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Current Issues in Personality Psychology 2021The main research question of the article is how the perception of help and the style of interpersonal relations are connected. In a broad sense, the question refers to...
BACKGROUND
The main research question of the article is how the perception of help and the style of interpersonal relations are connected. In a broad sense, the question refers to the problem of constant and situational variables of prosocial activity. The main methodological framework is Vygotsky's cultural-historical psychology, in particular, the mechanism of interiorization and the interaction of interpsychological and intrapsychological processes.
PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE
Over 215 participants (students attending school and university, living in Ukraine, aged from 12 to 22 years) took part in our experiment, but because not all of them completed all the necessary forms correctly, only 193 participants' answers were further analyzed. Our two research techniques were Leary's Interpersonal Behavior Circle Personal Inventory and the semantic differential ( = 193).
RESULTS
Each disposition from Leary's questionnaire had at least one significant correlation with the way Ukrainian adolescents perceive help. The semantic aspects of perceiving help were investigated with the help of ranking the qualities of the semantic differential for the words "help the other".
CONCLUSIONS
The identified correlations contribute to the psychological analysis of the detailed characteristics of perceiving help concerning personal dispositions. Personal, communicational and semantic aspects of help are interconnected and their further research can bring rich insights.
PubMed: 38013700
DOI: 10.5114/cipp.2021.104594 -
Journal of Communication Disorders 2020Language decline has been associated with healthy aging and with various neurodegenerative conditions, making it challenging to differentiate among these conditions....
PURPOSE
Language decline has been associated with healthy aging and with various neurodegenerative conditions, making it challenging to differentiate among these conditions. This study examined the utility of linguistic measures derived from a short narrative language sample for 1) identifying language characteristics and cut-off scores to differentiate between healthy aging, Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer's dementia (AD); and 2) differentiating among PPA variants in which language is the primary impairment.
METHOD
Participants were 25 neurologically healthy English speakers, 20 individuals with MCI, 20 with AD, and 26 with PPA (non-fluent/agrammatic N = 10, logopenic N = 9, semantic N = 7). Narrative language samples of the Cookie Theft Picture of persons with healthy aging, MCI and AD were retrospectively obtained from the DementiaBank database (https://talkbank.org/DementiaBank/) and PPA samples were obtained from an ongoing research study. The language samples were analyzed for fluency, word retrieval success, grammatical accuracy, and errors using automated and manual analysis methods. The sensitivity and specificity of various language measures was computed.
RESULTS
Participants with PPA scored lower than neurologically healthy and MCI groups on fluency (words per minute and disfluencies), word retrieval (Correct Information Units and number of errors), and sentence grammaticality. PPA and AD groups did not differ on language measures. Agrammatic PPA participants scored lower than logopenic and semantic PPA groups on several measures, while logopenic and semantic PPA did not differ on any measures.
CONCLUSION
Measures derived from brief language samples and analyzed using mostly automated methods are clinically useful in differentiating PPA from healthy aging and MCI, and agrammatic PPA from other variants. The sensitivity and specificity of these measures is modest and can be improved when coupled with clinical presentation.
Topics: Aged; Alzheimer Disease; Aphasia, Primary Progressive; Cognitive Dysfunction; Diagnosis, Differential; Humans; Language; Middle Aged; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 32388191
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2020.105994 -
Psychiatria Danubina Dec 2021The review outlines the importance of understanding speech and language difficulties that occur among the first symptoms of frontotemporal dementia, as well as the role...
The review outlines the importance of understanding speech and language difficulties that occur among the first symptoms of frontotemporal dementia, as well as the role of speech therapists in the management of people with frontotemporal dementia. Frontotemporal dementia is one of the most common types of dementia in adults under the age of 65. The main variations of frontotemporal dementia are behavioral, progressive nonfluent aphasia, semantic dementia, and logopenic progressive aphasia. Speech and language difficulties are often among the first indicative signs of frontotemporal dementia, and their proper recognition and understanding play a significant role in the differential diagnosis. Speech and language therapists have to be involved both in the diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia and its treatment to provide the highest quality services to people with dementia and their carers.
Topics: Adult; Aphasia, Primary Progressive; Cognition; Diagnosis, Differential; Frontotemporal Dementia; Humans; Speech
PubMed: 35150484
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal of Voice : Official Journal of... Oct 2022Glottal fry is an increasingly prevalent voice type in young female speakers. The purpose of this study was to identify employers' perceptions toward young female...
PURPOSE
Glottal fry is an increasingly prevalent voice type in young female speakers. The purpose of this study was to identify employers' perceptions toward young female speakers presenting with glottal fry and the impact on hirability.
METHODS
Sixty employers responsible for hiring at their business in the Southeast region of the United States completed a survey developed to capture employers' perceptions toward young women using glottal fry. Employers listened to three voice samples of young women with varying levels of glottal fry and rated the voice on 14 semantic differential items. The semantic differential items were derived from the hiring constructs literature to capture perceptions related to mental capability, personality tendencies, and applied social skills. Additionally, questions related to hirability were captured at the end of the survey.
RESULTS
Employers were able to identify continuous glottal fry compared to nonglottal fry voice samples. Employers rated voice samples with glottal fry more negatively (eg, less trustworthy, less competent, less educated) compared to nonglottal fry voice samples and were less likely to hire female speakers with continuous glottal fry.
CONCLUSION
This study highlights the impact of negative perceptions toward glottal fry on hirability of young female speakers. Such information can provide insight to increase awareness of the impact of a voice type on listener perceptions and communication among young female speakers.
PubMed: 36229279
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2022.09.007 -
ELife May 2017The adaptive potential of the language network to compensate for lesions remains elusive. We show that perturbation of a semantic region in the healthy brain induced...
The adaptive potential of the language network to compensate for lesions remains elusive. We show that perturbation of a semantic region in the healthy brain induced suppression of activity in a large semantic network and upregulation of neighbouring phonological areas. After perturbation, the disrupted area increased its inhibitory influence on another semantic key node. The inhibitory influence predicted the individual delay in response speed, indicating that inhibition at remote nodes is functionally relevant. Individual disruption predicted the upregulation of semantic activity in phonological regions. In contrast, perturbation over a phonological region suppressed activity in the network and disrupted behaviour without inducing upregulation. The beneficial contribution of a neighbouring network might thus depend on the level of functional disruption and may be interpreted to reflect a differential compensatory potential of distinct language networks. These results might reveal generic mechanisms of plasticity in cognitive networks and inform models of language reorganization.
Topics: Adult; Brain; Cognition; Female; Humans; Language; Male; Nerve Net; Neuronal Plasticity; Stroke; Young Adult
PubMed: 28537558
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.25964 -
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland) May 2022This scientific work studies brand placement in the press conferences of soccer coaches and evaluates their communicative effectiveness through the measurement of their...
This scientific work studies brand placement in the press conferences of soccer coaches and evaluates their communicative effectiveness through the measurement of their cognitive and affective effects on the viewers. In this research, we established the following objectives: (1) to examine the characteristics of the practice of brand placement in football press conferences: the diffusion times of brands, space occupied on the screen, and categories of brands placed; (2) to evaluate the behaviour of the human eye when viewing press conferences, in terms of continuous movements (saccades) and fixations (fixations) on brands; (3) to gauge the spontaneous and assisted recall of brands by subjects; (4) to verify the correlation between the persistence of visual fixations and recall/recognition; (5) to investigate the changes in subjects' attitudes towards brands viewed in the experimental context. An exploratory observation was made that enabled a more in-depth knowledge and implementation of brand placement at sports conferences. For the experimental observation, a 2 × 2 factorial design of independent groups with total randomization was defined in order to perceive the influence of the variables "time" and "quantity" on the communicative effectiveness of the placed tags. In order to collect the data, a combination of several tested and validated tools was used, namely the screen division grid in surface units, as advocated by Bravo (1995); the technology of eye-tracking as an instrument for the recognition of the ocular movements of subjects in the observation space; surveys tested for cognitive gauging; and a semantic differential scale to assess attitudes toward the brand. The results indicate that the subjects recall in a spontaneous and suggested way the brands placed at the press conferences and develop positive attitudes about them. The recall is influenced by the diffusion time of the stimulus, and above all, the type of placement on the screen is decisive. It was not found that the brands to which subjects develop more positive attitudes were the most remembered. Finally, the face of the soccer coach is the main focus of attention of the subjects, and the areas surrounding this interlocutor are the ones that arouse the most interest in terms of the placement of brands.
PubMed: 35621448
DOI: 10.3390/bs12050151 -
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2023Relationship satisfaction is at the core of a robust social life and is essential to mental health. The positive and negative semantic dimensions of the relationship...
Relationship satisfaction is at the core of a robust social life and is essential to mental health. The positive and negative semantic dimensions of the relationship satisfaction (PN-SMD) scale is considered in the field of relationship studies to be a reliable tool for assessing the quality of a person's interpersonal relationships. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the PN-SMD scale by conducting multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) and differential item functioning (DIF) analyses, both of which are emerging assessment methods that focus on individual items. We recruited 511 Chinese undergraduate students for this study. Construct validity, internal consistency, and concurrent validity were assessed, and MIRT and DIF analyses were conducted. Five of the 14 items were found to have gender-based DIF traits, affecting the scale's construct validity. A revised nine-item scale (DIF items excluded) had a significantly better model fit and demonstrated comparable concurrent validity to the original scale. The implications of our results and future research directions are discussed.
PubMed: 37887475
DOI: 10.3390/bs13100825 -
PloS One 2021Semantic memory representations are overall well-maintained in aging whereas semantic control is thought to be more affected. To explain this phenomenon, this study aims...
Semantic memory representations are overall well-maintained in aging whereas semantic control is thought to be more affected. To explain this phenomenon, this study aims to test the predictions of the Compensation Related Utilization of Neural Circuits Hypothesis (CRUNCH) focusing on task demands in aging as a possible framework. The CRUNCH effect would manifest itself in semantic tasks through a compensatory increase in neural activation in semantic control network regions but only up to a certain threshold of task demands. This study will compare 40 young (20-35 years old) with 40 older participants (60-75 years old) in a triad-based semantic judgment task performed in an fMRI scanner while manipulating levels of task demands (low vs. high) through semantic distance. In line with the CRUNCH predictions, differences in neurofunctional activation and behavioral performance (accuracy and response times) are expected in young vs. old participants in the low- vs. high-demand conditions manifested in semantic control Regions of Interest.
Topics: Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Brain; Brain Mapping; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Memory; Memory Disorders; Middle Aged; Psychomotor Performance; Reaction Time; Semantics
PubMed: 34129605
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249948 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jul 2017This study examined the physiological effects of touching wood with various coating with the palm of the hand on brain activity and autonomic nervous activity....
This study examined the physiological effects of touching wood with various coating with the palm of the hand on brain activity and autonomic nervous activity. Participants were 18 female university students (mean age, 21.7 ± 1.6 years). As an indicator of brain activity, oxyhemoglobin concentrations were measured in the left and right prefrontal cortices using near-infrared time-resolved spectroscopy. Heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate were used as indicators of autonomic nervous activity. The high-frequency (HF) component of HRV, which reflects parasympathetic nervous activity, and the low-frequency (LF)/HF ratio, which reflects sympathetic nervous activity, were measured. Plates of uncoated, oil-finished, vitreous-finished, urethane-finished, and mirror-finished white oak wood were used as tactile stimuli. After sitting at rest with their eyes closed for 60 s, participants touched the stimuli with their palm for 90 s each. The results indicated that tactile stimulation with uncoated wood calmed prefrontal cortex activity (vs. urethane finish and mirror finish), increased parasympathetic nervous activity (vs. vitreous finish, urethane finish, and mirror finish), and decreased heart rate (vs. mirror finish), demonstrating a physiological relaxation effect. Further, tactile stimulation with oil- and vitreous-finished wood calmed left prefrontal cortex activity and decreased heart rate relative to mirror-finished wood.
Topics: Adult; Brain; Female; Heart Rate; Humans; Oxyhemoglobins; Parasympathetic Nervous System; Quercus; Relaxation; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; Surface Properties; Sympathetic Nervous System; Wood; Young Adult
PubMed: 28703777
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14070773 -
Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive... 2017Verbal fluency is impaired in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and primary progressive aphasia (PPA). This study explored qualitative differences in verbal...
BACKGROUND/AIMS
Verbal fluency is impaired in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and primary progressive aphasia (PPA). This study explored qualitative differences in verbal fluency (clustering of words, switching between strategies) between FTD and PPA variants.
METHODS
Twenty-nine patients with behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD) and 50 with PPA (13 nonfluent/agrammatic, 14 semantic, and 23 logopenic) performed a semantic and letter fluency task. Clustering (number of multiword strings) and switching (number of transitions between clustered and nonclustered words) were recorded by two independent raters. Between-group differences, associations with memory, language, and executive functioning, and longitudinal change (subsample) in clustering and switching were examined.
RESULTS
Interrater reliability was high (median 0.98). PPA patients generated (a) smaller (number of) clusters on semantic and letter fluency than bvFTD patients (p < 0.05). Semantic variant patients used more switches than nonfluent/agrammatic or logopenic variant patients (p < 0.05). Clustering in semantic fluency was significantly associated with memory and language (range standardized regression coefficients 0.24-0.38). Switching in letter fluency was associated with executive functioning (0.32-0.35).
CONCLUSION
Clustering and switching in verbal fluency differed between patients with subtypes of FTD and PPA. Qualitative aspects of verbal fluency provide additional information on verbal ability and executive control which can be used for clinically diagnostic purposes.
Topics: Aged; Aphasia, Primary Progressive; Diagnosis, Differential; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Executive Function; Female; Frontotemporal Dementia; Humans; Male; Memory Disorders; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Reproducibility of Results; Speech Disorders; Verbal Behavior
PubMed: 28624827
DOI: 10.1159/000477538