Memória operatória em crianças surdas: estudo de alguns efeitos diferenciais

[Resumo] Este estudo procurou clarificar alguns problemas ou perturbações que as crianças surdas podem apresentar ao nível do funcionamento de alguns dos componentes da memória operatória (Baddeley e Hitch, 1974), bem como da atenção. Para avaliação da memória das crianças foram criadas provas informatizadas de memória para palavras, para números e para figuras. Para além disso foram também desenvolvidas duas provas de atenção: uma de atenção concentrada e outra de atenção distribuída. Os resultados serao analisados tendo em conta o grau de surdez das crianças e da escolaridade que possuem no momento de realização das provas

Factorial Structure of the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Scale (MESSi) and Sex and Age Invariance

Assessing morningness-eveningness preferences (chronotype), an individual characteristic that is mirrored in daily mental and physiological fluctuations, is crucial given their overarching influence in a variety of domains. The current work aimed to investigate the best factor structure of an instrument recently presented to asses this characteristic: the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Scale improved (MESSi). For the first time, the originally proposed three-factor structure was pitched against a uni- and a two-factor solution. Another novelty was to establish that the best-fitting model would be invariant in relation to sex and age, two variables that influence chronotype. A Confirmatory Factor Analyses on the data obtained from a sample of 2096 German adults (age: 18–76; M = 25.5, SD = 7.64) revealed that the originally proposed three-factor structure of the MESSi – Morning Affect, Eveningness, and Distinctness – was the only one to achieve acceptable fit indicators. Furthermore, each scale obtained good internal consistency. In order to assess age invariance, following the literature on development and chronotype, our sample was divided into three age groups: 18–21 years, 22–31 years, and 32 years or older. Full measurement invariance of the three-factor model was found for sex and age. Regarding differences between sexes, females did not differ significantly from males in Morning Affect, but scored significantly lower on Eveningness and higher on Distinctness; this last result has been consistent across validation studies of the MESSi. With respect to age differences, the oldest group scored lower on Eveningness and Distinctness in comparison with the other two age-groups; the intermediate group (age: 22–31) scored lower on Morning Affect when compared to both the younger and older age groups. Additionally, both Eveningness and Distinctness were negatively correlated with age. This latter relation has been consistently reported in other validation studies. Our results reinforce the idea that the MESSi assesses three different components of chronotype in a reliable manner and that this instrument can be used to explore sex and age differences

Estudos normativos de características lexicossemânticas e afetivas para palavras do Português Europeu: Uma revisão da literatura

Words are widely used as stimuli in cognitive and linguistic research. As words may vary on various domains (e.g., lexicosemantic and affective), which can influence performance in many ways, it is essential to select them carefully. However, databases of European Portuguese words are still relatively scarce, and their presentation is spread in various sources. The aims of this work were: (1) to provide a review of the databases containing information on lexicosemantic, affective, and free association norming data for European Portuguese words published since the year 2000; (2) to summarize the definitions of the different variables; and (3) to combine in a single database the norming data available at this point. We found 25 databases with 18 containing lexicosemantic and affective norming data and seven containing word free association norms. These databases include words from various categories (e.g., nouns and adjectives), characterized on different variables (e.g., familiarity, imagery, valence, age of acquisition and animacy). This review provides a useful tool for researchers looking for Portuguese word-related resources. A thorough review of the databases, including some details about each one, is presented. The combined database is shared with the scientific community via the Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/9ta3y/.Palavras são estímulos amplamente utilizados em trabalhos sobre a cognição e a linguística. Estes estímulos podem variar em diversos aspetos (e.g., lexicosemânticos e afetivos), passíveis de influenciar o desempenho de múltiplas formas, pelo que é essencial selecioná-los cuidadosamente. No entanto, as bases de dados de palavras do Português Europeu ainda são relativamente escassas, estando difundidas em fontes diversas. Assim, os objetivos deste trabalho foram: (1) fornecer uma revisão das bases de dados contendo dados normativos em termos lexicosemânticos, afetivos e de associação livre para palavras do Português Europeu publicadas desde o ano 2000; (2) resumir as definições destas diferentes variáveis; e (3) combinar, numa única base de dados, os dados normativos disponíveis à data. A nossa revisão de literatura identificou 25 bases de dados, 18 delas contendo dados normativos lexicosemânticos e / ou afetivos, e sete contendo normas de associação livre de palavras. Tais bases de dados incluem palavras de várias categorias (e.g., substantivos e adjetivos), caracterizadas em diferentes variáveis (e.g., familiaridade, imageabilidade, valência emocional, idade de aquisição e animacidade). Esta revisão constitui uma ferramenta útil para investigadores que utilizem recursos relacionados com palavras portuguesas. Apresentamos uma revisão minuciosa das bases de dados, incluindo alguns detalhes sobre cada uma. A base de dados combinada está disponível através do Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/9ta3y/

Adaptive memory: nature’s criterion and the functionalist agenda

Memory researchers traditionally ignore function in favor of largely structural analyses. For example, it is well known that forming a visual image improves retention, and various proximate mechanisms have been proposed to account for the advantage (e.g., elaboration of the memory trace), but next to nothing is known about why memory evolved such sensitivities. Why did nature craft a memory system that is sensitive to imagery or the processing of meaning? Functional analyses are critical to progress in memory research for two main reasons: First, as in applied research, functional analyses provide the necessary criteria for measuring progress; second, there are good reasons to believe that modern cognitive processes continue to bear the imprint of ancestral selection pressures (i.e., cognitive systems are functionally designed). We review empirical evidence supporting the idea that memory evolved to enhance reproductive fitness; as a consequence, to maximize retention in basic and applied settings it is useful t

Attractiveness of Human Faces

This project presents attractiveness assessments for 223 neutral faces of young adults derived from well-known face databases. Data were collected online and in the lab. Furthermore, data are presented according to variables known to influence attractiveness judgments: sex, sexual orientation, age, and relationship status of the respondent. Mean attractiveness ratings are also presented for each face according to the participants’ self-perceived attractiveness as well as according to what the participant thinks others perceive of his/her attractiveness. We recommend downloading the data file in order to see the information properly. A data report with the full details of the study can be found here: Pandeirada, J. N. S., Fernandes, N. L., & Vasconcelos, M. (2020). Attractiveness of human faces: Norms by sex, sexual orientation, age, relationship stability, and own attractiveness judgements. Frontiers in Psychology, 11:419. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00419 More recently, reports on the inferences of dominance (Pandeirada et al., 2022) and trustworthiness (Pandeirada et al., 2022) for the set of stimuli used in this project have been presented. More information can be found here and in the corresponding publications: Dominance of Human Faces: https://osf.io/pm2tc/?view_only=2aa89739166742e1b4344b93c5ccd809 Pandeirada, J. N. S., Madeira, M., Fernandes, N. L., Marinho, P.I., & Vasconcelos, M. (2022). Judgements of social dominance from faces and related variables. Frontiers in Psychology, 13: 873147. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873147 Trustworthiness of Human Faces: https://osf.io/ckmd4/?view_only=83c5fe29850847868cad3a09de8ace2d Pandeirada, J. N. S., Fernandes, N. L., Madeira, M., Marinho, P.I., & Vasconcelos, M. (2022). Can I trust this person? Evaluations of trustworthiness from faces and relevant individual variables. Frontiers in Psychology, 13: 857511. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.85751

The influence of the visual surrounding environment in older adults and young adults' cognitive performance: an alternative paradigm

This study investigated how the characteristics of the visual surrounding environment influence older- and young-adults' cognitive performance. Sixty-four older adults and 64 young adults performed four visual cognitive tasks (attention and memory tasks) in two independent sessions while being exposed to a high-load and a low-load visual surrounding environment. We expected that the high-load environment would hurt the older-adults performance due to typical difficulties in ignoring irrelevant stimuli, whereas no such effect would likely occur for the young-adults whose cognitive abilities are at their best. Overall, our results were consistent with our prediction in three tasks (go/no-go, choice reaction time, and Corsi block-tapping). Additionally, the older adults performed worse than the young adults in all tasks, thus confirming expected age-related differences. Our results are consistent with those obtained when distractors and targets are presented in the same display, now using a paradigm which locates the distractors in the surrounding environment.The current work is part of the first author’s PhD project who was supported by a PhD fellowship [Ref. SFRH/BD/84279/2012], and Josefa N. S. Pandeirada was supported by the Investigator Grant [Ref. IF/00058/2012/CP0172/CT0002], both provided by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia)