Recognition of Moving and Static Faces by Young Infants

This study compared 3- to 4-month-olds' recognition of previously unfamiliar faces learned in a moving or a static condition. Infants in the moving condition showed successful recognition with only 30 s familiarization, even when different images of a face were used in the familiarization and test phase (Experiment 1). In contrast, infants in the static condition showed successful recognition only when the familiarization duration was lengthened to 90 s and when the same image was used between the familiarization and test phase (Experiments 2 and 3). Furthermore, presentation of multiple static images of a face did not yield the same level of performance as the moving condition (Experiment 4). These results suggest that facial motion promotes young infants' recognition of unfamiliar faces.     

The development of infant sensitivity to biomechanical motions

3 experiments were conducted to examine infant sensitivity at 20, 30, and 36 weeks of age to the 3-dimensional structure of a human form specified through biomechanical motions. All 3 experiments manipulated occlusion information in computer-generated arrays of point-lights moving as if attached to the major joints and head of a person walking. These displays are readily recognized as persons by adults when occlusion information is present, but not when it is absent or inconsistent with the implicit structure of the human body. Converging findings from Experiments 1 and 2 suggested that 36-week-old infants were sensitive to the presence of occlusion information in point-light walker displays; neither 20- nor 30-week-old infants showed any sensitivity to this information. The results of Experiment 3 revealed further that 36-week-old infants were sensitive to whether or not the pattern of occlusion was consistent with the implicit form of the human body, but only when the displays were presented in an upright orientation. These findings are interpreted as suggesting that infants, by 36 weeks of age, are extracting fundamental properties necessary for interpreting a point-light display as a person.     

The perception of stimulus shape: the influence of velocity of stimulus movement

46 3-month-old infants were presented with geometric stimuli moving laterally at two different velocities (34.8 degrees/sec; 103.3 degrees/sec). The results were interpreted as evidence that 3-month-old infants could discriminate between geometric forms moving at velocities that, according to previous findings, might interfere with shape discrimination. The findings are discussed in relation to the possible interactive effect of type and velocity of movement on geometric form discrimination.     

Integration of Sequential Information for Shape Perception by Infants: A Developmental Study

Perception of form by spatiotemporal integration was investigated in 3 experiments. In the first, infants aged 8, 10, and 12 months were tested using a novelty-preference procedure to determine the earliest age at which recognition of rectilinear and curvilinear form occurred. Infants were shown a light-point tracing of the outline of a figure, followed by simultaneous presentation of 2 test objects, one of the same shape as the tracing and one of a different shape. The tracing was double the size of the test objects. Only infants in the oldest group responded selectively by looking longer at the object of different shape. In the second experiment with 12-month-old infants only, it was shown that recognition of rectilinear, but not curvilinear, form occurred despite a difference in the orientation and size of tracing and object. Computer-generated tracings were used in the final experiment to compare form recognition for 2D and 3D stimuli. Selective responding occurred only for the latter. These findings show that by 12 months infants perceive the correspondence between the figural properties of a tracing and its extended form, but that this perception is dependent on the provision of depth cues.     

Four-month-old infants' sensitivity to binocular and kinetic information for three-dimensional-object shape

4-month-old infants were tested for sensitivity to kinetic and binocular information for 3-dimensional-object shape. The study included 2 tests: a test for sensitivity to binocular disparity and a shape perception test. The disparity sensitivity test used a preferential looking procedure developed by Held, Birch, and Gwiazda. On the basis of the results of this test, infants were assigned to disparity-sensitive and disparity-insensitive groups. In the shape perception test, a "transfer-across-depth-cues" method was employed. Infants were habituated to a rotating object whose shape was specified by kinetic information and were then presented with stationary stereograms specifying the same object and a novel-shaped object. The disparity-sensitive infants looked significantly longer at the novel object than at the familiar object, whereas the disparity-insensitive infants showed no difference in looking time to the novel and the familiar objects. The results indicate that disparity-sensitive 4-month-old infants can perceive 3-dimensional-object shape from kinetic and binocular depth information.     

Infant Categorization of Path Relations During Dynamic Events

Fundamental to amassing a lexicon of relational terms (i.e., verbs, prepositions) is the ability to abstract and categorize spatial relations such as a figure (e.g., boy) moving along a path (e.g., around the barn). Three studies examine how infants learn to categorize path over changes in manner, or how an action is performed (e.g., running vs. crawling). Experiment 1 (n = 60) finds that 10‐ to 12‐month‐old English‐learning infants categorize a figure’s path. In Experiment 2 (n = 27) categorization is disrupted when the ground object is removed, suggesting the relation between figure and ground defines the path. Experiment 3 (n = 24) shows that language may be a mechanism guiding category formation. These studies suggest that English‐learning infants can categorize path, a component lexicalized in the world’s languages.     

21世纪先进生产力的主体——网络生产力

在不同的历史阶段，社会生产力呈现出不同的质态。网络生产力以互联网和信息交换为依托，表现为劳动资料的网络化、劳动的网络化与劳动对象的网络化，呈现出技术传播的全球化、经济的数字化与虚拟化的特点。网络生产力的运动具有全球此、多层次性、多向度、虚拟化的持点。同其他生产力质态一样，网络生产力具有生命周期，而推动网络生产力发展的是新技术、新材料的出现和广泛的运用。网络生产力的质态构成与发展动力说明网络生产力将成为21世纪先进生产力的主体。     

The development of infants' reaches for stationary and moving targets

The organization of infants' reaching skill for stationary and moving targets was examined. While 58 term, healthy infants at 5.5, 8.5, and 11.5 months of age reached for and grasped a cloth-covered dowel, their reaches were videotaped for later slow-motion analysis. Analyses addressed infants' anticipatory adjustment of hand alignment, use of information from spinning and oscillating targets to update ongoing reaches, and ability to capture targets moving in depth. Infants at all ages made anticipatory adjustments of hand alignment, although the effectiveness of these adjustments improved with age. Regardless of age, infants also used dynamic information from spinning and oscillating targets to update ongoing reaches, but the way infants used this information was related to age. Developmental constancy characterized infants' reaches for approaching targets. By observing infants' reaches for stationary, spinning, and approaching targets, the study expands the range of conditions under which adaptive reaching skill has been examined and provides insight into the roles of anticipation and updating in the development of early manual skill.     

The Selectivity of Motion-Driven Visual Attention in Infants

The onset of motion was used to study stimulus-driven visual attention in 14-week-olds. The movement of an object did not capture attention reflexively at 14 weeks of age. The attention-getting properties of a moving stimulus depended significantly on its color in combination with the colors of other objects in the visual field. Specifically, detection of a green moving target was masked in the presence of mixed red and green static objects. No such masking was observed when the moving target was red or when the green target moved in a visual field that was populated only with green objects. The same effect was observed to a lesser extent when the green bars were replaced with gray bars. The number of distractors in the visual field exerted an effect on the accuracy of detection only when their appearance in the visual field was coincident with the onset of target motion. Attention to motion at this age is not independent of the structure of the visual field; chromatic preferences play a role in how readily infants attend to a moving object. These effects may be mediated by a difficulty in disengaging attention (from distractors) or in suppressing attention to competing objects once attention is engaged on a target.     

The Role of Auditory and Visual Speech in Word Learning at 18 Months and in Adulthood

Visual information influences speech perception in both infants and adults. It is still unknown whether lexical representations are multisensory. To address this question, we exposed 18‐month‐old infants (n = 32) and adults (n = 32) to new word–object pairings: Participants either heard the acoustic form of the words or saw the talking face in silence. They were then tested on recognition in the same or the other modality. Both 18‐month‐old infants and adults learned the lexical mappings when the words were presented auditorily and recognized the mapping at test when the word was presented in either modality, but only adults learned new words in a visual‐only presentation. These results suggest developmental changes in the sensory format of lexical representations.     

当代文学中的非常态视角叙事研究——以《尘埃落定》、《秦腔》、《我的丁一之旅》为个案

世纪之交,当代文坛颇具影响力的三位作家不谋而合地选择了非常态视角叙事,阿来《尘埃落定》中的傻子少爷,贾平凹《秦腔》中的疯子引生,史铁生《我的丁一之旅》中的行魂,这一叙事视角的选取既是对源自鲁迅《狂人日记》中“狂人”传统的承续,也是对西方、拉美等文学现代表现技巧的借鉴,更是新的历史条件下叙述面临困境时的创新努力。这种努力的当代意义就在于:它既是对新时期以来小说形式探索的深化,也显示出从内容探索向形式探索转移的某种内在需求及其对二者关系的重新审视。     

Young Children's Human Figure Drawing: cross‐sectional and longitudinal studies

Abstract Forty‐two children aged between 2 years and 4 years 11 months were asked to draw a person. Their drawings were categorised as (1) scribbles, (2) distinct forms, (3) tadpoles, (4) transitional and (5) conventional figures. The first representational figures, the tadpoles, appeared at an average age of 3 years 1 month. It was predicted that if tadpole figures result from the complexity of the task rather than from a conceptual difficulty then tasks with reduced demands (a copying task, a jig‐saw task, and a dictation task) should facilitate the drawing of conventional figures. In fact, few conventional figures were produced and the tadpole form was highly resistant across the different tasks.

Six of the children were followed longitudinally over a one‐year period from a pre‐representational to a conventional stage of human figure drawing. Spontaneous drawings as well as drawings from six test sessions were collected in order to check whether all children drew ‘tadpole’ forms before they produced conventional figures and whether the conventional figures were adapted from the tadpoles. Four of the children did produce tadpole forms; two did not, but were probably specifically tutored in the conventional form by a peer or parents. There were wide individual differences in the nature of the transition from one form to the next, but there was no clear evidence that the conventional figure had been adapted from the tadpole form.     

Text communication preferences of deaf people in the United Kingdom

This study is the only comprehensive survey to date of the text communication preferences of deaf people who cannot or prefer not to use voice telephony in the United Kingdom. Respondents covered a wide age range, became deaf or hard of hearing at different ages, and had different communication preferences. Generally, respondents used several forms of text communication, selecting them for particular purposes. E-mail was the most widely used form of text communication, but SMS was the most used by younger respondents. The most prominent reasons for liking different forms of text communication were that they were easy or fast. Older respondents were more likely to give "not knowing how to" as a reason for not using particular forms of communication and would have liked more information about what text communication is available.     

Sequence Learning in 4‐Month‐Old Infants: Do Infants Represent Ordinal Information?

This study investigated how 4‐month‐old infants represent sequences: Do they track the statistical relations among specific sequence elements (e.g., AB, BC) or do they encode abstract ordinal positions (i.e., B is second)? Infants were habituated to sequences of 4 moving and sounding elements—3 of the elements varied in their ordinal position while the position of 1 target element remained invariant (e.g., A B CD, C B DA)—and then were tested for the detection of changes in the target’s position. Infants detected an ordinal change only when it disrupted the statistical co‐occurrence of elements but not when statistical information was controlled. It is concluded that 4‐month‐olds learn the order of sequence elements by tracking their statistical associations but not their invariant ordinal position.     

Understanding Category Members as "the Same Sort of Thing": Explicit Categorization in Ten-Month Infants

Although it is often acknowledged that classification exists in the first year of life, it has been suggested that infants are capable only of implicit categorization, recognizing that something is or is not familiar. In contrast, older children are thought to compare the stimuli or objects they categorize and to explicitly equate different category members. 2 habituation experiments were conducted in an attempt to determine whether 10-month-old infants are capable of explicit categorization. The approach taken was to insert nonmembers into the familiarization sequence in a categorization task. The nonmembers were designed so as to have a predictable effect on infants' performance whether or not these stimuli were included as infants processed the categorical information. The results suggest that infants do explicitly equate category members. Infants appeared to disregard the nonmembers in the familiarization sequence, basing their categorization response instead on the set of instances that were "the same sort of thing."     

Do Infants Use Their Own Images to Locate Objects Reflected in a Mirror?

The ability of infants to locate a toy from a mirror reflection was investigated in 3 experiments. In the first, it was found that a minority of 22-month-old infants turned to locate the toy that was the source of the reflection, and that localization of the toy occurred regardless of whether the infants' own image was visible in the mirror. The results of 2 further experiments indicated that younger infants aged 14 and 18 months rarely use mirror information to locate a toy. When they do so, they also turn whether or not images of themselves are visible. It is concluded that tasks involving the localization of objects or events from mirror images are not direct indices of self-recognition. Rather, they indicate the skill of infants in using the mirror as a perceptual tool.     

Infants Perceive Three‐Dimensional Illusory Contours as Occluding Surfaces

The study assessed the contribution of stereoscopic depth cues to infants' perception of a Kanizsa rectangle as a surface that temporarily occludes a moving object. In Experiment 1, the Kanizsa figure was shifted into the foreground by enriching it with stereoscopic depth information. According to the results, perception of a three‐dimensional Kanizsa figure as an occluding surface emerges between 5 (n = 16) and 7 (n = 16) months of age. Experiment 2 demonstrated that 7‐month‐old (n = 16) infants performed similarly to the 7‐month‐olds who participated in Experiment 1 if the moving object was shifted into the background. These findings suggest that 7‐month‐old infants respond to stereoscopic depth cues and that they exploit it to perceive subjective contours as occluders.     

Collateral Information for Equating in Small Samples: A Preliminary Investigation

This article describes a preliminary investigation of an empirical Bayes (EB) procedure for using collateral information to improve equating of scores on test forms taken by small numbers of examinees. Resampling studies were done on two different forms of the same test. In each study, EB and non-EB versions of two equating methods—chained linear and chained mean—were applied to repeated small samples drawn from a large data set collected for a common-item equating. The criterion equating was the chained linear equating in the large data set. Equatings of other forms of the same test provided the collateral information. New-form sample size was varied from 10 to 200; reference-form sample size was constant at 200. One of the two new forms did not differ greatly in difficulty from its reference form, as was the case for the equatings used as collateral information. For this form, the EB procedure improved the accuracy of equating with new-form samples of 50 or fewer. The other new form was much more difficult than its reference form; for this form, the EB procedure made the equating less accurate.     

突显理论下的动词ING形式的研究

动词ing形式近年来已少被语言学家和语法学家进行深入研究。但认知语言学的出现并逐渐普及给我们提供了一个新的研究视角。本文用认知语言学中的突显理论来分析动词ing形式。从分析结果来看,动词ing形式当作为动名词时,就算以同样的形式出现在句子中,它要突出表达的认知意义并不一定相同。根据其在句子中位置的不同,它突显不同意义,既可被认为似名词那样突显＂事物＂,也可以似动词那样突显＂关系＂。     

Infant visual scanning of two- and three-dimensional forms

2- and 3-dimensional forms affected 4- and 8-week-old infant visual behavior differently, 4-week-old infants fixated a recessed 3-dimensional form more than a 2-dimensional form but did not scan it differently. 8-week-old infants did not look more at 1 stimulus than another but scanned a raised 3-dimensional form differently than a 2-dimensional equivalent. For all stimuli and both age groups, there was a relation between attractiveness of stimuli and how they were scanned; babies who were most attracted to stimuli inspected them with the smallest eye movements.