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PloS One 2013The current research tested the hypothesis that individuals engaged in long-term efforts to limit food intake (e.g., individuals with high eating restraint) would have...
The current research tested the hypothesis that individuals engaged in long-term efforts to limit food intake (e.g., individuals with high eating restraint) would have reduced capacity to regulate eating when self-control resources are limited. In the current research, body mass index (BMI) was used as a proxy for eating restraint based on the assumption that individuals with high BMI would have elevated levels of chronic eating restraint. A preliminary study (Study 1) aimed to provide evidence for the assumed relationship between eating restraint and BMI. Participants (N = 72) categorized into high or normal-range BMI groups completed the eating restraint scale. Consistent with the hypothesis, results revealed significantly higher scores on the weight fluctuation and concern for dieting subscales of the restraint scale among participants in the high BMI group compared to the normal-range BMI group. The main study (Study 2) aimed to test the hypothesized interactive effect of BMI and diminished self-control resources on eating behavior. Participants (N = 83) classified as having high or normal-range BMI were randomly allocated to receive a challenging counting task that depleted self-control resources (ego-depletion condition) or a non-depleting control task (no depletion condition). Participants then engaged in a second task in which required tasting and rating tempting cookies and candies. Amount of food consumed during the taste-and-rate task constituted the behavioral dependent measure. Regression analyses revealed a significant interaction effect of these variables on amount of food eaten in the taste-and-rate task. Individuals with high BMI had reduced capacity to regulate eating under conditions of self-control resource depletion as predicted. The interactive effects of BMI and self-control resource depletion on eating behavior were independent of trait self-control. Results extend knowledge of the role of self-control in regulating eating behavior and provide support for a limited-resource model of self-control.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Body Mass Index; Ego; Feeding Behavior; Female; Humans; Male; Models, Psychological; Models, Statistical; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
PubMed: 24146942
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076888 -
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2022The aim of the study was to test an information booklet containing suggestions to parents on how to prepare their child for the first dental visit. Forty-five children...
The aim of the study was to test an information booklet containing suggestions to parents on how to prepare their child for the first dental visit. Forty-five children and one parent per included child took part in the trial. Children were randomized in two groups; the information booklet was e-mailed to the parents of the study group. At the end of the visit, the dentist and the parent evaluated the child's behavior through the Frankl Behavior Rating Scale (FBRS) and the utility of the booklet through a Likert scale. The children evaluated the pleasantness of the visit and the perceived pain through the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale (WBFPRS). Parents evaluated the information booklet as highly understandable and useful. According to the dentist, informed children were more cooperative (FBRS median score: 4; IQR: 3.5-4) than the control group (median score 3; IQR: 2-4) ( = 0.013; Mann-Whitney U test). Children prepared with the booklet reported less pain (WBFPRS: 0.40 ± 0.82 vs. 1.42 ± 1.99; = 0.034; -test;) and tended to evaluate the visit as more enjoyable (WBFPRS: 1.1 ± 2.14 vs. 2.75 ± 3.43; = 0.064; -test) than unprepared children. The information booklet increases the child's ability to cooperate during the visit and could represent a useful instrument for the clinical practice.
PubMed: 36421645
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10112321 -
Brain and Behavior Feb 2020The effects of intranasal administration of the neuropeptide oxytocin on social cognition and behavior are highly specific. Potentially situational and personal... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
INTRODUCTION
The effects of intranasal administration of the neuropeptide oxytocin on social cognition and behavior are highly specific. Potentially situational and personal variables influence these effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate effects of oxytocin administration on self-serving lying, including situational effects.
METHODS
A total of 161 adult males participated in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled between-subject intranasal oxytocin administration (24 international units) study. Self-serving lying was assessed using three subsequent rounds of the die-in-a-cup paradigm, in which different degrees of lying can be implemented by the participants that can be determined on group level.
RESULTS
Oxytocin administration seemed to promote self-serving lying, particularly in the third (last) round and only to a certain degree (not to the maximum possible).
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings demonstrate that oxytocin administration can promote self-serving lying when given repeated opportunities to lie. Moreover, exploratory results presented in the Supplementary Material indicate that the sensitivity to the effects of intranasal oxytocin in this domain might be moderated by individual differences in the oxytocin receptor gene.
Topics: Administration, Intranasal; Adult; Behavior Observation Techniques; Behavior Rating Scale; Behavioral Symptoms; Deception; Double-Blind Method; Humans; Male; Oxytocin; Receptors, Oxytocin
PubMed: 31930678
DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1518 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2016Despite decades of research with humans, the biological mechanisms that motivate an individual to help others remain poorly understood. In order to investigate the roots...
Despite decades of research with humans, the biological mechanisms that motivate an individual to help others remain poorly understood. In order to investigate the roots of pro-sociality in mammals, we established the helping behavior test, a paradigm in which rats are faced with a conspecific trapped in a restrainer that can only be opened from the outside. Over the course of repeated test sessions, rats exposed to a trapped cagemate learn to open the door to the restrainer, thereby helping the trapped rat to escape (Ben-Ami Bartal et al., 2011). The discovery of this natural behavior provides a unique opportunity to probe the motivation of rodent helping behavior, leading to a deeper understanding of biological influences on human pro-sociality. To determine if an affective response motivates door-opening, rats receiving midazolam, a benzodiazepine anxiolytic, were tested in the helping behavior test. Midazolam-treated rats showed less helping behavior than saline-treated rats or rats receiving no injection. Yet, midazolam-treated rats opened a restrainer containing chocolate, highlighting the socially specific effects of the anxiolytic. To determine if midazolam interferes with helping through a sympatholytic effect, the peripherally restricted beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist nadolol was administered; nadolol did not interfere with helping. The corticosterone response of rats exposed to a trapped cagemate was measured and compared to the rats' subsequent helping behavior. Rats with the greatest corticosterone responses showed the least helping behavior and those with the smallest responses showed the most consistent helping at the shortest latency. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for the interaction between stress and pro-social behavior. Finally, we observed that door-opening appeared to be reinforcing. A novel analytical tool was designed to interrogate the pattern of door-opening for signs that a rat's behavior on one session influenced his behavior on the next session. Results suggest that helping a trapped rat has a greater motivational value than does chocolate. In sum, this series of experiments clearly demonstrates the fundamental role of affect in motivating pro-social behavior in rodents and the need for a helper to resonate with the affect of a victim.
PubMed: 27375528
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00850 -
Current Protocols in Mouse Biology Sep 2020Down syndrome (DS) is the most frequent genetic cause of intellectual disability, characterized by alterations in different behavioral symptom domains: neurodevelopment,...
Down syndrome (DS) is the most frequent genetic cause of intellectual disability, characterized by alterations in different behavioral symptom domains: neurodevelopment, motor behavior, and cognition. As mouse models have the potential to generate data regarding the neurological basis for the specific behavioral profile of DS, and may indicate pharmacological treatments with the potential to affect their behavioral phenotype, it is important to be able to assess disease-relevant behavioral traits in animal models in order to provide biological plausibility to the potential findings. The field is at a juncture that requires assessments that may effectively translate the findings acquired in mouse models to humans with DS. In this article, behavioral tests are described that are relevant to the domains affected in DS. A neurodevelopmental behavioral screen, the balance beam test, and the Multivariate Concentric Square Field test to assess multiple behavioral phenotypes and locomotion are described, discussing the ways to merge these findings to more fully understand cognitive strengths and weaknesses in this population. New directions for approaches to cognitive assessment in mice and humans are discussed. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Preweaning neurodevelopmental battery Basic Protocol 2: Balance beam Basic Protocol 3: Multivariate concentric square field test (MCSF).
Topics: Animals; Behavior Rating Scale; Disease Models, Animal; Down Syndrome; Genetic Techniques; Male; Mice; Phenotype
PubMed: 32780566
DOI: 10.1002/cpmo.79 -
CoDAS Feb 2019To characterize and compare behavioral tests of central auditory processing of schoolers of initial grades in two stages, test and retest; and correlate the variables... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
PURPOSE
To characterize and compare behavioral tests of central auditory processing of schoolers of initial grades in two stages, test and retest; and correlate the variables age and gender with the results of these tests.
METHODS
Cohort, analytical, observational, longitudinal and prospective study; developed in a public school. The sample included 36 schoolers, divided into two groups considering the schooling: G1- Thirteen children of first grade and G2- Twenty-three children of second grade. The inclusion criteria were audiological assessment within normality patterns and being enrolled in the first or second year of elementary school and, as exclusion criteria, presence of neurological, cognitive and behavioral disorders. The audiological assessment and application of the behavioral tests of central auditory processing occurred in two different moments, with an interval of six months, called test and retest.
RESULTS
The test with the highest prevalence of change, in both steps and groups, was Dichotic Digits. It is noteworthy that no schoolers from G1 and some from G2 understood RGDT at the test stage and that even after six months this difficulty remained in both groups. In the retest stage, a significant improvement was noticed in the schoolers' performance of both groups. It was still noticed a correlation between the age variable and dichotic digits test in the left ear in both stages.
CONCLUSION
There was a high incidence of alteration in the tests and, a performance improvement was noticed in the retest stage, mainly in the tests of sound localization, dichotic digits and RGDT.
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Auditory Perception; Behavior Rating Scale; Child; Dichotic Listening Tests; Female; Humans; Literacy; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Models, Theoretical; Prospective Studies; Reproducibility of Results
PubMed: 30810630
DOI: 10.1590/2317-1782/20182018237 -
Children (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2022This randomized clinical trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a specially designed dental storybook in reducing dental anxiety among children. Eighty-eight...
This randomized clinical trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a specially designed dental storybook in reducing dental anxiety among children. Eighty-eight children (6−8 years old) were randomly divided into two groups: the intervention group (received the storybook) and the control group (did not receive the storybook). Three dental visits (screening, examination and cleaning, and treatment) were provided for each child. Anxiety was assessed following each visit using the Children’s Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS) and the Venham clinical anxiety scale (VCAS). The behavior was assessed using the Frankl’s Behavior Rating Scale (FBRS). The intervention group showed significantly lower anxiety and more cooperative behavior during treatment than the control group (p < 0.0001). The intervention group showed a significant decrease in anxiety scores and more cooperative behavior across time according to the CFSS-DS (p = 0.001) and Frankl behavior scale OR = 3.22, 95% CI 1.18−8.76. Multivariate models found that using the storybook was a significant independent factor in reducing anxiety and improving behavior after controlling for sex, previous visits, family income, and mother’s education. In conclusion, the dental storybook can decrease children’s dental anxiety and improve their behavior during dental treatment.
PubMed: 35327700
DOI: 10.3390/children9030328 -
Behavioural Brain Research Jun 2020Since the 1980s, we have witnessed the rapid development of genetically modified mouse models of human diseases. A large number of transgenic and knockout mice have been... (Review)
Review
Since the 1980s, we have witnessed the rapid development of genetically modified mouse models of human diseases. A large number of transgenic and knockout mice have been utilized in basic and applied research, including models of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. To assess the biological function of mutated genes, modern techniques are critical to detect changes in behavioral phenotypes. We review the IntelliCage, a high-throughput system that is used for behavioral screening and detailed analyses of complex behaviors in mice. The IntelliCage was introduced almost two decades ago and has been used in over 150 studies to assess both spontaneous and cognitive behaviors. We present a critical analysis of experimental data that have been generated using this device.
Topics: Animals; Behavior Observation Techniques; Behavior Rating Scale; Behavior, Animal; Female; Learning; Male; Mice; Mice, Transgenic
PubMed: 32302617
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112620 -
The Journal of Clinical Pediatric... Jan 2022To determine if administering a higher dosage of nitrous oxide (>50%), with a nasal hood in pediatric dental restorative procedures, can allow for a safe and more...
OBJECTIVE
To determine if administering a higher dosage of nitrous oxide (>50%), with a nasal hood in pediatric dental restorative procedures, can allow for a safe and more cooperative experience for the pediatric patient as measured by observable adverse reactions and the Frankl Behavior Rating Scale.
STUDY DESIGN
A retrospective chart review was completed of 200 patients total, 100 for each nitrous oxide (N2O) dosage group (≤50% vs >50%). Adverse reactions and The Frankl Behavior Rating Scale during pediatric restorative procedures with N2O were compared between the two dosage groups.
RESULTS
There were few adverse reactions for both nitrous oxide groups (≤50% vs >50%) and there was no statistical difference in the Frankl Behavior Rating Scale for each group.
CONCLUSIONS
Patients given more than 50% of nitrous oxide were not found to have an increase in adverse events. Higher concentrations of nitrous oxide (>50%) were not found to be associated with a better behavior score when completing pediatric restorative procedures.
Topics: Behavior Therapy; Child; Conscious Sedation; Humans; Nitrous Oxide; Pediatric Dentistry; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 35311978
DOI: 10.17796/1053-4625-46.1.10 -
Journal of Autism and Developmental... Aug 2021Although 70% of autistic children and young people meet criteria for co-occurring psychiatric conditions, there are few screening measures specifically for autistic...
Development and Psychometric Properties of a New Questionnaire to Assess Mental Health and Concerning Behaviors in Children and Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): The Assessment of Concerning Behavior (ACB) Scale.
Although 70% of autistic children and young people meet criteria for co-occurring psychiatric conditions, there are few screening measures specifically for autistic individuals. We describe the development and validation of the Assessment of Concerning Behavior (ACB), an instrument co-developed with the autistic community to assess mental health and problematic/risky behaviors. Items include descriptions to facilitate symptom recognition by autistic people, and carers/professionals. The ACB was completed by 255 parents, 149 autistic children and young people and 30 teachers. Internal consistency, stability and validity was assessed. The ACB parent-version fit a two-factor model (internalizing and externalizing problems) and showed adequate test-retest reliability, internal consistency and construct validity. The ACB is a promising new measure for research and clinical use in autism.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Behavior Rating Scale; Caregivers; Child; Female; Humans; Male; Mental Health; Parents; Problem Behavior; Psychometrics; Reproducibility of Results; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
PubMed: 33051784
DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04748-1