Sex differences in susceptibility to the Poggendorff illusion

Age and Gender Differences in the Pseudo-Haptic Effect on Computer Mouse Operation in a Desktop Environment

Pseudo-haptics is a method that can provide a haptic sensation without requiring a physical haptic device. The effect of pseudo-haptics is known to depend on the individual, but it is unclear which factors cause individual differences. As the first study establishing a calibration method for these differences in future research, we examined the differences in the pseudo-haptic effect on mouse cursor operation in a desktop environment depending on the age and gender of the user. We conducted an online experiment and collected data from more than 400 participants. The participants performed a task of lifting a virtual object with a mouse pointer. We found that the effect of pseudo-haptics was greater in younger or male participants than in older or female participants. We also found that the effect of pseudo-haptics, which varied with age and gender, can be explained by habituation to the mouse in daily life and the accuracy of detecting the pointer position using vision or proprioception. Specifically, the pseudo-haptic effect was higher for those who used the mouse more frequently and had higher accuracy in identifying the pointer position using proprioception or vision. The results of the present study not only indicate the factors that cause age and gender differences but also provide hints for calibrating these differences.

Diverse patterns of vulnerability to visual illusions in children with neurodevelopmental disorders

Research on how children with neurodevelopmental disorders perceive, process, and interpret visual illusions (VIs) has been extensively focused on children with autism spectrum disorder providing controversial findings. In this study, we investigated the patterns of vulnerability to a wide set of VIs comprising 23 standard text book VIs and their variations in a clinical sample of children with neurodevelopmental disorders compared to typically developing children (TD). A total of 176 children, aged between 4.6 and 13.8 years old, were distributed into four groups: high-functioning autism (HFA; N = 23), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; N = 42), specific learning disorder (SLD; N = 70), and TD (N = 41). Regression models, adjusted for sex, age, and non-verbal IQ, showed that HFA was associated with greater responses accuracy than TD children to the full battery of VIs, to the cognitive illusions, to the distortions, and to both geometrical illusions of size/shape (cognitive distortions) and lightness contrast effects (physical distortions). The susceptibility of ADHD children was found attenuated for illusory contours and greater for paradoxical illusions in comparison with TD children. No significant differences were shown between the SLD group and the TD children. Our findings, which were adjusted for the same duration of visual working memory across groups, showed that there is a potential specific tendency of HFA children to failure of processing visual information in context. Contrarily, children with ADHD showed in general normal global processing such as children diagnosed with SLD.

Gender-dependent variations in optical illusions: evidence from N400 waveforms

OBJECTIVE

The cognitive mechanisms (especially the gender-related ones) underlying optical illusion processing remain elusive. Since the N400 component of event-related potentials (ERPs) is an index of the semantic integration of information processing tasks, the present study focuses on gender-related differences in N400 waveforms elicited during the reasoning process applied to reach a valid conclusion of optical illusions engaging working memory (WM).

APPROACH

Fifty-one healthy participants (28 males, age = 34.25 years ± 10.25, years of education = 16.00 years ± 1.78; and 23 females, age = 33.43 ± 7.93, years of education = 15.56 ± 1.82) were measured. The N400 ERP component was evoked by 39 optical illusions adjusted to induce WM. We compared brain activation patterns while participants maintained conclusions of the optical illusions in WM. The N400 of ERPs was recorded during the WM phase, during which participants were required to draw a logical conclusion regarding the correctness of the optical illusions.

MAIN RESULTS

Analysis revealed that females compared to males exhibited significantly increased N400 amplitudes located at parietal and occipital sites, whereas males exhibited significantly higher N400 amplitudes located at frontal areas. Furthermore, females compared to males demonstrated significantly prolonged latencies of the N400 component located at right frontotemporal abductions.

SIGNIFICANCE

These results suggest that coupling of optical illusions with WM engages distinct gender-related variations of brain semantic processing as reflected by the N400 ERP component. Based on the dual process account, our study gives support to the notion that women tend to employ a more deliberate and slower semantic reasoning than the men who tend to employ an automatic and fast one. Topographically, within the network sub-serving the semantic operation, the posterior brain areas responsible for sensorimotor integration-related processes elicit a greater brain activation among females while the anterior brain areas responsible for control and storage/retrieval operation elicit a greater brain activation among males.

Sex differences in the Poggendorff illusion: identifying the locus of the effect

Extensive research has identified individual differences associated with sex in a range of visual task performances, including susceptibility to visual illusions. The aim of this study was to identify the locus of sex differences within the context of the Poggendorf illusion. 79 women and 79 men participated within a mixed factorial design. Analyses indicated that sex differences were only present in the stimulus context with the full inducing element present. This finding replicates recent research and provides qualifying evidence as to the locus of the effect. The findings are discussed within the functional framework of perceptual processes involved in extrapolating 3-dimensional characteristics from 2-dimensional visual stimuli.