Social Perception

Objective: Schizophrenia patients often exhibit impairments in facial affect recognition which contribute to their poor social functioning. These impairments are stable in the course of the disorder and seem not to be affected by conventional treatment. The present study investigates the efficacy and specificity of a new training program for the remediation of such impairments. Method: A newly developed training program tackling affect recognition (TAR) was compared with a cognitive remediation training program (CRT) and treatment as usual (TAU) within a randomized three group pre-post design in n = 77 post-acute schizophrenia patients. The TAR is a computer-aided 12-session program focussing on facial affect recognition, whereas the CRT aims to improve attention, memory and executive functioning. Facial affect recognition, face recognition, and neurocognitive performance were assessed before (T0) and after (T1) the six week training phase. During the training period all patients received antipsychotic medication. Results: Patients under TAR significantly improved in facial affect recognition, with recognition performance after training approaching the level of healthy controls from former studies. Patients under CRT and those without special training (TAU) did not improve in affect recognition, though patients under CRT improved in verbal memory functions. Conclusion: According to these results, remediation of disturbed facial affect recognition in schizophrenia patients is possible, but not achievable with a traditional cognitive rehabilitation program such as the CRT. Instead, functional specialized remediation programs such as the newly developed TAR are a more suitable option.

Objective: Schizophrenia patients often exhibit impairments in facial affect recognition which contribute to their poor social functioning. These impairments are stable in the course of the disorder and seem not to be affected by conventional treatment. The present study investigates the efficacy and specificity of a new training program for the remediation of such impairments. Method: A newly developed training program tackling affect recognition (TAR) was compared with a cognitive remediation training program (CRT) and treatment as usual (TAU) within a randomized three group pre-post design in n = 77 post-acute schizophrenia patients. The TAR is a computer-aided 12-session program focussing on facial affect recognition, whereas the CRT aims to improve attention, memory and executive functioning. Facial affect recognition, face recognition, and neurocognitive performance were assessed before (T0) and after (T1) the six week training phase. During the training period all patients received antipsychotic medication. Results: Patients under TAR significantly improved in facial affect recognition, with recognition performance after training approaching the level of healthy controls from former studies. Patients under CRT and those without special training (TAU) did not improve in affect recognition, though patients under CRT improved in verbal memory functions. Conclusion: According to these results, remediation of disturbed facial affect recognition in schizophrenia patients is possible, but not achievable with a traditional cognitive rehabilitation program such as the CRT. Instead, functional specialized remediation programs such as the newly developed TAR are a more suitable option.

El análisis reflexiona sobre la trayectoria histórica de la modernización en Oriente Medio. Se argumen ta que la digitalización debe entenderse en el contexto de los intentos anteriores de transformación económica y social. Se establecen paralelismos entre las iniciativas digitales actuales y los proyectos de modernización del siglo XX, que a menudo no lograron un cambio duradero. La adopción de nuevas tecnologías está condicionada por la dinámica geopolítica y los intereses de las élites, lo que perpetúa las desigualdades (Carvalho et al., 2025). Al mismo tiempo, se analiza la relación entre la globalización, el colonialismo y la resistencia cultural, lo que demuestra que la digitalización no es un proceso neutral.
Se reflexiona sobre el papel de las infraestructuras digitales como elementos estructurantes de la sociedad y se introduce el concepto de «tiempo infraestructural» para describir el desarrollo tecnológico desigual en la región. Los gobiernos utilizan la digitalización para facilitar los servicios y reforzar los mecanismos de control, lo que pone de relieve los retos de la ciberseguridad y la vulnerabilidad de las infraestructuras críticas.
Se cuestiona la utilidad de los índices de preparación digital como indicadores de progreso y se argu
menta que ocultan las desigualdades estructurales.
La exploración de cómo los gobiernos utilizan las infraestructuras tecnológicas para reforzar su autoridad plantea interrogantes sobre la soberanía digital y la dependencia tecnológica.
El doble vínculo digital es una clave interpretativa esencial para repensar el futuro de la digitalización en la región. Es una lectura imprescindible para cualquiera que quiera comprender no solo las promesas de la digitalización, sino también los límites impuestos por las estructuras de poder persistentes.

and representatives of a poor community located on the outskirts of a major city in Vietnam.The project used an action research approach in working with a community to identify a health issue they wished to address. First, the faculty members formed an advisory committee of 10 key members of the community and helped them to reach consensus on the issue to be addressed. Next, they collected primary data on the issue and summarized the data for the advisory committee.The faculty members and the advisory committee held meetings at which they agreed on community interventions to address the health issue. It is anticipated that these interventions will be implemented in fall 2007. The project had three objectives. The first was for Canadian and Vietnamese faculty to work with an advisory committee comprising representatives of a poor community inVietnam to identify a community health issue. (The issue, which was chosen by consensus, was the stigmatizing of persons with HIV.) The second objective was for the faculty members to gather data describing the health issue, identify its underlying causes, and elicit suggestions for improving the situation from the perspective of community members. The advisory committee had input into datacollection methods (the participants would include persons with HIV and their family members, community members, and health professionals). Semi-structured interviews were used to explore participants' perception of the stigma and their suggestions for addressing the problem. Interviews were conducted with 10 community members with HIV, 10 family members of persons with HIV, 10 other community members, and 5 health professionals working in this community.Three focus groups were held: one for persons with HIV, one for persons who had a family member with HIV, and one for community members and health professionals. Interviews and focus groups were audiotaped, tran-

RESUMO O presente manifesto apresenta os fundamentos da Teoria do Cuidado Conectivo, proposta teórica elaborada por Cissa do Espírito Santo Rezende Corrêa Cardoso (Enfermeira Cissa), que compreende o cuidado como fenômeno complexo, relacional, cultural, científico e socialmente produzido. A teoria parte do reconhecimento de que o cuidado constitui elemento essencial para a sustentação da vida humana, manifestando-se nas relações estabelecidas entre indivíduos, famílias, comunidades, instituições, territórios, tecnologias e gerações. Fundamentada em referenciais da enfermagem, da saúde coletiva, da filosofia, da sociologia, da antropologia, da educação e da psicologia, a Teoria do Cuidado Conectivo propõe uma compreensão ampliada do cuidado, ultrapassando abordagens restritas à doença ou aos serviços de saúde. O manifesto defende a enfermagem como a profissão que historicamente transformou o cuidado em campo científico, prática profissional e compromisso social, reconhecendo seu protagonismo na produção, organização e desenvolvimento do cuidado. Apresenta ainda a perspectiva da Cultura do Cuidado como expressão social do Cuidado Conectivo, caracterizada pela incorporação do cuidado como valor coletivo, responsabilidade compartilhada e princípio orientador das relações humanas e das decisões sociais. Conclui que o fortalecimento do cuidado, da enfermagem e das redes que sustentam a vida constitui estratégia fundamental para a construção de sociedades mais saudáveis, justas, inclusivas e sustentáveis.

Research on stereotype threat has demonstrated that when targets are forced to contend with the threat of being negatively stereotyped, their academic performance suffers . The present research explored how the targets of negative stereotypes determine when they must contend with this threat. Across five experiments, we manipulated both the possibility and probability that Black and female students would be stereotyped as unintelligent prior to taking an analytical test. Collectively, these experiments showed that these students only contended with stereotype threat when they perceived that it was both possible and probable that they would be negatively stereotyped. We discuss the implications of these findings on the experience of being the target of negative stereotypes and on the academic achievement of Blacks and women.

Social exchange (P. and the norm of reciprocity have been used to explain the relationship of perceived organizational support and leader-member exchange with employee attitudes and behavior. Recent empirical research suggests that individuals engage in different reciprocation efforts depending on the exchange partner (e.g., B. L. . The purpose of the present study was to further investigate these relationships by examining the relative contribution of indicators of employee-organization exchange and subordinate-supervisor exchange. Structural equation modeling was used to compare nested models. Results indicate that perceived organizational support is associated with organizational commitment, whereas leader-member exchange is associated with citizenship and in-role behavior. The concepts of social exchange and the norm of reciprocity have long been used by organizational researchers to describe the motivational basis behind employee behaviors and the formation of positive employee attitudes (e.g., . More recently, these concepts have been used to explain why individuals express loyalty to the organization (e.g., and engage in behaviors that typically are neither formally rewarded nor contractually enforceable (e.g., . In general, research findings suggest that positive, beneficial actions directed at employees by the organization and/or its representatives contribute to the establishment of high-quality exchange relationships (e.g., that create obligations for employees to reciprocate in positive, beneficial ways (e.g., . The present study was designed to more closely exam-

Racism and racial/ethnic socialization are proposed as interactive risk and resilience factors that promote the development of multiple dimensions of racial identity among African American youth are the focus of this study. One-hundred and eight African American students responded to questions about their racial identity and socialization. Controlling for demographic characteristics of ecological support (from family, friends, and neighbors), neighborhood racial composition, and gender, findings revealed that racism exposure significantly explained the variance of several racial identity components and ideologies but that racial/ethnic socialization mediated that influence. We discuss the implications for future study of racism experience on the racial identity development of African American youth.

Unpredictable environments can be anxiety-provoking and elicit exaggerated emotional responses to aversive stimuli. Even neutral stimuli, when presented in an unpredictable fashion, prime anxiety-like behavior and elicit heightened amygdala activity. The amygdala plays a key role in initiating responses to biologically relevant information, such as facial expressions of emotion. While some expressions clearly signal negative (anger) or positive (happy) events, other expressions (e.g. surprise) are more ambiguous in that they can predict either valence, depending on the context. Here, we sought to determine whether unpredictable presentations of ambiguous facial expressions would bias participants to interpret them more negatively. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging and facial electromyography (EMG) to characterize responses to predictablevsunpredictable presentations of surprised faces. We observed moderate but sustained increases in amygdala reactivity to predictable pre...

Objectives. Older adults tend to exhibit the correspondence bias to a greater extent than young adults. The current study examined whether these age differences are a function of the degree to which an individual subscribes to a lay theory of attitude-behavior consistency. Methods. First, participants responded to questions regarding their beliefs about attitude-behavior consistency. Approximately 2 weeks later, 144 (67 young adults and 77 older adults) participants completed the correspondence bias task. Results. As expected, older adults were more biased than young adults. Analyses revealed that the degree to which an individual holds attitude-behavior consistency beliefs in the dishonesty domain accounted for age-related differences in the correspondence bias. Discussion. The results of this study suggest that age differences in the correspondence bias task are in part driven by older adults holding stronger attitude-behavior consistency beliefs than young adults.

"Background: Dental aesthetics can influence psychological well-being and self-esteem, especially in profession-al dentistry students. This study examined these relationships in Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 271 students (153 females, 118 men; mean age 21.1 ± 1.8) from Tishk International University, Hawler Medical University, and Cihan University. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) measured self-esteem, while the PIDAQ measured psychosocial impact. Spearman correlation, ordi-nal regression, and nonparametric tests were used.
Results: The mean RSES was 26.7 ± 6.8 (median 27 [22-32]) and the mean PIDAQ was 2.33 ± 0.80 (median 2.26 [1.55-2.97]), indicating minimal psychological impact. There was a moderate negative correlation between RSES and PIDAQ (ρ = -0.433, p < 0.001). Gender and academic year have minimal effect on scores. HMU students were 68% more likely than TIU to experience heightened psychosocial effect (OR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.05-2.69, p = 0.031). Dental alignment or lip morphology dissatisfaction, desires for orthodontic or prosthetic treatments, and finan-cial restrictions or fear were linked to higher psychological consequences and worse self-esteem (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Higher self-esteem is associated with lower psychosocial impact. Unmet treatment needs, dissatis-faction with dental appearance, and institutional affiliation contribute to psychosocial distress, highlighting the need for targeted support."

Prior research has found that perceived discrimination is associated with adverse mental health outcomes among Latinos. However, the process by which this relationship occurs remains an understudied area. The present study investigated the role of acculturative stress in underlying the relationship between perceived discrimination and Latino psychological distress. Also examined was the ability of acculturation to serve as a moderator between perceived discrimination and acculturative stress. Among a sample of Latino adults (N=669), moderated mediational analyses revealed that acculturative stress mediated the perceived discrimination-psychological distress relationship, and that the link between perceived discrimination and acculturative stress was moderated by Anglo behavioral orientation but not Latino behavioral orientation. The findings are discussed within a stress and coping perspective that identifies the psychological consequences associated with perceived discrimination and acculturative stress.

This study examines the influence of an audience&#x27;s knowledge of the group membership of a target on the communication of information about this target. Participants were asked to rank order five traits to describe a person labelled as an engineer to an imaginary audience. Overall they were more likely to choose traits stereotypical of the target&#x27;s social category when the audience was presented as unaware than aware of this category membership. Within-participants analyses also indicated that the perceived stereotypicality of a trait predicted its communication more positively when the audience was unaware than aware of the target&#x27;s social category. These results can be interpreted in line with the maxim of quantity (Grice, 1975): stereotype-consistent information being more informative when the audience is unaware than aware of the target&#x27;s social category, it is more likely to be communicated in the former than in the latter case. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) ...

We examined the impact of the distribution of information regarding social groups on the formation of shared stereotypes within triads in two studies. Three-person groups discussed which of three groups (A, B, and C) was the most able and the most sociable. In Study 1, some of the information about these three groups was available to all group members (shared) whereas the remainder was distributed among group members (unique). Based on the total profile, there was more evidence of group A being sociable and of group B being able than of A being able and B sociable. In Study 1 (n ¼ 58), sampling was manipulated as 'representative' (information in line with the overall differences was shared) or 'unrepresentative' (only information contradicting these differences was shared). In a third condition, all items of information were shared. Emerging stereotypes were directly influenced by sampling of information independently of the discussion. As well as this, the discussion consensualized initial stereotypes. In Study 2 (n ¼ 52), sampling was always unrepresentative and we manipulated the labels associated with the target groups in such a way that the stereotype associated with the label was either inconsistent or consistent with the overall differences between the target groups. In the inconsistent condition, participants were more likely to discuss information that violated stereotypical expectations, and to be less influenced by sampling as a result of discussion. Altogether, these findings suggest that information sampling directly affects the consensualization of social stereotypes.

La sicurezza è un problema? Certo che un problema è evidente sotto gli occhi di tutti da decine di anni. Non è un fatto recente. Sarebbe ora di smetterla con la propaganda però sulla sicurezza. Bisogna avere delle azioni concrete e cominciare a smetterla anche a usare la sicurezza per incitare l'odio che provoca insicurezza, che provoca paure e che non risolve i problemi. La questione dell'immigrazione è una questione che riguarda non soltanto l'Italia, riguarda tutto l'Occidente. La vedremo in un altro momento, è una questione legata all'azione violenta che l'Occidente ha portato per decine e decine di anni nei paesi da cui adesso gli immigrati stanno scappando. Ma intanto concentriamoci su quello che accade nei nostri luoghi, nelle nostre città. italiani in particolare ma non soltanto italiani perché basta avere il buon senso di viaggiare e andare a vedere le periferie o i centri più affollati di tutta Europa per esempio e non ne parliamo in America perché si parla sempre di casa nostra però la vera violenza è negli Stati Uniti ma intanto guardiamo all'Italia in Italia le periferie sono completamente abbandonate ci sono periferie che hanno problemi strutturali che non vengono affrontati da decenni in queste periferie si sono spinte ai margini quelle fasce sociali sempre più deboli, le fasce sociali che non vengono più integrate nel tessuto urbano, che non hanno più la cura del sistema di assistenza sociale, che sono poveri, che non hanno un lavoro, che sono nelle mani della criminalità organizzata. Adesso è un discorso molto ampio, ma la criminalità organizzata fa parte del sistema, non è qualcosa che è fuori del sistema. Anche questo l'abbiamo già affrontato, ma lo affronteremo ancora una volta. Quando parliamo di criminalità organizzata noi pensiamo sempre alle grandi organizzazioni come la 'ndrangheta, la mafia, la camorra e a quelli che fanno lo spaccio miliardario di cocaina o il racket per esempio. La 'ndrangheta però è un'altra cosa, la 'ndrangheta è il controllo del territorio nella gestione degli appalti, nella gestione dei servizi pubblici. nella immobilizzazione di alcuni servizi che si preferisce non farli funzionare perché non facendoli funzionare si attirano altri finanziamenti e sui finanziamenti gli appalti possono lucrare in maniera illecita. Davanti a queste cose, parlare di insicurezza perché ci sono gli immigrati che non possono essere controllati è pura demagogia. È vero, gli immigrati ci sono. È anche vero che la maggior parte dei detenuti in Italia sono immigrati. Ma perché negli ultimi anni i primi a essere stati espulsi dal sistema di protezione sociale sono gli immigrati? ma non dimentichiamoci che la violenza per esempio domestica nell'ottanta per cento dei casi è agita soprattutto per quanto riguarda per esempio i femminicidi è agita nelle mura domestiche da persone italianissime da mostri italianissimi su questo però si parla molto ma non si fa nulla così come non si fa nulla per prevenire anche la questione del controllo del territorio anche la questione del controllo di quel territorio dove gli immigrati sono abbandonati a se stessi e sono costretti a arrangiarsi per poter sopravvivere come sono costretti ad arrangiarsi per poter sopravvivere gli italiani perché gli italiani poveri che poi cadono così come gli immigrati nelle mani della criminalità organizzata sono quelli che sono le vittime di questo sistema Allora, io vorrei che si smettesse con la propaganda. Un governo che merita di essere chiamato tale, prima di fare propaganda, prima di incitare all'odio, assume delle responsabilità e delle azioni di prevenzione e sposta risorse vere, soldi veri, per esempio dagli armamenti, per esempio dalle favolette del ponte sullo stretto o degli armamenti. e li sposta nel risanamento delle periferie nell'investimento per dare lavoro a chi il lavoro non ce l'ha o chi il lavoro l'ha perso lavoro produttivo non contratti da quattro soldi e contratti precari se vogliamo parlare di sicurezza la sicurezza è soprattutto prevenzione e uscita dalle condizioni di povertà.

Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) are known to be highly sensitive to social rejection. Social information processing is assumed to play a key role for this shared psychopathological phenomenon. The first steps in social information processing are to encode social cues and to create a mental representation of the social situation. The aim of the current study was to test whether the perception of social participation in patients with BPD and patients with SAD is biased in this initial stage of social processing. Focus was on the P3b, a brain potential related to stimulus evaluation that has been shown to be a sensitive indicator for the processes of interest. Twenty five unmedicated patients with BPD, 25 unmedicated patients with SAD and 25 healthy controls (HC) played an EEG-compatible version of Cyberball, a virtual ball-tossing paradigm that experimentally induces social inclusion and exclusion. All participants showed a pronounced P3b when excluded. Only patients with BPD showed an enhanced P3b also during the inclusion condition, indicating altered processing of social inclusion. The EEG results for the BPD group were consistent with their self-report data. Patients with BPD felt more excluded during the inclusion condition of Cyberball than both HC and patients with SAD. Furthermore, heightened rejection expectancy (subscale of the Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire) was associated with a smaller difference in the P3b amplitude between inclusion and exclusion. Results indicate a negatively biased perception of social inclusion in BPD already during the initial stage of social processing.

Under stereotype threat, when an individual risks confirming a negative self-relevant stereotype, activation of the stereotype can inhibit performance on a subsequent, related task. Although a significant amount of research has been devoted to examining the effects of stereotype activation on performance, relatively little is known about successful methods of intervention. Two experiments tested the hypothesis that individuation prior to performance would eliminate impairment due to stereotype activation. In both studies, Caucasian female participants in either a gender-prime or no-prime condition were administered a mathematics test. Gender primed, individuated participants outperformed gender primed, non-individuated participants and performed as well as unprimed, non-individuated (i.e., control) participants, supporting individuation as a protective measure against the detrimental effects of negative stereotype activation.

With an insightful policy, rainwater harvesting (RWH) can be promoted as a core adaptation strategy for achieving global water security, reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and sustaining water resources. The microbial and chemical quality of RWH samples collected from tanks in a sustainable housing development in Kleinmond, South Africa, were monitored. Results indicated that the tank water quality was within all the chemical standards (cations and anions) analysed for potable water. However, the counts of the indicator organisms, for example, total coliforms and Escherichia coli, exceeded the guidelines stipulated by the Department of Water . The microbial analysis results thus indicate that the tank water was not fit for potable use without treatment. A social research project was then conducted to describe, amongst others, the condition of the tank and the users' knowledge of the RWH system. In addition, demographic data, viz., gender, household size and employment status, etc., were gathered in order to provide a socioeconomic background description of the study population. Data were gathered by means of face-to-face interviews with 68 respondents. Generally, RWH was used for washing clothes and for cleaning inside and outside the houses. This study noted that without acceptance and necessary training to maintain and use the tank optimally, it is possible that social development projects, such as the one in Kleinmond, will not be sustainable.

With an insightful policy, rainwater harvesting (RWH) can be promoted as a core adaptation strategy for achieving global water security, reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and sustaining water resources. The microbial and chemical quality of RWH samples collected from tanks in a sustainable housing development in Kleinmond, South Africa, were monitored. Results indicated that the tank water quality was within all the chemical standards (cations and anions) analysed for potable water. However, the counts of the indicator organisms, for example, total coliforms and Escherichia coli, exceeded the guidelines stipulated by the Department of Water . The microbial analysis results thus indicate that the tank water was not fit for potable use without treatment. A social research project was then conducted to describe, amongst others, the condition of the tank and the users' knowledge of the RWH system. In addition, demographic data, viz., gender, household size and employment status, etc., were gathered in order to provide a socioeconomic background description of the study population. Data were gathered by means of face-to-face interviews with 68 respondents. Generally, RWH was used for washing clothes and for cleaning inside and outside the houses. This study noted that without acceptance and necessary training to maintain and use the tank optimally, it is possible that social development projects, such as the one in Kleinmond, will not be sustainable.

Social media analysis has shown tremendous potential to understand public&#39;s opinion on a wide variety of topics. In this paper, we have mined Twitter to understand the public&#39;s perception of the Internet of Things (IoT). We first generated the discussion trends of the IoT from multiple Twitter data sources and validated these trends with Google Trends. We then performed sentiment analysis to gain insights of the public&#39;s attitude towards the IoT. As anticipated, our analysis indicates that the public&#39;s perception of the IoT is predominantly positive. Further, through topic modeling, we learned that public tweets discussing the IoT were often focused on business and technology. However, the public has great concerns about privacy and security issues toward the IoT based on the frequent appearance of related terms. Nevertheless, no unexpected perceptions were identified through our analysis. Our analysis was challenged by the limited fraction of tweets relevant to our ...

A computerized version of an assessment of Social-Emotional Information Processing (SEIP) using audio-video film stimuli instead of written narrative vignettes was developed for use in adult participants. This task allows for an assessment of encoding or relevant/irrelevant social-emotional information, attribution bias, and endorsement of appropriate, physically aggressive, and relationally aggressive responses to aversive social-emotional stimuli. The psychometric properties of this Video-SEIP (V-SEIP) assessment were examined in 75 healthy controls (HC) and in 75 individuals with DSM-5 Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) and were also compared with the original questionnaire (SEIP-Q) version of the task (HC=26; IED=26). Internal consistency, interrater reliability, and test-retest properties of the V-SEIP were good to excellent. In addition, IED participants displayed reduced encoding of relevant information from the film clips, elevated hostile attribution bias, elevated negative emotional response, and elevated endorsement of physically aggressive and relationally aggressive responses to the ambiguous social-emotional stimuli presented in the V-SEIP. These data indicate that the V-SEIP represents a valid and comprehensive alternative to the paper-and-pencil assessment of social-emotional information processing biases in adults.

Social-emotional information processing (SEIP) was assessed in individuals with current DSM-5 Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED: n = 100) and in healthy (n = 100) and psychiatric (n = 100) controls using a recently developed and validated self-rated questionnaire. SEIP vignettes depicted both direct aggressive and relationally aggressive scenarios of a socially ambiguous nature and were followed by questions assessing subjects' reactions and judgments about the vignettes. IED subjects differed from both healthy and psychiatric controls in all SEIP components. While hostile attribution was highly related to history of aggression, it was also directly correlated with negative emotional response. Further analysis revealed that this component, as well as response valuation and response efficiency, rather than hostile attribution, best explained history of aggressive behavior. A reformulated SEIP model, including self-reported history of childhood trauma, found that negative emotional response and response efficiency were the critical correlates for history of aggressive behavior. Psychosocial interventions of aggressive behavior in IED subjects may do well to include elements that work to reduce the emotional response to social threat and that work to restructure social cognition so that the tendency towards overt, or relationally, aggressive responding is reduced.

Social-emotional information processing (SEIP) was assessed in individuals with current DSM-5 Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED: n = 100) and in healthy (n = 100) and psychiatric (n = 100) controls using a recently developed and validated self-rated questionnaire. SEIP vignettes depicted both direct aggressive and relationally aggressive scenarios of a socially ambiguous nature and were followed by questions assessing subjects&#39; reactions and judgments about the vignettes. IED subjects differed from both healthy and psychiatric controls in all SEIP components. While hostile attribution was highly related to history of aggression, it was also directly correlated with negative emotional response. Further analysis revealed that this component, as well as response valuation and response efficiency, rather than hostile attribution, best explained history of aggressive behavior. A reformulated SEIP model, including self-reported history of childhood trauma, found that negative emoti...

A computerized version of an assessment of Social-Emotional Information Processing (SEIP) using audio-video film stimuli instead of written narrative vignettes was developed for use in adult participants. This task allows for an assessment of encoding or relevant/irrelevant social-emotional information, attribution bias, and endorsement of appropriate, physically aggressive, and relationally aggressive responses to aversive social-emotional stimuli. The psychometric properties of this Video-SEIP (V-SEIP) assessment were examined in 75 healthy controls (HC) and in 75 individuals with DSM-5 Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) and were also compared with the original questionnaire (SEIP-Q) version of the task (HC=26; IED=26). Internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and test-retest properties of the V-SEIP were good to excellent. In addition, IED participants displayed reduced encoding of relevant information from the film clips, elevated hostile attribution bias, elevated nega...

Self-concept consistency and short-term stability were investigated in the United States, Australia, Mexico, Venezuela, Philippines, Malaysia, China, and Japan. Evidence for substantial cross-role consistency and reliable within-individual variability in trait self-perceptions were found in each culture. Participants in all cultures exhibited short-term stability in their selfreported traits within roles and moderately stable if-then patterns of trait self-perceptions. Cultural differences, which primarily involved Japan, were partially accounted for by cultural differences in dialecticism, but not self-construals or cultural tightness. In all cultures, satisfaction of needs in various roles partially accounted for within-individual variability in selfreported traits. The results provide support for integrating trait and cultural psychology perspectives, as well as structure and process approaches, in the study of self-concepts across cultures.

A survey design was used to elicit workers&#x27;perceptions of providing crisis outreach services tosurvivors of the 1993 flood in Illinois. Findingshighlight the benefits of recruiting local workers indisaster relief work. Positive outcomes of theexperience include both personal and professionalgrowth.

This research addresses the common misconception that global peace is only an external sociopolitical matter. Instead, it argues that peace is a result of individual moral education and inner liberty. The primary objective of this study is to investigate how the self-directed learning of Buddhist principles can develop individual inner peace to prevent societal conflicts. This study is based on the classical Theravada Buddhist doctrine of mental development and modern theories of social justice education. By using a qualitative analysis of traditional Buddhist texts, the research explores the process of achieving internal peace. The findings reveal that sustainable peace is an internal state managed by the mind’s self-regulation through both formal and informal moral education. Therefore, the study recommends re-integrating the practice of inner peace into modern teaching methods to ensure long-term global stability.

This study evaluates the effects of Vipassanā meditation courses conducted in Nepalese prisons between February 2022 and April 2024. This study is undertaken to address the lack of systematic evidence on the effectiveness of Vipassanā meditation in promoting measurable and sustained behavioral reform among prisoners in Nepal. Primary and secondary data are used to evaluate whether Vipassanā practice contributes to positive behavioral changes among inmates. This research employs a mixed method approach combining both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data was solicited from participant inmates in three stages while qualitative feedback was obtained from prison officials and non-participating inmates to validate the findings. Descriptive statistics are used to evaluate the behavioral, psychological, and social outcomes of Vipassanā practice. Paired sample t-test is applied to determine change between pre-and post, pre-and follow-up, and post-and follow-up responses, at five percent level of significance (p<0.05). Statistical analysis revealed significant improvements in inmates' attitudes, interpersonal relationships and mental well-being while promoting higher selfawareness and emotional regulation. Likewise, significant reductions in anger, stress, anxiety, and vengeful feelings are observed, along with improvements in physical health, and optimism after Vipassanā practice. These benefits sustained during follow-up assessments, indicating long-term positive effects. Additionally, feedback obtained from prison officers and security personnel validated these findings, confirming the positive institutional impacts. Vipassanā meditation serves as an effective, evidence-based, and cost-efficient tool for prisoner rehabilitation and prison reform in Nepal.

Two fundamental principles underpinning facial attractiveness are symmetry and averageness -manifest strabismus effects both of these giving an unconscious signal of poor genetic history. The presence of manifest strabismus adversely affects many aspects of patients' lives including finding a partner, job prospects, interaction with peers and may manifest more seriously as psychiatric disorders. Surgical correction has been shown to be safe and effective for the functional problems of strabismus in adults but the hugely positive effects on the psychosocial aspects are only now becoming apparent. The advent of a new adult strabismus specific quality-of-life questionnaire and its subsequent validation will make this quantification of improvement easier. The wider medical community and the public at large should be made aware of the benefits of corrective strabismus surgery in adults.

This study evaluates the effects of Vipassanā meditation courses conducted in Nepalese prisons between February 2022 and April 2024. This study is undertaken to address the lack of systematic evidence on the effectiveness of Vipassanā meditation in promoting measurable and sustained behavioral reform among prisoners in Nepal. Primary and secondary data are used to evaluate whether Vipassanā practice contributes to positive behavioral changes among inmates. This research employs a mixed method approach combining both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data was solicited from participant inmates in three stages while qualitative feedback was obtained from prison officials and non-participating inmates to validate the findings. Descriptive statistics are used to evaluate the behavioral, psychological, and social outcomes of Vipassanā practice. Paired sample t-test is applied to determine change between pre-and post, pre-and follow-up, and post-and follow-up responses, at five percent level of significance (p<0.05). Statistical analysis revealed significant improvements in inmates' attitudes, interpersonal relationships and mental well-being while promoting higher selfawareness and emotional regulation. Likewise, significant reductions in anger, stress, anxiety, and vengeful feelings are observed, along with improvements in physical health, and optimism after Vipassanā practice. These benefits sustained during follow-up assessments, indicating long-term positive effects. Additionally, feedback obtained from prison officers and security personnel validated these findings, confirming the positive institutional impacts. Vipassanā meditation serves as an effective, evidence-based, and cost-efficient tool for prisoner rehabilitation and prison reform in Nepal.

Escalated pesticide use in Latin America has increased the number of people exposed to these substances. There are controversies about their health risks in rural contexts. This study, conducted 2018-2021, analyzed local perceptions and discourses on pesticide health risks in the Uruguayan agro-city of Guichón. We conducted 16 semi-structured interviews with agricultural, health, educational, and social actors. In addition, we visited the city and observed activities related to pesticide use. This study identified two discourses in tension. On the one hand, we observed statements that minimized pesticide risks and avoided responsibility for protecting health, safety, and the environment. These discourses contrast with those from a health-environmental perspective. They focused on several diseases and the loss of fauna, using complaints as the primary response. In conclusion, it is necessary to promote preventive practices in local workplaces, increase municipal control, and involve community-based actors in the analysis of pesticide health risks.

Minority-race children in North America and Europe often show less own-race favoritism than children of the majority (White) race, but the reasons for this asymmetry are unresolved. The present research tested South African children in order to probe the influences of group size, familiarity, and social status on children's race-based social preferences. We assessed South African children's preferences for members of their country's majority race (Blacks) compared to members of other groups, including Whites, who ruled South Africa until 1994 and who remain high in status. Black children (3-13 years) tested in a Black township preferred people of their own gender but not race. Moreover, Black, White, and multiracial children (4-9 years) tested in a racially diverse primary school showed in-group bias by gender but not by race: all favored people who were White. Relative familiarity and numerical majority ⁄ minority status therefore do not fully account for children's racial attitudes, which vary with the relative social status of different racial groups.

Minority-race children in North America and Europe often show less own-race favoritism than children of the majority (White) race, but the reasons for this asymmetry are unresolved. The present research tested South African children in order to probe the influences of group size, familiarity, and social status on children's race-based social preferences. We assessed South African children's preferences for members of their country's majority race (Blacks) compared to members of other groups, including Whites, who ruled South Africa until 1994 and who remain high in status. Black children (3-13 years) tested in a Black township preferred people of their own gender but not race. Moreover, Black, White, and multiracial children (4-9 years) tested in a racially diverse primary school showed in-group bias by gender but not by race: all favored people who were White. Relative familiarity and numerical majority ⁄ minority status therefore do not fully account for children's racial attitudes, which vary with the relative social status of different racial groups.

Three experiments investigated the influence of penile erection on ascriptions of mental capabilities to men. Drawing on sexual objectification literature and the distinction between agency and experience in mind perception, three competing predictions were formulated. The mind redistribution hypothesis assumed that penile erection would lower agency and heighten experience attributions, the animalistic dehumanization hypothesis predicted the decrease in agency, but not experience, and the literal objectification hypothesis implied the simultaneous decrease in both agency and experience. In Experiment 1 (N = 219; 128 females), erection salience lowered agency, but not experience capabilities ascribed to male targets. Experiment 2 (N = 201, 113 females) replicated the negative effect of erection salience on perceived agency (but not experience) and revealed that erection salience lowered intentions to hire a male target. This effect was explained with the loss of perceived agency. Ex...

Müzik eleştirisi çoğu zaman bireysel beğeni ya da öznel estetik değerlendirme alanı olarak ele alınmakla birlikte, müzikal anlamın ve değerin nasıl kurulduğunu belirleyen kurucu bir düşünsel pratik olarak da işlev görmektedir. Eleştiri, bu yönüyle yalnızca eserleri değerlendiren ikincil bir söylem değil; müziğin nasıl algılanacağına, nasıl anlamlandırılacağına ve hangi estetik ölçütler üzerinden değerlendirileceğine dair kavramsal çerçeveler üreten bir alan olarak ortaya çıkar. Bu çalışma, müzik eleştirisini estetik bir yorum pratiğinin ötesinde, değer yargılarının ve estetik normların oluşumunda belirleyici rol oynayan teorik bir alan olarak ele almayı amaçlamaktadır.
Bildiride, “iyi”, “nitelikli”, “önemli” ya da “değerli” gibi estetik yargıların hangi düşünsel ve algısal zeminler üzerinde kurulduğu sorgulanmaktadır. Bu bağlamda eleştirmenin konumu, estetik kavramların dolaşıma girme biçimleri ve eleştirel dilin kurucu işlevi üzerinden, müzikal değerlendirmenin bireysel sezginin ötesine geçen yönleri tartışılmaktadır. Eleştirel söylemin, müzik alanında estetik normların oluşumunu nasıl yönlendirdiği; bu normların zaman içinde nasıl yerleştiği, dönüştüğü ya da doğal kabul edilir hâle geldiği ele alınmaktadır.
Çalışma, farklı müzik pratiklerinden seçilmiş örnekler aracılığıyla, eleştirinin yalnızca bir yargı bildirme faaliyeti olmadığını; müzikal anlamı, algıyı ve değeri yapılandıran kavramsal bir çerçeve sunduğunu ileri sürmektedir. Bu yönüyle müzik eleştirisi, algısal ve bilişsel süreçlerle kesişen bir düşünme alanı olarak değerlendirilmekte; estetik yargıların toplumsal dolaşıma girmeden önce nasıl kavramsallaştırıldığı sorusu merkeze alınmaktadır. Bildiri, müzik eleştirisini theoria bağlamında ele alarak, estetik değerlendirmenin düşünsel temellerini görünür kılmayı hedeflemektedir.

Music as the Object of Criticism:
Value Judgments, Aesthetic Norms, and Social Perception

Abstract
Music criticism is often regarded as a domain of individual taste or subjective aesthetic judgment; however, it also functions as a constitutive intellectual practice that shapes how musical meaning and value are established. In this sense, criticism is not merely a secondary discourse evaluating musical works, but a theoretical field that produces conceptual frameworks through which music is perceived, interpreted, and assessed according to specific aesthetic criteria. This study aims to approach music criticism beyond the scope of aesthetic commentary, examining it as a theoretical domain that plays a decisive role in the formation of value judgments and aesthetic norms.
The paper investigates the conceptual and perceptual grounds upon which aesthetic judgments such as “good,” “significant,” or “valuable” are constructed. Focusing on the position of the critic, the circulation of aesthetic concepts, and the formative function of critical language, the study discusses how musical evaluation extends beyond individual intuition and becomes structured within shared frameworks of understanding. Particular attention is given to the ways in which critical discourse guides the emergence of aesthetic norms and how these norms are stabilized, transformed, or rendered self-evident over time.
Drawing on selected examples from different musical practices, the study argues that criticism should not be understood merely as an act of judgment, but as a conceptual framework that actively shapes musical meaning, perception, and value. From this perspective, music criticism intersects with perceptual and cognitive processes, operating as a mode of thinking through which aesthetic values are articulated prior to their circulation within broader social contexts. By situating music criticism within the framework of theoria, the paper seeks to foreground the intellectual foundations of aesthetic evaluation and to clarify the role of critical thought in the construction of musical meaning.

Many reward-based crowdfunding platforms encourage entrepreneurs to introduce their projects and make a personal appeal with a video clip. In this study, we investigate the impact of such a pitch video on financing outcomes. Grounded in social perception literature, we propose that effective use of nonverbal cues in a pitch video increases funding success. We coded and analyzed videos of crowdfunding campaigns and found that an entrepreneur could improve the funding outcomes by gazing less, appearing early, and reducing speech hesitations in a pitch video. We also found that smiling has no impact on funding success.

The concepts of felt and enacted stigma (Scambler and Hopkins, 1986(1)) are well established in epilepsy research. However, more recent research tends to focus on either those doing the stigmatising or utilises quantitative methodologies, exploring daily occurrences of stigma for those with epilepsy. The current study aims to explore the concept of felt stigma in today&#x27;s society, arguing that a return to a phenomenological approach would allow people with epilepsy to discuss issues of importance to them, seeing them as the experts on this concept (Byrne, 2001(17)).

Social cognition in relation to schizophrenia liability remains largely uncharted terrain. Successful social interactions involve sensitivity to the feelings and behavior of others, and the ability to convey and communicate cues to elicit desired responses from others. Disruption in any part of this process will affect social interactions and functioning, including occupational functioning. Individuals who do better on tasks measuring interpersonal sensitivity are more interpersonally skilled and better adjusted (Hall, Andrzejewski, & Yopchick, 2009), and those who perform poorly on tasks of interpersonal sensitivity, such as patients with schizophrenia, have known interpersonal and social functioning deficits (e.g., Toomey, Schuldberg, Corrigan, & Green, 2002). Schizotypic subjects were compared to depression vulnerable and normal control subjects on a well-established dynamic test of interpersonal sensitivity, the Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity (PONS; Rosenthal, Hall, DiMatteo, ...

Objective: While adolescent anxiety disorders represent prevalent, debilitating conditions, few studies have explored their brain physiology. Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a behavioral measure of attention to angry faces, the authors evaluated differences in response between healthy adolescents and adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder. In the primary trials of interest, 18 adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder and 15 comparison subjects of equivalent age/gender/IQ viewed angry/ neutral face pairs during fMRI acquisition. Following the presentation of each face pair, subjects pressed a button to indicate whether a subsequent asterisk appeared on the same (congruent) or opposite (incongruent) side as the angry face. Reaction time differences between congruent and incongruent face trials provided a measure of attention bias to angry faces. Results: Relative to the comparison subjects, patients with generalized anxiety disorder manifested greater right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activation to trials containing angry faces. Patients with generalized anxiety disorder also showed greater attention bias away from angry faces. Ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activation differences remained evident when differences in attention bias were covaried. Finally, in an examination among patients of the association between degree of anxiety and brain activation, the authors found that as ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activation increased, severity of anxiety symptoms diminished. Conclusions: Adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder show greater right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activation and attentional bias away from angry faces than healthy adolescents. Among patients, increased ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activation is associated with less severe anxiety, suggesting that this activation may serve as a compensatory response.

Jaspers&#39; concept of limit situations seems particularly appropriate not only to elucidate outstanding existential situations in general, but also basic preconditions for the occurrence of mental disorders. For this purpose, the concept is first explained in Jaspers&#39; sense and then related to an ‘existential vulnerability&#39; of mentally ill persons that makes them experience even inconspicuous events as distressing limit situations. In such situations, an otherwise hidden fundamental condition of existence becomes manifest for them, e.g. the fragility of one&#39;s own body, the inevitability of freedom, or the finiteness of life. This fundamental condition is found unbearable and, as a reaction, gives rise to mental illness. This concept of existential vulnerability is illustrated by some psychopathological examples.

Background: Impairments in social cognition have been described in schizophrenia and relate to core symptoms of the disorder. Social cognition is subserved by a network of brain regions, many of which have been implicated in schizophrenia. We hypothesized that deficits in connectivity between components of this social brain network may underlie the social cognition impairments seen in the disorder. Methods: We investigated brain activation and connectivity in a group of individuals with schizophrenia making social judgments of approachability from faces (n = 20), compared with a group of matched healthy volunteers (n = 24), using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Effective connectivity from the amygdala was estimated using the psychophysiological interaction approach. Results: While making approachability judgments, healthy participants recruited a network of social brain regions including amygdala, fusiform gyrus, cerebellum, and inferior frontal gyrus bilaterally and left medial prefrontal cortex. During the approachability task, healthy participants showed increased connectivity from the amygdala to the fusiform gyri, cerebellum, and left superior frontal cortex. In comparison to controls, individuals with schizophrenia overactivated the right middle frontal gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, and precuneus and had reduced connectivity between the amygdala and the insula cortex. Discussion: We report increased activation of frontal and medial parietal regions during social judgment in patients with schizophrenia, accompanied by decreased connectivity between the amygdala and insula. We suggest that the increased activation of frontal control systems and association cortex may reflect a compensatory mechanism for impaired connectivity of the amygdala with other parts of the social brain networks in schizophrenia.

This study investigated values, ambivalent sexism, religiosity, religious differences, gender, and attitudes toward rape victims as predictors of rape myths in a sample of Lebanese students ( N = 300). Values of self-transcendence and conservation, gender, hostile sexism, and attitudes toward rape victims emerged as significant predictors of rape myths, confirming some of the premises in the literature. Type of rape (date, marital, acquaintance, and stranger rape) and victim’s characteristics (widowed, married, devout, promiscuous, and chaste) were also investigated. Results revealed that no matter what the relationship between the victim and her perpetrator was, and regardless of the victim’s characteristics, forcible sexual contact was always considered as rape. However, differences did emerge as to the degree to which these variations were perceived as rape. Implication of findings for research and the Lebanese culture are discussed.

A socialização pelo valor impõe relações sociais mediadas por imagens nas plataformas digitais, apontando lacunas sobre as relações entre valor e imagem. Pretende-se analisar como as telas digitais poderiam ser vistas pela condição específica das imagens no capitalismo. A estética da forma-mercadoria, na sua relação com os objetos, colocaria estes como signo, cujo processo de significação só apareceria na referencialidade com outros signos, num movimento autônomo das abstrações que compõem a mercadoria. Nas plataformas digitais não haveria interação direta com pessoas, mas com signos, num movimento contínuo de significação pelas telas. A produção e não mera extração dos dados viria de uma racionalização da atividade humana numa relação sígnica, em que a mediação tecnológica da forma-mercadoria, tida na vivência pelas telas, produziria a forma de riqueza abstrata para os ciclos especulativos e rentistas de acumulação de capital.

Some key behavioural traits of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have been hypothesized to be due to impairments in the early activation of subcortical orienting mechanisms, which in typical development bias newborns to orient to relevant social visual stimuli. A challenge to testing this hypothesis is that autism is usually not diagnosed until a child is at least 3 years old. Here, we circumvented this difficulty by studying for the very first time, the predispositions to pay attention to social stimuli in newborns with a high familial risk of autism. Results showed that visual preferences to social stimuli strikingly differed between high-risk and low-risk newborns. Significant predictors for high-risk newborns were obtained and an accurate biomarker was identified. The results revealed early behavioural characteristics of newborns with familial risk for ASD, allowing for a prospective approach to the emergence of autism in early infancy.

Identification of ambiguous behaviors may be affected by alcohol first by the activation of associated mental representations and second by an increase in the imbiber's motivation of need for closure (NFC; A. , because cognitive effort is increased for epistemic activities. Combined, these effects should increase correspondence between mental representations of alcohol and the identification of others' behaviors. Three studies were conducted to test this hypothesis. The results were consistent with this hypothesis: Participants who associated alcohol with amiable concepts perceived less aggressive intent when blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) were high versus low. Alternatively, those who associated alcohol with aggressive concepts perceived the same or more aggressive intent when BACs were high versus low. Priming alcohol concepts and trait-level NFC were also sufficient to replicate these effects.