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The prediction of future positions of moving objects occurs in cases of actively produced and passively observed movement. We study the difference between active and passive movement prediction by asking subjects to estimate displacements of an occluded moving target, where the movement is produced by the subject or passively observed; in the passive condition, the target trajectory is either a replay of a preceding active trajectory, or a constant-speed approximation. In the active condition estimates are more anticipatory than in the passive conditions, but in all conditions, estimates become less anticipatory as the prediction distance increases, or the prediction time decreases. Decreasing the congruence between motor action and visual feedback diminishes but does not eliminate the anticipatory effect of action; introducing eye tracking, however, does eliminate it. Our results are compatible with common mechanisms underlying both active and passive movement prediction, with additional movement-related information in the active case making predictions more anticipatory.

One of the ways we perceive shape is through seeing motion. Visual motion may be actively generated (for example, in locomotion), or passively observed. In the study of how we perceive 3D structure from motion (SfM), the non-moving, passive observer in an environment of moving rigid objects has been used as a substitute for an active observer moving in an environment of stationary objects; the 'rigidity hypothesis' has played a central role in computational and experimental studies of SfM. Here we demonstrate that this substitution is not fully adequate, because active observers perceive 3D structure differently from passive observers, despite experiencing the same visual stimulus: active observers' perception of 3D structure depends on extra-visual self-motion information. Moreover, the visual system, making use of the self-motion information treats objects that are stationary (in an allocentric, earth-fixed reference frame) differently from objects that are merely rigid. These results show that action plays a central role in depth perception, and argue for a revision of the rigidity hypothesis to incorporate the special case of stationary objects.

Much indirect evidence supports the hypothesis that transformations of mental images are at least in part guided by motor processes, even in the case of images of abstract objects rather than of body parts. For example, rotation may be guided by processes that also prime one to see results of a specific motor action. We directly test the hypothesis by means of a dual-task paradigm in which subjects perform the Cooper-Shepard mental rotation task while executing an unseen motor rotation in a given direction and at a previously learned speed. Four results support the inference that mental rotation relies on motor processes. First, motor rotation that is compatible with mental rotation results in faster times and fewer errors in the imagery task than when the two rotations are incompatible. Second, the angle through which subjects rotate their mental images, and the angle through which they rotate a joystick handle are correlated, but only if the directions of the two rotations are compatible. Third, motor rotation modifies the classical inverted V-shaped mental rotation response time function, favoring the direction of the motor rotation; indeed, in some cases motor rotation even shifts the location of the minimum of this curve in the direction of the motor rotation. Fourth, the preceding effect is sensitive not only to the direction of the motor rotation, but also to the motor speed. A change in the speed of motor rotation can correspondingly slow down or speed up the mental rotation.

Introduction In early 2022, during the long season of Covid, my nephew Spencer took advantage of one of those sporadic but all too brief periods in which public gatherings were [...]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the new normal within a continuum of three types of disruption, each of varying duration. References to the new normal draw attention to the periodic and rising importance of different levels, types, and consequences of game-changing disruption for those in governance roles. Design/methodology/approach: In this conceptual research, given the discussion of a return to normalcy near the expected end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors organize the literature on disruption in governance into a disruption continuum – emergency, crisis and super crisis – to demonstrate the differences in each type of disruption to establish a distinct view of the new normal. Findings: Within the three types of disruption, the first two suit the rational authority model in which disruption is turned over to those in governance roles. However, the rational authority model comes under attack in the super crisis and is increasingly associated with the post-truth era. Social implications: In Type 3 disruptions or super crises, the failure of those in control to set the parameters of the new normal raises concerns that the center no longer holds, and as a result, the assumption of an attentive public splinter into multiple contending publics, each with its version of data, facts and images. Originality/value: The new normal is typically treated after the result of a black swan or rare and surprising long-lived disruption. In this work, the formulation of the recurrence, ubiquity and controversy engendered by super crises suggests that it is one of the features attenuating and giving rise to fractious incivility in the post-truth era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We find evidence for a tight coupling between motor action and transfomation of visual mental images: in a dual-task experiment involving both mental and manual rotation, it is found that mental rotation of abstract visual images is faster and less error-prone when accompanied by manual rotation in the same direction, slower and more error-prone when motor rotation is in the opposite direction. Variations in motor speed, on both large and small scales, are accompanied by corresponding variations, in the same direction, in mental rotation speed. We briefly speculate on the mechanisms that could give rise to this interaction.

The article focuses on the evolution of sports from physical-based competitions (Homo Athletica) to the emerging digital landscape of esports (Homo Digitalis). It delves into the contrasts between physical prowess-driven sports ecosystems and the rise of competitive video gaming, highlighting how esports challenges traditional perceptions of athleticism and redefines the sports ecosystem.

Purpose: This conceptual paper explores the implications for the sociology of the professions of robo-advice (RA) provided by robo-advisors (RAs) as an early example of successfully programmed algorithmic knowledge managed by artificial intelligence (AI). Design/methodology/approach: The authors examine the drivers of RAs, their success, characteristics, and establish RA as an early precursor of commercialized, programmed professional advice with implications for developments in the sociology of the professions. Findings: Within the lens of the sociology of the professions, the success of RAs suggests that the diffusion of this innovation depends on three factors: the programmed flows of automated professional knowledge are minimally disruptive, they are less costly, and attract attention because of the "on-trend" nature of algorithmic authority guided by AI. The on-trend nature of algorithmic governance and its increasing public acceptance points toward an algorithmic paradox. The contradictions arise in the gap between RA marketed to the public and as a set of professional practices. Practical implications: The incursion of RA-like disembodied advice into other professions is predicted given the emergence of tech-savvy clients, the tie between RA and updatable flows of big data, and an increasing shift to the "maker" or "do-it-yourself" movements. Originality/value: Using the success of RAs in the financial industry, the authors predict that an AI-managed platform, despite the algorithmic paradox, is an avenue for growth with implications for researchers in the sociology of the professions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8594.2009.00355.x Byline: MARK N. WEXLER (1) Abstract: ABSTRACT This work explores financial edgework by professional speculative traders as an explanation for the persistence of rogue trading in financial markets. The article joins in the scholarly application of 'edgework,' the social psychological study of voluntary risk, to speculative trading. The discussion focuses on the origins and persistence of that subset of behavior wherein the trader knowingly creates the condition in which he or she endangers the brokerage house that employs them and even, at times, threatens the public's perception of the integrity of the securities industry. Going over the edge between risk taking and unauthorized rogue trading is explained by looking at five inducements to escalate risk taking provided in the securities industry. This examination of financial edgework demonstrates how and, to a lesser degree, why rogue trading is a result of the security industry's pursuit of and desire to capitalize upon yet not publicize an occupational culture stressing a 'risk-and-win' ethos. Author Affiliation: (1)Segal Graduate School of Business, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver Canada and the Executive Director of the Perimeter Group. Dr. Wexler's research focuses on the humane use of human beings in highly competitive contexts. E-mail:wexler@sfu.ca

In the visual quartet, alternating diagonal pairs of dots produce apparent motion horizontally or vertically, depending on proximity. Here, we studied a tactile quartet where vibrating tactors were attached to the thumbs and index fingers of both hands. Apparent motion was felt either within hands (from index finger to thumb) or between hands. Participants adjusted the distance between their hands to find the point where motion changed directions. Surprisingly, switchovers occurred when between-hand distances were as much as twice that of within-hand distances—a general bias that was also found for tactile judgments of static distances. This expansion of within-hand felt distances was again seen when lights were placed on the hands rather than vibrating tactors. Importantly, switchover points were similar when the hands were placed at different depths, indicating that representations governing tactile motion were in perceptual three-dimensional space, not retinal two-dimensional space. This was true whether the quartets were visual stimuli on the hands or were purely visual on a monitor, suggesting that proximity is generally determined in three-dimensional coordinates for motion perception. Finally, the similarity of visual and tactile results suggests a common computation for apparent motion, albeit with different built-in distance biases for separate modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine and place "context collapse," as employed in social media studies, into context. In the hands of social media researchers, context collapse demonstrates how users lose track of the context in which they are operating when they enter into exchanges on social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Examples that users lose their way include oversharing, failure to recognize privacy issues, and a belief that the imagined audience on these sites is much more trustworthy than further scrutiny warrants. In this paper, we praise context collapse researchers for drawing attention to users' difficulty in early stage navigation on social networking sites. However, we argue that the focus on users' early stage navigational difficulty can be limited in several aspects. It fails to examine social networking platforms as the basis for understanding context on social media sites; it restricts the idea of concept collapse to a narrow conception of the user; and finally, it does not distinguish variations among these platforms. Putting social networking into context requires considering how multiple users on social networking platforms--sponsors, entrepreneurs, information brokers, data analysts, platform owners, platform regulators--create a workable assemblage in which the interactions of participants create a discernible context. To derive this, we unpack three binaries used to establish the existence of context collapse: 1) leap/lag; 2) collusion/collision; and 3) publicity/privacy. First, aligned with the existent research on context collapse, we apply these binaries to social network sites with a narrow conception of the user. Then, we employ the same three binaries under two conditions: firstly, using a multi-stakeholder model of social networking platform participation; and secondly, using these binaries with three different variations on the social networking platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]