Thesis (Au. D.)--Missouri State University, 2008. / "May 2008." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-86). Also available online.

Thesis (Au. D.)--Missouri State University, 2008. / "May 2008." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-86). Also available online.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Carleton University, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 119-130). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Hyman Minsky’s Financial Instability Hypothesis (Minsky, 1977) proposes that cyclicality in the financial market is caused by a rational process of learning and inference of probabilities. Although a substantial literature is available on the perception of stationary probability distributions, the learning of non-stationary distributions has received less interest. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate people’s cognitive ability to learn cyclical changes in an underlying probability from feedback. Key aspects of the design of Gallistel et al. (2014) are replicated, but under continuously, rather than stepwise, changing Bernoulli distributions to establish: (i) if the learning process is continuous or discrete, (ii) if there is only local learning or if people induce the underlying functional form, and (iii) if there are any differences in performance between perceptual and cognitive formulations of the task. The step-hold updating model introduced by Gallistel et al. (2014) is compared to two simple trial by trial updating models. The results suggest that (i) the learning process is continuous, (ii) people perceive the functional form explicitly but do not extrapolate, and (iii) there are some differences depending on framing. One of the trial by trial models outperforms the step-hold model for the majority of subjects in this sample and version of the task.

No description available.

Reward expectation and spatial attention both exert powerful control over behaviour and modulate neural activity. The experiments in this thesis aimed to chart the dynamics of reward expectation effects across the time course of information processing and examine the relationship between reward and attention. Experiments 3.1 and 3.2 parametrically manipulated reward magnitude in the presence or absence of attention and demonstrated reward could influence reaction time (RT) under conditions of time pressure. Experiments 4.1 and 4.2 independently varied reward and spatial probabilities and illustrated independent and interactive effects of reward and attention at late stages of cognitive processing (the P300 potential), as well as modulation of detection sensitivity (d') by reward under conditions of uncertainty when reward was able to work through feature-based attention. The experiment of Chapter 5 cued reward and attention trial by trial and showed under these conditions, not only could reward influence late stages of information processing, but expectation of reward reduced peak latency of the visual N1 potential. Reward and attention also modulated motor preparation with both independent and interactive effects. The experiment of Chapter 6 examined the dynamics of reward association with task-relevant targets and irrelevant distracters during visual search and demonstrated that task-irrelevant but motivationally-salient distracter items could capture attentional resources away from the target, guided by endogenous reward association alone. The experiments of this thesis demonstrated the ability of reward expectation to modulate both behaviour and multiple stages of information processing, with effects predominantly independent from those of attention. Reward could influence processing from early visual analysis and target detection stages. Interaction between the two systems occurred at late processing stages, whereby reward and attentional information may have been integrated to provide a cohesive representation of the stimulus given the current environmental conditions.

A atrofia muscular espinhal (AME) é uma doença rara e neurodegenerativa, que afeta crianças e adultos. Gera atrofia muscular, prejudica os movimentos voluntários e, em muitos casos, dificulta a comunicação oral. Esta dissertação é composta por dois artigos. O Estudo 1 objetivou revisar a literatura sobre o desenvolvimento cognitivo de pessoas com AME. O Estudo 2 objetivou avaliar o desempenho visual, cognitivo e motor de crianças com AME tipo 1 (AME-I). O primeiro estudo foi uma revisão sistemática, com levantamento dos últimos 25 anos (de 1992 a 2017) nas bases de dados PUBMED/Medline, Web of Science e Scielo. Os descritores utilizados foram: spinal muscular atrophy e cognition. O estudo 2 consistiu na avaliação de 24 crianças, divididas em dois grupos: 12 crianças com AME-I (3 a 9 anos, 9 meninos e 3 meninas) e 12 crianças saudáveis, pareadas por idade e sexo. As 24 crianças responderam a quatro tarefas de associação de figuras, com dificuldade crescente. As respostas foram detectadas por meio de um rastreador de olhar. Para o primeiro estudo foram localizados 43 artigos, desses, nove foram selecionados, de acordo com os critérios de inclusão e exclusão. O estudo apontou que o desempenho cognitivo de crianças com AME é heterogêneo. Três artigos indicaram que essas crianças têm desempenho cognitivo normal, três artigos indicaram que há atraso e outros três estudos relataram desempenho acima da média. De modo geral, as crianças com maior fraqueza muscular (AME-I) apresentaram maior comprometimento e estudos mais recentes detectaram esse atraso. O segundo estudo descreveu pior desempenho do grupo AME-I, em relação ao grupo controle (maior número de erros e maior tempo para execução das tarefas). Concluímos que, até o momento, poucos estudos investigaram aspectos cognitivos em crianças e adolescentes com AME. O desenvolvimento cognitivo de crianças com AME deve ser acompanhado, principalmente em crianças com AME-I. É necessário avaliar o desempenho cognitivo e, se necessário, propor intervenções para pessoas com AME. O desenvolvimento cognitivo adequado facilita a autonomia e interação. Os rastreadores de olhar podem estimular e aprimorar esse repertório / Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare and neurodegenerative disease, affecting children and adults. SMA causes muscular atrophy and weakness, and, in many cases, impairs the development of oral communication. This dissertation is composed of two articles. Study 1 aimed to review the literature about the cognitive development of people with SMA. Study 2 aimed to evaluate the visual, cognitive and motor performance of children with SMA type 1 (SMAI). Study 1 reviewed the findings of the last 25 years (1992 to 2017), in PUBMED/Medline, Web of Science and Sicelo databases. The descriptors were: spinal muscular atrophy and cognition. Study 2 consisted of the evaluation of 24 children divided into two groups: 12 children with SMA-I (3 to 9 years of age, 9 boys and 3 girls) and 12 healthy children, matched by age and sex. The 24 children performed four figure-association tasks, with increasing difficulty. Responses were detected by an eye tracking device. For the first study, 43 articles were identified and nine were selected because they met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study pointed out that the cognitive performance of children with SMA is heterogeneous. Three articles indicated that children with SMA had normal cognitive performance, three observed delayed performance and three studies described cognitive performance as above average. In general, samples with children with more severe muscular weakness (SMA-I) showed some cognitive impairment and more recent studies detected this delay. The second study described poorer performance of the SMA-I group, compared to the control group (more errors and longer times). In conclusion, few studies investigated cognitive outcomes in children and adolescents with SMA. The cognitive development of children with SMA should be followed, especially children with SMA-I. More studies should evaluate and, if necessary, intervene to prevent cognitive impairment in people with SMA. The proper cognitive development facilitates autonomy and interaction. The eye tracker can stimulate and improve their repertoire

A atrofia muscular espinhal (AME) é uma doença rara e neurodegenerativa, que afeta crianças e adultos. Gera atrofia muscular, prejudica os movimentos voluntários e, em muitos casos, dificulta a comunicação oral. Esta dissertação é composta por dois artigos. O Estudo 1 objetivou revisar a literatura sobre o desenvolvimento cognitivo de pessoas com AME. O Estudo 2 objetivou avaliar o desempenho visual, cognitivo e motor de crianças com AME tipo 1 (AME-I). O primeiro estudo foi uma revisão sistemática, com levantamento dos últimos 25 anos (de 1992 a 2017) nas bases de dados PUBMED/Medline, Web of Science e Scielo. Os descritores utilizados foram: spinal muscular atrophy e cognition. O estudo 2 consistiu na avaliação de 24 crianças, divididas em dois grupos: 12 crianças com AME-I (3 a 9 anos, 9 meninos e 3 meninas) e 12 crianças saudáveis, pareadas por idade e sexo. As 24 crianças responderam a quatro tarefas de associação de figuras, com dificuldade crescente. As respostas foram detectadas por meio de um rastreador de olhar. Para o primeiro estudo foram localizados 43 artigos, desses, nove foram selecionados, de acordo com os critérios de inclusão e exclusão. O estudo apontou que o desempenho cognitivo de crianças com AME é heterogêneo. Três artigos indicaram que essas crianças têm desempenho cognitivo normal, três artigos indicaram que há atraso e outros três estudos relataram desempenho acima da média. De modo geral, as crianças com maior fraqueza muscular (AME-I) apresentaram maior comprometimento e estudos mais recentes detectaram esse atraso. O segundo estudo descreveu pior desempenho do grupo AME-I, em relação ao grupo controle (maior número de erros e maior tempo para execução das tarefas). Concluímos que, até o momento, poucos estudos investigaram aspectos cognitivos em crianças e adolescentes com AME. O desenvolvimento cognitivo de crianças com AME deve ser acompanhado, principalmente em crianças com AME-I. É necessário avaliar o desempenho cognitivo e, se necessário, propor intervenções para pessoas com AME. O desenvolvimento cognitivo adequado facilita a autonomia e interação. Os rastreadores de olhar podem estimular e aprimorar esse repertório / Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare and neurodegenerative disease, affecting children and adults. SMA causes muscular atrophy and weakness, and, in many cases, impairs the development of oral communication. This dissertation is composed of two articles. Study 1 aimed to review the literature about the cognitive development of people with SMA. Study 2 aimed to evaluate the visual, cognitive and motor performance of children with SMA type 1 (SMAI). Study 1 reviewed the findings of the last 25 years (1992 to 2017), in PUBMED/Medline, Web of Science and Sicelo databases. The descriptors were: spinal muscular atrophy and cognition. Study 2 consisted of the evaluation of 24 children divided into two groups: 12 children with SMA-I (3 to 9 years of age, 9 boys and 3 girls) and 12 healthy children, matched by age and sex. The 24 children performed four figure-association tasks, with increasing difficulty. Responses were detected by an eye tracking device. For the first study, 43 articles were identified and nine were selected because they met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study pointed out that the cognitive performance of children with SMA is heterogeneous. Three articles indicated that children with SMA had normal cognitive performance, three observed delayed performance and three studies described cognitive performance as above average. In general, samples with children with more severe muscular weakness (SMA-I) showed some cognitive impairment and more recent studies detected this delay. The second study described poorer performance of the SMA-I group, compared to the control group (more errors and longer times). In conclusion, few studies investigated cognitive outcomes in children and adolescents with SMA. The cognitive development of children with SMA should be followed, especially children with SMA-I. More studies should evaluate and, if necessary, intervene to prevent cognitive impairment in people with SMA. The proper cognitive development facilitates autonomy and interaction. The eye tracker can stimulate and improve their repertoire

<p>Sinestezijska metafora smatra se posebnom vrstom metafore kod koje je izvorni domen utisak primljen preko jednog čula, dok je ciljni domen utisak primljen preko drugog čula, npr. o&scaron;tar ukus, sladak miris, tople boje i sl. Rezultati dosada&scaron;njih istraživanja ukazuju na izvesne op&scaron;te tendencije vezane za smer metaforičkog preslikavanja kod sinestezijskih metafora: hijerarhijski &bdquo;niža&ldquo; čula, kao &scaron;to su dodir i ukus, preslikavaju se na &bdquo;vi&scaron;a&ldquo; čula, kao &scaron;to su zvuk i vid, odnosno, konkretniji i dostupniji čulni modaliteti preslikavaju se na apstraktnije. Primećeno je da ove tendencije postoje u različitim jezicima i različitim diskursima i da su primenjive kako kod dijahronih tako i kod sinhronih istraživanja. S druge strane, utvrđene su i izvesne razlike između različitih jezika koje se mogu pripisati pre svega kulturolo&scaron;kim uticajima. S obzirom na to da su u sinestezijskim metaforama oba domena čulna, posebna pažnja se posvećuje i specifičnoj perceptivnoj ali i kognitivnoj osnovi ovih metafora.<br />Cilj istraživanja u ovoj disertaciji je da se kroz kontrastivnu analizu izuče sinestezijsko-metaforički prenosi značenja u engleskom i srpskom jeziku i ukaže na univerzalne tendencije kao i međujezičke varijacije, dok se posebna pažnja posvećuje upravo perceptivnim, kognitivnim i kulturolo&scaron;kim aspektima ove pojave.<br />Istraživačka građa sačinjena je od sinestezijskih prideva, odnosno prideva koji imaju dva ili vi&scaron;e značenja u različitim čulnim domenima. Istraživanje je rađeno na osnovu rečničke analize, dok su konsultovani i elektronski korpusi. Za svaki čulni domen (a ukoliko je moguće i za poddomene nekih čula) ustanovljene su tendencije u smerovima metaforičkog preslikavanja. Rezultati su obrađeni deskriptivnom i kontrastivnom metodom i obrazloženi uz pomoć saznanja iz oblasti kognitivne lingvistike ali i drugih naučnih oblasti.</p> / <p>Synaesthetic metaphors are considered to be a special type of metaphor in which one sensory modality is described in terms of another, e.g. sharp taste, sweet smell, warm colours etc. Research conducted in different languages indicates that there are certain tendencies concerning the directionality of metaphoric mapping: that hierarchically &ldquo;lower&rdquo; senses, such as touch and taste tend to map onto &ldquo;higher&rdquo; modalities, such as sound and sight; alternatively, we can say that more concrete and more accessible modalities tend to map onto more abstract ones. The determined tendencies proved to be applicable even to linguistically unrelated languages, different registers and to both diachronic and synchronic studies. On the other hand, there are certain differences among different languages, which can be attributed to cultural influences. Also, since both domains in synaesthetic metaphors are sensory modalities, a special emphasis in studies is placed on the particular perceptive as well as cognitive bases of this phenomenon.<br />The research in this thesis is a contrastive analysis of synaesthetic transfers of meaning in English and Serbian. The aim of the research is to point to universal tendencies of synaesthetic metaphors and cross-linguistic variations between the two languages, while special emphasis is placed on the particular perceptive and cognitive bases of this phenomenon, as well as the influences of culture on the formation of these expressions.<br />The language material is composed of synaesthetic adjectives, i.e. adjectives that have two or more meanings in different sensory domains. The research is based on the analyses of dictionary entries of English and Serbian sensory adjectives, while additional examples are collected form electronic corpora. The directionality of mapping is determined for each sensory domain (and, if possible, for sensory subdomains). The research results are analysed using descriptive and contrastive methods and explained using findings from the field of cognitive linguistics as well as other relevant scientific fields.</p>