Brazilian adaptation of the Woodcock-Johnson III cognitive tests

An adaptation of the standard battery of Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ-III) for Brazilian children and youth was investigated. The sample was composed of 1094 students (54 percent girls), ages 7-17, living in Sao Paulo state (91 percent). Items from Brazilian school books as well as from the WJ-III Spanish version (Bateria-R) were added to comprehension-knowledge tests. Brazilian words were adapted to the auditory tests according to syllabic division and stressed syllables. Items were examined through IRT and age differences through analysis of variance. Results indicated the need to remove items from all WJ-III subtests with the exception of the visual learning test. Analysis of Variance indicated significant age differences (p <= 0.001) for all tests. Thus, the importance of a Brazilian adaptation for the WJ-III was confirmed.

Homogamy preferences for cognitive sex-typicality in women

Homogamy has been suggested as crucial for human mate preferences and mate choice. People are attracted to and choose romantic partners that are similar to them in socio-demographic, physical, and psychological traits. However, only a few studies have shown homogamy in preferences for evolved sex-typical traits. Here, we have investigated male and female preferences for the level of cognitive masculinity-femininity (MF). We tested whether self-reported MF positively correlates with preferences for MF. One hundred men and one hundred women from Brazil filled in questionnaires on their own level of cognitive MF and preferred level of cognitive MF in their ideal partner. Half of the respondents were asked to indicate their preferences for long-term, and the other half for short-term relationships. We found a positive correlation between self-ascribed and preferred level of cognitive MF in women (P = 0.002), but no significant correlation in men (P = 0.309). There was no significant effect of the temporal context of the relationship, but there was a positive correlation between self-ascribed and preferred level of cognitive MF only in women answering about long-term partner. By subtracting the preferred from the selfascribed level of cognitive MF, we created a self-similarity index. We found that women desire potential mates more self-similar and more masculine than men (P < 0.001) and that in men there is greater variation in the self-similarity index than in women. Our results thus add to previous evidence on the role of homogamy in human mating, by showing preferences for self-similarity also in cognitive MF for women, especially for long-term partner preferences. Future studies should cross-culturally test whether the higher self-similar preference found in women is universal.

A inclusão da criança com necessidades especiais na visão de berçaristas

A inserção das crianças de zero a 18 meses em creches poderá estimular o seu desenvolvimento motor e perceptocognitivo, podendo essa fase ser considerada a primeira da educação inclusiva. Objetivou-se verificar as concepções das profissionais do berçário relativas à inserção da criança com necessidades especiais na rotina de atividades desenvolvidas. Foram entrevistadas sete berçaristas da Secretaria Municipal de Educação de Bauru. Os dados, organizados segundo categorias analíticas: conceitos relativos ao processo de inclusão, benefícios para a criança e diferenças entre as crianças nessa faixa etária, foram submetidos à análise qualitativa. Os resultados mostraram que a inclusão de crianças com necessidades especiais é vista com reservas, explicitando ideias preconcebidas sobre a deficiência. Eles se justificam pela falta de conhecimento do desenvolvimento infantil e dos fatores que o envolvem, bem como pelo fato de os profissionais vincularem suas atividades às experiências pessoais.

Oropharyngeal dysphagia and language delay in partial trisomy 9p: case report

The phenotype of partial trisomy 9p includes global developmental delay, microcephaly, bulbous nose, downturned oral commissures, malformed ears, hypotonia, and severe cognitive and language disorders. We present a case report and a comparative review of clinical findings on this condition, focusing on speech-language development, cognitive abilities and swallowing evaluation. We suggest that oropharyngeal dysphagia should be further investigated, considering that pulmonary and nutritional disorders affect the survival and quality of life of the patient. As far as we know, this is the first study of a patient with partial trisomy 9p described with oropharyngeal dysphagia.

Genética e linguagem na síndrome de Williams-Beuren: uma condição neuro-cognitiva peculiar

TEMA: aspectos genéticos, cognitivos e de linguagem na Síndrome de Williams-Beuren (SWB). OBJETIVO: revisar a literatura sobre a SWB, destacando aspectos genéticos, cognitivos e de linguagem. CONCLUSÕES: a literatura mostrou que a etiologia da SWB é conhecida, embora o diagnóstico precoce pode ser difícil pela variabilidade de manifestações clínicas dessa condição. O fenótipo variável tem sido atribuído a deleção de vários genes na região 7q11.23. que inclui o gene da elastina. A deleção desse gene é identificada pelo estudo citogenético molecular denominado Hibridização in situ por Fluorescência (FISH). A freqüência populacional desta síndrome é de 1 em 20,000 nascimentos e é resultante de uma alteração genética de novo. O quadro da SWB é caracterizado principalmente por fácies típica conhecida como face de duende, alterações cardíacas, prejuízos cognitivos e aspectos comportamentais que incluem a linguagem. A característica falante e sociável associada as dificuldades viso-construtivas conferem a esta síndrome um quadro neuro-cognitivo peculiar. A deficiência mental é variável e pode ou não estar presente. Estudos que descreveram as habilidades de linguagem nesta síndrome destacaram que a habilidade sintática pode estar íntegra ou parcialmente íntegra, a produção verbal pode ser precisa e inteligível, mostrando a integridade do sistema fonológico. O vocabulário receptivo-auditivo é citado em alguns estudos como adequado e em outros como prejudicado para a idade mental. Pesquisas na área têm produzido, resultados incongruentes com respeito ao perfil de habilidades cognitivas e lingüísticas nos portadores dessa condição. A correlação entre as habilidades de linguagem e a cognição e a divergência de achados na literatura serão abordadas neste artigo.

Are Working Memory Measures Free of Socioeconomic Influence?

Purpose: This study evaluated the impact of socioeconomic factors on children's performance on tests of working memory and vocabulary.Method: Twenty Brazilian children, aged 6 and 7 years, from low-income families, completed tests of working memory ( verbal short-term memory and verbal complex span) and vocabulary ( expressive and receptive). A further group of Brazilian children from families of higher socioeconomic status matched for age, gender, and nonverbal ability also participated in the study.Results: Children from the low socioeconomic group obtained significantly lower scores on measures of expressive and receptive vocabulary than their higher income peers but no significant group differences were found on the working memory measures.Conclusion: Measures of working memory provide assessments of cognitive abilities that appear to be impervious to substantial differences in socioeconomic background. As these measures are highly sensitive to language ability and learning in general, they appear to provide useful methods for diagnosing specific learning difficulties that are independent of environmental opportunity.

Post-selection and return of foraged material by Acromyrmex subterraneus brunneus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Two colonies of Acromyrmex subterraneus brunneus Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) were studied regarding their behavior during cultivation of the fungus garden to determine a) the existence of post-selection of foraged material by the workers, and b) if present, the mechanism of this discrimination and how this material is returned. Many studies on plant processing by leaf-cutting ants have been carried out, but none of them has investigated the decision-making process of workers in the case of erroneous food selection. For this purpose, material with different degrees of moisture and hardness (floral sponge, polystyrene, plastic and clay) were individually offered to the colonies and the tasks performed by the different size categories were carefully recorded. Three tasks, i.e., foraging, cultivation of the fungus garden and return of the foraged material, were studied and subdivided into 14 subtasks. Analysis of all inert materials as a whole showed the presence of post-selection of foraged material through the return of material inadequate for the workers and the fungus. Discrimination of the inert material was observed at the time of shredding, probably based on parameters such as physical resistance to cutting and moisture content. A. s. brunneus workers showed flexibility in their activities during substrate processing. The observed post-selection of foraged material provides strong evidence for the cognitive abilities of worker ants and of the colony as a whole. Polymorphism and a complex society represent vital characteristics for the ecological success of this species.

Some aspects of chicken behavior and welfare

Brazil is the world leader in broiler production and export. It achieved this position mainly to its excellent supply chain structure and climate, which favor poultry and grain production throughout its territory. Although Brazilian egg production is not as important as broiler production, this segment presents great potential of increasing its share in the global market. However, as elsewhere in the world, Brazilian poultry production faces the challenge to balance two elements within its supply chain: cruelty and productivity. The consumers of the European Union (EU) are very concerned with animal welfare issues. In order to increase its share in the European market, and eventually in the world market, Brazilian poultry producers must understand the effects of production systems on poultry welfare, and try to develop systems that are suited for its climate and other production conditions. There is a consensus that the natural behaviors performed by poultry in intensive production systems allow better welfare. This objective of this review is to present scientific research studies that relate different behaviors to chicken welfare. Poultry behavior is a reflex of their welfare status at a particular moment, and it is related to internal (physiological) and external (environmental) factors. Several natural behaviors that favor welfare, as well as undesirable behaviors, may be stimulated by environmental enrichment. The correct interpretation of the behaviors expressed by poultry, including their frequency, duration, and sequence, may be used to estimate their welfare. Animal production is an import sector of Brazilian economy. It significantly contributes to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in terms of products destined both to domestic consumption and exports. New technologies applied to products and management practices have been developed for field application, aiming at improving producers' productivity and profitability. In order to comply with the European Union's (EU) guidelines for animal protein production, Brazilian poultry production needs to undergo a process of adaptation. In May, 2007, the EU Commission established its new guidelines for animal welfare in poultry production, pressured by consumer demand. In the EU, there is a growing concern among consumers as to how poultry are reared and slaughtered. European consumers are in the fore front of the demand of high quality products produced with under better welfare conditions, and have spread this concern throughout the world. Beaumont et al. (2010) mentioned that European consumers frequently perceive that standard commercial poultry production has poor animal welfare practices. According to Nääs et al. (2008), Brazilian poultry production today needs to find a balance between cruelty and productivity. In fact, ensuring animal welfare may provide better financial results, as it increases the producer's profit margins and allows maintaining Brazilian chicken export quotas to the EU. França (2008) noted that biological studies that define ethical limits and guidelines for poultry production foster the development of new production practices that may ensure good product quality and productivity without putting bird welfare at risk. Gonyou (1994) states that, when animal welfare started to be studied, the only behavioral factors considered were those related to feeding and reproduction. These first studies used as indicators of animal welfare reduced life expectancy, impaired growth, impaired reproduction, body damage, disease, immunosuppression, adrenal activity, behavior anomalies, and self-narcotization (Broom, 1991). However, current studies evaluate additional indicators, such as natural behaviors, behavioral needs, preferences, behavioral problems, emotional state, cognitive abilities, etc. In the field of ethology, the expression of natural behavior is a frequently used tool used to estimate the welfare of poultry destined to human consumption. According to Bracke & Hopster (2006), natural behavior can be defined as the behavior the animal normaly presents when exposed to conditions similar to its natural habitat. Natural behaviors are pleasurable and promote biological functions that are meaningful to the animal's welfare. The definition of natural behavior, though, does not include the bird's behavior when sick, in flight or during aggression, since these are not considered pleasurable situations. Considering layer behavioral needs in the design of housing facilities optimize their welfare. Mishra et al. (2005) verified that ISA Brown layers spent, during 24 hours, around 97% of the time in the nest, feeding, walking, resting, or dust bathing, and that 57% of these behaviors did not depend on environmental enrichment. It was also observed that hens had preferred behavioral sequences, which included foraging and comfort behaviors, such as wing-stretching and preening. The present review aims at discussing, albeit not exhaustively, scientific research studies on the behavior of Gallusgallus domesticus and its relationship to welfare. The following behaviors are reviewed: feather pecking, scratching, dust bathing, nesting, locomotion activities, and aggressive behaviors. These behaviors are the most frequently observed in commercial broiler, broiler breeder, and layer farming, and therefore, monitoring their incidence may contribute to measure poultry welfare.

A noção de modelo na ciência cognitiva: do funcionalismo à sistêmica

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Desenvolvimento de um protópipo de atlas eletrônico de Unidades de Conservação para educação ambiental

Pós-graduação em Ciências Cartográficas - FCT

Sobre as causas evolutivas da cognição humana

Pós-graduação em Filosofia - FFC

Estudo longitudinal da capacidade intelectual de crianças contaminadas por chumbo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Correlações entre sono-vigília, memória e melatonina em Síndrome de Williams-Beuren

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

The phonological and visual basis of developmental dyslexia in Brazilian Portuguese reading children

Evidence from opaque languages suggests that visual attention processing abilities in addition to phonological skills may act as cognitive underpinnings of developmental dyslexia. We explored the role of these two cognitive abilities on reading fluency in Brazilian Portuguese, a more transparent orthography than French or English. Sixty-six children with developmental dyslexia and normal Brazilian Portuguese children participated. They were administered three tasks of phonological skills (phoneme identification, phoneme, and syllable blending) and three visual tasks (a letter global report task and two non-verbal tasks of visual closure and visual constancy). Results show that Brazilian Portuguese children with developmental dyslexia are impaired not only in phonological processing but further in visual processing. The phonological and visual processing abilities significantly and independently contribute to reading fluency in the whole population. Last, different cognitively homogeneous subtypes can be identified in the Brazilian Portuguese population of children with developmental dyslexia. Two subsets of children with developmental dyslexia were identified as having a single cognitive disorder, phonological or visual; another group exhibited a double deficit and a few children showed no visual or phonological disorder. Thus the current findings extend previous data from more opaque orthographies as French and English, in showing the importance of investigating visual processing skills in addition to phonological skills in children with developmental dyslexia whatever their language orthography transparency.

Treino musical como proposta para a estimulação da cognição numérica em crianças de idade escolar

Pós-graduação em Psicologia do Desenvolvimento e Aprendizagem - FC