L'influence du nombre sur le traitement des problèmes temporels

Notre propos concerne le développement des inferences temporelles lorsqu'il s'agit des situations symboliques. Notre hypothèse sur les aspects qualitatif et quantitatif du raisonnement est que les données numériques facilitent la résolution de la tâche, parce que ce type d'information (quantitative) conduit à la construction des règles algébriques d'intégration. Seize problèmes portant sur l'ordre d'allumage, l'ordre d'extinction et la durée relative des deux lampes (événements non cinématiques) ont été présentés à 49 sujets de 10 ans. Les problèmes sont présentés selon deux formes: une forme qualitative, où les données sont exprimées en termes relatifs “avant” et “après”, et une forme quantitative où les données sont exprimées par des nombres (par exemple, “la lampe rouge s'allume à 9 heures et la lampe verte à 11 heures”). Ainsi, les sujets doivent résoudre 32 problèmes. Deux types d'énoncés sont distingués: les énoncés décidables conduisent à une seule réponse valable et les énoncés indécidales conduisent à des solutions multiples. Les résultats montrent que (a) les problèmes temporels sont plus facilement résolus quant ils sont présentés sous forme quantitative (information numérique; et (b) les erreurs observées sous forme quantitative sont fondées sur des mécanismes cognitifs plus évolués, supposant des décentrations.     

Analyse d’un modèle théorique de la conception dimensionnelle du narcissisme pathologique : incidences probables sur le leadership organisationnel

The purpose of this case study is to examine the appropriateness of the dimensional model of pathological narcissism developed by Roche, Pincus, Lukowitsky, Ménard and Conroy (2013). The exploration was essentially focused on decompensatory segment (failure of maladaptive self-enhancement strategies) of this model. By using a longitudinal research design, the results, although fragmentary, isolated a positive relationship between the two dimensions – grandiosity and vulnerability – of pathological narcissism. This positive relationship exists both in compensatory segment (use of maladaptive self-enhancement strategies) and in decompensatory segment of the model.     

L’effet d’une similarité fortuite entre deux individus sur le comportement d’imitation

A host of studies in social psychology showed that we mimic the verbal and nonverbal behaviors of our counterparts, particularly when we need to interact with them or when we appreciate them. For scientists, mimicry could serve as facilitator in interpersonal relations between strangers or between people who expressed the desire to strengthen their relations. Three experiments were carried out that show that incidental similarity (same birthday date, same first-name, and same finger-prints) between a participant and a target presented on a videotape is associated with an increase in mimicry of nonverbal behavior of the target. The theory of the desire of affiliation is used to explain the link between similarity and mimicry in our social interactions.     

Les Publications essentielles sur le Rorschach en SI Exner

The objective of this article is to provide psychologists interested in using the Rorschach Comprehensive System with the French-language references on this topic as well as those written in other languages by French-speaking specialists. A brief commentary of the works of J. Exner is provided, followed by a presentation of investigations concerning the Comprehensive System addressing particular forms of psychopathology.     

L’information et la gestion des risques dans le suivi de la grossesse lors du 1 trimestre : quelques réflexions sur le défi éthique et le cadre légal en Suisse

The progress in prenatal medicine raises complex questions with respect to the physician–patient relationship. The physician needs to reconcile medical aspects, ethical principles as well as judicial norms. Already, during the first trimester, the physician has to put into practice the schedule combining for each individual pregnancy physical, laboratory and other appropriate exams. Physicians are under the obligation to inform in a clear and comprehensive way without creating unnecessary anxiety for their patients. Legal requirements include informed consent, the respect for the patient's right to self-determination, and compliance with the Swiss federal law on genetic testing, especially with its articles on prenatal screening and diagnosis. This article discusses the complexity of obstetrical practice when it comes to delivering adequate information within the scope of ethical and legal requirements in Switzerland.     

À l’école et au supermarché : le développement des connaissances sur deux organisations sociales

The development of naive theories regarding social organizations has not received the same emphasis as other conceptual domains, such as naive biology and naive psychology. However, a number of studies have been devoted to the development of children's naive conceptions of politics, school, or economics, most of them with interviews. In the present study, we studied six-, 10-, 14-year-old children's conceptions regarding two familiar organizations, school and supermarket. Results show that, even young children have knowledge regarding these two institutions. However, even 10-year-old children might fail to integrate these institutions in more general organizational, institutional and social dimensions. In many cases, only children aged 14 consistently integrate these various dimensions.     

Comprendre l'attachement au travail pour agir sur le confort au travail

Workplace attachment is defined as the emotional bond resulting from the dynamic interaction between a person and his environment (Rioux, 2006), Adult Attachment in the workplace (AAW) (Neustadt Chamorro-Premuzic, & Furnham, 2006) allows analyzing the quality of employee’ relations in the workplace using the Attachment Theory perspective (Bowlby, 1969). Both are considered an important aspect of comfort at work. We wish to test the effects of these two variables on the attachment dimension of affective commitment (Allen & Meyer, 1990). 240 subjects participated in the study. With the technique of multiple linear regressions, we estimated the impact of these two variables on affective commitment. The results show significant indications for Human Resource Management best practices.     

Les effets de l’ingestion aiguë d’alcool sur le jugement d’expressions faciales émotionnelles spontanées et dynamiques

This study is interested in the link between acute alcohol consumption and the perception of dynamic and spontaneous emotional facial expressions (EFE). The noxious effects of alcohol on EFE recognition are now well demonstrated (Attwood et al., 2009a). Studies showed that alcohol drinking impairs the judgment of facial expressions, especially of negative ones (EFE of anger and disgust notably). However, such effects have been observed for the judgment of artificial material (static/posed/morphed/EFE). Yet, everyday EFE are far from the archetypes used in the lab. Therefore, the present study aims at completing previous observations, this time for the identification of dynamic and spontaneous EFE. Dynamic and spontaneous EFE of amusement, interest, irritation, anxiety, and neutral were judged by 63 normal male drinkers. Buck et al.’s (1972) paradigm was adopted since it is recommended for the study of nonverbal behavior in the process of communication ( [Buck, 1990] , [Wagner, 1990] , [Wagner et al., 1986] and [Zuckerman et al., 1976] ). The emotion to be identified is the one self-reported by the EFE sender. On the pretext of tasting drinks, participants were randomly assigned to one out of six experimental conditions. Two conditions are concerned with the nature of the drink (alcohol or non-alcohol drink). Three other conditions relate to the participant's experimentally manipulated belief regarding the nature of the drink (non-alcohol drink, slight alcohol drink, hard alcohol drink). Results confirm the emotion identification impairment due to alcohol usually noted, thus showing that the effects of alcohol are also observed for the perception of spontaneous and natural facial expressions. Indeed, the comparison of participants who drank alcoholic drinks versus those who did not drink alcohol shows that the formers identify less well emotions than the latter. Moreover, results show that beliefs do not play a role in this deficit since participants’ identification errors are not linked to the belief they hold regarding the nature of the drink (with/without alcohol). Finally, the confusion matrix analysis brings to light the existence of recurrent confusions amongst alcoholized participants, confusions that do not appear amongst sober participants. Thus, results show that, to the exception of EFE of amusement, participants who drank alcohol recurrently assess stimuli as displaying anxiety. To conclude, it comes out that acute alcohol drinking alters the capacity to accurately identify spontaneous emotions expressed by faces, which capacity is essential to the smooth unfolding of human interactions.     

Rôle des propriétés inertielles segmentaires sur la perception de l’étendue de l’espace péripersonnel

Previous studies have suggested that the perception of peripersonal space can hardly be achieved using only scene-based visual cues and requires combining visual information with motor representations. Motor representation can be viewed as a component of a predictive system, which includes a neural process that simulates through motor imagery the dynamic behaviour of the body in relation to the environment. In this study, we analysed whether modifying the force required to reach a visual target influences the perception of what is reachable. In a visuomotor task, the experimental group (n = 10) adapted to a 1.5 kg weight attached to the right wrist while performing a series of pointing movements. The control group (n = 10) performed the motor task without inertial perturbation. A perceptual judgement task of what is reachable was performed before and after the motor task. Results showed that inertial perturbation produced initially an undershoot of the target suggesting a lack of motor force to overcome the inertial perturbation, but spatial errors receded progressively through movement rehearsal. Perceptual estimates of what is reachable slightly overestimated action capacities but were not affected by motor adaptation. Thus, modifying motor force required to compensate for inertial perturbation had no direct effect on the perception of peripersonal space. When interpreted in regard to previous experimental work, this result suggests that motor representations may provide information about the sensory or spatial consequences of action rather than the sense of effort associated with motor production.     

Rôle du contrôle exécutif dans le raisonnement par analogie chez l’enfant et le primate non humain

Analogical reasoning (AR) is a cornerstone of human cognition. Two main theories have historically been proposed to account for the ontogeny of AR. They propose that analogical skills are constrained by children's logical skills or limited knowledge of the relations to be considered. We adopt an alternative perspective in this review paper suggesting that AR abilities depend on the efficiency of executive control. We present convergent data collected in children and monkeys highlighting the role of three main executive functions: inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility and working memory updating. The analysis of children's reasoning suggests that the contribution of relational knowledge and executive control to analogical reasoning cannot be considered independently.     

L’influence médiatique sur les jugements judiciaires : rôle du style d’écriture dans la formation des jugements

This article has two main goals: first, to review past research concerning the influence of pretrial publicity on judiciary judgements, and second, to present new empirical data concerning the impact of writing style in the media influence phenomenon. The three studies presented in this article show: 1/ that the morphosyntactical style of press articles can be distinguished as a function of the domain to which they pertain (judiciary, economic, politics, sports), 2/ that readers can readily recognize and identify the judiciary morphosyntactical style, and 3/ that the conformity of an article vs. its non-conformity to the judiciary style has some independent effect on memory about the article's content and on the elaboration of judiciary judgements by readers.