Fundamental Dimensions of Social Judgment: Sociability and Morality as Distinct Characteristics of Social Warmth

The present dissertation focuses on the two basic dimensions of social judgment, i.e., warmth and competence. Previous research has shown that warmth and competence emerge as fundamental dimensions both at the interpersonal level and at the group level. Moreover, warmth judgments appear to be primary, reflecting the importance of first assessing others’ intentions before determining the other’s ability to carry out those intentions. Finally, it has been shown that warmth and competence judgments are predicted by perceived economic competition and status, respectively (for a review, see Cuddy, Fiske, & Glick, 2008). Building on this evidence, the present work intends to further explore the role of warmth and competence in social judgment, adopting a finer-grained level of analysis. Specifically, we consider warmth to be a dimension of evaluation that encompasses two distinct characteristics (i.e., sociability and morality) rather than as an undifferentiated dimension (see Leach, Ellemers, & Barreto, 2007). In a similar vein, both economic competition and symbolic competition are taken into account (see Stephan, Ybarra, & Morrison, 2009). In order to highlight the relevance of our empirical research, the first chapter reviews the literature in social psychology that has studied the warmth and competence dimensions. In the second chapter, across two studies, we examine the role of realistic and symbolic threats (akin economic and symbolic competition, respectively) in predicting the perception of sociability and morality of social groups. In study 1, we measure perceived realistic threat, symbolic threat, sociability, and morality with respect to 8 social groups. In study 2, we manipulate the level and type of threat of a fictitious group and measure perceived sociability and morality. The findings show that realistic threat and symbolic threat are differentially related to the sociability and morality components of warmth. Specifically, whereas realistic threat seems to be a stronger predictor of sociability than symbolic threat, symbolic threat emerges as better predictor of morality than realistic threat. Thus, extending prior research, we show that the types of threat are linked to different warmth stereotypes. In the third and the fourth chapter, we examine whether the sociability and morality components of warmth play distinct roles at different stages of group impression formation. More specifically, the third chapter focuses on the information-gathering process. Two studies experimentally investigate which traits are mostly selected when forming impressions about either ingroup or outgroup members. The results clearly show that perceivers are more interested in obtaining information about morality than about sociability when asked to form a global impression about others. The fourth chapter considers more properly the formulation of an evaluative impression. Thus, in the first study participants rate real groups on sociability, morality, and competence. In the second study, participants read an immigration scenario depicting an unfamiliar social group in terms of high (vs. low) morality, sociability, and competence. In both studies, participants are also asked to report their global impression of the group. The results show that global evaluations are better predicted by morality than by sociability and competence trait ascriptions. Taken together the third and the fourth chapters show that the dominance of warmth suggested by previous studies on impression formation might be better explained in terms of a greater effect of one of the two subcomponents (i.e., morality) over the other (i.e., sociability). In the general discussion, we discuss the relevance of our findings for intergroup relation and group perception, as well as for impression formation.

Cyclic alternating pattern in sleep and its relationship to creativity

Background/Objectives: Sleep has been shown to enhance creativity, but the reason for this enhancement is not entirely known. There are several different physiological states associated with sleep. In addition to rapid (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, NREM sleep can be broken down into Stages (1-4) that are characterized by the degree of EEG slow wave activity. In addition, during NREM sleep there are transient but cyclic alternating patterns (CAP) of EEG activity and these CAPs can also be divided into three subtypes (A1-A3) according to speed of the EEG waves. Differences in CAP ratios have been previously linked to cognitive performances. The purpose of this study was to learn the relationship CAP activity during sleep and creativity. Methods: The participants were 8 healthy young adults (4 women), who underwent 3 consecutive nights of polysomnographic recording and took the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults (ATTA) on the 2 and 3rd mornings after the recordings. Results: There were positive correlations between Stage 1 of NREM sleep and some measures of creativity such as fluency (R= .797; p=.029) and flexibility ( R=.43; p=.002), between Stage 4 of Non-REM sleep and originality (R= .779; p=.034) and a global measure of figural creativity (R= .758; p=.040). There was also a negative correlation between REM sleep and originality (R= -.827; p= .042) . During NREM sleep the CAP rate, which in young people is primarily the A1 subtype, also correlated with originality (R= .765; p =.038). Conclusions: NREM sleep is associated with low levels of cortical arousal and low cortical arousal may enhance the ability of people to access to the remote associations that are critical for creative innovations. In addition, A1 CAP activity reflects frontal activity and the frontal lobes are important for divergent thinking, also a critical aspect of creativity.

Cannabinoid CB1 receptor in the regulation of sociability, stress coping, and its interaction with the serotonergic system

Cannabinerge Substanzen können das Verhalten in einer dosisabhängigen, aber biphasischen Weise beeinflussen. Eine Erklärung für diese Art der Effekte könnte die Verteilung des CB1 Rezeptors auf verschiedenen Neuronentypen sein. CB1 Rezeptoren in glutamatergen und GABAergen Neuronen sind hier besonders wichtig, da die entsprechenden Neurotransmitter als Gegenspieler die neuronale Erregung kontrollieren. Spezifische Deletion des CB1 Rezeptor-Gens von einer der beiden Populationen führte zu gegensätzlichen Phenotypen, genauer gesagt, einem erniedrigten, bzw. einem gesteigerten Interaktiondrang. Tiere, bei denen der CB1 Rezeptor ausschließlich in striatalen, GABAergen „Medium Spiny“ Neuronen deletiert wurde, zeigten keinen veränderten Phänotyp. Dies legt nahe, dass der CB1 Rezeptor in kortikalen glutamatergen und GABAergen Neuronen für einen ausgeglichenen Interaktionsdrang entscheidend ist (siehe Kapitel 3).rnDiese dosisabhängigen, biphasischen Effekte auf das Verhalten können auch im „Forced Swim Test“ (FST) beobachtet werden. Ein möglicher Mechanismus, durch den Cannabinoide das Stressverhalten beeinflussen können, wäre die Regulierung der Monoaminausschüttung. Um die Abhängigkeit der Cannabinoideffekte von der Serotonintransmission zu untersuchen, wurden Dosen von CB1 Rezeptoragonisten und –antagonisten mit antidepressiv-induzierenden Eigenschaften bei gleichzeitiger Inhibition der Serotonintransmission im FST getestet. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass lediglich der Agonisteffekt durch die Inhibition der Serotoninauschüttung beeinflusst wird. Zusätzlich konnte die Abhängigkeit des Antagonisteneffekts von funktionsfähigen GABAergen CB1 Rezeptoren nachweisen werden. Interessanter Weise konnte der durch die Deletion von glutamatergen CB1 Rezeptoren induzierte Phänotyp durch Inhibition der Serotoninausschüttung blockiert werden (siehe Kapitel 4).rnEin indirekter Einfluss auf Serotoninausschüttung scheint also wahrscheinlich zu sein. Bis jetzt blieb jedoch unklar, inwieweit cannabinerge Substanzen direkt auf serotonerge Neuronen wirken können. Im Jahr 2007 konnte unsere Gruppe die Expression des CB1 Rezeptors in serotonergen Neuronen auf mRNA- und Proteinebene nachweisen. Die Züchtung und Analyse einer mutanten Mauslinie, in welcher der CB1-Rezeptor spezifisch in serotonergen Neuronen ausgeschaltet wurde, zeigte bei männlichen Tieren eine schwache, aber signifikante Verhaltensänderungen, die durch soziale Stimuli und lebensbedrohlichen Situationen ausgelöst wurde. So ist es erstmals gelungen nachzuweisen, dass serotonerge CB1-Rezeptoren eine physiologische Relevanz besitzen (siehe Kapitel 5).rn

Misunderstanding Creativity : User Created Content in Virtual Worlds and its Constraints by Code and Law

Virtual worlds have moved from being a geek topic to one of mainstream academic interest. This transition is contingent not only on the augmented economic, societal and cultural value of these virtual realities and their effect upon real life but also on their convenience as fields for experimentation, for testing models and paradigms. User creation is however not something that has been transplanted from the real to the virtual world but a phenomenon and a dynamic process that happens from within and is defined through complex relationships between commercial and non-commercial, commodified and not commodified, individual and of the community, amateur and professional, art and not art. Accounting for this complex environment, the present paper explores user created content in virtual worlds, its dimensions and value and above all, its constraints by code and law. It puts forward suggestions for better understanding and harnessing this creativity.

The evolution of the brain, the human nature of cortical circuits and intellectual creativity

The tremendous expansion and the differentiation of the neocortex constitute two major events in the evolution of the mammalian brain. The increase in size and complexity of our brains opened the way to a spectacular development of cognitive and mental skills. This expansion during evolution facilitated the addition of microcircuits with a similar basic structure, which increased the complexity of the human brain and contributed to its uniqueness. However, fundamental differences even exist between distinct mammalian species. Here, we shall discuss the issue of our humanity from a neurobiological and historical perspective.

Assessing Creativity In Engineering Students: A Comparative Between Degrees and Sudents In First And Last Year

An online open access test (CREAX self-assessment) has been used in this work so that students from degrees in engineering in the Universidad Polite¿cnica of Madrid (UPM) could self-assess their creative competence after several classroom activities. Different groups from the first year course have been statistically compared using data from their assessment. These first year students had different professors in the subject ?Technical Drawing? and belonged to several degrees in the UPM. They were as well compared regarding sex and a group of first year students was also compared to another last year group of the degree so as to observe possible differences in the achievement of this competence. Only one difference was detected concerning sex in one of the degrees. Among degrees, the higher marks obtained by students who had done specific exercises for the development of creativity in class is highlighted. Finally, a significantly high mark was observed in students during their last year of degree with respect to first year students. The tool CREAX has become very useful in the assessment of this competence in the UPM degrees in which it has been implemented.

Lugares sin nombre. Dignidad, habitabilidad y sostenibilidad, sociabilidad y edonismo = Places without a name. Dignity, habitability and sustainability, sociability and hedonism

ESTIRAR LA NORMATIVA. Desde una perspectiva social y dentro de un consenso generalizado, el derecho a disfrutar de una vivienda es indudable, lo que no quiere decir que en términos reales y legales sea efectivo.

The International Conference Education and Creativity for a Knowledge–based Society – LAW. Vienna, Osterreichish Rumanischer Akademischer Verein, 2012. VIth edition

No abstract.

The International Conference Education and Creativity for a Knowledge–based Society – PSYCHOLOGY. Vienna, Osterreichish Rumanischer Akademischer Verein, 2012. VIth edition

No abstract.

The International Conference Education and Creativity for a Knowledge–based Society – Social and Political Scinces, Communication, Foreign Languages and Public Relations. Vienna, Osterreichish Rumanischer Akademischer Verein, 2012. VIth edition

No abstract.