Introduction. La négligence spatiale unilatérale est un syndrome neurologique fréquent après un accident vasculaire cérébral, caractérisé par une diminution partielle ou totale de la capacité à porter son attention, explorer ou initier des mouvements vers une partie de l’espace. Bien que plusieurs tests permettent de mesurer le biais attentionnel résultant de ce déficit, la plupart présentent un certain nombre de limites tels qu’un manque de sensibilité ou des effets d’apprentissage, limitant leur utilité clinique. Objectif. L’objectif du projet était de développer et décrire un nouveau test de mesure du biais attentionnel visuo-spatial créé à partir d’une version simplifiée et adaptée d’une illusion optique (illusion de la ballerine). Méthode. Dans une première expérience, la perception spontanée de 15 sujets sans trouble neurologique a été étudiée à cette nouvelle illusion, ainsi que l’influence du mode de présentation. Dans une deuxième expérience, les performances au test développé à partir de l’illusion de 15 sujets sans trouble neurologique ont été mesurées. Le score des participants, l’influence de la latéralisation des stimuli, ainsi que l’influence de la main utilisée pour répondre sur les performances ont également été étudiés. Résultats. Les résultats de la première expérience montrent que les persévérations perceptives observées avec la nouvelle illusion sont influencées par le mode de présentation. Par ailleurs, les résultats de l’expérience 2, suggèrent que ces persévérations perceptives peuvent être manipulées grâce à l’utilisation d’une version non bistable du stimulus lorsque présenté simultanément ou quelques secondes avant. Cette manipulation permet de créer un test de biais attentionnel visuo-spatial. Les performances des sujets à ce nouveau test ne montrent aucun effet de la latéralisation des stimuli (côté de présentation à l’écran), ni de la main utilisée pour répondre. Conclusion. De nouvelles études sont nécessaires afin d’explorer davantage la pertinence de ce test comme outil de mesure de la négligence spatiale unilatérale.

Paper 1 provides a systematic review on the association between children over-rating their competence, termed Positive Illusory Bias (PIB), and Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The evidence towards this construct was examined, in addition to its environmental specificity and modifiability. Findings confirmed an association between PIB and ADHD, with most studies evidencing higher discrepancies between self and adult ratings of competence in children with ADHD compared to controls. The nature and magnitude of this association was less clear however, with some of these studies showing absolute ratings of children to be similar to controls, and a PIB only evidenced when adults were used as objective evaluators, not actual performance. Thus the review was unable to discount the idea that the PIB may, in part, be a function of the system around children with ADHD under-estimating their abilities. Clinical implications are discussed. Paper 2 presents an investigation into the efficacy and feasibility of a metacognitive therapy technique, Attention Training (ATT) in children with ADHD. A novel intervention in this population, the study employed a single case series design, followed by an uncontrolled trial, both with a 6-week follow up. A total of 16 children aged 7-11 under the care of a children and adolescent mental health service received 5 sessions of the ATT. Findings revealed that children rated their attention as significantly improved, despite no statistical improvement found on parent ratings. Significant improvements were also shown in working memory and other aspects of executive functioning. Adherence to home practice of the ATT was generally poor, but session attendance was good and the treatment was well-liked by parents. Clinical implications and directions for future research are indicated. Paper 3 is a critical reflection of the research process. Reflections on paper 1 and 2 are given, including limitations and clinical implications. The impact of the research process on my personal development and learning is also discussed.

This work explores the interactive use of mirrored and reflective materials in the context of fashion. It draws parallels between the way in which it has been used in architecture in comparison to fashion and seeks a way to make a fair translation between the two mediums. The motive behind this work lies in the curiosity to explore reflective mirror materials in clothing beyond simply as shiny surface materials and aims instead to explore its illusive properties when combined with archetypical pattern prints. This to explore the potential aesthetic expressions it could bring to the fashion field. Using the theoretical approach of convergence, divergence, and transformation by Jones and methods by Thornquist that was slightly modified and reworked to fit the context of this project. Investigations with the reflective material were tested in different scales, both by draping with the material as is and by cutting and placing it in different ways in relation to the printed textile material. Derived from these experiments a new illusive material was created with special draping and shaping properties that came to define the collection as a whole.

“Positive illusions” refer to the tendencies to perceive the self and others positively. The current study proposes that cultural norms regarding positive illusions contribute to cultural differences in well-being. All pairs of participants completed self-reports and informant reports, and served both as perceivers and targets (N = 906 undergraduate students). A novel validated measure of positive illusions and multi-method assessment of well-being were used to examine cultural differences between Asians and Westerners in well-being. Positive illusions were assessed by means of the halo-alpha-beta model of correlations among ratings of participant’s own and an acquaintance’s personality on the Big Five dimensions (Anusic, Schimmack, Pinkus, & Lockwood, 2009). The results suggest that rating biases influence cross-cultural comparisons of well-being and that European and Asian Canadians have similar levels of well-being.

“Positive illusions” refer to the tendencies to perceive the self and others positively. The current study proposes that cultural norms regarding positive illusions contribute to cultural differences in well-being. All pairs of participants completed self-reports and informant reports, and served both as perceivers and targets (N = 906 undergraduate students). A novel validated measure of positive illusions and multi-method assessment of well-being were used to examine cultural differences between Asians and Westerners in well-being. Positive illusions were assessed by means of the halo-alpha-beta model of correlations among ratings of participant’s own and an acquaintance’s personality on the Big Five dimensions (Anusic, Schimmack, Pinkus, & Lockwood, 2009). The results suggest that rating biases influence cross-cultural comparisons of well-being and that European and Asian Canadians have similar levels of well-being.

Texte remanié de: th. doct.--München--Universität, 2000. / Bibliogr. p. [455]-508.

The aim of this project was to study the phenomenology of auditory hallucinations in Indians. The sample investigated consisted of thirty adult Indian males domiciled in the Durban area, attending neuroclinics, who had been diagnosed as having suffered from a psychosis and who had experienced auditory hallucinations. The patients were examined by the author and in addition relevant data was extracted from their case files. This included religion, previous diagnosis, age at onset of illness and present age, mother tongue, language of daily usage, language of hallucinations, source of hallucinations, comprehensibi1ity of hallucinations, content of hallucinations, patient's initial reaction to hallucinations, time when hallucinations were experienced, media of transmission, direction of voices and whether the patient had consulted a traditional healer. The findings were that a significant majority of patients: 1) described their hallucinations as being voices coming from supernatural beings (84%). 2) did not attribute their hallucinations to being voices belonging to their deceased ancestors (88%). 3) did not attribute their hallucinations to voices which were being relayed by technical transmitting apparatuses (88%) . 4) diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia initially, found their hallucinations to be distressful (89%) whereas 80% of the patients diagnosed as suffering from manic depressive psychosis found their hallucinations to be pleasant. 5) did not ascribe their hallucinations to animals (100%). 6) had visited a traditional healer (100%). Hallucinations were generally thought by the majority of patients to have occurred as a result of being possessed by spirits and that the possession had occurred following some "evil" done to them by enemies, rivals, or other persons who wanted the patient to come to harm. Their belief in spirits was derived both from religion and from folk-lore. Its connection with auditory hallucinations arose from the notion that evil spirits can invade human beings causing abnormal behaviour and also symptoms of mental illness including auditory hallucinations. All the patients had visited traditional healers presumably to exorcise the spirits that had possessed them. The Durban Indian community has been reported to be a deculturing community with many of its members adopting Western cultural attitudes and values. The following factors (religion, language grouping, and beliefs derived from folk-lore), specific to Indian culture, appear to have an important influence in shaping some aspects of the phenomenology of auditory hallucinations of psychotic Indian males. / Thesis (M.Med.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1985.

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This paper is a framework for the pursuit of happiness. It uses psychological data, philosophical theories, and trends in neuroscience to support the idea that anyone can be happy. It first discusses personality psychology, biology of personality, and the relationship between personality and happiness. From there it explains positive illusions and Depressive Realism to show how one can implement both to increase personal happiness.

A critical function of the human visual system is to parse objects from the larger context of the environment, allowing for the identification of, and potential interaction with, those objects. The use of contextual information allows us to rapidly locate, identify, and interact with objects that appear in the environment. Contextual information can help specify an object's location within the environment (allocentric encoding) or with respect to the observer (egocentric encoding). Understanding how contextual information influences perceptual organization, and the neural systems that process a complex scene, is critical in understanding how contextual information assists in parsing local information from background. In the real world, relying on context is typically beneficial, as most objects occur in circumscribed environments. However, there are circumstances in which context can harm performance. In the case of visual illusions, relying on the context can bias observers' perceptions and cause significant motor errors. Studying the illusory conditions under which perceptual/motor functions are "fooled", or breakdown, can provide valuable information about how the brain computes allocentric and egocentric frames of reference. The following studies examine how attentional (Chapters II & III) manipulations of visuospatial context affect components of observers' egocentric reference frames (e.g., perceived vertical or subjective midline) and how neural manipulations (Chapter IV) can modulate observers' reliance on contextual information. In Chapter II, the role of attentional control settings on contextual processing is examined. Chapter III addresses the question of how visuospatial shifts of attention interact with an egocentric frame of reference. Finally, Chapter IV examines the functional role of superior parietal cortex in the processing of egocentric contextual information.