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Can attitude similarity shape social inhibition of return?
No full textWe examined whether the perceived similarity between two individuals can shape social attention shifts during a joint-action task. Initially, a confederate was described to a naïve participant through a personality profile in order to manipulate the degree of attitude similarity between them, and they later performed a joint-action task involving alternated aiming movements towards peripheral targets. This task is known to elicit two forms of Inhibition of Return (IOR), namely longer latencies when responding to a target previously reached by either oneself (individual IOR) or by the partner (social IOR) as compared to a previously-unreached target. Here, both IOR effects emerged but–unlike previous studies–social IOR was greater than individual IOR. Interestingly, such magnified social IOR occurred regardless of the degree of attitude similarity between participants. This seems to suggest that social knowledge about others can lead to a generalized impact on social attention during real interactions with them
Studio della lateralizzazione del riflesso di trasalimento (startle) in bambini di 5 mesi di vita
No full textIntroduzione
L’indagine della lateralizzazione della risposta di startle, nota nella letteratura italiana anche come riflesso di trasalimento (Agnoli, Dondi, Mendini, & Franchin, 2007; Costa & Ricci Bitti, 1998), permette di ampliare le conoscenze neuroscientifiche relative allo sviluppo fisiologico del circuito neurale di questa attività riflessa (Bradley, Cuthbert, & Lang, 1991; Kettle, Andrewes, & Allen, 2006; Yeomans & Frankland, 1996). Fino ad oggi questo settore di ricerca presenta importanti lacune relativamente alle prime fasi dello sviluppo. In letteratura infatti è presente solo uno studio condotto da Hillman, Hsiao-Wecksler, e Rosengren (2005) che ha messo in luce un’assenza di asimmetrie tra il lato destro e sinistro del corpo nella risposta motoria di startle degli adulti.
Poichè i bambini sin dalla nascita mostrano un numero significativo di asimmetrie posturali e motorie (si veda ad esempio, Gardner, Lewkowicz, & Turkewitz, 1977; Michel, 1981; Previc, 1991; Rönnqvist & Hopkins, 1998; Trevarthen, 1996; Turkewitz, 1977), messe in evidenza anche in attività riflesse come il riflesso di Moro (Rönnqvist, 1995), la presente ricerca si pone come obiettivo lo studio della lateralizzazione della risposta di startle in bambini di 5 mesi di vita. Nello specifico sono state analizzate la componente posturale e quella facciale di questo comportamento, allo scopo di verificare l’esistenza di asimmetrie a favore di uno dei due lati del corpo.
Infine, un ulteriore approfondimento è stato effettuato relativamente alla relazione esistente tra la componente posturale e quella facciale dello startle. Lo studio di questa relazione, infatti, può portare ad interessanti evidenze inerenti all’organizzazione delle vie neurali alla base dell’attivazione di tali componenti.
Metodo
Un campione di 13 infanti di 5 mesi di vita è stato sottoposto ad un nuovo protocollo sperimentale per l’indagine non invasiva della componente posturale e facciale dello startle. Mentre i bambini sedevano su un seggiolino opportunamente attrezzato per la registrazione dello startle (AIMMSS, Automated Infant Motor Movement Startle Seat; Scatturin & Dondi, in prep.), ed interagivano liberamente con un genitore, venivano somministrati sei stimoli acustici in grado di elicitare la risposta.
L’AIMMSS, grazie alla registrazione effettuata da alcuni sensori estensimetrici posti alla base del seggiolino, ha permesso di rilevare l’intensità e la velocità della risposta motoria globale di startle analizzandola separatamente sul lato destro e sinistro del corpo del bambino. I sistemi di codifica Eye-Blink Strength Scale (EBS Scale; Essex, Goldsmith, Smider, Dolski, Sutton, & Davidson, 2003) e Baby FACS (Oster, in press) hanno invece permesso di rilevare l’intensità e la velocità della componente facciale dello startle su entrambi i lati del volto separatamente.
Sulla base di queste rilevazioni sono state indagate le differenze tra le misurazioni effettuate sui due lati del corpo e la relazione esistente tra la componente facciale e posturale separatamente sul lato destro e sinistro del corpo.
Risultati
Il principale risultato emerso dai confronti eseguiti tra le misurazioni effettuate sul lato destro e sul lato sinistro del corpo riguarda il parametro della latenza, cioè la velocità di attivazione della risposta di startle. La risposta risulta essere lateralizzata a favore del lato destro del corpo, presentando una attivazione più veloce nella componente posturale destra rispetto alla sinistra. L’analisi della componente facciale invece non ha messo in luce alcuna asimmetria nella velocità di attivazione delle azioni facciali analizzate. Questo primo risultato trova un’interessante spiegazione nell’influenza di specifiche asimmetrie presenti a livello spinale, chiamate in causa anche nella lateralizzazione registrata nella latenza del riflesso di Moro nei neonati (Rönnqvist, 1995). Rispetto all’intensità di risposta non è emersa alcuna differenza significativa tra le misurazioni effettuate sul lato destro e sul lato sinistro del corpo in entrambe le componenti studiate, in linea con lo studio di Hillman et al. (2005).
Infine, un’analisi di tipo correlazionale ha permesso di mettere in luce un’associazione positiva, in entrambi i lati del corpo, tra la componente posturale e quella facciale della risposta, in particolare rispetto al parametro dell’intensità. Tale pattern di risultati permette di inferire che i motoneuroni spinali e quelli facciali esibiscono un’azione integrata e bilaterale, determinata dall’attività del Nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis, il centro neurale responsabile dell’attivazione della risposta di startle
Non-invasive measurements of the startle response in the early infancy
No full textThirteen 5-month old infants were involved in a new non-invasive whole body acoustic startle protocol. A brief acoustic noise burst was presented to elicit the startle reflex while infants were seated on an infant-seat interacting with their mothers. The eye-blink startle reflex was coded by using the Facial Action Coding System (Ekman, Friesen, & Hager, 2002) and Baby- FACS (Oster & Rosenstein, in press). The aim was to assess the response latency of involved Action Units. Essex, Goldsmith, Smider, Dolski, Sutton & Davidson’s (2003) coding system was adopted to describe the strength of the eye-blink to the startle probes. In addition, a new non-invasive apparatus for measuring the amplitude and latency of infants’ startle response was used: the Automated Infant Motor Movement Startle Seat (AIMMSS; Dondi & Scatturin, in prep.). It permitted a computerized and reliable measurement of the whole body motor response. Probe-by-probe correlations between signal apparatus amplitude and strength of the eye-blink startle response were strong. Results indicated that startle reflex latency and amplitude can be measured during infancy not only by using the EMG recording of the Orbicularis Oculi but also by using non-invasive instruments and video-based coding techniques
Startle reflex modification by attention and affective state in three and five-month-old infants
No full textModulation of the startle response is an objective indicator of emotionality and attention in infancy and adulthood. In the present study, 13 three-month and 13 five-month-old infants were tested in a new non-invasive whole body acoustic startle protocol. The aim was to investigate the development of the interaction between attention and emotion in the startle modification. While infants were on an infant-seat, interacting with their mothers and playing with objects, a noise burst was presented to elicit the reflex. The infant-seat, opportunely equipped, permitted a computerized measurement of the startle motor response. Each session was videotaped. Attentive behavior was coded frame-by-frame as well as smiling and distress behavior. Only at five months, startle latency was reduced when the infants were engaged in attention relative to control trials. Both groups presented a startle modification based on the dominant, positive or negative, affective state exhibited during the entire session
A new non-invasive whole body acoustic startle protocol for early infancy
No full textThe aim of the present study is to test a new non intrusive and non-invasive whole body acoustic startle protocol suitable for infants. Twelve 5-month-old infants participated in the experiment. Three brief acoustic noise bursts were presented to elicit the startle reflex while infants were seated on an infant-seat, interacting freely with their parents. The protocol foresaw the use of non-invasive startle measurement methodologies. The intensity and latency of whole body motor response were measured by using the AIMMSS (Automated Infant Motor Movement Startle Seat; Dondi, Agnoli, Vacca, Franchin, & Scatturin, 2005; Scatturin & Dondi, in prep.), a new instrument that provides a computerised measurement of infant startles. The strength of the eyeblink to the startle probes was coded using the Eye-Blink Strength Scale (EBS Scale; Essex et al., 2003). The startle facial Action Units onsets were coded using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS; Ekman, Friesen, & Hager, 2002), in particular the readapted version for infant’s face, that is the Baby FACS (Oster, in press). Results showed positive associations between the parameters recorded by the three methodologies. These findings suggest that this protocol can provide a valid non-invasive alternative to the traditional EMG for startle measuring in early infancy
Postural and facial asymmetries of the startle response in 5-month-old infants
No full textThe study aimed to analyze the lateralization of the postural and facial startle components, providing an analysis of the relation between these two response constituents. Thirteen 5-month-old infants were involved in a new non-invasive whole body acoustic startle protocol. Six
brief acoustic noise bursts were presented to elicit the startles.
Using AIMMSS (Dondi, Agnoli, Vacca, Franchin, & Scatturin, 2005; Scatturin & Dondi, in prep.), a computerized instrument for non-invasive startle measuring, an analysis of the intensity and latency of the whole body motor response (postural component) was realized in the right
and left body sides. Using the EBS Scale (Essex et al., 2003) and the Baby FACS (Oster, in press), we analyzed the intensity and latency of the right and left sides of the facial reflex component.
The comparisons between the right and left body measurements showed no asymmetry in the startle intensity for both response components.
On the contrary, the analyses regarding the latency showed a right response bias in the whole body startle, but not in the facial component. Finally, correlations between the measurements of the postural and facial components showed a positive association, in particular for the intensity parameter.
The right latency postural bias could be explained by the presence of spinal asymmetries. In addition, the positive association between the postural and facial startle components on the right and left body sides showed that these two components are probably activated bilaterally
in a similar way by the Nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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