Scholarly Publications - Psychology
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11693/115528
Browse
Recent Submissions
Item Open Access Two distinct networks for encoding goals and forms of action: an effective connectivity study(National Academy of Sciences, 2024-06-17) Ürgen, Burcu Ayşen; Di Cesare, Giuseppe; Lombardi, Giada; Zeidman, Peter; Sciutti, Alessandra; Friston, Karl J.; Rizzolatti, GiacomoGoal- directed actions are characterized by two main features: the content (i.e., the action goal) and the form, called vitality forms (VF) (i.e., how actions are executed). It is well another's action are mediated by a network formed by a set of parietal and frontal brain areas. In contrast, the neural bases of action forms (e.g., gentle or rude actions) have not been characterized. However, there are now studies showing that the observation and execution of actions endowed with VF activate, in addition to the parieto- frontal network, the dorso- central insula (DCI). In the present study, we established-using dynamic causal modeling (DCM)-the direction of information flow during observation and execution of actions endowed with gentle and rude VF in the human brain. Based on previous fMRI studies, the selected nodes for the DCM comprised the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), the inferior parietal lobule (IPL), the premotor cortex (PM), and the DCI. Bayesian model comparison showed that, during action observation, two streams arose from pSTS: one toward IPL, concerning the action goal, and one toward DCI, concerning the action vitality forms. During action execution, two streams arose from PM: one toward IPL, concerning the action goal and one toward DCI concerning action vitality forms. This last finding opens an interesting question concerning the possibility to elicit VF in two distinct ways: cognitively (from PM to DCI) and affectively (from DCI to PM).Item Embargo Peer group norms affect adolescents' bystander social cognitions(American Psychological Association, 2025-09-26) Gonultas, Secil; Argyri, Eirini K.; Yueksel, Ayse Sule; Mcguire, Luke; Palmer, Sally B.; Killen, Melanie; Rutland, AdamThis study examined the impact of peer norms on judgments and reasoning about bystander responses to the social exclusion of immigrants among 431 British early (Mage = 11.67, SD = 1.64) and late (Mage = 16.73, SD = 0.87) adolescents. Participants were randomly assigned to experimental conditions in which ingroup and outgroup peer norms were either inclusive or exclusive. Subsequently, they read a story in which one British peer excluded an immigrant peer while another British peer challenged the exclusion. Participants rated their individual and perceived group evaluation of the challenger. Further, they were asked to evaluate how likely their peer group would be to support them if they challenged the exclusion. Results showed that only late adolescents exposed to the inclusive ingroup norm were more likely to perceive that their group would evaluate bystander challenging positively than those exposed to the exclusive norm. Late adolescents perceived higher peer support for being inclusive when the outgroup held an inclusive norm compared to early adolescents. Results suggest a developmental shift during adolescence, with reasoning and evaluations of challenging social exclusion becoming increasingly related to perceived ingroup and outgroup norms. Further, inclusive ingroup norms were indirectly associated with greater challenging through perceived group support for both age groups. Promoting inclusive peer group norms in schools can foster bystander challenging of immigrant exclusion, which in turn can help provide a safe and peaceful school environment for all youth.Item Embargo Analyzing language ability in first-episode psychosis and their unaffected siblings: A diffusion tensor imaging tract-based spatial statistics analysis study(Elsevier Ltd, 2024-11) Çabuk, Tuğçe; Çevik, Didenur Şahin; Çakmak, Işık Batuhan; Kafalı, Helin Yilmaz; Şenol, Bedirhan; Avcı, Hanife; Oğuz, Kader Karlı; Toulopoulou, TimotheaSchizophrenia (SZ) is a highly heritable mental disorder, and language dysfunctions play a crucial role in diagnosing it. Although language-related symptoms such as disorganized speech were predicted by the polygenic risk for SZ which emphasized the common genetic liability for the disease, few studies investigated possible white matter integrity abnormalities in the language-related tracts in those at familial high-risk for SZ. Also, their results are not consistent. In this current study, we examined possible aberrations in language-related white matter tracts in patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP, N = 20), their siblings (SIB, N = 20), and healthy controls (CON, N = 20) by applying whole-brain Tract-Based Spatial Statistics and region-of-interest analyses. We also assessed language ability by Thought and Language Index (TLI) using Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) pictures and verbal fluency to see whether the scores of these language tests would predict the differences in these tracts. We found significant alterations in language-related tracts such as inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) and uncinate fasciculus (UF) among three groups and between SIB and CON. We also proved partly their relationship with the language test as indicated by the significant correlation detected between TLI Impoverished thought/language sub-scale and ILF. We could not find any difference between FEP and CON. These results showed that the abnormalities, especially in the ILF and UF, could be important pathophysiological vulnerability indexes of schizophrenia. Further studies are required to understand better the role of language as a possible endophenotype in schizophrenia with larger samples.Item Embargo Task-modulated neural responses in scene-selective regions of the human brain(Elsevier Ltd, 2024-12-28) Koç, Aysu Nur; Ürgen, Burcu Ayşen; Afacan, YaseminThe study of scene perception is crucial to the understanding of how one interprets and interacts with their environment, and how the environment impacts various cognitive functions. The literature so far has mainly focused on the impact of low-level and categorical properties of scenes and how they are represented in the scene-selective regions in the brain, PPA, RSC, and OPA. However, higher-level scene perception and the impact of behavioral goals is a developing research area. Moreover, the selection of the stimuli has not been systematic and mainly focused on outdoor environments. In this fMRI experiment, we adopted multiple behavioral tasks, selected real-life indoor stimuli with a systematic categorization approach, and used various multivariate analysis techniques to explain the neural modulation of scene perception in the scene-selective regions of the human brain. Participants (N = 21) performed categorization and approach-avoidance tasks during fMRI scans while they were viewing scenes from built environment categories based on different affordances ((i)access and (ii)circulation elements, (iii)restrooms and (iv)eating/seating areas). ROI-based classification analysis revealed that the OPA was significantly successful in decoding scene category regardless of the task, and that the task condition affected category decoding performances of all the scene-selective regions. Model-based representational similarity analysis (RSA) revealed that the activity patterns in scene-selective regions are best explained by task. These results contribute to the literature by extending the task and stimulus content of scene perception research, and uncovering the impact of behavioral goals on the scene-selective regions of the brain.Item Embargo The link between early iconic gesture comprehension and receptive language(John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2024-10-09) Doğan, Işıl; Özer, Demet; Aktan-Erciyes, Aslı; Furman, Reyhan; Demir-Lira, O. Ece; Özçalışkan, Şeyda; Göksun, TilbeChildren comprehend iconic gestures relatively later than deictic gestures. Previous research with English-learning children indicated that they could comprehend iconic gestures at 26 months, a pattern whose extension to other languages is not yet known. The present study examined Turkish-learning children's iconic gesture comprehension and its relation to their receptive vocabulary knowledge. Turkish-learning children between the ages of 22- and 30-month-olds (N = 92, M = 25.6 months, SD = 1.6; 51 girls) completed a gesture comprehension task in which they were asked to choose the correct picture that matched the experimenter's speech and iconic gestures. They were also administered a standardized receptive vocabulary test. Children's performance in the gesture comprehension task increased with age, which was also related to their receptive vocabulary knowledge. When children were categorized into younger and older age groups based on the median age (i.e., 26 months-the age at which iconic gesture comprehension was present for English-learning children), only the older group performed at chance level in the task. At the same time, receptive vocabulary was positively related to gesture comprehension for younger but not older children. These findings suggest a shift in iconic gesture comprehension at around 26 months and indicate a possible link between receptive vocabulary knowledge and iconic gesture comprehension, particularly for children younger than 26 months.Item Embargo Biological motion perception in the theoretical framework of perceptual decision-making: An event-related potential study(Elsevier Ltd, 2024-03-12) Oğuz, Osman Çağrı; Aydın, Berfin; Ürgen, Burcu AyşenBiological motion perception plays a critical role in various decisions in daily life. Failure to decide accordingly in such a perceptual task could have life-threatening consequences. Neurophysiology and computational modeling studies suggest two processes mediating perceptual decision-making. One of these signals is associated with the accumulation of sensory evidence and the other with response selection. Recent EEG studies with humans have introduced an event-related potential called Centroparietal Positive Potential (CPP) as a neural marker aligned with the sensory evidence accumulation while effectively distinguishing it from motor-related lateralized readiness potential (LRP). The present study aims to investigate the neural mechanisms of biological motion perception in the framework of perceptual decision-making, which has been overlooked before. More specifically, we examine whether CPP would track the coherence of the biological motion stimuli and could be distinguished from the LRP signal. We recorded EEG from human participants while they performed a direction discrimination task of a point-light walker stimulus embedded in various levels of noise. Our behavioral findings revealed shorter reaction times and reduced miss rates as the coherence of the stimuli increased. In addition, CPP tracked the coherence of the biological motion stimuli with a tendency to reach a common level during the response, albeit with a later onset than the previously reported results in random-dot motion paradigms. Furthermore, CPP was distinguished from the LRP signal based on its temporal profile. Overall, our results suggest that the mechanisms underlying perceptual decision-making generalize to more complex and socially significant stimuli like biological motion.Item Open Access How not to find over-imitation in animals(S. Karger AG, 2024-02-20) Allen, Jedediah W. P.; Andrews, KristinWhile more species are being identified as cultural on a regular basis, stark differences between human and animal cultures remain. Humans are more richly cultural, with group-specific practices and social norms guiding almost every element of our lives. Furthermore, human culture is seen as cumulative, cooperative, and normative, in contrast to animal cultures. One hypothesis to explain these differences is grounded in the observation that human children across cultures appear to spontaneously over-imitate silly or causally irrelevant behaviors that they observe. The few studies on over-imitation in other species are largely taken as evidence that spontaneous over-imitation is not present in other species. This leads to the over-imitation hypothesis – that the differences between human culture and animal cultures can be traced to the human unique tendency to over-imitate. In this paper, we analyze the current state of the literature on animal over-imitation and challenge the adequacy of the over-imitation hypothesis for the differences between humans and animal cultures. To make this argument, we first argue that the function of human over-imitation is norm-learning and that over-imitation, like skill-learning, should be subject to selective social learning effects. Then we review the empirical evidence against animal over-imitation and argue that these studies do not take into account the relevant variables given the normative and selective nature of over-imitation. We then analyze positive empirical evidence of over-imitation in great apes and canids from the experimental literature and conclude that the current body of evidence suggests that some canids and primates may have the capacity for over-imitation. This paper offers a methodological suggestion for how to study animal over-imitation, and a theoretical suggestion that over-imitation might be much more widely found among species. The larger implication for claims about human uniqueness suggests that if we do find widespread evidence of over-imitation across species, many of the current theories of human uniqueness that focus on human hyper-cooperation or social norms may have only identified a difference of degree, not of kind, between humans and other animals.Item Open Access A guided-ensembling approach for cell counting in fluorescence microscopy images(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2024-12-16) Dedeagac, C. Emre; Koyuncu, Can F.; Adams, Michelle M.; Edemen, Cagatay; Ugurdag, Berk C.; Ardıç-Avcı, N. Ilgım; Ugurdag, H. FatihAlthough deep learning and computer vision based approaches have demonstrated success in the field of cell counting and detection in microscopic images, they continue to have certain limitations. More specifically, they experience an overall increase in false positives when dealing with cell populations that show high density and heterogeneity. Existing approaches require the reselection of parameters for each new dataset to improve the accuracy of cell counting. Therefore, it is necessary to revise the fundamental models for each new microscopic image. This study introduces a novel neural network-based method that eliminates the need for retraining by combining the pretrained Cellpose and Stardist models. The accuracy of our proposed approach was evaluated on a variety of microscopic images. Despite variations in cell densities, our proposed approach demonstrated a notably improved cell counting performance in comparison to solely utilizing the Cellpose and Stardist models.Item Open Access Associations of psychotic symptom dimensions with clinical and developmental variables in twin and general clinical samples(Cambridge University Press, 2024-10-30) Cardno, Alastair G.; Allardyce, Judith; Bakker, Steven C.; Toulopoulou, Timothea; Kravariti, Eugenia; Picchioni, Marco M.; Kane, Fergus; Rijsdijk, Fruhling V.; Mahmood, Tariq; Nasser el Din, Soumaya; du Toit, Deline; Jones, Lisa A.; Quattrone, Diego; Walters, James T. R.; Legge, Sophie E.; Holmans, Peter A.; Murray, Robin M.; Vassos, Evangelos###### **Background:** Positive, negative and disorganised psychotic symptom dimensions are associated with clinical and developmental variables, but differing definitions complicate interpretation. Additionally, some variables have had little investigation. **Aims:** To investigate associations of psychotic symptom dimensions with clinical and developmental variables, and familial aggregation of symptom dimensions, in multiple samples employing the same definitions. **Method:** We investigated associations between lifetime symptom dimensions and clinical and developmental variables in two twin and two general psychosis samples. Dimension symptom scores and most other variables were from the Operational Criteria Checklist. We used logistic regression in generalised linear mixed models for combined sample analysis (n = 875 probands). We also investigated correlations of dimensions within monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs concordant for psychosis (n = 96 pairs). **Results:** Higher symptom scores on all three dimensions were associated with poor premorbid social adjustment, never marrying/cohabiting and earlier age at onset, and with a chronic course, most strongly for the negative dimension. The positive dimension was also associated with Black and minority ethnicity and lifetime cannabis use; the negative dimension with male gender; and the disorganised dimension with gradual onset, lower premorbid IQ and substantial within twin-pair correlation. In secondary analysis, disorganised symptoms in MZ twin probands were associated with lower premorbid IQ in their co-twins. **Conclusions:** These results confirm associations that dimensions share in common and strengthen the evidence for distinct associations of co-occurring positive symptoms with ethnic minority status, negative symptoms with male gender and disorganised symptoms with substantial familial influences, which may overlap with influences on premorbid IQ.Item Embargo Bystander responses in five-steps: paving road to prosocial intervention to social exclusion through social-cognition(Wiley, 2024-11-01) Ayhan, Serengeti; Gönültaş, SeçilTo promote prosocial defending behaviours to social exclusion, it is important to understand the role of social-cognitive factors in bystanders' cognition, judgements and responses. The current research examined how social cognitive skills relate to different aspects of bystanders' cognition, judgements and responses in the five-step intervention model. Data were collected from 96 Turkish children and adolescents (Mage = 12.39 years, SD = 1.74, 59 girls, aged 10-17). Participants were presented with a hypothetical social exclusion scenario and their bystanders' cognition, judgements and responses were measured via five-step intervention model. Theory of mind (ToM), mind-reading motivation (MRM) and empathy were also measured as predictors. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that while ToM and MRM were more likely to predict bystanders' judgements and cognitions around social exclusion, empathy was also found to be correlated with behavioural aspects of bystanders' responses beside cognitions and judgements. Overall, our novel findings provide insight for intervention studies to promote prosocial bystanders' judgements, cognitions and responses by addressing different social-cognitive skills.Item Open Access The visual cortex in the blind but not the auditory cortex in the deaf becomes multiple-demand regions(Oxford University Press, 2024-08-27) Duymuş, Hasan; Verma, Mohini; Güçlütürk, Yasemin; Öztürk, Mesut; Varol, Ayse B.; Kurt, Şehmus; Gezici, Tamer; Akgür, Berhan Faruk; Giray, İrem; Öksüz, Elif E.; Farooqui, Ausaf AhmedThe fate of deprived sensory cortices (visual regions in the blind and auditory regions in the deaf) exemplifies the extent to which experience can change brain regions. These regions are frequently seen to activate during tasks involving other sensory modalities, leading many authors to infer that these regions have started to process sensory information of other modalities. However, such observations can also imply that these regions are now activating in response to any task event, regardless of the sensory modality. Activating in response to task events, irrespective of the sensory modality involved, is a feature of the multiple-demands (MD) network. This is a set of regions within the frontal and parietal cortices that activate in response to any kind of control demand. Thus, demands as diverse as attention, perceptual difficulty, rule-switching, updating working memory, inhibiting responses, decision-making and difficult arithmetic all activate the same set of regions that are thought to instantiate domain-general cognitive control and underpin fluid intelligence.We investigated whether deprived sensory cortices, or foci within them, become part of the MD network. We tested whether the same foci within the visual regions of the blind and auditory regions of the deaf activated in response to different control demands.We found that control demands related to updating auditory working memory, difficult tactile decisions, time-duration judgments and sensorimotor speed all activated the entire bilateral occipital regions in the blind but not in the sighted. These occipital regions in the blind were the only regions outside the canonical frontoparietal MD regions to show such activation in response to multiple control demands. Furthermore, compared with the sighted, these occipital regions in the blind had higher functional connectivity with frontoparietal MD regions. Early deaf, in contrast, did not activate their auditory regions in response to different control demands, showing that auditory regions do not become MD regions in the deaf.We suggest that visual regions in the blind do not take a new sensory role but become part of the MD network, and this is not a response of all deprived sensory cortices but a feature unique to the visual regions.Item Open Access Cognitive reappraisal and affective response to physical activity: associations with physical activity behavior(BioMed Central, 2024-07-02) Gürdere, Ceren; Sorgenfrei, Julina; Pfeffer, InesObjectiveCognitive reappraisal (CR), as an adaptive emotion regulation strategy, may play a role in transforming affect in a positive direction during or after exercise, thereby supporting physical activity (PA) adherence. The present study aimed to test the associations among PA, CR frequency, and affective response to PA, and further to examine the role of CR on PA behavior through affective response.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 105 adults, 74 of whom were women, with a mean age of 25.91. Self-report scales were used to measure PA, CR, and affective response to PA. Along with scales, demographic questions on age, sex, and education level were included. Data was collected via an online questionnaire.ResultsThe frequency of CR use was positively associated with affective response, and affective response with PA behavior. Mediation analysis revealed that affective response mediated the relationship between CR and PA.DiscussionResults were in the expected direction demonstrating the mediating role of affective response between CR and PA which implies that PA adherence might be facilitated by CR engagement. PA intervention programs should consider implementing CR ability and use frequency improving techniques.Item Open Access The contribution and interplay of implicit and explicit processes on physical activity behavior: empirical testing of the physical activity adoption and maintenance (PAAM) model(BioMed Central, 2024-05-06) Jekauc, Darko; Gürdere, Ceren; Englert, Chris; Strobach, Tilo; Bottesi, Gioia; Bray, Steven; Brown, Denver; Fleig, Lena; Ghisi, Marta; Graham, Jeffrey; Martinasek, Mary; Tamulevicius, Nauris; Pfeffer, InesThe adoption and maintenance of physical activity (PA) is an important health behavior. This paper presents the first comprehensive empirical test of the Physical Activity Adoption and Maintenance (PAAM) model, which proposes that a combination of explicit (e.g., intention) and implicit (e.g., habit,, affect) self-regulatory processes is involved in PA adoption and maintenance. Data were collected via online questionnaires in English, German, and Italian at two measurement points four weeks apart. The study included 422 participants (Mage= 25.3, SDage= 10.1; 74.2% women) from Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, and the U.S. The study results largely supported the assumptions of the PAAM model, indicating that intentions and habits significantly mediate the effects of past PA on future PA. In addition, the effect of past PA on future PA was shown to be significant through a mediation chain involving affect and habit. Although the hypothesis that trait self-regulation moderates the intention-behavior relationship was not supported, a significant moderating effect of affect on the same relationship was observed. The results suggest that interventions targeting both explicit and implicit processes may be effective in promoting PA adoption and maintenance.Item Open Access Concordance of mother and father reports of intimate partner violence and observed interactions in unmarried black coparents expecting their first child(Sage Publications, Inc., 2024-07-27) Stover, C. S.; Salman-Engin, Selin; McCaskill, C. W.; Buck, K.; McHale, J.Concordance between partner reports of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is generally low, but self-reporting of IPV and concordance between partners among expectant parents in marginalized communities has not been explored, nor have associations among each partner’s reports of IPV and their behaviors in observed conflict discussions. This study will examine these gaps. One hundred and thirty-eight low-income, unmarried, Black, coparenting dyads expecting their first child together (136 mothers and 136 fathers) completed the Revised-Conflict Tactics Scale and a video recorded and coded conflict discussion. There was low concordance between parent’s reports of IPV overall with moderate levels of concordance for coparents who were living together and had more harmonious relationships. Linear regression analyses indicated only mothers’ reports of fathers’ psychological and physical IPV but not fathers’ reports of IPV were significantly associated with observed negative communication. Neither coparents’ reports of psychological or physical IPV were associated with positive communication during a conflict discussion. These findings suggest that at the time of parenthood transitions, mothers’ reports of fathers’ IPV behaviors may be more robust in their association with negative/unhealthy couple communication patterns than fathers’ reports and should be used when making safety determinations with families.Item Open Access Investigating mind perception in HRI through real-time implicit and explicit measurements(Association for Computing Machinery, 2024-03-11) Pekçetin, T.N.; Acarturk, C.; Ürgen, Burcu AyşenSocial robots have revolutionized social interaction and communication. Thisstudy explores our perception of robots, focusing on the factors infuencing evaluations of Agency and Experience - two dimensions of mind perception. Three distinct aspects of our research include: investigating perceiver determinants alongside perceived agents and their actions, utilizing a naturalistic setup featuring live actions of both human and robot actors, and employing a comprehensive approach with both implicit and explicit measurements. In-person data were collected from 160 individuals across four generations. Future steps involve data analysis and result discussion. This study reevaluates the determinants of mind perception using a real-time paradigm, intending to contribute to the ongoing debate and deepen our understanding of mind perception in HRI.Item Open Access Passive exposure to visual motion leads to short-term changes in the optomotor response of aging zebrafish(Elsevier, 2024-03-05) Karaduman, Ayşenur; Karoğlu Eravşar, Elif Tuğçe; Adams, Michelle Marie; Kafalıgönül, HulusiNumerous studies have shown that prior visual experiences play an important role in sensory processing and adapting behavior in a dynamic environment. A repeated and passive presentation of visual stimulus is one of the simplest procedures to manipulate acquired experiences. Using this approach, we aimed to investigate exposure-based visual learning of aging zebrafish and how cholinergic intervention is involved in exposure-induced changes. Our measurements included younger and older wild-type zebrafish and achesb55/+ mutants with decreased acetylcholinesterase activity. We examined both within-session and across-day changes in the zebrafish optomotor responses to repeated and passive exposure to visual motion. Our findings revealed short-term (within-session) changes in the magnitude of optomotor response (i.e., the amount of position shift by fish as a response to visual motion) rather than long-term and persistent effects across days. Moreover, the observed short-term changes were age- and genotype-dependent. Compared to the initial presentations of motion within a session, the magnitude of optomotor response to terminal presentations decreased in the older zebrafish. There was a similar robust decrease specific to achesb55/+ mutants. Taken together, these results point to short-term (within-session) alterations in the motion detection of adult zebrafish and suggest differential effects of neural aging and cholinergic system on the observed changes. These findings further provide important insights into adult zebrafish optomotor response to visual motion and contribute to understanding this reflexive behavior in the short- and long-term stimulation profiles.Item Open Access A Naturalistic laboratory setup for real-world HRI studies(Association for Computing Machinery, 2024-03-11) Pekçetin, T.N.; Evsen, Şeyda; Pekçetin, S.; Karaduman, Tuvana Dilan; Acarturk, C.; Ürgen, Burcu AyşenWe present our novel naturalistic laboratory setup that facilitates the presentation of real-world live-action stimuli by physically present actors in a controlled manner. Participants observe liveaction stimuli through a screen, which is surrounded by curtains, akin to a theatre experience, and promptly evaluate them when the screen turns to its opaque mode. Additionally, we introduce key components of the setup, including curtains, an actor PC, a security camera, and a bell, and the insights we gained during the task development. This innovative setup holds promise for advancing real-world investigations in Human-Robot Interaction.Item Open Access Un-teaching Native Speaker Fallacy: A Practical Application and Discussion(Bloomsbury Academic, 2024-03-25) Gedik, Tan ArdaItem Open Access Visuospatial processing in early brain-based visual impairment is associated with differential recruitment of dorsal and ventral visual streams(Oxford University Press, 2024-05-23) Pamir, Zahide; Manley, C.E.; Bauer, C.M.; Bex, P.J.; Dilks, D.D.; Merabet, L.B.Visuospatial processing impairments are prevalent in individuals with cerebral visual impairment (CVI) and are typically ascribed to “dorsal stream dysfunction” (DSD). However, the contribution of other cortical regions, including early visual cortex (EVC), frontal cortex, or the ventral visual stream, to such impairments remains unknown. Thus, here, we examined fMRI activity in these regions, while individuals with CVI (and neurotypicals) performed a visual search task within a dynamic naturalistic scene. First, behavioral performance was measured with eye tracking. Participants were instructed to search and follow a walking human target. CVI participants took significantly longer to find the target, and their eye gaze patterns were less accurate and less precise. Second, we used the same task in the MRI scanner. Along the dorsal stream, activation was reduced in CVI participants, consistent with the proposed DSD in CVI. Intriguingly, however, visual areas along the ventral stream showed the complete opposite pattern, with greater activation in CVI participants. In contrast, we found no differences in either EVC or frontal cortex between groups. These results suggest that the impaired visuospatial processing abilities in CVI are associated with differential recruitment of the dorsal and ventral visual streams, likely resulting from impaired selective attention.Item Embargo Is mate-choice copying a female phenomenon?(Elsevier Inc., 2025-01-13) Bowers, Robert Ian; Pınar, Verda; Sarıyıldız, Selime Selay; Parlak, DuruMate-choice copying is where the probability of being chosen as a mate increases when there is evidence that others have already chosen that mate. Previous studies have shown that humans of both sexes are subject to such effects. This study asks whether the sexes differ in the extent that they are so affected, raising several considerations that push expectations in either direction. University students (N = 243) rated profile cards about real daters obtained from a prior speed dating event. Profiles included positive, negative or mixed mate choice information about the daters. Both males and females changed their ratings in the direction of others' choices, and to comparable extents. These ratings changes correlated with neither rejection sensitivity nor attachment style scale scores. The present results challenge theories that lead to the expectation that human females will rely more heavily than males on social mate-choice heuristics, and loan credence to several factors that motivate expectation of no sex difference in mate-choice copying.