Affective spatial compatibility task(AFFSCT): theory and applications / Tarefa de compatibilidade espacial afetiva (TCEA): teoria e aplicações / Tarea de compatibilidad espacial afectiva (TCEA): teoría y aplicaciones

Emotional stimuli are processed very efficiently, influencing physiological and behavioral responses as well as attention, perceptual processes and sensory-motor integration. In a previous work, we introduced a new paradigm, the Affective Spatial Compatibility task (AffSCt), to study whether the affective valence of the stimulus influences spatial compatibility effects. By using figures of soccer players of Favorite and Rival Teams as positive and negative valence stimuli, we found a normal Spatial Compatibility effect for the Favorite team and a reversed one for the Rival team. Here, we analyzed the time course of inhibitory and facilitatory effects of emotional valence by the Vincentization method. We found that for Favorite team, the facilitatory effect for the compatible condition, as compared to the incompatible one, increases as a function of the reaction time. In contrast, for Rival team, an opposite trend was found, in which inhibitory effect beEmotional stimuli are processed verycomes stronger for slower responses. We suggest that AffSCt is a powerful technology for investigating approach/avoidance effects and that it may be useful for diagnosing and following up the treatment of affective and behavioral disorders, such as anxiety, panic and ADHD. Potential applications in social psychology and consumer studies are also considered.

Os estímulos emocionais são processados de forma muito eficiente, influenciando as respostas fisiológicas e comportamentais, bem como a atenção, a percepção e a integração sensório-motora. Em um trabalho anterior, propusemos um novo paradigma, a Tarefa Afetiva de Compatibilidade Espacial (AffSCt), para estudar se a valência afetiva do estímulo influenciaria os efeitos de compatibilidade espacial. Ao usarmos figuras de jogadores de futebol dos times Favorito e Rival como estímulos de valência positiva e negativa, respectivamente, encontramos um efeito de compatibilidade espacial normal para o time Favorito e um invertido para o time Rival. No presente trabalho, foi analisado o desenvolvimento temporal dos efeitos inibitórios e facilitatórios da valência emocional pelo método da Vincentização. Descobrimos que, para o time Favorito, o efeito facilitatório na condição compatível em relação à incompatível aumenta em função do tempo de reação. Em contraste, para o time Rival, uma tendência oposta foi encontrada, em que o efeito inibitório se torna mais forte para as respostas mais lentas. Sugere-se que a AffSCt é uma tecnologia poderosa para investigar comportamentos de aproximação/afastamento, podendo ser útil na avaliação diagnóstica e acompanhamento terapêutico de transtornos emocionais e comportamentais, como o de ansiedade generalizada, síndrome de pânico e transtorno do déficit de atenção/hiperatividade. Também são consideradas as aplicações potenciais em psicologia social e estudos de consumidor.

Los estímulos emocionales se procesan de manera muy eficiente e influyen en las respuestas fisiológicas y de comportamiento, así como en la atención, la percepción y la integración sensorio-motora. En un trabajo previo, que presentó un nuevo paradigma, la tarea afectiva de compatibilidad espacial (AffSCt), para estudiar si la valencia afectiva de los estímulos influyen en los efectos de la compatibilidad espacial. Mediante el uso de las figuras de los jugadores de fútbol de los equipos favorito e rival como estímulos positivo y negativo de valencia, respectivamente, se observó un efecto ordinario de compatibilidad espacial para el equipo favorito y un efecto invertido para el equipo rival. En este estudio, hemos examinado la evolución temporal de los efectos inhibitorios y facilitatorio de la valencia emocional por el uso de la Vincentización. Hemos encontrado que, para el equipo favorito, el efecto facilitatorio aumenta para la condición compatible, respecto la incompatible, con el tiempo de eacción. En contraste, para el equipo rival, una tendencia inversa se encontró, en el que el efecto inhibidor se vuelve más fuerte para las respuestas más lentas. Se sugiere que AffSCt es una poderosa tecnología para investigar los comportamientos de aproximación/retirada que puede ser útil para diagnosticar y seguir el tratamiento de trastornos afectivos y conductuales como ansiedad, pánico y déficit de atención/trastorno de hiperactividad. También son consideradas aplicaciones potenciales del método en la psicología social y en los estudios de consumo.

Independence of egocentric and exocentric direction processing in visual space

One major issue concerning investigations of visual perception is determination of the geometrical properties of visual space. To address this issue, one must determine the relationships between geometrical features of visual space, distance, direction, angle, and size. Consistent evidence indicates that visual angle is a determinant of perceived exocentric distance. Previous evidence suggests that exocentric distance and direction are hierarchically processed, with distance preceding direction. The present study investigated the relationship between the perceptual processing of egocentric direction and exocentric direction using a task that independently provides both perceptual variables in a single judgment. The results indicated that egocentric directions were systematically overestimated, and this was not caused by either the global shape of the layout or leg length effects. Exocentric directions presented a discontinuous pattern of overestimation of smaller angles that were subtended by radial orientations and accuracy of right angles that were subtended by horizontal orientations. This could be explained by the anisotropy of visual space, a well-established phenomenon from visual space studies. The analysis of the association between the processing of these two variables revealed independence between them in which exocentric direction processing did not depend on the processing of egocentric direction processing, and vice versa. The present results and prior evidence converge on the notion of hierarchical processing in which the visual system processes the egocentric distance of objects followed by exocentric distance processing and subsequent processing. The precise positions of egocentric and exocentric directions in this chain of processing remain to be determined.

Effects of affective valence on a mixed Spatial Correspondence Task: a reply to Proctor (2013)

The present study investigated the influence of emotional valence on the spatial stimulus-key location correspondence effect in three experiments using the Affective Spatial Correspondence task (AffSCt). We initially reanalyzed the results of Conde et al. (2011) according to the model proposed by Proctor (2013). In that study, compatible and incompatible responses were chosen according to the participants' team preference. In one block, the volunteers had to press a key on the same side for the Favorite team and on the opposite side for the Rival team. In another block, a reverse code was used. We found that responses were faster for the Favorite-compatible/Rival-incompatible condition (614 ms) compared with the Favorite-incompatible/Rival-compatible condition (691 ms). The same experimental arrangement was replicated in another Brazilian city, and similar results were found. Additionally, we employed non-affective "fake" soccer teams as a control condition, and no mapping-rule effect was observed. Finally, a final experiment that used the same design but different non-affective stimuli (yellow and blue bars) was performed to provide further evidence that the valence effect in the present experimental paradigm only occurs with affective stimuli. As expected, non-affective stimuli did not produce an overall advantage for any mapping rules, corroborating earlier findings with similar mixed designs. The results confirmed the previous findings and validity of the AffSCt as a methodology to investigate the effects of emotional valence on stimulus-response correspondence. However, we are unable to provide a conclusive explanation to support the several hypotheses proposed previously in our paper and by Proctor (2013)...

Perceptual constancy in judgments of egocentric distance: prevailing binocular information

Binocular cues were considered the prevailing on specifying depth since the beginning of vision research. In the present study, two perceptual responses, the classical verbal report and a more recent method, open-loop walking, were used to assess the role of binocular information for egocentric distance perception. In two cue conditions environments, full- and reduced-cue, observers judge and walked egocentric distances of stimuli presented at eye-level, under binocular or monocular viewing. Results indicated perceptual constancy for open-loop walking and binocular responses, as well as poor performances under strong degradation on visual information (reduced-cue under strong monocular viewing), thus presenting evidence to support the fundamental role of binocular information on perception of egocentric distances. Besides that, visually directed actions could be adequate measures of perceived distance, with a better reliability than verbal report, since they were quite free of intrusion of inferential processes and perceptual tendencies. In addition, reduced head movements, side-to-side as well as back and forth deflexion movements, could have contributed to a near perfect coupling between binocular disparity information and open-loop walking responses.

Interações entre sistemas de referência alocêntricos e egocêntricos: evidências dos estudos com direção percebida / Interactions between allocentric and egocentric frames of reference: evidences from studies on perceived direction

Sistemas de referência (frames of reference) são definidos como um locus ou conjunto de loci em relação ao qual as localizações espaciais são determinadas. Os sistemas de referência egocêntricos definem as localizações espaciais em relação ao observador, enquanto que nos sistemas de referência alocêntricos, as localizações são determinadas em relação a loci externos ao observador. Analisamsediversas evidências da utilização destes sistemas de referência pelo sistema visual humano, tanto para tarefas de percepção visual quanto para tarefas de navegação. Hipóteses da dissociação dosistema visual em função destes sistemas de referência são evidenciadas por resultados de estudos neuropsicológicos. O conjunto das evidências experimentais indica uma efetiva interação entre codificações em sistemas de referência egocêntricos e alocêntricos, de modo que os sistemas visual e visomotor introduzem transformações nas coordenadas de um sistema em função de outro, adequando a informação às características das diferentes tarefas.

Frame of reference is a locus or a set of loci in relation to which spatial locations are determined. Egocentrical frames of reference define spatial locations in relation to observer; in allocentricalframes of reference, spatial locations are determined in relation to external loci. Several evidences of usefulness of frames of references to human visual system are analysed, to perceptual tasks as well as navigational tasks. Neuropsychological studies provided empirical support to hypothesis ondissociation of visual system as a function of frames of reference. The whole of experimental evidenceindicates an effective interaction between codings in egocentrical and allocentrical frames of reference,thus visual and visuomotor systems introduce transformations on coordinates of a frame on another,adjusting information to different tasks requirements.

Análise dos desvios angulares da locomoçäo em uma tarefa para evitar colisäo contra objeto fixo em ambiente rígido: uma breve comunicaçäo / Angular deviation analysis of locomotion in a task to avoid colision against obstacles: a brief communication

Pessoas controlam através da informaçäo visual disponível suas açöes para realizar tarefas com metas específicas. Em uma tarefa do caminhar direto para pontos de evitaçäo visualizados previamente com objetivos de evitar colisäo contra um obstáculo fixo, foram analisados os erros de desvio ou o componentes de locomoçäo, a translaçäo e a rotaçäo. Os erros angulares de desvios foram observados dentro dos limites considerados para uma acurácia da orientaçäo espacial percebida, e produziram componentes da locomoçäo acurados para evitar colisäo. A acurácia foi explicada por dois fatores, a disponibilidade de fontes de informaçöes espaciais e a potência das propriedades da cena, que permitiram aos observadores a construçäo de uma representaçäo visual da cena física, e a manutençäo da orientaçäo espacial durante a locomoçäo para alvos predeterminados de modo seguro a fim de evitar possíveis acidentes de choque contra obstáculos