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Auditory perceived distance can be distorted in one's internal representation. Thus, the present study examined whether blindfolded sighted participants could reduce the bias and preserve estimated distance for 5 to 15 s using echolocation. The participants performed a delayed reproduction task that consisted of testing sessions on 2 separate days in which the target distance was manipulated from 20 to 50 cm. Participants were blindfolded and asked to reproduce the distance of a target after a temporal delay of several seconds using click bursts produced by a loudspeaker. The testing session was preceded by a practice session that included training and feedback. The relationship between estimated and actual distances was approximated based on a power function and the over- and underestimation of the target distance on each test day. Although participants showed systematic bias in distance estimation on both days, participants changed their bias in the second session by shifting reproduced locations closer to their bodies. The accuracy and consistency of their responses improved across the 2 days. Neither accuracy nor consistency was affected by the retention intervals. These enhancements of performance might be due to improved hearing ability or calibration of internal spatial references through a practice session. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been demonstrated that bowing motion of computer-generated female three-dimensional figures enhanced perceived attractiveness. Given that nodding and shaking head motions are used as communicative signals, such as signals of approval (and denial), these motions could be expected to modulate perceived trait impressions of model faces. We used movie clips of the nodding and shaking head motions of computer-generated figures and examined the modulation effects of these motions on perceived trait impressions (i.e., attractiveness, likability, and approachability). The results showed that the nodding head motion significantly increased ratings of subjective likability and approachability relative to those of the shaking or control conditions, whereas the shaking motion did not influence the ratings. Furthermore, it was shown that a nodding head motion of the computer-generated models primarily increased likability attributable to personality traits, rather than to physical appearance. We concluded that head nodding motion is treated as information regarding approach-related motivations and enhances perceived likeability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The negative side effects of mask-wearing on reading facial emotional cues have been investigated in several studies with adults post-2020. However, little is known about children. This study aimed to determine the negative influence of mask-wearing on reading emotions of adult faces by Japanese school-aged children, compared to Japanese adults. We also examined whether this negative influence could be alleviated by using a transparent face mask instead of an opaque one (surgical mask). The performance on reading emotions was measured using emotion categorization and emotion intensity rating tasks for adult faces. As per the findings, the accuracy of emotion recognition in children was impaired for various facial expressions (disgust, fear, happy, neutral, sad, and surprise faces), except for angry faces. Conversely, in adults, it was impaired for a few facial expressions. The perceived intensity for happy faces with a surgical mask was weaker in both children and adults than in those without the mask. A negative influence of wearing surgical masks was generally not observed for faces wearing a transparent mask in both children and adults. Thus, negative side effects of mask-wearing on reading emotions are observed for more facial expressions in children than in adults; transparent masks can help remedy these. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]