Social motivation and the use of distal,but not local,featural cues are related to ranging behavior in free-range chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus)

Animal Cognition - Animals can navigate an environment relying on different sources of information, such as geometrical or featural cues. The favoring of one type of information over another...     

Influence of anabolic steroid on anxiety levels in sedentary male rats

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of nandrolone decanoate on anxiety levels in rats. Male Wistar rats were treated with nandrolone decanoate (5mg/kg, two times per week, i.m.) or vehicle (propylene glycol--0.2 ml/kg, two times per week, IM) for 6 weeks. Control rats were subject only to procedures related to their routine husbandry. By the end of 6 weeks, all groups (24-29 rats/group) were submitted to the elevated plus maze test in order to evaluate their anxiety level. Some of these animals (12-14/group) were treated with diazepam (1 mg/kg i.p.) 30 min before the elevated plus maze test. Nandrolone decanoate significantly decreased the percentage of time spent in the open arms (1.46+/-0.49%) compared with control (3.80+/-0.97%) and vehicle (3.96+/-0.85%) groups, with no difference between control and vehicle treatments. The percentage of open arm entries was also reduced in the group treated with nandrolone decanoate in comparison with the vehicle and control. No changes in the number of closed arm entries were detected. Diazepam abolished the effects of nandrolone decanoate on the percentage of time in, and entries into the open arms. The present study showed that chronic treatment with a high dose of nandrolone decanoate increased the anxiety level in male rats.     

Validation study of a Portuguese version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

The study aims to develop and assess metric proprieties of the Portuguese version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. A sequential sample includes 1322 participants diagnosed with cancer, stroke, epilepsy, coronary heart disease, diabetes, myotonic dystrophy, obstructive sleep apnoea, depression and a non-disease group, which completed the HADS. The first step includes translation, retroversion, inspection for lexical equivalence and content validity, and cognitive debriefing. Then we reproduce oblique exploratory factor analysis and use confirmatory factor analysis. We explore the sensibility of the questionnaire. The validation process of the Portuguese HADS version shows metric properties similar to those in international studies, suggesting that it measures the same constructs, in the same way, as the original HADS form.     

A convex approach for multicriteria decision making in hierarchical systems

In this paper hierarchical multicriteria optimization problems are addressed in a convex programming framework. It is assumed that the criteria are aggregated into a nonlinear function, which renders the problem nonseparable, in general. The projection of the problem onto the criteria space is used to obtain an equivalent separable problem, solved through a relaxation procedure implemented on basis of a multilevel structure. At the upper level of the structure, the decision making process involves the solution of a multicriteria problem formulated in the criteria space. The solution encountered at the upper level originates a lower level parametric optimization problem with separable structure that can be treated by standard coordination-decomposition techniques. The convergence of the overall procedure is ensured. The paper includes an application of the approach proposed for the control of dynamic systems with linear quadratic structure. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Executive function and intelligence in the resolution of temporary syntactic ambiguity: an individual differences investigation

In the current study, we examined the role of intelligence and executive functions in the resolution of temporary syntactic ambiguity using an individual differences approach. Data were collected from 174 adolescents and adults who completed a battery of cognitive tests as well as a sentence comprehension task. The critical items for the comprehension task consisted of object/subject garden paths (e.g., While Anna dressed the baby that was small and cute played in the crib), and participants answered a comprehension question (e.g., Did Anna dress the baby?) following each one. Previous studies have shown that garden-path misinterpretations tend to persist into final interpretations. Results showed that both intelligence and processing speed interacted with ambiguity. Individuals with higher intelligence and faster processing were more likely to answer the comprehension questions correctly and, specifically, following ambiguous as opposed to unambiguous sentences. Inhibition produced a marginal effect, but the variance in inhibition was largely shared with intelligence. Conclusions focus on the role of individual differences in cognitive ability and their impact on syntactic ambiguity resolution.     

The psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Personality Inventory for DSM‐5

The DSM‐5 Section III proposes a hybrid dimensional‐categorical model of conceptualizing personality and its disorders that includes assessment of impairments in personality functioning (criterion A) and maladaptive personality traits (criterion B). The Personality Inventory for the DSM‐5 is a new dimensional tool, composed of 220 items organized into 25 facets that delineate five higher order domains of clinically relevant personality differences, and was developed to operationalize the DSM‐5 model of pathological personality traits. The current studies address the internal consistency (study 1), the test‐retest reliability (study 2) and the criterion validity (studies 3 and 4) of the Portuguese version of the PID‐5 in samples of native speaking psychology students. Results indicated good internal consistency reliabilities and good temporal stability reliabilities for the majority of the PID‐5 traits. The correlational pattern of the PID‐5 traits with two measures of personality was in accordance with theoretical expectations and showed its concurrent validity.     

Workplace Family Support,Parental Satisfaction,and Work–Family Conflict: Individual and Crossover Effects among Dual‐Earner Couples

Workplace family support has been regarded as a factor that helps reduce individuals' work to family conflict (WFC). How this support translates into families' functioning is still to be determined. In this study, we used a systems perspective to examine (a) how perceptions of workplace family support affect parental satisfaction and consequently reduce WFC and (b) how the perception of support affects partners' parental satisfaction and WFC in dual‐earner couples. A two‐wave dyadic data set of dual‐earner couples with preschool‐aged children (N = 90) was used, and the actor‐partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM) was applied. Results showed that controlling for WFC, working hours, number and age of children, mothers' perceptions of workplace family support (time 1) had indirect effects, through mothers' parental satisfaction (time 1), on their own levels of WFC (time 2) as well as on their partners' levels of WFC (time 2). Fathers' perceptions of workplace family support (time 1) had a direct effect on fathers' parental satisfaction (time 1) and on fathers' WFC (time 2). These results suggest that in addition to boosting parental well‐being, perceptions of a supportive workplace may help reduce the level of WFC for both direct recipients of support and their partners, in particular when support is experienced by mothers, and when these mothers experience heightened parental satisfaction.     

Zika virus and pregnant women: A psychological approach

Zika virus presents risk of physical harm to pregnant women, but the fear of infection is also affecting women around the world. There is a gap in the research on Zika virus in the areas involving the impact on the psychosocial well-being of pregnant women. Therefore, this study is aimed at the investigation of the psychosocial adjustment of pregnant women to the risks of Zika virus infection during pregnancy. We investigated 14 pregnant women who were classified in three different groups: six in the first trimester, five in the second trimester and three in the third trimester, aged from 28 to 40 years (33.43 ± 3.76 years). Content analysis was used to interpret data. Our results show that the psychosocial adjustment of participants was significantly negative and included five aspects: (1) negative feelings, (2) changes in family planning, (3) adopting new customs (avoiding places of risk, use of specific clothes and use of repellent), (4) changed attitudes regarding body image and (5) feeling of external demand regarding prevention. The fear of Zika virus infection and all its associated risks have a negative biopsychosocial impact on the pregnant women in this study.     

Career meta-capacities and retention factors of recruitment advertising agencies: An exploratory study

This study aimed to determine the extent to which employees’ career adaptability and employability capacities predicted employee retention factors in the information sector industry. A probability sample of 337 South African recruitment advertising employees participated in the study (females = 65.9%; black Africans = 53.4%, predominantly early career stage (aged > 40 years = 57.9%). The employees responded to surveys on their career adaptability, employability capacities, and job retention considerations. Step-wise hierarchical regression analysis was computed to predict employee retention factors from their career meta-capacities of career adaptability and employability attributes. Results suggest the career meta-capacities to explain 71% of the variance in employee retention factors. Moreover, overall career adaptability (concern, control, curiosity, and cooperation) predict the overall retentions factors of employees. White employees self-reported with higher work retention and career opportunities than employees of other races/ethnicities. Career adaptability and employability capabilities matter for talented employee retention in the information sector industry.