Abordagem dos aspectos psicológicos da mulher infértil :um estudo quali-quantitativo

Purpose: assess the frequency of stress and anxiety levels in infertile women, correlate these aspects with risk factors and qualitatively analyze feelings resultant from the inability to conceive, in order to obtain data for specific psychological guidance. Methods: the case-control study included a total of 302 women, 152 being infertile (case group: 30.3 ± 5.4 years), and 150 non-fertile (control group: 25.7 ± 7.9 years). The quantitative approach involved the application of Lipp s Stress Symptoms Inventory (LSSI) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), whereas the qualitative approach consisted of a semi-structured interview. Response variables considered were: stress frequency and anxiety scores (State and Trait). Statistical analysis compared frequencies and medians between groups, by means of qui-squared and Mann-Whitney tests, respectively, and constructed logistical regression models to test associations between response variables and risk factors considered. Qualitative data were analyzed descriptively and categorized in order to perform correspondence analysis. The level of significance was 5%. Results: in the study sample, stress frequency was higher in the case group than in the control(61.8 and 36.0%, respectively), however, significant differences were not observed between groups in relation to stress phases and predominant symptomology type. With respect to anxiety, there were no significant differences between case and control groups as to median state scores [39.5 (35.0 46.0) and 41.0 (35.7 47.0 ); respectively) and anxiety trait scores [44.0 (34.0 51.0) and 42.0 (36.0 49.2); respectively). Risk factors significantly associated with greater risk for high anxiety scores in the case group were: primary infertility, unawareness of the causal factor, diagnostic phase investigation, religion, lack of children from other marriages and the fact that the woman was previously married. The qualitative approach demonstrated that infertility provokes emotional responses, such as sadness, anxiety, anger, fear and guilt. Conclusions: it can be concluded that infertile women are more vulnerable to stress; however, they are capable of adapting to stressful events without serious physical or psychological compromising

Design emocional e análise observacional: inter-relações entre produto e usuário

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Design e semântica: investigação de técnicas estatísticas para auxílio no projeto de produto

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Chronic infusion of amyloid-β peptide and sustained attention altered α7 nicotinic receptor density in the rat brain

It is already known that progressive degeneration of cholinergic neurons in brain areas such as the hippocampus and the cortex leads to memory deficits, as observed in Alzheimer's disease. This work verified the effects of the infusion of amyloid-beta (A beta) peptide associated to an attentional rehearsal on the density of alpha 7 nicotinic cholinergic receptor (nAChR) in the brain of male Wistar rats. Animals received intracerebroventricular infusion of A beta or vehicle (control - C) and their attention was stimulated weekly (Stimulated A beta group: S-A beta and Stimulated Control group: SC) or not (Non-Stimulated A beta group: N-SA beta and Non-Stimulated Control group: N-SC), using an active avoidance apparatus. Conditioned avoidance responses (CAR) were registered. Chronic infusion of A beta caused a 37% reduction in CAR for N-SA beta. In S-A beta, this reduction was not observed. At the end, brains were extracted and autoradiography for alpha 7 nAChR was conducted using [I-125]-alpha-bungarotoxin. There was an increase in alpha 7 density in hippocampus, cortex and amygdala of SA beta animals, together with the memory preservation. In recent findings from our lab using mice infused with A beta and the alpha 7 antagonist methyllycaconitine, and stimulated weekly in the same apparatus, it was observed that memory maintenance was abolished. So, the increase in alpha 7 density in brain areas related to memory might be related to a participation of this receptor in the long-lasting change in synaptic plasticity, which is important to improve and maintain memory consolidation.

Integration of cognitive and affective processes in perception and decision-making

The relationship between emotion and cognition is a topic that raises great interest in research. Recently, a view of these two processes as interactive and mutually influencing each other has become predominant. This dissertation investigates the reciprocal influences of emotion and cognition, both at behavioral and neural level, in two specific fields, such as attention and decision-making. Experimental evidence on how emotional responses may affect perceptual and attentional processes has been reported. In addition, the impact of three factors, such as personality traits, motivational needs and social context, in modulating the influence that emotion exerts on perception and attention has been investigated. Moreover, the influence of cognition on emotional responses in decision-making has been demonstrated. The current experimental evidence showed that cognitive brain regions such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex are causally implicated in regulation of emotional responses and that this has an effect at both pre and post decisional stages. There are two main conclusions of this dissertation: firstly, emotion exerts a strong influence on perceptual and attentional processes but, at the same time, this influence may also be modulated by other factors internal and external to the individuals. Secondly, cognitive processes may modulate emotional prepotent responses, by serving a regulative function critical to driving and shaping human behavior in line with current goals.

Perception of emotion in sounded and imagined music

WE STUDIED THE EMOTIONAL RESPONSES BY MUSICIANS to familiar classical music excerpts both when the music was sounded, and when it was imagined.We used continuous response methodology to record response profiles for the dimensions of valence and arousal simultaneously and then on the single dimension of emotionality. The response profiles were compared using cross-correlation analysis, and an analysis of responses to musical feature turning points, which isolate instances of change in musical features thought to influence valence and arousal responses. We found strong similarity between the use of an emotionality arousal scale across the stimuli, regardless of condition (imagined or sounded). A majority of participants were able to create emotional response profiles while imagining the music, which were similar in timing to the response profiles created while listening to the sounded music.We conclude that similar mechanisms may be involved in the processing of emotion in music when the music is sounded and when imagined.

Cerebellar cortex involvement in classical eyelid conditioning

A model for cerebellar involvement in motor learning was tested using classical eyelid conditioning in the rabbit. Briefly, we assume that modifications of the strength of granule cell synapses at Purkinje cells in the cerebellar cortex and mossy fiber (MF) synapses at cerebellar interpositus nuclei are responsible for the acquisition, adaptively-timed expression, and extinction of conditioned eyelid responses (CRs). A corollary of these assumptions is that the cerebellar cortex is necessary for acquisition and extinction. This model also suggests a mechanism whereby the cerebellar cortex can discriminate different times during a conditioned stimulus (CS) and thus mediate the learned timing of CRs. Therefore, experiments were done to determine the role of the cerebellar cortex in the timing, extinction, and acquisition of CRs. Lesions of the cerebellar cortex that included the anterior lobe disrupted the learned timing of CRs such that they occurred at extremely short latencies. Stimulation of MFs in the middle cerebellar peduncle as the CS could support differently timed CRs in the same animal. These data indicate that synaptic plasticity in the cerebellar cortex mediates the learned timing of CRs. These short-latency CRs which resulted from anterior lobe damage did not extinguish, while CRs in animals receiving lesions which did not include the anterior lobe extinguished normally. Preliminary data suggests that lesions of the anterior lobe which produce short-latency responses prevent the acquisition of CRs to a novel CS. These findings indicate that the anterior lobe of cerebellar cortex is necessary for eyelid conditioning. The involvement of the anterior lobe in eyelid conditioning has not been previously reported, however, the anterior lobe has generally been spared in lesion studies examining cerebellar cortex involvement in eyelid conditioning due to its relatively inaccessible location. The observation that the anterior lobe of the cerebellar cortex is not always required for the basic expression of CRs, but is necessary for response timing, extinction, and acquisition, is consistent with the hypothesis that eyelid conditioning can involve plasticity in both the cerebellar cortex and interpositus nucleus and that plasticity in the nucleus is controlled by Purkinje cell activity. ^

Professional musicians listen differently to music

INTRODUCTION: Experience-based adaptation of emotional responses is an important faculty for cognitive and emotional functioning. Professional musicians represent an ideal model in which to elicit experience-driven changes in the emotional processing domain. The changes of the central representation of emotional arousal due to musical expertise are still largely unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate the electroencephalogram (EEG) correlates of experience-driven changes in the domain of emotional arousal. Therefore, the differences in perceived (subjective arousal via ratings) and physiologically measured (EEG) arousal between amateur and professional musicians were examined. PROCEDURE: A total of 15 professional and 19 amateur musicians listened to the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th symphony (duration=∼7.4min), during which a continuous 76-channel EEG was recorded. In a second session, the participants evaluated their emotional arousal during listening. In a tonic analysis, we examined the average EEG data over the time course of the music piece. For a phasic analysis, a fast Fourier transform was performed and covariance maps of spectral power were computed in association with the subjective arousal ratings. RESULTS: The subjective arousal ratings of the professional musicians were more consistent than those of the amateur musicians. In the tonic EEG analysis, a mid-frontal theta activity was observed in the professionals. In the phasic EEG, the professionals exhibited an increase of posterior alpha, central delta, and beta rhythm during high arousal. DISCUSSION: Professionals exhibited different and/or more intense patterns of emotional activation when they listened to the music. The results of the present study underscore the impact of music experience on emotional reactions.

Neuroimaging evidence implicating cerebellum in the experience of hypercapnia and hunger for air

Recent neuroimaging and neurological data implicate cerebellum in nonmotor sensory, cognitive, vegetative, and affective functions. The present study assessed cerebellar responses when the urge to breathe is stimulated by inhaled CO2. Ventilation changes follow arterial blood partial pressure CO2 changes sensed by the medullary ventral respiratory group (VRG) and hypothalamus, entraining changes in midbrain, pons, thalamus, limbic, paralimbic, and insular regions. Nearly all these areas are known to connect anatomically with the cerebellum. Using positron emission tomography, we measured regional brain blood flow during acute CO2-induced breathlessness in humans. Separable physiological and subjective effects (air hunger) were assessed by comparisons with various respiratory control conditions. The conjoint physiological effects of hypercapnia and the consequent air hunger produced strong bilateral, near-midline activations of the cerebellum in anterior quadrangular, central, and lingula lobules, and in many areas of posterior quadrangular, tonsil, biventer, declive, and inferior semilunar lobules. The primal emotion of air hunger, dissociated from hypercapnia, activated midline regions of the central lobule. The distributed activity across the cerebellum is similar to that for thirst, hunger, and their satiation. Four possible interpretations of cerebellar function(s) here are that: it subserves implicit intentions to access air; it provides predictive internal models about the consequences of CO2 inhalation; it modulates emotional responses; and that while some cerebellar regions monitor sensory acquisition in the VRG (CO2 concentration), others influence VRG to adjust respiratory rate to optimize partial pressure CO2, and others still monitor and optimize the acquisition of other sensory data in service of air hunger aroused vigilance.

O consumidor envergonhado: uma investigação das relações entre o sentimento de vergonha e os significados do consumo

O estudo das emoções no consumo é fundamental para a expansão do conhecimento da área de marketing. Pesquisadores de consumo de múltiplas tendências já perceberam a importância de se compreender mais profundamente os fenômenos emocionais associados ao consumo. Esta tese apresenta uma análise das relações entre o sentimento de vergonha e os significados de consumo. Utilizei uma abordagem de orientação sociológica, focada nas relações entre o indivíduo e o grupo na construção de seus sentimentos. Para poder penetrar no mundo dos sentimentos vividos pelos indivíduos, adotei uma perspectiva interpretativa para a pesquisa. Como conseqüência direta de minha opção epistemológica, foi necessária a utilização de uma abordagem metodológica capaz de alcançar os conjuntos de significados subjetivos dos indivíduos organizados dentro de um contexto social. Essencialmente, ficou demonstrado que o interacionismo interpretativo (DENZIN, 1989) ofereceu uma solução útil e consistente para os problemas de análise dos volumosos dados resultantes da abordagem qualitativa. A utilização do interacionismo interpretativo permitiu que eu permanecesse totalmente focado no fenômeno sob estudo devido às características progressivas (step-like) da análise. Além disso, a abordagem adotada tornou possível o acesso às perspectivas dos participantes através de suas linguagens, atitudes e pensamentos. Como resultado, obtive uma interpretação mais rica e completa das relações de consumo que envolvem a vergonha. Foram construídos três casos que representam de forma abrangente as entrevistas capturadas. Estes três casos ofereceram indicações suficientes para a discussão acerca dos principais pontos levantados. Ficou claro que a vergonha pode agir de maneira a constituir e modificar o significado de consumo de bens e serviços e alterar a avaliação do consumidor com relação a estes. Além disso, o estudo da vergonha pode ter conseqüências práticas para o marketing uma vez que este sentimento está relacionado ao estímulo ou desestímulo do consumo, além de surgir como resposta para algumas experiências de consumo.

The application of physiological observation methods to emotion research

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine consumer emotions and the social science and observation measures that can be utilised to capture the emotional experiences of consumers. The paper is not setting out to solve the theoretical debate surrounding emotion research, rather to provide an assessment of methodological options available to researchers to aid their investigation into both the structure and content of the consumer emotional experience, acknowledging both the conscious and subconscious elements of that experience. Design/methodology/approach - A review of a wide range of prior research from the fields of marketing, consumer behaviour, psychology and neuroscience are examined to identify the different observation methods available to marketing researchers in the study of consumer emotion. This review also considers the self report measures available to researchers and identifies the main theoretical debates concerning emotion to provide a comprehensive overview of the issues surrounding the capture of emotional responses in a marketing context and to highlight the benefits that observation methods offer this area of research. Findings - This paper evaluates three observation methods and four widely used self report measures of emotion used in a marketing context. Whilst it is recognised that marketers have shown preference for the use of self report measures in prior research, mainly due to ease of implementation, it is posited that the benefits of observation methodology and the wealth of data that can be obtained using such methods can compliment prior research. In addition, the use of observation methods cannot only enhance our understanding of the consumer emotion experience but also enable us to collaborate with researchers from other fields in order to make progress in understanding emotion. Originality/value - This paper brings perspectives and methods together to provide an up to date consideration of emotion research for marketers. In order to generate valuable research in this area there is an identified need for discussion and implementation of the observation techniques available to marketing researchers working in this field. An evaluation of a variety of methods is undertaken as a point to start discussion or consideration of different observation techniques and how they can be utilised.

Employee negative emotions in supervisory relationships : an attachment theory perspective

Relationships with supervisors are a major source of negative emotions at work, but little is known about why this is so. The aim of the research was to use attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969, 1973; 1980) as a framework for investigating the nature and causes of employee negative emotional experiences, in the context of their supervisory relationships. The research was conducted in three stages. In Stage 1 two studies were conducted to develop a measure of employee perceptions of supervisor caregiving (SCS). Results indicated that the 20-item scale had good reliability and validity. Stage 2 required participants (N=183) to complete a questionnaire that was designed to examine the roles of supervisor caregiving and working models (specific and global) in determining cognitive and emotional responses to hypothetical supervisor behaviours. The results provided partial support for an Independent Effects Model. Supervisor caregiving predicted specific anxiety and avoidance. In tum, both dimensions of attachment predicted negative emotions, but this relationship was mediated by event interpretation only in the case of avoidance. Global models made a smaller but significant contribution to negative emotions overall. There was no support for an interaction effect between specific and global models in determining event interpretation. In stage 3 a sub-sample of questionnaire respondents (N=24) were interviewed about 'real-life' caregiving and negative emotional experiences in their supervisory relationships. Secure individuals experienced supervisors as consistently warm, available, and responsive. They reported few negative events or emotions. Individuals with insecure specific working models experienced rejecting or inconsistent supervisor caregiving. They were sensitised to trust and closeness issues in their relationships, and reported negative events and emotions underpinned by these themes. Overall, results broadly supported attachment theory predictions. It is concluded that an attachment theory perspective provides new insight into the nature and causes of employee negative emotions in supervisory relationships.

Perception of risk, feelings of vulnerability and effects on driving behaviour in women drivers across the lifespan.

Sustained driving in older age has implications for quality of life and mental health. Studies have shown that despite the recognised importance of driving in maintaining health and social engagement, many women give up driving prematurely or adopt self-imposed restrictive driving practices. Emotional responses to driving have been implicated in these decisions. This research examined the effect of risk perception and feelings of vulnerability on women’s driving behaviour across the lifespan. It also developed and tested a modified theory of planned behaviour intervention to positively affect driving habits. The first two studies (N=395) used quantitative analysis to model driving behaviours affected by risk perception and feelings of vulnerability, and established that feelings of vulnerability do indeed affect women’s driving behaviour, specifically resulting in increases in driving avoidance and the adoption of maladaptive driving styles. Further, that self-regulation, conceptualised as avoidance, is used by drivers across the lifespan. Qualitative analysis of focus group data (N=48) in the third study provided a deeper understanding of the variations in coping behaviours adopted by sub-groups of drivers and extended the definition of self-regulation to incorporate adaptive coping strategies. The next study (N=64) reported the construction and preliminary validation of the novel self-regulation index (SRI) to measure wider self-regulation behaviours using an objective measure of driving behaviour, a simulated driving task. The understanding gained from the formative research was used in the final study, an extended theory of planned behaviour intervention to promote wider self-regulation behaviour, measured using the previously validated self-regulation index. The intervention achieved moderate success with changes in affective attitude and normative beliefs as well as self-reported behaviour. The results offer promise for self-regulation, incorporating a spectrum of planning and coping behaviours, to be used as a mechanism to assist drivers in achieving their personal mobility goals whilst promoting safe driving.

Self-monitoring of blood glucose in Black Caribbean and South Asian Canadians with non-insulin treated Type 2 diabetes mellitus:a qualitative study of patients' perspectives

Background: To examine the views and current practice of SMBG among Black Caribbean and South Asian individuals with non-insulin treated Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: Twelve participants completed semi-structured interviews that were guided by the Health Belief Model and analyzed using thematic network analysis. Results: The frequency of monitoring among participants varied from several times a day to once per week. Most participants expressed similar experiences regarding their views and practices of SMBG. Minor differences across gender and culture were observed. All participants understood the benefits, but not all viewed SMBG as beneficial to their personal diabetes management. SMBG can facilitate a better understanding and maintenance of self-care behaviours. However, it can trigger both positive and negative emotional responses, such as a sense of disappointment when high readings are not anticipated, resulting in emotional distress. Health care professionals play a key role in the way SMBG is perceived and used by patients. Conclusion: While the majority of participants value SMBG as a self-management tool, barriers exist that impede its practice, particularly its cost. How individuals cope with these barriers is integral to understanding why some patients adopt SMBG more than others. © 2013 Gucciardi et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.