Thesis (M.S.)--Missouri State University, 2009. / "May 2009." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 21-24). Also available online.

abstract: This research uses Peircean Semiotics to model the evolution of symbolic behavior in the human lineage and the potential material correlates of this evolutionary process in the archaeological record. The semiotic model states the capacity for symbolic behavior developed in two distinct stages. Emergent capacities are characterized by the sporadic use of non-symbolic and symbolic material culture that affects information exchange between individuals. Symbolic exchange will be rare. Mobilized capacities are defined by the constant use of non-symbolic and symbolic objects that affect both interpersonal and group-level information exchange. Symbolic behavior will be obligatory and widespread. The model was tested against the published archaeological record dating from ~200,000 years ago to the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary in three sub-regions of Africa and Eurasia. A number of Exploratory and Confirmatory Data Analysis techniques were used to identify patterning in artifacts through time consistent with model predictions. The results indicate Emergent symboling capacities were expressed as early as ~100,000 years ago in Southern Africa and the Levant. However, capacities do not appear fully Mobilized in these regions until ~17,000 years ago. Emergent symboling is not evident in the European record until ~42,000 years ago, but develops rapidly. The results also indicate both Anatomically Modern Humans and Neanderthals had the capacity for symbolic behavior, but expressed those capacities differently. Moreover, interactions between the two populations did not select for symbolic expression, nor did periodic aggregation within groups. The analysis ultimately situates the capacity for symbolic behavior in increased engagement with materiality and the ability to recognize material objects can be made meaningful– an ability that must have been shared with Anatomically Modern Humans’ and Neanderthals’ most recent common ancestor. Consequently, the results have significant implications for notions of ‘modernity’ and human uniqueness that drive human origins research. This work pioneers deductive approaches to cognitive evolution, and both strengths and weaknesses are discussed. In offering notable results and best practices, it effectively operationalizes the semiotic model as a viable analytical method for human origins research. / Dissertation/Thesis / Appendices A-N: Spreadsheets / Doctoral Dissertation Anthropology 2016

Différents modèles ont été proposés pour expliquer l’émergence de capacités cognitives complexes et de cultures modernes. Un nombre croissant de preuves révélant un comportement complexe et innovant au moyen Age de la Pierre en Afrique, mais aussi dans les cultures néandertaliennes, ont déclenché plusieurs changements de paradigme dans ce domaine au cours des dernières décennies. Une grande partie du matériel potentiellement pertinent pour ce domaine doit encore être documenté et étudié dans l'optique d’évaluer son importance et implication dans le débat sur les origines du comportement symbolique (SMB). L’Europe de l’Est (EE) en est un bon exemple. Bien que de découvertes aient été faites en EE, le matériel archéologique pertinent pour l’étude des origines du comportement moderne n’est généralement pas systématiquement et spécifiquement traité comme tel. Cette thèse représente une tentative globale de documenter et d’évaluer ce matériel, permettant une vue plus claire de la disponibilité de preuves potentiellement pertinentes, comme première étape nécessaire pour comprendre le temps et le mode d’émergence des SMB dans ces régions. Accompagnée d'une base de données décrivant les annales archéologiques, la thèse présente trois études de cas présentant l'analyse des objets ayant des implications pour l’émergence de comportements complexes en EE. Ces études élargissent la vision de l’émergence du SMB en EE. Elles identifient de nouvelles preuves de comportement complexe avant l’UP à partir d’une vaste région encore sous-représentée et apportent de nouvelles approches méthodologiques à leur analyse, contribuant ainsi à l’évaluation des modèles sur l’émergence du SMB. / A number of different models has been proposed to explain the emergence of complex cognitive abilities and cultures comparable to ours. A growing body of evidence revealing complex and innovative behavior in African MSA, but also in Neanderthal cultures, triggered several paradigmatic shifts in this field during the past decades. A lot of the possibly relevant material still needs to be documented and evaluated in order to assess its significance and implications it may have for the debate on the origins of symbolically mediated behavior (SMB). Eastern Europe (EE) represents a case in point. Although potentially relevant discoveries have been made, the archaeological material pertinent for the study of origins of modern behavior and culture generally is not systematically and specifically addressed as such. This dissertation represents an integrated attempt to document and evaluate such material, allowing a more balanced view of the availability of potentially relevant evidence from EE, necessary to understand the time and mode of the emergence of SMB in these regions. Along a database outlining possibly relevant archaeological record, the dissertation presents three specific case studies reporting the results of analysis of the objects bearing implications for the emergence of complex, possibly symbolic behavior in EE. The case studies that form a core of the dissertation broaden the view of the emergence of SMB in EE. They identify new evidence of complex behavior pre-dating the UP from a vast, usually underrepresented region, and bring new methodological approaches to their analysis, contributing thus to the evaluation of the models on the emergence of SMB.

Vad händer när det som har varit din vardag de senaste årtiondena tar slut? Vad händer när det som kännetecknade dig inte mera finns kvar? Vem känner man social samhörighet med?   Att gå från att vara professionell idrottare till att pensionera sig och börja om från noll som till exempel 30-, 25- eller 20-åring. Man har skapat sig ett sammanhang som fullt ut har gått ut på idrotten. Vad finns kvar när idrotten försvinner? Vad gör man när ens yrke och vardag försvinner och hur skapar man ett nytt sammanhang och hur ser övergången ut?   I uppsatsen undersöks hur elitidrottare övergår till ett liv där de inte mera livnär sig på sin idrott utan i en övergångsfas måste skapa sig ett nytt socialt sammanhang och identifiera sig själva med nya statuspositioner. Att försöka ta sig fram mellan två parallella världar och sedan lyckas återintegreras i ett nytt socialt sammanhang. Fokuset i uppsatsen är på att belysa processen av skapandet av nya statuspositioner och hur dessa utvecklas genom de tre faserna i Arnold Van Genneps teori om övergångsriter, samt medvetengöra eventuell problematik kring övergången. Uppsatsen ämnar också belysa vikten av ett symboliskt agerande eller en konkret rit som symboliserar avslutet på karriären, för att idrottarna lättare skall kunna lägga det livet bakom sig.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:44:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2963.pdf: 938446 bytes, checksum: 51bf8a04d7160d87fa142f9dc4d6c0c4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-06-30 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / The formation of equivalent stimuli classes is a psychological phenomenon that has important characteristics for the experimentation of processes involving symbolic behavior acquisition. This kind of behavior has been the target of a wide variety of contemporary studies which have also demonstrated the possibility of such approach to generate symbolic behavioral repertoires based only on the teaching of some relations between stimuli. It is vital to investigate the parameters that optimize the establishment of equivalent stimuli classes desired by the researcher when defining the behavior to be installed through the procedure of matching-to-sample (MTS). Studies in the area have widely shown that after training A1B1 and B1C1, there is an emergency of some relations, such as B1A1, C1B1, A1C1 and C1A1, which demonstrate, respectively, the properties of reflexivity, symmetry, transitivity and equivalence. One of the parameters that determine the effectiveness of a procedure on class formation is the type of control relation exercised by the comparison stimuli in MTS attempts. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify the role of specific types of training of conditional discriminations in the establishment of relations of control for selection and rejection. Study participants were two teenagers with Down syndrome. The training consisted on MTS sessions with and without mask in two training types: non-nodular and nodular. The former occurred by presenting stimuli which function was either model or comparison only, and the latter was characterized by presenting stimuli with dual function, i.e. model and comparison simultaneously. Verification testing of the control relations established at baseline was made after non-nodular training and after nodular training, and only then verification testing of behavioral emergency was made. Two stimuli sets involved attempts with mask, while other two consisted of attempts without a mask. The experiment was specifically designed in a way that the training of a stimuli set with mask has occurred almost simultaneously with the training of a stimuli set without mask. Thus, the influence of historical undesirable variables was avoided on deductions made from performance comparison of the two different attempts (with or without mask). Results demonstrated, generally, that the training procedure used was very effective in teaching and formation of classes, what made difficult even to compare the greater effectiveness of the procedures with or without use of mask in the training of conditional relations. It is suggested the replication of this study, with a larger number of participants of this same population, so that it is possible to evaluate the data generality. / A formação de classes de estímulos equivalentes é um fenômeno psicológico que possui características importantes para a experimentação de processos relacionados à aquisição do comportamento simbólico. Esse tipo de comportamento tem sido alvo de uma grande variedade de estudos contemporâneos que tem demonstrado, inclusive, a possibilidade desse tipo de abordagem em gerar repertórios comportamentais simbólicos com base no ensino de apenas algumas relações entre estímulos. É de fundamental importância investigar os parâmetros que aperfeiçoam o estabelecimento das classes de estímulos equivalentes desejadas pelo pesquisador, ao definirem o comportamento instalado por meio do procedimento de matching-to-sample (MTS). Estudos da área verificaram amplamente que, após o treino de A1B1 e B1C1, há emergência de algumas relações, tais como, B1A1, C1B1, A1C1 e C1A1, que demonstram, respectivamente, as propriedades de reflexividade, simetria, transitividade e equivalência. Um dos parâmetros que determinam a efetividade de um procedimento na formação de classes é o tipo de relação de controle exercido em tentativas de emparelhamento com o modelo. A partir disso, o presente estudo teve como objetivo identificar o papel de tipos específicos de treino de discriminações condicionais no estabelecimento de relações de controle por seleção e rejeição. Participaram do estudo dois jovens com síndrome de Down. O treino consistiu em sessões de MTS com e sem máscara, aonde houve treinos dos tipos não nodular, com um estímulo apresentando função única de modelo ou de comparação exclusivamente, e houve também treino do tipo nodular, caracterizado por estímulos com dupla função, ou seja, modelo e comparação simultaneamente. Os testes de verificação das relações de controle estabelecidas na linha de base foram feitos após o treino não nodular, em seguida, após o treino nodular, e só então os testes de verificação de emergência comportamental foi aplicado. Duas estruturas envolveram tentativas com máscara, enquanto as outras duas estruturas constituíram-se de tentativas sem máscara. O desenho experimental foi especificamente planejado para que, o treino de uma estrutura de treino com máscara ocorresse quase simultaneamente com o de uma estrutura sem máscara. Desse modo, evitou-se o papel de variáveis históricas indesejáveis para a inferência derivada da comparação do desempenho nos dois tipos diferentes de estruturas e tentativas. Os resultados mostraram, de um modo geral, que o procedimento de treino empregado foi bastante eficiente no ensino e formação de classes, o que dificultou, inclusive, a comparação da maior efetividade do procedimento com ou sem uso de máscara no treino das relações condicionais. Sugere-se que o estudo, embora extenso no que diz respeito ao ensino e teste de relações, considerando ainda o tipo de população envolvida, seja replicado com um número maior de participantes para que a generalidade dos dados seja avaliada.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:44:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 4832.pdf: 5480712 bytes, checksum: f883b2966beb312d72c283bb6a1722d8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-12-08 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate relevant variables to relational learning and the emergence of symbolic behavior in people with autism, in the teaching of reading. Were conducted three studies that are independent and yet complementary. Chapter 1 describes a study that evaluated the performance of forty participants with autism and forty with intellectual disabilities in identity matching-to-sample task, in the typical organization (one model and three comparisons) and in the organization with more than one model (three models and three comparisons), in two forms of presentation that needed different response modes: on tabletop and by computer. The general results of the participants indicated better performance in the organization with more than one model, in paper and in computer. Chapter 2 presents a study that aimed to teach basic reading skills to five participants with autism (four speakers and one nonspeaker), from the teaching of arbitrary relations among pictures and printed words, using adapted matching-to-sample task. Participants learned basic reading skills, but not showed combinatorial reading. Chapter 3 presents a study designed to teach combinatorial reading with comprehension for three participants with autism, from the teaching of naming syllables, words, pictures, and the formation of stimulus equivalence classes. Participants learned combinatorial reading with comprehension, with few training sessions and low numbers of errors during the teaching. The set of studies indicate the possibility of symbolic learning by people with autism since appropriate teaching procedures are used. / O objetivo geral dessa tese foi investigar variáveis relevantes para a aprendizagem relacional e para a emergência de comportamento simbólico em pessoas com autismo, no âmbito do ensino de leitura. Foram realizados três estudos que são independes e ao mesmo tempo complementares. O Capitulo 1 descreve um estudo que avaliou o desempenho de quarenta participantes com autismo e quarenta com deficiência intelectual em tentativas de emparelhamento com modelo por identidade, na organização típica (um modelo e três comparações) e na multimodelo (três modelos e três comparações), em duas formas de apresentação que requeriam modos de resposta diferentes: em papel e por computador. Os dados gerais dos participantes indicaram melhores desempenhos nas tentativas multimodelo, em papel e no computador. O Capitulo 2 apresenta um estudo que pretendeu ensinar habilidades básicas de leitura a cinco participantes com autismo (quatro falantes e um não falante), a partir do ensino de relações arbitrárias entre figuras e palavras impressas, por meio de tentativas de emparelhamento com o modelo multimodelo. Os participantes aprenderam habilidades básicas e iniciais de leitura, porém não demonstraram leitura recombinativa com compreensão. O Capítulo 3 apresenta um estudo planejado para ensinar leitura combinatória com compreensão a três participantes com autismo, a partir do ensino da nomeação de sílabas, palavras, figuras e da formação de classes de estímulos equivalentes. Os participantes aprenderam leitura combinatória com compreensão, com poucas sessões de treino e com baixo número de erros durante o ensino. O conjunto de estudos indica a possibilidade da aprendizagem simbólica por pessoas com autismo desde que procedimentos de ensino adequados sejam utilizados.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:46:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2192.pdf: 1839438 bytes, checksum: c33118a6f61ebb96b4cadfa58a00b102 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-02-28 / Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais / The stimulus equivalence concept has been used by behavior analysts as an instrument to systematic verifications of new and complex repertories, offering an operational specification of symbolic behavior and distinguishing between two kinds of relational stimulus pairs: conditional relations and equivalence relations. The most often used procedure to verify emergence of equivalence relations is the matching to sample (MTS), in which two conditional relations between stimulus pairs are taught. In this procedure the experimenter does not know the baseline stimulus control topographies and the subject answers, although could be similar to those expected, may include different control topographies, being some controlled by selection and others controlled by rejection. One alternative possibility to verify different baseline control relations is the use of special procedures to induce and identify these relations, like the blank comparison procedure. In this procedure, a black square is introduced on the baseline conditional discrimination trials to block the stimulus for the subject. The present study used the blank comparison procedure with seven normally developing children with school failure history, to separated verify the selection and rejection topographies and the differences in the emergence of equivalence relations. Different arbitrary visual stimulus sets were used in each training: conditional discriminations with both selection and rejection topographies, conditional discriminations only with rejection topographies in the BC relations, and conditional discriminations only with selection topographies in the BC relations. The blank comparison procedure was used to generate these controls on the baseline conditional discriminations. All participants met high percents of correct answers after the training with both control topographies and demonstrating equivalence, although some children needed other procedures to remediate fails in the training. After the trainings with only rejection or selection control in the BC relations, no children obtain a positive equivalence test outcome, pointing that guarantee of both rejection and selection control topographies could minor the emergent relations test outcomes variability in the matching to sample procedures. / O conceito de equivalência de estímulos tem sido usado por analistas do comportamento como instrumento para verificar sistematicamente repertórios novos e complexos, oferecendo uma especificação operacional para o comportamento simbólico, distinguindo dois tipos de relações entre pares de estímulos: relações condicionais e relações de equivalência. O procedimento mais comumente usado para verificar a geração de relações de equivalência é o emparelhamento com o modelo (matching to sample), em que são ensinadas relações condicionais entre pares de estímulos, verificando-se a emergência de relações de equivalência. Porém, neste procedimento o experimentador desconhece as topografias de controle de estímulos da linha de base, já que as respostas, embora aparentemente similares, podem ocorrer sob controle de diferentes topografias, sendo algumas delas controladas por relações de seleção enquanto outras são controladas por rejeição. Uma alternativa para verificar e controlar as diferentes relações de controle na linha de base é utilizar procedimentos especiais para induzir e identificar estas relações, como o procedimento de máscaras. Neste procedimento, um quadrado negro é introduzido nas tentativas de discriminação condicional de linha de base, de modo a obliterar a visão de um dos estímulos por parte do participante. O presente estudo utilizou o procedimento de máscaras com sete crianças com desenvolvimento típico e histórico de fracasso escolar, verificando separadamente as topografias de seleção e de rejeição, bem como as diferenças nas formações de relações de equivalência. Para isso, foram usados conjuntos diferentes de estímulos visuais arbitrários em cada treino, comparando os resultados de sondas de relações emergentes para cada participante sob diferentes condições: treinos de relações condicionais tanto por rejeição, quanto por seleção; somente por rejeição; e somente por seleção. O procedimento de máscaras foi utilizado para induzir topografias de controle de estímulo por rejeição e por seleção nas discriminações condicionais de linha de base. Todos os participantes alcançaram porcentagens altas de acertos nas relações testadas após o treino em que foram usadas ambas as topografias de controle, demonstrando equivalência, embora alguns participantes tenham necessitado de procedimentos remediativos. No entanto, depois dos treinos apenas por rejeição ou apenas por seleção, nenhuma criança demonstrou equivalência e os desempenhos nas tentativas de linha de base intercaladas com as sondas de relações emergentes tornou-se menos acurado. Garantir o controle do responder tanto por seleção do S+ quanto por rejeição do S- pode diminuir a variabilidade dos resultados obtidos nas sondas de relações emergentes em procedimentos de emparelhamento com o modelo.

Objectives: Within the last decade there has been growing emphasis on early diagnosis of autism. It has been proved, that early diagnosis of autism followed by an appropriate intensive intervention lead to the reduction of autistic psychopathology and significant improvement of the child's prognosis. Efforts to identify children at risk of autism as early as possible resulted in the development of many screening tools and some new diagnostic methods that could be used even before the age of two years. Despite many attempts of the researchers worldwide, we still lack general agreement on the optimal screening method. Abnormal sensory symptoms have a specific position among the early signs of autism. Difficulties with sensory processing have been associated with autism since it was first defined as a diagnosis; nevertheless evaluation of sensory symptoms is under-represented in autism screening tools. There has been a long lasting debate whether sensory symptoms are a component of core autistic deficits or a co-morbid phenomenon, however, new version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has already included sensory dysfunction among the diagnostic criteria of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Methods: Over 90% of children with autism have sensory abnormalities and present with...