Com maiores publicações no início do século XXI, o tema superimitação, ou overimitation, tem despertado interesse de alguns psicólogos e biólogos por se tratar de um possível mecanismo social que leva os humanos a copiarem comportamentos irrelevantes na resolução de uma situação problema a partir de um modelo. Neste contexto, a presente dissertação de mestrado objetivou uma análise do comportamento de superimitação com mecanismos das funções executivas e cognição social de crianças da educação infantil, de 4 a 5 anos de idade. Participaram 36 crianças da educação infantil selecionadas de uma EMEI em São Paulo, segundo critérios pré-estabelecidos, avaliadas com os testes: superimitação (resolução da caixa problemas), teoria da mente - ToM (teste de falsa crença), testes para funções executivas de memória operacional (Missing Test), flexibilidade mental (DCCS), e raciocínio lógico (Teste de Matrizes Coloridas Progressivas de Raven). Os resultados indicaram que a superimitação não apresentou correlação com as funções executivas examinadas. Foram verificados indícios de tratar-se de uma atividade social, por consequência da associação com a função de teoria da mente, em detrimento a uma atividade isolada de resolução de problema cognitivo / Having experienced a growth in number of studies at the beginning of the 21st century, the subject of overimitation has caught the interest of psychologists and biologists in referring to a possible social mechanism that makes humans copy irrelevant behavior during the resolution of problem situations from a model. In that context, the present dissertation has as its objective an analysis of the overimitation behavior in relation to executive function and social cognition mechanisms in preschool children, 4 to 5 years of age. Thirty-six children participated in the study. They wereselected from a public municipal school (EMEI) in São Paulo, Brazil, according to preestablished criteria and evaluated using the problem box resolution task (overimitation), false belief test (ToM), and tests for executive functions of working memory (Missing Test), mental flexibility (DCCS), and logical thinking (Ravens Progressive Matrices Test). The results indicate that overimitation presented no significant correlation to executive functions. The findings provide evidence that overimitation is a result of social activity, since it showed possible association to theory of mind, instead of signs of an isolated activity cognitive problem solving

Le cerveau des primates, et plus encore celui de l’homme, a évolué en s’adaptant à un environnement socialement complexe. Le nombre élevé d’individus qui composent le groupe, la sophistication des modes d’interaction et le risque de manipulation constituent autant de pressions de sélection exercées sur le cerveau. Cette perspective évolutionnaire a alimenté tout un courant de recherche en psychologie développementale tourné vers la cognition dite sociale. Ces recherches se sont portées sur la lecture des intentions, la distinction soi/autrui, l’altruisme, l’empathie, la morale, la compétition et la coopération. Toutes ces capacités constituent les premières briques de ce que l’on pourrait appeler une sociologie naïve. Mais certaines de ces capacités sont restées au second plan, et l’objectif général de ce projet sera d’aborder l’une des plus ignorées mais pas des moins centrales : l’aptitude à traiter les hiérarchies. Les relations dominance, ou d’ascendance, constituent une dimension essentielle de la vie des espèces sociales. Sur le plan évolutionniste, un rang social élevé confère des avantages adaptatifs décisifs car il garantit un accès privilégié aux ressources nutritives et reproductives. Le rôle crucial du rang social va dès lors exercer un certain nombre de contraintes cognitives. Les individus doivent, par exemple, être capables d’identifier l’organisation hiérarchique de leurs groupes et représenter les avantages offerts par le statut. On peut donc penser que chez bon nombre d’espèces sociales, des mécanismes cognitifs dédiés aux hiérarchies sociales aient évolué selon un processus sélectif. Néanmoins, les hiérarchies sociales chez l’homme se distinguent de celles des autres espèces par deux aspects importants. Premièrement, les attributs qui définissent la dominance sont beaucoup plus diversifiés et dépassent le simple cadre des relations agonistiques. Deuxièmement, à la différence des primates, les cultures humaines présentent des variations fortes dans le degré de structuration hiérarchique des sociétés. Il est donc possible d’imaginer que les mécanismes cognitifs impliqués dans le traitement des hiérarchies soient modulés par l’environnement culturel. La méthode interculturelle suivie ici permettra d’identifier des mécanismes potentiellement universels et d’autres sujets à une variation culturelle. Au cours des années 70 et 80, l’étude des hiérarchies chez l’enfant a connu une période féconde. Les travaux produits, largement inspirés par l’éthologie, ont permis de montrer que les relations de dominance étaient fréquentes, même chez des enfants très jeunes (1 à 2 ans), et qu’elles s’organisaient selon des structures linéaires. Néanmoins ces études, de part les méthodologies employées, ont largement négligé la perspective cognitive et n’ont pas donc permis d’établir des mécanismes précis impliqués dans le traitement des hiérarchies. Cette thèse vise à réintroduire l’étude de la dominance sociale au sein de la psychologie cognitive du développement. Elle s’articule autour de deux axes principaux : 1) Identifier la dominance : la capacité à identifier le statut hiérarchique et ses différents attributs et inférer les avantages que confère un statut élevé. 2) Agir face à la dominance : la distribution de ressources en fonction du statut et la préférence sociale en fonction du statut. Huit expériences sont rapportées dont une incluant une comparaison inter-culturelle entre la France, le Liban et le japon. Ces expériences ont montré la capacité des enfants dès 3 ans à identifier les relations de dominance et à inférer un certain nombre de caractéristiques à partir de ces relations. Les inférences de la dominance aux caractéristiques des individus incluent l'asymétrie de ressources, de compétences ainsi que le genre ; les enfants de trois cultures différentes ont associé le genre masculin au personnage dominant........ / According to the social brain hypothesis, the computational demands of living in large and complex societies favored the selection of unusually large brains and complex cognitive capacities (Dunbar & Shulz, 2007). Social cognition, that is, the cognitive processes devoted to monitor, control, and predict the behaviors of others, is vital to navigate the social world. It is especially essential for humans, who live in societies characterized by a dense convolution of social relationships. Given the importance of asymmetrical relationships within and across social groups (Sidanius & Pratto, 2001; Bente, Leuschner, Al Issa & Blascovich, 2010), the perceptual and inferential strategies necessary for processing dominance are certainly central to social cognition. Dominance is indeed pervasive in the human species (Fiske, 1992), it affects reproductive success (Ellis, 1995; Fieder, Huber, Bookstein, Iber, Schäfer, Winckler & Wallner, 2005; Kanazawa, 2003) and plays a central role in the formation of short and long-term alliances (Watts, 2010). Work in the human ethological tradition has described preschoolers' spontaneous social dominance structures: they are linear and stable (Strayer and Strayer, 1976; Lafrénière & Charlesworth, 1983); based on verbal and physical strategies (Hawley, 1999; Pellegrini, 2008) and are associated to social competence and affiliative structures (Vaugh & Waters, 1981; Hold, 1976). However, the observational approach adopted in these studies and the methodological shortcomings of some parallel experimental attempts (Omark & Edelman, 1975; Sluckin & Smith, 1977) preclude conclusions about the specific cognitive mechanisms responsible for coping with dominance relations.In line with the naïve sociology framework proposed by Jackendoff (1992) and Hirschfeld (1995), the present thesis takes an experimental developmental psychology approach to highlight the cognitive strategies that allow children to identify dominance relations, to form relevant expectations and to take action on the light of these expectations. A series of eight experiments investigated preschoolers’ abilities to make sense of social dominance situations, following two axes:Dominance Identification: the capacity to identify hierarchical status using several cues and to infer advantageous consequences of high status. Taking action in dominance contexts: allocation of resources and social choices in dominance contexts. The first set of experiments showed that preschoolers are able, from 3-years-old, to infer dominance not only from physical supremacy but also from decision power, age and resources. The second set of experiments showed that preschoolers have some expectations regarding how a dominant and subordinate individual are likely to differ. In particular, they expect that an individual who imposes his choice on another will exhibit higher competence in games and will have more resources. Another, intercultural experiment showed that children from 3 countries differing in gender equality norms associated masculine gender to dominant behavior since their 4th year. The three final experiments belonged to the second axis and showed a systematic age effect that suggests that choices that reinforce the status-quo are more salient before 5-years-old.

Avaliação de sistemas de informação e frames tecnológicos (estruturas cognitivas compartilhadas em relação à tecnologia) constituem-se as temáticas focais desta pesquisa cujo objetivo foi compreender como se estabelece a relação entre processos de avaliação formais e informais de um sistema de informação e frames tecnológicos. A estrutura de avaliação conteúdo-contexto-processo e o arcabouço teórico de frames tecnológicos, especialmente seus elementos constitutivos - conhecimentos, pressupostos e expectativas - foram associados visando a esta compreensão. A pesquisa foi realizada em uma instituição de ensino superior e o objeto de estudo tratou-se de um sistema de informação acadêmico (Peoplesoft), implementado e em uso nesta instituição. Especificamente analisaram-se: avaliações formais e informais do sistema acadêmico em relação à estrutura conteúdo-contexto-processo; a natureza e extensão de diferenças em frames tecnológicos de grupos sociais distintos; e como frames tecnológicos moldam e são moldados por avaliações formais e informais de um sistema de informação. Com pressupostos epistemológicos sustentados pela perspectiva interpretativista, metodologicamente o estudo caracterizou-se por uma abordagem qualitativa do tipo estudo de caso único e incorporado (grupos sociais como sub-unidades de análise). Entrevistas em profundidade, observação participante, revisão documental e artefato físico constituíram-se as fontes de dados empíricos. Adotaram-se os fundamentos do método hermenêutico-dialético para a análise e interpretação dos dados coletados. O estudo propiciou identificar que: frames tecnológicos e avaliações do sistema de informação, sejam formais ou informais, influenciam-se reciprocamente; características pessoais, contextuais e tecnológicas integram-se criando, reforçando e modificando frames tecnológicos; diferentes avaliações sobre o sistema acadêmico são socialmente construídas pelos indivíduos inseridos em grupos sociais e fortemente afetadas pelo que acreditam, conhecem e esperam deste sistema; frames tecnológicos manifestam-se tanto no conteúdo da avaliação quanto no processo avaliativo, influenciando a identificação de fatores do conteúdo assim como o teor do julgamento destes fatores, o modo pelo qual se avalia e o próprio contexto da avaliação; em contrapartida, processos de avaliações informais, decorrentes da interação social, afetam frames tecnológicos; nestes processos, conhecimentos prévios são validados, ampliados ou refutados, pressupostos e expectativas criados e recriados; igualmente, o modo como avaliações formais são configuradas desencadeia conhecimentos, pressupostos e expectativas sobre a tecnologia. / Information systems evaluation and technological frames (shared cognitive structures that relate to technology) are the main themes of this research. Its general goal has been to establish how the relationship between formal and informal processes of information systems evaluation and technological frames operates. The structure of evaluation (content-context-process) and the theoretical stance of the technological frames, especially in respect to its constitutive elements, have been analyzed and linked to each other. The research has been conducted in a graduate institution and its object of analysis, a software called \"Peoplesoft\", which was already implemented and that is in use nowadays. Specific analysis deal with the following topics: a) both formal and informal evaluations of the information system in relation to the \"content-context-process\" structure; the nature and extension of the differences that sustain technological frames for different groups as well how these technological frames are molded and formed by formal and informal assessment (evaluations) of such system. Epistemological suppositions were held by an interpretative perspective while, methodologically, this study is characterized by a qualitative perspective of a unique case in which social groups act as sub-units of analysis. In-depth interviews, paticipative observations, documental review and physical artifacts have been the sources of empirical data. Data analysis and interpretation has been backed up by a dialectic-hermeneutic method. The results point to reciprocal influences between technological frames and information systems evaluations (both formal and informal ones). Personal and contextual characteristics as well as technological ones are integrated creating, reinforcing and modifying technological frames. Thus, different evaluations of the academic information system are socially constructed by the individuals and become greatly affected by their prior knowledge of the system, their assumptions and expectations towards it. Technological frames manifest themselves in relation to both the content and processes of evaluation, thus influencing the identification of generating factors of such judgments, as well as their substance; frames also influence the manners how evaluations are made and the context where they take place. On the other hand, informal evaluation processes, the product of social interaction, affect technological frames. In these processes, previous knowledge is validated, amplified or refuted; assumptions and expectations are created and/or recreated. At the same time, the ways in which formal evaluations are proposed trigger certain knowledges, expectations and assumptions about technology.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T19:33:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Jose Nelo.pdf: 986765 bytes, checksum: bdf40fb7708be5c453cc91decbdb3f0f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-04-14 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This thesis aims 1) generally at contributing studies on the laughable and laughter both in verbal texts and texts expressed by semiotic means other than the multimodal ones; and, 2) more specifically at examining whether the laughable is a discursive or textual genre; at identifying the functions and actions performed by the speaker and interlocutor as participants of a discursive context; at evaluating the argumentative strategies used by the speaker, who, intending to secure the interlocutor s laughter causes him/her to accept a new opinion; at investigating the intersection of the intertexts and interdiscourses in the production of the laughable and laughter. In considering that both laughter and the laughable have been dealt with in uni and interdisciplinarity, this thesis places both laughter and the laughable in the intersection of intertexts and interdiscourses, forming an integrative view, once it is crucial to tackle them by a muldisciplinary view, viewing the cognitive sciences as transdisciplinarity. Thus, an integrative model was chosen, so as to discuss enunciative, textual, discursive, historic, interactional, anatomical/physiological and cultural aspects.In this sense, this research has adopted the following methodological procedures: 1) theoretical/analytical procedure: theoretical review of the different treatments given to laughter and the laughable, besides other studies concerning text and discourse, with socio-interactional point of view; 2) selection of the corpora; the material selected for the analysis comprises jokes, stories, chronicles of daily life and editorial cartoons. The findings suggest that intertexts and interdiscourses form the actions which integrate the illocutionary act provoking laughter with the perlocutionary act of the one who laughs / Esta tese tem por objetivo geral contribuir com os estudos do risível e do riso tanto em texto verbais, quanto os expressos por outras semióticas além dos multimodais; e, por objetivos específicos: 1) verificar se o risível é um gênero discursivo ou textual; 2) identificar as funções e as ações praticadas pelo locutor e pelo interlocutor, enquanto participantes de um contexto discursivo; 3) examinar as estratégias argumentativas utilizadas pelo locutor que, ao objetivar o riso de seu interlocutor, leva-o a aceitar uma opinião nova; e, 4) investigar a intersecção dos intertextos e interdiscursos na produção do risível e do riso. Ao considerar que o riso e o risível têm sido tratados na uni e interdisciplinaridade, esta tese situa tanto o riso quanto o risível na intersecção de intertextos e interdiscursos, numa visão integradora, visto que é fundamental tratá-los por uma visão multidisciplinar, tendo por transdisciplinaridade as ciências da cognição. Assim, optou-se por um modelo integrador de forma a tratar de aspectos: enunciativos, textuais, discursivos, históricos, interacionais, anatômico- fisiológicos e culturais. Nesse sentido, a pesquisa adotou os seguintes procedimentos metodológicos: 1) procedimento teórico-analítico: revisão teórica dos diferentes tratamentos sobre o risível e o riso, e outros estudos relativos a texto e discurso, com o ponto de vista socio-interacional; 2) seleção dos corpora, o material selecionado para análise é composto de chistes, histórias, crônicas do cotidiano e charges jornalísticas. Os resultados indicam que os intertextos e os interdiscursos compõem as ações que integram o ato ilocucional de provocar o riso com o ato perlocucional de quem ri

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-22T17:26:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcia Pinho.pdf: 1039564 bytes, checksum: 618bf8e8247f56f2cc82a1541d03b32c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-30 / Although reading and writing are essential practices to foster learning and disseminate culture, they have been the subject of recurring debate and criticism in Brazil, not only as a result of low rates achieved in education statistics, but also because of the significant weaknesses faced by citizens in the exercise of social practices mediated by written texts. Despite the existing paradigm of universal basic education in Brazil, it is clear that the mere association of formal education with reading and writing does not ensure full mastery of such skills, which is crucial if citizens are to fully perform their roles as social protagonists. Given the above-mentioned context, the debate on literacy has gained increased relevance ever since it started spreading in the academic environment in the 1980s, when it approached the idea of functional literacy. It has gradually extended to all educational settings, from early childhood education programs to both graduate and undergraduate programs. This study particularly focuses on literacy in undergraduate programs, and aims to analyze the linguistic features of texts produced by undergraduate students by identifying the strategies revealed in observable socio-cognitive criteria of textuality on the textual surface. Hence this study drew upon the following theoretical references: the scenario of higher education in contemporary society, its perplexities and challenges; the concept of reflexivity in teacher education, coupled with cognitive strategies related to metacognition and metalanguage; the socio-cultural approach to literacies, as well as specificities of academic literacies; text linguistics from the knowledge-based socio-interactional perspective, focusing on the textuality mechanisms of written texts; finally, studies on social cognitive text processing. This study takes a quali-quantitative and interdisciplinary approach to reveal recurring linguistic features in texts written by students majoring in Pedagogy at the Catholic University of Pelotas, Brazil. Their texts were produced during an event on academic literacy coordinated by this researcher in 2011 and later analyzed for linguistic evidence of textuality - particularly the rates of cohesion and coherence, which were verifiable in the communicative modalities of these students, in accordance with their intended use. The analysis showed the prevalence of cognitive strategies related to the linguistic structure of colloquiality. There was little impact of metalinguistic mechanisms connected to self-reflexivity, hence compositional structures which are typical of beginning writers were highly observed, with little occurrence of strategies such as textual self-monitoring and overt concern with interlocutor s understanding, to the detriment of textual coherence development. This research expects to contribute to the processes of continuing teacher education and academic-pedagogic planning within teaching institutions. It also aims to contribute to future studies in the areas of university pedagogy, academic literacy, teacher education or other specific approaches that may rely on similar objects of study and/or the methodological framework adopted by the present study / A leitura e a escrita, enquanto práticas fundamentais ao aprendizado e à propagação da cultura, têm sido alvo de recorrentes debates e críticas no cenário nacional, seja em função da precariedade de seus índices nas estatísticas educacionais, ou pelas expressivas fragilidades enfrentadas pelos cidadãos no exercício de práticas sociais mediadas por textos escritos. Ainda que se conviva com o paradigma da universalização da escolaridade básica no país, nota-se que a mera vinculação com a educação formal não assegura o domínio pleno da leitura e da escrita para o desempenho fecundo de seu protagonismo social. Nesse contexto, a discussão do letramento, amplamente difundida no ambiente acadêmico a partir da década de 80, ao se aproximar da ideia de alfabetização funcional, tem sua pertinência ampliada, passando a abranger todos os contextos educacionais, da educação infantil aos programas de pós-graduação, passando pela educação superior, sobre a qual se detém o presente estudo. Tendo como referência a abordagem de letramentos, a pesquisa tem como objetivo geral analisar a caracterização linguística das produções escritas de alunos de nível superior, por meio da observação das estratégias sociocognitivas reveladas nos critérios de textualidade observáveis na superfície textual. Para tanto, são privilegiados estudos sobre o cenário da educação superior na contemporaneidade, suas perplexidades e desafios; o conceito de reflexividade na formação docente, associando-o às estratégias cognitivas ligadas à metacognição e à metalinguagem; a concepção sociocultural dos letramentos, bem como as particularidades dos letramentos acadêmicos; a linguística textual na perspectiva sociointeracional de base cognitiva, enfocando os mecanismos de textualidade das produções escritas; e, finalmente, os estudos sobre processamento sociocognitivo de textos. A partir de uma abordagem quali-quantitativa e interdisciplinar, a investigação procura desvelar características linguísticas recorrentes nas manifestações escritas de alunos concluintes do curso de Pedagogia da Universidade Católica de Pelotas, produzidas durante um evento de letramento acadêmico coordenado pela pesquisadora no ano de 2011, analisando-se os indícios linguísticos de textualidade particularmente os índices de coesão e coerência verificáveis nas modalidades comunicativas desses estudantes, em conformidade com as suas finalidades de uso. As análises demonstram a prevalência de estratégias cognitivas próprias à coloquialidade, com pouca incidência de mecanismos ligados à autorreflexividade, de forma que se sobressaem as estruturas composicionais típicas de escritores iniciantes, nas quais se percebem escassas estratégias de automonitoramento textual, além de não revelarem preocupação explícita com a compreensão do interlocutor, em prejuízo, portanto, da construção da coerência textual. Considerando-se as recorrências linguísticas verificadas, bem como os questionamentos educacionais suscitados por esses achados, a pesquisa pretende contribuir também com futuros estudos correlatos nas áreas de pedagogia universitária, letramento acadêmico, formação de professores ou outras abordagens específicas que se possam valer de semelhantes objetos investigativos e/ou da estrutura metodológica adotada pelo estudo ora realizado .

This thesis aimed to extend the existing psychological and neural basis of social processing in Major Depressive Disorder. This investigation was an attempt to resolve current conflicts and gaps in the social affective neuroscience literature regarding social functioning in depression. Chapter 1 consisted of a general introduction to the current evidence-base and theoretical frameworks surrounding social processing more generally, and in depression more specifically. ‎Chapter 2 provided an exploration of the systemic behavioural biases in in those with depression compared to mentally healthy individuals using a range of social, affective and process measures implemented across the remaining chapters. Then followed a behavioural and neural investigation into self-relevant social processing in depression. Chapter 3 described the process of memory generation implemented across ‎ Chapter 4-6 using a script-driven paradigm. It further discussed the ecological validity of this paradigm using social autobiographical memories. Chapter 4 investigated the neural and behavioural responses to self-relevant autobiographical memories of social rejection and social inclusion in individuals with depression and in healthy controls. The next two chapters discussed the behavioural and neural basis of social processing in depression in response to others’ memories of social rejection and inclusion, using traditional and novel fMRI analysis methodologies in ‎Chapter 5 and ‎‎Chapter 6, respectively. The latter applied a novel intersubject correlation analysis to the same population of depressed and healthy controls as in Chapter 5. Then, Chapter 7 presented a future application of the script-driven imagery paradigm by investigating the effectiveness of different emotion regulation strategies in response to socially salient autobiographical memories in a population of healthy controls. Finally, Chapter 8 provided a general discussion bringing together behavioural and neural findings to provide a clearer understanding of social processing in Major Depressive Disorder. Current theoretical frameworks were used to guide the interpretation of these findings.

La cognition sociale a récemment connu un intérêt croissant en neuropsychologique clinique. Cet engouement s’explique notamment par le caractère transdiagnostique mais aussi invalidant des troubles. Cependant, ce construit se heurte encore à de nombreux écueils, tant conceptuels que méthodologiques. Ainsi, dans la schizophrénie, les données de la littérature internationale divergent. Nous faisons l’hypothèse que ces contradictions peuvent être sous-tendues par : 1) le manque de considération pour le caractère multidimensionnel de la cognition sociale, et 2) l’hétérogénéité interindividuelle du fonctionnement. L’objectif général de ce travail de thèse était de réaliser une étude comparée des profils de fonctionnement en cognition sociale dans la population générale et dans la schizophrénie. Pour ce faire, une première étape a été consacrée à une revue systématique des études sur la structure factorielle de la cognition sociale en neuropsychologie clinique (Article 1). Cette revue a permis de proposer un modèle bidimensionnel de la cognition sociale, où les processus de bas et de haut niveau croisent les processus affectifs et cognitifs. Une deuxième étape a consisté à fournir des éléments de validation supplémentaires au PECS-B, une batterie d’évaluation de la cognition sociale composée de sept tâches évaluant cinq dimensions (Article 2). Les résultats ont révélé des qualités psychométriques satisfaisantes en population générale (N = 131) comme dans la schizophrénie (N = 101). Enfin, la troisième étape a consisté à réaliser des analyses en clusters pour explorer l’hétérogénéité interindividuelle dans ces mêmes populations (Article 3). Trois profils différents dans l’échantillon population générale ont été mis en évidence, dont deux caractérisés par des faiblesses spécifiques. En revanche, les trois profils obtenus dans l’échantillon schizophrénie étaient caractérisés par trois niveaux de fonctionnement en cognition sociale : capacités efficientes (similaires aux témoins), moyennes et faibles. Ces deux derniers niveaux étaient également caractérisés par des difficultés d’ordre alexithymique ou neurocognitive. Dans une perspective de pratique basée sur la preuve, ces résultats ont des implications importantes tant pour l’évaluation de la cognition sociale que pour l’orientation des interventions thérapeutiques. / Social cognition has received a growing interest in clinical neuropsychology. This popularity can be explained by the transdiagnostic and negative outcome of social cognition disorders. However, this construct faces many difficulties, conceptual as well as methodological. Thus, concerning schizophrenia, data from the international literature is inconsistent. We hypothesize that these contradictions may be underpinned by: 1) a lack of consideration for the multidimensionality of social cognition, and 2) interindividual heterogeneity of functioning. The overall goal of this thesis was to explore and compare the social cognition functioning profiles in the general population with those for schizophrenia. To do this, a first step was devoted to a systematic review of studies that explored the factor structure of social cognition in clinical neuropsychology (Article 1). This review allowed the proposition of a two-dimensional model of social cognition, in which low and high-level processes cross affective and cognitive ones. A second step was to provide additional validation elements to the PECS-B, a social cognition assessment battery with seven tasks assessing five dimensions (Article 2). The results reported satisfactory psychometric qualities in the general population (N = 131) as well as in schizophrenia (N = 101). Finally, the third step was to carry out cluster analyses to explore interindividual heterogeneity in these same populations (Article 3). Three different profiles in the general population sample were highlighted, of which two were characterized by specific weaknesses. In contrast, the three profiles in the schizophrenia sample were characterized by three levels of social cognition functioning: good (similar to controls), medium and low. The last two levels were also characterized by alexithymic or neurocognitive difficulties. From an evidence-based practice perspective, these findings have important implications for both the assessment and the direction of therapeutic interventions.

This thesis aims to disentangle the concept of culture; more specifically it identifies different facets of cultural orientations. It looks at how cultural and national groups differ on these dimensions and their impact on individuals and societies. It is argued that we need a more nuanced and multifaceted understanding of culture that goes beyond focusing on values. Chapter 1 discusses definitions of culture and identifies three significant facets of culture—values, beliefs and constructions of the self. It is noted that research into the latter two facets is far less developed. Chapter 2 outlines research into cross-cultural variation in beliefs, more specifically beliefs about personhood, and notes that little is known about beliefs that define individualism-collectivism (I-C). Chapter 3 reviews self-construal theory and highlights a range of remaining issues which point to the need to explore self-construals further. Chapter 4 provides a methodological overview of the research. Chapter 5 reports results from two large-scale cross-cultural questionnaire studies and presents the construct, and a measure, of contextualism, referring to beliefs about the importance of the context in understanding people. Contextualism is shown to be a facet of cultural collectivism and a predictor of national variation in ingroup favouritism, trust and corruption. Chapter 6 presents a new seven-dimensional model of self-construals, which can be organised into three higher-order dimensions at the cultural level of analysis: self-differentiation, other-focus and self-containment. Variation in self-differentiation is shown to be best explained by differences in I-C, other-focus by differences in national wealth and self-containment by religious heritage. Based on a smaller study in four nations, Chapter 7 investigates the seven self-construal dimensions at the individual level and tests how they differentially predict outcomes related to socio-emotional adjustment. Chapter 8 summarises the findings and discusses implications and directions for future research.

Being "deaf" is defined as the inability to hear, but it can also be defined as a culture centered around sensibilities and shared life experiences. This endeavor seeks to integrate the hearing-impaired and hearing communities through the application of "Deaf Space" and other design theories. The result is an inspiring, empowering, and lively solution.

of Diploma Thesis Social Cognition with horse's assistance Adela Pfannova 2017 Social Cognition is an area of psychology, which evaluates how people perceive others, relations and events in their social environment. Improving skills in this area is beneficial for different parts of life of a person and for the whole society. Consequences can be the development of prosocial behaviour, collaboration, and decrease in aggressive behaviour and in perceiving people through stereotypes. These skills can be improved with Equine Assisted Activities, which I further write about in this Thesis. With the inspiration of Natural horsemanship or Equitation Science, it is possible to try to understand horse's cognition, which differs a lot from human perspective. Horses are social animals, which are sensitive for signals from their environment and quick in responses to them. Because they are naturally living in herd hierarchy, they are trying to clear social positions with humans as well. That makes humans to realize their current place in hierarchy and to communicate it. Horse's influence on people is complex and it can affect all parts of their personality, which I describe as bio- psychosocial-spiritual. It is possible to use horse's positive effect for Treatment or Therapy.