Lista på alla forskningsprojekt

Gunilla Bohlin

DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

Keywords: attachment temperament socioemotional development parenting.

The developmental group consists presently of about 15 persons at different levels (PhDs and doctoral students). The focus is on socioemotional development, mainly studied in longitudinal designs. Age periods covered include infancy, toddlerhood, preschool age and middle childhood. The main theoretical perspectives are attachment theory and temperament coupled with a health psychology perspective including stress, support systems and social background factors. Developmental pathways for both problems, competencies and general personality traits are studied.

For more information, see the project homepage: http://www.psyk.uu.se/hemsidor/devpsy/index.html

Erik Börjesson

NEURAL DETECTORS FOR VISUAL ANALYSIS OF MOTION AND 3-D FORM

Keywords: Vision, 3-D structure, motion, psychophysics, information integration, neural detectors

The light-rays reaching our eyes are the result of light reflected from the layout and objects in the environment. Due to the anatomical structure of the eyes, these light rays form a 2-dimensional image on each retina. This causes a problem for our visual system since we move around and deal with 3-dimensional objects in a 3-dimensional world. The depth-dimension has to be estimated from other sources of information than the relative positions between projection points on the retina.

There exists many cues that may be used by the visual system to recover the spatial layout of the environment and three-dimensional structure of objects: -Size, texture gradients, and shadows are examples of pictorial cues used by e.g. artists to give impressions of depth in paintings. -Our two eyes are looking at the world from slightly different vantage points. This causes the two corresponding images to be slightly different, causing a disparity. Theoretically, correct estimation of structure can be accompliched by scaling disparity with distance. -We, our eyes, and the objects around us are normally in constant relative motion. This causes continuous change of the retinal images. This retinal flow is used by the visual system to recover distance and 3-D form.

Visual mechanisms estimating structure from disparity may be revealed by using random dot stereograms devoid of other information than the difference in the relative positions of the dots in the two images. Similarly, it’s possible to see 3-D structure of objects defined only by relative motion in random dot displays presented on a computer screen. Only a cloud of dots is perceived on the screen without motion. By systematically varying the motion pattern on the screen it is possible to investigate by psychophysical methods which motion components that are critical for seeing various components of structure. Such manipulations reveal how the brain estimates structure-from-motion. It’s assumed that specific motion components are detected by neural elements or clusters of neurones in the brain. Results show that some properties of the motion patterns are specially powerful determinants of structure, and that some motion patterns are much more easily detected than others, even when masked with huge amounts of noise. Also, the results show that some neural elements that estimate form are attribute-invariant and operate in early visual areas in the brain. This means that they respond in agreement to the perceived form and not to the specific information from which the form is estimated like motion, stereoscopic depth, or pictorial cues.

Researchers: Ulf Ahlström, Erik Börjesson, Lars Eriksson, Mats Lind, Leo Poom

Financed by: HSFR, F0425/1999

Publications:

Ahlström, U. & Börjesson, E. (1996).

Segregation of motion structure from random visual noise. Perception, 25, 279-291.

Ahlström, U., Börjesson, E. & Ahlström, V. (1999).

Perceptual interference in the processing of superimposed motions. Visual Cognition, 6(2), 129-144.

Börjesson, E. (1972).

Sudies of visually perceived motion in depth. Sammanfattning i doktorsavhandlingen.

Börjesson, E. (1971).

Properties of changing patterns evoking visually perceived oscillation. Perception & Psychophysics, 9, 303-308.

Börjesson, E. (1976).

Perceived direction of motion aftereffects. Rep. 188. Dept. of Psychology., Univ. of Uppsala.

Börjesson, E. (1985).

Perceptual analysis of common motion. Dept. of Psychol., Univ. of Uppsala.

Börjesson, E. (1991).

Seende med ett och två ögon i tre dimensioner. Annales Academiae Regiae Scientiarum Upsaliensis, 28, 56-69.

Börjesson, E. (1994).

The optic sphere as a slant determining mechanism. In G. Jansson, S-S. Bergström, & W. Epstein (Eds), Perceiving events and objects (pp 479-491). Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Börjesson, E. & Ahlström, U. (1993).

Motion structure in five-dot patterns as a determinant of perceptual grouping. Perception & Psychophysics, 53, 2-12.

Börjesson, E. & von Hofsten, C. (1971).

Determinants of depth perception in motion patterns. Rep. 101. Dept. of Psychology., Univ. of Uppsala.

Börjesson, E. & von Hofsten, C. (1972).

Spatial determinants of depth perception in two-dot motlion patterns. Perception & Psychophysics, 11, 263-268.

Börjesson, E. & von Hofsten, C. (1973).

Visual perception of motion in depth: Application of a vector model to three-dot motioin patterns. Perception & Psychophysics, 13, 169-179.

Börjesson, E. & von Hofsten, C. (1975).

A vector model for perceived object rotation and translation in space. Psychological Research, 38, 209-230.

Börjesson, E. & von Hofsten, C. (1977).

Effects of different motion characteristics on perceived motion in depth. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 18, 203-208.

Börjesson, E. & Lind, M. (1996).

The effect of polar projection on the perception of euclidean structure from motion. Perception & Psychophysics, 58, 871-882.

Eriksson L. & Börjesson, E. (1997).

An application of the optic sphere theory in discrimination of slant with minimal information. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 38(4), 275-287.

Jansson, G. & Börjesson, E. (1969).

Perceived direction of rotary motion. Perception & Psychophysics, 6, 16-26.

Jansson, G. & Börjesson, E. (1969).

Perceived direction of rotary motion from unidimensional changes. Acta Univ. Ups. 2.

Jansson, G. & Börjesson, E. (1969)

Rotation and oscillation as a function of imagined visual angle and shape. Acta Univ. Ups. 2.

Johansson, G. & Börjesson, E. (1989).

Toward a new theory of vision: Studies in wide-angle space perception. Ecological Psychology,1, 301-331.

Johansson, G. & Börjesson, E. (1990).

Experiments on the optic sphere theory: Slant perception from central stimulation. Dept. of Psychol., Univ. of Uppsala.

Johansson, G., Börjesson, E., & Vedeler, D. (1991).

Studies on perception of waves: A contribution to the optic sphere theory. Dept. of Psychol., Univ. of Uppsala.

Lind, M. & Börjesson, E. (1993).

The role of visual angle in perceiving 3-D euclidean structure from motion. Investigative Ophthamology & Visual Science, 34(4), 1052.

Lind, M. & Börjesson, E. (1998).

Consistency of perceived structure from motion at large visual angle. Investigative Ophthamology & Visual Science, 39.

Lind, M. & Börjesson, E. (in press).

Perceived structure from two successive polar projected views: Consistent versus variable mapping of 3-D euclidean structure. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology.

Poom, L. & Börjesson, E. (1999).

Perceptual depth synthesis in the visual system as reveald by selective adaptation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 25, 1-14.

Poom, L. (2000).

Mechanisms for seeing transparency-from-motion and orientation-from-motion. Perception, 29, 661-674.

Poom, L. (2000).

Inter-attribute tilt effects and orientation analysis in the visual brain. Vision Research, 40, 2711-2722.

Poom, L. (2000).

Visual inter-attribute contour completion. (Submitted.)

JoAnne Dahl

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

I am interested primarily in clinical psychology. My research projects thus far have focused on cognitive behavioral treatment of a range of chronic illnesses such as chronic pain, epilepsy, asthma, intestinal disorders, diabetes, "burn out" and those persons who are on long term sick leave. Most of this work has been done directly in the field, at the national insurance companies, occupational health, primary care units, rehabilitation settings and even at the work sites. The last year I have iniated projects for the psychological treatment of epilepsy in the developing countries. I am chairperson of a committtee for the development of psycholog cal treatment of epilepsy which goes under the WHO. We have projects in India and in South Africa and many more contacts. Here at home, I have projects just getting started for the prevention of long term sick leave in Söderhamn. My therapeutic orientation centers around the "third wave" contexutal behavior therapies. I am always open for new ideas! If you are interested in clinical research and are not afraid of getting your hands "dirty" with the hard work of field based clinical applications, get in touch with me.

Here is a sample of some of my publications:

Dahl. J., Melin, L., Brorson, L.O., and Schollin, (1985) J. Effects of a broad spectrum behavior modification treatment program on children with refractory seizures., Epilepsia 26: 303-309

Dahl, J., Melin, L. and Lund, L., (1987) Effects of contingent relaxation treatment program on adults with refractory seizures., Epilepsia 28: 125-132

Dahl, J., Melin, L. and Leissner, P., (1988)Effects of a behavioral intervention on epileptic seizure behavior and paroxysmal aktivity: A systematic replication of three cases of children with intractable epilepsy., Epilepsia 29: 172-183

Dahl, J., Gustavsson, D. and Melin, L., (1990) Effects of a behavior treatment program on children with asthma., Journal of Asthma 27: 41-46

Dahl, J., Lindquist, B., Tysk, C., Leissner, P., Philipson, L., Jarnerot, G., (1991) Effects of a behavioral medicine approach to chronic constipation, Journal of Diseases in Colon and Rectum, 09.769-776

Dahl, J., Brorson, L.O. & Melin, L., (1992) Effects of a broad-spectrum behavioral treatment program on children with refractory epileptic seizures: An eight year follow-up, Epilepsia 33, 1: 98-102,

Dahl, J. (1998) A Behavioral Medicine Approach to the analysis and treatmentof childhood asthma, Scandinavian Journal of Behavior Therapy, 27,:1, 30-41.

Johansson, C. Dahl, J., Jannert, M. Melin, L, Andersson, G. (1998) Effects of a cognitive-behavioral pain-management program. Behavioral Research and Therapy, 36, 915-930.

Dahl, J. Nilsson, A. (2001) Evaluation of a preventive behavioral medicine work-site intervention for public health workers at risk for developing chronic pain. European Journal of Pain, 5; 1-12

Wicksell, R. & Dahl Olerud, J. (2003) Evaluation of a behavior analysis and treatment of progressive myoclonus epilepsy, type Unverricht - Lundborg: A case study. Scandinavian Journal of Behavior Therapy, in press Books and book chapters:
Dahl, J., Epilepsy: A behavior medicine approach to assessment and treatment, A handbook for professionals working with epilepsy, (250 pages) Hogrefe & Huber Publishers, Gottingen, Seattle, 1992

Ulf Dimberg

EMOTION PSYCHOLOGY

Keywords: Emotion, facial expression, EMG, EEG, autonomic activity, automatic responses, unconscious reactions, experience of emotion, hemispheric asymmetry, gender differences, social fear.

Abstract: "Emotion" is studied in a biological/evolutionary perspective. Based on theories that fundamental/basic emotions are controlled by biologically given "affect programs", questions are focused on how emotions are manifested as specific bodily response patterns; how rapidly the responses are manifested; and if emotional responses can be evoked and manifested as distinct physiological reactions, independently of conscious cognitive processes. The emotional activity is studied in three aspects of the emotional response system; i.e. the expressive, the physiological, and the cognitive level. Particularly, facial expressions are measured with an electromyographic (EMG) technique. Distinguished facial EMG response patterns are related to different autonomic responses as well as EEG measures and different cognitive aspects of the emotional response. Further questions are focused on unconscious reactions, facial-feedback, neuropsychological aspects of emotion e.g. hemispheric asymmetry, gender differences, emotional empathy, empathic accuracy, and clinical relevant groups such as phobics and persons with asperger syndrome.

Bo Ekehammar

(1) Personality (and Social Psychology) and Prejudice

Most research on prejudice today emphasizes a social psychological approach to the study of prejudice whereas the personality side is almost neglected. The present research program is, therefore, intended to examine the relationship between personality and prejudice. Specifically, we have examined the relation between Big-Five personality factors and facets and right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation on the one hand and different types of prejudice, and generalized prejudice, on the other hand. The major findings up to now provide a very clear picture, that is, prejudice(s) show a strong relation to core personality as it is expressed in the five-factor model (Big Five). Especially, the Big-Five factors Agreeableness and Openness to Experience and the Big-Five facets Tender-mindedness and Values display very high negative correlations with generalized prejudice and its components (ethnic prejudice, sexism, homophobia, and negative attitudes toward people with mental disabilities). We have also found that prejudice is related to surface personality as it is expressed in right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation. Based on experimental studies, the present program also includes the study of social psychological and personality variables in combination. Specifically, we have conducted experiments introducing social norm, social threat, social identity and social group membership. The outcome of these studies has provided evidence that personality is more important than social psychological variables in explaining prejudice.

Keywords: Big-Five personality, generalized prejudice, right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), social dominance orientation (SDO), social norm, social threat, social identity, social group membership

References
Akrami, N., & Ekehammar, B. (2006). Prejudice: Personality or social psychology? Manuscript submitted for publication.

Ekehammar, B., & Akrami, N. (in press). Personality and prejudice: From Big-Five personality factors to facets. Journal of Personality.

Akrami, N., & Ekehammar, B. (2006). Right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation: Their roots in big five personality factors and facets. Journal of Individual Differences, 27, 117-126.

Akrami, N., & Ekehammar, B. (2004). Prejudice: A question of personality or social psychology, or both? International Journal of Psychology, 39, 380.

Ekehammar, B., Akrami, N., Gylje, M., & Zakrisson, I. (2004). What matters most to prejudice: Big Five personality, social dominance orientation or right-wing authoritarianism? European Journal of Personality, 18, 463-482.

Ekehammar, B., & Akrami, N. (2003). The relation between personality and prejudice: A variable- and a person-centred approach. European Journal of Personality, 17, 449-464.

 For information on this project, see its homepage:
http://www.psyk.uu.se/researchgroups/socpsyk/

(2) The Relation between Implicit and Explicit Prejudice

The main aim of the present research was to assess the relationship between implicit and explicit measures of prejudice. Explicit prejudice is defined as slow and intentional and operates in a conscious mode. It can be measured by traditional self-report questionnaires. Implicit prejudice, in contrast, is fast and automatic and operates without intention, often in an unconscious mode. It is assessed by indirect measures, like response-latency-based tasks or different subliminal priming techniques. Specifically, we have examined the relation between implicit and explicit ethnic prejudice. For the measurement of explicit prejudice, we have employed a self-report instrument - the Modern Ethnic Prejudice Scale that was developed by our research group. For measuring implicit prejudice, we have employed a response-latency-based adjective evaluation task and subliminal activation of ethnic stereotypes by priming photos, words or a combination of these. The findings from three papers (6 experiments) suggest that measures of implicit and explicit prejudice are dissociated. However, if motivation to control prejudice is taken into account a low correlation between the two measures is revealed.

Keywords: Implicit and explicit prejudice, ethnic prejudice, stereotype and category activation, subliminal priming, the adjective evaluation task

References
Akrami, N., Ekehammar, B., & Araya, T. (2006). Category and stereotype activation revisited. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 47, 513-522.

Akrami, N., & Ekehammar, B. (2005). The association between implicit and explicit prejudice: The moderating role of motivation to control prejudiced reactions. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 46, 361-366.

Ekehammar, B., Akrami, N., & Araya, T. (2003). Gender differences in implicit prejudice. Personality and Individual Differences, 34, 1509-1523.

For information on this project, see its homepage:
http://www.psyk.uu.se/researchgroups/socpsyk/

Mats Fredrikson

BRAIN FUNCTION AND EMOTION

Key words: anxiety, learning, memory, PET, brain

My scientific interest is focused on the relation between brain function and emotional learning and memory. With the use of positron emission tomography (PET), our research group has performed a number of studies on volunteers, where we have studied acquisition and recall of aversive memories on an experimental basis, using the Pavlovian conditioning paradigm. We have also done studies in specific phobics and traumatized bank officials, post traumatic stress disorder and social phobia. Present and planned studies include new tracer molecules to visualize substance P in pain, anxiety and nausea before and after treatment. In collaboration with others we also study genemarkers.

The research group consists of Mats Fredrikson, Tomas Furmark (post. doc.) and graduate students Örjan Frans, Anna Pissiota and Maria Tillfors. We collaborate extensively with other groups in Sweden, USA and Japan.

Senior researcher: Professor Mats Fredrikson.

Alf Gabrielsson

STRONG EXPERIENCES OF MUSIC

Key words: music, experience.

The aim of this project is to describe the contents of strong experiences of music and to explore the conditions - in the music, the individual, and the situation - for the appearance of such experiences. A large number of people have been asked to describe the strongest experience of music that they ever had and to answer various questions in relation to that, further to indicate their agreement with a large set of statements concerning strong experiences of music. The material is subjected to content analysis and analysis by multivariate statistics.

The project is supported by The Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation and is now in its final stage. The researchers are Alf Gabrielsson and Siv Lindström Wik. Several students have conducted special studies within the project as part of their examination in psychology courses.

Reference:
Gabrielsson, A. & Lindström Wik, S. (2003). Strong  experiences related to
music: A descriptive system. Musicae Scientiae, 7, 157-217.

Project leader: Alf Gabrielsson.

Ata Ghaderi

Ata.Ghaderi@psyk.uu.se

(1) COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY FOR EATING DISORDERS

My research is within the field of clinical psychology, more specifically eating disorders. I started by focusing on identification of risk and protective factors for the development of eating disorders among young women in the general population using a prospective design. It also resulted in the study of prevalence and incidence of eating disorders. Knowledge gained from these studies is now being used in preventive interventions for eating disorders in ongoing projects.
The most current line of research concerns refinement of cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) as well as CBT-based self-help for bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder and other eating disorders not otherwise specified.
The following projects are in full progress:

(2) Self-help for the treatment of anorexia nervosa

Keywords: Eating, Anorexia, Starvation, Self-help, Behavioral treatment, Acceptance, Dieting
Self-help may be a viable first line of treatment for those suffering from less severe forms of anorexia nervosa (AN). In this project, the participants will be randomized to either a self-help condition receiving self-help material and support to overcome AN, or a waitlist control group who will receive the same treatment after 12 weeks.
Scientists involved: Ata Ghaderi, Thomas Parling, & Mia Ramklint

(3) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the treatment and relapse prevention in anorexia nervosa

Keywords: Eating, Anorexia nervosa, Cognitive behavioral treatment, Acceptance, Relapse, Compliance
The aim of this project is to study the efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in the treatment of severe anorexia nervosa (AN) by randomizing the patient into either ACT or treatment as usual. Given the nature of AN (i.e. the patients' efforts to achieve full control), and the characteristics of ACT (more acceptance of cognitions and emotions and stronger emphasis on commitment for what is changeable compared to other treatments), it is hypothesized that ACT will be more acceptable to the patients, and it will lead to lower number of drop-outs from treatment, significantly better outcome, and lower number of relapses compared to treatment as usual.
Financial support: Swedish Research Council
Scientists involved: Ata Ghaderi, Thomas Parling, Mia Ramklint, & Sven Holmgren

(4) Primary prevention of obesity

Keywords: Eating, Obesity, Prevention, Treatment, Parent training
In this project we intend to develop a structured program based on social cognitive theory promoting healthy eating habits and physical activity among preschool children and their parents which can be implemented in the Child Health Services on a nationwide basis and o evaluate the effects of this program on parents’ and their young children’s eating habits, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), and prevalence of overweight/obesity in a prospective and randomized study. The main goal of the study is to help parents build healthy eating habits and promote a high level of physical activity in preschool children and their parents and to reduce the risk for development of overweight/obesity.

Scientists involved: Finn Rasmussen, Ata Ghaderi, Lars Bernfort, Margareta Blennow, Berit Heitmann, Eva Lannerö, Christel Larsson, Margaretha Magnusson, Claes Sundelin, & Björn Wettergren

(5) Implicit attitudes among patients with eating disorders

Keywords: Eating, Anorexia, Implicit, Attitudes, Body image, Weight
Individuals are often not aware of how their implicit beliefs or attitudes can
manifest as judgements or actions. Implicit attitudes are introspectively unidentified (or inaccurately identified) traces of past experience that mediate favorable or unfavorable feeling, thought, or action toward social objects. The newly developed procedure for investigating implicit attitudes within the Reltional Frame Theory makes it possible to investigate the nature of the relations between the stimuli, in addition to the association. The main aim of the present project is to investigate the implicit attitudes of the patients with eating disorders, compared to normal controls, regarding the relation of weight and shape to their general sense of significance and value as human being.

Scientists involved: Ata Ghaderi, & Thomas Parling

Other ongoing projects concern treatment of Obesity, Screening for binge eating disorder among patients seeking treatment for obesity, The role of cognitions in the treatment of eating disorders, Effectiveness studies of Dialectic Behavior Therapy, Effects of parental eating attitudes on children, The mediating role of perfectionism in eating disorders, Heart Rate Variability and its relation to lifestyle factors and well-being...
For more information, see the project homepage (currently only in Swedish)
http://www.anst.uu.se/ataghade/index.html

Pehr Granqvist

pehr.granqvist@psyk.uu.se

(1) Attachment and religion

Keywords: attachment behavior, internal working models, religiosity, new age, affect regulation

The attachment and religion research field is devoted to the study of how the individual's religiousness and spirituality are linked to her/his attachment relationships and experiences. The area is cross-disciplinary in nature. From developmental psychology comes the attachment theoretical foundation. Attachment theory consists both of an evolutionary account of why and how children and their parents form strong affectional bonds to each other, as well as descriptions and hypothesized developmental implications of individual differences in child-parent attachment patterns. From theology comes the psychological study of religiousness and spirituality. Some of the religious phenomena that have been the subject of our inquiry concern changes in religiousness over time, New Age orientation, and different pathways (e.g., religious socialization, affect regulation) supposedly leading to religion. These phenomena are empirically studied in relation to the different attachment patterns postulated by the theory of attachment. More recently, we have focused on the need for methodological improvements and have conducted attachment and religion studies using prospective longitudinal and experimental designs, as well as more indirect, implicit measures of both attachment and religiousness. We have also recently emphasized a life-span perspective on the development of attachment and religion, focusing on links between the two from early childhood until late adulthood. Finally, in collaboration with an Israeli research team, we are currently performing a series of experiments on effects of punitive vs. nurturant God primes in attachment activating situations on prosocial and antiosocial behavioral inclinations. Apart from the researchers listed below, many bachelor and masters students have been involved in these projects over the years.

For more information, see the project homepage www.psyk.uu.se/hemsidor/devpsy/index.php
Funding provided by the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation, Alrutz Foundation, The Sasakawa Young Leaders´Fellowship Fund, and the Swedish Research Council.

Researchers: Pehr Granqvist, Berit Hagekull, Andreas Birgegård, Mary Main, Lee Kirkpatrick, Mario Mikulincer, Jane Dickie.

(2) Neurotheology

Keywords: sensed presence, temporal lobe, religiosity, new age, mystical experience

Neurotheology is an emerging cross-disciplinary field where spiritual and religious experiences are studied in relation to different patterns of brain activation. We have performed a large scale experimental replication and extension of a series of experiments performed in Canada by Dr. Michael Persinger and colleagues, who allegedly found spiritual-like experiences (e.g., sensing a presence of someone who is not physically there) to result from temporal lobe activation. In line with their procedure, we applied weak, complex magnetic fields to participants´ temporal lobes to test whether such experimental effects could be reproduced. In contrast to Persinger and co-workers' experiments, we employed a strict double-blind experimental protocol. We also investigated the potential influence of religiousness, new age orientation, and the propensity towards absorbing mental states on these experiences and their interpretations. Our findings (published in Neuroscience Letters) revealed main-effects of personality parameters indicative of susceptibility to suggestion but no effects from magnetic field application. Apart from the researchers listed below, two students have worked on their bachelor and masters theses within this project.

Researchers: Pehr Granqvist, Mats.Fredrikson, Dan Larhammar, Marcus Larsson, and Sven Valind.

(3) Adolescent and Adult Attachment

Keywords: Adult attachment, Adult Attachment Interview, romantic love, emotion regulation
Although attachment theory and research were originally devoted to understanding young children’s emotional ties to their primary caregivers, subsequent theory and research have also addressed attachment processes in adolescence and adulthood. This has been done in two different traditions, the first based on linguistic analysis of adults’ attachment history narratives primarily regarding attachment to parents (common in developmental psychology), the second based on an analysis of romantic-pair bonds as principal attachment relationships in adulthood (common in social psychology). We have conducted research on adolescent and adult attachment in both traditions, and along three different lines. First, we have studied the prospective transition from parent to peer (most often romantic pair-bond) attachment in adolescence. Second, we have focused on individual differences in adult attachment in relation to a wide variety of emotion-regulation relevant correlates, including eating disorders, drug use and abuse, self-mutilation, and coping. Finally, we now study processes of continuity and discontinuity in attachment security from early childhood to young adulthood as part of a long-term longitudinal project on socioemotional development. In this latter project we also investigate the roles of life-events and temperament as potential moderators of attachment-related continuity-discontinuity.

Researchers: Pehr Granqvist, Mari Fransson, Berit Hagekull, Gunilla Bohlin, Ata Ghaderi, Wolfgang Friedlmeier.

Funding provided by the Swedish Research Council and the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation

(4) Attachment in children of mothers with an intellectual disability

Keywords: Attachment, parenting, intellectual disability, risk factors, protective factors

Our aim with this project is to gain knowledge about attachment among children with mothers who have an intellectual disability (ID). As several external risk factors have been found to be overrepresented among mothers with ID, the project also focuses on potential risk- and protective factors for their children's development. Despite the fact that parental ID has gained a lot of attention and has been a source of considerable controversy, no previously published study has examined attachment among children of these parents.

Researchers: Pehr Granqvist, Lene Lindberg, Kerstin Andersson, and Lydia Springer.

This project is undertaken in collaboration with FUB (Föreningen för utvecklingsstörda barn, ungdomar och vuxna), Stockholm Public Health Care Center, and the child and adult habilitation centres at Uppsala läns landsting.

Funding provided by FAS (Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research).

Berit Hagekull

DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

Keywords: attachment temperament socioemotional development parenting

My focus is on socioemotional development, mainly studied in longitudinal designs. Temperament and attachment are the main theoretical perspectives, paired with a health psychology perspective including stress, support systems and social background factors. Developmental pathways for problems, competencies, and general personality traits are studied. Age periods covered include infancy, toddlerhood, preschool age and middle childhood. Presently, the research group hasstarted a follow-up study of young adults whom we studied extensively during their first 9 years of life.

For more information, see the project homepage: http://www.psyk.uu.se/hemsidor/devpsy/index.html

Claes von Hofsten

DEVELOPMENT OF PREDICTIVE BEHAVIORS IN INFANTS

Abstract: All actions are directed into the future and their control must therefore be based on information about events that has not yet happened. Such control is possible because the world is predictable. What has happened carries information about what is going to happen next. Predictive control is necessary for the coordination of muscle movements in the construction of movements, the coordination of movements of several body parts and for the guidance of goal directed actions towards external events. Thus, prediction is a very basic aspect of all behavior and has deep phylogenetic roots. The present project is focused on the development of predictive control of actions in infancy. In one set of studies, We investigate how infants become able to smoothly pursue moving objects and how they develop an ability to track them over temporary occlusion. To solve these tasks the infants must anticipate how the objects will move next and represent the moving object when they are temporarily invisible. In another set of studies we investigate how infants plan their reaches toward moving objects and how they plan manipulative actions on objects.

UTVECKLING AV PERCEPTION OCH KOGNITION HOS SPÄDBARN I RELATION TILL HJÄRNANS UTVECKLING

The development of the brain and the action capabilities of the infant are intimately related. The purpose of the present project is to investigate this relationship with special focus on the relation between the emerging perception and cognition and the maturing organization of the cortical projection areas of the brain. In adults, the areas associated with the planning of movements are primarily localized to the frontal parts of the brain while the areas devoted to perception are localized to the occipital, parietal and temporal areas. It has also been assumed that the synaptogenesis of cerebral cortex starts in the sensory areas and proliferate towards the frontal and prefrontal parts of the cortex. Recently published data indicate, however, that at least parts of the prefrontal areas of the cortex are functional as early as the the sensory areas. The problem is that there are almost no data on how the development of perception and cognition are related to the emergence of neural structures. The few existing studies indicate, however, that there is no simple relationship between the brains of adults and those of infants. To understand the ontogenesis of the brain it is therefore of great importance to investigate how the different areas get their final function, how the different areas develop, and how they relate to the corresponding areas of the adult. In this project we use high density EEG (128 electrodes). We are currently studying the development of motion perception, color perception, and the perception of biological motion.

INFANTS' ABILITY TO PERCEIVE EVENTS, ACTIONS, AND INTENTIONS

We perceive our own and other people's movements as actions, that is in terms of intentions and goal directedness. When we watch another person who reach for and manipulate an object, it is not the movement itself that is the focus of attention, but rather the object reached for and the goal and sub-goals of the manipulation. This focusing on the goal is of critical importance for our ability to predict actions. It relies on mental models of the rules and regularities that determine our behaviours (theory-of-mind). The purpose of the present project is to learn how infants develop an understanding of their own and other people's actions. Recently research indicates that infants develop interests in other people's action after they themselves have begun to master them. Thus we expect infants to understand external actions like reaching and locomotion before they understand pointing and looking and finally social interaction and communication between other individuals. Another important purpose with the planned studies is to compare the development of normal children's understanding of actions and intentions with children whose development of such skills is impaired. Studies like that does not need to involve infants, but can be carried out on older children with documented social problems, like children with infantile autism. In this research we study what infants look by measuring their eye movements.

Timo J Hursti

Key words: food choice, aversion, disgust, nausea and vomiting, cancer, chemotherapy

PSYCHOLOGY OF EATING

In various projects mechanisms related to avoidance of specific foods are being studied. The factors of interest include especially food aversions, the emotion of disgust and symptoms of nausea and vomiting.

SIDE-EFFECTS OF CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY

General mechanisms of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting as well as factors explaining the individual variation in these side-effects are being studied. The study methods include assessments of personality and psychological well-being, neuroendocrinological factors and brain function.

Gunnar Jansson

Gunnar.Jansson@psyk.uu.se

Updated 2006-08-05

My research concerns haptic perception, both basic issues and applications to aids for the visually impaired.

(1) ACTIVE AND PASSIVE TOUCH IN PERCEPTION OF FORM

Keywords: Active touch, passive touch, haptics, form perception

Active versus passive touch is a classic problem concerning the hand considered as a perceptual system. Seminal papers on this issue were written by Katz (1925/1989) and Gibson (1962). Many researchers have adopted the idea that active touch is superior to passive touch, but others have not. Hughes and Jansson (1994) gave an overview of this discussion.

Some experiments of ours compared active and passive touch utilising specially built equipment that made it possible to separate active and passive components. The tactile information was provided via an Optacon II display attached to a sliding carriage steered either by a participant in the experiment or by motors guided by a computer. It allowed studies of the effects of different components in haptic perception of 2D patterns. During active exploration the observer moved the display over a horizontal surface, the task being to identify the a series of virtual forms. Its position was continuously registered, as well as the relation of the movements to the virtual patterns. Exactly the same patterns were presented to another participant with the same changes according to the movements of the first participant, who thus got the same tactual information but without own movements.. The result was that active exploration gave more accurate identifications than the passive condition.

The result was less clear when a condition where the Optacon II display with the hand was passively moved in the same path as the active participant had moved. Useful information about movement seems to be provided also in this passive case. The experiments so far have examined only simple 2D patterns, and more complex patterns have to be investigated to further enlighten the issue. A tentative hypothesis is that the difference between active and passive touch may not be that large in simple cases; both cutaneous and kinaesthetic information may then work well also separately. When complex patterns are explored the existence of both kinds of information can be expected to result in better performance than when only one of them is available.

Publications

Hughes, B. & Jansson, G. (1994). Texture perception via active touch. Human Movement Science, 13, 301-333.

Jansson, G. (1998). Haptic perception of outline 2D shape: The contributions of information via the skin, the joints and the muscles. In B. Bril, A. Ledebt, G. Dietrich, A. Roby-Brami (Eds.), Advances in perception-action coupling (pp. 25-30). Paris: Éditions EDK.

Jansson, G. (Convener and Chair) (2000). Active versus passive touch revisited: The relative importance of cutaneous and kinaesthetic information. Invited symposium. In F. Y. Doré (Ed.), Abstracts of the XXVII International Congress of Psychology, Stockholm, Sweden, July 23-28, 2000, International Journal of Psychology, 35, 206.

(2) HAPTIC PERCEPTION OF LIQUID PROPERTIES

Keywords: haptic perception, perception of liquids, dynamic stimulus parameters, calibration of perceptual information

Haptic judgement of weight is a classic problem in psychology. A related everyday phenomenon, not experimentally studied before, is the judgement of amount of fluid in a non-transparent container, such as a cartoon of milk. A typical behaviour when wanting to know the amount of milk left is to shake the cartoon. The aim of this project was to study some aspects of this phenomenon.

(a) Information useful for the judgement of amount of fluid in a container.
The everyday situation is multi-sensory. In an experiment it was found that haptics is the most important sense. Information about mass available for haptics concerns mass provided by gravity during (vertical) lifting; during (horizontal) shaking of the cartoon dynamic properties are produced. Also hearing and seeing are able to contribute on their own to some extent. However, the best judgements are obtained in totally unrestricted exploration with all senses available. It should be observed that the shaking condition adds the possibility of making a perceptual separation between the weight of the fluid content and the weight of the solid container. That this possibility is utilised was demonstrated in an experiment where contents in both fluid and solid form were used. The proportion of correctly identified kind of content was higher when shaking was allowed.

The experiments demonstrated the usefulness of the information produced by shaking a container with fluid. What might the physical information be more specifically? Two options have been studied: self-oscillation and change of momentum. The former candidate, originally applied to waves in lakes, does not seem to be applicable to the present situation. The later is still considered. A basic fact is that the momentum of the solid container and the fluid content do not change simultaneously. The details of this option remain to be worked out. A third theory based on the inertia tensor theory is also a possibility to be considered.

(b) Calibration of visual and auditory information on haptic information.
A comparison between two early experiments indicated that visual and auditory information were more veridical and exact if they were preceded by a session with all senses available. This might mean that there was a calibration of visual and auditory information on haptic information. Some experiments indicated that this might be the case.

Publications

Jansson, G. (1993). Perception of the amount of fluid in a vessel shaken by hand. In S.S. Valenti & J.B. Pittinger (Eds.), Studies in perception and action II. Posters presented at the VIIth International Conference on Event Perception and Action. August 8-13, 1993. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC Canada (pp. 263-267) Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Jansson, G., Juslin, P. Olsson, N. & Poom, L. (1995). Fluid-specific dynamic stimulus variables available and useful for perceiving the amount of fluid in a non-transparent vessel shaken by a hand. Abstract of poster at the Eighth Conference on Perception and Action, Marseille, 10 - 14 July, 1995.

Jansson, G., Juslin, P. & Poom, L. (2006). Liquid-specific stimulus properties can be used for haptic perception of the amount of liquid in a vessel put in motion. Perception, 35, 1421-1432.

 

(3) MOBILITY AIDS FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE

Keywords: blind, elderly, orientation, computer use, digital maps, tactile maps, virtual maps, satellite navigation.

(a) The MoBIC project
MoBIC was a European Union project, mainly funded by the Technology for the Integration of Disabled and Elderly People (TIDE) program, the Swedish part also by the Swedish Work Environment Fund and Uppsala University. Members of the consortium were specialists in technology (the German firm Papenmeier and British Telecommunication Laboratories), informatics (University of Magdeburg and Free University of Berlin), education (University of Birmingham) and psychology (University of Hertfordshire and Uppsala University), or represented an organisation for the blind (Royal National Institute for the Blind, London).

The aims of the project were to investigate the needs of blind and elderly people concerning orientation during travel, to develop a prototype making independent travel in unfamiliar areas possible for these persons, and to evaluate this prototype used in practice. The emphasis should be on the needs of the blind.

The aid consists of two parts, an indoor planning system and an outdoor system. The planning system aimed to be useful before travelling by making digital maps and other kinds of information available to the users. They told the computer about start and goal of travel and got the shortest route calculated. The user could then make a virtual travel along the route by pressing cursor keys and getting verbal information along the route in synthetic speech. Optionally, a tactile map placed on a touch board could be used instead of the cursor keys, an option adding haptic information to the auditory information. The exploration of the route could go on as long as wanted.

When the user judged that there has been enough training, the digital map and the planned route was loaded into the computer of the outdoor system which also contained a receiver for DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System), a compass and a telephone (for the differential signal), all packed in a rucksack or a waist-coat. By manipulating a small keyboard on the wrist, the user could get information during travel in form of synthetic speech. The information was integrated by the computer from the map, the route, the DGPS and the compass.

Several both laboratory and field experiments were performed during the development of different parts of the aid. A final evaluation of prototypes was made in Birmingham with participation of 13 visually impaired people, in most cases during a three-month period. During this time the participants followed carefully designed training programs and evaluation sessions.

The evaluation demonstrated that the MoBIC Travel Aid can be successfully used by visually impaired people with appropriate skills, motivation and training to plan and navigate journeys, also in unfamiliar areas. It should be stressed that all the three pre-conditions mentioned are necessary for success.

The MoBIC project differed from most related projects in its emphasis on careful investigations of user needs, in its multi-disciplinary effort, in the well prepared learning sessions, and in the extensive evaluation program.

The project lasted formally during the years 1994-96, but continued also after that informally by writing scientific reports.

Publications

Holmes, E., Jansson, G. & Jansson, A. (1996). Exploring auditorily enhanced maps for travel in new environments. In D. Burger (Ed.), New technologies in the education of the visually handicapped (pp. 191-196). Montrouge, France: John Libbey Eurotext.

Holmes, E. & Jansson, G. (1997). A touch tablet enhanced with synthetic speech as a display for visually impaired people’s reading of virtual maps. In CSUN 12th Annual Conference on Technology for People with Disabilities [3.5 diskette, file Holmes_e.txt]. Northridge, CA: California State University, Northridge.

The MoBIC consortium (1997). Mobility of blind and elderly people interacting with computers. Final report. London: Royal National Institute for the Blind.

Jansson, G. (1999). Verbal and Tactile Map Information for Travelling Without Sight. In C. Bühler & H. Knops (Eds.), Assistive technology on the threshold of the new millennium (pp. 596-599). Assistive Technology Research Series, Vol. 6. Amsterdam: IOS Press.

(b) Non-visual reading of virtual maps with a haptic display combined with auditory information
Virtual maps are important in many contexts for the visually sighted. The aim with these experiments within the EU projects ENACTIVE and MICOLE was to study some possibilities to make them available also for people with visual impairments. Some of the options are based on the use of a haptic mouse or a touch tablet, in both cases with auditory information added. A haptic mouse option (the VTPlayer),which provides kinaesthetic information as well as tactile information via two matrices of pins on the top of the mouse was studied in a few experiments. They suggested that changes of the software concerning the use of texture improve performance, but basic problems in the use of a computer mouse without visual feedback remains. Ongoing experiments investigate these problems, as well as the usefulness of haptic information via a touch tablet.

In an experiment with a two-armed haptic display, the GRAB display, the usefulness of using one of the arms for a reference point and the other for exploration of the map was studied. Against expectation, no advantage of a reference point was found for learning of a route to be travelled.

Publications

Jansson, G. & Pedersen, P. (2005). Obtaining geographical information from a virtual map with a haptic mouse.Paper at the International Cartographic Conference (Theme “Maps for Blind and Visually Impaired”) 9-16 July, A Coruna, 2005, Spain. Available on conference CD-ROM.

Jansson, G., Juhasz, I. & Cammilton, A. (2006). Reading virtual maps with a haptic mouse: Effects of some modifications of the tactile and audio-tactile information. British Journal of Visual Impairment, 24, 60-66.

Juhasz, I., Jansson, G. & Gutierrez, T. (2006). Effects of a haptic reference point for learning a route on a virtual map. In ENACTIVE, Results of the first experimental assessment and recommendations for the design and development of Enactive application for special users (pp. 15-22). ENACTIVE INTERFACES, (Project IST-2004-002114-ENACTIVE), RD3.1/M.RD3.1.3/2006.

(4) VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE'S READING OF DEPTH IN TACTILE PICTURES

Keywords: blind, visually impaired, tactile pictures, depth in pictures, haptic perception

There are two main ways for the blind to be informed about the content of a picture: verbal description and tactile (embossed) picture. The main emphasis in this project is on haptic perception of texture gradients as information about 3D aspects of pictures.

The stimuli in the main experiments were produced on so-called swellpaper, which is a paper making a black pattern drawn on it embossed when the paper is heated. The focus was on the potentials of tactual perception of texture gradients corresponding to plain surfaces slanted to different degrees. A first experiment demonstrated that observers could judge the magnitude of texture gradients; a second that texture gradients could be used for judgements of the slant of plain surfaces if proper instructions were presented and suitable keys were provided. A third experiment showed that people blind from birth, and thus with no experience of visual texture gradients, could also use the tactile texture gradients. Further, pilot experiments indicated that the results can be generalised to other texture gradients than those used in the experiments just mentioned and to texture gradients corresponding to non-plain surfaces. Much more research is needed to investigate the general usefulness of texture gradients perceived tactually, but the experiments so far demonstrate clearly that they are not alien for tactile perception but can be successfully explored by the finger tips.

Haptic perception of texture gradients was also explored with an Optacon II. This device is basically a reading device for the blind where the user scans a text with a small TV camera and the text is translated into a pattern within a matrix of 5 x 20 vibrating pins. However, it can be used for other patterns as well. Here it was used for presentation of texture gradients such as those used in the experiment with swellpaper. It was found that texture gradients made available by scanning with an Optacon could also be read by observers but with less precision than those presented on swellpaper. This is noteworthy as the detailed forms of the gradients are quite different in the two media.

Publications

Holmes, E., Hughes, B. & Jansson, G. (1998). Haptic perception of texture gradients. Perception, 27, 993-1008.

Jansson, G. & Holmes, E. (2003). Can we read depth in tactile pictures? Potentials suggested by research in tactile perception. In E. Axel & N. Levant (Eds.), Art beyond vision: A resource guide to art, creativity, and visual impairment (pp. 146-156). New York: Art Education for the Blind and American Foundation for the Blind.

 

 

(5) PERCEPTION OF VIRTUAL OBJECTS BY VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE VIA A HAPTIC DISPLAY

Keywords: visually impaired people, haptic perception, virtual objects, haptic displays

The options of making pictures available for blind people have, so far, mainly been tactile pictures and verbal descriptions, or combinations of these alternatives. During the last two decades, advanced displays for haptic perception of virtual objects have been constructed, such as the PHANToM. A virtual object can be defined by a computer file and experienced with the aid of such a display. An observer grasps a stylus or puts her finger into a "thimble", which can be moved around within the working space of the device. In this way the virtual objects can be explored haptically. This device is meant to be applicable in many contexts, including multi-sensory presentations. Here it is considered mainly on its own as a potential aid for information about 3D scenes depicted for the visually impaired.

The most interesting property of such a device is that it allows a virtual representation of a 3D of objects to be touched. However, the way of exploration deviates from natural haptics in at least two main ways: (1) there is only one simultaneous contact area with the object available at a time and (2) this contact has a very small extension, just one point. As these properties probably are important for natural haptic exploration, it is uncertain from the start to what extent this new kind of exploration can be useful.

The general aim of the experiments was to study the usefulness of haptic information presented via a PHANToM. In the first ones haptic perception of real and virtual objects were compared. It was found that textures were perceived very similarly in the two cases, but concerning 3D form the performance was different. Tasks of identifying the form of simple real 3D objects were performed in about 2 sec with 100 % accuracy, but in around 30 to 40 sec with accuracy around 70-80 % when the objects were virtual and explored with the PHANToM. Performance improved with size of the virtual objects but it never reached the level of performance with real objects. Practice improved performance considerably for a majority of the participants in another experiment. This is important to consider in evaluation of haptic displays where the exploration is quite different from natural exploration.

Publications

Jansson, G. (1999). Can a haptic display rendering virtual 3D objects be useful for people with visual impairment? Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 93, 426-429.

Jansson, G., Billberger, K., Petrie, H., Colwell, C., Kornbrot, D., Fänger, J., König, H., Hardwick, A. & Furner, S. (1999). Haptic virtual environments for blind people: Exploratory experiments with two devices. International Journal of Virtual Reality, 4, 10-20.

Jansson, G. (2000). Basic issues concerning visually impaired people’s use of haptic displays. In P. Sharkey, A. Cesarani, L. Pugnatti & A. Rizzo (Eds.), The 3rd International Conference on Disability, Virtual Reality and Associated Technologies — Proceedings, 23-25 September, Alghero, Sardinia, Italy (pp. 33-38). To appear also in International Journal of Virtual Reality.

Jansson, G. (2000). The usefulness of haptic displays for visually impaired people reading 3D pictures. In R. Vollmar & R. Wagner (Eds.), Computers helping people with special needs. ICCHP 2000 (pp. 313-317). Vienna: Österreichische Computer Gesellschaft.

Jansson, G. & Ivås, A. (2001).Can the efficiency of a haptic display be increased by short-time practice in exploration? In G. Goos, J. Hartmanis & J. van Leeuwen (Series Eds.) & S. Brewster & R. Murray-Smith (Vol. Eds.), Lecture Notes in Computer Science: Vol. 2058. Haptic Human-Computer Interaction (pp. 85-91). Heidelberg, Germany: Springer.

Jansson, G. (2001). The potential importance of Perceptual Filling-In for haptic perception of virtual object form. In C. Baber, M. Faint, S. Wall & A. M. Wing (Eds.), Eurohaptics 2001 Conference Proceedings (Educational Technology Research Papers, ETRP 12, pp. 72-75). Birmingham, England: The University of Birmingham (ISSN 1463-9394).

Jansson, G. (2001). The potential usefulness of high-tech aids for visually impaired seniors. In H.-W. Wahl & H.-E. Schulze (Eds.), On the special needs of blind and low vision seniors (pp. 231-238). Amsterdam: IOS Press.

(6) THE MUSEUM OF PURE FORM: A haptic display for exploration of works of art

Keywords: haptic perception, haptic displays, perception of visual art, aids for visually impaired people

A total experience of works of art should not allow only visual observation, but also haptic exploration. Visitors to museums often feel a wish to manually explore works of art, but they are generally not allowed to do so. This means significant restrictions in the experience of art, especially for visually impaired people. A EU-sponsered research project (PURE-FORM), coordinated by PERCRO at Scuola Superiore S. Anna in Pisa, starting in September 2001 and ending in August 2004, investigated a new option. It aimed to make possible manual exploration of virtual 3D copies of works of art via a haptic display developed within the project in cooperation between technical, computer science, perception and museum experts. A number of statues were scanned, and virtual 3D copies of them made available for touching. The final goal is that a virtual library of statues would be created that is accessible at all museums having the necessary equipment.

The contributions from Uppsala include perception experiments on basic problems with haptic displays and evaluations of new prototypes.

Publications

Jansson, G. (2002). Perceiving complex virtual scenes without visual guidance. In McLaughlin, M. L., Hespanha, J. & Sukhatme, G. (Eds.), Touch in virtual environments (pp. 169-179). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Jansson, G & Larsson, K. (2002). Identification of haptic virtual objects with different degrees of complexity. In S. A. Wall, B. Riedel, A Crossan & M. R. McGee (Eds.), Eurohaptics 2002, Conference Proceedings, Edinburgh, July 2002 (pp. 57-60). Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University.

Jansson, G. & Öström, M. (2004). The effects of co-location of visual and haptic space on judgements of form. In M. Buss, M Fritschi & H. Esen (Eds.), Proceedings of the 4th International Conference Eurohaptics 2004 (pp. 516-519). München, Germany: Technische Universität München.

Jansson, G. & Pieraccioli, C. (2004). Effects of surface properties on haptic perception of the form of virtual objects. In M. Buss, M. Fritschi & H. Esen (Eds.), Proceedings of the 4th International Conference Eurohaptics 2004 (pp. 211-216). München, Germany: Technische Universität München.

Jansson, G., Bergamasco, M. & Frisoli, A. (2003). A New Option for the Visually Impaired to Experience 3D Art at Museums: Manual Exploration of Virtual Copies. Visual Impairment Research, 5, 1-12.

Frisoli, A., Jansson, G., Bergamasco, M. & Loscos, C. (2005). Evaluation of the Pure-Form haptic displays used for exploration of works of art at museums. Paper at Worldhaptics 2005, Pisa, March 18-20, 2005. Available in Proceedings on CD-ROM

(7) VISUAL AND HAPTIC PERCEPTION OF OBJECT ELASTICITY WHEN THE OBJECT IS HANDLED

Keywords: visual perception, haptic perception, perception of object elasticity, dynamic virtual event

Elasticity is a basic property of objects, and a way to perceive this property haptically is to handle the object. The main aim of this experiment was to study the relation between the stiffness of a virtual object and the perception of its elasticity when it is squeezed by the observer. Other aims was to see if perception and exploratory movement changed when visual information was added. It was found that there was a close relation between the physical parameters describing the force applied and the perception of elasticity. Visual information did not improve the judgements, but it modified move movement parameters.

Publication

Couroussé, D., Jansson, G., Florens, J.-L. & Luciani, A. (2006). Visual and haptic perception of object elasticity in a squeezing virtual event. Proceedings of the International Conference Eurohaptics 2006 July 2-6, Paris, France (pp. 283-288).

 

 

(8) THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE FOR HAPTIC OBJECT IDENTIFICATION OF NUMBER OF CONTACT AREAS AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION AT THESE AREAS

Keywords: haptic object identification, number of contact areas, spatial distribution of information

The information in haptics in real life is usually provided at several contact areas and each of them consists of an extended surface with spatially distributed information. This information is drastically reduced in present-day haptic displays, in most cases to only one contact area that presents information from just one "collision" between the device and a virtual object. The aims of this group of experiments was to investigate what number of contact areas and their spatial extension means for the identification of the virtual objects, as well as the relative importance of number of areas and their extension. It ws found that performance increased to some extent with number of contact areas, especially between one are and two areas, but that the great leap was obtained when the areas increased from nearly just a point up to roughly a finger pad. Applied to the construction of haptic displays these result suggest, that usefulness can not be improved to a very large extent by adding small contact areas, while a spatially extended contact area would mean a great improvement.

Publications

Jansson, G. & Monaci, L. (2003). Exploring tactile maps with one or two fingers. Cartographic Journal, 40, 269-271.

Jansson, G. & Monaci, L. (2004). Haptic identification of objects with different numbers of fingers. In S. Ballesteros & M. A. Heller (Eds.), Touch, Blindness and Neuroscience (pp. 209-219). Madrid: UNED Press.

Jansson, G & Monaci, L. (2006). Identification of real objects under conditions similar to those in haptic displays: Providing spatially distributed information at the contact areas is more important than increasing the number of areas. Virtual Reality, 9, 243-249.

(9) RESEARCH OVERVIEWS

Keywords: Aids for the visually impaired, orientation and mobility, tactile maps, haptic perception

Jansson, G. (2000). Spatial orientation and mobility of people with visual impairment. In B. Silverstone, M. A. Lang, B. Rosenthal, & E. E. Faye (Eds.), The Lighthouse Handbook on Visual Impairment and Rehabilitation (pp. 379-397). New York: The Lighthouse and Oxford University Press.
Jansson, G. (2003). Tactile maps – overview of research and development. In Y. Eriksson, G. Jansson & M. Strucel (Eds.), Tactile maps. Guidance in map production. Stockholm: The Swedish Braille Authority.
Jansson, G. (in press). Haptics as a replacement for vision. Chapter for M. A. Hersh and M. A. Johnson (Eds.), Assistive technology for vision-impaired and blind. London: Springer

Patrik N. Juslin

APPRAISAL IN MUSIC AND EMOTION (AMUSE)

FEEDBACK-LEARNING OF MUSICAL EXPRESSIVITY (FEEL-ME)

MUSIC FOR HEALTH AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING

The aim of this project is to investigate the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms through which music may influence physical health and subjective well-being. The project involves a multi-disciplinary approach, in which effects of music on emotions, stress, and physical health are measured at different levels (self-reported experience, psychophysical measures, brain imaging, hormones) in both field studies and laboratory studies. By focusing on underlying mechanisms, the project can provide a scientific basis for individualized interventions that enhance health through music listening. The project is a collaboration between Göteborg (project director: Daniel Västfjäll) and Uppsala (co-director: Patrik Juslin). Among the collaborators are Mats Fredrikson, Kerstin Uvnäs Moberg, and Terry Hartig.

Funded by the Swedish Research Council. See the home page of the Music Psychology Group: http://www.psyk.uu.se/hemsidor/musicpsy

Peter Juslin

Peter.Juslin@psyk.uu.se

SIGMA: A COGNITIVE THEORY OF JUDGMENT

 The project involves the development and testing of a cognitive theory of the processes and representations that underlie human multiple-cue judgment. A key assumption of the theory, entitled Sigma after the mathematical sign for summation, is that intuitive controlled judgment is constrained to integrate information by summing up the impact of separate pieces of information in the form of a weighted average, but that this information may be carried by several qualitatively distinct forms of cognitive representations, including knowledge of specific cue-criterion relations (cue abstraction) and memory for similar previously encountered judgment cases (exemplars). The theory allows us to predict task properties that induce reliance on analytic cue abstraction processes and more "silent" and intuitive processes in the form of exemplar-based judgments, and more generally to understand the complementary computational and adaptive roles played by these different kinds of knowledge. 

MAN AS A NAIVE INTUITIVE STATISTICIAN

The information available to a judge is in general incomplete. When information is gathered often only a small subset of the events, objects, or behaviors from the populations to which one intends to generalize are available. The situation is analogous to when a statistician attempts to describe a population on the basis of a statistical sample. The intuitive judge is, however, not equipped with the formal tools available to a statistician but tends to be naïve with respect to origins of sampling biases and inherently biased sample properties. A new research program (Fiedler & Juslin, 2006) is based on the metaphor of information sampling and man as a naïve intuitive statistician. The research program can reconcile apparently conflicting results in the previous literature and affords new ways to cure the judgment biases reported in judgment research (Gilovich, Griffin, & Kahneman, 2002), which have often proven difficult to “debias” in the light of the extant understanding of these phenomena. The project aims both to explicate and re-interpret previous judgment phenomena in terms of the metaphor, and to develop and test new models and hypotheses implied by the metaphor. The ambition is both to develop theory in regard to fundamental research on human judgment and to contribute to the development of practical methods for improving expert judgments.  

The Naïve Intuitive Statistician

see the project homepage: http://www.psyk.uu.se/researchgroups/cognition/

Mats J. Olsson

Mats.Olsson@psyk.uu.se

CHEMORECEPTION-BASED COMMUNICATION AND COGNITION

The research aims at assessing the function of the olfactory system from a number of angles. Perception and memory for odors represents one focus; chemoreception of putative pheromones in humans is another.

Key words: Smell, pheromones, perception, memory, psychophysics, psychophysiology

Perception: Several topics in olfactory perception are of interest. With the emerging knowledge in olfactory neuroscience we also revisit and revise perceptual models of odor interaction.

Cognition: There are several reasons to believe that the olfactory perceptual and cognitive systems may work differently from the visual systems. The aim of the current research is to assess the nature of odor perception and memory from the point of view of performance, experience and metacognition, and to compare the functioning of these systems with the estblished models that exist in the realm of cognitive psychology.

Pheromones: Among animals it is well known that chemical communication is taking place between members of a species through the emission and reception of substances emerging from the body. The question is, whether such communication is taking place also between humans. Two putative pheromones (androstadienone and estratetraenol) are currently under investigation with regards to their effects on psychological (mood, face attractiveness, flirting behavior) and physiological variables (ANS-measures and fMRI).

Research group: Mats J. Olsson, Fredrik Jönsson, Malin Brodin. Collaborators: Daniel Broman (Umeå), Fransisco Esteves (Lissabon), Thomas Hummel (Dresden), Dan Larhammar (Uppsala), Maria Larsson (Stockholm), Julie Boyle, Marilyn Jones-Gotman, and Johan Lundström (Montreal), Per Moeller (Copenhagen), Steven Nordin (Umeå),

Leo Poom

VISUAL PERCEPTION AND WORKING MEMORY

My research interest is focused on visual perception and concerns questions about information integration, gestalt formation, three-dimensional shape perception, motion perception, and visual working memory.

Information integration
The aim of one of the current research projects, supported by grants from the Swedish research council (Vetenskapsrådet, VR), is to use psychophysical
methods to test visual information integration models. Information about visually specified shapes can be mediated by several surface media. For instance, contrasts in brightness, colour, texture, motion and stereoscopic depth can be used to distinguish shapes against the background (figure-ground segregation and gestalt formation). Are these features promoting activity in independent channels (race models) or are they combined to activate a common channel (co-activation models)? These models can be distinguished empirically by comparing results from conditions where two features are combined with corresponding conditions where the features are used in isolation. In laboratory settings, where images are generated by a computer and displayed on a screen, different information media can be used in isolation or combined in controlled conditions. In typical experiments the task may be to localise or identify some target embedded in noise elements. The target may be an individual element or multiple elements forming a specific pattern which forms the target. The first target condition is used to examine information integration in element detection and the second target condition is used to examine information integration in gestalt formation. These two processes are believed to occur sequentially in the visual system. The variables under investigation are the information media, used either in isolation or combined, to display the target and the results may be the measured response times or the percent correct responses.

Visual working memory
In collaboration with Henrik Olsson (Center for Adaptive Behavior and Cognition Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin) and supported by grants
from the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (RJ) we are currently investigating human visual working memory. What we today call working memory is closely related to executive processes, attention, consciousness, and intelligence. In order to understand human thinking it is of fundamental importance to understand the nature of working memory representations. In the literature on working memory, a prominent theme is its limited capacity. There are, however, several problems associated with the measurement of working memory capacity which may contribute to inflated capacity estimates. In regard to visual working memory, earlier methods sometimes made it possible for people to enhance their performance with the help of verbal strategies, categorization, and use of long term memory. We have started the development of a new method for measuring visual working memory capacity in which people’s use of strategies is minimized. When the influence of other processes and representations besides the visual ones, our preliminary results indicate that the capacity of visual working memory is only one object. This is in contrast to recent capacity estimates of around four easily categorized objects such as, for example, squares and triangles. With our new method we are going to investigate how limited our visual working memory capacity really is and the contributing factors to this limitation. In short: What and how much can we really represent in visual working memory?

Homepage: http://www.anst.uu.se/leopoom

Alina Rodriguez

Fetal Programming and Child Behavior Problems: Longitudinal studies of pregnancy cohorts

Keywords: epidemiology, longitudinal studies, pregnancy cohorts, maternal lifestyle in pregnancy, pregnancy complications, stress, depression, ADHD, behavioral problems

Does the prenatal environment contribute to subsequent behavior problems in childhood? According to the concept of neurobehavioral teratology, behavioral endpoints are more sensitive than somatic outcomes for detecting perturbations in fetal development.  The focus in the present research is on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which is a debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder often setting children on a negative developmental trajectory.  ADHD is believed to have a multifactorial etiology including multiple genetic and prenatal environmental factors.  Epidemiological studies examine whether a connection exists between prenatal exposure to neurotoxins and ADHD symptoms.  The aim is to investigate whether factors related to maternal lifestyle during pregnancy are critical and thus have public health significance.  Data come from prospective pregnancy cohorts from Sweden as well as from Denmark and Finland, which make up the Nordic Network on ADHD.

A growing body of evidence points to the important role psychosocial factors play in predicting the health of pregnant women. Our strategy is to propose models of how psychosocial factors could influence a variety of health outcomes. We test these models in a large sample of mainstream, nulliparious pregnant women whom we follow throughout the course of pregnancy. We are interested in finding the links between stress, hostility, negative affect and social support and health outcomes including health behaviors (e.g. smoking and exercise), self-reported symptoms, self-rated health, health-care utilization, pregnancy complications, and the health of the neonate. Our research team consists of Alina Rodriguez and Gunilla Bohlin, both at the Dept. of Psych., and Gunilla Lindmark at the Dept. of Ob. and Gyn.

Sverker Runeson

COMPETENCE AS ACQUIRED DIRECT-PERCEPTUAL SKILL

Keywords: perception, cognition, learning, skill acquisition, direct perception, modes of apprehension, cognitive-mode distinctions, dynamic event perception, causality perception, person perception, social perception.

The project concerns the distinction between a direct-perceptual ("intuitive") and an indirect-inferential ("cognitive") mode of knowing and maintaining contact with the environment. The overall working hypothesis is that perception is a complete mode of knowing, qualitatively distinct from the inferential mode. The perceptual mode is distinguished by the pickup of advanced types of information (invariants) which specify meaningful/useful occurrences and therefore do not necessarily require further elaboration.

The theoretical basis for the project is the KSD principle (Kinematic Specification of Dynamics) which states that the kinematic patterns of inanimate and animate events provide information about the dynamic factors involved ("motions specify their causes"). Thus visual perception of dynamic (causal, "hidden") properties is potentially possible. Furthermore, the notion of "smart perceptual mechanisms" is invoked in order to demystify the possibility of direct pickup of advanced informative properties.

Currently studied tasks are discriminative or quantitative judgment of the relative mass of observed colliding objects and the weight of boxes lifted by observed persons. Earlier studies have concerned, for instance, discrimination of faked versus actual weight of lifted boxes, lifters' expectations of box weights, and emphatic or deceptive intentions concerning gender.

Collisions are simulated and displayed with analog computer technique. Human-action events are video-recorded in patch-light technique to display only the kinematic pattern of the main joints, visible as bright patches on a dark background. Performance characteristics are used to determine whether judgments are based on advanced information or simple cues. Confidence judgments and introspective mode reports provide independent evidence on whether the task is performed in the perceptual or the inferential mode. Emphasis is put on perceptual learning and skill acquisition and individual differences are appreciated. Recent results on the mass-discrimination task show that the majority of beginners start out by using various cues of limited informational value in an indirect, cue-heuristic, mode. With experience, competence emerges as a transition to a direct-perceptual use of advanced information. Electrophysiological differences in evoked brain potentials (EEG/ERP), corresponding to the mode distinction, have been found.

Project leader: Sverker Runeson.

Collaborating graduate students: Isabell Andersson (Uppsala University ).

Financed by: VR (The Swedish Research Council) and RJ (The Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation). The EEG study, in particular the cooperation with Tartu University, is also financed by KVA (Royal Swedish Academy of Science).

Representative publications:

Runeson, S., & Andersson, I. E. K. (2007). Achievement of specificational information usage with true and false feedback in learning a visual relative-mass discrimination task. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 33, 163-182.

Runeson, S., & Andersson, I. E. K. (2004). On two modes of apprehension. Ecological Psychology, 16, 37-44.

Runeson, S., & Andersson, I. E. K. (2002). On modes of apprehension. Human Movement Sciences Symposium on Perception and Action, Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. January 18, 2002.

Runeson, S. (2001). On the contribution of dynamic event perception research towards an understanding of affordances and affordance perception. Proceedings of the Eleventh International Conference on Perception and Action, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT. June 25-29, 2001.

Runeson, S., Juslin, P., & Olsson, H. (2000). Visual perception of dynamic properties: Cue-heuristics versus direct-perceptual competence. Psychological Review, 107, 525-555.

Jacobs, D. M., Runeson, S., & Michaels, C. F. (2001). Learning to Visually Perceive the Relative Mass of Colliding Balls in Globally and Locally Constrained Task Ecologies. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27, 1019-1038.

Jacobs, D. M., Michaels, C. F., & Runeson, S. (2000). Learning to perceive the relative mass of colliding balls: The effects of ratio-scaling and feedback. Perception and Psychophysics, 62, 1332-1340.

Jacobs, D. M., Michaels, C. F., Zaal, F. T. J. M., & Runeson, S. (2001). Higher-order and lower-order variables in the visual perception of relative pulling force. In G. Burton & R. Schmidt (Eds.), Studies in perception and action VI: Eleventh International Conference on Perception and Action. (pp. 181-184). Mawah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Runeson, S., Jacobs, D. M., Andersson, I. E. K., & Kreegipuu, K. (2001). Specificity is always contingent on constraints; global versus individual arrays is not the issue. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 24, 240-241.

Jacobs, D. M., Runeson, S., & Andersson, I. E. K. (2001). Reliance on constraints means detection of information. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 24, 679-680.

Runeson, S., & Jacobs, D. M. (2001). Ecological constraints, the scopes of specificities, and "proofs of ambiguity". Paper presented at the, Eleventh International Conference on Perception and Action, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, June, 2001.

Andersson, I. E., & Runeson, S. (1999). Does practicing on tricky cases facilitate perceptual competence acquisition? Poster presented at the Tenth International Conference on Perception and Action, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, Scotland, Great Britain. August 9-13, 1999.

Jacobs, D. M., Runeson, S., & Michaels, C. F. (1999). Fostering information detection in the visual perception of relative mass. In M. A. Grealy & J. A. Thomson (Eds.), Studies in perception and action V: Tenth International Conference on Perception and Action (pp. 193-197). Mawah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Kreegipuu, K., & Runeson, S. (1999). Becoming competent through the perceiver’s eye. In M. A. Grealy & J. A. Thomson (Eds.), Studies in perception and action V: Tenth International Conference on Perception and Action (pp. 20-23). Mawah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Jacobs, D. M., Michaels, C. F., & Runeson, S. (1998). Perceptual learning and its importance for the visual perception of relative mass. In B. Bril, A. Ledebt, G. Dietrich & A. Roby-Brami (Eds.), Advances in perception-action coupling (5th European Workshop on Ecological Psychology) (pp. 20-24). Paris: Editions Médicales et Scientifiques.

Runeson, S., Juslin, P., & Olsson, H. (1997). Evidence for the directness of advanced information pickup. In M. A. Schmuckler & J. M. Kennedy (Eds.), Studies in perception and action IV (Posters at The 9th International Conference on Perception and Action), (pp. 47-51). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Runeson, S. (1995). Support for the cue-heuristic model is based on suboptimal observer performance: Response to Gilden & Proffitt (1994). Perception and Psychophysics, 57, 1262-1273.

Runeson, S. (1994). Perception of biological motion: The KSD-principle and the implications of a distal versus proximal approach. In G. Jansson, S. S. Bergström, & W. Epstein (Eds.), Perceiving events and objects, (pp. 383-405). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Runeson, S. (1994). Psychophysics: The failure of an elementaristic dream. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 17, 761-763.

Runeson, S., & Vedeler, D. (1993). The indispensability of precollision kinematics in the visual perception of relative mass. Perception and Psychophysics, 53, 617-632.

Runeson, S. (1985). Perceiving people through their movements. In B. D. Kirkcaldy (Ed.), Individual differences in movement, (pp. 43-66). Lancaster, England: MTP Press.

Runeson, S., & Frykholm, G. (1983). Kinematic specification of dynamics as an informational basis for person and action perception: Expectation, gender recognition, and deceptive intention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 112, 585-615.

Runeson, S. (1983). On visual perception of dynamic events. Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis: Studia Psychologica Upsaliensia, Serial No. 9. (Original work published 1977)

Runeson, S., & Frykholm, G. (1981). Visual perception of lifted weight. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 7, 733-740.

Runeson, S. (1977). On the possibility of 'smart' perceptual mechanisms. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 18, 172-179.

Runeson, S. (1975). Visual prediction of collision with natural and nonnatural motion functions. Perception and Psychophysics, 18, 261-266.

Runeson, S. (1974). Constant velocity - Not perceived as such. Psychological Research, 37, 3-23.

In Swedish:

Runeson, S. (2005). Direkt perception -- perceptuell kompetens. In P. Hwang, I. Lundberg, J. Rönnberg & A-C Smedler (Eds.), Vår tids psykologi (sid. 141-142). Lund, Sweden: Natur & Kultur.

Runeson, S. (1991). Våra rörelser som ofrånkomliga informatörer om oss själva. In G. Hermerén (Ed.), Att tala utan ord: Människans icke-verbala uttrycksformer. Kungl. Vitterhetsakademien (KVHAA) Konferenser 24, (pp. 63-75). Stockholm, Sweden: Almqvist & Wiksell International.

Runeson, S. (1986). Vad är det vi ser, egentligen, och hur är det möjligt? In L. Sjöberg (Ed.), Svensk psykologisk forskning av i dag: Studiet av känslor, varseblivning, tänkande och personlighet, (pp. 21-28). Stockholm, Sweden: HSFR.

Runeson, S. (1983). Kan man se hur tung en låda är? Forskning och Framsteg, 5, 3-9.

Ann-Margret Rydell

DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

Keywords: socioemotional development school adjustment attachment temperament

My focus is on socioemotional development mainly studied in longitudinal designs. Central aspects of development that I have studied are behavior problems, social competence and emotional functioning. Stability in behavior and factors such as relations to parents, peers and teachers that may affect development are investigated. Recent and current projects regard the adolescent outcomes of early feeding problems, the longitudinal relations of hyperactivity/impulsivity to adaptation and associations between external family factors and current social functioning. Several of these projects focus on the situation for girls with atypical problems, such as aggression and hyperactivity.

Berit Scott

(1) BEHAVIOURAL APPROACHES IN THE ANALYSIS AND TREATMENT OF TINNITUS

Keywords: Tinnitus, control, functional analysis, multiple assessment, behavioural approaches, TNS, hearing impairment, coping.

Scientists: Berit Scott, Per Lindberg, Lennart Melin and Leif Lyttkens

Contact persons: Berit.Scott@psyk.uu.se or per.lindberg@ccs.uu.se

Project period: From 1983 onwards.

(2) A BEHAVIOURAL APPROACH ON HEARING IMPAIRMENT

Keywords: Hearing impairment, hearing tactics, functional analysis, behavioural treatment, elderly, coping.

Scientists: Gerhard Andersson, Berit Scott, Per Lindberg and Lennart Melin

Contact person: Berit.scott@psyk.uu.se or Gerhard.Andersson@psyk.uu.se

Project period: 1991-1995

Project is financed by: Swedish Council for Social Research - SFR.

Objectives: Development and empirical trials of behavioural approaches to hearing handicaps.

Main results: The results of this project suggest that a behavioural approach to rehabilitation helps elderly people solve the problems associated with their hearing impairment.

(3) A BEHAVIOURAL APPROACH IN THE ANALYSIS AND TREATMENT OF FIBROMYALGIA

Keywords: Fibromyalgia, control, stress management, coping, functional analysis, cognitive behavioural approaches.

Scientists: Berit Scott and Hans Levander.

Contact person: berit.scott@psyk.uu.se

Project period: From 1996 onwards.

Objectives: Empirical trials of behavioural approaches to fibromyalgia, including assessment, diagnostic tools and diffrent treatment methods.

Main results: The results show postive results when behavioural techniques are used.

For detailed information contact Berit.Scott@psyk.uu.se.

Staffan Sohlberg

Clinical and personality psychology

Key words: affect, attachment, autonomy, cognition, dependency, depression, eating disorders, emotion, implicit, integrative, interpersonal, nonconscious, personality, preattentive, psychodynamic, psychotherapy, self, self-harm, shame, sociotropy, subliminal, therapeutic alliance, unconscious, vulnerability 

Current projects:

AFFECT-IV (Co-principal investigators Katja Claesson and Staffan Sohlberg). Based on video-taped interviews this project provides answers regarding how psychologists’ behaviors relate to shame, clients’ sex, attachment security, and aspects of therapeutic alliance.

DANCING IN THE STREET (Principal investigator Staffan Sohlberg. Collaborating scientist Gustaf Ståhlberg). Even well-established treatments for depression have an alarmingly high relapse rate. Assuming this is due to insufficiently addressed underlying personality vulnerability, can the activation of secure inner working models lower vulnerable people’s destructive dependency, while simultaneously increasing healthy dependency? And does this occur both on a conscious and an unconscious level? A series of experiments address these issues, with a hope for a more joyful and hopeful future for the millions of people who are prone to depression.

HUMÖR (Principal investigator Katja Claesson. Collaborating scientist Staffan Sohlberg). ”Hur Ungdomar Mår i ÖsthammaRs kommun”. This project studies self-harm in 13-15 year olds: prevalence, function and treatment. A simple low-cost intervention called Expressive Writing is employed and evaluated for possible benefits at 2 and 6 months follow-up.

QUADPOS. (Principal investigator Staffan Sohlberg. Consultants Clinic manager Helena Danell, Clinic psychologist Annika Sjöblom Wennberg. Collaborating scientist Katja Claesson). Quality development at the department’s outpatient service rests on records of patients’ symtoms, quality of life and self-image. Work in progress concerns the possible introduction also of measures of therapeutic alliance and therapist technique.

SELF-IMAGE AND EATING DISORDER: CLINICAL PRESENTATION, PROGNOSIS AND OUTCOME PREDICTION. (Principal investigator Andreas Birgegård. Collaborating scientists Caroline Björck and Staffan Sohlberg). Resting on a collaboration between the department and Kunskapscentrum för ätstörningar at Stockholms Läns Landsting (http://www.atstorning.se/) this project studies self-image and related interpersonal processes in patients with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and similar disorders.

UNCONSCIOUS DETERMINANTS OF INTERPERSONAL BEHAVIOR (Principal investigator Staffan Sohlberg. Collaborating scientists Andreas Birgegård and Katja Claesson). Tachistoscopic and masked computer screen stimulation techniques allow the observation of response to stimuli perceived without awareness. Indirect observations methods like word fragment tasks provide data on implicit and automatic cognitive and affective processes and contents. Using these technologies as a window on unconscious processes, studies in this project focus on interpersonal interaction and affect. Current topics include shame and depression vulnerabilities. Many experiments also contain modules based on the interpersonal Structural Analysis of Social Behavior model (SASB).

For more information, see the http://www.psyk.uu.se/hemsidor/staffan.sohlberg project homepage

Gunilla Stenberg

Gunilla.Stenberg@psyk.uu.se

(1) SOCIAL COMMUNICATION IN INFANTS

Key words: infant, infant-parent interaction, social referencing, social communication, theory of mind

 
At the end of the first year, the infant begins to show a certain kind of looking behaviour when confronted with ambiguous stimuli. The infant looks to and fro, from the object that elicits the ambiguity to another person present in the situation. According to the social referencing hypothesis, this behaviour can be interpreted as information-seeking, that is, the infant looks at the other person in order to gain information about that person's appraisal of the event. The infant then uses the information to form an understanding of the situation and to regulate behaviour. However, to seek out and use information in the facial, vocal, and gestural reactions of others does not exclusively involve looking behaviour; it also involves an awareness of other people as carriers of information. Thus, cognitive processes have to be engaged. At what age the infant has acquired such a sophisticated cognitive capacity is still a question. In a series of studies we examine the origins of social referencing in infancy. These studies are expected to result in new insights into how this socio-cognitive process contributes to our understanding of childrens acquisition of a theory of mind.

(2) SOCIAL COMMUNICATION IN CHILDREN WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

Key words: blindness, visual impairment, childhood low vision, social communication, child-parent communication

The developing child encounters a stream of new and novel events. When the sighted child is uncertain about how to handle a new situation, the child often looks at another person present to gain information about that persons reaction to the event. The information is then used by the infant in order to form an understanding of the situation and to regulate behaviour. Children who are blind or visually impaired may experience even greater uncertainty in their daily life due to the loss of sight. How do visually impaired children obtain information when they encounter a new object or a new situation? This project is expected to gain knowledge of how visually impaired children use alternative pathways to obtain information about the surroundings. It will contribute to our understanding of how verbal, auditory, and tactile abilities compensate the loss of sight. Knowledge about how children with visual impairments construct meaning through social experiences can lead to improved intervention practices.  

(3) THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF EMOTION AND BEHAVIOUR REGULATION

Key words: emotion regulation, compliance, social referencing, social functioning, infant, infant-parent interaction, longitudinal studies

To learn to regulate emotions and behaviour is one of the most important developmental tasks during childhood. Constructs such as emotion regulation, compliance and social referencing have been used to describe behaviours that help the infant deal with distressing and compelling situations. Emotion regulation refers to the ability to regulate strong emotions, especially controlling negative emotions. Compliance, a key component of self-regulation, refers to the childs ability to go along with day-to-day requests. Social referencing describes how infants seek and use information from the behaviour of other people in order to regulate their own behaviour in new situations. Using a longitudinal design, examining emotion and behaviour regulation strategies at different ages, and taking into consideration moderational and mediational effects among these abilities, this research is designed to investigate how the childs ability to regulate emotions and behaviours develops during the early years, and how differences in regulation relate to different aspects of later social functioning. One major objective of this research has been to develop methods to assess early regulation strategies.

Lisa B. Thorell

lisa.thorell@psyk.uu.se

EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN: RELATIONS TO INATTENTION, HYPERACTIVITY, AND EFFECTS OF COGNITIVE TRAINING

The general aim of this project is to study executive functioning (i.e., higher-order cognitive functions such as working memory and inhibitory control) in relation to the development of hyperactivity and inattention, which in its clinical form is referred to as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). First, relations between measures of executive functioning in preschool are studied in relation to later symptoms of hyperactivity and inattention. Second, a computerized training problem has been developed with the aim to investigate whether preschool children’s working memory and inhibitory control can be increased through cognitive training and whether this also leads to a decrease in ADHD symptoms. The main collaborators in the project are professors Torkel Klingberg (Stockholm Brain Institute, Karolinska Institute) and Gunilla Bohlin (Dept. of Psychology, Uppsala University) and doctorate students Cecilia Wåhlstedt, Sofia Lindqvist and Sissela Bergman.

Anders af Wåhlberg

Anders.af_Wahlberg@psyk.uu.se

DRIVER SPEED CHANGE AS PREDICTOR OF ACCIDENTS

A theory has been developed which predicts a number of testable outcomes from driver speed change behavior (celeration) in relation to traffic accidents. These predictions are tested one by one. So far, it has been shown that bus driver celeration behavior predict their culpable accident involvement at r .20-.35, depending on the method used, and that speed is not a superior predictor in this environment. This predictive power comes with very few measurements, and if they were continous instead, very high levels of precision would be reached.

METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF DRIVER RESEARCH

The methods and instruments used within traffic psychology are often not validated, as are many assumptions. Within this project, tests are made of various such features, like driver self-report inventories, induced exposure techniques and categorization of accidents. The general aim of the project is improve the scientific quality of traffic psychology.

Lars Åberg

ROAD USER BEHAVIOUR