Cognitive styles and loudness discrimination: individual differential analysis

Background. The paper highlights the necessity of studying the role of various high-level psychological mechanisms that participate in regulating sensory perceptual processes occurring under perceptual uncertainty. Objective. The objective was to study the role of cognitive styles as crucial factor...

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Main Authors: Natalia N. Volkova, Aleksey N. Gusev
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Lomonosov Moscow State University 2018-03-01
Series:Национальный психологический журнал
Subjects:
Online Access:http://npsyj.ru/pdf/npj-no29-2018/npj_no29_2018_106-116.pdf
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author Natalia N. Volkova
Aleksey N. Gusev
author_facet Natalia N. Volkova
Aleksey N. Gusev
author_sort Natalia N. Volkova
collection DOAJ
description Background. The paper highlights the necessity of studying the role of various high-level psychological mechanisms that participate in regulating sensory perceptual processes occurring under perceptual uncertainty. Objective. The objective was to study the role of cognitive styles as crucial factors of individual differences that determine the performance of near-threshold and threshold sensory tasks on loudness discrimination. Design The tasks represented the discrimination of loudness of 1000Hz tonal signals in the ‘similar-different’ paradigm. The stimulus factor was presented by the difficulty level set by the value of difference between the stimuli (2 or 1 dB). Five cognitive styles (augmenting-reducing, leveling-sharpening, flexibility-rigidity of cognitive control, equivalence range, and focusing-scanning) were considered as factors of individual differences. The sensitivity index A`, RT and its stability, and also confidence index for each task were analyzed. Results. The significant and quasi-significant (0.05<p<0.1) effects of separate cognitive styles and also their interactions effects were identified. These effects varied depending on the task difficulty level. Cognitive styles ‘augmenting-reducing’ (p=0.008) and ‘leveling-sharpening’ (p=0.044), together with their interaction (p=0.042), affected sensitivity in threshold task; the interaction of these styles affected sensitivity in near-threshold task (p=0.047). ‘Flexibility-rigidity of cognitive control’ (p=0.042) as well as the interaction of ‘augmenting-reducing’ and ‘leveling-sharpening’ affected RT (p=0.073) and its stability (p=0.083). Subjective confidence in the near-threshold task depended on such cognitive styles as ‘flexibility-rigidity of cognitive control’ (p=0.081), and ‘equivalence range’ (p=0.043); the threshold task depended on ‘focusingscanning’ (p=0.021), ‘flexibility-rigidity of cognitive control’ (p=0.071), and ‘equivalence range’ (p=0.018), alongside the interaction of the latter two (p=0.052). The results were compared to the ones of threshold and near-threshold visual signal detection tasks performance. Conclusion. Being crucial situational determinants of solving sensory tasks under perceptual uncertainty, the type and difficulty level of the task mediate the effects of individual differences factors on sensory performance indices. The results are discussed within the framework of system activity approach in psychophysics.
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spelling doaj.art-a8c6a916d1e945f4b3030e1fb9aa886e2024-02-02T22:41:31ZengLomonosov Moscow State UniversityНациональный психологический журнал2079-66172309-98282018-03-0112910611610.11621/npj.2018.0110Cognitive styles and loudness discrimination: individual differential analysisNatalia N. Volkova0Aleksey N. Gusev1Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, RussiaLomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, RussiaBackground. The paper highlights the necessity of studying the role of various high-level psychological mechanisms that participate in regulating sensory perceptual processes occurring under perceptual uncertainty. Objective. The objective was to study the role of cognitive styles as crucial factors of individual differences that determine the performance of near-threshold and threshold sensory tasks on loudness discrimination. Design The tasks represented the discrimination of loudness of 1000Hz tonal signals in the ‘similar-different’ paradigm. The stimulus factor was presented by the difficulty level set by the value of difference between the stimuli (2 or 1 dB). Five cognitive styles (augmenting-reducing, leveling-sharpening, flexibility-rigidity of cognitive control, equivalence range, and focusing-scanning) were considered as factors of individual differences. The sensitivity index A`, RT and its stability, and also confidence index for each task were analyzed. Results. The significant and quasi-significant (0.05<p<0.1) effects of separate cognitive styles and also their interactions effects were identified. These effects varied depending on the task difficulty level. Cognitive styles ‘augmenting-reducing’ (p=0.008) and ‘leveling-sharpening’ (p=0.044), together with their interaction (p=0.042), affected sensitivity in threshold task; the interaction of these styles affected sensitivity in near-threshold task (p=0.047). ‘Flexibility-rigidity of cognitive control’ (p=0.042) as well as the interaction of ‘augmenting-reducing’ and ‘leveling-sharpening’ affected RT (p=0.073) and its stability (p=0.083). Subjective confidence in the near-threshold task depended on such cognitive styles as ‘flexibility-rigidity of cognitive control’ (p=0.081), and ‘equivalence range’ (p=0.043); the threshold task depended on ‘focusingscanning’ (p=0.021), ‘flexibility-rigidity of cognitive control’ (p=0.071), and ‘equivalence range’ (p=0.018), alongside the interaction of the latter two (p=0.052). The results were compared to the ones of threshold and near-threshold visual signal detection tasks performance. Conclusion. Being crucial situational determinants of solving sensory tasks under perceptual uncertainty, the type and difficulty level of the task mediate the effects of individual differences factors on sensory performance indices. The results are discussed within the framework of system activity approach in psychophysics.http://npsyj.ru/pdf/npj-no29-2018/npj_no29_2018_106-116.pdfindividual differencespsychophysicssensory taskcognitive styleloudness discrimination
spellingShingle Natalia N. Volkova
Aleksey N. Gusev
Cognitive styles and loudness discrimination: individual differential analysis
Национальный психологический журнал
individual differences
psychophysics
sensory task
cognitive style
loudness discrimination
title Cognitive styles and loudness discrimination: individual differential analysis
title_full Cognitive styles and loudness discrimination: individual differential analysis
title_fullStr Cognitive styles and loudness discrimination: individual differential analysis
title_full_unstemmed Cognitive styles and loudness discrimination: individual differential analysis
title_short Cognitive styles and loudness discrimination: individual differential analysis
title_sort cognitive styles and loudness discrimination individual differential analysis
topic individual differences
psychophysics
sensory task
cognitive style
loudness discrimination
url http://npsyj.ru/pdf/npj-no29-2018/npj_no29_2018_106-116.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT natalianvolkova cognitivestylesandloudnessdiscriminationindividualdifferentialanalysis
AT alekseyngusev cognitivestylesandloudnessdiscriminationindividualdifferentialanalysis