scholarly journals A robust implicit measure of facial attractiveness discrimination

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 737-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiuling Luo ◽  
Bruno Rossion ◽  
Milena Dzhelyova
Keyword(s):  
Neural Coding ◽  
Visual Stimulation ◽  
Facial Attractiveness ◽  
Implicit Measure ◽  
Human Face ◽  
Visual Areas ◽  
Individual Participant ◽  
Attractive Face ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Central Fixation

Abstract Decisions of attractiveness from the human face are made instantly and spontaneously, but robust implicit neural measures of facial attractiveness discrimination are currently lacking. Here we applied fast periodic visual stimulation coupled with electroencephalography (EEG) to objectively measure the neural coding of facial attractiveness. We presented different pictures of faces at 6 Hz, i.e. six faces/second, for a minute while participants attended to a central fixation cross and indicated whether the cross shortly changed color. Every other face in the stimulation was attractive and was replaced by a relatively less attractive face. This resulted in alternating more/less attractive faces at a 3 Hz rate, eliciting a significant increase in occipito-temporal EEG amplitude at 3 Hz both at the group and the individual participant level. This response was absent in two control conditions where either only attractive or only less attractive faces were presented. These observations support the view that face-sensitive visual areas discriminate attractiveness implicitly and rapidly from the human face.

scholarly journals Differential activation of the middle-temporal complex to visual stimulation in migraineurs

Cephalalgia ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Antal ◽  
Rafael Polania ◽  
Katharina Saller ◽  
Carmen Morawetz ◽  
Carsten Schmidt-Samoa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Stimulation ◽  
Cortical Folding ◽  
Anterior Portion ◽  
Posterior Portion ◽  
Temporal Area ◽  
Middle Temporal ◽  
Medial Superior Temporal ◽  
Visual Areas ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Interictal State

Objective: Differences between people with and without migraine on various measures of visual perception have been attributed to abnormal cortical processing due to the disease. The aim of the present study was to explore the dynamics of the basic interictal state with regard to the extrastriate, motion-responsive middle temporal area (MT-complex) with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 3 tesla using coherent/incoherent moving dot stimuli. Method: Twenty-four migraine patients (12 with aura [MwA], 12 without aura [MwoA]) and 12 healthy subjects participated in the study. The individual cortical folding pattern was accounted for by using a cortical matching approach. Results: In the inferior-posterior portion of the MT-complex, most likely representing MT, control subjects showed stronger bilateral activation compared to MwA and MwoA patients. Compared with healthy controls MwoA and MwA patients showed significantly stronger activation mainly at the left side in response to visual stimulation in the superior-anterior portion of the MT-complex, representing the medial-superior temporal area (MST). Conclusion: Our findings strengthen the hypothesis that hyperresponsiveness of the visual cortex in migraine goes beyond early visual areas, even in the interictal period.

scholarly journals The impact of microcredit on income: the case of Banco Real in Brazil

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 453-476
Author(s):  
Lauro Gonzalez ◽  
César Righetti ◽  
Luiz Carlos Di Serio
Keyword(s):  
Commercial Bank ◽  
Female Participation ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Loan Officer ◽  
Individual Participant ◽  
Microfinance Institution ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

This study aims to evaluate the impact of productive microcredit provided by a microfinance institution linked to a commercial bank by examining a sample of 20,628 customers. Academic literature points to the existence of shared specific characteristics amongst successful microcredit programs, including: (a) the use of a solidarity group, also called a joint debtor, (b) strong female participation, (c) a focus on poor regions, and (d) the presence of a loan officer. This article finds that the female variable is associated with increased income for the individual participant. Women began the program with an average sales value less than men, yet their sales grew exponentially at about 10% with each extension of credit.

scholarly journals Pre filtering techniques for face recognition based on edge detection algorithm

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1.1) ◽  
pp. 213
Author(s):  
Sheela Rani ◽  
Vuyyuru Tejaswi ◽  
Bonthu Rohitha ◽  
Bhimavarapu Akhil
Keyword(s):  
Face Recognition ◽  
Face Detection ◽  
Detection Algorithm ◽  
Facial Features ◽  
Human Face ◽  
Video Frames ◽  
Similar Idea ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Given ◽  
Interesting Area

Recognition of face has been turned out to be the most important and interesting area in research. A face recognition framework is a PC application that is apt for recognizing or confirming the presence of human face from a computerized picture, from the video frames etc. One of the approaches to do this is by matching the chosen facial features with the pictures in the database. It is normally utilized as a part of security frameworks and can be implemented in different biometrics, for example, unique finger impression or eye iris acknowledgment frameworks. A picture is a mix of edges. The curved line potions where the brightness of the image change intensely are known as edges. We utilize a similar idea in the field of face-detection, the force of facial colours are utilized as a consistent value. Face recognition includes examination of a picture with a database of stored faces keeping in mind the end goal to recognize the individual in the given input picture. The entire procedure covers in three phases face detection, feature extraction and recognition and different strategies are required according to the specified requirements.

Helping Close the Digital Divide for Financially Disadvantaged Seniors

2006 ◽  
pp. 165-190
Author(s):  
Al P. Mizell
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Computer System ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
The Internet ◽  
The World ◽  
Nova Southeastern University ◽  
Individual Participant ◽  
The Individual

The Internet has become an essential element of all society today. Those who can access the World Wide Web have become active participants in the Information Age. Unfortunately, many individuals throughout the world do not have ready access to the needed technology. Furthermore, they do not have the required knowledge and skills to use the technology and cannot participate actively. As a result, this has created a world of information haves and have-nots. In this chapter, after examining the concept of the digital divide, data is presented that shows that those with low incomes and those who are older have little access to technology and the use of computers. Low-income seniors are especially limited in their opportunities to own a computer, and they seldom have the skills needed to use one for e-mail, search the Internet, and so forth, even if they visit a public library where they could use a computer without any cost. Various approaches being used to help seniors learn how to use computers are described, andthen the chapter focuses on two projects that have proved to be successful in this effort. SeniorNet is a national organization that helps establish learning centers around the country. The approach used at one such center, located at Nova Southeastern University in South Florida, requires seniors to pay for their courses. A second project is known as SeniorComp and is supported by private foundation funds. Ten low-income senior citizens are selected for each group of seniors in this project. They are given a complete Dell computer system, and their tuition is paid to take four of the SeniorNet courses. At the end of the fourth course, ownership of the computer system is turned over to the individual participant. To date, the completion rate has been 100%. The approaches used can serve as models for others to modify and use in their own communities. By adopting a similar approach, the impact of the digital divide can be significantly reduced for those low-income seniors that participate in the project. In this way, this portion of the marginal community can be empowered.

Pattern Filtering for Detection of Neural Activity, with Examples from HVc Activity During Sleep in Zebra Finches

2003 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 2307-2337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiyi Chi ◽  
Peter L. Rauske ◽  
Daniel Margoliash
Keyword(s):  
Neural Coding ◽  
Point Processes ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Test Procedure ◽  
Surrogate Data ◽  
Likelihood Ratios ◽  
Alignment Procedure ◽  
Auditory Evoked Response ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Spiking Activity

The detection of patterned spiking activity is important in the study of neural coding. A pattern filtering approach is developed for pattern detection under the framework of point processes, which offers flexibility in combining temporal details and firing rates. The detection combines multiple steps of filtering in a coarse-to-fine manner. Under some conditional Poisson assumptions on the spiking activity, each filtering step is equivalent to classifying by likelihood ratios all the data segments as targets or as background sequences. Unlike previous studies, where global surrogate data were used to evaluate the statistical significance of the detected patterns, a localizedp-test procedure is developed, which better accounts for firing modulation and nonstationarity in spiking activity. Common temporal structures of patterned activity are learned using an entropy-based alignment procedure, without relying on metrics or pair-wise alignment. Applications of pattern filtering to single, presumptive interneurons recorded in the nucleus HVc of zebra finch are illustrated. These demonstrate a match between the auditory-evoked response to playback of the individual bird's own song and spontaneous activity during sleep. Small temporal compression or expansion, or both, is required for optimal matching of spontaneous patterns to stimulus-evoked activity.

scholarly journals Individual variations lead to universal and cross-species patterns of social behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (50) ◽  
pp. 31754-31759
Author(s):  
Sang Hyun Choi ◽  
Vikyath D. Rao ◽  
Tim Gernat ◽  
Adam R. Hamilton ◽  
Gene E. Robinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Time Distribution ◽  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Human Face ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Individual Variations ◽  
Patterns Of Behavior ◽  
Heavy Tailed ◽  
The Individual

The duration of interaction events in a society is a fundamental measure of its collective nature and potentially reflects variability in individual behavior. Here we performed a high-throughput measurement of trophallaxis and face-to-face event durations experienced by a colony of honeybees over their entire lifetimes. The interaction time distribution is heavy-tailed, as previously reported for human face-to-face interactions. We developed a theory of pair interactions that takes into account individual variability and predicts the scaling behavior for both bee and extant human datasets. The individual variability of worker honeybees was nonzero but less than that of humans, possibly reflecting their greater genetic relatedness. Our work shows how individual differences can lead to universal patterns of behavior that transcend species and specific mechanisms for social interactions.

scholarly journals Relationship between facial attractiveness and pupil diameter in young adults

Psico ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 30033
Author(s):  
Silvana Queiroga da Costa Carvalho ◽  
Michael Jackson Oliveira De Andrade ◽  
Natanael Antonio Dos Santos
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Phase I ◽  
Pupil Size ◽  
Pupil Diameter ◽  
Facial Attractiveness ◽  
Human Face ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
Step Study

The objective of this study was to investigate whether there is a relationship between pupil diameter and facial attractiveness. Participated in the study 60 young adults (30 men and 30 women) between 18 and 26 years of age (M = 20.65, SD = 2.20). Ten different unfamiliar neutral faces (five men and five women) were used as stimuli. The pupil diameter of each face was manipulated with pupil diameters of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 mm (10 faces x 5 pupil diameters = 50stimuli). A two-step study was carried out with the same sample and the same sets of faces, seeking to understand the difference of responses between subjects of both sexes. In phase I, result indicated a significant difference in relation to the pupil diameter factor for both the men (ꭓ² = 21.93, p < .05) and the women (ꭓ² = 44.73, p < .05). In phase II, the results indicated significant differences in relation to the pupil size [F (1, 234) = 19.06, p < 0.05]. The post-hoc Tukey HSD test showed that both the men and the women differently judged the faces with a pupil diameter of 2 mm in relation to the faces with pupil diameters of 3, 4, 5 and 6 mm (p < .05). Also, a significant difference between the diameter of 5 mm in relation to the diameter of 3 mm (p < .05). In general, the results indicate that the pupil diameter is a structural component of the human face that plays an important role in the process of judging facial attractiveness.***Relação entre a atratividade facial e diâmetro pupilar em adultos jovens***O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a relação entre o diâmetro da pupila e a atratividade facial. Participaram da pesquisa 60 jovens com idade entre 18 e 26 anos. Foram utilizadas dez faces de adultos jovens, manipulou-se o diâmetro de cada pupila com variações de 2, 3, 4, 5 e 6 mm. Realizou-se um estudo em duas etapas: na fase I, o resultado indicou diferença significativa para o fator de diâmetro pupilar tanto para homens quanto para mulheres (p < 0,05). Na fase II, os resultados indicaram diferenças significativas em relação ao tamanho da pupila (p < 0,05). O teste post-hoc Tukey mostrou que tanto os homens quanto as mulheres avaliaram diferentemente as faces com diâmetro pupilar de 2 mm (p < 0,05). Em geral, os resultados indicam que o diâmetro da pupila é um componente da face humana que desempenha um importante função no processo de julgamento da atratividade facial.

Research with Minors in Germany

2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dieter Hart ◽  
Benedikt Buchner
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Clinical Research ◽  
German Law ◽  
European Level ◽  
Direct Benefit ◽  
Individual Participant ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Individual

AbstractThe European GCP Directive has been implemented into German law in sect. 40 ff. AMG (German pharmaceutical law). Unlike the Directive, German pharmaceutical law basically differentiates between three constellations of clinical trials on minors: clinical trials on healthy minors, clinical trials on ill minors with an individual benefit for the individual participant, and clinical trials on ill minors without direct benefit for the individual participant, but with a so-called “group benefit”. Particularly the latter possibility of conducting clinical trials on minors even if no individual benefit can be expected is not a matter of course in Germany since due to historical experiences a sceptical attitude towards clinical research on humans prevailed for a long time. German legislature has availed itself of the option granted by Article 3 of the GCP Directive to establish a higher level of protection of clinical trial subjects than the European level.

Neural Coding of Global Form in the Human Visual Cortex

2008 ◽  
Vol 99 (5) ◽  
pp. 2456-2469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Ostwald ◽  
Judith M. Lam ◽  
Sheng Li ◽  
Zoe Kourtzi
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Neural Coding ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Complex Object ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Global Form ◽  
Pattern Size ◽  
Visual Areas ◽  
Object Features

Extensive psychophysical and computational work proposes that the perception of coherent and meaningful structures in natural images relies on neural processes that convert information about local edges in primary visual cortex to complex object features represented in the temporal cortex. However, the neural basis of these mid-level vision mechanisms in the human brain remains largely unknown. Here, we examine functional MRI (fMRI) selectivity for global forms in the human visual pathways using sensitive multivariate analysis methods that take advantage of information across brain activation patterns. We use Glass patterns, parametrically varying the perceived global form (concentric, radial, translational) while ensuring that the local statistics remain similar. Our findings show a continuum of integration processes that convert selectivity for local signals (orientation, position) in early visual areas to selectivity for global form structure in higher occipitotemporal areas. Interestingly, higher occipitotemporal areas discern differences in global form structure rather than low-level stimulus properties with higher accuracy than early visual areas while relying on information from smaller but more selective neural populations (smaller voxel pattern size), consistent with global pooling mechanisms of local orientation signals. These findings suggest that the human visual system uses a code of increasing efficiency across stages of analysis that is critical for the successful detection and recognition of objects in complex environments.

scholarly journals EXPRESS: Identifying with the Beautiful: Facial attractiveness effects on unisensory and multisensory self-other distinction

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110503
Author(s):  
Elena Panagiotopoulou ◽  
Laura Crucianelli ◽  
Alessandra Lemma ◽  
Katerina Fotopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Facial Attractiveness ◽  
The Self ◽  
Multisensory Perception ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Unfamiliar Face ◽  
Attractive Face ◽  
Body Image Disturbances ◽  
Embodied Self ◽  
The Impact

People tend to evaluate their own traits and abilities favourably and such favourable self-perceptions extend to attractiveness. However, the exact mechanism underlying this self-enhancement bias remains unclear. One possibility could be the identification with attractive others through blurring of self-other boundaries. Across two experiments, we used the enfacement illusion to investigate the effect of others’ attractiveness in the multisensory perception of the self. In Experiment 1 (N=35), participants received synchronous or asynchronous interpersonal visuo-tactile stimulation with an attractive and non-attractive face. In Experiment 2 (N=35), two new faces were used and spatial incοngruency was introduced as a control condition. The results showed that increased ratings of attractiveness of an unfamiliar face lead to blurring of self-other boundaries, allowing the identification of our psychological self with another's physical self and, specifically, their face, and this seems to be unrelated to perceived own attractiveness. The effect of facial attractiveness on face ownership showed dissociable mechanisms, with multisensory integration modulating the effect on similarity but not identification, an effect that may be purely based on vision. Overall, our findings suggest that others’ attractiveness may lead to positive distortions of the self. This research provides a psychophysical starting point for studying the impact of others' attractiveness on self-face recognition, which can be particularly important for individuals with malleable, embodied self-other boundaries and body image disturbances.

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