• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.39-59
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• 2018

To elucidate the effect of working memory (WM) load on negative facial emotion processing, we examined ERP components (P1 and N170) elicited by fearful and neutral expressions each of which was presented during 0-back (low-WM load) or 2-back (high-WM load) tasks. During N-back tasks, visual objects were presented one by one as targets and each of facial expressions was presented as a passively observed stimulus during intervals between targets. Behavioral results showed more accurate and fast responses at low-WM load condition compared to high-WM load condition. Analysis of mean amplitudes of P1 on the occipital region showed significant WM load effect (high-WM load > low-WM load) but showed nonsignificant facial emotion effect. Analysis of mean amplitudes of N170 on the posterior occipito-temporal region showed significant overall facial emotion effect (fearful > neutral), but, in detail, significant facial emotion effect was observed only at low-WM load condition on the left hemisphere, but was observed at high-WM load condition as well as low-WM load condition on the right hemisphere. To summarize, facial emotion effect observed by N170 amplitudes was modulated by WM load only on the left hemisphere. These results show that early emotional processing of negative facial expression could be eliminated or reduced by high load of WM on the left hemisphere, but could not be eliminated by high load on the right hemisphere, and suggest right hemispheric lateralization of negative facial emotion processing.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.31-44
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• 2019

This study intended to investigate the effects of the subtitle location on the decreased working memory abilities caused by aging. A junior group (average age: 26, SD: 3.06, N=27) and a senior group (average age: 61.69, SD=4.18, N=26) participated in this study and they all performed N-back tasks which measured the working memory ability of the participants and video subtitle recognition tasks that assessed the most effectively recognized subtitle locations in the video. The results of the N-back task revealed slower response times and low accuracy rates in the senior group in comparison to the junior group, suggesting lower working memory abilities in the senior group vis-à-vis the junior group. The deterioration of working memory due to aging also negatively influenced the 'left-bottom' subtitle location in the video subtitle recognition task and positively influenced the 'left-center' location of the screen. The deterioration of working memory ability did not affect other subtitle locations. By examining the positive or negative effects of the deterioration of working memory ability as a function of age on subtitle locations, the present study suggests that the selection of suitable subtitle locations taking into account the ages of video viewers would cause information to be more effectively displayed on screen.

• Korean Journal of Schizophrenia Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.66-72
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• 2012

Objectives : The aim of this study was to investigate whether verbal and spatial working memory functions were impaired not only in patients with schizophrenia but also in people at ultra-high risk for first-episode psychosis. Methods : Twenty-five patients (M 13, F 12) with schizophrenia (SPR), 21 people at ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR)(M 10, F 11) and 19 normal controls (NC)(M 10, F 9) were recruited. The working memory was assessed by using the verbal and spatial n-back test. The working memory load increased incrementally from the 0-back to the 3-back condition. Results : SPR performed significantly lower than NC and UHR in terms of hit rates of verbal and spatial n-back test. UHR subjects conducted significantly lower than NC and higher in trend-level than SPR in terms of hit rates of verbal and spatial n-back test. These differences were derived from the high working memory load (2-back and 3-back), not from the low working memory load (0-back and 1-back). There was no significant difference between the verbal and spatial n-back test across the three groups. Conclusion : These findings suggest that verbal and spatial working memory dysfunction may be general rather than differential in terms of stimuli modality, and this working memory deficit may be an important trait factor in schizophrenia.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 2016

Essential tremor is a neurological disorder with a tremor of the arms and hands. It is well known that essential tremor is characterized by the postural tremor and the action tremor. There has been no report on the quantitative difference in the characteristics of two tremor types. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible difference in tremor characteristics of postural and action tremors. Seventeen patients with essential tremor ($68.9{\pm}7.9years$, 7 men, 10 women) participated in this study. Patients performed the tasks of postural maintenance (arms outstretched) and daily actions (spiral drawing). Three-axes (pitch, roll and yaw) gyro sensors were attached on index finger, back of hand and forearm, from which the segment and the joint angular velocities were calculated. Outcome measure was the tremor amplitude defined as the root-mean-square mean of the vector-sum angular velocity at segments and joints. Two-way ANOVA showed that task and joint had main factor on the tremor amplitude (p < 0.05). Post-hoc analysis revealed that tremor amplitude at the metacarpo-phalangeal joint was not affected by task (p > 0.05). However, tremor amplitude at the wrist joint differed among the tasks (p < 0.05), and it was greater in the action tasks than in postural task. Tremor was greater at finger segments than at hand and forearm and it increased in action tasks. The results of this study would be helpful for the understanding and task-specific treatments of the essential tremor.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.15-30
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• 2019

The reduction of traffic accidents is a primary potential benefit of autonomous vehicles (AVs). However, the prevalence of AVs also arouses a key question: to what extent should a human wrest control back from AVs? Specifically, in an unavoidable situation of emergency, should an AV be able to decide between the safety of its own passengers and endangered pedestrians? Should AV programming include well-accepted decision rules about actionsto take in hypothetical situations? The current study (N = 103) examined individual/situational variables that could perform critical decision-making roles in AV related traffic accidents. The individual variable of attitudes toward AVs was assessed using the Self-driving Car Acceptance Scale. To investigate situational influences on decisional processes, the study's participants were assigned to one of two groups: the achievement value was activated in one group and the benevolence value was triggered in the other through the use of a sentence completion task. Thereafter, participants were required to indicate who should be protected from injury: the passengers of the concerned AV, or endangered pedestrians. Participants were also asked to record the extent to which they intended to buy an AV programmed to decide in favor of the greater good according to Utilitarian principles. The results suggested that participants in the "achievement value: driver perspective" groupexpressed the lowest willingness to sacrifice themselves to save several pedestrians in an unavoidable traffic accident. This group of participants was also the most reluctant to buy an AV programmed with utilitarian rules, even though there were significant positive relationships between members' acceptance of AVs and their expressed intention to purchase one. These findings highlight the role of the decisional processes involved in the "achievement value" pertaining to AVs. The paper finally records the limitations of the present study and suggests directions for future research.

• The Journal of the Korean life insurance medical association
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• v.22
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• pp.139-169
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• 2003

국내 보험 산업은 경제발전에 따라 많은 성장을 이루어왔으나 단체보험은 보험 회사의 외부적 또는 내부적 환경으로 인해 활성화가 미흡한 상황이다. 개인보험시장의 포화, 해외시장에서 단체보험의 지속적인 성장, 사회보험 민영화 논의, 방카슈랑스와 보험시장의 개방 등 급격한 변화를 겪고 있는 보험영업환경을 고려한다면 향후 확대될 기업복지시장에서의 성공적 역할수행을 위해서는 단체보험 영업과 지원시스템의 보완이 시급한 과제라고 할 수 있다. 특히 언더라이팅 기법은 단체보험의 핵심역량이며 회사의 경쟁력 강화와 사차익 안정화를 위해서는 단체보험 인수기법의 선진화가 필수요건이다. 단체보험은 대수의 법칙, 수지상등의 원칙 등 보험의 기본원리라는 측면에서는 개인보험과 다른 점이 없지만 하나의 계약을 통해 집단의 피보험자에게 보장을 제공하기 때문에 가지게 되는 역선택 축소, 비용절감, 기업에 의한 1차선택 등 몇 가지 특성들은 인수기법에서의 차이를 필요로 한다. 하지만 국내의 단체보험 언더라이팅은 기본개념조차 제대로 정립되어 있지 못한 초기단계로 단체보험의 특성을 제대로 반영할 수 있는 위험평가를 위해서는 선진기법의 도입이 절실하다. 첫째, 자유보장한도(FREE COVER LIMIT)의 도입이다. 자유보장한도는 단체에 대한 위험과 피보험자 개인의 위험을 구분하는 기준으로 자유보장한도내의 피보험자에 대해서는 고지나 의적 검사를 요구하지 않고 개인별 언더라이팅을 하지 않으며 거절체나 표준하체이더라도 자유보장한도 금액까지는 나머지 정상 피보험자들과 동일한 보장을 제공하는 것을 말한다. 이는 피보험자별 위험을 중심으로 심사하고 있는 현재의 국내 단체보험 인수방법에서 발생되는 고객측 불만과 심사의 비효율성을 개선할 수 있는 방안이다. 둘째, 단체별 특성에 따른 보험요율 차등화이다 단체는 산업의 종류, 피보험자의 직무, 지역적 위치, 크기(피보험자수), 성별구성비 등 여러 가지 특성들을 가지고 있으며 이런 특성들은 보장급부에 따라 발생위험에 영향을 미칠 수 있다. 하지만 현재 나이와 성별에 따라서 피보험자별로 정해지는 요율체계만으로는 이런 위험들을 적절하게 반영하지 못하고 단체별 형평성에도 문제가 생긴다. 따라서 정확한 data 구축을 통해 단체 특성별로 어떤 보장에 어느 정도로 위험 발생에 영향을 미치는지를 분석하여 보험요율을 차등부과 할 수 있는 체계를 갖추어야 한다. 셋째, 경험을 활용한 보험료 산정기법이다. 이것은 개인보험과 구분되는 가장 큰 단체보험만의 특성이라 할 수 있는데 해당 단체의 과거 경험 data 즉 청구로 인한 지급금액을 토대로 당해 계약 보험료를 결정하는 방법이다. 이를 위해서는 과거 경험 data가 얼마나 신뢰할 수 있는 지의 정도(신뢰도)를 측정하는 것이 필요하다. 과학적이고 효율적인 단체보험 인수를 위해서 경험율의 활용은 반드시 이루어져야 할 선결과제이다. 넷째, 관련규정의 정비가 필요하다 단체보험의 특성을 갖기 위해서는 가입가능한 피보험자들의 자격규정(eligibility), 활동적근무 조건(actively at work)이 요구되어야 하며 참여비율(가입비율)과 보장수준의 구성방법에 대해서도 가이드라인 설정을 통해 역선택을 최소화 할 수 있는 제도적 보완이 마련되어야 한다. 이런 선진인수기법의 도입과 함께 단체보험 언더라이터의 필요역량을 개발하고 향상시키는 노력도 병행되어야만 종합금융화, 대형화가 진전되면서 대경쟁의 구도로 바뀌고 있는 국내 보험시장에서의 경쟁력 확보가 가능할 것이다.