Intra and inter-individual differences in social intelligence of Portuguese students

Social intelligence is a favorable condition for career decision-making and development. The social intelligence indices of Portuguese students in school years prior to a career transition are characterized and intra and interindividual differences are analyzed. Participants were 1095 students (552, 50.4% women) with a mean age of 14.78 years (SD = 1.86), in the 8th (542, 49.5%), 10th (295, 26.9%) and 11th (258, 23.6%) grades. The Cognitive Test of Social Intelligence (PCIS) was administered at two moments, six months apart. Results indicate that the 8th grade obtained higher average scores in Problem Solving, Motivation and Self-confidence (time 1), while the 10th grade obtained better results in Problem Solving, Motivation and Familiarity (time 2). Between the assessment moments, all school years register an increase in Problem Solving and Self-confidence in social situations. These results constitute favorable psychological conditions for the promotion of ethical questioning in career guidance interventions.

Who is honest and why: Baseline activation in anterior insula predicts inter-individual differences in deceptive behavior

Humans engage in deceptive behavior that negatively affects others. The propensity to deceive is,however, characterized by vast inter-individual heterogeneity that is poorly understood. Attempts to investigate the origins of this heterogeneity have so far mainly relied on subjective measures and have shown little predictive power. Here, we used resting electroencephalography to measure objective and stable individual differences in neural baseline activation in combination with an ecologically valid deception paradigm. Results showed that task-independent baseline activation in the anterior insula, a brain area implicated in mapping internal bodily states and in representing emotional arousal and consciousfeelings, predicts individuals’ propensity for deceptive behavior. The higher the neural baseline activation in this area is, the lower individuals’ propensity to deceive. Moreover, results provide evidence that high baseline activation in the anterior insula is associated with negative affect and dispositional tendencies to avoid aversive emotional situations. These results provide converging neural and psychological evidence that individuals might avoid a deceptive act due to a highly active negative emotional system which would make a deceptive act too stressful and bothersome.

Analysis of hand kinematics reveals inter-individual differences in intertemporal decision dynamics

During intertemporal decisions, the preference for smaller, sooner reward over larger-delayed rewards (temporal discounting, TD) exhibits substantial inter-subject variability; however, it is currently unclear what are the mechanisms underlying this apparently idiosyncratic behavior. To answer this question, here we recorded and analyzed mouse movement kinematics during intertemporal choices in a large sample of participants (N = 86). Results revealed a specific pattern of decision dynamics associated with the selection of “immediate” versus “delayed” response alternatives, which well discriminated between a “discounter” versus a “farsighted” behavior—thus representing a reliable behavioral marker of TD preferences. By fitting the Drift Diffusion Model to the data, we showed that differences between discounter and farsighted subjects could be explained in terms of different model parameterizations, corresponding to the use of different choice mechanisms in the two groups. While farsighted subjects were biased toward the “delayed” option, discounter subjects were not correspondingly biased toward the “immediate” option. Rather, as shown by the dynamics of evidence accumulation over time, their behavior was characterized by high choice uncertainty.

The biochemistry of drug metabolism : an introduction : part 6, Inter-individual factors affecting drug metabolism.

This review is part of a series of review articles on the metabolism of drugs and other xenobiotics published in Chemistry & Biodiversity. After a thorough discussion of metabolic reactions and their enzymes, this article focuses on genetically determined differences in drug and xenobiotic metabolism. After a short introduction on the causes for genetic differences, the first focus is on species differences in drug and xenobiotic metabolism. A major chapter is then dedicated to clinically relevant genetic polymorphisms in human drug metabolism and resultant ethnic differences. The last two chapters deal with sex-dependent differences in drug metabolism and personalized pharmacotherapy related to inter-individual differences in drug metabolism.

Career-choice readiness in adolescence: Developmental trajectories and individual differences

Developing career-choice readiness is an important task in adolescence, but current theory and research has provided a rather static view of the phenomenon. The present study investigated the development of career-choice readiness among a group of 325 Swiss students assessed four times every 5 months from seventh through eighth grade. A variable-centered approach applying latent curve modeling showed not only a linear increase of readiness over time but also significant inter-individual differences in the level and development of readiness. Higher levels were predicted by more self-esteem and generalized self-efficacy and fewer perceived barriers while increase in readiness was predicted by increase in occupational information. A person-centered approach applying latent class-growth analysis identified four distinct developmental trajectories: high-increasing (42%), high-decreasing (5%), moderate-increasing (42%), and constantly low (11%). Students with different trajectories showed significant differences in core self-evaluations, occupational knowledge, and barriers. The results suggest that environmental demands promote a developmental trend in readiness development that overrules individual differences for the majority of students. Individual differences affect the level of readiness to a greater extent than the process of its development. Career information seems pivotal for readiness increase.

Efficiency at Rest: Magnetoencephalographic Resting-State Connectivity and Individual Differences in Verbal Working Memory

Inter-individual differences in cognitive performance are based on an efficient use of task-related brain resources. However, little is known yet on how these differences might be reflected on resting-state brain networks. Here we used Magnetoencephalography resting-state recordings to assess the relationship between a behavioral measurement of verbal working memory and functional connectivity as measured through Mutual Information. We studied theta (4?8 Hz), low alpha (8?10 Hz), high alpha (10?13 Hz), low beta (13?18 Hz) and high beta (18?30 Hz) frequency bands. A higher verbal working memory capacity was associated with a lower mutual information in the low alpha band, prominently among right-anterior and left-lateral sensors. The results suggest that an efficient brain organization in the domain of verbal working memory might be related to a lower resting-state functional connectivity across large-scale brain networks possibly involving right prefrontal and left perisylvian areas.

A stereological comparison of villous and microvillous surfaces in small intestines of frugivorous and entomophagous bats: species, inter-individual and craniocaudal differences

The extents of functional surfaces (villi, microvilli) have been estimated at different longitudinal sites, and in the entire small intestine, for three species of bats belonging to two feeding groups: insect- and fruit-eaters. In all species, surface areas and other structural quantities tended to be greatest at more cranial sites and to decline caudally. The entomophagous bat (Miniopterus inflatus) had a mean body mass (coefficient of variation) of 8.9 g (5%) and a mean intestinal length of 20 cm (6%). The surface area of the basic intestinal tube (primary mucosa) was 9.1 cm2 (10%) but this was amplified to 48 cm2 (13%) by villi and to 0.13 m2 (20%) by microvilli. The total number of microvilli per intestine was 4 x 10(11) (20%). The average microvillus had a diameter of 8 nm (10%), a length of 1.1 microns (22%) and a membrane surface area of 0.32 micron 2 (31%). In two species of fruit bats (Epomophorus wahlbergi and Lisonycteris angolensis), body masses were greater and intestines longer, the values being 76.0 g (18%) and 76.9 g (4%), and 73 cm (16%) and 72 cm (7%), respectively. Surface areas were also greater, amounting to 76 cm2 (26%) and 45 cm2 (8%) for the primary mucosa, 547 cm2 (29%) and 314 cm2 (16%) for villi and 2.7 m2 (23%) and 1.5 m2 (18%) for microvilli. An increase in the number of microvilli, 33 x 10(11) (19%) and 15 x 10(11) (24%) per intestine, contributed to the more extensive surface area but there were concomitant changes in the dimensions of microvilli. Mean diameters were 94 nm (8%) and 111 nm (4%), and mean lengths were 2.8 microns (12%) and 2.9 microns (10%), respectively. Thus, an increase in the surface area of the average microvillus to 0.83 micron 2 (12%) and 1.02 microns 2 (11%) also contributed to the greater total surface area of microvilli. The lifestyle-related differences in total microvillous surface areas persisted when structural quantities were normalised for the differences in body masses. The values for total microvillous surface area were 148 cm2g-1 (20%) in the entomophagous bat, 355 cm2g-1 (20%) in E. wahlbergi and 192 cm2g-1 (17%) in L. angolensis. This was true despite the fact that the insecteater possessed a greater length of intestine per unit of body mass: 22 mm g-1 (8%) versus 9-10 mm g-1 (9-10%) for the fruit-eaters.

Inter-individual variability in temporal structure of the basketball shoot

This study analyzed inter-individual variability of the temporal structure applied in basketball throwing. Ten experienced male athletes in basketball throwing were filmed and a number of kinematic movement parameters analyzed. A biomechanical model provided the relative timing of the shoulder, elbow and wrist joint movements. Inter-individual variability was analyzed using sequencing and relative timing of tem phases of the throw. To compare the variability of the movement phases between subjects a discriminant analysis and an ANOVA were applied. The Tukey test was applied to determine where differences occurred. The significance level was p = 0.05. Inter-individual variability was explained by three concomitant factors: (a) a precision control strategy, (b) a velocity control strategy and (c) intrinsic characteristics of the subjects. Therefore, despite the fact that some actions are common to the basketball throwing pattern each performed demonstrated particular and individual characteristics.

The relationship between CA/C ratio and individual differences in dynamic accommodative responses while viewing stereoscopic images

The oculomotor synergy as expressed by the CA/C and AC/A ratios was investigated to examine its influence on our previous observation that whereas convergence responses to stereoscopic images are generally stable, some individuals exhibit significant accommodative overshoot. Using a modified video refraction unit while viewing a stereoscopic LCD, accommodative and convergence responses to balanced and unbalanced vergence and focal stimuli (BVFS and UBVFS) were measured. Accommodative overshoot of at least 0.3 D was found in 3 out of 8 subjects for UBVFS. The accommodative response differential (RD) was taken to be the difference between the initial response and the subsequent mean static steady-state response. Without overshoot, RD was quantified by finding the initial response component. A mean RD of 0.11 +/- 0.27 D was found for the 1.0 D step UBVFS condition. The mean RD for the BVFS was 0.00 +/- 0.17 D. There was a significant positive correlation between CA/C ratio and RD (r = +0.75, n = 8, p <0.05) for only UBVFS. We propose that inter-subject variation in RD is influenced by the CA/C ratio as follows: an initial convergence response, induced by disparity of the image, generates convergence-driven accommodation commensurate with the CA/C ratio; the associated transient defocus subsequently decays to a balanced position between defocus-induced and convergence-induced accommodations.

Individual differences in motivated social cognition: The case of self-serving information processing

Three experiments examined the hypothesis that people show consistency in motivated social cognitive processing across self-serving domains. Consistent with this hypothesis, Experiment 1 revealed that people who rated a task at which they succeeded as more important than a task at which they failed also cheated on a series of math problems, but only when they could rationalize their cheating as unintentional. Experiment 2 replicated this finding and demonstrated that a self-report measure of self-deception did not predict this rationalized cheating. Experiment 3 replicated Experiments 1 and 2 and ruled out several alternative explanations. These experiments suggest that people who show motivated processing in ego-protective domains also show motivated processing in extrinsic domains. These experiments also introduce a new measurement procedure for differentiating between intentional versus rationalized cheating.

Cell disposition of raltegravir and newer antiretrovirals in HIV-infected patients: high inter-individual variability in raltegravir cellular penetration.

Objectives The site of pharmacological activity of raltegravir is intracellular. Our aim was to determine the extent of raltegravir cellular penetration and whether raltegravir total plasma concentration (C(tot)) predicts cellular concentration (C(cell)). Methods Open-label, prospective, pharmacokinetic study on HIV-infected patients on a stable raltegravir-containing regimen. Plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were simultaneously collected during a 12 h dosing interval after drug intake. C(tot) and C(cell) of raltegravir, darunavir, etravirine, maraviroc and ritonavir were measured by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry after protein precipitation. Longitudinal mixed effects analysis was applied to the C(cell)/C(tot) ratio. Results Ten HIV-infected patients were included. The geometric mean (GM) raltegravir total plasma maximum concentration (C(max)), minimum concentration (C(min)) and area under the time-concentration curve from 0-12 h (AUC(0-12)) were 1068 ng/mL, 51.1 ng/mL and 4171 ng·h/mL, respectively. GM raltegravir cellular C(max), C(min) and AUC(0-12) were 27.5 ng/mL, 2.9 ng/mL and 165 ng·h/mL, respectively. Raltegravir C(cell) corresponded to 5.3% of C(tot) measured simultaneously. Both concentrations fluctuate in parallel, with C(cell)/C(tot) ratios remaining fairly constant for each patient without a significant time-related trend over the dosing interval. The AUC(cell)/AUC(tot) GM ratios for raltegravir, darunavir and etravirine were 0.039, 0.14 and 1.55, respectively. Conclusions Raltegravir C(cell) correlated with C(tot) (r = 0.86). Raltegravir penetration into cells is low overall (∼5% of plasma levels), with distinct raltegravir cellular penetration varying by as much as 15-fold between patients. The importance of this finding in the context of development of resistance to integrase inhibitors needs to be further investigated.