Search results for "behaviour"
showing 10 items of 1406 documents
Behavioral roles of the sexually dimorphic structures in the male harvestman, Phalangium opilio (Opiliones, Phalangiidae)
2006
Abstract: In various animal species, male sexual dimorphic characters may be used during intrasexual contests as ornaments to attract females, or to hold them before, during, or after copulation. In the well-known harvestman, Phalangium opilio L., 1758, the behavioral functions of these male sexually dimorphic structures have never been studied in detail. Therefore, in addition to a morphometric study, 21 male contests and 43 sexual interactions were analyzed. Our observations revealed that during contests, the male cheliceral horns form a surface by which the contestants use to push each other face-to-face while rapidly tapping their long pedipalps against the pedipalps of the opponent, oc…
On the hydro-mechanical behaviour of remoulded and natural Opalinus Clay shale
2016
The geo-energy sector makes use of advanced technologies such as shale gas extraction, CO2 sequestration and nuclear waste geological disposal that rely on the exploitation of shale formations. Due to the great depths involved in these applications and the difficulties in retrieving intact samples, remoulded shale specimens are often adopted for hydro-mechanical testing. Remoulded and intact shales may substantially differ in their hydro-mechanical behaviour due to the particular structure of the natural material, which is the result of diagenesis and burial history. This paper presents an experimental campaign aimed at (i) characterizing the role of diagenesis and depth for Opalinus Clay s…
Paradox lost: variable colour-pattern geometry is associated with differences in movement in aposematic frogs
2014
Aposematic signal variation is a paradox: predators are better at learning and retaining the association between conspicuousness and unprofitability when signal variation is low. Movement patterns and variable colour patterns are linked in non-aposematic species: striped patterns generate illusions of altered speed and direction when moving linearly, affecting predators' tracking ability; blotched patterns benefit instead from unpredictable pauses and random movement. We tested whether the extensive colour-pattern variation in an aposematic frog is linked to movement, and found that individuals moving directionally and faster have more elongated patterns than individuals moving randomly and…
Honesty of agonistic signalling and effects of size and motivation asymmetry in contests
1999
Game theoretical models predict that the main function of fighting behaviour is to assess the relative fighting ability of opponents. The sequential assessment game has often been used to investigate contests, while honest signalling theory has received much less attention. With the wolf spider Hygrolycosa rubrofasciata we investigated whether male agonistic signalling can reveal honest information about fighting ability, and how size and motivation asymmetries affect male fighting behaviour. We also determined whether male–male competition affects the courtship behaviour of the males. We found that agonistic drumming activity is an honest indicator of male fighting ability, and that relati…
The reliability and validity of the sport engagement instrument in the Finnish dual career context
2021
Although engagement is key to predicting burnout and dropout, few existing instruments measure this phenomenon in the sports context. As part of a larger three-year Lower Secondary Sports Schools Pilot Project (LSSSPP) in Finland, we conducted two studies as part of the present research with the major aims of (a) constructing the Sport Engagement Instrument (SpEI) and (b) validating the new instrument in the Finnish dual career context. In the preparatory study, an expert panel constructed the SpEI, a questionnaire comprising 37 items intended to measure cognitive and affective sports engagement. The main study utilised questionnaire data collected from two independent samples (n1 = 992 and…
A cognitive-behavioural intervention improves cognition in caregivers of people with autism spectrum disorder: A pilot study
2017
Abstract As postulated by the stress process model, chronically stressed individuals, such as caregivers of people with chronic psychological disorders, have poorer cognitive performance and higher age-related cognitive decline than individuals not exposed to chronic stress. When analysing this topic in caregivers, the majority of research has been conducted in populations in which the care recipient has dementia and/or Alzheimer's disease, while relatively few studies have analysed cognition in caregivers of offspring with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The main objective of this pilot study was to analyse the effect of a cognitive-behavioural intervention on cognition in caregivers of pe…
Interventions for Family Members and Carers of Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review.
2020
Carers of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) experience high levels of distress. Several studies have been carried out on interventions designed to decrease their burden. However, the evidence from these studies has not been summarized. The objective of this work is to explore the clinical utility of interventions developed for family members of patients with BPD. A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines (registration number CRD42018107318), including psychological interventions focused on relatives of patients with BPD. The following databases were used: PsycINFO, PubMed, EBSCOhost, and Web of Science. Two independent researchers reviewed the studi…
Testing a model for the monitoring of worked-out algebra-problem examples: from behaviours to outcomes on a math task
2021
This study aimed at testing an extension of a theoretical model for the metacognitive monitoring mechanism implied in the detection of inconsistencies when the information provided includes abstract symbols in addition to plain text. Ninety-four postgraduates of STEM specialities were asked to read a worked-out algebra-problem example and to report any incoherence, inconsistency, or error detected in the statement or in the solving procedure. A set of model inspired indexes was defined to describe participants¿ behaviour along the task. The Read & Answer software was used to record online individual processing data and participants¿ reports. Results supported model predictions. Indexes corr…
Encouraging ecological behaviour through induced hypocrisy and inconsistency.
2016
International audience; Remembering one’s past transgressions of a social norm is known as an effective paradigm for enhancing pro-social and ecological behaviours. Our study aimed to show that reminding one’s norm transgressions can arise cognitive dissonance and can lead to behavioural change as induced hypocrisy does. In particular, we tested whether inconsistency between the self-concept and the remembered past transgressions is or is not likely to encourage behavioural change. To reach this goal, we conducted an experiment comparing induced hypocrisy, injunctive inconsistency and descriptive inconsistency with five comparison conditions. The results showed that, as observed with the in…
Antidiabētiska līdzekļa metformīna neirorestoratīvo efektu izpēte eksperimentāli izveidotajā Alcheimera slimības modelī
2022
levads. Glikozes metabolisma traucējumi un kognitīvie traucējumi ir vienas no agrīnām sporādiskās Alcheimera slimibas (sAD) pazīmēm. Agrīna terapeitiskā iejaukšanās varētu apstādināt kognitīvos traucējumus pirms sAD progresēšanas. Metformīns, visplašāk zināms pretdiabeta līdzkelis, ir uzrādījis spēju uzlabot kognitīvās funkcijas un glikozes metabolismu otra tipa diabēta pacientos un diabēta modeļdzīvniekos. Intranazālais ievadīšanas veids ļauj samazinaāt preparāta devu un mazina blakusparadibu izpausmes. Pie tam, metformīns šķērso hematoencefālisko barjeru un ir spējīgs izplatīties smadzenēs pēc vienreizējās ievadīšanas. Intranazālas metformīna ievadīšanas efekti uz sociālo uzvedību iepriek…