Статьи

By adulthood, humans rapidly identify objects from sparse visual displays and across large disruptions to their appearance. What are the minimal conditions needed to achieve robust recognition abilities and when might these abilities develop? To answer these questions, we investigated the upper limits of children’s object recognition abilities. We found that children as young as 3 years successfully identified objects at speeds of 100 milliseconds (both forward and backward masked) under sparse and disrupted viewing conditions. By contrast, a range of computational models implemented with biologically informed properties or optimized for visual recognition did not reach child-level performance. Models only matched children if they received more object examples than children are capable of experiencing. These findings highlight the robustness of the human visual system in the absence of extensive experience and identify important developmental constraints for building biologically plausible machines.

This study aims to investigate the impact of avatar identification on the intention to share by examining the mediating role of user immersion and the moderating effect of perceived social distance. For this, we collected 228 higher education students in South Korea through a survey and used hierarchical regression with SPSS 24.0. In the results, first, it showed that participants who perceived higher levels of similarity identification, wishful identification, and embodied presence in their avatars in the metaverse platform were more immersed in their avatars. Second, participants who perceived greater embodied presence in their avatars had a stronger intention to share their avatars through immersion. Finally, the positive relationship between perceived embodied presence and immersion was more significant for participants in metaverse platforms with higher perceived social distance compared to those with lower perceived social distance. This study is the first to examine the integral model of avatar identification factors in the metaverse platform. And, this study’s results show the mechanism by which avatar identification enhances the intention to share.

Emotion regulation (ER) plays a central role in mental health, but the effect differs across cultures. Here, expanding from extant literature’s focus on Western–Eastern dichotomy or individualism–collectivism, this meta-analysis synthesized evidence on the associations between the two most-studied ER strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and two mental health outcomes (psychopathology and positive functioning) and investigated the moderating roles of several cultural dimensions: Hofstede’s national cultures dimensions, education, industrialization, richness and democracy (EIRDness), and sample demographics. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using electronic databases (CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO and MEDLINE) to identify eligible studies reporting relationships between ER and mental health outcomes (PROSPERO: CRD42021258190, 249 articles, n = 150,474, 861 effect sizes, 37 countries/regions). For Hofstede’s national cultures and EIRDness, multimodel inference revealed that greater reappraisal propensity was more adaptive in more short-term-oriented, uncertainty-tolerant and competition-driven cultures, whereas greater suppression propensity was more maladaptive in more indulgent and competition-driven cultures. For demographics, greater reappraisal propensity was more adaptive for samples with more female (B = −0.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.29 to −0.09) and more racial minority participants (B = −0.32, 95% CI −0.51 to −0.13), whereas greater suppression propensity was more maladaptive in younger samples (B = −0.004, 95% CI −0.005 to −0.002). These findings elucidate how cultures are associated with the function of ER and suggests ways in which future studies can integrate cultural characteristics when examining ER and psychological adjustment.

Background. After decades of research, gender differences in spatial abilities (SA) remain poorly understood. Among factors that may contribute to these differences are self-perceived SA, inclinations, everyday behaviour and interests in SA-related activities, and related personality characteristics. In order to understand these links, a multifactorial approach is needed. Objective. This study explored the relationships among SA, spatial interests, and personality among adolescent boys and girls. Design. The study recruited 660 participants (mean age = 15.04, SD = 1.08; 48% females) from public schools. Participants contributed data on a battery of SA tests; 8 personality traits: Big Five and Dark Triad; as well as SA-related activities: spatial interests and school commute information (mode and time) as a proxy for everyday spatial behaviour. Results. Weak-to-moderate mean gender differences were observed: males scored higher on spatial ability, spatial interests, machiavellianism, and psychopathy; and females on agreeableness, openness to experience, and neuroticism. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed some gender differences in associations among personality traits and SA. In males, openness to experience and conscientiousness were significantly related to SA test performance. In females, openness to experience, extraversion, agreeableness, and machiavellianism contributed to SA performance. Although spatially-related interests were linked to SA, they were not significantly predicted by personality traits. Everyday spatial behaviour showed no relationship with personality traits or SA. Conclusion. The study replicated patterns of gender differences in spatial ability, spatial interests, and personality reported in previous literature. The results showed differential links between personality traits and spatial ability for males and females. However, the overall amount of variance explained in spatial ability was very small, suggesting that other factors are more prominent sources of gender differences in spatial ability.

Understanding how animals and humans learn from experience to make adaptive decisions is a fundamental goal of neuroscience and psychology. Normative modelling frameworks such as Bayesian inference1 and reinforcement learning2 provide valuable insights into the principles governing adaptive behaviour. However, the simplicity of these frameworks often limits their ability to capture realistic biological behaviour, leading to cycles of handcrafted adjustments that are prone to researcher subjectivity. Here we present a novel modelling approach that leverages recurrent neural networks to discover the cognitive algorithms governing biological decision-making. We show that neural networks with just one to four units often outperform classical cognitive models and match larger neural networks in predicting the choices of individual animals and humans, across six well-studied reward-learning tasks. Critically, we can interpret the trained networks using dynamical systems concepts, enabling a unified comparison of cognitive models and revealing detailed mechanisms underlying choice behaviour. Our approach also estimates the dimensionality of behaviour3 and offers insights into algorithms learned by meta-reinforcement learning artificial intelligence agents. Overall, we present a systematic approach for discovering interpretable cognitive strategies in decision-making, offering insights into neural mechanisms and a foundation for studying healthy and dysfunctional cognition.

Scientific research is often characterized by schools of thought. We investigate whether these divisions are associated with differences in researchers’ cognitive traits such as tolerance for ambiguity. These differences may guide researchers to prefer different problems, tackle identical problems in different ways, and even reach different conclusions when studying the same problems in the same way. We surveyed 7,973 researchers in psychological sciences and investigated links between what they research, their stances on open questions in the field, and their cognitive traits and dispositions. Our results show that researchers’ stances on scientific questions are associated with what they research and with their cognitive traits. Further, these associations are detectable in their publication histories. These findings support the idea that divisions in scientific fields reflect differences in the researchers themselves, hinting that some divisions may be more difficult to bridge than suggested by a traditional view of data-driven scientific consensus.

Many children from low-income backgrounds worldwide fail to master school mathematics1; however, some children extensively use mental arithmetic outside school2,3. Here we surveyed children in Kolkata and Delhi, India, who work in markets (n = 1,436), to investigate whether maths skills acquired in real-world settings transfer to the classroom and vice versa. Nearly all these children used complex arithmetic calculations effectively at work. They were also proficient in solving hypothetical market maths problems and verbal maths problems that were anchored to concrete contexts. However, they were unable to solve arithmetic problems of equal or lesser complexity when presented in the abstract format typically used in school. The children’s performance in market maths problems was not explained by memorization, access to help, reduced stress with more familiar formats or high incentives for correct performance. By contrast, children with no market-selling experience (n = 471), enrolled in nearby schools, showed the opposite pattern. These children performed more accurately on simple abstract problems, but only 1% could correctly answer an applied market maths problem that more than one third of working children solved (β = 0.35, s.e.m. = 0.03; 95% confidence interval = 0.30–0.40, P < 0.001). School children used highly inefficient written calculations, could not combine different operations and arrived at answers too slowly to be useful in real-life or in higher maths. These findings highlight the importance of educational curricula that bridge the gap between intuitive and formal maths.

The article aims to outline bloggings as a complex social phenomenon and identify the current role of blogs in virtual reality. The literature review revealed that the evolving paradigm of civilizational growth has led to a hybrid environment, which combines the aspects of physical world and virtual reality artefacts, resulting in a unique media landscape, significantly impacting socio- cultural and communicative dynamics. However, the field lacks studies on typical features of blogosphere, such as its inherent openness, fostering informal communication, intention to both monetization and self-expression. To address the study’s objectives the research adopts an integrative interdisciplinary approach, including socio-philosophical and semiotic cultural studies, theory of computer communication, network and Internet discourse studies to use data from various fields of humanitarian knowledge. It is concluded that originally created as online diaries, currently blogs as a diverse media platform demonstrate several unique features, including high personalization, audience feedback capabilities, constant user engagement with various types of information (verbal, audial, visual). These characteristics positioned blogs as key contributors to the growth of virtual sociality, leading to the emergence of a new type of society characterized by heightened human sensory experiences and the development of new empathetic models and behavioral attitudes. A notable sign of these changes is that the audience’s attention has shifted from professional media institutions to individual bloggers, who are increasingly adopting media-like behaviors. The current research adopts an interdisciplinary approach, merging socio-philosophical and semiotic cultural studies, as well as with theory of computer communication, network and Internet discourse studies. It also employs methods of Internet linguistics and the principles of pragmalinguistics; the axiological method helps to identify value-based socio- cultural guidelines within the framework of globalization.

Rehabilitation robotics aims to promote activity-dependent reorganization of the nervous system. However, people with paralysis cannot generate sufficient activity during robot-assisted rehabilitation and, consequently, do not benefit from these therapies. Here, we developed an implantable spinal cord neuroprosthesis operating in a closed loop to promote robust activity during walking and cycling assisted by robotic devices. This neuroprosthesis is device agnostic and designed for seamless implementation by nonexpert users. Preliminary evaluations in participants with paralysis showed that the neuroprosthesis enabled well-organized patterns of muscle activity during robot-assisted walking and cycling. A proof-of-concept study suggested that robot-assisted rehabilitation augmented by the neuroprosthesis promoted sustained neurological improvements. Moreover, the neuroprosthesis augmented recreational walking and cycling activities outdoors. Future clinical trials will have to confirm these findings in a broader population.

Background. In the competitive world of emerging athletes, performance is crucial; in sports, it is essential. However, under the spotlight of competition, performance anxiety lurks as the unseen rival every athlete must conquer. Two important factors are fundamental to this dynamic—athletic identity and perceived coaching styles. Athletic identity becomes an athlete’s armor, while the coaching styles catalyze transformation. Their alliance can either elevate performance or diminish it. Objective. To investigate the relationship between athletic identity, perceived coaching styles, and performance anxiety among university athletes. Design. Using a correlational research design, 353 university athletes (191 men, 162 women, aged 18-25, M= 20.8, SD= 1.78) were recruited through non-probability purposive sampling from various universities. The athletic identity measurement scale (AIMS), leadership scale for sports (LSS), and sport anxiety scale-2 (SAS-2) were used to measure the constructs; the athletes also completed a demographic information sheet and provided informed consent. Results. The Pearson product moment correlation results indicated a significant negative correlation between athletic identity and performance anxiety, while perceived coaching styles were significantly positively correlated with performance anxiety. The moderation analyses revealed that training and instruction, social support, democratic behavior, and positive feedback significantly moderated the relationship between self-identity and performance anxiety. Additionally, training and instruction and autocratic behavior significantly moderated the relationship between negative affectivity and performance anxiety. Conclusion. This study underscores the importance of understanding the dynamics between athletic identity, perceived coaching styles, and performance anxiety to optimize athletic performance and reduce performance anxiety among university athletes.