Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Modulate the Recognition of Facial Emotion / Síntomas de ansiedad y depresión modulan el reconocimiento de emociones

Abstract Previous studies have shown that depression and anxiety are associated to changes in the recognition of facial expression. In the present research, a non-clinical sample was evaluated with respect to trait and state anxiety and depression symptoms. In the experimental task, participants evaluated facial expressions of happiness, anger, sadness, and fear, presented at four intensities (25, 50, 75, and 100%), as well as the neutral face. Results showed that the trait anxiety was associated with a better recognition of anger, fear, and happiness. For depression, we only found differences between groups for emotional attribution to neutral faces, in which participants scoring high in depression were more likely to attribute fear to neutral faces. Findings indicate an improvement of the recognition of happiness, anger, and fear in trait anxiety, whereas symptoms of depression and state anxiety were associated to changes in the evaluation of neutral faces in non-clinical individuals.

Resumen Estudios han demostrado que la depresión y la ansiedad están asociados a cambios en el reconocimiento de la expresión facial. En la presente investigación, una muestra no clínica ha sido evaluada con respecto a la ansiedad rasgo y estado y los síntomas de depresión. En la tarea experimental, los participantes evaluaran expresiones faciales de alegría, ira, tristeza y miedo, presentadas en cuatro intensidades (25, 50, 75 y 100%), y el rostro neutro. Los resultados mostraron que la ansiedad rasgo se asoció con un mejor reconocimiento de la ira, miedo y alegría. Para la depresión, sólo se encontraron diferencias entre los grupos para la atribución emocional a rostros neutros, en el que los participantes que puntuaran alto en depresión eran más propensos a atribuir miedo a rostros neutros. Los resultados indican una mejora del reconocimiento de la alegría, ira y miedo en la ansiedad rasgo, mientras que los síntomas de depresión y ansiedad estado están asociados a cambios en la evaluación de rostros neutros en individuos no clínicos.

Reconhecimento de emoções faciais no envelhecimento: uma revisão sistemática / Facial emotion recognition in aging: a systematic review

No processo de envelhecimento, alterações na percepção e na cognição podem gerar prejuízos no reconhecimento de emoções faciais. No presente trabalho, foi realizada uma revisão sistemática, de acordo com as diretrizes do PRISMA, de estudos recentes que avaliaram a percepção e o reconhecimento facial de emoções em idosos sem patologias. As bases eletrónicas de dados pesquisadas foram: MEDLINE, PsycoINFO e Web of Science, sendo selecionados 22 artigos publicados entre 2009 e 2016. De um modo geral, verificou-se que os idosos apresentaram um declínio no reconhecimento de emoções, principalmente para as emoções negativas. Tais resultados podem ser explicados tanto pela teoria estrutural, quanto pela teoria da seletividade socioemocional. Os resultados têm importantes implicações na medida em que sinalizam a relevância da avaliação cognitiva e do uso de estímulos mais ecológicos nas tarefas de reconhecimento emocional em idosos.

In the aging process, changes in perception and cognition may lead to losses in the recognition of facial emotions. In this study, we carried out, according to PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review of recent studies that evaluated the perception and facial emotion recognition in the elderly without pathologies. Searches occurred in the electronic databases: MEDLINE, PsycoINFO and Web of Science, being selected 22 articles published between 2009 and 2016. In general, we found that elderly show a decline in emotion recognition, mainly for negative emotions. These results can be explained by the structural theory as well as by theory of the socioemotional selectivity. The results have important implications inasmuch as they indicate the relevance of cognitive assessment and use of more ecological stimuli in emotion recognition tasks in elderly.

A influência da intensidade emocional no reconhecimento de emoções em faces por criancas brasileiras / The importance of emotional intensity on the recognition of facial emotions by Brazilian children

The ability to recognize emotions in faces is essential to human interaction and occurs since childhood. Hypothesis: research using the morphing technique assume that children require greater or lesser intensity of emotional expression to perceive it. Objective: to examine the emotional recognition of faces in childhood, using a task with emotional intensity variation. Method: it was applied a Test of Facial Emotion Recognition for Children to 28 children between 7 and 11 years, of both sexes, which presented 168 faces manipulated by the morphing technique, of the six basic emotions. Results: age as a trend growth of the likelihood of success at the task; more right answers for happiness and worst performances for fear; and the emotional intensity increasing at 42% the chance of success by every unit of intensity. Conclusion: these findings are relevant because they show the recognition of emotions at different levels as a more sensitive method.

Resilience in caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease: a human condition to overcome caregiver vulnerability / A Resiliência em cuidadores de pessoas com doença de Alzheimer: uma condição humana para superar a vulnerabilidade do cuidador / La resiliencia en cuidadores de personas con enfermedad de Alzheimer: una condición humana para superar la vulnerabilidad del cuidador

In general, the experience of providing assistance to and dealing with the complications experienced by a person with Alzheimer's disease puts caregivers in a situation of high risk, vulnerability, and stress, causing serious physical and emotional problems. However, some caregivers adopt a resilient mindset, which helps them to experience and express positive feelings as well as lower their burden in relation to the care. This positive experience occurs because caregivers perceive the process of caring as less adverse. They face the situation of care with a more positive mindset and are able to resist and maintain adaptive functioning. The objective of the present narrative literature review was to emphasize the need to develop intervention programs for caregivers based on salutogenic models of resilience, resistance, and personal growth to promote positive individual, family, and community resources.

Em geral, a experiência de proporcionar assistência e lidar com as complicações da pessoa com doença de Alzheimer coloca os cuidadores em uma situação de alto risco, vulnerabilidade e estresse, causando sérios problemas físicos e emocionais. Entretanto, existem cuidadores com uma mentalidade resiliente que os leva a experimentar e expressar sentimentos positivos e uma menor sobrecarga associada ao cuidado. Esta experiência positiva acontece porque percebem o processo de cuidar como menos prejudicial. Enfrentam a situação de cuidado com uma atitude mais positiva e são capazes de resistir e manter um funcionamento adaptativo. O objetivo desta revisão narrativa da literatura foi indicar a necessidade de se desenvolver programas de intervenção para o cuidador, com base em modelos salutogênicos, de resiliência, resistência e crescimento pessoal, para promover os recursos positivos da pessoa, da família e da comunidade.

En general, la experiencia de proporcionar asistencia y lidiar con las complicaciones del enfermo de Alzheimer sitúa a los cuidadores en una situación de alto riesgo, vulnerabilidad y estrés, ocasionando importantes problemas físicos y emocionales en muchos familiares. En cambio, existen cuidadores que disponen de una mentalidad resiliente que les protege y lleva a experimentar sentimientos positivos y experimentar menor sobrecarga. Esta experiencia positiva sucede porque interpretan el proceso de cuidado como menos negativo, afrontan la situación con una actitud positiva y son capaces de resistir y mantener un funcionamiento adaptativo. El objetivo de esta revisión narrativa da literatura fue señalar la necesidad de desarrollar programas de intervenciones centradas en el cuidador que promuevan los modelos salutogénicos, de resistencia, resistencia y crecimiento personal, para potenciar los recursos positivos del cuidador, de la familia y de la comunidad.

Mentira: Aspectos Sociais e Neurobiológicos / Lying: Social and Neurobiological Aspects

RESUMONo contexto da interação interpessoal, no qual são utilizados recursos comportamentais como gestos, expressões faciais, postura corporal e modulação de voz, destaca-se o fenômeno da mentira, que é caracterizada pela dissimulação de ideias, sentimentos e emoções. No presente trabalho foi realizado um levantamento teórico acerca da mentira, sendo descritos alguns de seus aspectos comportamentais e neurobiológicos e também analisadas as publicações relacionadas ao tema no Brasil. As implicações do uso de técnicas de avaliação da mentira no âmbito judicial, bem como as crenças infundadas utilizadas em julgamentos são discutidas. A revisão identificou poucos estudos sobre a temática no contexto brasileiro, o que indica a necessidade de ampliação desse campo de investigação no país.

ABSTRACTIn the context of interpersonal interaction, in which behavioral features such as gestures, facial expressions, body posture, and voice modulation are used, there is the phenomenon of lying, which is characterized by the dissimulation of ideas, feelings and emotions. This study carried out a theoretical survey about lying, describing some of its behavioral and neurobiological aspects and analyzing the publications on the theme in Brazil. The implications of the use of lie evaluation techniques in legal contexts, as well as the baseless beliefs used in trials are discussed.The literature review revealed a small number of studies on the subject in the Brazilian context, indicating the need of expanding this research field in the country.

Attentional blink in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Objective: To explore the temporal mechanism of attention in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and controls using a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task in which two letters (T1 and T2) were presented in close temporal proximity among distractors (attentional blink [AB]). Method: Thirty children aged between 9 and 13 years (12 with ADHD combined type and 18 controls) took part in the study. Both groups performed two kinds of RSVP task. In the single task, participants simply had to identify a target letter (T1), whereas in the dual task, they had to identify a target letter (T1) and a probe letter (T2). Results: The ADHD and control groups were equivalent in their single-task performance. However, in the dual-task condition, there were significant between-group differences in the rate of detection of the probe letter (T2) at lag + 1 and lag + 4. The ADHD group exhibited a larger overall AB compared with controls. Conclusion: Our findings provide support for a link between ADHD and attentional blink. .

Are first-order disparity gradients spatial primitives of the orientation of lines on the ground plane?

The present study investigated the mechanisms involved in processing orientation on the frontal and ground planes. The stimuli comprised two yellow circles conceived as the endpoints of a segment and depicted on a black background. In Experiment 1, the observers performed two tasks on both planes (frontal and ground). In Task 1 they were asked to indicate the absolute location of the two endpoints, presented one at a time (successive task). In Task 2 they had to locate the relative position of the endpoints presented simultaneously (simultaneous task). Relative and absolute errors were analyzed according to a cyclopean coordinate system derived from the geometry of the visual scene. These two kinds of errors were studied within the framework of the hypothesis that each kind of task would minimize the error related to its codification. The results showed greater absolute errors in the simultaneous task than in the successive task and greater relative errors in which the successive task seemingly activated a more accurate way of codification of the orientation. In Experiment 2 we controlled the availability of visual depth cues by changing the presentation time (50 and 3000 ms) and viewing conditions (monocular and binocular) in the simultaneous task. The results showed that the precision of orientation judgments was poorer on the ground plane than on the frontal plane, except when the observers used binocular vision. These results suggest that the orientation of a segment, at least on the ground plane, can be conceptualized as a gradient of disparities.

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.

The use of programming languages and computer software in psychological science / O uso de linguagens de programação e softwares na ciência psicológica / El uso de los lenguajes de programación y los programas informáticos en la ciencia psicológica

In the present paper, we review some programming languages and computer software used to investigate basic psychological processes. In the first section, we address the principles and logical structure of the most common programming languages (e.g. C, C++, Java, Matlab, R, Python), and in the second section we present some of their applications to psychological research. Finally, we discuss the importance of computer programming as a tool in the field of psychology and its relationship with technological innovation.

No presente artigo foram revisadas algumas linguagens de programação esoftwares usados na investigação dos processos psicológicos básicos. Na primeira seção, foram abordados os princípios e a estrutura lógica das linguagens mais comuns de programação (e.g. C, C++, Java, Matlab, R e Python), e na segunda seção foram apresentadas algumas de suas aplicações na pesquisa psicológica. Ao final, são discutidas a importância da programação como uma ferramenta no campo da psicologia e sua relação com a inovação tecnológica.

En el presente artículo revisamos algunos de los lenguajes de programación y programas informáticos utilizados en la investigación de los procesos psicológicos básicos. En la primera sección, abordamos los principios y la estructura lógica de los lenguajes más comunes de programación (e.g., C, C++, Java, Matlab, R, y Python), y en la segunda sección, presentamos algunas de sus aplicaciones en la investigación psicológica. Al final, discutimos la importancia de la programación como una herramienta en el campo de la psicología y su relación con la innovación tecnológica.

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)...

Mulheres e homens: diferentes também na percepção das notas musicais? / Women and men: different also in the perception of musical notes?

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a percepção das notas musicais RÉ, FÁ, e LÁ em adultos jovens. Participaram do estudo 20 homens e 20 mulheres de 18 a 29 anos, saudáveis, não músicos e não usuários de fármacos ou outras substâncias tóxicas. Realizou-se um teste de discriminação de notas musicais com escolha forçada entre duas alternativas, por meio do qual os participantes escolheram um estímulo previamente apresentado. Comparou-se a frequência de acertos na discriminação das notas musicais em relação ao sexo dos participantes. Encontraram-se diferenças estatisticamente significantes na nota musical Fá, sendo que os homens apresentaram maior quantidade de acertos que as mulheres. Esses resultados encontrados sugerem diferença na percepção das notas musicais para mulheres e homens.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the perception of musical notes D, F, and A in young adults. The study included 20 men and 20 women, aged 18 to 29 years, healthy, non-musicians, and non-users of drugs or other toxic substances. Participants did a two-alternative forced choice discrimination test of musical notes, in which they were asked to select the stimulus that was previously presented. The frequency of correct discrimination of the musical notes was compared between both sexes. Statistically significant differences in the musical note F were found. Men had a higher number of hits than women. These results suggest differences in the perception of musical notes by women and men.

Recognition of facial expressions in children, young adults and elderly people / Reconhecimento de expressões faciais em crianças, jovens e idosos

The present study evaluated the recognition of facial expressions in different ages, using groups composed of: 1) 21 children with a mean age of 7.7 years; 2) 19 young adults with a mean age of 20.1 years; and 3) 9 elderly people with a mean age of 74.7 years. In the tests, participants were asked to identify facial expressions of happiness, sadness, fear and anger of different emotional intensities. The results indicated that the young adults performed better in recognizing facial expressions when compared to the children and elderly people. The children presented a performance similar to the elderly people, supporting the hypothesis that the ability to recognize facial expressions improves in adulthood and diminishes in old age...

Desenvolveu-se um estudo para avaliar o reconhecimento de expressões faciais em diferentes faixas etárias, com inclusão de grupos compostos por: 1) 21 crianças com idade média de 7,7 anos; 2) 19 adultos jovens com idade média de 20,1 anos; e 3) 9 idosos com idade média de 74,7 anos. Na situação de teste, foi solicitado aos participantes que identificassem expressões faciais de alegria, tristeza, medo e raiva em diferentes intensidades emocionais. Os resultados indicaram que os jovens apresentaram um melhor desempenho no reconhecimento de expressões faciais, quando comparados a crianças e idosos. Crianças apresentaram um desempenho similar aos idosos, apoiando a hipótese de que as capacidades de reconhecimento de expressões faciais aperfeiçoam-se na idade adulta e diminuem na velhice...

Efeitos da perspectiva na amplificação dos tamanhos de objetos que interceptam a linha do horizonte / Effects of perspective on the amplification of object sizes that intercept the horizon line

Foram investigados os efeitos do gradiente de textura e da posição do estímulo teste com relação à linha do horizonte na percepção de tamanho relativo. Pelo método das escadas duplas, cinquenta voluntários ajustaram o tamanho de uma barra apresentada acima, abaixo ou no nível do horizonte para que fosse percebida do mesmo tamanho que uma barra apresentada no campo visual inferior. Os estímulos foram apresentados por 100ms sobre cinco fundos de tela. O gradiente de perspectiva contribuiu mais para a superestimação de tamanho relativo que o gradiente de compressão. Os tamanhos dos objetos que interceptavam a linha do horizonte foram superestimados. O sistema visual mostrou-se bastante eficaz em extrair informações de profundidade da perspectiva, fazendo-o mesmo em apresentações muito breves.

We investigated the effects of texture gradient and the position of test stimulus in relation to the horizon on the perception of relative sizes. By using the staircase method, 50 participants adjusted the size of a bar presented above, below or on the horizon as it could be perceived in the same size of a bar presented in the lower visual field. Stimuli were presented during 100ms on five background conditions. Perspective gradient contributed more to the overestimation of relative sizes than compression gradient. The sizes of the objects which intercepted the horizon line were overestimated. Visual system was very effective in extracting information from perspective depth cues, making it even during very brief exposure.

Stimulus affective valence reverses spatial compatibility effect

In spatial compatibility tasks, the Reaction Time to right-side stimuli is shorter for right key responses (compatible condition) than for left key responses (incompatible condition) and vice-versa for left-side stimuli. Similar results have been found when the stimulus location is not relevant for response selection, such as in the Simon task. The Simon effect is the difference between the reaction times for non-corresponding and corresponding conditions. The Simon effect and its variants may be modulated by using emotional stimuli. However, until now, no work has studied how the affective valence of a stimulus influences spatial compatibility effects along the horizontal dimension. The present study investigated this issue by using small lateralized figures of soccer team players as stimuli. In the experiment, a compatible or incompatible response was chosen according to the team shirt. In one block, for the Favorite team, the volunteers had to press the key on the same side as the stimulus hemifield but the opposite-side key for the Rival team. In the other block, a reverse code had to be used. Fourteen right-handed volunteers were tested. Mean reaction times were subjected to analysis of variance with the following variables: Preference (Favorite/Rival), Hemifield (Left/Right), and Response Key (Left/Right). A three-way interaction was found (F1,13 = 6.60, p = .023), showing that the spatial compatibility effects depended on Preference. The Favorite team player elicited the usual spatial compatibility pattern, but for the Rival team player, the reverse effect was found, with incompatible responses being faster than compatible responses. We propose that this modulation may result from approach/avoidance reactions to the Favorite and Rival teams, respectively. Moreover, we suggest as a corollary that the classic spatial compatibility task is a powerful tool for investigating approach/avoidance effects.

Assimetrias hemisféricas na percepção de expressões faciais: um estudo com a técnica de campo visual dividido / Hemispheric asymmetries on the perception of facial expressions: a divided visual field study / Asymétries hémisphériques dans la perception d'expressions faciales: un étude avec la technique de champ visuel divisé / Asimetrías hemisféricas en la percepción de expresiones faciales: una investigación con la técnica de campo visual dividido

Foram investigadas as diferenças hemisféricas na percepção de expressões faciais de alegria, tristeza, raiva e medo. Vinte e um voluntários (9H, 12M) participaram do experimento. Foi utilizada a técnica de estudo campo visual dividido com a apresentação de faces à esquerda e à direita do ponto de fixação nas condições: 1) face com emoção à esquerda e face neutra à direita; 2) face neutra à esquerda e face com emoção à direita; 3) face com emoção à direita e à esquerda; 4) face neutra à direita e à esquerda. Os participantes determinaram o lado em que havia sido apresentada a face que aparentava expressar mais emoção. As análises de tempo de resposta revelaram que tristeza e medo foram identificadas mais rapidamente no campo visual esquerdo, o que indicaria uma vantagem do hemisfério direito no reconhecimento dessas expressões. O reconhecimento de expressões negativas pelo hemisfério direito concorda parcialmente com a hipótese da valência.

Hemispheric differences on the perception of facial expressions of happiness, sadness, anger and fear were investigated. Twenty-one volunteers (9M, 12F) took part in the experiment. The divided visual field technique was used with the presentation of faces on the left and on the right side of the fixation point in the conditions: 1) emotional face on the left and neutral face on the right, 3) neutral face on the left and emotional face on the right; 3) emotional face on the right and on the left; 4) neutral face on the right and on the left. Participants determined the side on which the face seemed to show greater emotional intensity. Response time analysis revealed that sadness and fear were identified faster on the left visual field, suggesting an advantage of the right hemisphere on the recognition of those expressions. The recognition of negative expressions by the right hemisphere agrees partially with the valence hypothesis.

Les différences hémisphériques dans la perception d'expressions du visage de joie, tristesse, colère et peur, ont été investiguées. Vingt-et-un volontaires (9H, 12F) ont participé de l'expérience. La technique d'étude de champ visuel divisé a été utilisée avec la présentation de faces à droite et à gauche du point de fixation dans les conditions: 1) face avec émotion à droite et face neutre à gauche; 2) face neutre à droite et face avec émotion à gauche; 3) face avec émotion à droite et à gauche; 4) face neutre à droite et à gauche. Les participants ont déterminé le coté qui avait présenté la face que révélait plus d'émotion. Les analyses de temps de réponse ont montré que tristesse et peur ont été identifiés plus rapidement dans le champ visuel gauche, ce que indiquerait un avantage du hémisphère droit dans la reconnaissance de ces expressions. La reconnaissance d'expressions négatives par l'hémisphère droit est partiellement conforme à l'hypothèse de valence.

Fueron investigadas las diferencias hemisféricas en la percepción de expresiones faciales de alegría, tristeza, rabia y miedo. Veintiún voluntarios (9H, 12M) participaron del experimento. Fue usada la técnica de campo visual dividido con la presentación de rostros a la izquierda y a la derecha del punto de fijación en las condiciones: 1) rostro con emoción a la izquierda y rostro neutro a la derecha; 2) rostro neutro a la izquierda y rostro con emoción a la derecha; 3) rostro con emoción a la derecha y a la izquierda; 4) rostro neutro a la derecha y a la izquierda. Los participantes identificaran el lado en que había sido presentado el rostro que aparentaba tener más emoción. Los análisis del tiempo de respuesta revelaron que tristeza y miedo fueron identificadas más rápidamente en el campo visual izquierdo, lo que indicaría una ventaja del hemisferio derecho en el reconocimiento de estas expresiones. El reconocimiento de expresiones negativas por el hemisferio derecho concuerda parcialmente con la hipótesis de la valencia.

Gradientes de textura com linhas de perspectiva e horizonte amplificam a superestimação de tamanho relativo em espaços pictóricos / Texture gradients with perspective lines and horizon amplify the overestimation of relative size in pictorial spaces

Comparações de tamanhos relativos em espaços representados pictoricamente foram investigadas sob influência de informações de profundidade. Quarenta participantes ajustaram, pelo método das escadas, os tamanhos de retângulos brancos no campo visual superior para serem percebidos como iguais aos tamanhos de cartas de baralho apresentadas no campo visual inferior. Durante a apresentação dos estímulos, informações pictóricas de profundidade eram disponibilizadas no fundo da tela do computador e os participantes foram solicitados a tipificar a estratégia utilizada para julgar os tamanhos percebidos. A linha do horizonte e o gradiente de linhas de perspectiva favoreceram a superestimação dos tamanhos percebidos em cerca de 8 por cento e 12 por cento, respectivamente, e as comparações de tamanho foram coerentes com a constância de tamanho.

Comparisons of relative size in pictorial spaces under the influence of depth cues were investigated. Using the staircase method, 40 participants adjusted the sizes of blank cards presented in the upper visual field to the size of playing cards presented in the lower visual field. During the presentation of the stimuli, pictorial depth cues were displayed in the computer screen and participants were asked to typify the strategy used to judge the perceived sizes. The horizon and the perspective line gradient contributed to the overestimation of the perceived size of blank cards in about 8 and 12 percent, respectively, and size comparisons were coherent with the constancy of size.