Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Evolutionary Developmental Psychology'

The aim of this project is to examine the relationships between two approaches to the measurement of life history strategies. The traditional method, termed here the biodemographic approach, measures developmental characteristics like birthweight, gestation length, inter-birth intervals, pubertal timing, and sexual debut. The alternative method under exploration, termed here the psychological approach, measures a suite of cognitive and behavioral traits such as altruism, sociosexual orientation, personality, mutualism, familial relationships, and religiosity. Although both approaches are supported by a large body of literature, they remain relatively segregated. This study draws inspiration from both views, integrating measures that assess developmental milestones, including birthweight, prematurity, pubertal timing, and onset of sexual behavior, as well as psychological life history measures such as the Mini-K and a personality inventory. Drawing on previous theoretical work on the fundamental dimensions of environmental risk, these measures are tested in conjunction with several scales assessing the stability of early environmental conditions, including both “event-based” measures that are defined with an external referent, and measures of internal schemata, or the predicted psychological sequelae of early events. The data are tested in a three-part sequence, beginning with the measurement models under investigation, proceeding to an exploratory analysis of the causal network, and finishing with a cross-validation of the structural model on a new sample. The findings point to exciting new directions for future researchers who seek to integrate the two perspectives.

The thesis here presented establishes a triple parallelism between biology and psychology. First, through Haeckel's recapitulation theory as the source of freudian and jungian psychology. Second, from the reductionist view of science to the new phenomenology of evolutionary developmental biology. Third, by overcoming the reductionist paradigm in biology through the Extended Synthesis and in psychology though the revisited archetype theory. By establishing these parallelisms, the thesis faces the nature vs. nurture debate on three epistemological levels, in which the external and internal levels are being mediatied by a middle one. This turns the dualistic debate into a heuristic paradigm aimed to resolve any irreducible dualism inherent in the reductionist view

This dissertation examines the academic debate that surrounds the new field called "Evolutionary Psychology." Evolutionary psychology has emerged as the most popular successor theory to human sociobiology. Its proponents search for evolved psychological mechanisms and emphasize universal features of the human mind. My thesis is that in order to flourish evolutionary psychologists must engage other researchers on equal terms -- something they have not been doing. To show this, I examine the stances of practitioners from three other social science fields whose claims have been shortchanged by evolutionary psychology: Barbara King in biological anthropology, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson in empirical linguistics and Annette Karmiloff-Smith in developmental psychology. These researchers are also involved in cognitive science investigations that bear on evolutionary psychology's key claims about the mind and how it works. Evolutionary psychologists make three key claims about the mind. The first (1) is that the mind is massively modular; the second (2) is that this massively modular mind has been shaped by the processes of natural selection over evolutionary time; and the third (3) is that it is adapted to the Pleistocene conditions of our past. Evolutionary psychologists seek to elevate these three claims to the status of meta-theoretical assumptions making them the starting place from which our deliberations about human cognition ought proceed. These claims would constitute the framework for a new paradigm in the ultimate sense. I argue that elevating these claims to such a status is not only premature, but also unwarranted on the available evidence. This result is justified by evidence produced outside evolutionary psychology by those disciplines from which evolutionary psychologists explicitly seek to distance themselves.
Ph. D.

Human sociality, with its wide scope, early ontogeny and pervasiveness across cultures, is remarkable from an evolutionary perspective. We form bonds with other individuals and live in large social groups. We help, empathise with and share our resources with others, who are unfamiliar and genetically unrelated to us. It has been suggested that interpersonal coordination and rhythmic synchronisation of movements may be one proximate mechanism that enables such widespread human sociality and facilitates cooperation. In the last decade, considerable research has examined the effect of movement synchrony on social bonding and cooperation. However, when this thesis started, there was virtually no experimental study investigating the ontogeny of the movement synchrony-social bonding link, which is proposed to have deep evolutionary roots and important, long-lasting consequences in social life. This thesis aims to investigate the effects of movement synchrony on social bonding and cooperative behaviour across different time points in ontogeny. Three experimental studies were conducted examining infancy, early childhood and middle childhood. Each study explored a different aspect of social bonding and cooperation based on the motor, social and cognitive developments that mark that age group. Study 1a found that at 12 months of age, infants prefer individuals who move in synchrony with them, when the individuals are social entities, but not when they are non-social. Study 1b showed no preferences for synchrony at 9 months in either social or non-social contexts, however. Study 2 revealed that in early childhood, performing synchronous movements actively with a peer facilitates helping behaviour among the children, as well as eye contact and mutual smiling during the interaction. Finally, Study 3 showed that the social bonding effects of movement synchrony applied to inter- group settings and that performing synchronous movements with out-groups increased bonding towards the out-group in middle childhood. This thesis followed an interdisciplinary, integrative and naturalistic approach, where (i) literature from a wide range of disciplines motivated and guided the present research; (ii) links between motor, social and cognitive aspects of development, which are often investigated separately, are formed; and (iii) the experiments were designed in ways that represent the real-life occurrences of the investigated phenomena. The current findings provide the first substantial evidence that movement synchrony facilitates social bonding and cooperation in childhood and thereby provides a foundation for future research.

Since Draper & Harpending (1982) proposed that father absence would be associated with a shift in reproductive strategy, a body of literature has accumulated supporting their claims. This thesis explores further aspects of father absence theory, utilising computergraphic facial processing. It opens with an overview of both father absence theory (Chapter 1) and the Evolutionary Psychology of attraction (Chapter 2). Part 1 Part 1 explores the meaning of masculinity in partner choice scenarios. Male facial masculinity co-varied with facial age but not apparent facial health both in tenns of women's preferences (Study 1) and women's direct perceptions (Study 2). This suggested that masculinity in male faces is not a cue to immunocompetence health status as other authors have suggested, In Study 3, while masculine faces were perceived as more dominant than feminised faces, they were otherwise considered poorer quality partners. It was suggested that masculinity was attractive because of a 'sexy son' mechanism (dominance increasing offspring reproductive success), which was traded off against the anti-social traits associated with masculinity. Part 2 Studies 4, 5 and 6 found that father absence or poor relationships with the parents generally reduced masculinity preference and age preference (although in Study 5, this effect was moderated by relationship status). This contradicted predictions made from traditional father absence literature (that father absence should be associated with a short term strategy and therefore masculinity preference). Sociological explanations were discounted as family background did not relate to the traits women said they desired in a partner (Study 7). Altogether these results raised questions about the attractiveness and self-esteem of father absent females. Part 3 therefore investigated the physical development of these females. Part 3 Study 8 found that marital difficulties between parents were associated with an increase in perceived facial masculinity in both male and female offspring's faces, a decrease in facial attractiveness and increased weight and waist-hip ratio in women. Study 9 found that levels of progesterone were inversely related to quality of parental relationship. The overarching conclusions of the thesis were that there appears to be an effect' of physical masculinisation which is associated with father absence. This masculinisation may be the predicator for previously observed father absence effects, and the results in Part 2. As such, attachment based explanations of father absence effects (such as Belsky et al, 1991) may be redundant.

Researchers have identified inadequate sleep duration as one of the factors contributing to global obesity. The purpose of this study was to test a hypothesis deduced from a new sleep-duration-based evolutionary theory claiming that sleep extension in response to lengthening night duration in early fall evolved into a behavioral marker of an approaching winter; this adaptive trait was theorized to produce adiposity gain in White men in response to sleep extension. The hypothesis was that White Americans would show a greater increase in the age-adjusted fat mass index per unit of sleep duration compared to that of Black Americans. Data were part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) study between 2005 and 2010. The multiple regression analysis did not support the study hypothesis. The results indicated that habitual sleep duration had no effect on the annual rate of adiposity gain in White men, while in Black men, longer sleep was associated with significantly higher annual rates of adiposity gain. Implications for social change include the case for population-specific antiobesity interventions in Black men, including closer monitoring of sleep duration in order to prevent adverse habitual sleep extension and to improve time budgeting for physical exercise.

Social theorists have long argued that literacy is one of the principal causes and hallmark features of complex society. However, the relationship between literacy and social complexity remains poorly understood because the relevant data have not been assembled in a way that would allow competing hypotheses to be adjudicated. The project set out in this thesis provides a novel account of the multiple origins of literate behaviour around the globe, the principal mechanisms of its cultural transmission, and its relationship with the cultural evolution of large-group human cooperation and complex forms of socio-political organisation. A multi-method large-scale cross-cultural approach provided the data necessary to achieve these objectives. Evidence from the societies within which literate behaviour first emerged, and from a representative sample of ethnographically-attested societies worldwide (n=74), indicates that literate behaviour emerged through the routinization of rituals and pre-literate sign systems, eventually spreading more widely through classical religions. Cross-cultural evidence also suggests that literacy assumed a wide variety of forms and socio-political functions, particularly in large, complex groups, extending evolved psychological mechanisms for cooperation, which include reciprocity, reputation formation and maintenance systems, social norms and norm enforcement systems, and group identification. Finally, the results of a cross-cultural historical survey of first-generation states (n=10) reveal that simple models assuming single cause-and-effect relationships between literacy and complex forms of socio-political organisation must be rejected. Instead, literacy and first-generation state-level polities appear to have interacted in a complex positive feedback loop. This thesis contributes to the wider goal of transforming social and cultural anthropology into a cumulative and rapid-discovery science.

O vínculo afetivo mãe-bebê, que se cria desde as primeiras interações, afeta o desenvolvimento emocional da criança. A depressão pós-parto (DPP) é um transtorno de humor que pode prejudicar a qualidade destas interações. Sendo o primeiro ano de vida um período em que o bebê está especialmente suscetível aos estímulos externos e totalmente dependente de cuidados, o objetivo da pesquisa relatada na dissertação de mestrado foi verificar o impacto da DPP no desenvolvimento neuropsicomotor em uma amostra representativa de crianças moradoras de uma região urbana da cidade de São Paulo, Brasil. Este estudo faz parte de um Projeto Temático FAPESP que teve por objetivo investigar os fatores de risco relacionados à DPP e sua influência no desenvolvimento das crianças ao longo de três anos. A Escala de Depressão Pós-parto de Edinburgh (EDPE) foi aplicada aos quatro e oito meses e o desenvolvimento neuropsicomotor dos bebês foi avaliado aos quatro (N=144), oito (N=127) e doze meses de vida (N=94), por itens baseados nos Testes Gesell e Amatruda, M-Chat, Denver e IRDI. Foram consideradas informações sobre a gestação, condições do parto e a avaliação neonatal obtidas nos prontuários do Hospital Universitário. A razão sexual no nascimento foi viesada no sentido de maior nascimento de meninas, o que é compatível com a Teoria de Trivers e Willard de viés da razão sexual por condições adversas. Aplicou-se uma análise de Regressão Logística aos dados de desenvolvimento, considerando-se no modelo a depressão pós-parto, o sexo, a idade e a frequência de creche. Os resultados mostraram que a depressão pós-parto materna foi um fator que prejudicou o desenvolvimento infantil nas avaliações realizadas aos oito e doze meses, mas não aos quatro meses. O sexo do bebê mostrou-se uma variável significativa. Aos oito meses os bebês do sexo masculino mostraram pior desempenho neuropsicomotor quando comparados aos bebês do sexo feminino. A literatura tem apontado nesta direção, evidenciando maior prejuízo dos meninos em função da depressão materna. Ao contrário do esperado, aos 12 meses as crianças que frequentavam creche mostraram pior desempenho quando comparadas às crianças que não frequentavam. A prevalência de DPP na amostra foi alta (26,7%) e os resultados sobre o desenvolvimento, preocupantes, apontando para a necessidade de políticas públicas de prevenção e intervenção precoce. Mesmo em condições adversas, podem surgir soluções criativas de grande impacto, a exemplo do método canguru. Além disso, os resultados desta investigação contribuem para o esforço multidisciplinar, relevante para o enfrentamento da questão da DPP
The mother-infant bond, created from the earliest dyadic interactions, affects the infant emotional development. The postpartum depression (PPD) is a depressive disorder that can impair the quality of these interactions. During the first year of life the infant is particularly susceptible to external stimuli and totally dependent on parental care. The goal of the research reported in the dissertation was to investigate the impact of PPD on psychomotor development in a sample of children living in an urban area of the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. This study is part of a FAPESP Thematic Project which aimed to investigate the risk factors related to Postpartum Depression (PPD) and its influence on children\'s development over the first three years of life. Mothers mental state was assessed by the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) at four and eight months after delivery and neurodevelopmental milestones were evaluated at four (N = 144), eight (N = 127) and twelve months (N = 94) through items based on Gesell and Amatruda, M-Chat, Denver and IRDI. Information was also collected about pregnancy, birth and neonatal evaluation from University Hospital reports. The sex ratio was biased at birth in favor of girls, consistent with Trivers and Willard Theory that harsh environmental conditions affects sex-ratio. Data were analyzed through logistic regression, considering the influence of postpartum depression, sex, age and day-care support. The results showed that child development was negatively affected by maternal postpartum depression at eight and twelve months, but not at four months. The baby\'s sex was also significant. At eight month male babies had worse psychomotor performance when compared to female, in accordance with literature showing that boys of PPD mothers are at greater risk of poor development. Unlike expected, at 12 months children attending day-care service showed poorer performance when compared to children who stayed at home. The high prevalence of PPD in this population (26,7%) and the results of the developmental evaluation are worrying, pointing to the need for mental health public policies and early intervention. Even in adverse conditions high impact solutions can be created, as Kangaroo care method. Furthermore, the results of this research can contribute to a multidisciplinary effort, relevant to address issues related to depression

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
Um primeiro objetivo desse estudo foi apresentar uma revisão sobre o que a literatura científica atual fala acerca da bateria de inteligência WISC-III. Os referenciais teóricos que embasam a construção dos testes de inteligência, tais como o modelo de Cattell- Horn Caroll e abordagens mais recentes foram explicitados. A partir das concepções de inteligência fluída (Gf) e cristalizada (Gc), buscou-se um dialógo com pressupostos básicos da psicologia evolucionista do desenvolvimento, considerando os planos de análise ontogenético e filogenético. Foram apresentados aspectos culturais que influenciam desenvolvimento do nosso percurso cognitivo. Teoricamente discutiu-se sobre as causas culturais que embasam o efeito Flynn, efeito de defasagem de escalas, buscando evidencias se nos subtestes da Escala Verbal da bateria WISC-III, adaptada ao contexto brasileiro, existiu sua incidência. Um segundo objetivo deste estudo foi identificar se haveria correlação entre variáveis tais como o uso de tecnologias, o acesso a mídias pelas crianças, práticas de criação e nos resultados obtidos em subtestes da escala WISC-III em crianças de 6 a 11 anos que residem no Rio de Janeiro. Participaram do estudo 25 crianças e seus respectivos responsáveis. Os resultados indicaram que aspectos do cuidado parental e maior acesso a recursos tecnológicos correlacionaram-se com os índices de QI na escala verbal da bateria WISC-III, sugerindo uma indissociável relação entre cultura e inteligência. Acredita-se que tais exposições podem contribuir para ampliar a compreensão da interpretação dos escores fornecidos pela escala WISC-III adaptada ao contexto brasileiro.
The first aim of this study was to present a review about what current scientific literature says about the WISC-III intelligence battery. Theoretical references which support the construction of the intelligence tests, such as Cattell- Horn Caroll model and recent approaches, were discussed. Based on the conception of fluid and crystallized (Gc) intelligence (Gf) we tried to establish a dialogue with basic assumptions of evolutionary psychology development considering the phylogenetic and ontogenetic perspectives. Considerations about cultural aspects that influence our cognitive walkthrough development. Theoretically it was discussed cultural aspects of the Flynn effect for discrepancy of a scale, seeking evidences if it was in fact used on the Verbal Scalesubtests of the WISC-III battery. The second purpose of this study was to indentify whether there is correlation between variables such as the use of technology, access to media by children and how parental practices affect the measurement of WISC-III scale subtests in children aged 6 to 11 years living in Rio de Janeiro. The study included 25 children and their respective guardians. The results indicated that aspects of parental care and greater access to technology resources correlated with IQ scores in the verbal scale of the WISC-III battery, suggesting an inseparable relationship between culture and intelligence. It is believed that such exposures may contribute to enhance the understanding of the interpretation of the scores provided by the WISC-III scale adapted to the Brazilian context.

This thesis analyzes the kinds of verbal and nonverbal signals elites manifest to show leadership qualities. Launching from Max Weber's conceptual framework of charisma as a power term and Harold Lasswell's study of propaganda, this study takes a multidisciplinary approach to studying political leadership with elements of communication methodology and an ontological basis in evolutionary psychology. The study's goal is to offer a framework for defining and evaluating the diverse signal patterns employed by political elites in three real-life situations. These are the Malta Summit, the 1992 Virginia Presidential Debate, and the 2012 South Carolina Republican Presidential Primary. The cases were chosen because they display a diverse set of signal variations during different types of interactions. The three case studies are evaluated by measuring frequency and patterns of occurrence of the five different interaction constructs (indicator of interest, indicator of disinterest, demonstration of high value, demonstration of low value, and compliance testing) to explain different interaction patterns. A simple frequency distribution of the different signals during a given interaction is used to display the empirical findings and to compare patterns across the case studies. This study reveals that the presence of DLV (demonstration of low value) signals weaken an elite's position in relation to other elites and the public while the presence of DHV (demonstration of high value) signals strengthen an elite's position. It is largely the presence, absence, and frequency of these two signals that determines who conveys leadership qualities effectively regardless of leadership style. Studying the signaling patterns of political elites would allow scholars to understand better the kinds of signal patterns and signal frequencies that are used in different types of leadership styles and norm ranges for signals including for political elites belonging to different cultures and subcultures.
M.A.
Masters
Political Science
Sciences
Political Science; International Studies

A linguagem tem um papel fundamental para o desenvolvimento infantil, uma vez que possibilita à criança construir conceitos do self e do outro, especialmente nos contextos construídos por seus cuidadores e nas trocas interacionais. A proposta da presente pesquisa é analisar associações entre o tipo de discurso materno, quanto a características de orientação cultural para a interdependência e/ou para a autonomia, e o desenvolvimento cognitivo da criança avaliado pelo desempenho em testes de compreensão de intencionalidade e direção do olhar, no contexto de depressão pós-parto. O projeto insere-se em um estudo longitudinal mais amplo (Temático FAPESP nº 06/59192), que acompanha díades mãe-criança de uma amostra atendida pelo sistema público de saúde, em que era aferido haver ou não depressão por meio da Escala de Edimburgo (pós-parto e 36 meses). Foram feitos registros em vídeo da interação livre mãe-criança por 10 minutos, para avaliação do discurso materno, e da criança nos testes em interação com um pesquisador. O estilo de discurso materno foi classificado segundo categorias elaboradas por Heidi Keller, associadas à ideia de autonomia (ex. agência, autorreferência) ou de relacionamento (ex. coagência, referência a autoridade). O escore correspondente à autonomia e ao relacionamento foi calculado pela soma das frequências das respectivas categorias, controlado pelo número de emissões da fala categorizadas. A compreensão de intencionalidade foi avaliada por meio de duas histórias ilustrativas que mostram um personagem no processo de busca de um objeto (A) em um local previsto e, em seguida, a descoberta inesperada de um objeto diferente, mais desejável (B) em seu lugar. O protocolo avalia cada etapa de aplicação do teste. O teste de direção do olhar foi composto por três tarefas nas quais a criança deveria identificar: qual das figuras está olhando para ela?; o personagem está olhando para onde?, e apontando para onde?, associadas a perguntas sobre o que o personagem quer? Foi verificado um efeito da DPP na adesão à tarefa no teste Compreensão de Intencionalidade (CI). A dificuldade do teste de Direção do Olhar (DO) prevaleceu com o cansaço. Todavia, foi identificada correlação negativa entre o escore da DPP e o desempenho em etapas do teste. A DPP parece ter produzido mais efeito do que a depressão aos 36 meses. Os casos que indicam cronicidade da depressão são mais prejudicados. Um elemento destaque foi a análise do discurso, que revelou muito sobre o contexto de depressão e do desempenho das crianças. O discurso autônomo esteve negativamente relacionado ao escore DPP e aos 36 meses, e positivamente ao desempenho. Destaca-se que no contexto de depressão, as crianças que tiveram bom desempenho foram as das mães que apresentaram maior percentual nas categorias de autonomia, quando comparado com o grupo baixo desempenho e DPP. De modo geral, não encontramos efeitos lineares e diretos da DPP prejudicando o desenvolvimento, mas verificamos variações sugestivas. Tudo indica que o comportamento materno e, principalmente, o resultado deste em termos de desenvolvimento, irá depender muito da configuração geral do contexto socioafetivo, e que a depressão é um dos elementos efetivos desta conjugação
Language has a vital role in children´s construction of self and the relation to others in interactional exchanges. Mothers´ talk to their children reflects their cultural models or ethno-theories. In this presentation the results of a study focusing on the relation between maternal speech, as presenting the characteristics of a cultural orientation to interdependence and / or autonomy, with children\'s cognitive development, assessed by performance on tests of understanding of intentionality and direction of gaze, in the context of postpartum depression. The project is part of a larger, longitudinal study (FAPESP No. 06/59192), which follows a sample of mother-child dyads served by a public health system, when it was measured whether or not depression through Edinburgh Scale (postpartum and 36 months). Video recordings of free mother-child interactions for 10 minutes were made to evaluate the conversational maternal style. Children were observed in their interactional tasks with an experimenter. Mother´s speech style was classified according to categories developed by Heidi Keller, associated with the concept of agency (i.e. mental states, self-reference) or relationship (i.e. co-agency, reference to authority). Scores on both categories were calculated as the sum of the frequencies of the respective categories, controlling the total number of emissions categorized. Intentionality understanding was evaluated by means of two illustrative stories that show a character in the process of searching for an object (A) in a place provided, and then, the unexpected discovery of a different object, the more desirable (B) in its place. The protocol evaluates each step of the test. The test of gaze direction was composed of three tasks that the child should identify: what the figures are looking at; To what is the character is looking; where is he/she pointing, associated to questions about \"what the character wants?\" The effect of PPD was found in adherence to the task in testing Intentionality Understanding (IC). The difficulty of the Gaze Direction (GD) test has prevailed with tiredness, but a negative correlation was identified with scores of PPD and performance in steps of the test. The DPP produced more effect than depression at 36 months, and indicates to the importance of early development. The cases of chronic depressions suggest to be more affected. One key element was the of speech analysis, this revealed much about the context of depression and performance of children. The style of autonomy speech was negatively related to score PPD and the 36 months, and positively to the children\'s performance. It is noteworthy that in the context of depressed children who had good performance their mothers presented greater percentage in autonomy compared to the group of low performance and PPD. Overall, we found no direct linear effects of the DPP that could hinder the development, but we found suggestive variations. Everything indicates that maternal behavior, and especially the result from this in terms of development will greatly depend on the socio-affective context configuration and depression is one of the effective elements of this combination

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Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior
Alimentation is essential in life. Concerning omnivores, characterized by the necessity of a varied diet to satisfy their metabolic needs, it is extremely advantageous the assumption of new foods. However, the assumption of new unknown foods is, potentially dangerous, because of possible intoxications. In this sense, one of the most important behaviors related to reducing risks is the so called food neophobia, characterized by the rejection of new foods and/or an ingestion of very little amounts. The aim of the present study was to investigate if age, sex and socio-economical status were able to influence food neophobia. The neophobia has been described in a range of 3-6 years old children taken both from public and private schools within the city of Natal-RN. Four different type of ice-creams, each one characterized by a different flavor, have been utilized. Two flavors were known to the young and the remaining two flavor were new. We didn't find significant differences between the investigated variables. However, the exploitation of data from the survey conducted showed that the ease or not to accept new foods obtained, was correlated with the variables under the same guidelines observed in literature. Aspects related to the stimulus used probably eased the neophobic answer. Then, it is suggested that the food neophobia can be influenced by sex, age and socioeconomic factors of individuaIs. Neophobia tends to be more common in girls, with ages between three to four years old and with a low leveI socioeconomic. In this sense, given the importance of kid neophobic reaction to the development of dietary patterns of other life's stages, it is necessary to make further studies to better explain this phenomenon. Given the pivotal role of food neophobia to the development of alimentary habits within all ages of life, other studies will be necessary for a better comprehension of such phenomena. Key-words: food neophobia; Evolutionary Psychology;children food intake; diet restriction; children's diet development
A alimenta??o ? essencial para a vida. Para os on?voros, que necessitam de uma dieta variada para conseguir suprir suas necessidades nutricionais, ? extremamente vantajoso incluir novos itens ? dieta. Contudo, ingerir alimentos desconhecidos pode ser perigoso, em raz?o da possibilidade de intoxica??o. Neste sentido, um dos comportamentos que auxiliam na redu??o dos riscos decorrentes da ingest?o de itens alimentares desconhecidos ? a neofobia alimentar, caracterizada pelo ato de recusar ou ingerir pequenas quantidades de um alimento novo. Este trabalho teve por objetivo investigar a influ?ncia da idade, do sexo e das caracter?sticas socioecon?micas dos indiv?duos na neofobia alimentar. Para isto, buscamos caracterizar o fen?meno neof?bico em crian?as de tr?s a seis anos de idade, oriundas de escolas p?blicas e particulares de Natal-RN. O alimento escolhido para o experimento foi sorvete, em quatro sabores distintos, sendo dois sabores conhecidos pelas crian?as e dois novos. Os resultados demonstraram n?o haver diferen?as em fun??o das vari?veis de sexo, idade e fatores socioecon?micos, quando avaliamos a escolha dos sabores do sorvete. Entretanto, a explora??o dos dados do question?rio realizado com os pais demonstrou que a facilidade ou n?o em aceitar novos alimentos obtida, se correlacionava com as vari?veis nas mesmas orienta??es observadas na literatura. Aspectos ligados ao alimento-est?mulo utilizado provavelmente atenuaram a resposta neof?bica. Com base neste ?ltimo dado, sugere-se que a neofobia alimentar pode ser prevista em fun??o de caracter?sticas de sexo, idade e fatores socioecon?micos dos indiv?duos, tendendo o fen?meno neof?bico a ser mais freq?ente em meninas, de tr?s a quatro anos e com um n?vel socioecon?mico mais baixo. Neste sentido, dada a import?ncia da rea??o neof?bica infantil para o desenvolvimento do padr?o alimentar das demais fases da vida, faz-se necess?ria a realiza??o de novos estudos para que possam a esclarecer melhor este fen?meno. Palavras-chave: neofobia alimentar, Psicologia Evolucionista; alimenta??o infantil; restri??o da dieta; forma??o da dieta infantil

Dissertação de Mestrado em Temas de Psicologia do Desenvolvimento apresentada à Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação
Introdução: A evolução trouxe o movimento que, por sua vez, trouxe o sistema nervoso. Estes dois aspetos – movimento e sistema nervoso – interagem num processo evolutivo altamente complexo que culminou na espécie humana. Uma vez que estes aspetos estão intimamente relacionados, a dança – um movimento de alta complexidade que requer domínio sobre o corpo – poderá ter implicações a nível cerebral – suas funções e estrutura – que, por sua vez, influenciam o desenvolvimento de maneira geral. Portanto, o estudo dos efeitos da dança nas funções do cérebro visa compreender, sobretudo, os efeitos do movimento no desenvolvimento humano. Estudos recentes investigaram esta correlação e apontam que a dança pode ter efeitos positivos sobre o desenvolvimento. Método: A pesquisa foi realizada em cinco companhias de dança do Rio de Janeiro e de São Paulo com 64 bailarinos profissionais (31 homens e 33 mulheres). As idades variaram entre 18 e 50 anos (média de 27.34). Foram aplicados o teste STROOP e o inventário BRIEF-A. Os sujeitos também preencheram um questionário sobre seu histórico com a dança. Resultados: Em relação às correlações significativas mulheres obtiveram pontuação superior aos homens no inventário “Organização de Materiais” do BRIEF-A. Já no teste STROOP mulheres obtiveram pontuações significativamente superiores na escala Palavra e na escala Cor. Também foi registrada uma correlação significativa de sinal negativo entre a frequência anual de apresentação em palco e a Interferência do teste STROOP – porém, de baixa magnitude. Também foi significativa a correlação de sinal negativo entre a frequência das aulas de dança na infância e as escalas do STROOP Cor/Palavra e Interferência. Outros aspetos do histórico do sujeito com a dança na infância e na juventude não apresentaram correlações significativas. Os resultados são discutidos em contexto com a literatura.
Introduction: Evolution has brought movement which has brought the nervous system. . These two aspects - movement and nervous system - interact in an evolutionary process that culminated in the human species. Since these aspects are closely related, dance – a complex movement that requires body mastery – could have implications over the brain – in its functions and structure – which in turn, influence development in general. Therefore, the study of the effects of dance on brain functions aims, mainly, to understand the effects of movement on human development. Recent studies have investigated this correlation and indicate that dance may have positive effects on development. Method: The research was conducted in five dance companies of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo with professional dancers (N = 64). Ages ranged from 18 to 50 years (mean = 27.34). The STROOP test and the BRIEF-A inventory were applied. The subjects also completed a questionnaire about their dance historic. Results: Regarding the significant correlations, women obtained a higher score than men in the BRIEF-A “Materials Organization” inventory. In the STROOP test, women had significantly higher scores on the Word scale and on the Color scale. There was also a significant negative sign correlation between the annual stage performance frequency and the STROOP test interference - but of low magnitude. Also significant was the negative sign correlation between the frequency of childhood dance classes and the STROOP Color / Word and Interference scales. Other aspects of the subject's dance historic in childhood and youth did not show significant correlations. The results are discussed in context with the literature.

In this thesis I discuss the Sexual Selection for Morality (SSM) hypothesis, which seeks to explain the evolution of morality in terms of sexual selection and costly signalling. The first part of the thesis puts SSM on the table for critical dissection. My starting point is the work on sexual selection, costly signalling, and morality by evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller. I clarify and elaborate upon Miller's views by drawing on recent work in signalling theory. The result is a clearer and more nuanced version of SSM. In the second part of the thesis, I evaluate the empirical evidence for this revised version of SSM. I first clarify the predictions of the hypothesis, then survey relevant literature from biology, psychology, anthropology, and economics. Findings from these fields combine to support the claim that moral behaviour plays a signalling role. However, it appears likely that such signals are aimed at many receivers in addition to potential mates, including potential social allies as well as sexual and social rivals. SSM should thus be seen as part of a more general signalling-based account of morality. The third and final part of the thesis considers the metaethical implications of the truth of SSM. A relatively recent arrival on the metaethical scene is the Darwinian debunker, who claims that an evolutionary explanation of morality is, broadly speaking, undermining of morality. A prominent line of reply has been to claim that the fact (if it be one) that human morality is an adaptation shaped by selection over many millennia provides reason to think that our faculty for making moral judgements is likely to mostly produce true judgements. I call this the reliabilist reply. If SSM is true, I argue, then not all the conditions required for the success of the reliabilist reply are met. In particular, what I call the tracking condition fails to be met. The truth of SSM thus counts against the plausibility of the reliabilist reply and lends support to Darwinian debunkings of morality.