Ontogeny of manipulative behavior and nut-cracking in young tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella): a Perception-action perspective

How do capuchin monkeys learn to use stones to crack open nuts? Perception-action theory posits that individuals explore producing varying spatial and force relations among objects and surfaces, thereby learning about affordances of such relations and how to produce them. Such learning supports the discovery of tool use. We present longitudinal developmental data from semifree-ranging tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) to evaluate predictions arising from Perception-action theory linking manipulative development and the onset of tool-using. Percussive actions bringing an object into contact with a surface appeared within the first year of life. Most infants readily struck nuts and other objects against stones or other surfaces from 6 months of age, but percussive actions alone were not sufficient to produce nut-cracking sequences. Placing the nut on the anvil surface and then releasing it, so that it could be struck with a stone, was the last element necessary for nut-cracking to appear in capuchins. Young chimpanzees may face a different challenge in learning to crack nuts: they readily place objects on surfaces and release them, but rarely vigorously strike objects against surfaces or other objects. Thus the challenges facing the two species in developing the same behavior (nut-cracking using a stone hammer and an anvil) may be quite different. Capuchins must inhibit a strong bias to hold nuts so that they can release them; chimpanzees must generate a percussive action rather than a gentle placing action. Generating the right actions may be as challenging as achieving the right sequence of actions in both species. Our analysis suggests a new direction for studies of social influence on young primates learning sequences of actions involving manipulation of objects in relation to surfaces.

Post-conventional Political Cultures via Processes of Direct Democracy: Theoretical Considerations Based on Jurgen Habermas and Lawrence Kohlberg

In this article, it is proposed to differentiate political cultures in two dimensions. First, inspired by Habermas' distinction of the contents of discourse, a distinction is suggested between moral, ethical-political and pragmatic elements of political culture as well as of an element of culture of balancing interests. Second, inspired by Kohlberg's stage models for the development of the individual moral consciousness and for moral culture, a distinction is similarly suggested between two pre-conventional, two conventional and two post-conventional collective stages of political culture. It can be shown that from a normative point of view, only deliberations made in a post-conventional political culture can produce reasonable or at least fair results. Conceptual considerations indicate processes of direct democracy as the method for promoting post-conventional political cultures. The more liberty that the citizens have to formulate and trigger processes of direct democracy, the more one can expect from them to generate post-conventional political cultures.

Psychology and psychoanalysis in Brazil - From cultural syncretism to the collapse of liberal individualism

This paper focuses first on cultural syncretism, used to characterize Brazilian culture. The other aspect of this socially and racially blended culture is the unfinished assimilation of liberalism in politics and the economy, which defines Brazilian society. The increased assimilation and dissemination of psychology may be linked with these in cultural and social aspects. During the military period (1964-1974) the major expansion in university-level studies in psychology contributed ideologically to the dissemination of psychology throughout Brazilian society. This introduced a type of psychology that was related primarily to clinical practice and developed in opposition to social work practice. This paper examines the ideological bases for this conflict between clinical and social work. Criteria for understanding the cultural dissemination of psychoanalysis are then discussed, and it is argued that cultural incorporation of psychoanalysis involves the development of discourse complexes to reflect particular aspects of Brazilian society. The criteria (a non-totalitarian society and the displacement of a magical and religious interpretation of mental disturbance by psychiatric interpretation) are evaluated in relation to the peculiarities of Brazilian syncretism. The paper argues that cultural syncretism and the incomplete assimilation of liberal ideology must be included as criteria in understanding the particular cultural incorporation of psychoanalysis in Brazil.

Amerindian anthropology and cultural psychology: Crossing boundaries and meeting otherness` worlds

Addressing integrative possibilities between psychology and anthropology, this paper aims to design conceptual linkages between semiotic-cultural constructivist psychology and the anthropological theory of Amerindian perspectivism. From the psychological view, it is the interdependence between the structural and processual dimensions of the personal culture that makes parallels with Amerindian perspectivism fruitful. This anthropological frame proposes an experiment with native conceptions, which I argue similar to what Baldwin (1906) called sembling. Hence, it can be considered an active imitation of otherness` viewpoint in order to approach indigenous worlds. It is supposed that this procedure leads to the emergence of new symbolic elements configuring the cultural action field of each agency in interaction. It is proposed that ""making-believe`` the Amerindian is convergent with the dialogic-hermeneutic approach of semiotic-cultural constructivism. As a result of the present integrative effort, is designed a meta-model that multiplies the genetic process of concrete symbolic objects.

Prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders in hospitalized patients at the dermatology clinical ward of a university hospital

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders in hospitalized patients at the dermatology ward at a university hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders in hospitalized patients at the dermatology ward at a university hospital in Sao Paulo. METHOD: A total of 75 patients, men and women, aged between 18 and 76 years, took part in the research. The study employed a descriptive, cross sectional and correlational method. The data was collected by means of a social demographic questionnaire and the PRIME-MD. RESULTS: It was found that 45.3 percent of the subjects presented with depressive symptoms, and 52 percent presented with symptoms of anxiety and that this survey showed moderate and high significant correlations (p<0,01; r= 0,616) for depression and anxiety. CONCLUSION: These facts could evidence the relationship between physical and psyche, just as the literature presents.

The Clinical Case as a Basis for Research in Fundamental Psychopathology

(The Clinical Case as a Basis for Research in Fundamental Psychopathology) This article discusses aspects that hinder the process of drawing up clinical cases and stresses their importance for research in fundamental psychopathology. The author bases her thinking on several texts by Freud and his followers about the technique and the interpretation of dreams. In these texts, clinical cases are used to express a problem that must be investigated. The grounds for research follow the same logic as that used for interpreting dreams.

A DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVE OF INTERMANUAL PERFORMANCE ASYMMETRY IN AIMING

This study compared intermanual performance asymmetry between adults and children of different ages in timing components of an aiming task. Participants manipulated a computer mouse with either hand, aiming to rapidly reach targets of different widths with a pointer on a monitor. Results showed longer deceleration movements with the left hand in children, leading to increased intermanual performance asymmetry when aiming at narrower targets. Increased intermanual performance asymmetry in children is conceptualized to derive from planning to minimize trajectory variability when controlling the nondominant hand.

Group cognitive-behavioral therapy versus selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A practical clinical trial

Clinical effectiveness of group cognitive-behavioral therapy (GCBT) versus fluoxetine in obsessive-compulsive disorder outpatients that could present additional psychiatric comorbidities was assessed. Patients (18-65 years; baseline Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive-Scale [Y-BOCS] scores >= 16; potentially presenting additional psychiatric comorbidities) were sequentially allocated for treatment with GCBT (n = 70) or fluoxetine (n = 88). Mean Y-BOCS scores decreased by 23.13% in the GCBT and 21.54% in the SSRI groups (p = 0.875). Patients presented a mean of 2.7 psychiatric comorbidities. and 81.4% showed at least one additional disorder. A reduction of at least 35% in baseline Y-BOCS scores and CGI ratings of 1 (much better) or 2 (better) was achieved by 33.3% of GCBT patients and 27.7% in the SSRI group (p = 0.463). The Y-BOCS reduction was significantly lower in patients with one or more psychiatric comorbidities (21.15%, and 18.73%, respectively) than in those with pure OCD (34.62%; p = 0.034). Being male, having comorbidity of Major Depression, Social Phobia, or Dysthymia predicted a worse response to both treatments. Response rates to both treatments were similar and lower than reported in the literature, probably due to the broad inclusion criteria and the resulting sample more similar to the real world population. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

BODY DYSMORPHIC DISORDER IN PATIENTS WITH OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER: PREVALENCE AND CLINICAL CORRELATES

Background The prevalence, sociodemographic aspects, and clinical features of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) in patients with obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD) have been previously addressed in primarily relatively small samples. Methods We performed a cross-sectional demographic and clinical assessment of 901 OCD patients participating in the Brazilian Research Consortium on Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders. We used the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders; Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale; Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DY-BOCS); Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale; Clinical Global Impression Scale; and Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. Results The lifetime prevalence of BDD was 12.1%. The individuals with comorbid BDD (OCD-BDD; n = 109) were younger than were those without it. In addition, the proportions of single and unemployed patients were greater in the OCD-BDD group. This group of patients also showed higher rates of suicidal behaviors; mood, anxiety, and eating disorders; hypochondriasis; skin picking; Tourette syndrome; and symptoms of the sexual/religious, aggressive, and miscellaneous dimensions. Furthermore, OCD-BDD patients had an earlier onset of OC symptoms; greater severity of OCD, depression, and anxiety symptoms; and poorer insight. After logistic regression, the following features were associated with OCD-BDD: current age; age at OCD onset; severity of the miscellaneous DY-BOCS dimension; severity of depressive symptoms; and comorbid social phobia, dysthymia, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and skin picking. Conclusions Because OCD patients might not inform clinicians about concerns regarding their appearance, it is essential to investigate symptoms of BDD, especially in young patients with early onset and comorbid social anxiety, chronic depression, skin picking, or eating disorders. Depression and Anxiety 29: 966-975, 2012. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Clinical Efficacy of a New Automated Hemoencefalographic Neurofeedback Protocol

Among the ongoing attempts to enhance cognitive performance, an emergent and yet underrepresented venue is brought by hemoencefalographic neurofeedback (HEG). This paper presents three related advances in HEG neurofeedback for cognitive enhancement: a) a new HEG protocol for cognitive enhancement, as well as b) the results of independent measures of biological efficacy (EEG brain maps) extracted in three phases, during a one year follow up case study; c) the results of the first controlled clinical trial of HEG, designed to assess the efficacy of the technique for cognitive enhancement of an adult and neurologically intact population. The new protocol was developed in the environment of a software that organizes digital signal algorithms in a flowchart format. Brain maps were produced through 10 brain recordings. The clinical trial used a working memory test as its independent measure of achievement. The main conclusion of this study is that the technique appears to be clinically promising. Approaches to cognitive performance from a metabolic viewpoint should be explored further. However, it is particularly important to note that, to our knowledge, this is the world's first controlled clinical study on the matter and it is still early for an ultimate evaluation of the technique.