Seeing helps our hearing: How the visual system plays a role in speech perception
subject: Linear mixed-effects modelling
description: Difficult listening conditions can result in a decrease in our ability to successfully discriminate speech. In these conditions, the visual system assists with speech perception through lipreading. Stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) is used to investigate the interaction between the two senses in speech perception. Due to widely stimulus dependent effects, the exact timings for how far one stream can be asynchronized against the other drastically differs from account to account. Previous research has not considered viseme categories to ensure that selected speech phonemes are visually distinct. This study aims to create and validate a set of audiovisual stimuli that considers these variables for examining speech-in-noise, and to determine the SOA integration period for these stimuli. 27 online participants would be presented with either audio-only stimuli of a speaker speaking or audiovisual stimuli that also contained visuals of the speaker’s lip and mouth area as the speech were spoken. The speech was either clear or in-noise, and either displayed no stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) or had SOA introduced at one of five different levels (200ms, 216.6ms, 233.3ms, 250ms, 266.6ms). Results indicate that, whilst the effect of visual information assisting with speech-in-noise is apparent, it is weaker of an effect than previous literature. Whilst response times imply that 250ms marks the integration window period for our stimuli, no significant accuracy changes corroborate this finding. In all, the study was successful in creating a more valid set of stimuli for testing. As power sufficiency was not met, more testing would be required to firmly cement the findings.
creator: Brandon O’Hanlon
source: connection, allowing for a direct, uninterrupted video feed at 1920x1080 resolution and 60 frames per second. The camera was mounted onto a stable tripod to reduce movement of the camera as much as possible during recording. DroidCam X software was used to aid the streaming of the video in real-time with little compression and loss whilst still retaining a 1080p@60fps quality level. OBS software was used for recording as it allowed the audio from the external microphone and the video from the camera to be encoded together in real-time as a single MKV file. This was beneficial, as it removed potential human error that can occur when manually stitching audio files and video files together. Therefore, we can be certain that there were no asynchronous anomalies between the audio and video streams during encoding. Another benefit of OBS software is that it reports how many frames of video are dropped when recording and encoding an MKV file, which was important to ensure that the home desktop was encoding the video in its entirely akin to a lab-calibrated desktop. No frames were reported to be dropped for all speech tokens recorded. All stimuli were recorded as MKV files initially to avoid lossy compression in the recording. A software-based x264 bit CPU encoding method was used for the recording, due to a lack of internal GPU encoding method (such as Nvenc encoding) on the home system. After the initial recording, the speech tokens were edited in length and converted to mp4 files at a resolution of 1280 x 720p and a frame rate of 60 frames per second. As the study would be completed on participant’s laptops or desktop systems and using their internet connection, we cannot ensure that all participants are using a device with a 1920 x 1080p resolution screen. By reducing the resolution of files to 720p, all potential participant resolution sizes can be accommodated whilst ensuring all participants view the files at the same resolution. For audio-only conditions, the video …
publisher: Lancaster University
date: 2021
contributor: Stephanos Mosfiliotis
rights: Open (unless stated otherwise)
relation: None (unless stated otherwise)
format: Excel File
language: English
type: Data
coverage: LA1 4YF

The impact of retribution on perception of transgressor by others
subject: Retribution, Transgression, Guilt, Vignette
description: Emotions play a key role in within society, behaviour and human life with moral emotions such as guilt, regret and shame being able to influence individuals’ judgments and actions. For example, a person who experiences guilt will want to fix their wrongdoing that has caused this. There are times where these efforts to repair ones transgression, can lead an individual to self-punish in order to repair bonds with others and reduce negative consequences of the situation. The present study experimentally investigated the effect of self-punishment intensity on perceptions of a transgressor. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions of self-punishment intensity (low, correct and high). Vignettes were manipulated for each condition and presented for participants to read for them to answer questions on their judgments of the transgressor (perceptions of guilt, shame, regret, moral character, and trustworthiness, their willingness to forgive the transgressor, how likely they thought they would reoffend in the future) and rated this on a Likert scale of 0-5. Participants allocated to low self-punishment had more negative perceptions towards the transgressor overall when compared to correct self-punishment. However, this was not found beyond this as no differences were seen for those within the high self-punishment condition
creator: Olivia Wilson
source: Participants. Participants were recruited through the use of LU Sona system as well as opportunity sampling through use of social media and network platforms accessible. A total of 174 responses were collected via Qualtrics, of those 158 have been successfully completed through to the end whilst 16 have only been started and answered few questions at most. Therefore, the decision has been made to exclude any incomplete attempts. This resulted in a final sample of 158 of which 54 are in the high punishment condition, 52 in low punishment condition and 52 in correct punishment. Design. This is a one-factor study with 3 levels (self-punishment: Low punishment, correct punishment, and high punishment) between-subjects design. Qualtrics randomly allocated participants to one of the three conditions. Materials. A short hypothetical vignette was used to describe an event between two individuals; ‘Simon’ the transgressor and his friend, who he steals money from. With each of the punishment conditions, the vignette introduced the scenario with the same starting sentences to create the scene of someone performing a transgression against their friend with feelings of self-directed negative affect presented by the transgressor: Simon is out with his friends when he noticed that a member of his group has left their wallet unattended. Simon helps himself to the £40 that was in the wallet. His friend eventually realises that the money has been stolen and seems distressed. The next day, Simon feels bad for his actions and confesses to his friend that he took the money. The final sentence of the vignettes was manipulated for each of the three conditions. The sentence stated the amount of money returned to Simon’s friend, which was either less than originally taken (low punishment, £20), same amount (correct punishment, £40) or more than originally taken (high punishment, £60). He gives his friend all the money he has in his wallet, which came to £20 (or £40, or £60). Hypothetical vi…
publisher: Lancaster University
contributor: Anastasija Jumatova & Annie Fountain
rights: Open
relation: None
format: Data/Excel.csv
language: English
type: Data
coverage: LA1 4YW

A Scoping Review of the Effects of Benzodiazepines on Emotions in Young People
subject: Benzodiazpines, Young people, Children, Adolscents, Emotion/s, Emotional dsyregualtion, Non-prescription misuse.
description: Background: Benzodiazepines are primarily used to manage anxiety and agitation. While it is understood how benzodiazepines work physiologically it is not fully understood how these physiological changes cause the emotional changes. As this relationship is not fully understood, it maybe that benzodiazepines also affect emotions in ways not currently known, such as being a factor in emotional dysregulation. Objective: To conduct a scoping review into the effects of benzodiazepines on young people. To map the of the effects benzodiazepines have on emotions in young people and identify any links between benzodiazepines and emotional dysregulation. Design: A scoping review was conducted. PRISMA protocols were followed but other sources such as Cochrane and Joanna Briggs Institute were consulted to develop a framework. Results: This review’s findings suggests that benzodiazepines do reduce anxiety and agitation. However, the research concerning children and adolescents is limited, and suggests benzodiazepines maybe less effective than in adults. There are many adverse effects but despite this prescription use remains relatively high. Non-prescription misuse in adolescents is evident and globally prevalent. Only one direct link was found to emotional dysregulation, but other possible links were also found. Conclusions: More research into the areas of the efficacy of benzodiazepines in children and adolescents and the risks associated with paradoxical and adverse effects is needed. Possible links between emotional dysregulation and benzodiazepines misuse were made and research is needed to understand if this relationship exists and the effects. Any improvement in understanding this relationship will enable targeted interventions to be developed.
creator: Lewis Pares
source: The search was conducted using the following databases: Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL, Psych Info, Medline and Embase. Searches were dependent on the functionality of the different databases such as different key terms, different abilities to expand search terms and different limiters or age groups, these are all shown in the search terms document in the OSF repository. All searches were limited to English language. No further sources were used to supplement the search.
publisher: Lancaster UNiversity
date: 2021
contributor: Jiqian Chen; yemi oluwaleye
rights: Open
relation: None
format: Excel spreadsheet/.xlsx
language: English
type: Date
coverage: LA1 4YF

Do trustworthiness judgements help people to recognise synthetic faces?
subject: StyleGAN, synthetic face, trustworthiness perception, facial trustworthiness
description: Recent advances in digital image generative models have allowed for artificial creation of fake imagery such as synthesising highly photorealistic human faces. Style-based Generative Adversarial Networks (StyleGAN) is one of the most state-of-the-art generative models in this field, and has been widely used on facial image generation. However, with the increasing ease of using such image generative models, the security in many domains, such as forensic, border control and mass media, is vulnerable in front of the potential threats resulted from the misuse of image generative technologies. To date there has only been limited empirical research into the facial characteristics of StyleGAN-generated faces to support the design of detection methods against such synthetic faces. This study used StyleGAN2 (an improved version of StyleGAN) to generate faces and invited people to complete two facial image evaluation tasks, 1) Discrimination task, 2) Trustworthiness rating task. The study results demonstrated that, in the discrimination task, subjects had trouble recognising synthetic faces by direct/explicit judgement; while in the trustworthiness rating task, subjects perceived the synthetic faces as significantly more trustworthy than real faces. The study further analysed gender bias and ethnicity bias on the perception of facial trustworthiness, with results showing some differences between different levels of gender and ethnicity. In conclusion, people’s ability to recognise synthetic faces is poor, but it is possible that people rely on the perception of facial trustworthiness to discriminate synthetic from real faces. The findings in this study have implications for the development of detection methods against digitally generated faces.
creator: Haisa Shan
source: Subjects and design Three hundred and fifty-seven subjects (114 males, mean age = 25.2, SD = 5.8; 227 females, mean age = 25.0, SD = 6.3; 10 non-binary, mean age = 23.6, SD = 8.93) were recruited to complete an online survey test delivered on www.qualtrics.com. The responses of subjects who started but did not complete the online survey were eliminated to avoid distorting the research results. We used computer-synthesised facial images in this research as fake faces, mixed with real faces to examine people’s ability to detect fake faces and perceptual differences of trustworthiness between real/fake faces. Subjects did not get rewards for their participation, though they could see the test score of their performances at the end of the survey. The Qualtrics survey was based on a within-subjects design in which all subjects viewed the same two sets of adult facial images and completed each of the two tasks. To eliminate the effect of between-sets difference, the use of each image sets was counterbalanced in the individual test for each subject. Before the survey started, all subjects provided informed consent and completed a demographic questionnaire about their age, gender, ethnicity. In terms of the experimental power of 0.8 and significance level of 0.05, with a small effect, the power calculation indicated that the study needed at least 198 subjects. Stimuli A total of thirty-two human facial images (1024×1024 resolution), including 16 real and 16 synthetic faces, were used as stimuli in the survey. All real faces were taken from a publicly available dataset for high-quality human facial images, Flickr-Faces-HQ (FFHQ), which is created as a benchmark for GAN (see https://github.com/NVlabs/ffhq-dataset), and all synthetic faces were gained from the dataset of the generative image modeling, StyleGAN2 (see https://github.com/NVlabs/stylegan2). To ensure a diverse dataset, in each of the two sets of faces, there were 4 Black, 4 East Asian, 4 South Asian, 4 White, and …
publisher: Lancaster University
date: 8 September 2021
contributor: Joanne Roe
rights: Open
relation: None
format: data/Excel.csv
language: English
type: Data
identifier: Cognitive, Perception Forensic
coverage: LA1 4YW

A secondary data analysis: How will the effects on accuracy differ when measuring individual differences in word reading skill in Spanish?
subject: Individual differences, Dyslexia, Word property effects, Language orthographies, Reading accuracy
description: A deficit in accuracy has been found to correlate to reading difficulties (Davies et al., 2007). Effects of psycholinguistic factors and differences in language orthographies contribute to reading skills, predominantly in children with reading impairments such as dyslexia. The present study is a secondary data analysis of the original research conducted by Davies et al. (2007). The effects on accuracy of individual differences demonstrated by nonword reading skill and word property measures were examined in Spanish children. Participants were 110 students differing in reading ability from schools located in A Coruńa, Lugo, Orense and Pontevendra in northern Spain. The subjects were required to take standardized and experimental reading ability and intelligence tests. Eight lists consisting of 15 words each were created. The words were presented in five rows of three columns. Participants were asked to read the words as quickly and accurately as they could. Words which were incorrectly pronounced were identified as errors. Word property measures suggested to affect reading ability were selected and updated from an online database of Spanish words ‘EsPal’. Variables of frequency, length of words, neighbourhood size (Levenshtein distance), RAN, PROLEC-R nonword reading were investigated in the present analysis. Accuracy of reading scores was found to be significantly high for the sample. Effects of individual differences on accuracy were noted. Word property measures of frequency and neighborhood size were found to significantly affect reading accuracy. Effects of fluency (RAN) and nonword reading (PROLEC-R) were also observed. The analysis provides insight into plausible factors which contribute to reading impairments in a rule governed orthography such as Spanish. Results suggest that perhaps nonword reading skill could serve as an marker for reading difficulties.
creator: Julianna Krol
source: Participants In the original study (Davies et al.,2007) researchers selected and identified three groups of children from an initial sample of 110. Children who indicated clear reading disabilities (DYS/ dyslexia), a control group consisting of children matched by reading ability level (RA matched group) to the DYS group and a chronological age control group (CA matched group). The present analysis investigated the whole sample of 110 participants and no group selection was conducted. Participants were students from schools located in A Coruńa, Lugo, Orense and Pontevendra in northern Spain. 110 children differing in reading ability and age were selected. These children did not obtain any prior diagnoses of impaired neurological or sensory-motor functioning. The sample of 110 children was required to take standardized and experimental reading ability and intelligence tests on different school days during a 3-month time. Experimental data was gathered in a single session focusing primarily on the experimental test, whereas the standardized reading test was given in a separate session. Measures Reading performance was measured across a series of ability tests (PROLEC-R, RAN). PROLEC-R Battery Tests of Literacy Skills Evaluation of reading processes for children is assessed through the use of the PROLEC-R battery constructed by Cuetos, Rodriguez, Ruano & Arribas (1996). The battery consists of Spanish tests analyzing reading processes such as lexical, semantic etc. Subjects were required to read from a list of 40 words as quickly and accurately as possible. Words differed on properties such as frequency and length. The scores obtained consist of a score relating to accuracy and reading speed when assessing words and nonwords. It has been suggested that the results of the test provide significantly more information when combining the PROLEC-R scores of accuracy and PROLEC-R reading times. This is why PROLEC-R nonword reading was computed into a combined measure. This wa…
publisher: Lancaster University
date: 2021
contributor: Florine Causer, Siri Sudhakar
rights: Data set belongs to Robert Davies who is the author of the original published study (Davies et al.,2007, “Reading development and dyslexia in a transparent orthography: a survey of Spanish children”.)
relation: The present work is a secondary data analysis of the original research conducted by Davies et al. (2007), “Reading development and dyslexia in a transparent orthography: a survey of Spanish children”.
format: Data/Excel. csv
language: English and Spanish (Spanish participants, words, database)
type: Data
coverage: LA1 4YF

Understanding the psychological, perceptual and emotional impact signage has on residents in a local community.
subject: signage, placemaking, community engagement, qualitative research, community reputation
description: The placement of signage, street furniture and advertisements can have a profound impact on the appearance of a built environment. They play a vital role in shaping the cultural, physical and social identities that impact the perceptions that residents and other stakeholders hold towards local communities, which in turn impacts on behaviours. Adopting a qualitative approach, this study will examine the impact of signage and other visual features that can contribute to the psychological, perceptual and emotional impact that these elements can have on residents in a local community. A number of semi-structured interviews were conducted amongst residents in One Manchester property areas, One Manchester place officers and residents near these areas. Participants were shown a variety of visual images of signage and were prompted to discuss their emotional response and thoughts, and propose suggestions to improve signage. A thematic analysis was conducted using the interview data and indicated the following four themes: signage design, reputation, community engagement and impact of signage. Reflecting upon these themes, the results suggested that existing signage was psychically ill-fitted and visually dull, lacking positive influential stimuli and evocative colours and that it lacked the authenticity and character needed to emotionally resonate with passers-by. This negatively impacted the reputation of the communities, leading them to be categorised as economically poor with high crime rates, resulting in stakeholders feeling alienated and some fearful. The results highlighted that the signage needs to be revitalised as a part of a wider placemaking strategy to rejuvenate local environments, perceived to be run down. This should support the ongoing evolution of these areas and engage community members to instal signage that is both influential and reflects an overall collective vision.
creator: Alexander Wootton
source: Design Due to the need to gain an in-depth understanding of the psychological, perceptual, and emotional impact signage has on residents in a community and factoring in the Covid-19 pandemic, a qualitative approach was adopted consisting of semi-structured interviews. This style of interviews was considered the most suitable method as they provide rich data on the participant’s thoughts which are not constrained by the bounds of tick box exercises or strict discussion guides. They enable researchers to “assess, confirm, validate, refute, or elaborate upon existing knowledge and the discovery of new knowledge” (Mcintosh & Morse, 2015, p. 1). This enables the discussion between the moderator and participant to flow more smoothly and naturally (Roulston et al., 2003) yet, a flexible guide at the moderators disposal keeps the conversation on topic. Interviews in the project were conducted using Microsoft Teams and telephone communication. The data was then assessed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six step thematic analysis. Braun & Clarke’s (2006) six-steps thematic analysis: Familiarisation: Getting to know the overall data collected through re-reads of transcripts. Coding: Reducing sentences and phrases into small fragments of meaning or “codes”. Generating themes: Identifying patterns among codes. Review themes: Assuring that the meanings identified are relevant to the representation of data collected (research objectives). Define themes: Refine themes developed by establishing their essence and significance. Analysing themes: Highlight the frequency of themes and meanings derived from qualitative data analysis. Generate conclusions agreed-upon by all researchers. Participants A sample of 24 participants was originally agreed, however, only 14 participants were interviewed for the project. Participants were either recruited by One Manchester or the lead researcher from areas across south, east and central Manchester. Participants were made up of the following: Eight …
publisher: Lancaster University
date: 2021
contributor: Reva Maria George
rights: Open
relation: Consultancy - Commercial report
format: Word doc.
language: English
type: Text
coverage: LA1 4YF

Does Advertising Truly Represent the LGBTQ+ Community? An Analysis of Intersectionality and Consumer Responses to LGBTQ+ Advertising
subject: LGBTQ+ advertising, prosocial advertising, intersectionality, consumer attitudes
description: Depictions of sexual and gender minorities in advertising are becoming increasingly common and diverse. Yet, numerous intersections within these portrayals are still invisible. Previous research has found mixed results regarding consumer responses to LGBTQ+ identities in advertising. The current study aimed to obtain a further understanding into how a diverse range of consumers respond to heteronormative versus LGBTQ+ imagery in ads. This was assessed using semi-structured interviews to examine sexual and gender minority consumer (n = 13) and non-LGBTQ+ consumer (n = 6) reactions to three distinct IKEA ads. In addition to this, LGBTQ+ character depictions in 286 worldwide mainstream ads from 2016-2020 were analysed for measures of intersectionality across the dimensions of race, age and specific LGBTQ+ membership, extending the previous findings of Nölke (2018). Results indicated that non-LGBTQ+ participants showed similar responses and subsequent brand evaluation regardless of ad theme. Sexual and gender minority participants were found to show preference towards the ad featuring LGBTQ+ identities, though were often found to be sceptical of such portrayals. Intersectionality analysis uncovered that 47 out of a possible 96 intersections were completely invisible from 2016-2020, although representation of minorities within the community has increased substantially since the original findings. Results demonstrate the importance of character depictions in advertising, highlighting why intersectionality of such portrayals needs to increase in the future. Findings further denote how and why different consumers react to specific ad imagery, making recommendations to marketers regarding their inclusion of LGBTQ+ identities in advertising.
creator: Layton Edgington
source: Participants The sample consisted of 19 participants aged between 18-53 at their time of interview; Mage = 23.5 years, SDage = 7.6. Of this sample, 13 participants stated that they identified as LGBTQ+ (2 White lesbian females, 1 Mixed-Race lesbian female, 2 White gay males, 1 Asian gay male, 2 White bisexual females, 1 Black bisexual female, 1 Asian bisexual male, 1 White transgender female, 1 White transgender male and 1 White transgender non-binary individual). A further 6 participants stated that they did not identify as LGBTQ+ (3 White males and 3 White females). Participants were recruited in a purposive manner through social media sites such as Instagram and WhatsApp and comprised mainly of acquaintances of the researcher. A high proportion of LGBTQ+ participants were utilised in an effort to ensure intersectionality of responses, which has been shown to provide a strong methodological framework within which to investigate underrepresented groups (Rodriguez, 2018). Design The study consisted of two distinct elements; semi-structured interviews and a content analysis of existing global advertisements that feature LGBTQ+ characters from 2016-2020. Semi-structured interviews were the chosen method of qualitative data gathering, as the style allows for analysis according to the basis of grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) and gives scope for probing questions to supplement the richness of answers given. The combination of quantitative (quantified content analysis) and qualitative research employed in the study through separate investigations was undertaken in attempt to provide a rigorous understanding of LGBTQ+ diversity in advertising and its effects upon observers. Interviews All participants individually took part in an in-depth semi-structured interview with the researcher over Microsoft Teams. Due to the inductive nature of the exploration, no independent and dependent variables were implemented. The research broadly assessed the following measures acr…
publisher: Lancaster University
date: September 2021
contributor: Laura Meek
rights: Open (Unless stated otherwise)
relation: None (Unless stated otherwise)
format: Data/Excel.csv Text/Nvivo
language: English
type: Data
coverage: LA1 4YF

Does Advertising Truly Represent the LGBTQ+ Community? An Analysis of Intersectionality and Consumer Responses to LGBTQ+ Advertising
subject: LGBTQ+ advertising, prosocial advertising, intersectionality, consumer attitudes
description: Depictions of sexual and gender minorities in advertising are becoming increasingly common and diverse. Yet, numerous intersections within these portrayals are still invisible. Previous research has found mixed results regarding consumer responses to LGBTQ+ identities in advertising. The current study aimed to obtain a further understanding into how a diverse range of consumers respond to heteronormative versus LGBTQ+ imagery in ads. This was assessed using semi-structured interviews to examine sexual and gender minority consumer (n = 13) and non-LGBTQ+ consumer (n = 6) reactions to three distinct IKEA ads. In addition to this, LGBTQ+ character depictions in 286 worldwide mainstream ads from 2016-2020 were analysed for measures of intersectionality across the dimensions of race, age and specific LGBTQ+ membership, extending the previous findings of Nölke (2018). Results indicated that non-LGBTQ+ participants showed similar responses and subsequent brand evaluation regardless of ad theme. Sexual and gender minority participants were found to show preference towards the ad featuring LGBTQ+ identities, though were often found to be sceptical of such portrayals. Intersectionality analysis uncovered that 47 out of a possible 96 intersections were completely invisible from 2016-2020, although representation of minorities within the community has increased substantially since the original findings. Results demonstrate the importance of character depictions in advertising, highlighting why intersectionality of such portrayals needs to increase in the future. Findings further denote how and why different consumers react to specific ad imagery, making recommendations to marketers regarding their inclusion of LGBTQ+ identities in advertising.
creator: Layton Edgington
source: Participants The sample consisted of 19 participants aged between 18-53 at their time of interview; Mage = 23.5 years, SDage = 7.6. Of this sample, 13 participants stated that they identified as LGBTQ+ (2 White lesbian females, 1 Mixed-Race lesbian female, 2 White gay males, 1 Asian gay male, 2 White bisexual females, 1 Black bisexual female, 1 Asian bisexual male, 1 White transgender female, 1 White transgender male and 1 White transgender non-binary individual). A further 6 participants stated that they did not identify as LGBTQ+ (3 White males and 3 White females). Participants were recruited in a purposive manner through social media sites such as Instagram and WhatsApp and comprised mainly of acquaintances of the researcher. A high proportion of LGBTQ+ participants were utilised in an effort to ensure intersectionality of responses, which has been shown to provide a strong methodological framework within which to investigate underrepresented groups (Rodriguez, 2018). Design The study consisted of two distinct elements; semi-structured interviews and a content analysis of existing global advertisements that feature LGBTQ+ characters from 2016-2020. Semi-structured interviews were the chosen method of qualitative data gathering, as the style allows for analysis according to the basis of grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) and gives scope for probing questions to supplement the richness of answers given. The combination of quantitative (quantified content analysis) and qualitative research employed in the study through separate investigations was undertaken in attempt to provide a rigorous understanding of LGBTQ+ diversity in advertising and its effects upon observers. Interviews All participants individually took part in an in-depth semi-structured interview with the researcher over Microsoft Teams. Due to the inductive nature of the exploration, no independent and dependent variables were implemented. The research broadly assessed the following measures acr…
publisher: Lancaster University
date: September 2021
contributor: Yuxin Zhang
rights: Open
relation: Qualitative analysis has no relation. Content analysis extends the work of Nölke (2018)
format: Data/Excel.csv Text/Nvivo
language: English
type: Data and Text
coverage: LA1 4YF

Extending the Cortical Hyperexcitability Index
subject: Perceptual Aberrations, Cortical Hyperexcitability, Migraine, Aura, Tinnitus, Auditory Perception, Visual Perception, Hallucinations
description: Anomalous perceptual experiences are associated with underlying excitation of neural activity in the cerebral cortex, known as cortical hyperexcitability (Wilkins, 1995). This can be measured behaviourally by the pattern glare test, where migraineurs consistently show greater susceptibility to anomalous visual percepts in response to grating patterns than control participants (for review see Evans & Stevenson, 2008). Based on these findings, Fong, Takahashi and Braithwaite (2019) developed a screening measure of visual cortical hyperexcitability, the Cortical Hyperexcitability Index (CHi-II), through exploratory factor analysis. This project aims to create auditory-based items for the CHi-II. We know cortical hyperexcitability in the auditory cortex is also associated with a number of auditory symptoms in migraine such as heightened auditory sensitivity and a range of anomalous auditory percepts, ranging from tinnitus-like tones to multiple conversing voices (Vingen, Pareja & Støren et al., 1998; Miller, Grosberg, Crystal & Robbins, 2015). As such we created seven auditory items through adaptation of related questionnaire items and generating unique items based on phenomenology of patient descriptions; these refer to experiences of hearing voices or unexplained sounds under various circumstances, as well as sensitivity to noise. Exploratory Factor Analysis will be conducted on the CHi-II alongside auditory items to test which factor each item best loads onto, as well as using Cronbach's Alpha to assess internal validity. Results are discussed in terms of the debate on global versus localised effects of patterns of hyperexcitability, as well as implications for our understanding of multisensory anomalous perceptual experiences.
creator: Haydn Farrelly
source: Method Participants Forty-five participants age 18-24 (M = 19.24) took part either for research credits or without incentive. Of these, thirty-seven (82%) were female and thirty-seven (82%) were right-handed. Prior to the main questionnaire, a pre-screening survey asked participants to declare any history of neurosurgeries (8.22%), neurological conditions (2.22%), psychological conditions (17.78%), ocular conditions (15.56%), epilepsy (0%), migraine (24.44%), or tinnitus (15.56%). Auditory Item Creation As with the original CHi-II, items were based on previous questionnaires measuring anomalous perceptual experiences (Sierra & Berrios, 2000; Bell, Halligan & Ellis, 2006) alongside patient reports of auditory experiences in migraine (Miller, Grosberg, Crystal & Robbins, 2015; Vreeburg, Leijten, Sommer & Sommer, 2016). These items were split into two categories: voice-hearing, and noise-hearing. We distinguished between hearing a single voice in item one ‘Do you ever hear a single voice talking aloud in your head without a clear source?’, or multiple voices in item two ‘Do you ever hear 2 or more unexplained voices talking with each other?’, as these are delineated in patient reports (Miller et al., 2015; Vreebrug et al., 2016). We also distinguish between hearing instructing voices in item three ‘Do you ever hear voices telling you what to do?’, and hearing voices which comment on thoughts and actions in item four ‘Do you ever hear voices telling you what to do, or commenting on what you are thinking or doing?’, as suggested by the CAPS and CDS (Sierra & Berrios, 2000; Bell et al., 2006). The first noise item asked participants about the occurrence of anomalous sounds in item five ‘Do you ever notice sounds, such as ringing / buzzing , which other people around you cannot hear?’ as recommended by CAPS and CDS (Sierra & Berrios, 2000; Bell et al., 2006). The final noise items referred to volume of sounds in item six ‘Do you ever become annoyed or agitated by sounds th…
publisher: Lancaster University
date: 27/05/2022
contributor: Haydn Farrelly
rights: Open
relation: Braithwaite, Marchant, Takahashi, Dewe & Watson (2015) Fong, Takahashi & Braithwaite (2019)
format: Data/Excel.csv
language: English
type: Data
coverage: LA1 4YF

Optimising the Use of Synaesthetic Metaphors in Advertising: The Roles of Metaphor Construction and Complexity
subject: Metaphors; Synaesthetic Metaphors; Advertising; Persuasiveness
description: Metaphors are commonly employed in advertising to increase its persuasive effects. Research suggests that metaphors are most effective when conveyed visually, however linguists believe that additionally providing a linguistic cue, designed to help metaphor interpretation, can increase their effectiveness. In addition, metaphors of medium complexity are believed to drive higher effectiveness than simpler or more complex metaphors. This research aims to investigate how these issues relate to synaesthetic metaphors, those that reference two sensory modalities. Participants were presented with print adverts, the visual and linguistic elements of which were adapted to contain literal messages or synaesthetic metaphors. Participants provided ratings of appreciation, purchase intentions, and perceived advert complexity. Synaesthetic metaphors were shown to produce significantly stronger persuasive effects, measured via appreciation and purchase intentions, when conveyed visually and when rated highly on complexity. Implications for advertisers, who wish to incorporate and optimise the use of synaesthetic metaphors in print advertising, are discussed.
creator: Emily Davenport
source: Participants This research recruited 122 participants via opportunistic sampling. Participants were native speakers of English aged 18 or over, with no history of disabilities in any of the sensory domains (sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch). Twelve participants were excluded due to incomplete survey responses and/or ineligibility according to the inclusion criteria, resulting in a sample of 110 participants (88 female, 20 male, 2 other; age: M = 38.11, SD = 18.60) who were randomly assigned to complete one of four surveys (see Design). The demographics per survey are detailed in Table 1. Table 1 The Sample Size and Demographics Per Survey N Gender Age Male Female Other Mean SD Survey 1 28 4 24 - 43.68 18.94 Survey 2 29 7 21 1 32.90 17.77 Survey 3 28 5 22 1 35.07 17.09 Survey 4 25 4 21 - 41.32 19.48 Materials Advert Stimuli The advert stimuli used in this research were gathered and modified by previous researchers at Francesca Citron’s laboratory (Chen, 2019; Pan, 2019). The researchers obtained real adverts containing synaesthetic metaphors from the dataset of Bolognesi and Strik Lievers (2018). These base adverts were labelled 1-8 (see Appendix A). The researchers produced three modified versions of each base advert. They edited the visual and linguistic elements, of product images and slogans respectively, to contain, or not contain, a synaesthetic metaphor, in accordance with the ‘Metaphor Category’ they represented. One version of each base advert conveyed a synaesthetic metaphor in both the visual and linguistic advert elements (Visual-Linguistic SM; labelled “VL”). One version contained a synaesthetic metaphor in the visual, but not linguistic, advert elements (Visual SM Only; labelled “V). One version contained a synaesthetic metaphor in the linguistic, but not visual, advert elements (Linguistic SM Only; labelled “L”). The final version served as a control as a synaesthetic metaphor did not appear in the visual or linguistic advert elements (No SM; lab…
publisher: Lancaster University
date: 06/09/2021
contributor: Malcolm Wong
rights: Open
relation: Follow up on previous research in Francesca Citron's lab
format: Data/Excel.xlsx
language: English
type: Data
coverage: LA1 4YF