We examined the internal consistency, factor structure, and validity of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B). Two hundred thirty-seven psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents were administered the SPQ-B and a battery of well-established self-report instruments. The SPQ-B demonstrated adequate internal consistency. Exploratory factor analysis provided mixed support for the SP...

The natural visual acuities of 15 adult persons were predicted on the basis of changes in visual evoked potentials (VEP's) to flashed patterns of various sized dots. An objective method was used to quantify the VEP's, based on the minimum-sized stimulus that would elicit a pattern VEP- the VEP pattern threshold. This measure was highly correlated with recognition and resolution measures of perc...

Previous objective speech quality assessment models, such as bark spectral distortion (BSD), the perceptual speech quality measure (PSQM), and measuring normalizing blocks (MNB), have been found to be suitable for assessing only a limited range of distortions. A new model has therefore been developed for use across a wider range of network conditions, including analogue connections, codecs, pac...

We propose a new measure of perceptual image quality based on a multiple channel human visual system (HVS) model for use in digital image compression. The model incorporates the HVS light sensitivity, spatial frequency and orientation sensitivity, and masking effects. The model is based on the concept of local band-limited contrast (LBC) in oriented spatial frequency bands. This concept leads t...

PURPOSE The acoustic measure relative fundamental frequency (RFF) was investigated as a potential objective measure to track variations in vocal effort within and across individuals. METHOD Twelve speakers with healthy voices created purposeful modulations in their vocal effort during speech tasks. RFF and an aerodynamic measure of vocal effort, the ratio of sound pressure level to subglottal...

In images of real visual scenes, contours are often fragmented by occlusion, shadows and low reflectance contrast. In order to infer shape from contour, the human visual system must selectively integrate fragments projecting from a common object while keeping fragments from different objects separate. In a previous paper we showed that contour closure has a strong influence on the speed of this...

The study describes the Cardiff Anomalous Perceptions Scale (CAPS), a new validated measure of perceptual anomalies. The 32-item CAPS measure is a reliable, self-report scale, which uses neutral language, demonstrates high content validity, and includes subscales that measure distress, intrusiveness, and frequency of anomalous experience. The CAPS was completed by a general population sample of...

Measurement of hearing aid outcome is particularly difficult because there are numerous dimensions to consider (e.g., performance, satisfaction, benefit). Often there are discrepancies between scores in these dimensions. It is difficult to reconcile these discrepancies because the materials and formats used to measure each dimension are so very different. We report data obtained with an outcome...

This paper proposes a new approach for computing perceptual distortion for visual signal in order to provide an objective measure for perceptual quality at low bit rate MPEG-4 and H.26L coding in typically mobile multimedia communications. The regions with three major perceptually disturbing artefacts, namely, damaged edge, blockiness and ringing, are detected as the basis of assessment. The co...

To illustrate this point, typological studies (Liljencrants and Lindblom, 1972, Maddieson, 1984, Vallée & al., 2002) have shown for example that phonological systems tend to be organized in such a way to reach a balance between ease of articulation and perceptual salience. Therefore, any measure of complexity of phonological systems would have to consider both dimensions. However, we still don'...