Poster Presentation

Ying-Yu Chen, Joseph Houpt

Some have argued that symmetry is a core feature in visual perception. In a previous study, we found change detection was facilitated when a change from asymmetry to symmetry was an incidental cue. In the current study, our goal was to investigate whether that increased efficiency holds when a change from symmetry to asymmetry is an incidental cue. Participants were asked to judge whether the orientation of two lines may change in a way that preserves asymmetry or in a way that creates symmetry. For trials with pairs of lines, the lines create symmetry or asymmetry as an incidental feature. We applied the capacity coefficient, a tool from system factorial technology, to assess performance. The capacity coefficient gives both categorical results, whether there is a cost, benefit, or no change when two lines are used together, and quantitative results that could be used for examining individual differences. In previous study, using the single-target-self-terminating (STST) capacity coefficient we had found all of the participants demonstrate super capacity. In contrast, we found that one participant demonstrates super L capacity in STST capacity in current study when asymmetry changed to symmetry. Using the OR capacity coefficient, we found limited capacity when preserving asymmetry. When we preserve symmetry, we found that participant perform unlimited capacity.

Ming-Chieh Lin, Szu-Hung Lin
This study investigates how the asymmetry effect of Chinese character priming is modulated by Gestalt principles and the consistency between reference and target characters. Through two experiments employing a within-subjects tri-factorial design, we explored how the consistency of reference and target characters, as well as changes in stroke position leading to different visual types, affect the asymmetry of text priming. Results from Experiment 1 showed that when the reference and target characters are consistent, the priming asymmetry effect is evident, aligning with previous studies; inconsistency between characters did not yield this effect. Experiment 2 demonstrated that when changes in stroke position do not belong to the same character (considered as two parts based on Gestalt principles) and the characters are consistent, only a simple repetition priming effect was observed without asymmetry; inconsistency showed no significant effects. The findings suggest that the consistency of reference and target characters and changes in stroke position significantly influence priming asymmetry. Future research should further explore the consistency between reference and target characters and the visual manipulation of word stimuli to deepen understanding of the cognitive mechanisms behind text priming asymmetry. The results have practical and theoretical implications for the development of text learning strategies, the treatment of reading disabilities, and the innovation of teaching methods for Chinese characters.

Yun-Yen Tsai, Yu-Pin Chen, Yueh-Hsun Lu, Hsuan-Fu Chao, Philip Tseng, Cheng-Ta Yang
Radiologists and other specialized medical professionals are perceptual experts whose diagnostic and treatment decisions heavily depend on the accurate and efficient interpretation of medical images. This study investigates the perceptual decision-making processes of these experts when analyzing X-ray images, aiming to optimize the complexity of information processing involved. Specifically, we explore how strategic provision of assistance information, such as the bone mineral density T-score, impacts the interpretation of hip fracture X-rays. We presented radiologists with hip fracture X-ray images accompanied by T-score data and assessed their diagnostic accuracy and response times using Systems Factorial Technology. This approach enabled us to evaluate the effectiveness of the T-score data in enhancing interpretation efficiency. Preliminary results, based on a limited sample, indicate notable differences in decision criteria and processing efficiency between expert radiologists and novice practitioners. Additionally, we found intergroup differences in processing capacity, showing that T-score data interferes with experts' fracture judgments while aiding novices in diagnosing fractures. These findings suggest that targeted assistance information could potentially reduce cognitive load and improve efficiency, thereby enhancing overall healthcare delivery. Further research with a larger sample size is needed to confirm these results and refine our understanding of the benefits of integrating T-score information into diagnostic practices.

Kanthika Latthirun, Tzu-Yun Huang, Cheng-Ta Yang
This study investigated the relationship between cognitive ability and workload capacity (WLC) among elders. 41 participants (aged 65-79, M=70.54, SD = 4.33 years) performed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the redundant-target task to measure general cognitive ability and WLC, respectively. The redundant-target task requires participants to make a positive response when either the target color or shape is presented. The participants were then split into two groups by their MoCA scores; the High-MoCA and the Low-MoCA group. Systems Factorial Technology (SFT) was conducted to examine the capacity difference between the two groups. Results showed that the High-MoCA participants had larger WLC than the Low-MoCA participants. Specifically, the High-MoCA group was of supercapacity to unlimited-capacity while the Low-MoCA group was of limited capacity. The functional principal component analysis suggested that this capacity difference is especially significant at early response times. Our results highlighted the potential relationship between cognitive ability and workload capacity implying that elders with higher cognitive ability have better ability for attention control and information integration.

Chih-Yuan, Chang, Hao-Lun, Fu, James T. Townsend, Cheng-Ta, Yang
Tanaka and colleagues hypothesized that faces can be viewed as a vector space with attractor fields, suggesting that attractor fields in atypical face regions are broader and predicting an atypicality bias where a morphed midway face between a typical and atypical parent is perceptually more similar to the atypical face. Townsend and colleagues proposed an alternative model utilizing non-Euclidean Riemannian Face Manifolds to explain the phenomenon, arguing that this approach better explains the relationship between psychological and physical distances between faces. To determine whether Euclidean-based or non-Euclidean-based geometry better characterizes face space, two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, participants chose whether a morph face (between typical and atypical parent faces) was more similar to one of the parent faces. In Experiment 2, a similar task was conducted with own-race and other-race faces. Participants then rated the similarities between all possible pairs of faces for later multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis. Although our results did not replicate Tanaka and colleagues’ findings of atypicality bias, they indicated a non-linear amplification of physical distance changes in psychological distance conversions. Simulation results further showed that a parameter of the metric tensor formula confirms the superiority of Riemannian geometry in predicting psychological distances, providing a more accurate model than Euclidean geometry across typical and atypical faces and different races. These findings support the use of Riemannian geometry for a more precise understanding of face perception.

Tiffany Yi-Chia Chen, Yu-Ting Ma, Chien-Kai Chang, Sarina Hui-Lin Chien
This study investigated recognition memory for real versus AI-synthesized faces (GAN-Syn2s) in children and adults and whether an individual’s performance correlates with standardized face memory tests. Twenty-five young adults and 72 4- to 11-year-old children joined the study. Each participant received the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT) and an Old/New Face Recognition Task and completed an online face memory questionnaire two days after the lab visit. The Old/New Face Recognition Task consisted of two phases. The learning phase included 16 faces (8 synthesized and 8 real faces). The testing phase consisted of two rounds, each with 32 faces (16 old and 16 new faces). The results showed that, across age, participants' recognition accuracy for real faces was significantly higher than synthetic faces, in the immediate test and the two-days-later questionnaire (1st day: Mreal = 0.792 vs. Msynthetic = 0.714; two days later: Mreal = 0.760 vs. Msynthetic = 0.680). Moreover, we observed a significant trend that the accuracy gradually increased with age (4-7 yr-old: M = 0.639, 8-9 yr-old: M = 0.731, 10-12 yr-old: M = 0.770, Adult: M = 0.831). Finally, we found a significant positive correlation between recognition accuracy and CFMT score (r=0.746). In conclusion, the present study reveals that both children and adults exhibit higher recognition accuracy and faster response times for real faces, and the positive correlation between an individual’s CFMT scores and task performances indicates that both measurements may tap into similar cognitive mechanisms.

Hui-Ching Weng, Longchar Imcha, Liang-Yun Huang, Kanchana Piboon, Puangtong Inchai, Pi-Chun Huang
With advancements in technology, people increasingly rely on the internet and smart devices for instant global information. This trend extends to the art domain, where beyond traditional mediums like paper and crayon, digital creation is now possible. Our study involved embedding participant-generated visual methods to allow expressions of emotion through digital devices. We employed OpenCV and Python software to analyze participants' self-drawings of six emotions: Anger, Happiness, Sadness, Fear, Excitement, and Calm. This approach enabled a more precise exploration of the relationships between emotions and color usage, leveraging digital data compared to traditional materials. Participants were undergraduate students in Thailand (n=188). The results revealed distinct patterns of color association with emotions. Happiness had the highest variety of colors used, with an average of five (Mean of black = 27.79%, yellow = 13.9%, blue = 11.58%, pink = 11.32%, and green = 10.5%), indicating diverse emotional expressions associated with happiness. Anger was predominantly represented by red (Mean = 51.22%, SD = 38.45%), often featuring symbolic elements like fire. Calm was most frequently associated with green (Mean = 29.11%, SD = 34.88%), and commonly depicted nature scenes. This study underscores the value of participant-generated visual methods and the use of technology to deepen our understanding of the associations between emotions and colors, revealing significant variations among emotions such as Happiness, Anger, and Calm.

Chang, Liang-Sheng, Huang, Pi-Chun
Crossmodal correspondences refer to the matching tendency between features in one sensory modality and features in another. Studies have demonstrated that people often match angular shapes with yellow or higher brightness, and rounded shapes with red, particularly within visual contexts. However, this tendency shifts when shapes are experienced through touch, with angular shapes associated with red or lower brightness, and rounded shapes with blue or higher brightness. Previous studies mostly used geometric shapes like triangle, which may carry linguistic/social connotations. We used complex 3D-printed objects to investigate how angularity and complexity of objects influenced color matching tendencies across visual and haptic modalities. Nine objects and a color table with 10 hues * 3 brightness levels and 6 achromatic colors were used. We recruited 845 participants who either viewed or touched each object and selected the color best matched their perception of the shape. Results showed that in the visual-only condition, participants matched angular shapes with yellow/gray, less angular shapes with pink, and rounded shapes with blue/brown. Complexity influenced angular shapes, with lower complexity associating with yellow. In haptic-only condition, angular shapes were matched with red and lower brightness, while rounded shapes with blue/green and higher brightness. Complexity influenced angular shapes, with higher complexity associating with lower brightness. These findings suggested different color matching tendencies are linked to connotative meaning derived from the unique experiences of each modality. Visual shape–color associations may relate with evaluation or linguistic/social meanings, while haptic shape–color associations may relate with evaluation or potency.