Learning about life and death in early childhood

Inagaki and Hatano (2002) have argued that young children initially understand biological phenomena in terms of vitalism, a mode of construal in which life or life-force is the central causal-explanatory concept. This study investigated the development of vitalistic reasoning in young children's concepts of life, the human body and death. Sixty preschool children between the ages of 3 years, 7 months and 5 years, 11 months participated. All children were initially given structured interviews to assess their knowledge of (1) human body function and (2) death. From this sample 40 children in the Training group were taught about the human body and how it functions to maintain life. The Control group (n = 20) received no training. All 60 children were subsequently reassessed on their knowledge of human body function and death. Results from the initial interviews indicated that young children who spontaneously appealed to vitalistic concepts in reasoning about human body functioning were also more sophisticated in their understanding of death. Results from the posttraining interviews showed that children readily learned to adopt a vitalistic approach to human body functioning, and that this learning coincided with significant development in their understanding of human body function, and of death. The overall pattern of results supports the claim that the acquisition of a vitalistic causal-explanatory framework serves to structure children's concepts and facilitates learning in the domain of biology. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.

Emergence of joint attention: Relationships between gaze following, social referencing, imitation, and naming in infancy

The authors investigated the extent to which the joint-attention behaviors of gaze following, social referencing, and object-directed imitation were related to each other and to infants vocabulary development in a sample of 60 infants between the ages of 8 and 14 months. Joint-attention skills and vocabulary development were assessed in a laboratory setting. Split-half reliability analyses on the joint-attention measures indicated that the tasks reliably assessed infants' capabilities. In the main analysis, no significant correlations were found among the joint-attention behaviors except for a significant relationship between gaze following and the number of names in infants' productive vocabularies. The overall pattern of results did not replicate results of previous studies (e.g., M. Carpenter, K. Nagell, & M. Tomasello, 1998) that found relationships between various emerging joint-attention behaviors.

Mitigated directness in Honglou meng: directive speech acts and politeness in eighteenth century Chinese

This paper is situated within a theoretical discussion that asserts a positive correlation between indirectness and politeness, and uses these claims as a springboard for an examination of polite ways of issuing directives in eighteenth century Chinese. On the basis of an analysis of directive speech acts from dialogue in the novel Honglou meng, it argues that the concept of indirectness, as it applies to the illocutionary transparency of individual speech acts, has no particular value in the culture and language of eighteenth century Chinese men. It is found that other linguistic devices such as particles, the reduplication of verbs, terms of address, and the presence and sequencing of supportive moves are far more significant to the communication of politeness. The findings suggest a need to rethink current theoretical positions on this subject and move beyond the analysis of individual speech acts to examine the role discourse structure and management play in the enactment of politeness. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Conhecimentos, habilidades e atitudes: o conceito de compet??ncias no trabalho e seu uso no setor p??blico

Este estudo tem dois objetivos: revisar criticamente a produ????o cient??fica nacional sobre o tema ???compet??ncias no trabalho e nas organiza????es???; e apresentar o conceito e discutir sua utiliza????o no setor p??blico. Para tanto foram analisados relatos de pesquisa emp??rica e ensaios nacionais e estrangeiros ??? em peri??dicos de psicologia e administra????o. Foram discutidos: enfoques te??ricos, instrumentos de coleta de dados, procedimentos de an??lise, entre outros aspectos. Na an??lise da produ????o nacional, constatou-se que, em sua maioria, as pesquisas: descrevem compet??ncias ocupacionais ou profissionais; possuem desenho survey; apresentam pluralidade quanto ?? natureza da pesquisa e utiliza????o de m??todos e t??cnicas para coleta e an??lise de dados; e s??o realizadas principalmente no setor terci??rio da economia. Verificou-se, ainda, a converg??ncia do conceito de compet??ncia, diante da complexidade e fragmenta????o te??rica previamente constatadas na literatura. Entretanto, mesmo em evid??ncia, a produ????o cient??fica brasileira sobre o tema ?? recente e ainda h?? uma lacuna sobre a discuss??o do construto e sua aplica????o no setor p??blico, em especial no caso brasileiro, quando se trata da administra????o p??blica federal, direta, aut??rquica e fundacional.

Cities and emerging networks of learning communities

In the 21st century the majority of people live in urban settings and studies show a trend to the increase of this phenomenon. Globalisation and the concentration of multinational and clusters of firms in certain places are attracting people who seek employment and a better living. Many of those agglomerations are situated in developing countries, representing serious challenges both for public and private sectors. Programmes and initiatives in different countries are taking place and best practices are being exchanged globally. The objective is to transform these urban places into sustainable learning cities/regions where citizens can live with quality. The complexity of urban places, sometimes megacities, opened a new field of research. This paper argues that in order to understand the dynamics of such a complex phenomenon, a multidisciplinary, systemic approach is needed and the creation of learning cities and regions calls for the contribution of a multitude of fields of knowledge, ranging from economy to urbanism, educational science, sociology, environmental psychology and others.

Retrospective study of malaria prevalence and Anopheles genus in the area of influence of the binational Itaipu reservoir

The importance of hydroelectric dams beside the human interchange in the maintenance of malarious foci and the occurrence of the Anopheles genus on the Binational Itaipu Reservoir were the main points of this retrospective study. Data were collected from existing registrations at National, State and Municipal Health Departments and literature systematic overview, from January 1984 to December 2003. The occurrence of some outbreak of malaria, mainly by Plasmodium vivax, and the prevalence of species of the Anopheles genus different from Anopheles darlingi in the region are discussed. The malaria in the left bank of Paraná River is a focal problem, which must be approached locally through health, educational and social actions to prevent the continuity of outbreaks in the area. Concomitantly, it is necessary to plan and apply effective surveillance measures in the influence area of the Itaipu Reservoir.

Two divergent ways to manage HR and to get to the top: an exploratory study in micro firms

Aim of the paper: The purpose of this paper is to examine human resources management practices (HRM practices) in small firms and to improve the understanding of the relationship between this kind of practices and business growth. This exploratory study is based on the resource-based view of the firm and empirical work carried out in two small firms by relating HRM practices with the firms’ results. Contribution to the literature: This is an in-depth study of HRM practices and its impact on performance growth in micro firms, isolating and controlling for most of the contextual and internal variables considered in the literature that relate HRM to growth. Firm growth analysis was broadened by the use of several dependent variables: employment growth and operational and financial performance growth. Some hypotheses for further research in identifying HRM practices in small business and its relation with firm growth are suggested. Methodology: Case study methodology was used to study two firms. The techniques used to collect data were semi-structured interviews to the owner and all the employees, unstructured observation at the firms’ facilities (during two days), entrepreneur profile definition (survey answer) and document data collection (on demographic characterization and performance results). Data was analyzed through content analysis methodology, and categories derived from the interviews’ protocols and literature. Results and implications: Results revealed that despite the firms’ organizational characteristics similarities, they differ significantly in owners’ motivation to grow, HRM practices and organizational performance and growth. Future studies should pay special attention to owner willingness to grow, to firms’ years of experience in business, to staff’s years of experience in their field of work and turnover. HRM practices in micro/small firms should be better defined and characterized. The external image of management posture relating to longitudinal financial results and growth should also be explored.

Psychological safety, authentic leadership and social networks : A psycho-structural approach to the study of groups

Tese de Doutoramento em Psicologia na área de especialização de Psicologia das Organizações apresentada ao ISPA - Instituto Universitário

Electroconvulsive therapy and anticoagulation after pulmonary embolism: a case report

Introduction Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is considered the most effective treatment for catatonia regardless its underlying condition. The rigid fixed posture and immobility observed in catatonia may lead to several clinical complications, of which, pulmonary embolism (PE) is one of the most severe. The rapid improvement of the psychiatric condition in catatonia-related PE is essential, since immobility favors the occurrence of new thromboembolic events and further complications. In that scenario, ECT should be considered, based on a risk-benefit analysis, aiming at the faster resolution of the catatonia. Methods Case report and literature review. Results A 66-years-old woman admitted to the psychiatric ward with catatonia due to a depressive episode presented bilateral PE. Clinically stable, but still severely depressed after a trial of antidepressants, she was treated with ECT in the course of full anticoagulation with enoxaparin. After five ECT sessions, her mood was significantly better and she was walking and eating spontaneously. She did not present complications related either to PE or to anticoagulation. After the eighth ECT session, she evolved with hypomania, which was managed with oral medication adjustments. The patient was completely euthymic at discharge. Conclusion The case we presented provides further evidence to the anecdotal case reports on the safety of ECT in the course of concomitant full anticoagulant therapy after PE, and illustrates how, with the proper precautions, the benefits of ECT in such condition might outweigh its risks.

A participação dos cidadãos na televisão: estudo de caso de programas informativos da SIC e SIC Notícias

Dissertação de mestrado em Ciências da Comunicação (área de especialização em Informação e Jornalismo)

Cognitive and Emotional Deficits Associated with Minor and Serious Delinquency in High-Risk Adolescents

This study aims at evaluating how minor and serious delinquency relates to cognitive and emotional functioning in high-risk adolescents, taking problematic substance use into account. In 80 high-risk adolescent males (13-19 years), the frequency of minor and serious offences committed over the last year was predicted, in multiple regression analyses, from problematic substance use, intellectual efficiency, trait impulsivity, alexithymia (inability to express feelings in words), and cognitive coping strategies. Both minor and serious delinquency were more frequent in adolescents with more problematic substance use and higher intellectual efficacy. Minor delinquency was further related to a tendency to act out when experiencing negative emotions, and difficulties in focusing energy on instrumental action when under stress; while serious delinquency was predominantly and strongly related to rigid and dichotomous thinking. The results underline the heterogeneous nature of delinquency, minor offences being primarily associated with emotional regulation deficits, while major offences are related with a lack of cognitive flexibility.

Perceptions of aging across 26 cultures and their culture-level associates

College students (N = 3,435) in 26 cultures reported their perceptions of age-related changes in physical cognitive, and socioemotional areas of functioning and rated societal views of aging within their culture. There was widespread cross-cultural consensus regarding the expected direction of aging trajectories with (a) perceived declines in societal views of aging, physical attractiveness, the ability to perform everyday tasks, and new learning; (b) perceived increases in wisdom, knowledge, and received respect; and (c) perceived stability in family authority and life satisfaction. Cross-cultural variations in aging perceptions were associated with culture-level indicators of population aging, education levels, values, and national character stereotypes. These associations were stronger for societal views on aging and perceptions of socioemotional changes than for perceptions of physical and cognitive changes. A consideration of culture-level variables also suggested that previously reported differences in aging perceptions between Asian and Western countries may be related to differences in population structure.

Dialogism and dialogicality in the study of the self

This article stems from the statement that dialogical approaches to a study of the self face a double challenge: that of developing a conception of the self that both avoids social reductionism and accounts for the stability of the self. In discussing this double challenge, we identify three much debated issues: (a) To what does the notion of "Alter" exactly refer? (b) How could we conceptualize the fact that Subject-Alter interactions are not only interpersonal but entail larger social entities, in particular institutions? (c)What importance should we attach to the materiality of objects? We discuss these three questions from two standpoints - that of linguistics and that of psychology - and illustrate our theoretical proposals with an analysis of an excerpt taken from a focus-group discussion. In conclusion, we argue that the dialogism of discourse provides us with some clues about the dialogicality of the mind, whereas the latter invites us to develop a theory showing the importance of interactions in the construction of the self, to pay more attention to the transpersonal dimension of the social, and to consider that the material world contributes to the construction of the self.