Littérature scientifique sur le sujet « Stimoli non sociali »

Questo studio investiga aspetti della percezione sociale di categorie di Israeliani caratterizzate da differenti ruoli sociali assunti in contesti intergruppi. 213 studenti universitari hanno descritto liberamente stimoli fotografici differenziati e specificato l'intensitŕ con cui hanno sperimentato reazioni emozionali ed empatiche. I principali risultati mostrano, in linea con le previsioni, che i partecipanti non hanno rappresentazioni univoche del gruppo degli Israeliani ma notevolmente diversificate in funzione delle informazioni contestuali proposte. Cosě se Israeliani seduti ad un caffč di Gerusalemme evoca una rappresentazione complessivamente positiva e priva di contenuti stereotipici negativi, Israeliani in azione di guerra in Libano evoca invece contenuti ed emozioni univocamente negativi. Diversamente, Israeliani che soccorrono connazionali feriti evoca emozioni riconducibili sia ad ammirazione che a disprezzo. Infine, sia la categoria Israeliani che Israeliani impegnati nello sgombero di connazionali a Gaza evocano rappresentazioni ambivalenti. La presenza diversificata di contenuti stereotipici in rapporto alle categorie considerate č discussa specie in rapporto a specifiche implicazioni applicative.

Il cervello-mente è un organo sociale e come tale necessita di contesti esperienziali ricchi di stimoli cognitivo-affettivo-relazionali per favorire la costruzione di una sana identità personale e un'adeguata regolazione degli stati emotivi. Questa importante funzione sociale si sviluppa gradualmente nel corso dell'infanzia ed è originata dalle prime esperienze relazionali di "Attaccamento" del bambino con la madre e da un insieme di "cure ambientali" "sufficientemente buone" e "contenitive" sperimentate nell'incontro con il mondo e con l'Altro. È proprio all'interno di questi contesti relazionali che i bambini imparano a vivere, guardando e riproponendo i comportamenti che "vedono", i discorsi che "sentono", i modelli relazionali a cui sono costantemente esposti. La Scuola diviene, così, il luogo privilegiato in cui si possono sperimentare forme di convivenza pacifica e non violenta, fondate sul riconoscimento dell'altro e nel rispetto delle differenze, al fine di sviluppare le competenze sociali utili a contrastare la diffusione della violenza giovanile. All'interno di questa visione si inserisce il lavoro sulla Peer Mediation realizzato dall'Istituto Comprensivo "Antonio Ugo" di Palermo. L'obiettivo del progetto è quello di creare un sistema efficace per la risoluzione dei conflitti che insorgono tra gli alunni.

Le concezioni e le prassi di responsabilitŕ sociale d'impresa (CSR, corporate social responsibility) che si sono affermate sino a tempi molto recenti riflettono prevalentemente una logica reattiva, incentrata sulla necessitŕ delle aziende di rilegittimarsi nei confronti dei loro stakeholder corrispondendo alla richiesta di riduzione e prevenzione dei costi sociali legati all'attivitŕ d'impresa (degrado ecologico, disoccupazione conseguente a ristrutturazioni, ecc.). Tuttavia l'attuale periodo, anche per le incertezze e questioni poste dalla crisi economica, rappresenta una fase singolarmente feconda per andare oltre questo approccio adattivo e raccogliere la sfida di una visione piů avanzata della dimensione sociale dell'agire d'impresa come innovazione sostenibile. Tale modello si basa sulla valorizzazione di beni, risorse ed esigenze di significato sociale ed č indirizzato alla creazione di valore integrato - economico, umano-sociale e ambientale - nel lungo termine. La caratteristica centrale di questo profilo d'impresa č la tendenza a operare in maniera socialmente proattiva, sviluppando un'attitudine a cogliere o persino anticipare le direzioni del cambiamento sociale con i suoi bisogni e problemi emergenti e facendo sě che l'integrazione di obiettivi economici e socio-ambientali nei processi strategico-produttivi si traduca in fattore di differenziazione dell'offerta di mercato e in una reale fonte di vantaggio competitivo. Nel presente lavoro si indica la praticabilitŕ di un simile modello riferendosi ai risultati di una recente indagine condotta su un campione di dieci imprese italiane, eterogenee per dimensioni, collocazione geografica, fase del ciclo di vita e settori di attivitŕ, che si estendono da comparti tradizionali (come quelli alimentare, edilizio, sanitario, dell'arredamento e della finanza) a campi di piů recente definizione e a piů elevato tasso di cambiamento tecnologico (quali l'ingegneria informatica, la comunicazione multimediale, il controllo dei processi industriali e il risanamento ambientale). La logica di azione di queste organizzazioni sembra ruotare intorno a una duplice dinamica di "valorizzazione del contesto": da un lato, l'internalizzazione nella strategia d'impresa di richieste e al contempo di risorse sociali orientate a una maggiore attenzione per l'ambiente naturale, per la qualitŕ della vita collettiva nei territori, per i diritti e lo sviluppo delle persone dentro e fuori gli ambienti di lavoro; dall'altro lato, la capacitŕ, a valle dell'attivitŕ di mercato, di produrre valore economico e profitti generando anche valore per la societŕ. Nei casi analizzati č presente la valorizzazione delle risorse ambientali, che si esprime mediante la riprogettazione di prodotti e processi e politiche di efficienza energetica di rifornimento da fonti di energia rinnovabile, raccordandosi con nuove aspettative sociali rispetto alla questione ecologica. Č coltivato il valore umano nel rapporto spesso personalizzato con i clienti e i partner di business ma anche nella vita interna d'impresa, attraverso dinamiche di ascolto e coinvolgimento che creano spazi per la soddisfazione di svariati bisogni e aspirazioni che gli individui riversano nella sfera lavorativa, aldilŕ di quelli retributivi. C'č empowerment del "capitale sociale" dentro e intorno all'organizzazione, ravvisabile specialmente quando le condotte d'impresa fanno leva su risorse relazionali e culturali del territorio e si legano a meccanismi di valorizzazione dello sviluppo locale. Troviamo inoltre il riconoscimento e la produzione di "valore etico" per il modo in cui una serie di principi morali (quali la trasparenza, il mantenimento degli impegni, il rispetto di diritti delle persone) costituiscono criteri ispiratori dell'attivitŕ di business e ne escono rafforzati come ingredienti primari del fare impresa. E c'č, naturalmente, produzione di valore competitivo, una capacitŕ di stare e avere successo nel mercato che si sostiene sull'intreccio di vari elementi. Uno di essi coincide con l'uso della leva economico-finanziaria come risorsa irrinunciabile per l'investimento in innovazione, piuttosto che in un'ottica di contenimento dei costi relativi a fattori di gestione - come la formazione - che possono anche rivelarsi non immediatamente produttivi. Altrettanto cruciali risultano una serie di componenti intangibili che, oltre alla gestione delle risorse umane, sono essenzialmente riconducibili a due aspetti. Il primo č lo sviluppo di know-how, in cui la conoscenza che confluisce nelle soluzioni di business č insieme tecnica e socio-culturale perché derivante dalla combinazione di cognizioni specializzate di settore, acquisite in virtů di una costante apertura alla sperimentazione, e insieme di mappe di riferimento e criteri di valutazione collegati alla cultura aziendale. L'altro fattore immateriale alla base del valore competitivo consiste nell'accentuato posizionamento di marchio, con la capacitŕ di fornire un'offerta di mercato caratterizzata da: a) forte specificitŕ rispetto ai concorrenti (distintivi contenuti tecnici di qualitŕ e professionalitŕ e soprattutto la corrispondenza alle esigenze dei clienti/consumatori e al loro cambiamento); b) bassa replicabilitŕ da parte di altri operatori, dovuta al fatto che le peculiaritŕ dell'offerta sono strettamente legate alla particolare "miscela" degli altri valori appena considerati (valore umano, risorse relazionali, know-how, ecc.). Ed č significativo notare come nelle imprese osservate questi tratti di marcata differenziazione siano stati prevalentemente costruiti attraverso pratiche di attenzione sociale non modellate su forme di CSR convenzionali o facilmente accessibili ad altri (p.es. quelle che si esauriscono nell'adozione di strumenti pur importanti quali il bilancio sociale e il codice etico); ciň che si tratti - per fare qualche esempio tratto dal campione - di offrire servizi sanitari di qualitŕ a tariffe accessibili, di supportare gli ex-dipendenti che avviano un'attivitŕ autonoma inserendoli nel proprio circuito di business o di promuovere politiche di sostenibilitŕ nel territorio offrendo alle aziende affiliate servizi tecnologici ad alta prestazione ambientale per l'edilizia. Le esperienze indagate confermano il ruolo di alcune condizioni dell'innovazione sostenibile d'impresa in vario modo giŕ indicate dalla ricerca piů recente: la precocitŕ e l'orientamento di lungo periodo degli investimenti in strategie di sostenibilitŕ, entrambi favoriti dal ruolo centrale ricoperto da istanze socio-ambientali nelle fasi iniziali dell'attivitŕ d'impresa; l'anticipazione, ovvero la possibilitŕ di collocarsi in una posizione di avanguardia e spesso di "conformitŕ preventiva" nei confronti di successive regolamentazioni pubbliche in grado di incidere seriamente sulle pratiche di settore; la disseminazione di consapevolezza interna, a partire dai livelli decisionali dell'organizzazione, intorno al significato per le strategie d'impresa di obiettivi e condotte operative riconducibili alla sostenibilitŕ; l'incorporamento strutturale degli strumenti e delle soluzioni di azione sostenibile nei core-processes organizzativi, dalla ricerca e sviluppo di prodotti/ servizi all'approvvigionamento, dall'infrastruttura produttiva al marketing. Inoltre, l'articolo individua e discute tre meccanismi che sembrano determinanti nei percorsi di innovazione sostenibile osservati e che presentano, per certi versi, alcuni aspetti di paradosso. Il primo č dato dalla coesistenza di una forte tradizione d'impresa, spesso orientata sin dall'inizio verso opzioni di significato sociale dai valori e dall'esperienza dell'imprenditore-fondatore, e di apertura alla novitŕ. Tale equilibrio č favorito da processi culturali di condivisione e di sviluppo interni della visione di business, da meccanismi di leadership dispersa, nonché da uno stile di apprendimento "incrementale" mediante cui le nuove esigenze e opportunitŕ proposte dalla concreta gestione d'impresa conducono all'adozione di valori e competenze integrabili con quelli tradizionali o addirittura in grado di potenziarli. In secondo luogo, si riscontra la tendenza a espandersi nel contesto, tipicamente tramite strategie di attraversamento di confini tra settori (p.es., alimentando sinergie pubblico-private) e forme di collaborazione "laterale" con gli interlocutori dell'ambiente di business e sociale; e al contempo la tendenza a includere il contesto, ricavandone stimoli e sollecitazioni, ma anche risorse e contributi, per la propria attivitŕ (p.es., nella co-progettazione dei servizi/prodotti). La terza dinamica, infine, tocca piů direttamente la gestione delle risorse umane. Le "persone dell'organizzazione" rappresentano non soltanto uno dei target destinatari delle azioni di sostenibilitŕ (nelle pratiche di selezione, formazione e sviluppo, welfare aziendale, ecc.) ma anche, piů profondamente, il veicolo fondamentale della realizzazione e del successo di tali azioni. Si tratta, cioč, di realtŕ organizzative in cui la valorizzazione delle persone muove dagli impatti sulle risorse umane, in sé cruciali in una prospettiva di sostenibilitŕ, agli impatti delle risorse umane attraverso il loro ruolo diretto e attivo nella gestione dei processi di business, nella costruzione di partnership con gli stakeholder e nei meccanismi di disseminazione interna di una cultura socialmente orientata. In tal senso, si distingue un rapporto circolare di rinforzo reciproco tra la "cittadinanza nell'impresa" e la "cittadinanza dell'impresa"; vale a dire, tra i processi interni di partecipazione/identificazione del personale nei riguardi delle prioritŕ dell'organizzazione e la capacitŕ di quest'ultima di generare valore molteplice e "condiviso" nel contesto (con i clienti, il tessuto imprenditoriale, le comunitŕ, gli interlocutori pubblici, ecc.). In conclusione, le imprese osservate appaiono innovative primariamente perché in grado di praticare la sostenibilitŕ in termini non solo di responsabilitŕ ma anche di opportunitŕ per la competitivitŕ organizzativa. Questa analisi suggerisce quindi uno sguardo piů ampio sulle implicazioni strategiche della CSR e invita a riflettere su come le questioni e i bisogni di rilievo sociale, a partire da quelli emergenti o acuiti dalla crisi economica (nel campo della salute, dei servizi alle famiglie, della salvaguardia ambientale, ecc.), possano e forse debbano oggi sempre piů situarsi al centro - e non alla periferia - del business e della prestazione di mercato delle imprese.

Human cognitive and affective life changes with healthy ageing; cognitive capacity declines while emotional life becomes more positive and social relationships are prioritized. This may reflect an awareness of limited lifetime unique to humans, leading to a greater interest in maintaining social relationships at the expense of the non-social world in the face of limited cognitive and physical resources. Alternately, fundamental biological processes common to other primate species may direct preferential interest in social stimuli with increasing age. Inspired by a recent study that described a sustained interest in social stimuli but diminished interest in non-social stimuli in aged Barbary macaques, we carried out a conceptual replication to test whether old rhesus monkeys lost interest in non-social stimuli. Male and female macaques ( Macaca mulatta ; N = 243) 4–30 years old were tested with a food puzzle outfitted with an activity monitor to evaluate their propensity to manipulate the puzzle in order to free a food reward. We found no indication that aged monkeys were less interested in the puzzle than young monkeys, nor were they less able to solve it.

Understanding the behavioral welfare of dogs in commercial breeding kennels (CBKs) is important for improving breeders’ management practices as well as dog welfare. In the current study, breeding dogs from CBKs were exposed to novel stimuli to evaluate their behavioral responses, with emphasis on indicators of fear. Subjects were presented with a standard stranger-approach test, a traffic cone, and a realistic dog statue. Sixty dogs were exposed to the three stimuli and behavioral responses were scored using an ethogram developed for this study. Dogs spent significantly more time investigating the environment, staying further away from the stimulus, and they took longer to approach and investigate when presented with the cone than with the dog statue or stranger (p < 0.01). These findings suggest that the cone elicited more fear-related behaviors than the dog statue and stranger. Given these results, in addition to socializing their dogs to unfamiliar people and other dogs within their kennels, commercial breeders should be encouraged to increase the exposure of their dogs to more diverse novel stimuli to reduce non-social fear and support the welfare of dogs while they reside in the kennel and when they transition to new homes.

Secondo il filosofo greco Aristotele "L'uomo è per natura un animale sociale". Dopo 2350 anni, oggi sappiamo che questa affermazione è solo parzialmente vera. Sebbene le evidenze sperimentali abbiano messo in luce una preferenza per gli stimoli e le interazioni sociali negli esseri umani, questa conclusione non sembra applicabile a tutti gli individui e contesti. L'elaborazione degli stimoli sociali può infatti essere influenzata da caratteristiche degli stimoli sociali e non sociali, presentati in competizione, nonché da caratteristiche inter-individuali. Tra quest'ultime, il Disturbo dello Spettro Autistico è sicuramente un esempio prototipico di atipicità nei comportamenti sociali e nella cognizione sociale. Il presente lavoro di tesi era rivolta a: i. indagare se gli stimoli sociali esercitano una priorità di elaborazione negli individui a sviluppo tipico (TD), anche quando presentati in competizione con altri stimoli non sociali fortemente rilevanti (denaro); ii. Indagare se e come gli individui con ASD rispondono a stimoli sociali vs non sociali rispetto agli individui TD, prendendo in esame un duplice livello di elaborazione, cognitivo e fisiologico; iii. Indagare se le differenze tra individui TD e ASD nell'elaborazione degli stimoli sociali e non sociali possano considerarsi l'espressione di un fenotipo familiare allargato; iv. Indagare la possibilità di modificare la salienza degli stimoli sociali negli individui con ASD attraverso una metodologia di apprendimento implicito ABMT (Attention Bias Modification Treatment). La presente tesi presenta tre implicazioni: teorica, metodologica e clinica. Per quanto riguarda le implicazioni teoriche, il presente lavoro supporta solo parzialmente l'affermazione di Aristotele. I risultati infatti hanno evidenziato chiaramente che, sebbene gli stimoli sociali abbiano solitamente un accesso prioritario agli step di elaborazione, la loro valenza può essere influenzata da una varietà di variabili come le differenze individuali (e.g., tratti autistici) o caratteristiche degli stimoli non sociali presentati in competizione quelli sociali (e.g., stimoli di alto interesse autistico per l'autismo). Altresì, i risultati sottolineano la necessità di considerare le diverse fasi dell'elaborazione dello stimolo (cognitivo vs fisiologico) nell'esame delle risposte cognitive e fisologiche a diverse tipologie di stimoli. Per quanto riguarda le implicazioni metodologiche, il presente lavoro suggerisce l'integrazione di tecniche tradizionali con tecniche computazionali più avanzate (es: Machine Learning o Deep Learning). Per quanto riguarda le implicazioni cliniche, questo lavoro ha fornito un esame circa le modalità di elaborazione degli stimoli sociali in bambini e adulti ASD, sia a livello attentivo che fisiologico. In secondo luogo, ha contribuito a far ulteriormente luce sul concetto di fenotipo autistico allargato, mostrando i limiti di questo concetto e l'ipotetico ruolo di variabili ambientali nel modulare il comportamento sociale nell'autismo.
According to the Greek philosopher Aristotle “Man is by nature a social animal”. After 2350 years, we know that this statement is partially true. Although experimental evidence has reported a preference for social stimuli and social interactions in human beings, this conclusion does not apply to every individuals and contexts. Social stimuli processing can indeed be affected by stimuli and competitive non-social stimuli features as well as by inter-individual characteristics. Among the clinical conditions characterized by atypicality in social behaviours and social cognition (e.g., schizophrenia, personality disorders etc.), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the most prototypical example. The present dissertation was aimed at: i. investigating whether social stimuli are prioritized by typically developed individuals (TD) even when they attentively compete with other relevant non-social stimuli (money); ii. Investigating whether and how individuals with ASD differently respond to social vs non-social stimuli compared to TD individuals, by considering both a cognitive and a physiological level of processing; iii. Investigating whether the differences between TD and ASD individuals in social vs nonsocial stimuli processing are the expression of a familiar phenotype; iv. Investigating whether it is possible to modify the salience of social stimuli in ASD individuals through an Attention Bias Modification Treatment (ABMT) methodology. The present dissertation is expected to provide three main implications: theoretical, methodological and clinical. As concerns the theoretical implications, the present work only partially supports Aristotle statement mentioned in the introduction. Indeed, the reported findings have clearly highlighted that, although social stimuli are usually prioritized, their valence may be affected by a variety of variables such as individual differences (e.g., autistic traits) or characteristics of the non-social stimuli presented in competition with the social ones (e.g., High Autism Interest stimuli). Finally, results stress the importance of considering the different stages of stimulus processing (i.e., cognitive vs physiological) when examining human responses to social vs non-social stimuli. As regards the methodological implications, the present work provides important hints for future research on social vs non-social stimuli processing with TD and atypical development populations, by suggesting the integration of traditional techniques with more advanced computational techniques (i.e., Machine Learning). As concern the clinical implications, this work has provided a rich examination of how children and adults of ASD children process social and non-social stimuli both at an attentional level and at a physiological level. Secondly, it has contributed to further shedding light on the concept of BAP, by showing its limitations and the role played by environmental variables in shaping the parents of ASD children’s behavioral responses.

The following study was conducted to find out more about a video test that could identify social activities that are motivating for individuals with disabilities. Commonly tests can be administered to find what physical items, food, toys, games and so forth, are preferred but the process becomes infinitely more difficult when social activities and interactions are involved. Research has shown that participation in reinforcing social experiences is critical for development and crucial in social skill building. In this study, a video-based test was analyzed to see how effective it was in identifying these socially preferred activities in three individuals with disabilities. The study began with a parent interview, to identify potentially reinforcing activities, and a brief pretest with each participant. The participants then completed the video test in which they were allowed to choose, via video, which activities they wanted to do. When the video test was complete, the activity that each participant liked the most and least was used in the final phase of the study. Each participant was given an individual task and in each session they were rewarded for completing tasks with their most and least preferred activities. For each of the three participants the most highly preferred activity increased their task completion and the lowest preferred did not have a significant effect. These results suggest that the video-based preference assessment was able to successfully identify social activities that were preferred and nonpreferred for each participant.

The capacity to acquire language is believed to be deeply embedded in our biology. As such, it has been proposed that humans have evolved to respond specially to language from the first days and months of life. The present thesis explores this hypothesis, examining the early neural and social processing of speech in young infants. In Experiments 1-4, Near-Infrared Spectroscopy is used to measure neural activation in classic “language areas” of the cortex to the native language, to a rhythmically distinct unfamiliar language, and to a non-speech whistled surrogate language in newborn infants (Experiments 1 & 2) as well as infants at 4 months of age (Experiments 3 & 4) in. Results revealed that at birth, the brain responds specially to speech: bilateral anterior areas are activated to both familiar and unfamiliar spoken language, but not to the whistled surrogate form. Different patterns were observed in 4 month-old infants, demonstrating how language experience influences the brain response to speech and non-speech signals. Experiments 5-7 then turn to infants’ perception of language as a marker of social group, asking whether infants at 6 and 11 month-olds associate the speakers of familiar and unfamiliar language with individuals of different ethnicities. Infants at 11 months—but not at 6 months—are found to look more to Asian versus Caucasian faces when paired with Cantonese versus English language (Experiments 5, 7). However, infants at the same age did not show any difference in looking to Asian versus Caucasian faces when paired with English versus Spanish (Experiment 6). Together, these results suggest that the 11 month-old infants tested have learned a specific association between Asian individuals and Cantonese language. The experiments presented in this thesis thus demonstrate that from early in development, infants are tuned to language. Such sensitivity is argued to be of critical importance, as it may serve to direct young learners to potential communicative partners.
Arts, Faculty of
Psychology, Department of
Graduate

Le cadre neuroconstructiviste du développement cognitif, en considérant la variabilité des contraintes qui agissent dès la conception et façonnent le développement, apparaît pertinent pour considérer l’influence des expériences sensorielles précoces sur le développement neurocomportemental des nouveau-nés prématurés. Ils évoluent dans un environnement particulier et ont une vulnérabilité aux troubles neurodéveloppementaux, auxquels des atypies du traitement tactile et temporel sont associées. L’objectif de ce travail de thèse est d’étudier les compétences tactiles et temporelles des nouveaux nés prématurés, et d’évaluer l’effet de l’environnement précoce sur ces perceptions. La perception tactile passive et la cognition ont été étudié auprès de 61 nouveau-nés prématurés (nés entre 32 et 34SA) à 35 semaines d’âge corrigé. Les réponses d’orientation manuelle lors de stimulations tactiles passives du membre supérieur ont été mesurées lors d'un paradigme d’habituation et de déshabituation (changement de localisation ou pause dans la séquence de stimulation). Les prématurés montrent une réponse d'orientation manuelle aux stimuli, qui diminue lors de la répétition, indépendamment de son emplacement sur le bras. L'habituation est retardée chez les sujets nés le plus tôt, à un petit poids et ayant vécu davantage d’expériences douloureuses. Enfin, les prématurés perçoivent les changements de localisation du stimulus et l'intervalle interstimulus, ce qui suggère un développement prénatal des capacités de traitement temporel. Ces capacités de traitement temporel et leur utilisation pour générer une prédiction sensorielle ont été évaluées au cours d’une seconde étude. 19 nouveau-nés prématurés (nés entre 31 et 32 SA) ont été soumis à une séquence tactile (régulière ou irrégulière) aux âges corrigés de 33 et 35 SA. Les variations de flux sanguin cérébral été mesurées. Aux deux âges corrigés, les stimuli tactiles sont associés à une réponse hémodynamique au sein du cortex somatosensoriel. À 33 semaines d’âge gestationnel corrigé les omissions dans la séquence sont associées à une augmentation du flux sanguin cérébral, qui indique que les prématurés forment des prédictions sensorielles, indépendamment du groupe expérimental. Ce travail de thèse permet de mieux caractériser les capacités de traitement tactile et temporel des nouveau-nés prématurés, qui manquent d’investigations récentes et approfondies. De plus, il apporte des arguments rationnels qui pourraient permettre de proposer des thérapies sensorielles à ces patients, basées sur leurs capacités de perception
The neuroconstructivist theoretical framework of cognitive development, taking into account the variability of the constraints that act from the conception to shape development, is relevant to consider the early influence of sensory experiences on the neurobehavioral development of preterm neonates. They evolve in a particular environment and are vulnerable to neurodevelopmental disorders, to which atypical tactile and temporal processing are associated. The aim of the thesis is to study tactile and temporal abilities in preterm newborns and to evaluate the effect of the early environment on these perceptions. We included 61 preterm neonates (born between 32 and 34 weeks of gestational age (wGA)). At 35 weeks of corrected gestational age, we measured orienting responses (forearm, hand, and fingers movements) during vibrotactile stimulation of their hand and forearm, during a habituation and dishabituation paradigm, the dishabituation being either a location change or a pause in the stimulation sequence. Preterm newborns displayed a manual orienting response to vibrotactile stimuli which significantly decreased when the stimulus was repeated, regardless of the stimulated location on the limb. Habituation was delayed in subjects born at a younger gestational age, smaller birth weight, and having experienced more painful care procedures. Preterm neonates perceived changes in stimulus location and interstimulus time interval, suggesting a prenatal development of temporal processing capacities. These temporal processing abilities and their use to generate sensory prediction are being evaluated in a second study. 19 premature neonates (born between 31 and 32wGA) were presented with a tactile sequence (regular or irregular) at 33 and 35 weeks of corrected GA. Variations in cerebral blood flow were measured. At both corrected GA, tactile stimuli are associated with a hemodynamic response in the primary somatosensory cortex. At 33 weeks of corrected GA, omissions in the sequence are associated with an increase in cerebral blood flow, which indicates that premature neonates form sensory predictions, regardless of their experimental group. This thesis work allows to better characterize the tactile and temporal processing abilities in premature neonates, which lack recent and thorough investigation. In addition, it provides rational arguments that could help to propose sensory therapies to these patients, based on their perceptual abilities

The current trauma literature lacks adequate differentiation between the effects of sexual versus non-sexual trauma on stimuli responses as well as analyses of the college campus as a uniquely challenging environment for rape survivors. In the first study, 66 adults (22 with sexual trauma experience, 22 with non-sexual trauma experience, and 22 with no significant trauma experience) will be exposed to vignettes with threat-generalized, rape-related or neutral stimuli and their arousal rates in response to these cues will be recorded using Galvanic Skin Response and Heart Rate. It is expected that individuals who have experienced sexual assault will show more arousal in response to the rape-related stimuli than the threat-generalized stimuli. In the second study, 44 college age females who have been sexually assaulted (22 living on a college campus, 22 living off of a college campus) will be exposed to the same vignette conditions as in the first study. These women will also be asked to rate their daily/weekly exposure to certain situations or objects representative of the college environment. It is expected that individuals with a higher exposure to rape culture score will be more aroused by the rape-related stimuli. Mowrer’s two-factor theory of learning (1956) along with the shame (Feldner et al., 2010) accompanying sexual trauma suggests that sexually assaulted individuals will exhibit higher levels of arousal to the rape-related stimuli rather than the threat-generalized stimuli, as other trauma victims might.

L’obiettivo generale della tesi di Dottorato è fornire un contributo per la comprensione dell’eziologia del deficit di attenzione verso gli stimoli sociali nei soggetti con Disturbo dello Spettro Autistico (Autism Spectrum Disorder). Una delle teorie di base a cui si fa riferimento per spiegare tali difficoltà è quella relativa al Deficit Aspecifico di Attenzione Visiva presente sin dalle prime fasi di elaborazione dello stimolo visivo. Secondo questa teoria, tale deficit non è causato da differenze nell’esplorazione visiva degli stimoli sociali, bensì dalle prime difficoltà generali nel controllo dell’attenzione visiva. Tra le variabili che potrebbero determinare il deficit di attenzione visiva, in questa ricerca è stata presa in considerazione la complessità (geometrica e percettiva). Per verificare questa ipotesi, sono stati condotti due studi sperimentali che hanno indagato rispettivamente l’esplorazione visiva e la memoria di riconoscimento dei soggetti con ASD verso due categorie di stimoli: figure geometriche (“Attenzione e memoria di riconoscimento di figure geometriche semplici e complesse nei soggetti autistici: uno studio di eye-tracking”) e immagini (Attenzione e memoria di riconoscimento di immagini semplici e complesse nei soggetti autistici: uno studio di eye-tracking). Sulla base dei risultati ottenuti, è emerso che il deficit di orientamento verso gli stimoli sociali non dipende né dalla complessità degli stimoli (geometrica vs percettiva) né dalla categoria di stimolo (figure geometriche vs immagini), bensì da un deficit aspecifico di attenzione visiva presente sin dalle prime fasi di elaborazione dello stimolo.

Social skill deficits remain a defining feature of autism. One method to explain social behavior in autism is to explore specific antecedent-response relations. People with autism do not attend to social cues as readily as their typically developing peers thereby missing important cues that guide behavior during social interactions. The current study explored how children with autism learn antecedent-response relations using social and nonsocial stimuli as cues for reinforcement. A computerized task comprised pictures of social and non-social stimuli were presented on a computer screen. Participants were asked to respond to each picture by pressing a button if they thought pressing the button in the presence of the picture would earn them a reinforcer or to withhold pressing if they thought the picture would not earn them a reinforcer. Neither typically-developing children nor children diagnosed with ASD were able to reliably discriminate pictures. Developmental implications of these findings are discussed.
October 2015

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada no ISPA – Instituto Universitário para obtenção de grau de Mestre em Neurociências Cognitivas e Comportamentais na especialidade de Ramo Aplicado.
A atenção social, ou preferência social, é considerada um viés de atenção evidente às informações sociais, principalmente a estímulos como pessoas e rostos. Existem alguns estudos de preferência por estímulos sociais vs. não-sociais com crianças neurotípicas e crianças com Perturbação do Espetro do Autismo (PEA), sendo esta caracterizada por défices na comunicação e no interesse social. Na maioria destes estudos, as crianças com PEA mostram maior preferência pelos estímulos não-sociais, contundo, a preferência das crianças com desenvolvimento típico parece variar. Em todos esses estudos, os estímulos sociais apresentados foram estímulos sociais desconhecidos para os indivíduos. Esta preferência poderá variar caso os estímulos sociais sejam familiares para a criança, como o rosto da mãe ou do pai. Dito isto, o presente estudo baseia-se numa tarefa realizada num tablet, recorrendo a alguns estímulos visuais, sociais (familiares e desconhecidos) e não-sociais. Este tem como principal objetivo verificar se existem diferenças na preferência por estímulos sociais vs. não-sociais de crianças, de dois grupos etários, e acima de tudo perceber se a familiaridade dos estímulos sociais tem influência nessa preferência. Neste estudo participaram 8 crianças dos 4 aos 6 anos e 10 crianças entre os 10 e os 12 anos. Verificou-se que, no geral, as crianças preferiram os estímulos não-sociais aos estímulos sociais, sendo que quando os estímulos sociais eram familiares passaram a preferir estes últimos. Em relação à idade, as crianças mais novas mostraram maior preferência pelos estímulos sociais, familiares e desconhecidos, enquanto os mais velhos preferiram os estímulos não-sociais.
Social attention, or social preference, is considered an obvious attention bias to social information, especially to stimuli such as people and faces. There are some studies of preference for social stimuli vs. non-social with neurotypical children and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which is characterized by deficits in communication and social interest. In most of these studies, children with ASD show a greater preference for non-social stimuli, however, the preference of typically developing children seems to vary. In all these studies, the social stimuli presented were social stimuli unknown to the individuals. This preference may vary if the social stimuli are familiar to the child, such as the face of the mother or father. That said, the present study is based on a task performed on a tablet, using some visual, social (familiar and unknown) and non-social stimuli. This has as main objective to verify if there are differences in the preference for social vs. non-social stimuli, of children from two age groups, and above all to see if the familiarity of social stimuli has an influence on this preference. In this study participated 8 children between 4 and 6 years old and 10 children between 10 and 12 years old. It was found that, in general, children preferred non-social stimuli to social stimuli, and when social stimuli were familiar, they began to prefer the latter. Regarding age, younger children showed greater preference for s

In daily life, olfactory stimuli are potential generators of affective states, but also have a strong influence on social interaction. Pleasant odors have been shown to increase perceived attractiveness and pro-social behavior, whereas unpleasant body odors are often associated with negative personality traits. Since both pleasant odors and positive affective state facilitate pro-social behavior, it is conceivable that the influence of the odors on social interaction is mediated by the induced affective state elicited by the odor itself. The present thesis aims at exploring the impact of hedonic, i.e., pleasant or unpleasant, odors on the processing and evaluation of social stimuli as assessed by verbal, physiological, and behavioral indices. First, I investigate the effects of initially neutral odors which gained threatening value through an aversive conditioning procedure on social stimuli (Study 1). Second, I study the influence of naturally hedonic odors on social interaction. Third, this thesis aims at disentangling differences in the effects of an odor attributed to either a social interaction partner or the environment where the social encounter takes place (Study 2, 3, and 4). In the first study, a context conditioning procedure was applied, during which one out of two long-lasting neutral odors was paired with an unpredictable aversive unconditioned stimulus (US, i.e., white noise). This odor (CTX+) thereby gained threatening value, while another odor (CTX-) remained unpaired and therefore signaled safety. During a test session, facial stimuli were presented within both conditioned olfactory contexts. Results indicate that autonomic arousal was increased to faces when presented in the threatening odor context. Additionally, participants rated facial stimuli as more aversive when presented in the threatening odor as compared to the safety odor, indicating that faces acquire hedonic value from the odor they were presented in. Strikingly, angry facial expressions received additional processing resources when presented within a threatening olfactory context, as reflected on verbal reports and electrodermal activity (EDA). This latter finding suggests that threat-related stimuli, here angry faces, are preferentially processed within an olfactory context where a threat might happen. Considering that the hedonic value of an odor may be quite subjective, I conducted a pilot study in order to identify odors with pleasant vs. unpleasant properties for most participants. Seven odors (four pleasant and three unpleasant) were rated with respect to their valence (pleasant vs. unpleasant), arousal (arousing vs. calm), and intensity. Additionally, EDA was measured. Two pleasant (Citral and Eucalyptol) and two unpleasant (“Animalis” and Isobutyraldehyde) odors were chosen from the original seven. The unpleasant odors were rated as more negative, arousing, and intense than the positive ones, but no differences were found regarding EDA. These four odors were subsequently used in a virtual reality (VR) paradigm with two odor attribution groups. Participants of the social attribution group (n = 59) were always passively guided into the same room (an office) towards one out of two virtual agents who were either paired with the pleasant or the unpleasant odor. Participants of the contextual attribution group (n = 58) were guided into one out of two rooms which were either paired with the pleasant or the unpleasant odor and where they always met the same agent. For both groups, the agents smiled, frowned or remained with a neutral facial expression. This design allowed evaluating the influence of odor valence as a within-subjects factor and the influence of odor attribution as a between-subjects factor. Unpleasant odors facilitated the processing of social cues as reflected by increased verbal and physiological arousal as well as reduced active approach behavior. Specific influence of odor valence on emotional facial expressions was found for ratings, EDA, and facial mimicry, with the unpleasant odor causing a levelling effect on the differences between facial expressions. The social attribution group exhibited larger differences between odors than the contextual group with respect to some variables (i.e., ratings and EDA), but not to others (i.e., electrocortical potentials – ERPs – and approach behavior). In sum, unpleasant in comparison to pleasant odors diminished emotional responses during social interaction, while an additional enhancing effect of the social attribution was observed on some variables. Interestingly, the awareness that an interaction partner would smell (pleasantly or unpleasantly) boosted the emotional reactivity towards them. In Study 3, I adapted the VR paradigm to a within-subjects design, meaning that the different attribution conditions were now manipulated block-wise. Instead of an approach task, participants had to move away from the virtual agent (withdrawal task). Results on the ratings were replicated from Study 2. Specifically, the difference between pleasant and unpleasant odors on valence, arousal, and sympathy ratings was larger in the social as compared to the contextual attribution condition. No effects of odor or attribution were found on EDA, whereas heart rate (HR) showed a stronger acceleration to pleasant odors while participants were passively guided towards the agent. Instead of an approach task, I focused on withdrawal behavior in this study. Interestingly, independently of the attribution condition, participants spent more time withdrawing from virtual agents, when an unpleasant odor was presented. In sum, I demonstrated that the attribution of the odors to the social agent itself had an enhancing effect on their influence on social interaction. In the fourth and last study, I applied a similar within-subjects protocol as in Study 3 with an additional Ultimatum Game task as a measure of social interaction. Overall findings replicated the results of Study 3 with respect to HR and EDA. Strikingly, participants offered less money to virtual agents in the bad smelling room than in the good smelling room. In contrast to Study 3, no effects of odor attribution were found in Study 4. In sum, again I demonstrated that unpleasant odor may lessen social interaction not only when the interaction partner smells badly, but also in more complex interaction situations. In conclusion, I demonstrated that hedonic odors in general influence social interaction. Thus, pleasant odors seem to facilitate, while unpleasant odors seem to reduce interpersonal exchanges. Therefore, the present thesis extends the body of literature on the influence of odors on the processing of social stimuli. Although I found a direct influence of odors on social preferences as well as on the physiological and behavioral responses to social stimuli, I did not disentangle impact of odor per se from the impact of the affective state. Interestingly, odor attribution might play an additional role as mediator of social interactions such as odor effects in social interactions might be boosted when the smell is attributed to an individual. However, the results in this regard were less straightforward, and therefore further investigations are needed. Future research should also take into account gender or other inter-individual differences like social anxiety
Im täglichen Leben dienen Gerüche als starke Auslöser von emotionalen Zuständen, doch üben sie auch einen starken Einfluss auf soziale Interaktion aus. Angenehme Gerüche sollten die Attraktivität von Gesichtern und prosoziales Verhalten verstärken, während unangenehme Körpergerüche oft mit negativen Persönlichkeitseigenschaften assoziiert werden. Dieser Zusammenhang zeigt sich auch auf physiologischen und Verhaltensmaßen. Während angenehme Gerüche prosoziales Verhalten verstärken, kann derselbe Effekt auch durch einen positiven affektiven Zustand erreicht werden. Der Einfluss von Gerüchen auf soziale Interaktion könnte daher auch durch den affektiven Zustand der Versuchspersonen vermittelt werden. Die vorliegende Arbeit hatte zum Ziel, den Einfluss von hedonischen Gerüchen auf soziale Interaktion, wie er sich auf verschiedenen verbalen, physiologischen und Verhaltensvariablen abbilden lässt, darzustellen. Auf der einen Seite wurde der Einfluss von ursprünglich neutralen Gerüchen untersucht, die in einer Kontextkonditionierung bedrohliche Bedeutung erhielten (Studie 1). Auf der anderen Seite sollte der Einfluss eines Geruchs, der direkt von einem sozialen Interaktionspartner ausgeht, von dem eines eher kontextuellen Geruchs getrennt werden, der auf den Raum attribuiert wurde, in dem die soziale Interaktion stattfand (Studien 2, 3 und 4). In der ersten Studie wurde auf einen von zwei ursprünglich neutralen Gerüchen eine Kontextkonditionierungsprozedur angewandt. Dieser Geruch erhielt somit durch die Paarung mit einem aversiven unvorhersehbaren unkonditionierten Stimulus (US) bedrohliche Bedeutung, während der andere Geruch niemals mit einem unkonditionierten Stimulus gepaart wurde und dadurch Sicherheit signalisierte. In der Testphase wurden Gesichter entweder innerhalb des bedrohlichen Geruchs oder des Sicherheitsgeruchs präsentiert. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass im Anschluss daran der bedrohliche Geruch die elektrokortikalen Potenziale (EKPs) auf Gesichter verstärkt, die in diesem Geruchskontext präsentiert werden. Zudem war das autonome Arousal während der Präsentation der Gesichsstimuli in diesem Kontext erhöht. Subjektive Ratings unterstützen zusätzlich die Annahme, dass die bedrohliche Bedeutung des Kontexts, in dem Gesichter präsentiert werden, auf diese übergeht. Zusätzlich zu diesem generellen Effekt konnte auf den subjektiven Ratings wie auch auf der elektrodermalen Aktivität (EDA) ein spezifischer Einfluss des olfaktorischen Kontexts auf die Verarbeitung von Gesichtern gezeigt werden. Ärgerliche Gesichter zogen dabei zusätzliche Verarbeitungsressourcen auf sich, wenn sie innerhalb eines bedrohlichen olfaktorischen Kontexts präsentiert wurden, wie sich auf der EDA und den verbalen Ratings zeigte. Zusammengefasst legen die letzteren Ergebnisse nahe, dass bedrohliche Reize (hier ärgerliche Gesichter) bevorzugt verarbeitet werden, wenn sie in einem ebenfalls bedrohlichen Kontext präsentiert werden. Um für die anschließenden Studien Gerüche zu identifizieren, die von den meisten Versuchspersonen als angenehm bzw. unangenehm bewertet werden, wurde vor der zweiten Studie eine Pilotstudie durchgeführt. Sieben Gerüche (vier angenehme und drei unangenehme) wurden bezüglich Valenz, Arousal und Intensität evaluiert. Zusätzlich wurde die EDA aufgezeichnet. Aus den ursprünglichen sieben Gerüchen wurden zwei angenehme (Citral und Eukalyptol) und zwei unangenehme („Animalis“ und Isobutanal) ausgewählt. Die unangenehmen Gerüche wurden als unangenehmer, aufregender und intensiver bewertet als die angenehmen, wohingegen in der EDA keine Unterschiede gefunden wurden. Studie 2 wandte die ausgewählten Gerüche in einem Experiment in virtueller Realität an. Um eine soziale und eine kontextuelle Attribution der Gerüche abzubilden, erhob ich zwei Attributions-gruppen. Versuchspersonen der sozialen Attributionsgruppe (n = 59) wurden passiv immer in denselben Raum geführt, in dem sie auf einen von zwei virtuellen Agenten trafen. Jeder dieser Agenten wurden mit entweder dem angenehmen oder dem unangenehmen Geruch gepaart. Probanden der kontextuellen Attributionsgruppe (n = 58) wurden jeweils passiv in einen von zwei Räumen geführt, der entweder mit dem angenehmen oder dem unangenehmen Geruch gepaart wurde. In diesen Räumen trafen sie immer auf denselben virtuellen Agenten. So war es möglich, den Einfluss der Geruchshedonik als Innersubjektfaktor und den Einfluss der Geruchsattribution als Zwischensubjektfaktor darzustellen. Der unangenehme Geruch erzeugte eine verstärkte Verarbeitung sozialer Reize, was sich in erhöhtem physiologischen Arousal, in subjektiven Ratings und vermindertem aktiven Annäherungsverhalten zeigte. Ein spezifischer Einfluss auf emotionale Gesichtsausdrücke war außerdem auf den subjektiven Ratings, EDA und der fazialen Mimikry zu beobachten. Hierbei zeigte sich ein abflachender Effekt auf den Unterschied zwischen den Gesichtsausdrücken, wenn der unangenehme Geruch präsentiert wurde. In der sozialen Attributionsgruppe fanden sich auf manchen Variablen stärkere Effekte als in der kontextuellen Attributionsgruppe (wie den Ratings und der EDA), aber auf anderen Variablen nicht (wie den EKPs und dem Annäherungsverhalten). Zusammenfassend konnte gezeigt werden, dass unangenehme Gerüche im Vergleich zu angenehmen emotionale Reaktionen auf soziale Interaktion vermindern. Ein zusätzlicher verstärkender Effekt durch die soziale Attribution der Gerüche war auf einigen Variablen zu beobachten. Interessanterweise scheint das Wissen darüber, dass ein Interaktionspartner riechen könnte, die emotionale Reaktion auf ihn zu verstärken. Für die dritte Studie passte ich das Paradigma für ein Innersubjektdesign an, wobei nun die beiden Attributionsbedingungen blockweise manipuliert wurden. Die Resultate der Ratings replizierten die aus Studie 2. Außerdem zeigten sich stärkere Effekte der Geruchsvalenz in der sozialen Attributionsbedingung auf allen Ratings. In der EDA wurden keine Effekte gefunden, aber in der Herzrate zeigte sich eine verstärkte Verarbeitung der angenehmen Gerüche während der passiven Annäherung an den Agenten. Statt des Annäherungsverhaltens wurde in dieser Studie das Rückzugsverhalten gemessen. Die Versuchspersonen verbrachten mehr Zeit damit, von einem Agenten zurückzuweichen, wenn ein unangenehmer Geruch präsentiert wurde. In Summe konnte ich zeigen, dass die Attribution der Gerüche auf den sozialen Agenten einen verstärkenden Effekt auf den Einfluss der Gerüche auf die soziale Interaktion hat. In der letzten Studie wurde dasselbe Protokoll wie in Studie 3 mit einer zusätzlichen Ultimatumspielaufgabe durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse aus Studie 3 wurden bezüglich der Herzrate und der EDA repliziert. Außerdem boten die Versuchspersonen dem Agenten im Kontext eines unangenehmen Geruchs weniger Geld an als im Kontext eines angenehmen. In Studie 4 wurde kein Effekt für die Attribution des Geruchs gefunden. Zusammenfassend wurde gezeigt dass unangenehme Gerüche einen reduzierenden Effekt auf soziale Interaktion auch in komplexeren interaktiven Situationen ausüben. Zusammenfassend zeigte ich, dass Gerüche soziale Interaktion beeinflussen. Angenehme Gerüche scheinen soziale Interaktionen zu vereinfachen, während unangenehme Gerüche sie erschweren. Damit erweitert die vorliegende Arbeit bereits bestehende Forschung über den Einfluss von Gerüchen auf die Verarbeitung sozialer Stimuli. Obwohl ich einen direkten Einfluss von Gerüchen auf soziale Präferenzen sowie auf die physiologischen und behavioralen Reaktionen auf soziale Stimuli fand, konnte ich den Einfluss von Gerüchen per se nicht von dem Einfluss des affektiven Zustandes abgrenzen. Interessanterweise scheint die Attribution von Gerüchen einen zusätzlichen Faktor als Mediator von sozialen Interaktionen darzustellen, so dass der Effekt der Gerüche verstärkt wird, wenn er mit einem Individuum assoziiert ist. Nichtsdestotrotz waren die diesbezüglichen Effekte weniger klar und mehr Forschung auf diesem Gebiet könnte diese Unklarheit auflösen. Zukünftige Forschung sollte auch den Faktor Geschlecht nicht außer Acht lassen sowie andere inter-individuelle Unterschiede wie soziale Ängstlichkeit

L’Agenda Digitale Europea stabilisce il ruolo chiave delle tecnologie dell’informazione e della comunicazione (TIC) grazie a un mercato digitale unico basato su internet veloce e superveloce e su applicazioni interoperabili, al fine di ottenere vantaggi socioeconomici sostenibili COM(2010)245. Le TIC producono un'innovazione di prodotto e cambiamenti strutturali all'interno di tutto il sistema economico e possiamo affermare che dal punto di vista multisettoriale hanno un ruolo moltiplicativo sulla crescita economica, poiché l’aumento della domanda di TIC stimola a sua volta tutte le altre produzioni. Inoltre come riscontrato in letteratura economica, nelle istituzioni internazionali, nonché confermate dai dati periodici rilasciati dagli uffici statistici nazionali, una maggiore incidenza della popolazione attiva formalmente istruita in associazione con l'adozione delle TIC è altamente correlata ad una crescita robusta, sostenibile ed equa. In questo quadro è importante valutare il ruolo delle TIC nel sistema economico, in particolare verrà analizzato il ruolo delle TIC sia rispetto ad un particolare settore quello della sanità, che dal lato dei soggetti che dovrebbero essere parte attiva nella gestione delle TIC ovvero la situazione delle abilità digitali dei lavoratori dipendenti. Il primo articolo si focalizza sul ruolo delle TIC nella determinazione dell’output del settore sanitario, utilizzando il database WIOD (World Input Output Database), di 24 paesi nell’arco temporale 2000-2014, tenendo conto anche dei differenti sistemi sanitari nazionali. La produzione del settore “Sanità e Servizi Sociali” assume, almeno in alcuni paesi specifici, il ruolo di stimolo all’innovazione che compensa ampiamente quello di peso sul bilancio pubblico. Nel secondo articolo analizziamo come l’uso delle TIC stia progressivamente aumentando nel sistema sanitario italiano e in particolare come l'introduzione del Fascicolo Sanitario Elettronico (FSE), strumento di condivisione dei dati sanitari del singolo cittadino, potrebbe determinare cambiamenti nella produzione sui servizi sanitari. Verranno analizzati gli eventuali cambiamenti strutturali dei processi produttivi e della produzione totale applicando l'Analisi Strutturale di Decomposizione (SDA). La base dati di riferimento sarà la tavola di Input-Output riferita a due diversi periodi al fine di individuare i risultati sia degli effetti tecnologici sia della domanda finale a livello settoriale. Infine l’ultimo articolo ha l’obiettivo di valutare le conseguenze dei cambiamenti nella composizione dell'occupazione per competenza digitale all’interno del flusso di produzione e distribuzione del reddito. Verrà costruita una Matrice di Contabilità Sociale (SAM) che consente di rappresentare le relazioni tra i cambiamenti di produzione delle attività e i cambiamenti di compensazione dei dipendenti per competenze, grado di digitalizzazione e genere. LA SAM sviluppata nel documento è relativa all'Italia nel 2013; il lavoro è disaggregato in competenze formali / non formali / informali e, inoltre, competenze digitali / non digitali. Le abilità digitali del lavoro seguono la definizione di “competenza formale” della Commissione Europea (2000): i) competenza formale a seconda del livello di istruzione e formazione; ii) competenza non formale acquisita sul posto di lavoro e attraverso le attività delle organizzazioni e dei gruppi della società civile; iii) competenza informale non acquisita intenzionalmente durante la vita. In questo quadro è stata introdotta un'ulteriore classificazione di input di lavoro basata sull'uso / non utilizzo di computer collegati a Internet. Sulla base della SAM, è stato implementato un modello multisettoriale esteso. Infine, verrà individuata una struttura adeguata di domanda finale che consente di ottenere i migliori risultati in termini di valore aggiunto distribuiti a lavoratori più qualificati con una elevata competenza digitale.

La guerra è evento, tema, topos che più di ogni altro induce la fiction – stimolando, si direbbe, istanze superegoiche di fedeltà storica – a premere sui propri confini, inibire lo spazio dell’invenzione e confondersi con forme di scrittura non finzionali (memorialistica, diario, reportage…). Ma in che modo e in che misura la sua rappresentazione letteraria (e teatrale, cinematografica, a fumetti…) è mutata – in quanto a tono e strategie, a grado di deformazione del reale noto e condiviso – nello spazio di un secolo che ha visto trasformate anche le strategie belliche, la copertura mediatica e di conseguenza l’immaginario collettivo legato ai conflitti? Il volume pensato e curato da Nicola Turi, mentre approfondisce in relazione al tema singoli percorsi d’autore noti e meno noti, italiani e non (da Leopardi a Zanzotto, da Gadda a Calvino, da Salsa a Dessí, da Luzi e Fenoglio fino a Leavitt, Eisner e Celestini), stimola ed elabora una riflessione profonda sullo smarrimento e la naturale attrazione del gesto artistico (di volta in volta all’insegna dell’ironia feroce, della disperata incredulità, dell’elegiaca testimonianza) per il male, il dolore, il marziale stravolgimento del contesto umano, sociale e politico.

When it comes to being social, there is no other nonverbal environmental cue that is more important for humans than the facial expression of another person. Here we consider facial expressions as naturally conditioned stimuli that, when presented as images in an experimental paradigm, evoke neural and behavioral responses that serve to decipher the predictive meaning of the expression. We will cover data showing that the expressions of others alter our attention to the environment, our biases in interpreting these facial expressions, and our neural responses within an amygdala-prefrontal circuitry related to normal variations in reported anxiety.

Problematic school absenteeism is the primary focus of When Children Refuse School: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Approach, Therapist Guide. Youths who complete high school are more likely to experience greater success at social, academic, occupational, and economic aspects of functioning than youths who do not. Youths with problematic school absenteeism are at risk for lower academic performance and achievement, lower reading and mathematics test scores, fewer literacy skills, internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, grade retention, involvement with the juvenile justice system, and dropout. The treatment program presented here is designed for youths with primary and acute school refusal behavior. The program is based on a functional model of school refusal behavior that classifies youths on the basis of what reinforces absenteeism. For children who refuse school to avoid school-based stimuli that provoke negative affectivity, the treatment uses child-based psychoeducation, somatic control exercises, gradual reintroduction (exposure) to the regular classroom setting, and self-reinforcement. For children who refuse school to escape aversive social and/or evaluative situations, the treatment uses child-based psychoeducation, somatic control exercises, cognitive restructuring, gradual reintroduction (exposure) to the regular classroom setting, and self-reinforcement. For youths who refuse school to pursue attention from significant others, parent-based treatment includes modifying parent commands, establishing regular daily routines, developing rewards, reducing excessive reassurance-seeking behavior, and engaging in forced school attendance. For youths who refuse school to pursue tangible rewards outside of school, family-based treatment includes contingency contracts, communication skills, escorting the child to school and from class to class, and peer refusal skills.

This book analyses the complex power dynamics and interpersonal politics that lie at the heart of leadership in professional organizations, such as accounting, law, and consulting firms, investment banks, hospitals, and universities. It is based on scholarly research into many of the world’s leading professional organizations across a range of sectors, including interviews with over 500 senior professionals in sixteen countries. Drawing on the latest academic theory to analyse exactly how professionals in organizations come together to create ‘leadership’, it provides new insights into how leaders lead when there is no traditional hierarchy to support them, their own authority is contingent, and they must constantly renegotiate relationships with relatively autonomous professional peers. It explores how leaders persuade highly intelligent, educated, and opinionated professionals to work together; how change happens within professional organizations; and why leaders so often fail. Part I introduces the concept of plural leadership, analysing how leaders establish and maintain their positions within leadership constellations, and the implications for governance in the context of collective or distributed leadership. Part II examines the complex, challenging relationships between professionals as they seek to influence their organizations, including the phenomena of leadership dyads, insecure overachievers, social control, and the rise of the management professional. Part III examines the shifts in the locus of power as professional organizations grow, adapt, and react to external stimuli such as mergers and acquisitions and economic crises. The conclusion identifies the paradoxes inherent in professional organizations and examines the role of leaders in attempting to reconcile them.

Economy and mankind are inextricably interlinked. Just as the economy or the production of material wealth is unimaginable without a man, so human existence and development are impossible without the wealth created in the economy. Shortly, both the goal and the means of achieving and realization of the economy are still the human resources. People have long ago noticed that it was the economy that created livelihoods, and the delays in their production led to the catastrophic events such as hunger, poverty, civil wars, social upheavals, revolutions, moral degeneration, and more. Therefore, the special interest of people in understanding the regulatory framework of the functioning of the economy has existed and exists in all historical epochs [A. Sisvadze. Economic theory. Part One. 2006y. p. 22]. The system of economic disciplines studies economy or economic activities of a society. All of them are based on science, which is currently called economic theory in the post-socialist space (the science of economics, the principles of economics or modern economics), and in most countries of the world - predominantly in the Greek-Latin manner - economics. The title of the present book is also Modern Economics. Economics (economic theory) is the science that studies the efficient use of limited resources to produce and distribute goods and services in order to satisfy as much as possible the unlimited needs and demands of the society. More simply, economics is the science of choice and how society manages its limited resources. Moreover, it should be emphasized that economics (economic theory) studies only the distribution, exchange and consumption of the economic wealth (food, beverages, clothing, housing, machine tools, computers, services, etc.), the production of which is possible and limited. And the wealth that exists indefinitely: no economic relations are formed in the production and distribution of solar energy, air, and the like. This current book is the second complete updated edition of the challenges of the modern global economy in the context of the coronary crisis, taking into account some of the priority directions of the country's development. Its purpose is to help students and interested readers gain a thorough knowledge of economics and show them how this knowledge can be applied pragmatically (professionally) in professional activities or in everyday life. To achieve this goal, this textbook, which consists of two parts and tests, discusses in simple and clear language issues such as: the essence of economics as a science, reasons for origin, purpose, tasks, usefulness and functions; Basic principles, problems and peculiarities of economics in different economic systems; Needs and demand, the essence of economic resources, types and limitations; Interaction, mobility, interchangeability and efficient use of economic resources. The essence and types of wealth; The essence, types and models of the economic system; The interaction of households and firms in the market of resources and products; Market mechanism and its elements - demand, supply and price; Demand and supply elasticity; Production costs and the ways to reduce them; Forms of the market - perfect and incomplete competition markets and their peculiarities; Markets for Production Factors and factor incomes; The essence of macroeconomics, causes and importance of origin; The essence and calculation of key macroeconomic indicators (gross national product, gross domestic product, net national product, national income, etc.); Macroeconomic stability and instability, unemployment, inflation and anti-inflationary policies; State regulation of the economy and economic policy; Monetary and fiscal policy; Income and standard of living; Economic Growth; The Corona Pandemic as a Defect and Effect of Globalization; National Economic Problems and New Opportunities for Development in the conditions of the Coronary Crisis; The Socio-economic problems of moral obsolescence in digital technologies; Education and creativity are the main solution way to overcome the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus; Positive and negative effects of tourism in Georgia; Formation of the middle class as a contributing factor to the development of tourism in Georgia; Corporate culture in Georgian travel companies, etc. The axiomatic truth is that economics is the union of people in constant interaction. Given that the behavior of the economy reflects the behavior of the people who make up the economy, after clarifying the essence of the economy, we move on to the analysis of the four principles of individual decision-making. Furtermore, the book describes how people make independent decisions. The key to making an individual decision is that people have to choose from alternative options, that the value of any action is measured by the value of what must be given or what must be given up to get something, that the rational, smart people make decisions based on the comparison of the marginal costs and marginal returns (benefits), and that people behave accordingly to stimuli. Afterwards, the need for human interaction is then analyzed and substantiated. If a person is isolated, he will have to take care of his own food, clothes, shoes, his own house and so on. In the case of such a closed economy and universalization of labor, firstly, its productivity will be low and, secondly, it will be able to consume only what it produces. It is clear that human productivity will be higher and more profitable as a result of labor specialization and the opportunity to trade with others. Indeed, trade allows each person to specialize, to engage in the activities that are most successful, be it agriculture, sewing or construction, and to buy more diverse goods and services from others at a relatively lower price. The key to such human interactions is that trade is mutually beneficial; That markets are usually the good means of coordination between people and that the government can improve the results of market functioning if the market reveals weakness or the results of market functioning are not fair. Moroever, it also shows how the economy works as a whole. In particular, it is argued that productivity is a key determinant of living standards, that an increase in the money supply is a major source of inflation, and that one of the main impediments to avoiding inflation is the existence of an alternative between inflation and unemployment in the short term, that the inflation decrease causes the temporary decline in unemployement and vice versa. The Understanding creatively of all above mentioned issues, we think, will help the reader to develop market economy-appropriate thinking and rational economic-commercial-financial behaviors, to be more competitive in the domestic and international labor markets, and thus to ensure both their own prosperity and the functioning of the country's economy. How he/she copes with the tasks, it is up to the individual reader to decide. At the same time, we will receive all the smart useful advices with a sense of gratitude and will take it into account in the further work. We also would like to thank the editor and reviewers of the books. Finally, there are many things changing, so it is very important to realize that the XXI century has come: 1. The century of the new economy; 2. Age of Knowledge; 3. Age of Information and economic activities are changing in term of innovations. 1. Why is the 21st century the century of the new economy? Because for this period the economic resources, especially non-productive, non-recoverable ones (oil, natural gas, coal, etc.) are becoming increasingly limited. According to the World Energy Council, there are currently 43 years of gas and oil reserves left in the world (see “New Commersant 2007 # 2, p. 16). Under such conditions, sustainable growth of real gross domestic product (GDP) and maximum satisfaction of uncertain needs should be achieved not through the use of more land, labor and capital (extensification), but through more efficient use of available resources (intensification) or innovative economy. And economics, as it was said, is the science of finding the ways about the more effective usage of the limited resources. At the same time, with the sustainable growth and development of the economy, the present needs must be met in a way that does not deprive future generations of the opportunity to meet their needs; 2. Why is the 21st century the age of knowledge? Because in a modern economy, it is not land (natural resources), labor and capital that is crucial, but knowledge. Modern production, its factors and products are not time-consuming and capital-intensive, but science-intensive, knowledge-intensive. The good example of this is a Japanese enterprise (firm) where the production process is going on but people are almost invisible, also, the result of such production (Japanese product) is a miniature or a sample of how to get the maximum result at the lowest cost; 3. Why is the 21st century the age of information? Because the efficient functioning of the modern economy, the effective organization of the material and personal factors of production largely depend on the right governance decision. The right governance decision requires prompt and accurate information. Gone are the days when the main means of transport was a sailing ship, the main form of data processing was pencil and paper, and the main means of transmitting information was sending letters through a postman on horseback. By the modern transport infrastructure (highways, railways, ships, regular domestic and international flights, oil and gas pipelines, etc.), the movement of goods, services and labor resoucres has been significantly accelerated, while through the modern means of communication (mobile phone, internet, other) the information is spreading rapidly globally, which seems to have "shrunk" the world and made it a single large country. The Authors of the book: Ushangi Samadashvili, Doctor of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University - Introduction, Chapters - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11,12, 15,16, 17.1,18 , Tests, Revaz Shengelia, Doctor of Economics, Professor of Georgian Technical University, Chapters_7, 8, 13. 14, 17.2, 17.4; Zhuzhuna Tsiklauri - Doctor of Economics, Professor of Georgian Technical University - Chapters 13.6, 13.7,17.2, 17.3, 18. We also thank the editor and reviewers of the book.

AbstractRats are social animals. For example, rats exhibit mutual-reward preferences, preferring choice alternatives that yield a reward to themselves as well as to a conspecific, over alternatives that yield a reward only to themselves. We have recently hypothesized that such mutual-reward preferences might be the result of reinforcing properties of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) emitted by the conspecifics. USVs in rats serve as situation-dependent socio-affective signals with important communicative functions. To test this possibility, here, we trained rats to enter one of two compartments in a T-maze setting. Entering either compartment yielded identical food rewards as well as playback of pre-recorded USVs either in the 50-kHz range, which we expected to be appetitive or therefore a potential positive reinforcer, or in the 22-kHz range predicted to be aversive and therefore a potential negative reinforcer. In three separate experimental conditions, rats chose between compartments yielding either 50-kHz USVs versus a non-ultrasonic control stimulus (condition 1), 22-kHz USVs versus a non-ultrasonic control stimulus (condition 2), or 50-kHz versus 22-kHz USVs (condition 3). Results show that rats exhibit a transient preference for the 50-kHz USV playback over non-ultrasonic control stimuli, as well as an initial avoidance of 22-kHz USV relative to non-ultrasonic control stimuli on trend-level. As rats progressed within session through trials, and across sessions, these preferences diminished, in line with previous findings. These results support our hypothesis that USVs have transiently motivating reinforcing properties, putatively acquired through association processes, but also highlight that these motivating properties are context-dependent and modulatory, and might not act as primary reinforcers when presented in isolation. We conclude this article with a second part on a multilevel cognitive theory of rats’ action and action learning. The “cascade” approach assumes that rats’ cognitive representations of action may be multilevel. A basic physical level of action may be invested with higher levels of action that integrate emotional, motivational, and social significance. Learning in an experiment consists in the cognitive formation of multilevel action representations. Social action and interaction in particular are proposed to be cognitively modeled as multilevel. Our results have implications for understanding the structure of social cognition, and social learning, in animals and humans.

AbstractIn this chapter we explore how collaborative meanings can be made as teachers and young children (six-year-olds) engage together in reading wordless picturebooks. The activity of talking about these visual texts was a central part of the DIALLS project as children joined together not only to make meaning from them, but also use them as stimuli for deeper philosophical thinking about themes around living together and social responsibility. The discussions gave children the opportunity to engage in ‘genuine dialogue’ (Buber in Between man and man, trans. R.G. Smith. Routledge, London, 1947), as they co-constructed meaning from the narratives and as they then related the themes within them to their own lives, values and identities.

AbstractThe schooling process has become more widespread among the Portuguese Roma population since 1974, with the end of the Estado Novo dictatorship and the establishment of democracy. Nevertheless, the Roma nomadism or semi-nomadism, financial shortcomings and the absence of social/cultural/family stimuli are some of the reasons that explain their low school attendance rates. Only in the last decades has such attendance increased, as a result of the implementation of several public policies, particularly of the Social Integration Income. This social policy, implemented in 1996, introduced important changes in this population, especially in areas such as schooling, personal hygiene, housing, health, or sedentism.Recent research has shown an increase in the educational level of the Roma population, but school dropouts and failure remain high. This tendency was also studied in the northeast of Portugal, in a PhD thesis about the relationships between the Roma and school. In the present research work, a qualitative methodology was adopted, using direct and participant observation, as well as interviews to some Roma parents and non-Roma teachers. Both groups emphasize the main difficulties of Roma children at school.The conclusions show that several factors affect these students’ schooling nowadays, especially poor housing conditions, parents’ illiteracy or low schooling, lack of daily study monitoring at home, absence of models in their environment, non-attendance of pre-school, and discrimination against them.

Operant conditioning interventions for clinical pain involve the modification of environmental and social stimuli that are (1) antecedents (discriminative stimuli or setting events) to maladaptive pain behaviour or (2) consequent stimuli that maintain the maladaptive pain behaviour through positive reinforcement (social attention or assistance from others) or negative reinforcement (escape or avoidance of uncomfortable, effortful activity, or of social, academic, or work responsibilities). While aspects of operant conditioning theory have been included in the design of interventions to manage acute paediatric medical procedure-related pain (see Slifer et al., 1995 , 2002 , 2011 ), this chapter will not include these studies but will focus on operant conditioning based interventions for illness-and injury-related chronic or recurrent pain.

The main objective of this chapter is to focus on the emotional experience in luxury contexts in emerging economies. Consumer research literature currently lacks studies of consumer emotions in emerging economies, except for some relevant studies of emerging consumption in China. This chapter reports a systematic literature review of luxury and consumer emotions aiming at mapping the main trends of research on this topic. The results show that the predominant type of methodology in these studies is mainly quantitative versus qualitative and mixed. The studies consider various antecedents of emotions, environmental stimuli, such as familiarity with the brand, the physical aspect of the product, among others, and non-environmental stimuli such as quality of service, product quality, among others. The contexts of studies of consumer emotions are presented. Finally, the authors also identify the studies undertaken in emerging economies.

Human emotions are based on typical configurations of beliefs, goals, expectations etc. In order to understand the complexity of affective processing in humans, reactions to stimuli, perception of our bodily reaction to events or just the feeling related to something should be considered but this is not adequate. Besides, our body does not respond just to external stimuli (events); it reacts to our interpretation of the stimulus, to the meaning of the event as well. In order to build affective architectures we also have to model the body, and its perception. In this chapter, with the help of these facts, the author will analyze the cognitive anatomies of simple anticipation-based emotions in addition to some complex social emotions.

The development of serious games has enabled new challenges for the healthcare sector in psychological, cognitive, and motor rehabilitation. Thanks to virtual reality, stimulating and interactive experiences can be reproduced in a safe and controlled environment. This chapter illustrates the experimentation conducted in the hospital setting for the non-pharmacological treatment of cognitive disorders associated with dementia. The therapy aims to relax patients of the agitation cluster through a gaming approach through the immersion in multisensory and natural settings in which sound and visual stimuli are provided. The study is supported by a technological architecture including the virtual wall system for stereoscopic wall projection and rigid body tracking.

This chapter examines children's aesthetic preferences for learning Web pages designed for them. It applies Berlyne's theory of aesthetic preference to these Web pages: a theory that suggests that people prefer a medium level of stimuli to a low or high level of stimuli. The experiment employs a 3 x 2 x 2 between-subject design; it explores perceived visual complexity, gender, cognitive style, and aesthetic preference. A total of 120 children (60 boys and 60 girls) aged between 11 to 12 years-old take part in the experiment. The children are asked to rate learning Web pages of different levels of perceived visual complexity for aesthetic preference. These Web pages have been created by the authors. The results of the experiment show that overall the children prefer Web pages that display a medium level of perceived visual complexity to those that display a high or low level of perceived visual complexity. Thus, the results support Berlyne's theory. However, when aesthetic preference is analysed with respect to gender, it is found that different levels of perceived visual complexity have an impact on boys' aesthetic preferences but not girls'. In other words, Berylne's theory is only partly supported. Likewise, Berylne's theory is only partly supported when aesthetic preference is analysed with respect to cognitive style. Here, imagers prefer a high level of perceived visual complexity and verbalisers prefer a medium level of perceived visual complexity. This chapter should be of interest to anyone who designs learning Web pages for children.

The purpose of this article is to investigate complaint strategies used by Italian and Russian speakers as well as interlanguage complaints of Russians in an Italian L2 context. The sample of the study consists of 23 subjects from each group. The data for the research were elicited by means of a Discourse Completion Task (DCT) involving five stimuli with a short description of a situation which codifies basic information on social variables. This research attempts to revisit the concept of appropriateness and has important implications for non-native speakers who are learning about speech acts.

Insect superorganisms are characterized by a reproductive division of labor (drones, queens, and workers) and a complex division of labor among the non-reproductive individuals, the workers. In the social bees that have attained the highest degrees of sociality, at or approaching superorganism status, males don’t survive mating and are only present as reproductive sperm sequestered in the queen. Queens and workers are anatomically differentiated but derived from the same genome. Differentiation is a consequence of differential feeding of developing larvae by the workers. In the honey bee, worker nurse bees manipulate the developing larvae, forcing them into their reproductive roles. The adult workers self-organize into an ordered society, performing all of the functions necessary for colony survival and reproduction. There are no task masters or forewomen directing the workforce. Instead, every individual makes local decisions about their behavior based on their response thresholds to stimuli in their environment.

Saliency prediction refers to the computational task of modeling overt attention. Social cues greatly influence our attention, consequently altering our eye movements and behavior. To emphasize the efficacy of such features, we present a neural model for integrating social cues and weighting their influences. Our model consists of two stages. During the first stage, we detect two social cues by following gaze, estimating gaze direction, and recognizing affect. These features are then transformed into spatiotemporal maps through image processing operations. The transformed representations are propagated to the second stage (GASP) where we explore various techniques of late fusion for integrating social cues and introduce two sub-networks for directing attention to relevant stimuli. Our experiments indicate that fusion approaches achieve better results for static integration methods, whereas non-fusion approaches for which the influence of each modality is unknown, result in better outcomes when coupled with recurrent models for dynamic saliency prediction. We show that gaze direction and affective representations contribute a prediction to ground-truth correspondence improvement of at least 5% compared to dynamic saliency models without social cues. Furthermore, affective representations improve GASP, supporting the necessity of considering affect-biased attention in predicting saliency.

"Social advertisements with threat appeals are widely used to reduce drunk driving. However, research on the effectiveness of such advertising is limited. This study aimed to evaluate, what emotions cause threat appeal ads targeting drunk driving and whether these ads change risky driving attitudes. 41 students (17.1 percent males; mean age 20.9 years; 53.7 percent had a driving license) voluntarily participated in the experimental study. Every participant was randomly assigned to one of three groups: two experimental (watched one of two TV ads with threat appeals) or control group (watched car wash ad with no threatening stimuli). After watching one of three ads, all participants were asked to evaluate seven emotions and to fill in Driving Attitude Questionnaire (DAQ). Results revealed that both road safety threat appeal ads targeting drunk driving did not arouse any stronger fear emotions or differences in driving attitudes compared to control group. Both experimental groups didn’t differ in emotions or attitudes as well. No difference in emotions and attitudes was found when comparing the reaction of participants who have seen the specific ad before the experiment and those who haven’t. The fact of being a licensed driver was also not related to the level of reported emotions or attitude differences in both experimental groups. The study results reveal that the possible effectiveness of threat appeal ads from ongoing social marketing campaigns on reducing drunk driving is questionable and further studies are needed."

Autism is a developmental brain disorder that affects communication skills and social integration, often exposing stereotyped and repetitive patterns. People with this syndrome have an overreaction or underreaction to different sensory stimuli, presenting difficulty in sharing emotions and interpreting body languages.There are studies confirming different reactions between genders, and it is pertinent to analyse how both adapt to the act of dressing and to the reception of different pieces of clothing.Neglecting the practice of Fashion representation and highlighting the functionality of the act of covering and protecting the body, this study aims to discover the wardrobe of a patient with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) and to know how Design can be more inclusive to improve their wellbeing. Being just the beginning of the investigation, now still based on literature review and pre-test results, the conclusion of the study is not fully defined. Elements of Fashion Design have not all been tested, and the small sample results reflect the needs of caregivers more than the needs of patients

Rapid technological development and information overload has shaped the identity of the 21st century and has had an immense impact on many social aspects of human life including education systems and children across the world. In their early years, children experience rapid flows of information and a vast range of emotional stimuli every day which, without the ability to effectively self-regulate the emotional responses to these stimuli, can cause anxiety, cognitive overload, socialisation problems and uncontrollable emotional release, resulting in psychological distress for everyone involved – children, parents, and educators. Furthermore, in early childhood education long-term implications must always be considered as, during such overwhelming moments, a child is not able to effectively engage in socialisation or learning processes and subsequently, this can have a negative effect on overall long-term development and the life of a child. This research confirms that, in the past decade, social emotional learning has, for many education institutions across the world and systems worldwide, become an integral part of learning. Nevertheless, in early childhood education research, there remains a notable knowledge gap concerning the lack of systematized knowledge and practical tools to support the development of emotion regulation skills in early childhood education. This paper presents a theoretical and qualitative multi-method study, including a pedagogical intervention, providing scientifically grounded answers and practical advice for educators and early childhood education institutions on how to integrate mindfulness praxis to promote emotion regulation skills of children aged five to six. The results of the research show that meaningful and qualitative support of emotion regulation skills development are provided, through the inclusion of mindfulness praxis as a purposeful and systematic part of early childhood education.

In this paper, we examine the advertising impact of influencers on the promotion of a luxury fashion item and the effect of the presentation style. More specifically, we focus on the application of eye-tracking technologies to analyze how consumers respond to different presentation strategies used by influencers when promoting a product in a photograph.We report the results of an experimental study in which a group of participants were exposed to a set of static visual stimuli (i.e. photographs) related to new product launches by luxury fashion brands in the form of promotions by social media influencers. Individual responses were evaluated based on the participant’s ability to recall information from the stimuli as well as their recorded gaze points and fixations, which were tracked to identify areas in which the viewer had a particular interest at a specific time during exposure.Our results revealed that consumers tend to be impacted more heavily and recall a luxury item more easily when the product is promoted by influencers who appear not to be looking directly at the camera in the pictures (i.e. not making eye contact with the viewer). The percentage of individuals who correctly identified the luxury item with this type of stimulus was 87.5% as opposed to 46.25% when the influencer was looking directly at the camera. In addition to the influencers' visual contact, two other aspects were evaluated: the impact of the influencers' popularity and the aesthetic characteristics of the photographs used as stimuli.Our study confirms the effectiveness of the marketing strategies pioneered by some of the most recognized luxury fashion brands and delivered by influencers, particularly if the influencer does not establish visual contact with the target audience. This type of communication enables a more targeted type of advertising which moves from the exclusivity of promoting luxury fashion brands in certain events and marketing campaigns by celebrities to influencers that can reach large audiences on social networks.

Facial Expression is a very important factor in the social interaction of human beings. And technologies that can automatically interpret and respond to stimuli of facial expressions already find a wide variety of applications, from antidepressant drug testing to fatigue analysis of drivers and pilots. In this context, the following work presents a model for Automatic Classification of Facial Expression using as a training base the dataset Challenges in Representation Learning (FER2013), characterized by examples of spontaneous facial expressions in uncontrolled environments. The presented method is composed by a Convolutional Neural Networks Ensemble architecture, using a non-trivial voting system, based on a smart model, Xtreme Gradient Boosting - XGBoost. As performance criteria for validation of the proposed model, were used K-fold and F1 Score Micro techniques to guarantee robustness and reliability of the results, which are competitive with state-of-the-art works.

Recognizing emotions is an essential ability in our daily social interactions. However, there are individuals who have difficulties interpreting emotions, such as patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In order to cope better with everyday life, emotion training can be a supporting factor for them. However, studies show that emotion training is not only helpful for patients with ASD, but also in the working environment, for example in trainings for managers or teams. In recent research, there are already approaches to use new technologies such as virtual reality to train emotional and social skills. For the evaluation of these new concepts, it is important to make the emotional state of a person measurable. Therefore, a measurement environment has already been developed at Furtwangen University. This is based on a multidimensional approach combining subjective and objective psychophysiological measures. Moreover, the development of facial emotion recognition (FER) systems based on machine learning techniques are also increasing for measuring a person's emotional state. Often, they focus on the recognition of Ekman’s basic emotions. To train and evaluate such FER systems, these basic emotions have to be induced in an individual. Therefore, a number of methods for emotion induction can be found in research, e.g. visual stimuli or mental methods. However, in most studies, only a few selected emotions, such as anger and happiness, were induced. Thus, there is a lack of studies that examined the induction of all six basic emotions.For that reason, the aim of the presented experimental study was to investigate two different methods of emotion induction for the six basic emotions anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise, and a neutral category. Overall, 14 women and 10 men (N = 24) aged between 19 and 59 years (M = 29.25, SD = 11.46) participated in the study. For the first induction method, affective visual stimuli from common emotional picture databases (EmoPicS, OASIS and IAPS) were used. For the second induction method, emotions were induced by a so-called autobiographical recall. Therefore, the participants had to imagine autobiographical situations that evoked the required emotion in them in the past. After each different induction of one of the six emotions or the neutral category, the participants’ emotional state was assessed using the two dimensions valence and arousal of the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM). Furthermore, cardiovascular (ECG) and electrodermal (EDA) activity were recorded. The results show a significant interaction induction method x emotional category for both subjective assessments valence and arousal. Furthermore, based on the results of the psychophysiological responses of the participants (ECG and EDA), it is shown that the second method to induce emotions (autobiographical recall) was significantly more arousing than the first induction method using visual stimuli. To sum it up, the results of the experimental study show an influence of the induction method that is evident in both the subjective and the psychophysiological parameters.

fNIRS is a functional neuroimaging technology that measures activations according to the oxygenation and deoxygenation of neural activities. A technique still little used within design, but that can contribute in neurodesign and affective, for example. Although emotions are universal, their way of perceiving and feeling is individual. The emotion design has some gaps, namely the lack of mastery of techniques and knowledge of human responses to emotions. In total, 44 articles were analyzed in a non-systematic way, with the aim to find the advantages and disadvantage of using fNIRS. As conclusion, it was possible to perceive that the fNIRS is a promising neuroimaging technique with 20 advantages points and 13 disadvantages points. The stimuli can be sensorial, cognitive and motor, handled in laboratory, in social environments or in real situations. fNIRS is already used in studies of emotions and can help to investigate the brain activations in the face of emotion processing and the affective design, enabling the possibility to design better experiences, products, services or environments focused on this affective parameter in front of neurocognition. fNIRS is an emerging and promising technique, which can help to understand some gaps in human beings as promote pleasure and well-being.

This work seeks to understand how and if the entertainment experience obtained by watching videos on the Tik Tok social platform that uses editing and design tools, such as distortion filters for physical appearance and voice, is also an immersive experience that causes a shock to the user as understood by Walter Benjamin (2010) when this communicational subject is crossed by a sensation of the modern and that has, as a consequence, the disintegration of the aura in the experience of shock. According to Rouanet (1990) "the psychic instance in charge of capturing and absorbing the shock starts to dominate over the instances in charge of storing memory impressions”. In this case awareness has the function of "serving as protection against stimuli, sublimating impacts, maturing the fright into anguish or fun, so as not to succumb to amazement" (PEIXOTO, 1983) and can be linked to the production of content of fast circulation and absorption, made exclusively for social networks and platforms such as Tik Tok. Platforms that work with such design are also guided by the hands of users with content creation to shock an audience immersed in what is called Snack Culture (SCOLARI, 2020). As for a culture that develops a sensorial audiovisual content format, these contents provoke a sensory effect, a brief and ephemeral experience within a project that can be understood as artistic and created in a dynamic between playful and entertainment. The sensorial effect of these contents offers a unique and unprecedented experience, typical of an avant-garde work of art. In the 'contemporary arcades' of the Internet, videos from both Tik Tok and other platforms – with similar features - have similar tools created daily increasing the number of accesses, seeking to retain the media user and seem to attempt to lead the user to an immersive experience in an Attention Economy system as described by Jonathan Crary (2015) as something that “dissolve the separation between the personal and the professional, between entertainment and information, displaced by a compulsory functionality of communication inherently and inescapably 24/7.” Altogether with these ideas is the view of Simon Reynolds (2010) that popular culture has become a remix or rereading of something done before, based on any type of information available. Therefore, from this point of view, the reappropriation becomes infinite – something you see in Tik Tok videos. This text is built applied to the communicational practice of the use of platforms and is an attempt to understand the contemporary media paths that are outlined with the platform of culture. The platforms, a communication event in itself, raise questions about a new circulation of goods and gestures by communicational subjects who act on this frequency. It is a work that positions itself in the face of the contemporary urgency of the online life, its fast transformations and society's pursuits in a time that requires critical thinking about the moment we live in. to account for the moment in which we live.

Migratory seabirds are an unseen conduit between marine and terrestrial systems, carrying the nutrients they consume at sea into the forests where they breed. Acting as environmental sentinels, their health and reproductive success provide early warning signals of deteriorating marine eco-systems as the climate changes, and fish stocks decrease. Aotearoa New Zealand is the seabird capital of the world, with ~25% of all species breeding here and ~10% exclusively so. They play a critical role in maintaining healthy ecosystems, with their long-term well-being is closely interconnected with our own prospects for a sustainable future. Now predominantly restricted to off-shore islands due to predation and habitat destruction, seabirds and their familiar sounds have become less available in an age when the unprecedented global movement and planetary spread of the human population has culminated in unsustainable fishing, predators and habitat destruction. Inspiring mythology, song, poetry and stories, birds have been significant in shaping our understanding of how our natural environment has come to be known and understood. This paper speculates upon how we learn to communicate and cooperate with these precious taonga, and what might be learned from such an exchange through creative practice. Reflecting upon what birds might tell us, musician Matthew Bannister and I, a visual artist, have taken our cue from seabirds sharing our local environment on the west coast of Aotearoa - from the petrel (peera) through to the gannet (tākapu). Working on the premise that bird vocalisation is a performed negotiation that includes defence of territory and mate attraction, a bird’s call is a form of communication that effectively says “Come here” or “Go away”, which arguably is true of music – marking a social space and time to invite or repel. Rather than limiting bird calls to functionalist categories of explanation, we ask whether seabirds can communicate and exchange information about environmental changes using a malleable vocabulary, comprised of unique acoustic units arranged and re-arranged sequentially for greater communicative depth. Granting a high level of agency and creativity to birds as opposed to believing a bird only avails itself of stereotyped ‘speech’ to survive an accident-rich environment, places greater importance on responses that are improvised directly upon environmental stimuli as irritant rather than as a signal. Matthew explores bird calls via musique concrète, sampling recordings of seabirds to abstract the musical values of bird song conventions – a human response to the ‘other’ in jointly formed compositions, reflecting a living evolving relationship between composer and bird. In further developing our research into a multimedia artwork, I shall extend a technique used for electroacoustic composition (granular synthesis) to video portraits of composer/performer and bird. In applying granular synthesis techniques to video, tiny units of image and sampled sound are reassembled within the frames. Through the mixing of existing synthesised sequences, performer/composer and bird become active participants in the making and remaking of a shared environment, articulating the limits of space/territory to find new ways to be heard within it.