Perceptive Fields and the Hermann Grid Illusion

Perceptive Fields and the Hermann Grid Illusion Measuring Perceptive fields using the Hermann Grid Illusion Lachlan Cox Abstract This study looks at how displacement of the fovea changes how the Hermann Grid illusion is shown at different bar widths. The first hypothesis was that the bar width at which the illusion was maximal would increase with increased eccentricity. The second hypothesis was the bar width at which the illusion would increase the higher eccentricity. The study was carried out on 228 participants and after the study was completed it was seen that the first hypothesis was confirmed, and while the means showed a positive correlation in the second hyposthesis, there was not a significant difference between two of the levels of the IV. Introduction There are a broad spectrum of topics that psychology delves into, from how the brain works to how people interact with the world and those around them. Many psychologist study how the brain perceives the world and how it can be fooled whilst been given the same raw data everyone else has. However, this study is going to be centralized around the eyes, and how they can be giving the brain false information before it even gets there. This experiment will focus on the measurement of perceptive fields at altered distances from the fovea. To test this, altered bar widths will be used within a Hermann Grid Illusion. A Hermann Grid Illusion is a black background that is covered by intersecting horizontal and vertical white line, giving the illusion of even black squares (Schiller and Carvey, 2005). This phenomenon was first attributed to simultaneous contrast, which was described by Hermann as being â€Å"The apparent brightness of each point on the grid depends on the amount of black which exists in a certain area around it (1870. As cited in Spillmann, 1994). From this, Hermann stipulates that when there are larger white bars, peripheral contrast is less as there is less black to contrast. This is explained as â€Å"Its brightness will thus be less enhanced by contrast and must therefore appear darker.† (1870. As cited in Spillmann, 1994) However, it wasn’t until many years later that there was a new explanation for the phenomenon. A theory within the human visual system called receptive-field organization. This theory was brought to light by Baumgartner. His theory was that the illusion was due to the fact that â€Å"brightness signalling on-center cells stimulated by the intersection receive about twice as much lateral inhibition as cells stimulated by the bars.† (Spillmann, 1994). Lateral inhibitions will then cause the intersections to appear darker. Lateral inhibition is when a neuron is overly excited, which reduces the activity of neighbouring cells. When applying Lateral inhibition to the Hermann Grid illusion, lateral inhibition occurs when the outer ganglion cells are over-stimulated, causing under stimulation of the center ganglion cells, making the intersection seem darker. Width is a very important consideration when discussing the Hermann Grid illusion as a whole. Braumgartner also discussed how the diameter of the receptive field could be measured by using the width of the bar. When the illusion was strongest correlated with the diameter of the receptive field center (1960. As cited in Spillmann, 1994) Spillmann then goes onto describe how to measure the size of a receptive field. â€Å"To determine the size of a perceptive-field center, the observation distance (and thus the visual angle of the inducing stimulus) is varied until the illusion is maximal. For a threshold measurement, it is assumed that the critical bar width at which the illusory spots are strongest corresponds to the size of the perceptive-field center.† (1994). This can also be adapted to measure the size of the periphery, rather than the center of the perceptive field. This can be done by displacing the fixation point (Spillmann, 1964. As cited in Spillmann 1994). Because of this, the Hermann grid illusion can be used to measure both the center and the surround of the perceptive field. There are going to be two hypothesis considered when undertaking this experiment. These will discuss how the bar width interacts with the size of the perceptive field centers as well as how the bar width interacts with the whole perceptive field. The first hypothesis being discussed in this experiment is that the bar-width at which the illusion is maximal should increase with increasing distance from the fovea, this being due to the size of the perceptive field centers. The second hypothesis being discussed is that the bar width where the illusion disappears should increase as the distance from the fovea increases, this time due to the size of the whole perceptive field, including center and surround. Method Participants The participants for this experiment were 228 QUT students enrolled into the unit PYB204 – Perception and Cognition. By being part of the unit, participants were deemed to be eligible and those who were present the day of the experiment had the chance to participate. No other selection or exclusion criteria was applied to those who could participate in the experiment. Of the 228 participants, 180 were female and 48 male, and ranged in age between 18 and 61 with a mean age of 23.82 Design In this experiment, the Independent variable (IV) was the displacement from the fovea. There are 3 degrees of displacement used in this experiment, which are; 0 °, 5 ° and 10 °. Participants were to complete all 3 levels of the IV, which were randomized as a control variable. The first DV is the bar width where the illusion is maximal using a method of adjustment, while the second DV is the bar width at which the illusion disappears. This uses a staircase method using a step size of 0.04 ° with 6 reversals. From this, it can be extrapolated that each participant looked at the Hermann grid illusion six times, three for the first DV and three times for the second DV. Other control measures used include having an equal amount of intersections in each grid as well as the fact that half of the participants viewed their displaced grid from the left and the other half on the right. Apparatus Stimuli was rendered on a 21.5† monitor, using 1400 x 900 screen resolution. No working distance correction was given and participants were instructed to wear whatever spectacles they used for computer work, if any. Participants viewed a 3 x 3 grid subtending 6.6 ° with the central point of the grid displaced at either 5 °, 10 ° or 15 ° from the center of fixation. Participants were provided a visual target (a plus â€Å"+† sign) to fixate upon, which was located in the center of the screen. Procedure Prior to the experiment, particpants were directed to a computer, with their head 30cm away from the monitor. During the test, six different test were conducted. The two hypothesis were conducted sequentially, the first three tests considering the first hypothesis and the last three tests considering the second hypothesis. The first three tests required participants to evaluate at what width the illusion was most apparent. The second three tests required the participants to locate when the illusion was minimal at each level of the IV. These tests were conducted in computer labs with roughly 10-30 people in each session and all sessions happening over the course of one week. Groups were conducted at different times of the day. Results The results from each of these experiments were collated and processed and descriptive data was collected to provide some understanding as to how each of the tests were affected by the bar width. A table of these statistics is provided below. Means and Standard Deviation of Maximal Illusion and Illusion Threshold As evidenced in Table 1, it shows that the mean increased for each level of the IV, it was reported that the lowest mean was when there was no displacement from the fovea (Mean = .54, SD = .37). The next highest being the average amount of displacement, 5 °. (Mean = .68, SD = .38) and the largest displacement (10 °) showed the highest mean of all the trials in the first set of trials. (Mean = .83, SD = .44). This shows that there is a positive correlation between the displacement of the fovea, and the bar width at which the illusion is maximal. This is also seen in the second set of trials. Where there was no displacement of the fovea, there was the lowest mean for bar width. (Mean = .91, SD = .47), the second test shows the second highest displacement and the average mean. (Mean = 1.16, SD = .47) and the largest Displacement from the fovea (10 °) shows the largest mean (Mean = 1.19, SD = .51) While means were used to show some correlation, t-tests were also completed to see whether or not the data would be statistically relevant. All but one of the t-tests completed showed that there were significant differences between the levels of the IV. When considering the differences between threshold 5 and threshold 10, it showed that there was not a significant difference between the two levels of the IV. (t(228) = -1.472 p> .05) Discussion When considering results from these experiments, the first hypothesis was confirmed. As the displacement from the fovea increased, so did the bar width that the illusion was maximal. 0 ° had the lowest mean with .54, 5 ° was second with a mean of .68 and 10 ° had the largest mean width with .83. These studies are in line with previous studies of the phenomenon and are indicative of previous results by Spillmann and Random-Hogg (1980). However, when considering the threshold DV, the hypothesis was not completely confirmed. When considering the mean widths, there was a positive correlation throughout, with the smallest mean being assigned to no displacement with a mean of .91, the second highest mean of 1.16 going to the 5 ° displacement of the fovea and finally the largest mean width being attributed to the largest displacement of the fovea, 10 ° with a mean of 1.19. However, when conducting t-tests to consider the significance of the results, it was found that there was not a significant difference between the results of the 5 ° of displacement and the 10 ° of displacement. While the means are in line with current research, more testing could show more statistically significant results. Some of the limitations of this study can be the eyesight of the participants. Participants in the past have reported not being able to see all levels of the IV, which could give skewed results as some participants could only take part in part of the experiment. One of the ways to combat this is to add selection criteria on to the experiment to make sure that all participants can see all parts of the IV. One of the ways that this future studies could improve upon this experiment is to complete the experiment with more advanced technology when it is available, so that researchers will be able to get a greater idea of how the eye and perceptive fields work within the eye. References Hermann L, 1870 Eine Erscheinung des simultanen Contrastes Pfliigers Archiv fiir die gesamte Physiologie 3 13- 15 Hermann L, 1870 Eine Erscheinung des simultanen Contrastes Pfliigers Archiv fiir die gesamte Physiologie 3 13- 15 Ransom-Hogg, A., Spillmannn, L. (1980). Perceptive field size in fovea and periphery of the light-and dark-adapted retina. Vision Research, 20(3), 221-228. Schiller, P. H., Carvey, C. E. (2005). The Hermann grid illusion revisited. Perception-London, 34(11), 1375-1398. Spillmann L, 1964 Zur Feldorganisation der visuellen Wahrnehmung beim Menschen. Vergleichende psychophysische Untersuchung der GrojJe rezeptiver Felder im zentralen und peripheren Gesichtsfeld mit Simultankontrast, Flimmerfusion, Scheinbewegung und Blickfolgebewegung PhD Dissertation, Munster, Westfalen Spillmannn, L. (1994). The Hermann grid illusion: a tool for studying human perceptive field organization. PERCEPTION-LONDON-, 23, 691-691.

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been

The dramatic irony of â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? † conveys the tone of warning about temptation. Connie’s situation is that she does not feel appreciated at home and uses her looks and actions to get attention and appreciation from boys even if it is short-term. She is self-conscious about her looks and is constantly worried about how other people perceive her. Friend’s fantasy is that Connie will willingly go with him and be his â€Å"lover† (605) even before he officially met her.The reality of the situation is that she does not want to go with this strange man, but is being forced into it because of her fear, which makes her weak and submissive. Connie is fifteen years old and obviously self-conscious because of the love that she never receives at home. Her whole life revolves around attention from boys since she does not feel loved at home. Her sister June appears to be the favorite in the family, as she receives all of the positiv e attention. Connie's mother doesn’t speak kindly to Connie or about Connie, and Connie doesn't think well of her mother either.Her father does whatever he can to please Connie but doesn’t seek for a good father-daughter relationship. They never talk about what is happening in their lives and act as if they are only acquaintances. Connie wants to appear older and wiser than she actually is and her head is always full of meaningless daydreams to help her cope. Her promiscuity leads to attraction from boys and older men where she becomes terrified and realizes that she is not as grown up as she thought.Connie comes face to face with the harshreality of being forced into adulthood at the age of fifteen because of the special attention of Arnold Friend. 2 Arnold Friend is a smooth talker and has a great influence on the actions of his victims. His word choice appeals to teenagers as does his clothing. He is a short and stocky guy who stuffs his boots to make him seem talle r and wears a leather jacket to look young and desirable to teenage girls. The fact that his feet do not touch the bottom of his boots alludes to the devil’s hoofs, significant in that he resembles the devil’s ability to deceive. Don’t hem in on me. Don’t hog. Don’t crush. Don’t bird dog. Don’t trail me† (608) are slang that he rattles off because he momentarily forgets what sayings are popular so he reconciles by making them up on his own. He has a moment when he breaks down in front of Connie and starts to lose his cool, calm, and collected personality showing his panic in possibly not being able to get his way. This shows that he is narrow-minded and does not settle for anything that he does not approve of.His main focus is on retrieving girls for rape and murder and always goes for the attention-seeking personalities to make it easier to reach this goal. Friend is living a fantasy, while Connie asserts the reality of the sit uation. When these worlds mix, it is obvious that Connie does not have control and Friend becomes dominant. Friend’s alternate world is made up of his desire to have â€Å"dates† and â€Å"lovers† (605) when in actuality, he forces women to show him affection by kidnapping them, raping them, and then killing them.Friend’s forceful words show how he is caught in this dream of what Connie is going to do with him and how perfectly it will all work out in the end when in all actuality, Connie has no intention of willingly going with him. He continuously harps on the fact that he is going to get his way because he insists that his dreams are true. Every time he talks about his fantasy, Connie has a bold statement declaring that she is willing to fight against his dream and 3 bring it back down to a reality as she tries to reason with him. Friend has the gift of persuasion where his greatest tools for manipulation are his words.He â€Å"promises† (607) t hat he will not harm Connie as long as she does not follow through with what he considers threatening. Connie separates her mind from her body because she suddenly loses control. She is used to being on top and empowered but Friend comes along and takes over. The dramatic irony, during the course of their conversation, implies that Connie was in control of the situation to begin with, but Friend managed to obtain ultimate control of the situation by having her succumb to his power. Modern culture promotes having fun and doing what feels good in the moment.Connie has poor communication with her family, shown by her rebellious behavior and lack of respect for her parents. She chooses to distance herself from her family which results in them not being there when she needs them the most. Parents are supposed to be protectors and leaders in their children’s lives and when these key aspects are not present, a window is opened for the victimization of youth. The consequences of such situations result in a predicament like Connie’s and becomes an immense concern for the effects that modern culture has on youth. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been â€Å"Where are you going, Where have you been:† The Media’s effect on youth In this 1966 short story written by Joyce Carol Oates, fifteen-year-old Connie is a self-absorbed teenager who spends her time fantasizing about romance and searching for attention from men. While out with a suitor, a strange man promises her, â€Å"I'm gonna get you, baby† (2). Connie doesn't think much of the incident until one day while alone at home; the man comes to â€Å"get† her. The assailant, Arnold Friend, is kind at first then progressively becomes aggressive and violent towards her.Though at first she enjoys Arnold’s attention, once his demands become sexual and violent, her confidence diminishes. While Connie attempts to evade Arnold’s commands, she becomes powerless against the man and eventually follows him to â€Å"go for a ride† (3). While â€Å"Where are you going, Where have you been,† appears to simply be a tragic story about the abd uction and rape of a young girl, it is more importantly a statement of the time on the over-sexualization in the media.From the time period the story was written, the 1960’s, we know that society as a whole was exploding with counter-culture and rebellion. In response to the Vietnam War, for the first time in history, music rapidly became highly influential and that of a sexual nature. This first wave of over-sexualized media is what influenced Connie and millions of the time to exploit their sexuality. The youth of the time period are commonly thought of as being extremely responsive to the world around them.With music being more suggestive than in the past and young people being more expressive and experimental, Connie grew up in a drastically changing world complete with the need to be sexual and to really stand out in order to be noticed. Media became more widespread and important in the 60’s than it had ever been before. When the TV and radio weren’t focusi ng on the war efforts in Vietnam, they showed the youth’s protest, and push to â€Å"Make Love, Not War:† an iconic phrase that illustrates the push towards sexuality during that time.Connie, an adolescent of this explosive period, is a prime example of sexualization in the media having a detrimental effect on a person. It is her need to be desired that makes her appealing to Arnold Friend, and leads to her demise later in the story. Music is a major theme in the story: Connie constantly listens to music and associates music with pleasure in multiple instances. At one point, she even says she â€Å"listened to the music that made everything so good† (2). Upon Arnold’s arrival we see that he is listening to the same music as Connie, which serves as a way to connect them.Since music plays such a prevalent role in Connie’s life, we can conclude that music is the media that influences her to behave in a sexual manner. From the music that she listens to , Bobby King, we get the impression that she links her idea of romance (that derives from the music she listens to) to the confidence and maturity she pretends to have when it comes to boys. Music plays in every situation where she intends to be sexually desired; while out with boys, out with her friend searching for attention, while laying out in her backyard, and even at the beginning of her conversation with Arnold.Music and Connie’s sexuality are inextricable tied together–once Connie becomes frightened of Arnold and is no longer exploiting her sexuality, there is no further mention of music in the story. While it is understood that Arnold will most likely harm Connie, he also is whisking her away (or saving her) from a morally loose society–that very same society that made her the over-sexualized girl we see in the beginning of the story.Everything about Connie indicates that she has been socialized into how the media thinks a young girl should be–fr om her suggestive clothing to her desperate attempt to be sexually desirable to the male population. Despite what she leads on, Connie is actually sexually innocent. Her innocence is echoed by her child-like naivety of opening her front door to a complete stranger while alone, as well as the fear that consumes her while she could have been calling the police to prevent her murder.Arnold’s desire for the young Connie may be Oates’ way of portraying how perverse the media’s ploy to sexualize America’s youth is as well. The â€Å"Lolita Effect† is even a relatively recent concept. A â€Å"lolita† is a young girl who is viewed in a sexual manner, while the â€Å"lolita effect† is not only the corruption of a child by an adult, but exploiting an adult by a child that has been corrupted by society. Connie exploits her sexuality so well in the beginning of the story. It is her sexualization at such a young age that causes Arnold to find her attractive and is the real life tragedy that comes from the story.By the end of the story, as the title suggests, Connie undergoes a major change. She ties to be an adult, but when Arnold challenges her with sexual advances, we see the frightened child she is. Arnold is merely an agent to portray the evils that exist in the media. He illuminates the fact that our culture’s media gives young girls the unattainable idea that they must behave in a certain way in order to be attractive, and that a man finding them sexually attractive is of upmost importance even as a pre-teen.The sexualization of young girls causes adult men to be attracted to them, creating an even further over-sexualized society. A young girl’s sexuality is such a vital aspect of the maturation process: a process that is malfunctioning or happening far too soon because of the media. It is the evil in the media that causes Connie to fall victim to the media’s harmful portrayal of femininity. Media teaches us that being a typical young woman in today’s society is contingent on the amount of sexuality her appearance exudes.Connie so perfectly replicates how young girls in America that are being over-sexualized through music or television without even being aware of it. The tragic way that Connie is stripped of her childhood suggests that â€Å"where you are going,† is dependent on where you have been. In â€Å"Where are you going, Where have you been? † Oates’ does a terrific job of hyperbolizing the affects of the media’s influence while pointing out the very unexaggerated truth that over-sexualization in the media is detrimental to all aspects of society.

Labor Management Relations

Katszuba’s write-up, which appears in the Star Tribune, is similar to Lulli and Henson’s (2006) article in two aspects. First, both articles tackle issues associated with labor union organizing. Katszuba’s article describes a problem associated with efforts to organize a labor union in an office that appears to be exempt from labor union organizing according to State Laws. In the same manner, Lulli and Henson are interested in the dynamics of labor union organizing in a growingly difficult environment where businesses are more interested in reducing labor costs and retaining their competitive advantage. Another similarity is that both articles present the political factors that affect labor union organizing wherein both explore the political motives behind union formation. Both Katszuba’s and Lulli and Henson’s article presents the agenda behind union organizing for the employees and other interest groups and personalities. On the other hand, there are differences between Katszuba’s report and Lulli and Henson’s (2006) article in terms of data and facts presented, specific issues raised, and the perspective from which the general issue of labor union organizing is discussed. Lulli and Henson’s article clearly present the general business and economic environment where labor unions are situated, the factors that promote labor union organizing activities, and the political, social, technological, and internal business practice agenda forwarded by the labor movement. They attempt to provide a wide understanding of the innovations in strategies and tactics employed by labor unions in general. Meanwhile, Katszuba describes a more particular scenario involving the organizing efforts of a labor union at the State Attorney General’s office. His article focuses more on the conflicting interests between the labor union, the State Attorney General as employer, and the employees of the Attorney General’s office. Likewise, Lulli and Henson raises the issue of the political, economic, and social impact of more advanced strategies and tactics used by labor unions to further their sectoral interests. The article discusses in detail the various ways in which labor unions are able to influence legislation, pressure politicians and investors into keeping businesses that are deemed anti-labor from opening new markets in some states, expand membership through a planned recruitment strategy targetting the younger generation of workers, take advantage of technology to advance their organizing efforts and reach a wider audience, and turning mergers and other business activities into opportunities to consolidate and strengthen their ranks. Lulli and Henson note how the results of credible surveys such and polls point to an uptrend for labor union power, support, and influence among the population and how an environment that is supportive of labor unions is encouraged by political and economic developments. They therefore give credit to the labor unions for being able to stand up for their interests and being able to come up with better strategies in organizing. At the same time, the authors observe that human resource professionals must be able to take note and study these developments in the labor movement critically in order to formulate appropriate approaches and tactics in dealing with increased union activity. Katszuba, on the other hand, highlights the tensions and problems created by the labor union organizing attempts in the State Attorney General’s office between employer and employees and within the labor union movement itself due to the â€Å"illegality† of labor organizing in the AG’s office. Likewise, the article not only raises the question of the validity of establishing a labor union in the State Attorney General’s office but also the question of motive in such efforts. To this effect, the article presents the controversy that a former candidate for the State General’s Office is behind the labor organizing efforts and is fanning the embers of employee dissatisfaction in order to destabilize the Office and embarrass the incumbent Attorney General. The question of motive is a crucial point in this article since it influences the reader’s perception of the trouble arising from labor union activities and seems to discredit the efforts of the labor union to gain employee representation by ascribing their motives to an external force other than the employees. The main difference between the two articles lies in the perspective from which union activities and tactics are discussed. Lulli and Henson’s article approaches the subject of evolving labor union strategies academically and in a neutral manner. They present the data in a way that attempts to provide Human Resource personnel with useful information on handling labor union organizing efforts and activities. In contrast, Katszuba’s article presents the story of the â€Å"organizing flap† in the Attorney General’s office in a more sensationalized manner. Although there is an attempt to establish objectivity by presenting both sides of the contending parties, the article is unfortunately lacking in more detailed explanation of the legislative factor that renders the organizing activities illegal. Thus, Mike Katszuba’s report on the â€Å"organizing flap in the AG’s office† and Lulli and Henson’s (2006) article on â€Å"union organizing trends and tactics† are similar in that they examine the phenomenon and issues of labor union organizing. However, a deeper scrutiny of the two articles reveals that while there may be similarities between these reports, there are also salient differences in terms of the facts they present, the issues they raise, and the perspective and objectives that the respective authors wish to impart to their readers.   

The Academic And Social Challenges Of Children From Single...

Research Proposal The Academic and Social Challenges of Children from Single Parent Homes Ball State University Jason Huffer EDPS 640 Dr. Eric Pierson 5/4/2016 Children of Single Parent Homes 2 Abstract The purpose of this current study is to highlight the growing academic concerns and difficult social challenges facing children who live in single parent homes. For this study I will focus on children nationwide. I will present data related to this topic on a couple different subject groups. These groups will include children of different races, gender, and those who are living in a father absent home. Through my research I will show the growing need for additional programs, both after and during school, which focus on positive mentoring and academic achievement for students who often find themselves at a disadvantage to their counterparts who come from more traditional, nuclear families. Throughout my research I will utilized data derived from various entities. These entities may include government agencies, scholarly research journals, personal experiences, research databases, etc. The research will not be conducted unilaterally, but rather, in a collaborative manner with ex perts in the field, and my fellow peers and colleagues. Introduction According to research conducted by Gunnar Anderson, nearly half of the children in America were living in single parent homes by the time they were fifteen years of age, in 2013. In 2010, the United StatesShow MoreRelatedShould parents assume equal responsibilities when raising a child?1330 Words   |  6 Pagespeaceful home for the family. According to Rowe, â€Å"This sense of home requires the dynamic participation of both women and men--the women to mother and the men to father--to fulfill the daily roles of teaching, nurturing and protecting children† ( 2). 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