bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Smoothing Normal Vectors on Discrete Surfaces While Preserving Slope Discontinuities
Authors: Thürmer Grit
Published: March 2003

A new method is proposed which smoothes normal vectors over a discrete surface, preserving slope discontinuities and small details. Assume an estimate of the normal vector at each surface point is known and these estimates are computed from small neighbourhoods such that slope discontinuities and small details are still reflected by these normals. To smooth these normals, the normal vectors at points in a certain neighbourhood are averaged. The size of the neighbourhood considered for the smoothing at a point is adapted according the local surface configuration. The adaptation is performed, depending on the tangent plane at the point considered as well as the angles between the normals at neighbouring points and the normal at the point in question.
Bulge Elimination in Convolution Surfaces
Authors: Bloomenthal Jules
Published: March 2003

The relationship between surface bulge and several implicit blend techniques, particularly those based on convolution of a skeleton, is discussed. An examination of branching skeletons reveals that for two and three‐dimensional skeletons, the surface will be bulge‐free if skeletal elements are sufficiently large with respect to the convolution kernel.
Synthesizing Novel Views from Unregistered 2‐D Images
Authors: Havaldar Parag , Lee Mi‐Suen , Medioni Gérard
Published: March 2003

Synthesizing the image of a 3‐D scene as it would be captured by a camera from an arbitrary viewpoint is a central problem in Computer Graphics. Given a complete 3‐D model, it is possible to render the scene from any viewpoint. The construction of models is a tedious task. Here, we propose to bypass the model construction phase altogether, and to generate images of a 3‐D scene from any novel viewpoint from prestored images. Unlike methods presented so far, we propose to completely avoid inferring and reasoning in 3‐D by using projective invariants. These invariants are derived from corresponding points in the prestored images. The correspondences between features are established off‐line in a semi‐automated way. It is then possible to generate wireframe animation in real time on a standard computing platform. Well understood texture mapping methods can be applied to the wireframes to realistically render new images from the prestored ones. The method proposed here should allow the integration of computer generated and real imagery for applications such as walkthroughs in realistic virtual environments. We illustrate our approach on synthetic and real indoor and outdoor images.
Image Warping Using Few Anchor Points and Radial Functions
Authors: Arad Nur , Reisfeld Daniel
Published: March 2003

Transformations based on radial basis junctions have proven to be a powerful tool in image warping. In the present work we decompose these transformations into linear and radial terms, and show examples where such a decomposition is advantageous. Locally supported basis functions are introduced. Several applications are demonstrated, and a comparison with other warping techniques is carried out. Finally, some fine points of image warping are discussed.
Collision Detection for Animation using Sphere‐Trees
Authors: Palmer I. J. , Grimsdale R. L.
Published: March 2003

The detection of collisions between moving polyhedral objects is one of the most computationally intensive tasks in the computer animation process. The use of object‐oriented techniques to encapsulate data within the objects' structures compounds this problem through the requirement for inter‐object message passing in order to obtain geometric information for collision detection. The REALISM system decreases the time for collision detection by using a three stage process. The first stage identifies objects in the same locality using a global bounding volume table. The second stage locates regions of possible collision using a sphere‐tree data structure (a hierarchical tree of spheres based on octree‐type spatial subdivision). The final stage finds intersections between polygonal faces of the objects that are contained within the intersecting pairs of leaf nodes. Hence the algorithm uses a spherical geometry approximation rapidly to locate regions of potential collisions and then uses a local intersection test with actual object geometry information. The system is therefore fast and accurate. Tests for various geometric objects support this and show performance improvements of jive times over traditional polyhedral intersection tests.
Accelerated Evaluation of Box Splines via a Parallel Inverse FFT
Authors: McCool Michael D.
Published: March 2003

Box splines are a multivariate extension of uniform univariate B‐splines. Direct evaluation of a box spline basis function can he difficult but they have a relatively simple Fourier transform and can therefore be evaluated with an inverse FFT. Symmetry recursive evaluation of the coefficients, and parallelization can be used to improve absolute performance. A windowing function can also he used to reduce truncation artifacts. We explore all these options in the context of a high‐performance parallel implementation. Our goal is the provision of an empirical touchstone for the inverse FFT evaluation of box spline basis functions, for eventual application to forward projection (splat‐based) volume rendering.
Efficient Lossless Image Contour Coding
Authors: Turner Martin J. , Wiseman Neil E.
Published: March 2003

A process is presented for converting a raster image into a discrete set of plateaus or contours. A contour coder has been developed which fully describes these contours via their boundary descriptions in a compact and computationally efficient manner, and is the basis for an image compression method. An analysis of some of the possible edge coding schemes is presented with both theoretical and practical conclusions. Described is a detailed study of the problems encountered and solutions chosen.
An Image based Measurement System for Anisotropic Reflection
Authors: Karner Konrad F. , Mayer Heinz , Gervautz Michael
Published: March 2003

This paper introduces an image based method for measuring bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRDF). The measurement system uses a CCD camera connected to a workstation to capture images from the material under investigation. The evaluation of the BRDF is performed in an image processing step, gathering BRDF values with a broad range of incident and reflected angles, followed by a fitting process, where these values are approximated by a chosen reflectance model. Absolute BRDF values are obtained by the usage of a diffuse reflectance standard. It is shown that the proposed measurement system produces very reasonable results compared to accurate measurements. Thus, it is an easy and cost efficient way to measure material properties needed for physically based rendering algorithms.
Vector Field Based Texture Mapping of Animated Implicit Objects
Authors: Smets‐Solanes Jean‐Paul
Published: March 2003

This paper shows that an adequate use of vectorfields can solve most inconsistencies related to texture mapping that appear in current animation and rendering systems based on implicit objects. The method used is based on the concept of a virtual skin. A skin with its own texture mapping is spread over an implicit object and is constrained to stick to the deformation of the implicit object. A vectorfield is used to compute the relationship between the motion of the skin and the deformation of the object. Visual and implementation issues are discussed with respect to typical applications of implicit objects in computer graphics.
Integrating Computer Animation and Multimedia
Authors: Preston Martin , Hewitt Terry
Published: March 2003

Multimedia provides an immensely powerful tool for the dissemination of both information and entertainment. Current multimedia presentations consist of synchronised excepts of media (such as sound, video & text) which are coordinated by an author to ensure a clear narrative is presented to the audience. However, each of the segments of the presentation consist of previously recorded footage, only the timing and synchronisation are dynamically constructed. The next logical advance for such systems is therefore to include the capability of generating material ‘on‐the‐fly’ in response to the actions of the audience. This paper describes a mechanism for using computer animation to generate this interactive material. Unlike previous animation techniques the approach presented here is suitable for use in constructing a storyline which the author can control, but the user can influence. In order to allow such techniques to be used we also present a multimedia authoring & playback system which incorporates interactive animation with existing media.
SCROOGE:Perceptually‐Driven Polygon Reduction
Authors: Reddy M.
Published: March 2003

Many real‐time 3D graphics renderers represent each object as a collection of simple polygons. The complexity of this polygon structure is of practical relevance because it can manifestly affect the performance of the graphics system. It is therefore common place to find techniques to reduce the polygonal complexity of a model with the ultimate aim of improving the interactivity of the application. In the past, many of these schemes have not been concerned with the perceptual side‐effects of this reduction and as a result a number of visual incongruities are often perceivable when these correspondingly‐reduced representations are employed. As an attempt to circumvent these problems, this paper presents a methodology for reducing the polygonal complexity of a model, whilst retaining a degree of perceptual predictability. This allows the visual consequences of the degradation to be quantified and accurately modelled.
Using a Convex Pyramid to Bound Surface Normal Vectors
Authors: Daniel M.
Published: March 2003

Determining a tight bounding volume of all the surface normal vectors is of interest in surface modelling especially for intersection problems, in order to detect closed intersection curves. It is also important to determine quickly whether two such volumes intersect. This paper adresses both problems through the introduction of a pyramid with a convex planar base. For intersection problems, a different method has been proposed by M. Hohmeyer. The various solutions are discussed and compared.
Dynamics and Chaos: The Spherical Pendulum
Authors: Palacios Antonio , Gross Lee M. , Rockwood Alyn P.
Published: March 2003

All but the simplest of dynamical systems contain nonlinearities that play an important role in modeling and simulating physical systems. They create unpredictable (chaotic) behavior that is often hidden or neglected in traditional solutions. A simple dynamical system, the spherical pendulum, is introduced to illustrate issues, principles, and effects of chaos in dynamics. The spherical pendulum is a two degrees of freedom nonlinear system with a pivot point in space. The equations of motion for the pendulum are derived, simulated, and animated. A periodical perturbation is applied to the pivot point producing radically different behavior.
An Evolutionary Perspective on Audit Committee Effectiveness
Authors: Spira Laura
Published: March 2003

In the wake of the report of the Cadbury Committee on Financial Aspects of Corporate Governance, most major public companies in the UK now have an audit committee in place. However, commentators have noted that the establishment of an audit committee does not guarantee its effectiveness and it is pertinent to the continuing corporate governance debate to consider how such effectiveness may be assessed. This paper reports on a study which examines audit committee activities through interviews with audit committee chairs, finance directors and internal and external auditors. The study identifies influences on the development and activities of audit committees which have not previously been researched in any detail: these include the reasons for audit committee establishment, the timing and conduct of meetings, and communication between participants. The paper argues that audit committee effectiveness should be evaluated from a perspective which acknowledges these influences and recognises the continuing development of the audit committee role over time.
Influence and Intervention by Financial Institutions in their Investee Companies
Authors: Holland John
Published: March 2003

This article describes the corporate governance role of financial institutions in their portfolio companies during typical co‐operative circumstances and during periods of corporate need and difficulty. The breakdown of relationships and the use of the market for control is also explored. Confidential case studies were prepared from interviews with senior directors and fund managers in UK based financial institutions. The implicit influence process was constrained by FI unwillingness to interfere in good performing companies and by limited FI power in co‐operative circumstances. However, the case FIs were able to use their quasi insider knowledge advantage to diagnose problem areas in strategy, management quality, and the effectiveness of the board, and their negative impact on financial performance. They kept this diagnosis in reserve until circumstances arose where they could exercise much stronger influence. The article ends by exploring this extensive private influence process within institutionalist theory and by discussing the implications of this behaviour for policy changes.
A Meta‐analysis of Board Leadership Structure and Financial Performance: are “two heads better than one”?
Authors: Rhoades Dawna L. , Rechner Paula L. , Sundaramurthy Chamu
Published: March 2003

Given conflicting theoretical perspectives and inconsistent empirical results, this study examined the relationship between board leadership structure and organisational performance. A meta‐analysis based on 22 independent samples across 5,751 companies indicates that independent leadership structure has a significant influence on performance. This relationship varies depending upon the context of the study.
Making a Successful Transition from a Command to a Market Economy: the lessons from Estonia
Authors: Gillies James , Leimann Jaak , Peterson Rein
Published: March 2003

It is now more than ten years since the dismantling of the USSR began, not only in terms of the reasserted independence of the member states, but also in terms of the end of the centralised Soviet command economy. The experiences of a myriad of investors, public and private, who have lost funds they so hopefully made available to emerging enterprises in the Eastern European states, particularly in Russia, have clearly demonstrated to Western observers the difficulties associated with making a transition from a command to a market economy. And yet the transformation in different states has had different degrees of success. For example, in Estonia, the strategies to move from a command to a market economy, adopted by the political leadership throughout the 1990s, have been relatively successful. In this article, the policies that led to this success are identified. It is believed that tentative generalisations from the experiences of Estonia may be helpful in determining the necessary conditions for successful change from a command to a market economy in other countries. To the extent that such transitions contribute to real economic growth, empirical evidence about the conditions necessary for their realisation provides general understanding of the forces underlying economic development. Moreover, it may well be that these generalisations can be used by private and public organisations to obtain a first indication of the probabilities of success of investments that they are contemplating making in a transitional economy, whether measured by return on capital, and/or contribution to general welfare.
The Science of Corporate Governance
Authors: Turnbull Shann
Published: March 2003

Transaction Byte Analysis (TBA) is introduced as a basis to ground corporate governance in the science of information and control described as cybernetics. TBA provides fundamental criteria for evaluating the governance integrity of any type of organisation because all individuals possess physiological and neurological limits to receive, store, manipulate and transmit information measured in bytes. Cybernetics laws of requisite variety in com"munication channels, decision–making centres and control agents provide strategies for overcoming human variations and their limitations in managing complexity. The paper identifies the cybernetic advantages of compound boards and concludes that a unitary board cannot reliably govern complex firms.
Will Executive Pay Globalise Along American Lines?
Authors: Cheffins Brian R.
Published: March 2003

In the United States, the remuneration packages of top executives are characterised by a strong emphasis on pay–for–performance and by a highly lucrative “upside”. There is much discussion of the possibility that executive pay practices will globalise in accordance with this pattern. This paper assesses whether such convergence is likely to occur. It does so by considering market–oriented dynamics that could constitute a “global compensation imperative”. It also takes into account possible obstacles to the Americanisation of executive pay, such as legal regulation, “soft law” and “culture”. The paper concludes with a brief series of normative observations.
The Designer's Self‐Identity — Myths of Creativity and the Management of Teams1
Authors: Fisher Tom
Published: March 2003

This paper describes recent research conducted at Sheffield Hallam University in which practising designers reported on their experiences of working in a cross functional team. The survey related these experiences to the designers' attitudes to their creativity. Two models for creativity are proposed—one based on the romantic stereotype of the creative genius, the other taking creativity to be an attribute possessed by all human beings in some measure, which can be enhanced by personal effort or by training. Identifying features of cross functional teams which are likely to demand certain personal qualities in designers, the paper notes that these are at odds with the qualities of a ‘romantic‐type’ creative person. The link between these qualities, and notions of personality as a set of fixed attributes is pointed out. Several theories of personality which describe mechanisms for change in self identity are described. It is noted that the results of the survey suggest that in many cases designers have a pragmatic attitude to their creativity, despite the prevalence of the romantic stereotype for creativity in the literature of both management and education. Principles are suggested for design education, to enable designers to re‐evaluate creativity reflexively as a component of their self identity to enhance their performance as teamworkers.
A Theoretical Framework Linking Creativity, Empowerment, and Organizational Memory
Authors: Paper David J. , Johnson Jeffrey J.
Published: March 2003

Empowerment, creativity, and organizational memory are constructs that have been researched in MIS. While each construct has received individual attention, we have found relatively little research linking them. One of the major edicts of empowerment is delegation of decision making authority to lower‐level employees. Increased authority allows employees more freedom to be creative. However, if creative thought is generated but not captured, innovative ideas may be lost. Organizational memory can capture creative ideas as they are generated so that empowered teams can draw upon positive creative experiences.

We developed a theoretical model to illuminate the relationships between organizational memory, worker empowerment, and creativity. The model portrays the linkages between empowerment and creativity, creativity and organizational memory, and organizational memory and empowerment. The model was developed based on the literature in each respective area and an interview‐based study concerning “empowered” systems development project teams and organizational memory. Analysis of the interview data revealed that empowered workers generate creative solutions to problems. However, creative solutions can only be used for future projects if they are somehow recorded into organizational memory. Organizations that empowered their workforce and embraced creativity reported increased customer satisfaction, waste reduction, and some quality gains. In contrast, those that did not empower reported little or no change. Organizations that recorded creative solutions to problems believe that retrieval of this information could be potentially useful for future projects. Potential challenges faced by organizations classified into each cell are also presented. This classification scheme should prove useful as a guide to organizations examining the potential benefits and pitfalls of worker empowerment and organizational memory.
Paradigm Change and Leveraged Learning During the Rover–Honda Collaboration
Authors: Fairhead James
Published: March 2003

Stories from the Rover/Honda collaboration suggest that after a period of intense puzzlement, many Rover engineers eventually ‘made sense’ of the unfamiliar ways of their Japanese counterparts and (somewhat against the predictions of theory) changed their world‐views quite fundamentally and painlessly as a result, only latterly facilitated by senior management. This is suggestive of the powerful sensemaking and learning leverage that may be derived from story‐telling processes naturally functioning at operating level, especially when they make knowledge available of alternative ‘paradigmatic’ assumptions about organising and identity. The paper draws from a wider ten‐year programme of inductive case‐based research into product innovation, organisational learning and change.
Proven Methods for Innovation Management: An Executive Wish List
Authors: McCosh Andrew , Smart Alison , Barrar Peter , Lloyd Ashley
Published: March 2003

Innovation specialists from the largest British companies discussed what they wanted to know about innovation, and asked the academic community to suggest some answers. Some, but by no means all, of their questions had already been answered in the published literature. The behaviours that support a culture of innovation include a market orientation, an innovation‐friendly ruling coalition, and organisational structures that propel novelty. These behaviours also encourage creativity if the risk‐taking employees are rewarded for success and if they are asked to explain their personal mission at intervals. Several methods which researchers have found effective for the identification of ideas which may become market winners are discussed, as are methods building organisational competencies for innovation. Some of their remaining questions are being addressed by research projects currently in progress.
Learn or Leverage? Strategic Diversification and Organizational Learning Through Corporate Ventures
Authors: Tidd Joe , Taurins Simon
Published: March 2003

In this paper we examine the corporate venturing process in fifteen UK‐based firms, representing the experience of some sixty internal corporate ventures. We focus on the motivation, identification, assessment, structure, and impact on the core business, and identify two sets of motives for corporate venturing. The first, ‘leveraging’, in which firms seek to exploit existing competencies in new technologies or markets. Second, ‘learning’, in which firms seek to develop new competencies, often related to existing technologies or markets. Different organizational structures and management processes are appropriate to each case, and we illustrate a range of successful and less successful design choices from our sample of corporate ventures.
Strategy and Cognition: Understanding the Role of Management Knowledge Structures, Organizational Memory and Information Overload
Authors: Sparrow Paul
Published: March 2003

The nature of our thinking about strategic management changed throughout the 1990s, highlighting a number of psychological issues associated with the pursuit of effective strategy. This paper draws attention to new academic thinking from the fields of organizational and cognitive psychology and is intended to bring insights for the reflective practitioner. It is argued that we must think differently about what it means to be intelligent in a modern organization and what it takes to be an effective implementer of strategic change. In the first of two papers, the role of managerial knowledge structures is considered. The strategic risks are problems created by information overload. The need to consider cognitive styles, intuition, creativity and emotional intelligence is highlighted.
Rule Breaking in New Product Development – Crime or Necessity?
Authors: Olin Tommy , Wickenberg Jan
Published: March 2003

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of applying general rules in organizations to govern multiple new product development projects. Data were collected in structured interviews with project managers and project members from seven successful projects within Swedish companies. Results show that projects either broke rules or that organizations had developed strategies to cope with the risk of rules preventing the progress of the projects. The project managers of the rule following projects reported lack of rule breaking to be the result of the rule design at each company, intending to minimize the risk of rules preventing the progress of projects. With the exception of the manager of the rule changing/removing project, project managers show a relaxed attitude to breaking general rules that hinder project progress. The study indicates that frameworks of common project management rules increase the risk of delay in new product development projects, unless strategies of rule breaking or dynamic rule modification are applied. Applications of emergent standard management philosophies and practices to innovation are discussed.
From Creative Thinking to Organisational Learning via Systems Thinking? An Illustration of Critical Creativity
Authors: Ragsdell Gillian
Published: March 2003

Many creativity programmes are designed and delivered with minimal attention paid to reflection. This paper shares experience of a programme in which reflection played an integral role; consciously adopting a critical approach to creativity ensured this was the case. The paper introduces Peter Senge’s “five disciplines” as a conceptual framework guiding the reflective process after the workshop, and which prompted deeper inquiry into the relationships between the processes of creative thinking, systems thinking and organisational learning.
Technology Forecasting: From Emotional to Empirical
Authors: Slocum Michael S. , Lundberg Catherine O.
Published: March 2003

Technology Forecasting has evolved from being a methodology based on emotional responses to one predicated on data collection. The Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) is a theory based on empirical data that relates technological evolution to the same stages of biological macro‐evolution. This paper will explore the major emotional forecasting methods as well as discuss part of TRIZ Technology Forecasting called Maturity Mapping. The reader will briefly be introduced to eight evolutionary trends based on TRIZ.
Capitalising Knowledge: Corporate Knowledge Management Investments
Authors: Clarke Thomas , Rollo Christine
Published: March 2003

Knowledge is increasingly recognized as the key resource of business. Digital networks provide access to vast amounts of data and information but knowledge management tools and systems are required to translate this in a meaningful way. Knowledge management initiatives are unlikely to be successful unless they are integrated with business strategy, and related to the development of the core capabilities of the organisation. Sharing the discovery and synthesis of intellectual activity involves the creation of knowledge communities of practice. There is much evidence of commercially inspired corporate initiatives in this direction across all industrial sectors: leveraging existing intellectual capital; sharing best practice across multiple locations; data mining to build customer relationships; and creating knowledge networks to allow state–of–the–art solutions in professional services.
Flexible Labour Strategy in the Dutch Automotive Industry
Authors: Van Riemsdijk Maarten , De Leede Jan
Published: March 2003

Labour flexibility is a major way for companies to become more flexible. Why companies use flexible labour relations varies widely per industry. We assess the development of labour flexibility within the Dutch automotive industry. Four cases, together representing the production chain, are presented. We show how and why these companies arrived at the high level of sophistication in labour relations they currently have and what combinations of internal and external, numerical and functional forms have emerged. The process has been one of trial and error, characterised by emerging rather than deliberate strategy. It has a clear pattern over time. In three out of our four companies, an innovative labour use strategy emerged, finely tuned to market demands, new institutional realities and specific company needs.
Brainsketching and How it Differs from Brainstorming
Authors: Van Der Lugt Remko
Published: March 2003

Brainsketching is an idea generation technique, based on brainwriting, that uses sketching as the primary means of recording ideas. During brainsketching, participants sketch their ideas individually on large sheets of paper pasted on the wall. After a few minutes, the participants explain their idea sketches, switch places and continue sketching. Usually, about five such rounds of idea sketching take place.

In an experimental set–up brainsketching was compared to brainstorming. Linkography was used as a method for analyzing the process characteristics of both techniques. Results show that during brainstorming, participants generated significantly more ideas, and that during brainsketching participants generated significantly more connections with earlier ideas. Also, during brainsketching participants made more incremental connections while maintaining a similar level of ‘wild leap’ connections. Conclusion of this study was that brainsketching does not necessarily provide a better idea generation process; rather, it provides a different process, which may serve different purposes.

Some steps towards further development of the brainsketching technique are indicated. Suggestions are provided for stimulating the group to reflect on their ideas. Finally, some suggestions are made for applying the brainsketching technique with groups of non–designers, mainly directed at removing the participants’ hesitation to draw in public.
Alliances With Competitors: How to Combine and Protect Key Resources?
Authors: Mitchell Will , Dussauge Pierre , Garrette Bernard
Published: March 2003

Our study addresses two main questions: First, what types of alliances do firms tend to create when combining different kinds of resources? Second, what governance mechanisms do firms set up to coordinate and protect resources when they use them for different alliances? We examine 227 alliances between competitors in Asia, North America, and Europe. We first identify two types of alliances: scale alliances in which the partner firms contribute similar resources, and link alliances in which the partners contribute complementary resources. We find that firms contributing R&D and production resources tend to form scale alliances, while firms contributing marketing resources tend to enter into link alliances. We also find that firms are more likely to choose stronger protection mechanisms for link alliances, which create greater appropriation risks, while they tend to seek higher levels of coordination in scale alliances.
Research in the Psychological Laboratory
Authors: Anderson Craig A. , Lindsay James J. , Bushman Brad J.
Published: March 2003

This article examines the truism that studies from psychological laboratories are low in external validity. Past rational and empirical explorations of this truism found little support for it. A broader empirical approach was taken for the study reported here; correspondence between lab and field was compared across a broad range of domains, including aggression, helping, leadership style, social loafing, self-efficacy, depression, and memory, among others. Correspondence between lab- and field-based effect sizes of conceptually similar independent and dependent variables was considerable. In brief, the psychological laboratory has generally produced psychological truths, rather than trivialities. These same data suggest that a companion truism about field studies in psychology—that they are generally low on internal validity—is also false.
Situation Models
Authors: Zwaan Rolf A.
Published: March 2003

Situation models are mental representations of the state of affairs described in a text rather than of the text itself. Much of the research on situation models in narrative comprehension suggests that comprehenders behave as though they are in the narrated situation rather than outside of it. This article reviews some of this evidence and provides an outlook on future developments.
Fleeting Signs of the Course of Life
Authors: Keltner Dacher , Kring Ann M. , Bonanno George A.
Published: March 2003

In this article, we consider whether facial expressions of emotion relate in theoretically interesting ways to personal adjustment. We first consider the conceptual benefits of this line of inquiry. Then, to anticipate why brief samples of emotional behavior should relate to personal adjustment, we review evidence indicating that facial expressions of emotion correspond to intrapersonal processes and social outcomes. We then review studies showing that facial expressions relate in theoretically significant ways to adjustment after the death of a spouse, in long-term relationships, and in the context of chronic psychological disorders.
Beyond Traits in the Study of Personality Coherence
Authors: Cervone Daniel , Shoda Yuichi
Published: March 2003

People exhibit coherent patterns of experience and action that cannot be fully described or explained by personality trait models. Rather, personality coherence is expressed in dispositional tendencies that violate the structure of common trait categories. Across contexts, people display predictable patterns of behavioral variation that cannot be captured by trait constructs, which correspond to mean levels of response. In addition to these empirical findings, theoretical work in both psychology and philosophy challenges the conceptual strategies through which trait models explain personality coherence. These empirical and theoretical points can be addressed by alternative theoretical models that specify how underlying psychological systems give rise to both common and idiosyncratic patterns of personality consistency and variability.
Can the Media Create Public Opinion?
Authors: Anastasio Phyllis A. , Rose Karen C. , Chapman Judith
Published: March 2003

The media remains a powerful presence in U.S. culture. It gives people news of world and local events, it entertains, and it may even function as a companion to children. Because it functions as a window to the outside world, what appears across its landscape actually may become people's reality. Thus, the potential for distorting their view of that world is high if the picture provided is unrepresentative of actual events. For example, the prevalence of violent acts on television has been linked to increased aggression and escalating impressions of a dangerous world, and the overrepresentation of youth and beauty may be a causal factor of eating disorders. In this article, we explore the possibility that the media may also serve as a powerful creator of the very public opinions it seeks to reflect in its news. Subtle nonverbal cues of newscasters have been shown to influence voting behavior, and the media's overrepresentation of the proportion of blacks in povert may decrease whites' support of welfare. By portraying a world in which people's opinions are based on their ethnic or demographic group membership, the media may also subtly but powerfully create the very opinions they seek to reflect.
Another Side to Caregiving
Authors: Newsom Jason T.
Published: March 2003

Until recently, caregiving research focused almost exclusively on caregivers of older adults with health problems, and there was little focus on care recipients perceptions of the care they receive. The present article reviews relevant research on reactions to caregiving assistance. Several recent studies indicate that help in these contexts can be viewed negatively by care recipients. As many as two thirds of physically impaired older adults who receive assistance with daily activities, such as preparing meals, climbing stairs, or dressing, experience negative reactions to some of the help they receive. Negative reactions seem to have important consequences for the care recipient, because they are associated with higher depression concurrently and 1 year later. Because some of the findings are inconsistent with theoretical models of negative responses to help, an alternative framework, based on socialsupport and social-conflict research, is briefly proposed.
How Animals Classify Friends and Foes
Authors: Schusterman Ronald J. , Reichmuth Colleen J. , Kastak David
Published: March 2003

A model of stimulus equivalence, which describes how non-similarity-based categories are formed, is used to describe aspects of animal social and communicative interactions such as kinship, friendship, coalitions, territorial behavior, and referential calling. Although this model was originally designed to deal with stimulus relations in linguistic behavior, it can be readily applied to understanding the cognitive mechanisms that underlie social as well as non-social categorizations in numerous taxa. This approach provides a new, parsimonious, and experimentally based understanding of how animals without language deal with problems of classification in their environment.
The Two-Point Threshold
Authors: Craig James C. , Johnson Kenneth O.
Published: March 2003

The two-point threshold, or compass test, has long been used as a measure of tactile spatial resolution; however, since it was first developed, there have been problems associated with its use. Some of these problems include setting an appropriate criterion for responding “two,” extreme variability both within and between subjects, and the ability of subjects to discriminate two points from one at separations well below the two-point threshold. Recent neurophysiological results have clarified some of the neural mechanisms responsible for spatial resolution and demonstrated the inadequacy of the two-point threshold as a measure of spatial mechanisms. Several new methods may overcome these problems and provide a valid measure of spatial resolution and a reflection of neural mechanisms.
Hemispheric Asymmetries
Authors: Robertson Lynn C. , Ivry Richard
Published: March 2003

A computational theory of hemispheric asymmetries in perception (double filtering by frequency) is described. Its central tenet is that the cerebral hemispheres first perform symmetric filtering of visual and auditory information. Functional hemispheric asymmetry arises from a second filtering stage (containing filters skewed in different directions in the two hemispheres). The first stage selects a range of task-relevant spatial or auditory frequencies from the absolute values. This range is passed to the asymmetric filters. In this way, the hemispheric difference becomes one of relative rather than absolute information. Behavioral deficits due to unilateral lesions in neurological patients and neuroimaging and electrophysiological measures in normal subjects implicate posterior cortex in these hemispheric differences.
Unconscious Insights
Authors: Siegler Robert S.
Published: March 2003

From early in the history of psychology, theorists have argued about whether insights are initially unconscious or whether they are conscious from the start. Empirically identifying unconscious insights has proven difficult, however: How can we tell if people have had an insight if they do not tell us they have had one? Fortunately, although obtaining evidence of unconscious insights is difficult, it is not impossible. The present article describes an experiment in which evidence of unconscious insights was obtained. Almost 90% of second graders generated an arithmetic insight at an unconscious level before they were able to report it. Within five trials of the unconscious discovery, 80% of the children made the discovery consciously, as indicated by their verbal reports. Thus, the initial failure to report the insight could not be attributed to the children lacking the verbal facility to describe it. The results indicate that at least in some cases, insights arise first at an unconscious level, and only later become conscious. Rising activation of the new strategy may be the mechanism that leads children to become conscious of using it.
Tricks of Memory
Authors: Roediger Henry L. , McDermott Kathleen B.
Published: March 2003

Remembering an episode from even the recent past may involve a blend of fiction and fact. We discuss a straightforward laboratory paradigm that is proving useful in the study of false memories of simple episodes. In this paradigm, subjects study lists of 15 related words ( bed, rest, awake …) that are all related to a critical word that is not presented ( sleep). Later, subjects recall and recognize the critical missing word with about the same probability that they remember words from the list. This memory illusion is resistant to people's attempts to avoid it. We argue that similar memory errors are commonplace and are a natural outcome of an intelligent cognitive system, which makes inferences about incoming information. Therefore, memory illusions, like perceptual illusions, are a consequence of normal human information processing and offer a window for examining basic cognitive processes.
Culture and Causal Cognition
Authors: Norenzayan Ara , Nisbett Richard E.
Published: March 2003

East Asian and American causal reasoning differs significantly. East Asians understand behavior in terms of complex interactions between dispositions of the person or other object and contextual factors, whereas Americans often view social behavior primarily as the direct unfolding of dispositions. These culturally differing causal theories seem to be rooted in more pervasive, culture-specific mentalities in East Asia and the West. The Western mentality is analytic, focusing attention on the object, categorizing it by reference to its attributes, and ascribing causality based on rules about it. The East Asian mentality is holistic, focusing attention on the field in which the object is located and ascribing causality by reference to the relationship between the object and the field.
The Riddle of Laughter
Authors: Panksepp Jaak
Published: March 2003

Modest advances are being made in understanding the neurology and functions of laughter. The discovery of tickle-induced “laughter” in animals should facilitate the characterization of this basic emotional response of the mammalian brain. The existence of such vocal activities in species other than humans (e.g., rats) suggests that the fundamental brain processes for joyful affect may have emerged early in vertebrate brain evolution. Here, I summarize the little that we know about the evolutionary and brain sources of laughter, and how the accompanying positive emotions may solidify social bonds within the mammalian brain. Discovery of unique neurochemistries that specifically promote laughter and joy may provide clues for development of new classes of antidepressants.
Perception Versus Knowledge of Cause and Effect in Children: When Seeing Is Believing
Authors: Schlottmann Anne
Published: March 2003

Recent research has shown that even infants have perceptual sensitivity to the causal structure of the world, and it is often claimed that causal knowledge supports many of preschoolers' impressive cognitive achievements. That older children nevertheless can encounter difficulties in causal-reasoning tasks is typically attributed to lack of domain knowledge. A different explanation, however, is that causal structure may appear at more than one level, in perception, as well as in underlying knowledge. Children may make some reasoning errors because they have difficulty coordinating these levels. This article reviews relevant evidence on physical causality: Even infants in their first year perceive the causal structure of simple collision events. This perceptual skill could support rapid causal learning without prior knowledge and thus helps us understand children's precocity preschoolers already reason with the assumption that causes and effects are linked by underlying physical mechanisms. However, what may promote early development may later become a hindrance: When perception and mechanism point to different causes, children may not realize that mechanism is superordinate. Although the components of competent causal reasoning are available early in development, much experience may be required before children learn how to integrate them.
Cognitive and Communicative Abilities of Grey Parrots
Authors: Pepperberg Irene M.
Published: March 2003

Grey parrots ( Psittacus erithacus) solve various cognitive tasks and acquire and use English speech in ways that often resemble those of very young children. Given that the psittacine brain is organized very differently from that of mammals, these results have intriguing implications for the study and evolution of vocal learning, communication, and cognition.
The Mentality of Apes Revisited
Authors: Povinelli Daniel J. , Bering Jesse M.
Published: March 2003

Although early comparative psychology was seriously marred by claims of our species'supremacy, the residual backlash against these archaic evolutionary views is still being felt, even though our understanding of evolutionary biology is now sufficiently advanced to grapple with possible cognitive specializations that our species does not share with closely related species. The overzealous efforts to dismantle arguments of human uniqueness have only served to show that most comparative psychologists working with apes have yet to set aside the antiquated evolutionary ”ladder.“ Instead, they have only attempted to pull chimpanzees up to the ladder's highest imaginary rung — or perhaps, to pull humans down to an equally imaginary rung at the height of the apes. A true comparative science of animal minds, however, will recognize the complex diversity of the animal kingdom, and will thus view Homo sapiens as one more species with a unique set of adaptive skills crying out to be identified and understood.
Psychophysics of Remembering: The Discrimination Hypothesis
Authors: White K. Geoffrey
Published: March 2003

In a psychophysical approach to remembering, the events to be remembered are discriminated from other possibilities at the time of remembering, and not at the time of encoding or learning. The discrimination is specific to the retention interval at which remembering occurs, as shown by experiments demonstrating that discriminability and response bias are delay–specific. This article discusses a discrimination model for remembering that emphasizes the individual's history of learning about reward payoffs in similar experiences in the past. This model predicts the two characteristics of forgetting functions, initial discriminability and rate of forgetting.