Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:36:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 SergioAMR_TESE_1-152.pdf: 4687573 bytes, checksum: d13791598d6a440077f9a5703901fe3b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-06-19 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / Lucid dreaming (LD) is a mental state in which the subject is aware of being dreaming while dreaming. The prevalence of LD among Europeans, North Americans and Asians is quite variable (between 26 and 92%) (Stepansky et al., 1998; Schredl & Erlacher, 2011; Yu, 2008); in Latin Americans it is yet to be investigated. Furthermore, the neural bases of LD remain controversial. Different studies have observed that LD presents power increases in the alpha frequency band (Tyson et al., 1984), in beta oscillations recorded from the parietal cortex (Holzinger et al., 2006) and in gamma rhythm recorded from the frontal cortex (Voss et al., 2009), in comparison with non-lucid dreaming. In this thesis we report epidemiological and neurophysiological investigations of LD. To investigate the epidemiology of LD (Study 1), we developed an online questionnaire about dreams that was answered by 3,427 volunteers. In this sample, 56% were women, 24% were men and 20% did not inform their gender (the median age was 25 years). A total of 76.5% of the subjects reported recalling dreams at least once a week, and about two-thirds of them reported dreaming always in the first person, i.e. when the dreamer observes the dream from within itself, not as another dream character. Dream reports typically depicted actions (93.3%), known people (92.9%), sounds/voices (78.5%), and colored images (76.3%). The oneiric content was related to plans for upcoming days (37.8%), and memories of the previous day (13.8%). Nightmares were characterized by general anxiety/fear (65.5%), feeling of being chased (48.5%), and non-painful unpleasant sensations (47.6%). With regard to LD, 77.2% of the subjects reported having experienced LD at least once in their lifetime (44.9% reported up to 10 episodes ever). LD frequency was weakly correlated with dream recall frequency (r = 0.20, p <0.001) and was higher in men (?2=10.2, p=0.001). The control of LD was rare (29.7%) and inversely correlated with LD duration (r=-0.38, p <0.001), which is usually short: to 48.5% of the subjects, LD takes less than 1 minute. LD occurrence is mainly associated with having sleep without a fixed time to wake up (38.3%), which increases the chance of having REM sleep (REMS). LD is also associated with stress (30.1%), which increases REMS transitions into wakefulness. Overall, the data suggest that dreams and nightmares can be evolutionarily understood as a simulation of the common situations that happen in life, and that are related to our social, psychological and biological integrity. The results also indicate that LD is a relatively common experience (but not recurrent), often elusive and difficult to control, suggesting that LD is an incomplete stationary stage (or phase transition) between REMS and wake state. Moreover, despite the variability of LD prevalence among North Americans, Europeans and Asians, our data from Latin Americans strengthens the notion that LD is a general phenomenon of the human species. To further investigate the neural bases of LD (Study 2), we performed sleep recordings of 32 non-frequent lucid dreamers (sample 1) and 6 frequent lucid dreamers (sample 2). In sample 1, we applied two cognitive-behavioral techniques to induce LD: presleep LD suggestion (n=8) and light pulses applied during REMS (n=8); in a control group we made no attempt to influence dreaming (n=16). The results indicate that it is quite difficult but still possible to induce LD, since we could induce LD in a single subject, using the suggestion technique. EEG signals from this one subject exhibited alpha (7-14 Hz) bursts prior to LD. These bursts were brief (about 3s), without significant change in muscle tone, and independent of the presence of rapid eye movements. No such bursts were observed in the remaining 31 subjects. In addition, LD exhibited significantly higher occipital alpha and right temporo-parietal gamma (30-50 Hz) power, in comparison with non-lucid REMS. In sample 2, LD presented increased frontal high-gamma (50-100 Hz) power on average, in comparison with non-lucid REMS; however, this was not consistent across all subjects, being a clear phenomenon in just one subject. We also observed that four of these volunteers showed an increase in alpha rhythm power over the occipital region, immediately before or during LD. Altogether, our preliminary results suggest that LD presents neurophysiological characteristics that make it different from both waking and the typical REMS. To the extent that the right temporo-parietal and frontal regions are related to the formation of selfconsciousness and body internal image, we suggest that an increased activity in these regions during sleep may be the neurobiological mechanism underlying LD. The alpha rhythm bursts, as well as the alpha power increase over the occipital region, may represent micro-arousals, which facilitate the contact of the brain during sleep with the external environment, favoring the occurrence of LD. This also strengthens the notion that LD is an intermediary state between sleep and wakefulness / O sonho l?cido (SL) ? um estado mental no qual o sujeito est? consciente de estar sonhando durante o sonho. A preval?ncia do SL em Europeus, Norte-Americanos e Asi?ticos ? bastante vari?vel (entre 26 e 92%) (Stepansky et al., 1998; Erlacher & Schredl, 2011; Yu, 2008) e em Latino-Americanos ainda n?o foi investigada. Al?m disso, as bases neurais do SL permanecem controversas. Diferentes estudos observaram um aumento da pot?ncia na frequ?ncia alfa (Tyson et al., 1984), na oscila??o beta na ?rea parietal (Holzinger et al., 2006) e no ritmo gama na regi?o frontal (Voss et al., 2009) durante o SL em rela??o ao n?o l?cido. Assim, para investigar a quest?o epidemiol?gica (Estudo 1), elaboramos um question?rio online sobre sonhos que foi respondido por 3427 volunt?rios. Em nossa amostra, 56% s?o mulheres, 24% s?o homens e 20% n?o responderam o g?nero; a mediana de idade foi de 25 anos. Um total de 76,5% dos indiv?duos refere que lembra dos sonhos pelo menos uma vez por semana. Cerca de dois ter?os dos sujeitos observam o sonho em primeira pessoa, ou seja, vendo o sonho da pr?pria perspectiva e n?o como mais um dos personagens do sonho. Os elementos mais comuns nos sonhos s?o movimentos/a??es (93,3%), pessoas conhecidas (92,9%), sons/vozes (78,5%) e imagens coloridas (76,3%). O conte?do on?rico se relaciona principalmente com planos para o dia seguinte (37,8%) e mem?rias do dia anterior (13,8%). Os pesadelos apresentam principalmente ansiedade/medo (65,5%), ser perseguido (48,5%) e sensa??es desagrad?veis que n?o envolvem dor (47,6%). Assim, sonhos e pesadelos podem ser evolutivamente entendidos como uma simula??o das situa??es frequentes que acontecem na vida e que se relacionam com a nossa integridade social, psicol?gica e biol?gica. Observamos tamb?m que a maioria dos indiv?duos (77,2%) relata ter tido pelo menos um SL, tendo experimentado na sua maior parte at? 10 epis?dios (44,9%). A frequ?ncia do SL foi fracamente correlacionada com a frequ?ncia de lembran?a dos sonhos (r=0,20, p<0,001) e foi tamb?m maior em homens (?2=10,2, p= 0,001). O controle do SL ? raro (29,7%) e inversamente correlacionado com o tempo de dura??o do SL (r=- 0,38, p<0,001), que normalmente ? curto: para 48,5% dos sujeitos o SL dura menos que 1 minuto. A ocorr?ncia do SL ? principalmente facilitada pela possibilidade de dormir sem hora para acordar (38,3%) que aumenta a chance de ter sono REM (SREM), e estresse (30,1%) que aumenta tamb?m as transi??es do SREM para a vig?lia. Como conclus?o, nossos resultados indicam que o SL ? uma experi?ncia relativamente comum (mas n?o recorrente), geralmente fugaz e dif?cil de controlar, o que sugere que o SL ? um est?gio intermedi?rio, incompleto e estacion?rio (ou fase de transi??o) entre o SREM e a vig?lia. Al?m disso, apesar das popula??es Europeias, Norte-Americanas e Asi?ticas terem uma preval?ncia de SL bastante vari?vel, nossos dados de uma amostra de Latino-Americanos fortalecem a no??o de que o SL ? um fen?meno universal da esp?cie humana. Para investigar as bases neurais do SL (Estudo 2), realizamos registros de sono em 32 sujeitos que n?o apresentam SL de forma frequente, e investigamos 6 sujeitos que apresentam SL recorrentemente. A primeira amostra foi submetida a duas t?cnicas cognitivo-comportamentais para induzir o SL: sugest?o pr?- sono (n = 8) e incuba??o de est?mulos do ambiente (pulsos de luz) no sonho durante o SREM (n = 8). Um grupo controle n?o foi submetido a nenhuma das duas t?cnicas (n = 16). Os resultados indicam que ? muito dif?cil induzir SL em laborat?rio, uma vez que conseguimos obter apenas um SL em um sujeito, que era do grupo em que aplicamos a t?cnica de sugest?o pr?-sono. O sinal eletroencefalogr?fico deste volunt?rio apresentou pulsos de ritmo alfa (7-14Hz) anteriores ao SL, de forma breve (aproximadamente 3s), sem altera??o significativa do t?nus muscular e independente da presen?a de movimentos oculares r?pidos. O SL desse sujeito apresentou tamb?m uma maior pot?ncia do ritmo alfa (7-14Hz) na regi?o occipital e um aumento de atividade gama (20- 50Hz) na regi?o temporo-parietal direita. Nos 6 sujeitos que frequentemente t?m SL, o mesmo apresentou em m?dia um aumento de pot?ncia em gama alto (50-100Hz) na regi?o frontal em compara??o com o SREM n?o-l?cido; no entanto, isso aconteceu de forma clara para apenas um dos indiv?duos. Observamos tamb?m que quatro desses volunt?rios apresentaram um aumento da pot?ncia do ritmo alfa na regi?o occipital, pouco antes do SL, ou durante o mesmo. Dessa forma, nossos resultados preliminares sugerem que o SL apresenta diferentes caracter?sticas neurofisiol?gicas dos estados t?picos de SREM e vig?lia: 1) Os pulsos de ritmo alfa, bem como o aumento da pot?ncia dessa oscila??o na regi?o occipital, podem ser micro-despertares. Estes facilitam o contato do c?rebro durante o sono com o meio externo, favorecendo a ocorr?ncia do SL e fortalecendo a ideia de que o SL seria um estado intermedi?rio entre o sono e a vig?lia. 2) Como as regi?es temporoparietal direita e frontal se relacionam com a forma??o da auto-consci?ncia e da imagem corporal, sugerimos que um aumento de atividade nessas regi?es durante o sono pode ser o mecanismo neurobiol?gico subjacente ao SL

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-07-14T20:09:10Z No. of bitstreams: 1 davisonschaefferdeoliveira.pdf: 558469 bytes, checksum: 9eda3fec8b950cdea0aa550e9b18ee1e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Diamantino Mayra (mayra.diamantino@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-07-19T15:48:26Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 davisonschaefferdeoliveira.pdf: 558469 bytes, checksum: 9eda3fec8b950cdea0aa550e9b18ee1e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-19T15:48:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 davisonschaefferdeoliveira.pdf: 558469 bytes, checksum: 9eda3fec8b950cdea0aa550e9b18ee1e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-03-02 / CNPq - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / A presente pesquisa tem por objetivo investigar a filosofia da religião de Friedrich D. E. Schleiermacher. Pretende-se apresentar sua teoria geral acerca da religião, tendo por fio condutor dois conceitos fundamentais: o conceito de sentimento e autoconsciência imediata. A fim de cumprir a tarefa desta pesquisa, e, ao mesmo tempo, considerando a amplitude da obra de Schleiermacher, dois de seus principais escritos se apresentam como referenciais teórico-fundamentais: Über die Religion (1799) e Glaubenslehre (1830). Desse modo, a partir de uma análise descritiva e sistemática destas duas obras, objetiva-se expor de que maneira Schleiermacher elabora sua concepção de religião como uma dimensão constitutiva da subjetividade humana. / The aim of this research is to investigate the Friedrich D. E. Schleiermacher’s philosophy of religion. It seeks to present his general theory about religion focussing on two basics concepts: feeling and immediate self-consciousness. In order to accomplish this task, keeping in mind the sheer size of the Schleiermacher’s work, two of his major writings are presented as crucial theoretical sources: Über die Religion (1799) and Glaubenslehre (1830). Thus the goal of this research is to expose on the basis of a descriptive and systematic analysis of these two works how Schleiermacher elaborates his conception of religion as a constitutive dimension of human subjectivity.

The number of children in classrooms is constantly increasing, causing shy children to become more invisible in the classroom. Thompson&Rudolph (2000: 542) indicate that shyness and withdrawal are attempts to avoid participation in one’s surroundings. The researcher is of the opinion that if shyness is not adequately addressed during middle childhood, it can continue to limit the potential of shy people. Shyness is not generally considered as problematic behaviour for children in their middle childhood. Shyness inhibits children to express themselves. They rarely participate in class and usually hold an irrational negative view of themselves. There is a need for shy children to be able to express themselves, in order to gain optimally from the school setting. Play therapy is based on developmental principles and thus provides, through play, developmentally appropriate means of expression and communication (Landreth&Bratton, 1999:5). Group therapy complements the normal developmental tasks that further children’s capacities for social interaction and intimacy. The researcher conducted intervention research. Many facets of intervention research are both qualitative and quantitative in nature, depending on the distinctive elements of the particular research project (De Vos, 2002a:368). Due to both the qualitative and quantitative nature of intervention research, the researcher employed Creswell’s dominant-less-dominant model in order to accommodate both research approaches. The goal of this study was to explore the impact of group play therapy on the social skills of shy children in their middle childhood. The researcher conducted a one-group pretest-posttest design in order to measure “shyness” as well as social skills before and after intervention. Seeing that the quantitative paradigm answered the research question of this research project, it was utilized as the dominant approach. Through comparing the pre-test and post-test scores, the researcher realized that group play therapy has a positive impact on the social skills of shy children. The unstructured observation provided the researcher with a better insight into the phenomena of shyness, and represented the qualitative approach. By combining the two research approaches, the researcher was able to achieve the outlined goal and objectives of this study. Further research into effective implementation of group play therapy to address shyness in the middle childhood years is recommended. / Dissertation (MSD (Play Therapy))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Orientador: Marcos Lutz Müller / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T02:57:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Nolasco_FabioMascarenhas_D.pdf: 3414306 bytes, checksum: 857e1ec40f00d14e035ffde5b811e521 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: Foi o objetivo do presente trabalho apresentar os pressupostos histórico-filosóficos da crítica de Hegel ao cálculo infinitesimal, bem como acompanhar de perto praticamente todos os aspectos dessa crítica, tal como ela se apresenta no capítulo intermediário da Doutrina do Ser da Ciência da Lógica. A primeira tarefa, pois, foi levada a cabo através da análise interpretativa de três capítulos da Fenomenologia do Espírito (Força e Entendimento, Consciência de Si e a primeira subdivisão do capítulo da Razão), bem como através de um confrontamento com alguns aspectos da filosofia de Kant (a doutrina das grandezas negativas), Fichte e Schelling. Buscou-se mostrar como faltava à filosofia transcendental um conceito não quantitativo da qualidade em decorrência de uma proximidade fundamental à maneira tal como Leibniz inventara o cálculo infinitesimal. Além disso, coube observar como já na Fenomenologia do Espírito o tema da crítica ao cálculo infinitesimal se faz notar de maneira notável, preparando (no Força e Entendimento) e concluindo (na Observação da Natureza) o conceito dialético da consciência de si. A segunda tarefa foi, por sua vez, levada a cabo através de uma leitura minunciosa dos capítulos da Qualidade e da Quantidade da Ciência da Lógica, onde se pode mostrar como os temas trazidos à tona de maneira introdutória na Fen. do Espírito eram então consumados nas duas versões da obra máxima do método dialético especulativo hegeliano. Um confrontamento radical com a filosofia de Leibniz foi, portanto, uma das principais linhas de força do presente esforço. Nisso, mostrou-se igualmente necessário elaborar, a partir de Hegel, uma reconstrução dos contornos históricos que guiaram as práticas matemáticas infinitesimais desde Pitágoras até Cauchy, bem como propor, para além de Hegel, baseando-se porém, em seu diagnóstico, alguns prognósticos a respeito do desenvolvimento da análise matemática nos sécs. XIX e XX / Abstract: It was the goal of the present work to elucidate the historic-philosophical presuppositions of Hegel¿s critique of infinitesimal calculus and to follow very closely the way in which this critique was effectively carried forth in the intermediary chapter of the Doctrine of Being of the Science of Logic. The first of these two tasks was approached by an interpretative analysis of three chapters of the Phenomenology of Spirit (Force and Understanding, Self-consciousness and the first of the subdivisions of Reason: Observation of Nature), just as by a confrontation with some aspects of Kant¿s philosophy (the doctrine of the negative magnitudes) and the further developments of this conceptual starting point in the philosophies of Fichte and Schelling. By doing so it was attempted to show how the transcendental philosophy, due to a fundamental binding to the manner with which Leibniz had invented infinitesimal calculus, lacked a non-quantitative concept of quality; furthermore, it was aimed at showing how the theme of infinitesimal calculus critique can be observed, already in the Phenomenology of Spirit, as noticeably preparing (in Force and Understanding) and essentially resolving (in Observation of Nature) the dialectical concept of self-consciousness. The second task was, on its turn, carried forth by a detailed reading of the chapters Quality and Quantity of the Science of Logic, through which it became possible to show how the themes brought to light in an introductory manner in the Phenomenology of Spirit were then resolved in the two versions of the first volume of the most important work of Hegel¿s speculative dialectics. A radical confrontation with the philosophy of Leibniz was, therefore, one of the main red-lines of the present enterprise. In this regard, it became equally necessary to elaborate, departing from Hegel, a reconstruction of the outlines of the historical development of mathematical infinitesimal praxis from Pythagoras to Cauchy, just as propounding ¿ now beyond the scope of Hegel¿s diagnosis, but essentially based upon it ¿ some observations regarding the development of mathematical analysis in the 19th and 20th centuries / Doutorado / Filosofia / Doutor em Filosofia

This dissertation is a phenomenological study on the origin of expressive arts as an innate human need rooted deeply in the psyche in order to grasp and relate to the human condition. Carl Gustav Jung said, “Life has no rules and that is its mystery.” Art compensates for the chaos that originates and often rules life. The history of art and its evolution in society was explored to paint a picture of the experiences that dominate and leave permanent etchings of the complexities, attachments, and traumas on the psyche. I explored the history of art and its ability to stimulate curiosities, discoveries, and learning. Additionally, I followed the birth of art education and its crossroads within the discovery of the unconscious mind and Jungian psychology. I followed the effects of the unconscious mind and psychology on art and art education, the ecological agents of the Industrial Revolution, the birth of the middle class, and the new accessibility of art. I also discussed the Industrial Revolution and its impact on pushing the artist to new interior boundaries of altered states and the birth of abstract art. Moreover, I looked at expressive art, painting, poetry, and sculpture as the foreground to discover the psychic energy and complexes that stimulate and inspire the artist. I presented eight artist interviews randomly chosen from different backgrounds, specialties, and age. The data analysis process allowed me to gain insights into the artists’ perceptions of how art has enriched the development of their psyches and their lives.

Submitted essay is an inquiry into J. G. Fichte's early philosophy focused particularly on Foundation of the Entire Wissenschaftslehre as a central work of his early period. Interpretation is based on assumption that its principal aim consists in manifestation of the way leading to emergence of our commonsense and ordinary understanding with reference to both world and ourselves. This approach carries Fichte's affilation with tendency inherent to transcendental philosophy of his era not only in its search for the origin of empirical knowledge, but for the origin of aprioristic structures of our experience especially. His transcendentally laden search manifests itself as so called "pragmatic history of the human mind", the principal object of our inquiry. Here we can find an attempt to reconstruct just transcendental, but not "real", temporally sequential, genesis of our mind from original state of feeling to our common representation both about independently existing things and ourselves as free cognizing subjects. Application of this philosophical method allows him to genetically derive and justify basic forms of our experience and its aprioristic components like space, time, substantiality or causality. The first part of essay introduces fundamental principles of Fichte's philosophical system and...

[pt] A perda de insight nas próprias habilidades cognitivas pode ser uma característica de uma ampla gama de distúrbios neurológicos e pode ser relevante para os resultados clínicos e a eficácia da reabilitação. Além disso, pesquisas recentes têm mostrado que alterações na metacognição também podem caracterizar o envelhecimento saudável e interferir nas atividades da vida cotidiana, aumentando a incidência de um conjunto de comportamentos que afetam a saúde e a tomada de decisões. Considerando a natureza subjetiva da autoconsciência e a falta de consenso sobre instrumentos de avaliação para medir habilidades metacognitivas, é importante elucidar a neuroarquitetura da consciência metacognitiva e identificar biomarcadores de funções metacognitivas. A presente tese explora este tema através de quatro artigos. De acordo com o Modelo de Consciência Cognitiva (CAM), diferentes tipos de comprometimento da autoconsciência dependem de diferentes perfis de disfunções neurocognitivas, como anosognosia mnemônica e executiva. O primeiro é discutido no Artigo 1, que se concentra nos mecanismos subjacentes à autoconsciência prejudicada na doença de Alzheimer. Especificamente, as evidências sugerem que os pacientes com Alzheimer dependem de informações desatualizadas sobre si mesmos e são incapazes de consolidar novas informações como consequência da amnésia anterógrada e retrógrada. Além disso, achados de neuroimagem mostram que a degeneração fronto-cingulada e temporal estão implicadas em deficiências de autoconsciência. O Artigo 2, por sua vez, concentrou-se nos mecanismos neurais subjacentes à anosognosia executiva. Foi realizada uma revisão sistemática de estudos potenciais relacionados a eventos que investigam o automonitoramento em distúrbios neurológicos foi realizada para entender a contribuição de diferentes estruturas cerebrais para o monitoramento de erros. Especificamente, o estudo concentrou-se na negatividade relacionada ao erro (ERN) e na positividade do erro (Pe), que indexam a detecção de erros e a consciência do erro, respectivamente. Os achados sugerem a presença de processamento de domínio geral de detecção de erros com base em áreas cingulo-operculares e gânglios da base, mas também foi levantada a hipótese de que lesões fora da rede de monitoramento fronto-basal podem levar a déficits específicos de domínio. Para testar a hipótese de especificidade de domínio, foi realizado um estudo de potencial relacionado a eventos (Artigo 3). Um grupo de adultos jovens e idosos completou uma tarefa de flanker perceptual e de memória, e os resultados demonstraram que é possível diferenciar processos de automonitoramento em domínios cognitivos. Além disso, os achados de Pe demonstraram um declínio global da consciência de erro no envelhecimento. Curiosamente, apenas em adultos mais velhos, o aumento de Pe dentro da tarefa foi específico para o domínio da memória, sugerindo a presença de efeitos de aprendizagem para a memória, mas não para as decisões perceptivas. Foi levantada a hipótese de que as deficiências na percepção do erro podem estar associadas ao declínio sensorial no envelhecimento. Assim, o Artigo 4 investigou a associação entre Pe e potenciais bloqueados por estímulo em adultos jovens e idosos durante o desempenho da tarefa flanker de memória, a fim de entender a contribuição dos processos sensoriais ou de memória para mudanças relacionadas à idade na consciência de erro. Os resultados mostraram que a lembrança eficiente de estímulos foi associada a uma maior consciência de erro em adultos jovens e mais velhos e que a redução da consciência de erro em adultos mais velhos foi associada a deficiências no processamento perceptivo de estímulos. No geral, este trabalho contribui para nossa compreensão dos processos neurocognitivos subjacentes à consciência metacognitiva e correlatos neurais de diferentes tipos de anosognosia e apóia a conceituação multidimensional da consciência metacognitiva delineada pelo CAM. Os resultados do estudo oferecem novos insights sobre marcadores neurais de processos metacognitivos que podem servir para avaliação clínica e desenvolvimento de treinamento e reabilitação cognitiva. / [en] Loss of insight in own s cognitive abilities can be a feature of a wide range of neurological disorders and can be relevant for clinical outcomes and rehabilitation effectiveness. Furthermore, recent research has shown that changes in metacognition can also characterize healthy aging and interfere with everyday life activity, increasing the incidence of a set of behaviours affecting health and decision making. Considering the subjective nature of self-awareness and the lack of consensus on assessment instruments to measure metacognitive abilities, it is important to elucidate the neuroarchitecture of metacognitive awareness and identify biomarkers of metacognitive functions. The current thesis explores this topic through four articles. According to the Cognitive Awareness Model (CAM), different type of self-awareness impairments depends on different profiles of neurocognitive dysfunctions, such as mnemonic and executive anosognosia. The former is discussed in Article 1, which focuses on mechanisms underlying impaired self-awareness in Alzheimer s disease. Specifically, the evidence suggests that Alzheimer s patients rely on outdated information about the self and are unable to consolidate new information as consequence of anterograde and retrograde amnesia. Moreover, neuroimaging findings show that fronto-cingulate and temporal degeneration are implicated in self-awareness impairments. Article 2 focused instead on neural mechanisms underlying executive anosognosia. A systematic review of event-related potential studies investigating self-monitoring in neurological disorders was conducted to understand the contribution of different brain structures to error monitoring. Specifically, the study focused on the error-related negativity (ERN) and the error positivity (Pe), which index error detection and error awareness, respectively. The findings suggest the presence of domain-general processing of error detection relying on cingulo-opercular areas and basal ganglia, but it was also hypothesized that lesions outside the fronto-basal monitoring network may lead to domain-specific deficits. To test the domain- specificity hypothesis, an event-related potential study was conducted (Article 3). A group of young and older adults completed a perceptual and a memory flanker task and the findings demonstrated that it is possible to differentiate self-monitoring processes across cognitive domains. Moreover, Pe findings demonstrated a global decline of error awareness in aging. Interestingly, in older adults only, within-task increase in Pe was specific to the memory domain, suggesting the presence of learning effects for memory but not for perceptual decisions. It was hypothesized that error awareness impairments may be associated with sensory decline in aging. Thus, Article 4 investigated the association between Pe and stimulus-locked potentials in young and older adults during memory flanker task performance, in order to understand the contribution of sensory or memory processes to age-related changes in error awareness. The findings showed that efficient stimulus recollection was associated with higher error awareness in both young and older adults and that reduced error awareness in older adults was associated with impairments in perceptual processing of stimuli. Overall, this work contributes to our understanding of neurocognitive processes underlying metacognitive awareness and neural correlates of different types of anosognosia and supports the multidimensional conceptualization of metacognitive awareness delineated by the CAM. The study s results offer novel insights into neural markers of metacognitive processes that can serve clinical assessment and the development of cognitive training and rehabilitation.

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Text in Afrikaans / In this study the researcher explored and described the use of Gestalt play therapy with specific focus on self-support with the child in middle childhood years. A literature study was undertaken to examine the concepts of child, Gestalt play therapy, self-support and the play therapy process. This literature study forms the theoretical frame in which this study was done. After the completion of the literature study, the empirical study was conducted. The researcher made use of unstructured interviews within a intrinsic single case study in order to compile research data. During the empirical study ten therapy sessions were conducted with the participant which was explored within the framework of qualitative research methodology. The researcher was able to use ample Gestalt play therapy concepts and principles during the description of the case study in order to explore self-support within the child during middle childhood. These concepts and principles will be discussed in depth within this study. / Social Work / M.Diac. (Spelterapie-rigting)