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Previous research has shown differential degrees of attention in processing hierarchical linguistic information where higher order cues require greater attention in speech processing. The current study investigated the influence of attentional resources on acoustic cue weightings in speech perception by examining Korean listeners' identifications of the three-way laryngeal stops (tense vs. lax vs. aspirated). Using a dual-task paradigm, we presented 28 adult Korean listeners with identification tasks blocked by no-distractor versus distractor conditions where arithmetic calculations distracted the listeners' speech processing. Auditory stimuli were prepared by combining voice-onset times (VOTs) and fundamental frequencies (F0s) based on natural production. Group analyses revealed that VOT was an informative parameter across the three stop laryngeal categories and the listeners' reliance on VOT was consistently reduced under the distracting condition. Subsequent individual-level analysis further showed that listeners with heavier perceptual reliance on VOT were hindered by the distractor more than others in utilizing VOT. Unlike VOT, the F0 cue did not systematically interact with the distracting listening condition. The findings indicated that VOT (but not F0) required greater attention in processing the Korean laryngeal stops, and was presumably a higher order acoustic cue than F0. The current study contributes to the understanding of attention and cue primacy in general as well as to the clarification of the relative roles of VOT and F0 for the Korean stop laryngeal contrast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study strives to determine ways to increase the use of outdoor spaces, particularly spaces that have an abundance of natural elements, in environmentally friendly housing developments. Empirical data were obtained by observing residents' behaviors (445 observations) and interviewing 61 residents in Kuemhwa Greenvill, a new housing project in Giheung Sanggal, South Korea. The outdoor natural environments were classified into four categories: reserved natural environment, built environment with a natural appearance, built environment as a green buffer, and built environment with natural elements. The survey revealed that, typically, the natural environments were utilized less than the non-natural environments. Because natural environments did not support various outdoor activities, only persons in certain limited age groups (adults and adults with children) and small groups of one or two people used them. In particular, children's play activities and social gatherings rarely occurred in the natural environments. Apart from physical, psychological, and social accessibility issues, the residents' preferences for the use of non-natural environments were related to their needs and the physical features of the environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The festive mass rally that took place in South Korea during the 2002 Work Cup was more than a sporting event. As a way of understanding the national frenzy and people's experiences during the World Cup, we interpret the mass festive rally as a form of social performance. In doing so, we portray this sporting event as a national stage, with Korean supporters as performers and the worldwide audience as spectators. This study uses the term "nation-ness" to encapsulate the idea of nation that links such disparate phenomena as nation, nationalism, and nationality. Through the examination of various performances within the rally, as well as of various reactions by the governmental, corporate, and public, it reveals that the spectacle contained three dimensions of performance: evolving processes, a betwixt-and-between, and everyday life. Attention to the performative aspects of the event contributes to illuminating this phenomenon as a set of evolving processes that are closely tied to contemporary South Korean society. Through analyzing South Koreans' performance in the World Cup, we suggest that nation-ness was performed as cultural practices that were utilized for individual revelation, and as expressions of nationalism interwoven with globalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]