Search Results (19)

We present a quantum cognitive model that integrates the influence of cognitive control into human perceptual decision-making. The model employs a multiple-square-well potential, where each well corresponds to a distinct decision outcome. In this framework, well depth encodes signal strength, while well width represents the domain generality of the outcome. The probability of particle localization within each well determines the subjective probability, which subsequently drives a standard Markovian evidence accumulation process to predict empirical choice and response times. We validate the model using the classic dot motion two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) task. The model successfully replicates key empirical findings of the task, such as the correlation between motion coherence and drift rates. Furthermore, we apply the model to the Yerkes–Dodson law, capturing the approximate inverted U-shaped relationship between task accuracy and cognitive arousal. We compare two theoretical approaches to modeling arousal (1) as eigenenergy values and (2) as kinetic energy terms, contrasting their qualitative predictions regarding the Yerkes–Dodson law. Our work provides the first quantitative model of arousal’s influence on human perceptual decision-making and establishes a foundation for determining the exact functional form of the Yerkes–Dodson law. Full article

Background/Objectives: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is increasingly used by athletes, yet sport-performance-enhancement findings are mixed and often small, with outcomes depending on stimulation target, timing, and task demands. Aim: This scoping review mapped and synthesized the soccer-specific trial evidence to identify (i) which tDCS targets and application schedules have been tested in soccer players, (ii) which soccer-relevant outcomes show the most consistent immediate (minutes–hours) or training-mediated benefits, and (iii) where evidence gaps persist. Methods: We conducted a scoping review of clinical trials in footballers, following review best-practice guidance (PRISMA-informed) and a preregistered protocol. Searches (August 2025) spanned PubMed/MEDLINE, ResearchGate, Google Scholar, and Cochrane, using combinations of “football/soccer” and “tDCS/transcranial direct current stimulation,” with inclusion restricted to trials from 2008–2025. Dual independent screening was applied. Of 47 records identified, 21 studies met the criteria. Across these, the total N was 593 (predominantly male adolescents/young adults; wide range of levels). Results: Prefrontal protocols—most commonly left-dominant dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) (+F3/−F4, ~2 mA, ~20 min)—most consistently improved post-match recovery status/well-being (e.g., fatigue, sleep quality, muscle soreness, stress, mood), and when repeated and/or paired with practice, shortened decision times and promoted more efficient visual search. Effects on classic executive tests were inconsistent, and bilateral anodal DLPFC under fatigue increased risk-tolerant choices. Motor-cortex targeting (C3/C4/Cz) rarely changed rapid force–power performance after a single session—e.g., multiple well-controlled trials found no immediate CMJ gains—but when paired with multi-week training (core/lumbar stability, plyometrics, HIIT, sling), it augmented strength, jump height, sprint/agility, aerobic capacity, and task-relevant EMG. Autonomic markers (exercise HR, early HR recovery) showed time-dependent normalization without specific tDCS effects in single-session, randomized designs. In contrast, a season-long applied program that added prefrontal stimulation to standard recovery reported significantly reduced creatine kinase. Across studies, protocols and masking were athlete-friendly and rigorous (~2 mA for ~20 min; robust sham/blinding), with only mild, transient sensations reported and no serious adverse events. Conclusions: In soccer players, tDCS shows a qualified pattern of benefits that follows a specificity model: prefrontal stimulation can support post-match recovery status/well-being and decision efficiency, while M1-centered stimulation is most effective when coupled with structured training to bias neuromuscular adaptation. Effects are generally modest and heterogeneous; practitioners should treat tDCS as an adjunct, not a stand-alone enhancer, and align montage × task × timing while monitoring individual responses. Full article

Although associative interference has traditionally been attributed to retrieval competition, emerging evidence suggests that interference may also arise from encoding-based representational processes. The present study examined whether retroactive interference (RI) and proactive interference (PI) can occur in the absence of explicit retrieval competition and whether they reflect distinct underlying mechanisms. Participants studied two lists of word–picture pairs in an AB/AC associative learning paradigm, followed by a non-competitive two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) associative recognition test and a source memory task. Across both frequentist and Bayesian analyses, recognition accuracy revealed a significant RI effect—lower accuracy for earlier A-B pairs relative to non-overlapping controls—whereas PI manifested as longer reaction times (RTs) for later A-C pairs, despite comparable accuracy. Source judgments showed faster correct responses for overlapping than for non-overlapping pairs, suggesting that cue overlap facilitated more fluent retrieval rather than confusion. These findings indicate that interference can emerge independently of retrieval competition and that RI and PI are supported by dissociable mechanisms: RI reflects encoding-related reorganization that weakens earlier associations, whereas PI reflects increased retrieval effort following differentiation of overlapping traces. Together, the results support a process-interaction framework in which encoding-based reactivation and reorganization shape later retrieval dynamics, demonstrating that associative interference arises from the interplay between encoding and retrieval processes rather than retrieval competition alone. Full article

Accurate recognition of basic facial emotions is well documented, yet the mechanisms of misclassification and their relation to gaze allocation remain under-reported. The present study utilized a within-subjects eye-tracking design to examine both accurate and inaccurate recognition of five basic emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, and sadness) in healthy young adults. Fifty participants (twenty-four women) completed a forced-choice categorization task with 10 stimuli (female/male poser × emotion). A remote eye tracker (60 Hz) recorded fixations mapped to eyes, nose, and mouth areas of interest (AOIs). The analyses combined accuracy and decision-time statistics with heatmap comparisons of misclassified versus accurate trials within the same image. Overall accuracy was 87.8% (439/500). Misclassification patterns depended on the target emotion, but not on participant gender. Fear male was most often misclassified (typically as disgust), and sadness female was frequently labeled as fear or disgust; disgust was the most incorrectly attributed response. For accurate trials, decision time showed main effects of emotion (p < 0.001) and participant gender (p = 0.033): happiness was categorized fastest and anger slowest, and women responded faster overall, with particularly fast response times for sadness. The AOI results revealed strong main effects and an AOI × emotion interaction (p < 0.001): eyes received the most fixations, but fear drew relatively more mouth sampling and sadness more nose sampling. Crucially, heatmaps showed an upper-face bias (eye AOI) in inaccurate trials, whereas accurate trials retained eye sampling and added nose and mouth AOI coverage, which aligned with diagnostic cues. These findings indicate that the scanpath strategy, in addition to information availability, underpins success and failure in basic-emotion recognition, with implications for theory, targeted training, and affective technologies. Full article

Background: Prevention and clinical management of musculoskeletal injuries have historically focused on the assessment and training of modifiable physical factors, but perceptual decision-making has only recently been recognized as a potentially important capability. Immersive virtual reality (VR) systems can measure the speed, accuracy, and consistency of body movements corresponding to stimulus–response instructions for the completion of a forced-choice task. Methods: A cohort of 26 female college soccer players (age 19.5 ± 1.3 years) included 10 players who participated in a baseline assessment, 10 perceptual-response training (PRT) sessions, a post-training assessment that preceded the first soccer practice, and a post-season assessment. The remaining 16 players completed an assessment prior to the team’s first pre-season practice session, and a post-season assessment. The assessments and training sessions involved left- or right-directed neck rotation, arm reach, and step-lunge reactions to 40 presentations of different types of horizontally moving visual stimuli. The PRT program included 4 levels of difficulty created by changes in initial stimulus location, addition of distractor stimuli, and increased movement speed, with ≥90% response accuracy used as the criterion for training progression. Perceptual latency (PL) was defined as the time elapsed from stimulus appearance to initiation of neck rotation toward a peripheral virtual target. The speed–accuracy tradeoff was represented by Rate Correct per Second (RCS) of PL, and inconsistency across trials derived from their standard deviation for PL was represented by intra-individual variability (IIV). Perceptual Decision Efficiency (PDE) represented the ratio of RCS to IIV, which provided a single value representing speed, accuracy, and consistency. Statistical procedures included the bivariate correlation between RCS and IIV, dependent t-test comparisons of pre- and post-training metrics, repeated measures analysis of variance for group X session pre- to post-season comparisons, receiver operating characteristic analysis, and Kaplan–Meier time to injury event analysis. Results: Statistically significant (p < 0.05) results were found for pre- to post-training change, and pre-season to post-season group differences, for RCS, IIV, and PDE. An inverse logarithmic relationship was found between RCS and IIV (Spearman’s Rho = −0.795). The best discriminator between injured and non-injured statuses was PDE ≤ 21.6 (93% Sensitivity; 42% Specificity; OR = 9.29). Conclusions: The 10-session PRT program produced significant improvement in perceptual decision-making that appears to provide a transfer benefit, as the PDE metric provided good prospective prediction of musculoskeletal injury. Full article

Orthographic knowledge is a critical component of skilled language use, yet its large-scale behavioral signatures remain understudied in Spanish. To address this gap, we developed OrthoKnow-SP, a megastudy that captures spelling decisions from 27,185 native Spanish-speaking adults who completed an 80-item forced-choice task. Each trial required selecting the correctly spelled word from a pair comprising a real word and a pseudohomophone foil that preserved pronunciation while violating the correct graphemic representation. The stimuli targeted six high-confusability contrasts in Spanish orthography. We recorded response accuracy and reaction times for over 2.17 million trials, alongside demographic and device metadata. Results show robust variability across items and individuals, with item-level metrics closely aligned with independent norms of word prevalence. A composite difficulty index integrating speed and accuracy further allowed fine-grained item ranking. The dataset provides the first population-scale norms of Spanish spelling difficulty, capturing regional and generational diversity absent from traditional lab-based studies. Public release of OrthoKnow-SP enables new research on the cognitive and demographic factors shaping orthographic decisions, and provides educators, clinicians, and developers with a valuable benchmark for assessing spelling competence and modeling written language processing. Full article

Objective: Dystonias, characterized by excessive muscle contractions resulting in involuntary postures and movements, impact 3 million people globally, making them the third most common movement disorder. Often accompanied by tremors, dystonias have epidemiological links and non-motor features shared with isolated tremor, such as essential tremor. Both dystonia and tremor present with balance dysfunction and abnormal involuntary movements, potentially linked to abnormal cerebellar function. This study explores the perception of one’s own linear movement, heading, particularly discrimination of heading direction, in isolated cervical dystonia, isolated tremor, and their combination. We compare such perception behavior in visual and vestibular domains, predicting that visual heading perception would be superior to vestibular heading perception. Methods: Following the focus on the perception of heading direction, we used psychophysics techniques, such as two-alternative-forced-choice task, to examine perception of direction of one’s own movements as they see isolated visual star-cloud movement (visual heading perception) and en bloc body movement (vestibular heading perception). We fitted a sigmoidal psychometric function curve to determine the threshold for visual or vestibular heading perception in our participants. Results: Nineteen participants underwent a two-alternative forced-choice task in the vestibular and visual domains. Results reveal elevated vestibular heading perception thresholds in cervical dystonia with or without tremor, and isolated tremor compared to healthy controls. Vestibular heading perception threshold was comparable in cervical dystonia with tremor and isolated tremor, but it was even worse in isolated cervical dystonia. Visual heading perception, however, remained less affected all three conditions—isolated cervical dystonia, isolated tremor, and their combination. Conclusion: These findings indicate shared deficits and distinctions in the perception of linear translational heading across movement disorders, such as isolated cervical dystonia, tremor, or their combination, offering insights into their pathophysiology, particularly the involvement of cerebellum regions responsible for vestibular processing. Full article

Recent research on intense real-life faces has shown that although there was an objective difference in facial activities between intense winning faces and losing faces, viewers failed to differentiate the valence of such expressions. In the present study, we explored whether participants could perceive the difference between intense positive facial expressions and intense negative facial expressions in a forced-choice response task using eye-tracking techniques. Behavioral results showed that the recognition accuracy rate for intense facial expressions was significantly above the chance level. For eye-movement patterns, the results indicated that participants gazed more and longer toward the upper facial region (eyes) than the lower region (mouth) for intense losing faces. However, the gaze patterns were reversed for intense winning faces. The eye movement pattern for successful differentiation trials did not differ from failed differentiation trials. These findings provided preliminary evidence that viewers can utilize intense facial expression information and perceive the difference between intense winning faces and intense losing faces produced by tennis players in a forced-choice response task. Full article

Soft actuator technology is extensively utilized in robotic manipulation applications. However, several existing designs of soft actuators suffer from drawbacks such as a complex casting process, a multi-air chamber configuration, and insufficient grasping force. In this study, we propose a novel soft bellow design featuring a single air chamber, which simplifies the fabrication process of the actual model. To enhance the performance of the proposed design, we employ the Box–Behnken response surface design to generate a design matrix for implementing different levels of design factors in the finite element model. The FEA response is then subjected to an analysis of variance to identify significant factors and establish a regression model for deformation and stress response prediction. Among the considered responses, the wall thickness emerges as the most influential factor, followed by the divided ratio of radians and the number of bellows. Validation of the optimized soft bellow actuator’s deformation response is performed through comparison with experimental data. Moreover, the soft bellow actuator is capable of exerting a pulling force of 8.16 N when used in conjunction with a simple gripper structure design, enabling effective object manipulation. Additionally, the soft bellow design boasts cost-effectiveness and easy moldability, facilitating seamless integration with different gripper frames for diverse applications. Its simplicity and versatility make it a promising choice for various robotic manipulation tasks. Full article

Performing multiple tasks in parallel is detrimental to performance, a phenomenon generically referred to as dual-task interference (DTi). Several variables can modulate DTi at the individual level, and increasing age is typically described as negatively affecting response costs. In this study, we investigated, in 252 healthy adults aged between 50 and 89 years, how age modulates the detrimental effect of DTi during the encoding of images. We combined a visual memory task and a sustained attention task (i.e., an auditory version of the continuous performance task, ACPT) in three separate blocks. In the first block, participants had to perform a four-alternative forced-choice recognition of previously memorized images without having attended to ACPT sounds during the encoding. In the second block, during memorization, participants had to press a response key when detecting the letter “X” within a stream of letters (Low Load). In the third block, they had to respond only when the letter “X” was preceded by the letter “A” (High Load). The results showed that overall performance linearly decreased with age. In contrast with our predictions, DTi was stable across different ages. Finally, using a cluster-based approach, we found that participants who paid the highest costs when dual-tasking also demonstrated, on a self-administered cognitive screening significantly lower scores than peers. These new types of tests, which ask for concurrent task performance, might become useful for detecting outlier performance that might anticipate or correlate with aging–related cognitive decline. Full article

Police officers occasionally encounter belligerents resisting or even physically assaulting them without or with objects. The self-defense or legal utilization of use of force to disable the offender from harming an officer or others may depend on a single movement speed of hands and legs. This study investigated the effects of task complexity on a single movement response time of the upper and lower limbs in police officers. The sample consisted of 32 male police officers aged between 23 and 50 years. They performed a single movement as fast as possible with their upper and lower limb in three incrementally more complex tasks. In the first task, participants acted on a light signal and with their dominant limb they had to turn off the signal as fast as possible. In the second task, on the light signal, participants could turn off the light with free choice of the upper limb in a hand task or lower limb in a leg task. In the third task, participants had to turn the light off with the right limb if the light turned red and with the left limb if the light turned blue. The BlazePod device was used to assess the movement response time. The results show that there was a significant effect of task complexity on the single movement response time of the hand (F = 24.5, p < 0.001) and leg (F = 46.2, p < 0.001). The training of police officers should utilize specific and situational tasks to improve movement response time by improving the redundancy in decision-making processes during work-specific tasks of different complexity. Full article

We adapted the emotional Stroop task developed for primates to test whether gorillas would show response slowing for images of ‘negative’ compared to images of ‘positive’ items placed within previously reinforced borders. Three zoo-housed male gorillas participated in six phases of an emotional Stroop paradigm. In Phase One, they learned to select blue borders over yellow borders in a forced choice task presented on the touchscreen. In Phase Two, neutral yellow or blue two-dimensional shapes were placed within the borders. On congruent trials, blue images were presented within both blue and yellow borders. On incongruent trials, yellow images were placed within both blue and yellow borders. We continued to use these trials as control trials in subsequent phases. We predicted that response latencies would be slower and accuracy would be lower on incongruent trials. Although the gorillas responded more quickly to incongruent trials, in contrast to predictions, they were more accurate on congruent trials, consistent with predictions. Therefore, we proceeded with Phase Three in which photographs of images assumed to have positive and negative valences for the gorillas were placed within the borders. On test trials, the same positive or negative image was placed within both borders. In Phase Four, a positive image was paired with a negative image on each trial and the positive image appeared in either the blue (congruent trials) or yellow border (incongruent trials). Phases Five and Six replicated Phases Three and Four with images of novel positive and negative items. The gorillas responded more quickly on congruent trials compared to incongruent trials on test trials but not on control trials throughout Phases 3–6. These findings provide some validation for the emotional Stroop task to test attentional shift with emotionally valenced items. Full article

Memory for odors is believed to be longer-lasting than memory for visual stimuli, as is evidenced by flat forgetting curves. However, performance on memory tasks is typically weaker in olfaction than vision. Studies of odor memory that use forced-choice methods confound responses that are a result of a trace memory and responses that can be obtained through process of elimination. Moreover, odor memory is typically measured with common stimuli, which are more familiar and responses may be confounded by verbal memory, and measure memory in intentional learning conditions, which are ecologically questionable. Here we demonstrate the value of using tests of memory in which hit rate and correct rejection rate are evaluated separately (i.e., not using forced-choice methods) and uncommon stimuli are used. This study compared memory for common and uncommon odors and pictures that were learned either intentionally (Exp. 1) or incidentally (Exp. 2) and tested with either a forced-choice or a one-stimulus-at-a-time (“monadic”) recognition task after delays of 15 min, 48 h or 1 week. As expected, memory declined with delay in most conditions, but depended upon the particular measure of memory and was better for pictures than odors and for common than uncommon stimuli. For common odors, hit rates decreased with delay but correct rejection rates remained constant with delay. For common pictures, we found the opposite result, constant hit rates and decreased correct rejection rates. Our results support the ‘misfit theory of conscious olfactory perception’, which highlights the importance of the detection of novelty in olfactory memory and suggests that olfactory memory should be studied using more ecologically valid methods. Full article

Ultrasound can deliver speech information when it is amplitude-modulated with speech and presented via bone conduction. This speech-modulated bone-conducted ultrasound (SM-BCU) can also transmit prosodic information. However, there is insufficient research on the recognition of vowel duration in SM-BCU. The aim of this study was to investigate the categorization of vowel durational changes in SM-BCU using a behavioral test. Eight Japanese-speaking participants with normal hearing participated in a forced-choice behavioral task to discriminate between “hato” (pigeon) and “haato” (heart). Speech signal stimuli were presented in seven duration grades from 220 ms to 340 ms. The threshold at which 50% of responses were “haato” was calculated and compared for air-conducted audible sound (ACAS) and SM-BCU. The boundary width was also evaluated. Although the SM-BCU threshold (mean: 274.6 ms) was significantly longer than the ACAS threshold (mean: 269.6 ms), there were no differences in boundary width. These results suggest that SM-BCU can deliver prosodic information about vowel duration with a similar difference limen to that of ACAS in normal hearing. Full article

Research on third language (L3) phonological acquisition has shown that Cross-Linguistic Influence (CLI) plays a role not only in forming the newly acquired language but also in reshaping the previously established ones. Only a few studies to date have examined cross-linguistic effects in the speech perception of multilingual learners. The aim of this study is to explore the development of speech perception in young multilinguals’ non-native languages (L2 and L3) and to trace the patterns of CLI between their phonological subsystems over time. The participants were 13 L1 Polish speakers (aged 12–13), learning English as L2 and German as L3. They performed a forced-choice goodness task in L2 and L3 to test their perception of rhotics and final obstruent (de)voicing. Response accuracy and reaction times were recorded for analyses at two testing times. The results indicate that CLI in perceptual development is feature-dependent with relative stability evidenced for L2 rhotics, reverse trends for L3 rhotics, and no significant development for L2/L3 (de)voicing. We also found that the source of CLI differed across the speakers’ languages: the perception accuracy of rhotics differed significantly with respect to stimulus properties, that is, whether they were L1-, L2-, or L3-accented. Full article