OBJECTIVE The potential of social cognition as a mediator of relations between neurocognition and functional status in schizophrenia has been suggested by correlational studies that link neurocognition to social cognition or link social cognition to functional status. The authors used structural equation modeling to test more directly whether one aspect of social cognition (social perception) m...

The present paper analyzed the perception of spatial dispersion in the distribution of point objects. Spatial dispersion is one of the major concepts communicated by dot maps. To promote efficient communication of this concept, two experiments were conducted for investigating the relationship between the perception of spatial dispersion and the following map characteristics: spatial arrangement...

Entitativity perception refers to the perception of a collection of individuals as a group. The authors propose 2 perceptual-inferential bases of entitativity perception. First, perceivers would expect a collection of individuals with similar physical traits to possess common psychological traits. Second, perceivers watching a group of individuals engage in concerted behavior would infer that t...

People frequently analyze the actions of other people for the purpose of action coordination. To understand whether such self-relative action perception differs from other-relative action perception, the authors had observers either compare their own walking speed with that of a point-light walker or compare the walking speeds of 2 point-light walkers. In Experiment 1, observers walked, bicycle...

It has been suggested that the inertia tensor governs many instances of haptic perception. However, the evidence is inconclusive because other candidate mechanical parameters (i.e., invariants) were not or were insufficiently controlled for in pertinent experiments. By independently varying all candidate mechanical parameters, the authors were able to test the role of the inertia tensor relativ...

Earlier studies have revealed age-dependent differences in perception by dynamic touch. In the present study, we examined whether the capacity to learn deteriorates with aging. Adopting an ecological approach to learning, the authors examined the process of attunement--that is, the changes in what informational variable is exploited. Young and elderly adults were trained to perceive the lengths...

The present research tested the hypothesis that perception of others' self-control is an indicator of their trustworthiness. The authors investigated whether, in interactions between strangers as well as in established relationships, people detect another person's self-control, and whether this perception of self-control, in turn, affects trust. Results of 4 experiments supported these hypothes...

Perception of time, in the seconds to minutes range, is not well characterized in autism. The required interval timing system (ITS) develops at the same stages during infancy as communication, social reciprocity, and other cognitive and behavioral functions. The authors used two versions of a temporal bisection procedure to study the perception of duration in individuals with autism and observe...

This study's purpose was to contribute to the development of a theory of turnover by understanding how CNAs employed in long-term care facilities conceptualize the factors that cause them to leave their jobs. Using grounded dimensional analysis, the authors conducted in-depth interviews with CNAs currently and formerly employed by three nursing homes. The CNAs' perception that they are unapprec...

The authors reviewed research about a profound misconception that is present among college students, namely, the belief that the process of vision includes emanations from the eyes, an idea that is consistent with the extramission theory of perception, which was originally professed by early Greek philosophers and which persisted in scholarly circles for centuries. The authors document the stre...