Representações imaginárias sociais da infidelidade conjugal feminina em Belém-PA

Esta pesquisa objetivou identificar e compreender as representações imaginárias sociais sobre relacionamento extraconjugal feminino, presentes no discurso de mulheres casadas que mantêm relacionamentos extraconjugais. A teoria de Cornelius Castoriadis deu suporte para a realização deste estudo. Foi utilizada a metodologia qualitativa e foram realizadas entrevistas semidirigidas para obtenção das informações junto as participantes. Foram entrevistadas 09 mulheres casadas, com idade entre 30 e 48 anos, da classe média urbana de Belém-PA, que disseram ter pelo menos uma relação extraconjugal. Os dados foram analisados por meio do Método de Explicitação do Discurso Subjacente (MEDS). A análise dos resultados demonstraram que as mulheres justificam suas traições devido à traição do marido, como uma vingança, ou pelo fato dos cônjuges não as satisfazerem afetiva e/ou sexualmente. Exploraram-se: os diversos significados que as entrevistadas atribuíram à infidelidade; o modo como essas mulheres vivenciam o sentimento de culpa gerado pelo conflito existente entre as regras sociais introjetadas e o desejo de viver uma relação extraconjugal. Dessa forma, a infidelidade conjugal remete a momentos de felicidade, vivências que fogem à rotina diária, propiciada pelos momentos de lazer. Conclui-se que a dimensão imaginária direciona a ação humana, assumindo um papel fundamental na materialização da infidelidade no que diz respeito ao desejo dessas mulheres de manter uma outra relação fora do casamento. Dessa forma, ressalto que somente o conhecimento das regras instituídas socialmente não são suficientes, apesar de imprescindíveis, para gerar ações e modos de pensar compatíveis com as normas e valores sociais.

Social support and common mental disorder among medical students

INTRODUÇÃO:Diferentes formas de sofrimento psíquico têm sido identificadas em estudantes da área da saúde, em especial no curso de Medicina.OBJETIVO:Estimar a prevalência de sofrimento psíquico entre estudantes de Medicina em uma faculdade no Sudeste do Brasil e avaliar sua associação com apoio social.MÉTODO:Trata-se de um estudo transversal. Foram aplicados questionários para alunos do 1º ao 6º ano do curso de Medicina da Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, investigando-se características demográficas relacionadas ao curso e à adaptação à cidade. Sofrimento psíquico foi investigado na forma de Transtorno Mental Comum (TMC), avaliado por meio do Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). Apoio social foi avaliado com a Escala de Apoio Social (EAS). As associações entre o desfecho e as variáveis explanatórias foram analisadas por meio do teste do χ2 e, na análise multivariada, por meio da Regressão Logística, com p < 0,05.RESULTADOS:A taxa de resposta foi de 80,7%, não havendo diferença estatística entre a mostra e a população-alvo no que diz respeito ao gênero (p = 0,78). A média de idade foi de 22 anos (desvio padrão - DP = 2,2) com predomínio de mulheres (58,2%) e estudantes que vivem com amigos (62%). A prevalência de TMC foi de 44,9% (IC95% 40,2 - 49,6). Após a análise multivariada, mantiveram-se associados a TMC: sentir-se rejeitado no último ano (p < 0,001), ter pensado ou pensar em abandonar o curso (p < 0,001) e interação, avaliada pela EAS (p = 0,002).CONCLUSÕES:A prevalência de TMC entre estudantes de Medicina mostrou-se elevada, identificando-se o apoio social insuficiente como fator de risco. Esses achados sugerem que intervenções voltadas para propiciar melhores condições de interação social entre estudantes poderiam ser benéficas, diminuindo a prevalência de TMC nesse grupo.

Como se dá a concepção de genêro na educação infantil

This research will try to understand how the concept of gender works at school, since working and discussing the body and sexuality is not a matter to be treated only within the family environment, school is a place for formal and appropriate new knowledge about sexuality, gender and body, in order to be part of the child framework according to adequate theory. At school, which is a place of different social values and especially to build readings world is surrounded by theoretical frameworks appropriate to think of the body not only as biological, but as one that can vary, feel desires and pleasures, changes and growth. This research aims to understand the notes of literature regarding to teaching children about respect for others, how children notice parts of your body, the space they are in, how they build their own and other perceptions, supported by their teachers, how they express themselves and show social rules and behaviors, focusing on building an egalitarian and respectful society regarding to relations between men and women which begin in childhood and is part of sexuality taught at school by teachers. This research will focus on methodology bibliographic through exploratory, interpretive and selective reading

Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT) for Individuals with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders in Outpatient Treatment Settings

The role of social cognition in severe mental illness (SMI) has gained much attention, especially over the last decade. The impact of deficits in socio-cognitive functioning has been found to have detrimental effects on key areas of day-to-day functioning in individuals with SMI, such as gaining and maintaining employment and overall experienced quality of life. Treatment of individuals with SMI is challenging, as the presentation of individual signs and symptoms is rather heterogeneous. There are several treatment approaches addressing deficits ranging from broader social and interpersonal functioning to neurocognitive and more intrapersonal functioning. As research in the domain of social cognition continues to identify specific deficits and its functional detriments, treatment options need to evolve to better target identified functional deficits. Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT) was recently developed to address specific socio-cognitive deficits in an inpatient population of individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. This study applied SCIT in an outpatient SMI population as many deficits remain after individuals’ symptoms are less severe and overall functioning is more stable than during the acute inpatient phase of their rehabilitation. Specifically, this study has two objectives. First, to demonstrate that deficits in social cognition persist after the acute phase of illness has abated. Second, to demonstrate that these deficits can be ameliorated via targeted treatment such as SCIT. Data was gathered in local outpatient treatment settings serving a heterogeneous SMI population. Adviser: William D. Spaulding

SOCIAL MONOGAMY AND BIPARENTAL CARE OF THE NEOTROPICAL SOUTHERN BAMBOO RAT (KANNABATEOMYS AMBLYONYX)

We analyzed social patterns indicative of the mating system and parental care in a population of the southern bamboo rat (Kannabateomys amblyonyx). This arboreal rodent feeds exclusively on bamboo stems and leaves. We conducted fieldwork from August 2003 to October 2004 in southern Brazil (30 degrees 20`-30 degrees 27`S, 50 degrees 50`-51 degrees 05`W), in patches of introduced Chinese bamboo (Bambusa tuldoides). We captured 18 individuals, 7 of which were adults that received radiotransmitters and were followed from 1 to 12 months. Another 5 animals (adults or subadults) received colored collars. We observed paternal care, delayed juvenile dispersal, and reduced degree of sexual dimorphism, all of which are traits typical of social monogamy. Mated males showed a direct parental behavioral repertoire similar to that of females (with the obvious exception of nursing), including grooming, huddling, and food provisioning. Potential monogamy in this species seems to be a flexible strategy linked to low density of bamboo patches. Females were confined to widely spaced., small home ranges, decreasing the possibility of male defense of and access to > 1 female. The arboreal habits of the species possibly increase the risk of inexperienced young falling from trees or else being depreciated when moving exposed through branches. This risk is probably reduced by the extensive biparental care observed, including the providing of low-energy plant food to young in the nest.

Connections between the Sznajd model with general confidence rules and graph theory

The Sznajd model is a sociophysics model that is used to model opinion propagation and consensus formation in societies. Its main feature is that its rules favor bigger groups of agreeing people. In a previous work, we generalized the bounded confidence rule in order to model biases and prejudices in discrete opinion models. In that work, we applied this modification to the Sznajd model and presented some preliminary results. The present work extends what we did in that paper. We present results linking many of the properties of the mean-field fixed points, with only a few qualitative aspects of the confidence rule (the biases and prejudices modeled), finding an interesting connection with graph theory problems. More precisely, we link the existence of fixed points with the notion of strongly connected graphs and the stability of fixed points with the problem of finding the maximal independent sets of a graph. We state these results and present comparisons between the mean field and simulations in Barabasi-Albert networks, followed by the main mathematical ideas and appendices with the rigorous proofs of our claims and some graph theory concepts, together with examples. We also show that there is no qualitative difference in the mean-field results if we require that a group of size q > 2, instead of a pair, of agreeing agents be formed before they attempt to convince other sites (for the mean field, this would coincide with the q-voter model).

Social facilitation and food partitioning in the queenless ant Dinoponera quadriceps (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Social facilitation occurs when an animal is more likely to behave in a certain way in response to other animals engaged in the same behaviour. For example, an individual returning to the nest with food stimulates other ants to leave and to forage. In the present study we demonstrate the existence of new facets in the colony organization of Dinoponera quadriceps: a positive feedback between the incoming food and the activation of new foragers, and the occurrence of incipient task partitioning during the food sharing. Lower-ranked workers located inside the nest process protein resources and higher-ranked workers handle smaller pieces and distribute them to the larvae. In conclusion, D. quadriceps has a decentralized pattern of task allocation with a double regulatory mechanism, which can be considered a sophisticated aspect of division of labour in ponerine ants.

The red-billed curassow (Crax blumenbachii): social organization, and daily activity patterns

We studied the Red-billed Currasow (Cray blumenbachii) in Vale Natural Reserve, Linhares, Espirito Santo State, Brazil, using camera traps. We found the Red-billed Curassow present in the entire area of the reserve (similar to 22,000 ha) during 40 months of camera trapping (2005-2008). Most records were of single individuals, especially males, but pairs and even groups of individuals were also recorded. Males were paired with one and two females, suggesting polygyny in the species. The species was recorded throughout the day with one peak from 0500 to 0600 hrs and another after 1600 hrs. The daily activity pattern was similar for males and females. The number and widespread nature of the records suggests the local population of this species may be higher than previously thought. Received 10 March 2011. Accepted 5 December 2011.

The relationship between social support and functional capacity in elderly persons with cognitive alterations

The objective of this study was to identify the relationship between social support and the functional capacity of elderly persons with cognitive alterations. It is a descriptive, cross-sectional and quantitative study. The subjects were 101 elderly persons registered in Family Health Centers whose performance in the Mini-Exam for Mental Status was below a certain specified level in a previous study. The Medical Outcomes Study questionnaire, Katz Index and Pfeffer Questionnaire were applied. The dimensions of material, affective, emotional, informational and positive social interaction support resulted in an average final score of 74.32 points, indicating a better level of material and affective support in relation to the other dimensions of support. There was a statistically significant correlation between emotional support and the Katz Index. Knowledge about this relationship favors the development of a nursing care pathway for the elderly which is capable of maintaining their functional capacity and ensuring satisfactory social relations.

Social Skills and Psychological Disorders: Converging and Criterion-Related Validity for YSR and IHSA-Del-Prette in Adolescents at Risk

This study evaluated indexes of converging and criterion-related validity for the Social Skills Inventory for Adolescents (IHSA-Del-Prette) and the Youth Self-Report (YSR) in two samples: one referring to clinical service (CLIN), with 28 adolescents (64.3% boys), 11 through 17 years old (M = 13.75; SD = 1.74), and the other referring to a psycho-educational program (PME = 46.2%), mainly composed of boys (91.7%) aged 13 through 17 (M = 15.33; SD = 1.47). Both samples completed the two inventories. Results showed a high incidence of psychological disorders in both samples (between 4% and 79% in the borderline or clinical range on YSR scales) and accentuated deficits in the general and subscale scores of IHSA-Del-Prette, especially on the frequency scale (25% to 58%). The correlations between the instruments in the two groups supported criterion-related and converging validity. Some issues concerning the differences between the samples and about the construct of social competence, underlying these inventories, are discussed. Key words authors:

Social anxiety and negative early life events in university students

INTRODUCTION: There is substantial evidence regarding the impact of negative life events during childhood on the aetiology of psychiatric disorders. We examined the association between negative early life events and social anxiety in a sample of 571 Spanish University students. METHODS: In a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2007, we collected data through a semistructured questionnaire of sociodemographic variables, personal and family psychiatric history, and substance abuse. We assessed the five early negative life events: (i) the loss of someone close, (ii) emotional abuse, (iii) physical abuse, (iv) family violence, and (v) sexual abuse. All participants completed the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. RESULTS: Mean (SD) age was 21 (4.5), 75% female, LSAS score was 40 (DP = 22), 14.2% had a psychiatric family history and 50.6% had negative life events during childhood. Linear regression analyses, after controlling for age, gender, and family psychiatric history, showed a positive association between family violence and social score (p = 0.03). None of the remaining stressors produced a significant increase in LSAS score (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: University students with high levels of social anxiety presented higher prevalence of negative early life events. Thus, childhood family violence could be a risk factor for social anxiety in such a population.

Cognitive and affective processes in social actions and decisions

The question of how we make, and how we should make judgments and decisions has occupied thinkers for many centuries. This thesis has the aim to add new evidences to clarify the brain’s mechanisms for decisions. The cognitive and the emotional processes of social actions and decisions are investigated with the aim to understand which brain areas are mostly involved. Four experimental studies are presented. A specific kind of population is involved in the first study (as well as in study III) concerning patients with lesion of ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). This region is collocated in the ventral surface of frontal lobe, and it seems have an important role in social and moral decision in forecasting the negative emotional consequences of choice. In study I, it is examined whether emotions, specifically social emotions subserved by the vmPFC, affect people’s willingness to trust others. In study II is observed how incidental emotions could encourage trusting behaviour, especially when individuals are not aware of emotive stimulation. Study III has the aim to gather a direct psychophysiological evidence, both in healthy and neurologically impaired individuals, that emotions are crucially involved in shaping moral judgment, by preventing moral violations. Study IV explores how the moral meaning of a decision and its subsequent action can modulate the basic component of action such as sense of agency.

Social learning and action understanding in human observers: contributions of sensori-motor constraints and prior information

The aim of this thesis was to investigate the respective contribution of prior information and sensorimotor constraints to action understanding, and to estimate their consequences on the evolution of human social learning. Even though a huge amount of literature is dedicated to the study of action understanding and its role in social learning, these issues are still largely debated. Here, I critically describe two main perspectives. The first perspective interprets faithful social learning as an outcome of a fine-grained representation of others’ actions and intentions that requires sophisticated socio-cognitive skills. In contrast, the second perspective highlights the role of simpler decision heuristics, the recruitment of which is determined by individual and ecological constraints. The present thesis aims to show, through four experimental works, that these two contributions are not mutually exclusive. A first study investigates the role of the inferior frontal cortex (IFC), the anterior intraparietal area (AIP) and the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) in the recognition of other people’s actions, using a transcranial magnetic stimulation adaptation paradigm (TMSA). The second work studies whether, and how, higher-order and lower-order prior information (acquired from the probabilistic sampling of past events vs. derived from an estimation of biomechanical constraints of observed actions) interacts during the prediction of other people’s intentions. Using a single-pulse TMS procedure, the third study investigates whether the interaction between these two classes of priors modulates the motor system activity. The fourth study tests the extent to which behavioral and ecological constraints influence the emergence of faithful social learning strategies at a population level. The collected data contribute to elucidate how higher-order and lower-order prior expectations interact during action prediction, and clarify the neural mechanisms underlying such interaction. Finally, these works provide/open promising perspectives for a better understanding of social learning, with possible extensions to animal models.

Social Welfare and Behavioral Public Policies

In this work I discuss several key aspects of welfare economics and policy analysis and I propose two original contributions to the growing field of behavioral public policymaking. After providing a historical perspective of welfare economics and an overview of policy analysis processes in the introductory chapter, in chapter 2 I discuss a debated issue of policymaking, the choice of the social welfare function. I contribute to this debate by proposing an original methodological contribution based on the analysis of the quantitative relationship among different social welfare functional forms commonly used by policy analysts. In chapter 3 I then discuss a behavioral policy to contrast indirect tax evasion based on the use of lotteries. I show that the predictions of my model based on non-expected utility are consistent with observed, and so far unexplained, empirical evidence of the policy success. Finally, in chapter 4 I investigate by mean of a laboratory experiment the effects of social influence on the individual likelihood to engage in altruistic punishment. I show that bystanders’ decision to engage in punishment is influenced by the punishment behavior of their peers and I suggest ways to enact behavioral policies that exploit this finding.