We report a novel illusion––curvature blindness illusion: a wavy line is perceived as a zigzag line

Curvature Blindness Illusion. Kohske Takahashi. i-Perception, Volume 8, issue 6, https://doi.org/10.1177/2041669517742178



Abstract: We report a novel illusion––curvature blindness illusion: a wavy line is perceived as a zigzag line. The following are required for this illusion to occur. First, the luminance contrast polarity of the wavy line against the background is reversed at the turning points. Second, the curvature of the wavy line is somewhat low; the right angle is too steep to be perceived as an illusion. This illusion implies that, in order to perceive a gentle curve, it is necessary to satisfy more conditions––constant contrast polarity––than perceiving an obtuse corner. It is notable that observers exactly “see” an illusory zigzag line against a physically wavy line, rather than have an impaired perception. We propose that the underlying mechanisms for the gentle curve perception and those of obtuse corner perception are competing with each other in an imbalanced way and the percepts of corner might be dominant in the visual system.

Keywords: contours or surfaces, curvature perception, illusion, perception

Past findings do not seem to indicate that there is a consistent preference for Coke or Pepsi in any condition

The Pepsi Paradox: A Review. George Van Doorn, Beyon Miloyan. Food Quality and Preference, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2017.11.007

Highlights
•    A neural explanation for the Pepsi Paradox is outlined.
•    The evidence for the Pepsi Paradox is highlighted and reviewed.
•    None of the existing research has provided sufficient evidence for the existence of the Pepsi Paradox.
•    Past findings do not seem to indicate that there is a consistent preference for Coke or Pepsi in any condition.

Abstract: The Pepsi Paradox refers to the observation that Pepsi is preferred to Coke in blind taste tests, despite Coke being regarded as the more successful brand. We begin by describing the origins of the Pepsi Paradox. We then outline a neural hypothesis for why it occurs. Next, we carefully assess the published behavioural studies related to the Pepsi Paradox, and on people’s ability to distinguish colas by taste. We conclude that the existing research has failed to provide sufficient evidence for the existence of the Pepsi Paradox. In fact, there does not even seem to be a consistent taste preference for either beverage in the reviewed studies.

Keywords: Coca-Cola; Coke; Identification; Preference; Taste; Choice; Consumer; Brand

Super-recognition in development: A case study of an adolescent with extraordinary face recognition skills

Super-recognition in development: A case study of an adolescent with extraordinary face recognition skills. Rachel J. Bennetts, Joseph Mole & Sarah Bate. Cognitive Neuropsychology, https://doi.org/10.1080/02643294.2017.1402755

ABSTRACT: Face recognition abilities vary widely. While face recognition deficits have been reported in children, it is unclear whether superior face recognition skills can be encountered during development. This paper presents O.B., a 14-year-old female with extraordinary face recognition skills: a “super-recognizer” (SR). O.B. demonstrated exceptional face-processing skills across multiple tasks, with a level of performance that is comparable to adult SRs. Her superior abilities appear to be specific to face identity: She showed an exaggerated face inversion effect and her superior abilities did not extend to object processing or non-identity aspects of face recognition. Finally, an eye-movement task demonstrated that O.B. spent more time than controls examining the nose - a pattern previously reported in adult SRs. O.B. is therefore particularly skilled at extracting and using identity-specific facial cues, indicating that face and object recognition are dissociable during development, and that super recognition can be detected in adolescence.

KEYWORDS: Development, eye movements, face recognition, individual differences, super-recognizers

Examining Women's Tendency To Purchase Appearance-Enhancing Products From Gay Male Sales Associates

Service That Sells: Examining Women's Tendency To Purchase Appearance-Enhancing Products From Gay Male Sales Associates. Eric M. Russell. The University of Texas at Arlington, 2017. PhD dissertation. https://uta-ir.tdl.org/uta-ir/bitstream/handle/10106/26942/RUSSELL-DISSERTATION-2017.pdf?sequence=1

Previous findings indicate that heterosexual female customers are more comfortable working with gay male—relative to straight male or female—sales associates in retail departments where apparel and beauty products are sold. However, researchers have not tested whether women’s comfort with gay male sales associates influences women’s likelihood to purchase the products that are recommended by them. In the present studies, I tested whether women’s increased comfort influences their likelihood to purchase from gay men, andI examined when this effect is most likely to occur. Specifically, I advanced the hypothesis that women are more likely to purchase from gay salesmen who recommend appearance-enhancing products that are used by women to attract potential mates. Study 1 revealed that women’s heightened comfort and trust consulting with a gay male sales associate may be associated with women’s increased intention to purchase from him. Study 2 experimentally emonstrated that women—but not men—are more likely to purchase appearance-enhancing products from gay male sales associates than from straight male or straight female sales associates. Study 3 replicated and extended these results by revealing that women’s increased likelihood to purchase these products from gay men was evident in a context in which women intended to attract a mate with the products. This set of findings not only aligns with previous psychological research examining women’s relational trust in gay men, but it also provides practical implications for business research and managerial decisions in retail settings.

Beards represent dishonest signals of formidability that may curtail escalation of intra-sexual conflict through intimidation rather than providing advantages in direct combat

Contest competition and men's facial hair: beards may not provide advantages in combat. Barnaby J.W. Dixson et al.Evolution and Human Behavior, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2017.11.004

Abstract: In contemporary human societies, where direct male-male competition is reduced compared to ancestral societies, sporting competitions remains an avenue for status acquisition via intra-sexual competition. Beards are the most visually salient and sexually dimorphic of men's secondary sexual traits and play a strong role in communicating masculinity, dominance and aggressiveness intra-sexually. Hypotheses have been advanced that beards provide advantages in intra-sexual combat, as protective organs and honest signals of fighting ability. Here we provide the first test of these hypotheses using data from professional mixed martial arts fighters competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. We explored whether secondary sexual traits (height, weight, beardedness), fighting stance (southpaw, orthodox), arm reach and past contest experiences impact on contest outcomes. If beards function as protective organs, bearded fighters should succumb to fewer knock-outs, and hence protection to injuries to the jaw, fewer abrasions and lacerations to the face and brain damage than clean-shaven fighters. Alternatively, if beards signal fighting ability then bearded fighters should win more fights. We found no evidence that beardedness was associated with fewer losses by knock-out or greater fighter ability. While fighters with longer reaches won more fights, neither stance nor past experience influenced fight outcomes. We suggest that beards represent dishonest signals of formidability that may serve to curtail the escalation of intra-sexual conflict through intimidation rather than providing advantages in direct combat.

Keywords: Sexual selection; Intra-sexual competition; Facial hair; Human evolution