Confidence-accuracy relations for faces and scenes: roles of features and familiarity.

Using naturalistic scenes, we recently demonstrated that confidence-accuracy relations differ depending on whether recognition responses are based on memory for a specific feature or instead on general familiarity: When confidence is controlled for, accuracy is higher for familiarity-based than for feature-based responses. In the present experiment, we show that these results generalize to face recognition. Subjects studied photographs of scenes and faces presented for varying brief durations and received a recognition test on which they (1) indicated whether each picture was old or new, (2) rated their confidence in their response, and (3) indicated whether their response was based on memory for a feature or on general familiarity.

Different confidence-accuracy relationships for feature-based and familiarity-based memories.

Participants studied naturalistic pictures presented for varying brief durations and then received a recognition test on which they indicated whether each picture was old or new and rated their confidence. In 1 experiment they indicated whether each "old"/"new" response was based on memory for a specific feature in the picture or instead on the picture's general familiarity; in another experiment, we defined pictures that tended to elicit feature versus familiarity responses. Thus, feature/familiarity was a dependent variable in 1 experiment and an independent variable in the other.

A significant bilateral field advantage for shapes defined by static and motion cues.

Matching performance is better when pairs of visual stimuli are presented in bilateral conditions--in which one stimulus is presented to each side of the visual field--than in unilateral presentations-when both stimuli are presented to one side of the field. This is called the bilateral field advantage (BFA). The processing of visual motion has also been found to be more strongly integrated across the cerebral hemispheres than is processing of static cues.

Proinflammatory cytokines differentially influence adult hippocampal cell proliferation depending upon the route and chronicity of administration.

Disturbances of hippocampal plasticity, including impaired dendritic branching and reductions of neurogenesis, are provoked by stressful insults and may occur in depression. Although corticoids likely contribute to stressor-induced reductions of neurogenesis, other signaling messengers, including pro-inflammatory cytokines might also be involved. Accordingly, the present investigation assessed whether three proinflammatory cytokines, namely interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) (associated with depression) influenced cellular proliferation within the hippocampus.