The way in which we perceive and interpret the causes of situations is likely to have a profound influence on our subsequent behaviour. It has been well established that the experience of anger is likely to systematically influence the cognitive processing style and cognitive skills that the individual will use in understanding, and responding to, interpersonal situations. One important process that may be affected by the regular experience of intense anger (trait anger), is the dispositional propensity to attempt to understand the thoughts, feelings, and point of view of another person in an interpersonal interaction (i.e., perspective taking). A study was conducted to test this theoretical hypothesis. In addition, the study attempted to examine the influence of perspective taking on anger experience, control, and expression.

Perspective taking, the main cognitive component of empathy, is considered within the psychological literature to be a significant part of human interaction. Despite extensive investigation into the outcomes of this construct, the process by which people take another's psychological point of view has received comparatively little attention. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate in three studies what the individual does when attempting to take the perspective of another person. The first study investigated the particular strategies which individuals use when engaging in perspective-taking behaviours. Dominant themes to emerge from this qualitative assessment of the perspective-taking process were the use of self- (e.g., switching places) and other-information (e.g., targets personal characteristics), of which the former appears to play the central role. Further elements of the perspective-taking process were also identified with the self-information theme. Of these, having experienced a situation similar to that of a target (similar past experience) was found to be a particularly strong aspect of the perspective-taking process and subsequently informed the rationale for the remaining two studies. In view of the findings from Study 1, the second study tested whether past experiences made it easier for participants to take the perspective of another person in a new, but similar situation and the extent to which other aspects, such as switching places with the target, made the perspective-taking process less effortful. Results revealed that similar past experience was the strongest predictor of the ease of the perspective-taking task. Moreover, the extent to which similar past experience increased ease of the perspective-taking process was moderated by the extent to which the participant reflected on that past experience. The final study in this thesis picked up the notion of reflection and examined whether increasing the extent to which an individual engages in self-reflection leads to a concomitant increase in the tendency to take another perspective and the ease with which this can be accomplished. After completion of an intervention program which had a strong focus on self-reflection and understanding of self, there was a noticeable trend for participants to improve on their capacity for self-reflection. The findings also revealed that individuals with a tendency to self-reflect in an insightful and non-ruminative manner demonstrated a similarly high level of general perspective-taking propensity and ease of perspective taking. The studies support the vital role of reflection on similar past experience to that of a target when engaging in perspective taking. This research underscores the importance of examining perspective taking as a process.

In recent years research has recognised that notions of body image, body image ideals and body dissatisfaction develop much earlier than was once thought. However, the growing body of evidence in this area of research is predominantly quantitative. This study was designed to engage children in the five to six year age group using qualitative methods and present their notions of body image through the looking glass of the children's own eyes. Children's voices have not often found their way into research. Concerns about their powers of communication, cognitive abilities and the ethical difficulties inherent when working with children have restricted their participation. Objective, empirical evidence suggests that if one engages children in research appropriately they are able to make a significant contribution. Forty-seven children (25=m; 22=f) aged between five and six years were interviewed on three occasions over 12 months regarding their perceptions of body image. Seven schools from the Independent school system were involved. Interviews were conducted on school sites in public, easily observable locations. The study focused on three aspects. That is, how these children perceived their own body, the bodies of other people and their notions of health in respect to body image. These interviews revealed that the girls in this age group had developed an understanding of body image that valued thinness. However, their preference for a thinner body did not negatively impact on their sense of identity or self-worth. Boys preferred larger bodies and correlated increased body size with competence and physical aptitude. The concept of 'large' was linked to height for some or to a mesomorphic body for other boys. By the final interview all the children revealed strong negative perceptions of fatness. These perceptions were more apparent at each successive interview. An obese or extremely thin body was not always correlated with being unhealthy. Depending on the perspective of the child, even the largest of images was nominated the 'healthiest body' by some children. Health was overwhelmingly linked to food intake with few children associating health with exercise. The playground and the home, where most notably mothers, were important in the development of body image conceptions. Children were acutely aware of the dietary practices of their parents and associated diets with losing weight. / PhD Doctorate

Self-control theory of crime has had considerable impact on mainstream criminology since it was first published in 1990 by Gottfredson and Hirschi. It is regarded as the most parsimonious criminological theory currently available and has been empirically tested across diverse populations and behaviours. Considerable empirical evidence supports the generality of self-control in predicting crime and analogous behaviours, with low self-control ranked as one of the strongest risk factors for crime. Of substantive concern however is a lack of explanatory power in the theory, a problem that besets criminological theorising in general. This study attempted to integrate self-control theory with theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Whilst self-control provides a stable-dispositional explanation for propensity to crime, TPB is interested in the decision-making processes related to involvement in crime. As such, the study examined the relationship between time-stable self-control and the mediating role of situational-specific factors in the causation of crime. The purpose of the study is twofold. Firstly to investigate the underlying mechanism by which a person with low self-control may have greater propensity to crime and secondly to increase the explanatory value of self-control theory. Three disparate groups were used to explore the single theories and the integrated theory; female students, male students, and prison inmates. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were conducted to examine the sufficiency of the theories to explain intention to commit crime across three groups. Low self-control was unable to explain behavioural intentions for students but was successful in explaining intentions to do crime in a prison population. The motivational elements of TPB, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control, were shown to exert considerable influence on intention to do crime across the three samples but not attitude. The integrated theory increased the explanatory value of self-control theory for prison inmates over and above its constituent theories. These findings were not replicated with male and female students, raising questions about the generality of self-control theory. Implications for self-control theory are discussed, especially the need to include significant others and behavioural control variables in understanding the causes of crime

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- McMaster University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 116-130). Also available via World Wide Web.

Research paper (M.A.) -- Cardinal Stritch College -- Milwaukee, 1968. / A research paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education (Education of Mentally Handicapped). Includes bibliographical references (p. 27-28).

In many early intensive behavioural intervention (EIBI) programs, such as the St.Amant Autism Programs in Manitoba, the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills-Revised (ABLLS-R) is used as an assessment guide, a curriculum guide, and a skills tracking system. The ABLLS-R lists a total of 544 potential training tasks. In the St.Amant Autism Programs, the Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities-Revised (ABLA-R) is also used to assess a child’s ability to learn to perform 6 tasks, called levels, which are hierarchical in difficulty. Research has demonstrated that training tasks comparable to failed ABLA-R levels are very difficult to teach using standard prompting and reinforcement procedures, and training tasks that are mismatched to a client’s highest-passed ABLA-R level result in more aberrant behaviours than matched tasks. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the difficulty of the training tasks taught to children enrolled in the St.Amant Autism Early Learning Program matched the learning abilities of the children. In order to do so, five questions were examined based on the ABLLS-R, the ABLA-R, and archival data from the St.Amant Autism Programs. The results reveal several potentially important findings. First, observers who were knowledgeable about the ABLA-R reliably categorized 99 of the 544 ABLLS-R tasks into individual ABLA-R levels. Second, for a random sample of those 99 ABLLS-R tasks, Autism Consultants from the St.Amant Autism Programs averaged 90.5% agreement that those tasks were taught at the categorized ABLA-R levels. Third, across a sample of 14 children, 81% of their training tasks were mismatched to each child’s highest-passed ABLA-R level. Fourth, for that sample of 14 children and across their 31 maladaptive behaviour assessments, 61% of the assessments had a score representative of maladaptive behaviours. Fifth, for that same sample of children, their rates of acquisition of new training tasks were lower for mismatched tasks than for matched tasks. These findings have important implications for potentially improving the services that children with ASD are receiving from the St.Amant Autism Programs and other EIBI programs. / February 2016

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This study is linked to Line Search Special Education Course of Master Program of Postgraduate Education at the Federal University of Santa Maria - UFSM that arose from the interest generated during the training in special education and participation in projects. Thus, the question that guided this research was how the process of identifying students with characteristics of High Abilities/Giftedness happens within the school / deaf community and the purposes for which the same? Accordingly, the overall objective was to discuss the effects that the process of identifying students with characteristics of High Abilities/Giftedness will produce within the school for deaf. The specific objectives were: a) organize and implement strategies for identifying students with High Abilities/Giftedness that take into account the experiences, language and expression of the deaf, b) discuss the process of identifying students with characteristics of High Abilities/Giftedness in the deaf community, examined the effects for the same c) to examine the perceptions of those involved in research on the students with High Abilities/Giftedness and the identification process. This research followed a qualitative approach, the type of case study therefore used as a base school, in the case, a school for deaf. The methodology was organized to achieve the process of identifying students with High Abilities/Giftedness school for deaf, involving the support of deaf people to adapt a list of items for observation in the classroom (GUENTHER, 2000), as well as the participation of teachers and students of the school, in other stages of the process. All steps were carried out on a journal in the field, leading to further appreciation of them. For data analysis, was performed a categorization, with appropriate highlighting of some aspects that are highlighted, among them, the deaf students identified with characteristics of High Abilities/Giftedness show features, attributes that can be evidenced in the school, taking into account the specificities of their language, culture, etc. and they can be observed at different times. It is important to emphasize that the identification process that allows these students to think about curriculum strategies to meet this demand, nurture opportunities for differentiated learning. Moreover, the educational context is surrounded by a larger network of relationships, which determine time and space in modernity. / O presente estudo está vinculado à Linha de Pesquisa Educação Especial do Curso de Mestrado do Programa de Pós-graduação em Educação da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria UFSM que surgiu a partir do interesse despertado durante a formação na área da Educação Especial e da participação em projetos. Dessa forma, a questão que guiou esta pesquisa foi como o processo de identificação de alunos com características de altas habilidades/superdotação acontece dentro da escola/comunidade surda e quais os efeitos para a mesma? Nesta perspectiva, o objetivo geral foi problematizar os efeitos que o processo de identificação de alunos com características de altas habilidades/superdotação vai produzir no espaço da escola de surdos. Os objetivos específicos foram: a) Organizar e implementar estratégias para a identificação de alunos com altas habilidades/superdotação que levem em consideração as vivências, a língua e a expressão dos surdos; b) Problematizar o processo de identificação de alunos com características de altas habilidades/superdotação nesta comunidade surda, averiguando os efeitos para a mesma; c) Analisar as percepções dos envolvidos na pesquisa quanto aos alunos com altas habilidades/superdotação e ao processo de identificação. Esta pesquisa seguiu uma abordagem qualitativa, do tipo estudo de caso, pois utilizou como base uma instituição escolar, no caso, uma escola de surdos. A metodologia foi organizada tendo em vista a realização do processo de identificação de alunos com altas habilidades/superdotação na escola de surdos, envolvendo o apoio de colaboradores surdos para adaptação de uma Lista de Itens para observação em sala de aula (GUENTHER, 2000), assim como a participação de professores e alunos da escola, nas demais etapas do processo. Todas as fases realizadas foram descritas em um diário de campo, que permitiu uma posterior apreciação dos mesmos. Para a análise dos dados, foi realizada uma categorização, sendo oportuno o destaque de alguns aspectos que se salientaram, entre eles, que os alunos surdos identificados com características de altas habilidades/superdotação demonstram traços, atributos que podem ser evidenciados no contexto da escola, levando em consideração as especificidades da sua língua, cultura, etc. e que estes podem ser observados em diferentes momentos. É importante destacar que o processo de identificação destes alunos possibilita que se possa pensar em estratégias curriculares para atender a esta demanda, oportunizando possibilidades de aprendizagens diferenciadas. Além disso, o contexto educacional está envolto por uma rede maior de relações, que determinam tempos e espaços na modernidade.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:52:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1656747 bytes, checksum: 04ca3cc454972f09f7fce1fc33f76e69 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-04-23 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The general objective of this research consists to investigate the performance abilities and strategies used by pianists to manage anxiety at presentations. The specific objectives being to realize a comparative study among professionals and students in their activities to prepare and presentation for a recital; investigate the behavioral perception that pianists have of themselves as performers; examine the trajectory of preparation for the recital in the ten weeks preceding the day of the presentation; analyze the factors that influence the performance of the pianist on stage; examine whether participants had anxiety and identify the symptoms present before and during the recital; verify the relationship between the environment in preparation for the public presentation and management of anxiety; verify the factors that influenced the concentration during the recital. The process for construction of theoretical reference consists of five thematic ramifications, these being: anxiety, preparation for recital, concentration, abilities and strategies, which converge to embase knowledge concerning the phenomena of preparing for a performance. The methodology brought to light a case study, of the multicase type, participants of which are students and professionals in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, which were classified as Group 1): three piano students at Escola Técnica Estadual de Criatividade Musical (ETECM) (State Technical School of Music Creativity) and, Group 2): three professional pianists, all of them in the stage of preparation for a recital. Field data collected were semistructured interview before and after recitals, questionaire concerning behaviour and anxiety, study sequence routines, and audio register of recitals. This research lies in the area of music education, but is anchored in music psychology, which is the study of how persons perceive, learn, remember something, and reflect on information received, with the objective of comprehending the mental processes concerning a variety of musical behaviour patterns, and analyze the influence social surroundings exert on musical conduct. The analyses and results of data consisted of three parts which followed these steps: 1) discovery and analysis of the abilities and strategies used before and during the presentation to control anxiety, 2) comprehension of the perception of behaviour that pianists had of themselves during the days preceding the presentation and perception of anxiety symptoms before and during performance, 3) qualitative evaluation of results. It is inferred that not only students, but also professionals presented efficient abilities and strategies to reach their objective, with a minimum of anxiety. These aspects, however, exist on different levels of knowledge and cognitive development, and are analyzed according to the three stages to acquire abilities, and by the matrix of cognitive-musical ability. / O objetivo geral desta pesquisa consistiu em Investigar as habilidades e estratégias de performance utilizadas por pianistas para gerir a ansiedade nas apresentações, cujos objetivos específicos foram: realizar um estudo comparativo entre profissionais e estudantes em suas atividades de preparo e apresentação para um recital; investigar a percepção comportamental que os pianistas têm de si próprios como executantes; averiguar a trajetória de preparação para o recital nas dez semanas antecedentes ao dia da apresentação; analisar os fatores que influenciaram o desempenho do pianista no palco; apurar se os participantes apresentaram ansiedade e identificar os sintomas presentes antes e durante o recital; verificar a relação entre o ambiente de preparação para a apresentação pública e a gestão da ansiedade; verificar os fatores que influenciaram a concentração durante o recital. O processo de construção do referencial teórico consistiu em cinco ramificações temáticas, a saber: ansiedade, preparação para o recital, concentração, habilidades e estratégias, as quais convergiram para embasar o conhecimento sobre a fenomenologia da preparação e execução de uma performance. A metodologia expôs um estudo de caso do tipo multicaso, cujos participantes foram estudantes e profissionais de Recife - PE, os quais foram classificados no grupo 1: três estudantes de piano da Escola Técnica Estadual de Criatividade Musical (ETECM) e no grupo 2: três pianistas profissionais, todos em fase de preparação para o recital. Os dados de campo coletados foram entrevista semiestruturada antes e após o recital, questionário de comportamento e de ansiedade, roteiro de estudo e gravação dos recitais. Este trabalho está focado na área da educação musical, mas ancorado na psicologia da música, que é o estudo de como as pessoas percebem e aprendem algo, lembram-se dele e refletem sobre as informações recebidas, objetivando compreender os processos mentais relativos a uma variedade de comportamentos musicais e analisar a influência que o meio social exerce na conduta musical. As análises e os resultados consistiram na triangulação dos dados, os quais seguiram algumas etapas: 1) descoberta e análise das habilidades e estratégias utilizadas antes e durante a performance para o gerenciamento da ansiedade, 2) compreensão da percepção comportamental que os pianistas tiveram de si mesmos nos dias precedentes à apresentação e percepção dos sintomas de ansiedade antes e durante a execução e 3) a avaliação qualitativa dos resultados. Inferiu-se que tanto estudantes como profissionais apresentaram habilidades e estratégias eficientes para alcançar o objetivo, com o mínimo de ansiedade. Porém, estes aspectos mostraram-se em diferentes níveis de conhecimento e desenvolvimento cognitivo, os quais foram analisados de acordo com os três estágios para aquisição de habilidades, proposto por Anderson (1982) e pela matriz de habilidade cognitiva-musical proposta por Davidson e Scripp (1992).

O estilo parental tem influência no desenvolvimento humano e pode ser definido como um padrão de comportamentos identificáveis nos pais quando se relacionam com seus filhos. A literatura tem utilizado alguns parâmetros para compreender os estilos parentais. Um deles se caracteriza pelo binômio: limites-afeto ou responsividade e exigência, delimitando três estilos parentais: Autoritário, Permissivo e Autoritativo. O estilo autoritário caracteriza-se por pais que dão muitos limites e pouco afeto. Estes pais procuram manter a ordem e o controle da família, devendo a obediência ser alcançada ainda que sob padrões punitivos. O estilo permissivo caracteriza-se por pais que dão pouco limite e muito afeto. Nesse caso, há uma crença naturalista segundo a qual a criança deve expressar livremente suas necessidades e aprender por si só. Estes pais não se vêem como responsáveis por ensinar ou modificar comportamentos infantis. O estilo autoritativo caracteriza-se por pais que dão muito limite e muito afeto. O cuidador apresenta condutas intermediárias entre as permissivas e autoritárias, estimulando verbalizações emocionais, permitindo que os filhos participem das decisões, estimulando argumentações, autonomia e disciplina. A empatia é considerada uma habilidade essencial para a manutenção dos laços sociais, que propicia a percepção da necessidade do outro e ao mesmo tempo favorece a sensação de ser compreendido. A assertividade é a habilidade de expressar e defender sua opinião com firmeza e segurança, sem, contudo desrespeitar o outro. Esta pesquisa tem como hipótese a idéia de que pais autoritativos seriam mais empáticos e assertivos do que pais autoritários. O objetivo deste estudo foi correlacionar os Estilos Parentais s Habilidades Sociais: Assertividade e Empatia. Participaram da pesquisa 64 pais, 21 homens e 43 mulheres. Os instrumentos utilizados foram: o Inventário de Habilidades Sociais (IHS-Del Prette), ao Inventario de Empatia (IE FALCONE) e ao Parental Autority Questionary (PAQ). A Análise dos dados foi feita através do SPSS. Foram efetuadas correlações r de Person entre os fatores do PAQ e os fatores do IHS e do IE. Os resultados apontaram para uma correlação positiva (r = 0,30 ; p < 0,05) entre o fator Enfrentamento e Auto-afirmação do IHS e o estilo Autoritativo. Uma relação negativa (r = -0,24 ; p < 0,05) foi observada entre este mesmo fator e o estilo Autoritário. Em relação a empatia, os fatores Tomada de Perspectiva (r = 0,33 ; p < 0,01), Sensibilidade Afetiva (r = 0,25 ; p < 0,05) e Autruismo (r = 0,25 ; p < 0,05) correlacionaram-se positivamente ao estilos Autoritativo, Em relação ao fator Autoritário, foi verificada uma correlação negativa ( r = -0,24 ; p < 0,05) com o fator Altruísmo do IE. A partir deste resultado, foram realizadas três análises de regressão linear múltipla (stepwise) considerando cada um dos fatores do PAQ como variáveis dependentes dos fatores do IHS e do IE. Os Fatores Enfrentamento e Auto-afirmação do IHS e o fator Autruísmo do IE junto explicam 15% da variância do Fator autoritativo. Os resultados apresentados são discutidos a luz da psicologia do desenvolvimento, psicologia social e neuropsicologia. / The human behavior is not determined by a single factor. The relation between environment, heredity and temperament enables us to understanding what we are and what we become, from childhood to adulthood. Human Development has been influenced by Parental Styles, wich can be defined as a pattern of parents behaviors in their relationship with their children. The Literature has used some parameters to parental style. One of them is the bidimensional relation between limits-affect or responsiveness and demandingness, delimiting three parenting styles: Authoritarian, Permissive and Authoritative. The authoritarian style is characterized by parents who give limits and dont give much affection. These parents goals are to maintain family order and control, been obedience a virtue to be achieved even under punitive standards. The permissive style is characterized by parents who give very little limit and affection. In this case, there is a naturalistic belief that the child should freely express their needs and guide his/herselves. These parents do not see themselves as responsible for teaching or modifying child behavior. The authoritative style is characterized by parents who give limit and affection. The caregiver is in-between permissive and authoritarian, encouraging emotional free expression, allowing the children to participate in decisions, stimulating arguments, autonomy and discipline, with warmth and control. Empathy is considered to be an essential skill for maintaining social bonds, with which is possible to perceive others needs and thus, promotes a feeling of being understood. Assertiveness is the ability to express and defend your on opinion, firmly and securely, without disregarding others. Having as background the evolutionary perspective, this research has hypothesized the idea that authoritative parents are more empathetic and assertive than authoritarian parents. The aim of this study was to correlate the Parenting Styles Social Skills: Empathy and Assertiveness. 64 parents participated in the survey, 21 men and 43 women. The instruments used were: Inventário de Habilidades Sociais (IHS-Del Prette), the Inventário de Empatia (IE - FALCONE) and the Parental Autority Questionnaire (PAQ). The data analysis was performed using SPSS. R of Pearson correlation between PAQ factors and IHS and IE were done. Results sHOWEd a positive correlation (r = 0.30, p <0.05) between Coping and Self-affirmation factor of the IHS and style Autoritartivo. A negative relationship (-0.24, p <0.05) was observed between this factor and the authoritarian style. Regarding empathy, the factors Perspective Taking (r = 0.33, p <0.01), Affective Sensitivity (r = 0.25, p <0.05) and Altruism (r = 0.25, p <0.05) have been correlated positively to Authoritative Style. Regarding the Authoritarian factor, there was a negative correlation of -0.24 (p <0.05) with the Altruism factor of IE. After this result, three multiple linear regression analysis (stepwise) within each of the factors PAQ factors as dependent variables of the IHS and IE were done. The Coping and Self-affirmation factor of the IHS and Altruism IE factor together explain 15% of variance of Factor authoritative. The results are discussed in the light of developmental psychology, social psychology and neuropsychology.