Previous research has suggested that viewing of another’s averted eye gaze causes automatic orienting of attention and eye movements in observers due to the importance of eye gaze for effective social interaction. Other types of visual cues with no social or biological relevance, such as arrows, are claimed not to produce such a direct effect on orienting behaviour. The finding that processing of eye gaze is reduced in individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorders as well as following damage to the orbitofrontal cortex of the brain, suggests that gaze processing is indeed critical for effective social behaviour and therefore eye gaze may constitute a “special” directional cue. This thesis tested these ideas by examining the influence of socio-biological (eye gaze and finger pointing) and non-social cues (arrows and words) on eye movement responses in both healthy control participants and those with damage to the frontal lobes of the brain. It further investigated the relationship between orienting to gaze and arrow cues and autistic traits in a healthy population. Important differences between the effects of socio-biological and non-social cues were found on saccadic eye movements. Although in the pro-saccade tasks, arrow cues caused a similar facilitation of responses in the cued direction as eye gaze and pointing cues, in the anti-saccade tasks (in which participants have to respond away from the location of a peripheral onset), arrows had a greatly reduced effect on oculomotor programming relative to the biologically relevant cues. Importantly, although the socio-biological cues continued to influence saccadic responses, the facilitation was in the opposite direction to the cues. This finding suggests that the cues were being processed within the same "anti-response" task set (i.e. "go opposite") as the target stimulus. Word cues had almost no effects on saccadic orienting in either pro- or anti-saccade tasks. Schematicised eye gaze cues had a smaller magnitude effect than photographic gaze cues suggesting that ecological validity ("biological-ness") is an important factor in influencing oculomotor responses to social cues. No relationship was found between autistic traits and orienting to gaze or arrow cues in a large sample of males. However, findings from the neurological patients point to a possible double-dissociation between the neural mechanisms subserving processing of socio-biological and non-social cues, with the former reliant on the orbitofrontal cortex, and the latter on lateral frontal cortex. Taken together, these results suggest that biologically relevant cues have privileged access to the oculomotor system. The findings are interpreted in terms of a neurocognitive model of saccadic orienting to socio-biological and non-social cues, and an extension to an existing model of saccade generation is proposed. Finally, limitations of the research, its wider impact and directions for future work are discussed.

While it is known that primitive, low-level visual stimuli such as abrupt visual onsets or luminance changes can bias attentional orienting without willful intent on the part of the observer, comparatively little is known about how attention functions in rich, dynamic, meaningful contexts, such as those that comprise our everyday lives. The primary motivating hypothesis of this investigation is that, given our intrinsic needs as evolved social organisms, as well as our capability for behavioral flexibility, the attention system should be sensitive not only to low-level stimulus features, but also to complex stimuli that provide behaviorally relevant information. Three separate lines of research will be presented, each one providing a unique perspective on this issue. The first examined attentional orienting to socially relevant stimuli, finding that eye gaze serves as particularly potent cue for attentional orienting, driving the cortical orienting network more robustly than non-social stimuli, and resulting in a larger attention-related modulation of the early visual processing of stimuli appearing at attended locations. The second line of inquiry investigated patterns of eye movements while participants viewed naturalistic navigational scenes, revealing a dynamic interplay of orienting to the various behaviorally relevant aspects of the scene. The third set of studies specifically addressed whether, given the relevance of heading information for guiding navigational behavior, there is evidence that attention can be oriented automatically to the heading point in an optic flow field simulating the patterns of visual stimulation that accompany self-motion. Together, the results converge on the conclusion that attention can be oriented automatically in a dynamic, flexible, and continuous manner on the basis of complex visual stimuli that provide behaviorally relevant information.

While it is known that primitive, low-level visual stimuli such as abrupt visual onsets or luminance changes can bias attentional orienting without willful intent on the part of the observer, comparatively little is known about how attention functions in rich, dynamic, meaningful contexts, such as those that comprise our everyday lives. The primary motivating hypothesis of this investigation is that, given our intrinsic needs as evolved social organisms, as well as our capability for behavioral flexibility, the attention system should be sensitive not only to low-level stimulus features, but also to complex stimuli that provide behaviorally relevant information. Three separate lines of research will be presented, each one providing a unique perspective on this issue. The first examined attentional orienting to socially relevant stimuli, finding that eye gaze serves as particularly potent cue for attentional orienting, driving the cortical orienting network more robustly than non-social stimuli, and resulting in a larger attention-related modulation of the early visual processing of stimuli appearing at attended locations. The second line of inquiry investigated patterns of eye movements while participants viewed naturalistic navigational scenes, revealing a dynamic interplay of orienting to the various behaviorally relevant aspects of the scene. The third set of studies specifically addressed whether, given the relevance of heading information for guiding navigational behavior, there is evidence that attention can be oriented automatically to the heading point in an optic flow field simulating the patterns of visual stimulation that accompany self-motion. Together, the results converge on the conclusion that attention can be oriented automatically in a dynamic, flexible, and continuous manner on the basis of complex visual stimuli that provide behaviorally relevant information.

abstract: Social gaze-following consists of both reflexive and volitional control mechanisms of saccades, similar to those evaluated in the antisaccade task. This similarity makes gaze-following an ideal medium for studying attention in a social context. The present study seeks to utilize reflexive gaze-following to develop a social paradigm for measuring attention control. Two gaze-following variations of the antisaccade task are evaluated. In version one, participants are cued with still images of a social partner looking either left or right. In version two, participants are cued with videos of a social partner shifting their gaze to the left or right. As with the traditional antisaccade task, participants are required to look in the opposite direction of the target stimuli (i.e., gaze cues). Performance on the new gaze-following antisaccade tasks is compared to the traditional antisaccade task as well as the highly related ability of working memory. / Dissertation/Thesis / html file of analyses script / R Rmd file of analyses script / Masters Thesis Psychology 2018

While it is known that primitive, low-level visual stimuli such as abrupt visual onsets or luminance changes can bias attentional orienting without willful intent on the part of the observer, comparatively little is known about how attention functions in rich, dynamic, meaningful contexts, such as those that comprise our everyday lives. The primary motivating hypothesis of this investigation is that, given our intrinsic needs as evolved social organisms, as well as our capability for behavioral flexibility, the attention system should be sensitive not only to low-level stimulus features, but also to complex stimuli that provide behaviorally relevant information. Three separate lines of research will be presented, each one providing a unique perspective on this issue. The first examined attentional orienting to socially relevant stimuli, finding that eye gaze serves as particularly potent cue for attentional orienting, driving the cortical orienting network more robustly than non-social stimuli, and resulting in a larger attention-related modulation of the early visual processing of stimuli appearing at attended locations. The second line of inquiry investigated patterns of eye movements while participants viewed naturalistic navigational scenes, revealing a dynamic interplay of orienting to the various behaviorally relevant aspects of the scene. The third set of studies specifically addressed whether, given the relevance of heading information for guiding navigational behavior, there is evidence that attention can be oriented automatically to the heading point in an optic flow field simulating the patterns of visual stimulation that accompany self-motion. Together, the results converge on the conclusion that attention can be oriented automatically in a dynamic, flexible, and continuous manner on the basis of complex visual stimuli that provide behaviorally relevant information. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

[pt] O presente trabalho tem por objeto as atividades de um Grupo de Familiares de usuários do Centro de Atenção Psicossocial Herbert de Souza, situado no município de Niterói, estado do Rio de Janeiro. Este, enquanto nova forma de assistência psiquiátrica, aborda as questões recorrentes no âmbito da reforma psiquiátrica em curso. Foi privilegiada a metodologia qualitativa, utilizando-se instrumentos de coleta de dados tradicionais: a observação participante e as entrevistas. Para a análise foram articuladas as representações dos atores com o contexto específico onde eles atualizam suas práticas. Conclui-se que, a Reforma Psiquiátrica é um processo longo e complexo, que exige empenho de todos na construção da cidadania dos portadores de sofrimento psíquico. Algumas dificuldades ainda estão presentes: o pequeno número de CAPS disponíveis, as representações sobre a loucura - quer por alguns agentes, quer dos próprios usuários - que ainda expressam o caráter negativo que a cultura ocidental imprimiu àqueles que são tidos como loucos. / [en] The present work has for object the activities of a group of user`s at the Center of Psycho-social attencion (CAPS) Herbert de Souza, located in the municipal district of Niterói, state of Rio de Janeiro. This while new form of psychiatric attendance approaches the appealing subjects in the extent in the psychiatric way in course. The methodology quality privileged, being used instruments of collection of traditional data: the participant analysis they were articulate the actor`s representations with the specifc contex where they update their practices. The ended conclusion that the psychiatric reform is a long and complex process that it demands pledge from all in the construction of the citizenship of the bearers of psychic suffering. Some difficulties are still present: the small number of available CAPS, the representations about the madness - for some agents, he/she wants for the users - that still espress the negative character that the western culture to those that are had as crazy.

Human infants rely on social interactions to acquire culturally relevant knowledge about their environment. Aside from active participation (“first-party perspective”), infants encounter social interactions through third-party observation (“third-party perspective”). Despite the absence of own involvement, the mere observation of others’ interactions represents an essential source of social learning opportunities. The overarching aim of this dissertation was to deepen our understanding of the foundations of infants’ observational learning from third-party interactions. This was achieved by investigating (a) social attentional developments and motivational influences driving infants’ attention toward third-party interactions (Study 1 & 2), and (b) factors influencing infants’ attention and memory while observing third-party interactions (Study 3). Study 1 investigated how infants’ attentional orienting to third-party interactions develops in parallel with their active social attention behavior. In Experiment 1, 9.5- to 11-month-old infants looked longer than 7- to 8.5-month-olds at videos showing two adults engaging in a face-to-face interaction, when simultaneously presented with a non-interactive back-to-back scene showing the same people acting individually. Moreover, older infants showed higher social engagement (including joint attention) during parent-infant free play. Experiment 2 replicated this age-related increase in both measures and showed that it follows continuous trajectories from 7 to 13 months of age. These findings suggest that infants’ attentional orienting to others’ social interactions coincides with developments in their social attention behavior during own social interactions. Study 2 examined the incentive value of social interactions as a proximal driver of infants’ attentional orienting to third-party interactions. In a gaze-contingent associative learning task, two geometrical shape cues were repeatedly paired with two kinds of target videos showing either a dyadic face-to-face interaction or a non interactive back-to-back scene. We found that 13-monthold infants performed faster saccadic latencies and more predictive gaze shifts toward the cued target region during social interaction trials. This suggests that social interaction targets can serve as primary reinforcers in an associative learning task, supporting the view that infants find it intrinsically rewarding to observe others’ social interactions. Study 3 investigated infants’ object encoding in the context of observed social interactions. In Experiment 1, 9-month-old infants were presented with four types of videos showing one object and two adults. The scenarios varied regarding the eye contact between the adults (eye contact or no eye contact) and the adults’ object directed gaze (looking toward or away from the object). Infants showed increased object encoding, but only when seeing two adults looking at an object together, following mutual eye contact. We found an identical pattern of results in a matched first-party design during which 9-month-old infants were directly addressed by one single adult on screen (Experiment 2). Together, these findings suggest that the capacity to learn about novel objects by observing third-party interactions emerges in the first postnatal year, and that it may depend on similar factors as infants’ learning through direct social interactions at this age. The findings of all three studies are integrated in a general discussion. In summary, the results of this thesis suggest that, throughout the first year after birth, infants develop abilities and preferences enabling them to approach and efficiently learn from third-party social interactions.:General Introduction 1 1.1 The Infant As an Active Learner 2 1.2 Social Attentional Requirements of Infants’ Learning From Social Interactions 3 1.3 Motivational Mechanisms Affording Opportunities to Learn From Social Interactions 16 1.4 Infants’ Learning From Social Interactions 21 1.5 Research Gaps 26 1.6 Focus of This Dissertation 27 Study I 33 2.1 Introduction 34 2.2 Experiment I 38 2.3 Experiment II 45 2.4 General Discussion 50 Study II 55 3.1 Introduction 56 3.2 Methods 57 3.3 Results 63 3.4 Discussion 64 Study III 69 4.1 Introduction 70 4.2 Experiment I 74 4.3 Experiment II 81 4.4 General Discussion 86 General Discussion 91 5.1 Summary of Results 91 5.2 Research Contributions 93 5.3 Limitations and Future Directions 101 5.4 Overall Conclusion 114 References 115 Appendix A – Supplementary Materials Study I 137 Appendix B – Supplementary Materials Study II 148 Appendix C – Supplementary Materials Study III 152 Curriculum Vitae 167 Scientific Publications and Conference Contributions 169 Contributions of Authors 171 Declaration of Authorship 175

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:29:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-12-05Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:58:39Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 uliana_am_me_assis.pdf: 1311985 bytes, checksum: bba4997a675cb9525bbcc797d4b6520d (MD5) / O objetivo dessa pesquisa constitui em analisar as concepções do trabalhador de saúde mental em sua relação com o trabalho e a instituição e como concebe a produção de saúde mental no contexto psicossocial. Considera-se como campo social o contexto da reforma psiquiátrica e da proposta psicossocial, como sujeito da ação de mudança o trabalhador de saúde mental de um CAPS e como intermediário as forças antagônicas de desejo, motivação e sofrimento nas relações de trabalho. Levou-se em consideração como as escolhas profissionais e seus determinantes articulam-se com a relação que o sujeito estabelece com o exercício profissional e seu significado, com a concepção de saúde mental e as práticas desenvolvidas na atenção psicossocial. O referencial teórico fundamentou-se na Psicossociologia, com autores como Dejours (1992, 1994), Enriquez (2000) e Gaulejac (2001), na psicanálise com Freud (1913, 1930), Birman (1977) e Costa (2004) e na Saúde Coletiva com Amarante (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2007), Rotelli (1990) e Costa Rosa, Luzio, Yasui (2001, 2003). Em termos metodológicos, foram coletados os dados por meio de entrevistas semidirigidas, com os técnicos do CAPS do interior do estado de São Paulo. Os resultados apontaram que os indícios de sofrimento dos trabalhadores não assumem um caráter patogênico, imobilizador de ações e impeditivos na realização de desejos. Os trabalhadores que tiveram uma livre escolha, considerando sua constituição subjetiva, sua historia pessoal e seus desejos, demonstram uma maior integração, afinidade, motivação e prazer nas relações de trabalho, bem como uma melhor adesão à proposta psicossocial... / This research aims to study the mental health professional.s conceptions related to his work as well as the institution and how this professional conceives the mental health production in the social context. The psychiatric reform context and the psycho-social proposal are taken as the social field; a mental health professional of a CAPS is the change action subject; and the desire, motivation and suffering adverse strength in the work relations are considered the means through which these changes are promoted. It was studied how the professional choices and their determining factors are articulated in the relation that the subject has with his work activity, and how its meaning is articulated with the mental health conception and the practices developed for psycho-social attention. The theoretical references were based on Psycho-sociology, with authors like Dejours (1992, 1994), Enriquez (2000) e Gaulejac (2001); on Psychoanalysis, with Freud (1913,1930, Birman (1977) e Costa (2204); and on the Collect Health, with Amarante (1996, 1997, 1999, 2007), Rotelli (1990) e Costa Rosa, Luzio, Yassui (2001, 2003). Method: data were collected up from semi-conducted interviews with technicians who work for CAPS in the countryside of São Paulo State. The results showed the professional.s suffering signs do not have a pathogenic character which can immobilize actions or avoid this professional to realize his own desire. The professionals who had a free choice, considering its subjective constitution, his personal life course and his own desire demonstrated a better integration, identification, motivation and pleasure to work, and it is better and easier for them to accept... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T14:21:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DAISY CLEIA OLIVEIRA DOS SANTOS.pdf: 558943 bytes, checksum: 70bada0301e7f7b0f1140b3df01ae600 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-03-09 / Since the initial definition of schizophrenia, the psychotic speech has been a constant goal of analysis. In this study, it was investigated the relation between three different interventions on valuation of the verbal behavior of a person who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. For all the interventions it has established the social reinforcement to the appropriated speech. Besides a procedure of interruption of the social attention for the psychotic speech in the Intervention 1, the functional analysis of the contents of the psychotic speech in the Intervention 2, and a verbal skills training in the Intervention 3. The program of intervention was effective on the diminution of the psychotic speech and on the amplitude of the appropriated speech. With principal effects in the Interventions 2 and 3. In consequence, the psychotic speech shows modifications according on the programmed contingences. / Desde a definição inicial da esquizofrenia, a fala psicótica tem sido alvo constante de análise. Neste estudo investigou-se a relação entre três diferentes intervenções na avaliação do comportamento verbal de uma pessoa com o diagnóstico de esquizofrenia. Em todas as intervenções, estabeleceu-se o reforçamento social para as falas apropriadas. Além de um procedimento de suspensão da atenção social para as falas psicóticas na Intervenção 1, a análise funcional dos conteúdos da fala psicótica na Intervenção 2, e um treinamento de habilidade verbal na Intervenção 3. O programa de intervenção foi efetivo na diminuição das falas psicóticas e na ampliação das falas apropriadas. Com modificações comportamentais significativas nas Intervenções 2 e 3. Conseqüentemente, a fala psicótica mostrou-se modificável de acordo com as contingências programadas.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T14:22:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Roberta Maia Marcon.pdf: 7289173 bytes, checksum: 9740dc6034b1d226414db7176cb724e4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-03-15 / This study aimed at functionally analyzing the verbal behavior of a person diagnosed with schizophrenia undergoing treatment in a specialized service. The participant is a female, diagnosed with simple schizophrenia, 27 years old, from the state of Bahia, single, incomplete elementary school, low social-economic status, and presenting a history of treatment in several institutions. To control the procedures, we used the design of multiple conditions with three main conditions: condition attention (A), condition alone (S), and condition control (C). Condition (A) was manipulated in four sub-conditions: (A1) attention, eye contact (inappropriate speech was followed by 10 seconds of eye contact); (A2) attention, physical contact (inappropriate speech was followed by 10 seconds of physical contact); (A3) attention, comment (inappropriate speech was followed by the comment It is difficult to understand when you talk like this ); and (A4) attention, task execution (appropriate speech was followed by social attention in the form of signs of approval); condition (S) was manipulated in two sub-conditions: (S1) alone, without demand (participant remained in the room in the absence of the researcher) and (S2) alone, with demand (participant remained in the room in the absence of the researcher, with demand); and condition (C) (participant remained in the room composed by reinforcers, in the presence of the researcher, who was writing on a sheet of paper). Under the conditions studied, we also aimed at observing some emotional behaviors of the participant, such as annoyance, anger, pleasure, elation, anxiety, sadness, and relief inferred from the intonation of her voice and her behavioral topography. The results demonstrated that the social attention manipulated under the different conditions controlled the participant s inappropriate speech, which may have worked as a motivational operation for the occurrence of her verbalization. They also demonstrated that under condition (A) there were more manifestations of emotional phenomena, and rage (attention, eye contact, and alone, without demands) was the most frequent emotion, followed by elation (attention, comment), whereas the least frequent emotions were pleasure and relief (attention, comment, and eye contact, respectively). These findings are discussed in terms of the implications of the effects of a motivational operation as a component for the functional analysis of the verbal behavior of the participant in the present investigation. / O presente estudo objetivou analisar funcionalmente o comportamento verbal de uma pessoa esquizofrênica, que se encontrava em tratamento especializado em um Centro de Atenção Psicossocial (CAPS), fazendo uso de uma metodologia de análise funcional. A participante era do sexo feminino, diagnosticada com esquizofrenia simples, 27 anos de idade à época, natural do estado da Bahia, solteira, primeiro grau incompleto, de nível socioeconômico baixo e com histórico de internação em várias instituições. Para essa finalidade foi empregado o delineamento de múltiplas condições com três condições principais: condição atenção (A), condição sozinha (S) e condição controle (C). A condição (A) incluiu quatro subcondições: (A1) atenção, contato olho a olho (a fala inapropriada foi seguida por 10 segundos de contato olho a olho); (A2) atenção, contato físico (a fala inapropriada foi seguida por 10 segundos de contato físico); (A3) atenção, comentário (a fala inapropriada foi seguida pelo comentário Fica difícil compreender quando você fala assim ); e (A4) atenção, executar tarefa (o comportamento apropriado foi seguido pela atenção social sob a forma de sinais de aprovação); a condição (S) incluiu duas subcondições: (S1) sozinha, sem demanda (a participante permaneceu na sala na ausência da pesquisadora) e (S2) sozinha, com demanda (a participante permaneceu na sala na ausência da pesquisadora, com demanda); e a condição (C) (a participante permaneceu na sala composta por reforçadores, na presença da pesquisadora, que escrevia em uma folha de papel). Dentro das condições estudadas foi também objeto deste estudo observar alguns comportamentos emocionais da participante, tais como aborrecimento, raiva, prazer, elação, ansiedade, tristeza e alívio inferidos das entonações de sua voz e de suas topografias comportamentais. Os resultados demonstraram que a atenção social manipulada nas diferentes condições exerceu controle sobre o comportamento verbal da participante, o que pode ter funcionado como uma operação motivadora para a ocorrência de suas verbalizações. Demonstraram, ainda, que na condição atenção (A) houve maiores manifestações dos comportamentos emocionais, sendo a raiva a emoção mais frequente, seguida pela elação, enquanto as de menores ocorrências foram prazer e alívio. Esses achados foram discutidos em termos das implicações dos efeitos de uma operação motivadora como componente para a análise funcional do comportamento verbal da participante da presente investigação.