to unimodal stimulation. Furthermore, the most salient prenatal condition was that which contained the synchronous note at the onset of the call burst. Embryos’ prenatal perceptual learning of the call was four times faster in this condition than when exposed to a unimodal call. Taken together, bobwhite quail embryos’ remarkable sensitivity to temporal synchrony suggests that this amodal property plays a key role in attention and learning during prenatal development.

One of the overarching questions in the field of infant perceptual and cognitive development concerns how selective attention is organized during early development to facilitate learning. The following study examined how infants’ selective attention to properties of social events (i.e., prosody of speech and facial identity) changes in real time as a function of intersensory redundancy (redundant audiovisual, nonredundant unimodal visual) and exploratory time. Intersensory redundancy refers to the spatially coordinated and temporally synchronous occurrence of information across multiple senses. Real time macro- and micro-structural change in infants’ scanning patterns of dynamic faces was also examined. According to the Intersensory Redundancy Hypothesis, information presented redundantly and in temporal synchrony across two or more senses recruits infants’ selective attention and facilitates perceptual learning of highly salient amodal properties (properties that can be perceived across several sensory modalities such as the prosody of speech) at the expense of less salient modality specific properties. Conversely, information presented to only one sense facilitates infants’ learning of modality specific properties (properties that are specific to a particular sensory modality such as facial features) at the expense of amodal properties (Bahrick & Lickliter, 2000, 2002). Infants’ selective attention and discrimination of prosody of speech and facial configuration was assessed in a modified visual paired comparison paradigm. In redundant audiovisual stimulation, it was predicted infants would show discrimination of prosody of speech in the early phases of exploration and facial configuration in the later phases of exploration. Conversely, in nonredundant unimodal visual stimulation, it was predicted infants would show discrimination of facial identity in the early phases of exploration and prosody of speech in the later phases of exploration. Results provided support for the first prediction and indicated that following redundant audiovisual exposure, infants showed discrimination of prosody of speech earlier in processing time than discrimination of facial identity. Data from the nonredundant unimodal visual condition provided partial support for the second prediction and indicated that infants showed discrimination of facial identity, but not prosody of speech. The dissertation study contributes to the understanding of the nature of infants’ selective attention and processing of social events across exploratory time.