Clinical feasibility of cognitive testing in dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)

Several cognitive tests have been developed to evaluate specific aspects of human and animal learning and memory. These tests have been used for early detection of cognitive deficits and to monitor the treatment of dogs with cognitive impairment. Thus, this article evaluated the feasibility of cognitive tests for use in canine neurology clinical routines and the suitability of the different tests to accomplish this aim. Fifteen healthy adult dogs were used for the cognitive tests of reward approach learning, object approach learning, object discrimination learning, reversal learning, delayed non-matched to position, and delayed non-matched to sample to assess different aspects of memory. No difference was observed between tests of delayed non-matched to position (3.13 +/- 2.23 days) and delayed non-matched to sample (3.20 +/- 2.40 days) (P = 0.944). However, dogs had greater difficulty in reversal learning (8.47 +/- 2.61 days) than in object discrimination learning (4.60 +/- 1.64 days) (P <= 0.001). Based on the tests performed, the delayed non-matched to position test may be performed in clinical routine if the owner and the veterinarian have time available, because this test is sensitive to evaluate dogs with cognitive impairments, but requires approximately 10 days of training. Thus, elderly dogs are excellent experimental models to study pathological aging based on their similarities with some human brain diseases, such as Alzheimer disease. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

O processo de formação de conceitos na perspectiva vigotskiana

In his work on human knowledge, Vygotsky reveals the second human nature, the one which is historical and cultural, due to people´s learning throughout life, through the mediation of others and the concrete conditions of life and education. In this eminently social process, the child grows into the intellectual life having the adult as a peer and learns human skills from this adult-child interaction. This means that, for working with abstract formulation, it is necessary understanding it as a complex, dynamic and functional act that is built by the insertion of individual performance into culture that is mediated by interaction with others. In this setting, each individual reaches knowledge through formal and non-formal learning that help on the formulation of scientific and everyday concepts. To make studies on the process of concept formation, Vygotsky adopted an experimental methodology based on the philosophical assumptions of Marxist theory of how mental processes occur, once he perceived these processes in a constantly changing and moving. Thus, the method called “Instrumental, Cultural and Historical” differed from conventional experimental studies focused on the performance of the task itself. The method adopted by Vygotsky was concerned with the process of concept formation and not only with fragmentary cutouts of cognitive processes. According to our study, the formation of the social nature of man develops from processes of appropriation and objectification of knowledge, which makes individual the historically constructed achievements by mankind, as, for example, types of sophisticated thinking, which requires the discussion of concept formation.

Learning strategies evaluation in students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

This study aim to verify the use of learning strategies in students of the elementary level presenting interdisciplinary diagnosis of attention dei cit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Nine students, male gender, attending 3rd to 9th grade level of the elementary level, average age 10 years and 7 months, presenting interdisciplinary diagnosis of attention dei cit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). h e students were submitted to the application of the Evaluation of Learning Strategies from elementary level – EAVAP-EF – scale, which aimed to evaluate the strategies reported and used by students in situation of study and learning, as follows: cognitive strategies, metacognitive strategies and absence of dysfunctional metacognitive strategies. h e general result at EAVAP-EF scale, showed that students with ADHD reached the percentile 25%, considered as low performance in the use of the learning strategies. For the variable absence of dysfunctional metacognitive strategies, the students presented percentile 30%, percentile 25% for cognitive strategies and 55% for metacognitive strategies. h e results showed that ADHD students do not use ef ectively the learning cognitive and metacognitive strategies and present the use of dysfunctional metacognitive strategies. h ese alterations match with the framework of ADHD because the entry of information, either visual or auditory, showed alterations, derived from inattention, which af ected the learning in classroom situation.

Expressões formulaicas e collocations em inglês: uma proposta de descrição por meio de esquemas de imagem e chunking

Pós-graduação em Linguística e Língua Portuguesa - FCLAR

Estratégias pedagógicas e inclusão escolar: um estudo sobre a formação continuada em serviço de professores a partir do trabalho colaborativo

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

A multiple intelligences theory-based 3D virtual lab environment for digital systems teaching.

This paper describes a 3D virtual lab environment that was developed using OpenSim software integrated into Moodle. Virtuald software tool was used to provide pedagogical support to the lab by enabling to create online texts and delivering them to the students. The courses taught in this virtual lab are methodologically in conformity to theory of multiple intelligences. Some results are presented.

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.

Psicologia do trânsito e competência moral: uma intervenção junto a alunos de um curso de especialização

Pós-graduação em Educação - FFC

Atividade de estudo como fundamento do desenvolvimento do pensamento teórico de crianças em idade escolar inicial

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Dificuldades de aprendizagem em cálculo e a relação com raciocínio lógico formal: uma análise no ensino superior

Pós-graduação em Educação - FFC

Mediação como base de estratégias pedagógicas voltadas a alunos com deficiência mental severa: indicadores para a prática docente

The paper talks about the education of persons with disabilities severe mental retardation based on the idea of Reuven Feuerstein mediation. The collected data were analysed mainly under the focus quantitative, allowing extraction of details of everyday life investigated. Aims to describe and analyze the implementation process their educational, focusing on teaching strategies used by Special Education teachers in the Araraquara’s city. In addition, seeks to address the educational process of a population slightly investigated by uniting two strands of thread in an innovative way: the Theory of Structural Cognitive Modifiability (SCM) and Reuven Feuerstein education of students with severe cognitive impairment. The methodology initiated by the establishment of the teacher’s profile, their mapping and location. Data collection was achieved through three instruments: interviews with teachers, observation protocol and field diary for registration. Our results describe the work of a teacher, showing their practice, and enlist the pedagogical strategies used, mainly those related to the criteria medication. According to the Theory of Structural Cognitive Modifiability (SCM) and the idea of Mediated Learning Experience (MLE), the teacher acts as mediator, interposing themselves between stimuli the environment and the student. The work of the teacher observed indicates that the environment and the student. The work of the teacher observed indicates that she exerts her functions in teaching using pedagogical strategies which are found in her heart, precepts essential to mediation. This shows it is possible to associate the ideas of Feuerstein practices aimed at teaching students with severe mental disabilities.

Auditory evoked potential: a proposal for further evaluation in children with learning disabilities

The information presented in this paper demonstrates the author's experience in previews cross-sectional studies conducted in Brazil, in comparison with the current literature. Over the last 10 years, auditory evoked potential (AEP) has been used in children with learning disabilities. This method is critical to analyze the quality of the processing in time and indicates the specific neural demands and circuits of the sensorial and cognitive process in this clinical population. Some studies with children with dyslexia and learning disabilities were shown here to illustrate the use of AEP in this population.

Blended Online POPBL: uma Abordagem Blended Learning para uma Aprendizagem Baseada em Problemas e Organizada em Projetos

Pós-graduação em Educação - FCT

Experimentação no ensino de química: propostas de realização em busca da aprendizagem significativa

The Experimentation in Science Education is used since the beginning of 19th century and has it origins linked to the laboratory classes realized in the universities. This classes used, and in many cases, still using the Scientific Method initially purposed by Descartes in 18th century for the construction of scientific knowledge. One of the allegations is that the method would be the fast stand the cheapest to generating scientific information, although, it is based on the empiricism-positivism, which considers that all people have the same learning skill and they can start from the same spot. Through this paper, is not intended to contest the scientific methodology, or even its importance in science history, but just try to identify and describe other possibilities in using of the teaching laboratory, which can make the learning easier for a much higher number of students, contemplating different cognitive capabilities and generating a better scientific knowledge learning and its transfer to practical situations in life, besides, they can provide more significant learnings. Over the text, four different purposes will be presented, which depart from the laboratory use for theory evidence, incapable to make students use the learned knowledge outside the school, until that which develops in the students capabilities to scientifically argue about their day to day themes

Writing Motivation of Students with Specific Language Impairments

This study was designed to compare the writing motivation of students with specific language impairments with their non-disabled peers. Due to the cognitive and linguistic demands of the writing process, students with language impairments face unique difficulties during the writing process. It was hypothesized that students with specific language impairments will be more likely to report lower levels of perceived writing competence and be less autonomously motivated to write. Students in grades 3-5 in 11 schools (33 with specific language impairments, 242 non-disabled peers) completed self-report measures, designed from a Self-Determination Theory perspective, which measured the degree that students are intrinsically motivated to write as well as their perceived writing competence. Statistical analyses showed that (1) students with specific language impairments reported lower levels of perceived writing competence and autonomous writing motivation; (2) SLI status was a significant predictor of perceived writing competence after spelling, grade, and gender were controlled; and (3) when spelling, grade, and gender were controlled, perceived writing competence was a significant predictor of autonomous writing motivation, but SLI status was not. The results of this study are expected to inform the current understanding of the relationship between language ability and writing motivation in students with specific language impairments, as well as the design of future writing interventions.