Numerical and Arithmetic Abilities in Non-primate Species

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Agrillo
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Literature ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Numerical Abilities ◽  
Current State ◽  
Extensive Training ◽  
Mathematical Mind ◽  
The Relationship

In the last decade, several studies have suggested that dozens of animal species are capable of processing numerical information. Animals as diverse as mammals, birds, amphibians, fish, and even some invertebrates have been successfully investigated through extensive training and the observation of spontaneous behaviour, providing evidence that numerical abilities are not limited to primates. The study of non-primate species represents a useful tool to broaden our comprehension of the uniqueness of our cognitive abilities, particularly with regard to the evolutionary roots of the mathematical mind. In this chapter, I will summarize the current state of our understanding of non-primate numerical abilities in the comparative literature, focusing on three main topics: the relationship between discrete (numerical) and continuous quantity, the debate surrounding the existence of a precise subitizing-like process, and the ontogeny of numerical abilities.

Deception

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfonso Troisi
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Evolutionary Strategy ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Clinical Syndromes ◽  
Biological Studies ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Evolution Of Communication

For a long time, biological studies of communication have been based on the postulate that communication has evolved to ensure the transmission of veridical information between conspecifics. Ethological studies of a variety of animal species have demonstrated that transmission of false information is a relevant component of intraspecific signals and that the adaptive benefit of deceiving others was a driving force in the evolution of communication. In primate species, evolving a larger neocortex was a viable evolutionary strategy to respond to environmental challenges that demand enhanced capacities of social manipulation. Among all animal species, humans are the masters of social deception. This chapter focuses on the cognitive abilities related to voluntary deception in humans, with special regard to the role of theory of mind (i.e. the capacity to infer the mental states of other individuals). Different aspects of theory of mind are discussed, including the evolution of social brain, the distinction between mentalizing and empathizing, and the abnormalities of social cognition in clinical syndromes such as autistic spectrum disorders and primary psychopathy.

Bodies and Being One

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Schechter
Keyword(s):  
Self Awareness ◽  
Single Object ◽  
Split Brain ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter concerns the relationship between the split-brain case and the non-split case. In the first half of the chapter, I consider arguments to the effect that if split-brain subjects have two minds apiece, then so do non-split subjects. Sometimes these arguments have taken the form of a reductio against the 2-thinkers claim for split-brain subjects. These arguments do not work: that a split-brain subject has two minds does not mean that I have two minds, although it does mean that I could. The second half of the chapter offers my own proposal for the respect in which R’s and L’s co-embodiment as one animal, S, makes a split-brain subject one of us: I argue that S must be the single object of both R’s and L’s implicit bodily self-awareness.

Legitimacy

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
The State ◽  
State Sovereignty ◽  
International Courts ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
State Legitimacy ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Supranational Institutions

This collection brings together scholars of jurisprudence and political theory to probe the question of ‘legitimacy’. It offers discussions that interrogate the nature of legitimacy, how legitimacy is intertwined with notions of statehood, and how legitimacy reaches beyond the state into supranational institutions and international law. Chapter I considers benefit-based, merit-based, and will-based theories of state legitimacy. Chapter II examines the relationship between expertise and legitimate political authority. Chapter III attempts to make sense of John Rawls’s account of legitimacy in his later work. Chapter IV observes that state sovereignty persists, since no alternative is available, and that the success of the assortment of international organizations that challenge state sovereignty depends on their ability to attract loyalty. Chapter V argues that, to be complete, an account of a state’s legitimacy must evaluate not only its powers and its institutions, but also its officials. Chapter VI covers the rule of law and state legitimacy. Chapter VII considers the legitimation of the nation state in a post-national world. Chapter VIII contends that legitimacy beyond the state should be understood as a subject-conferred attribute of specific norms that generates no more than a duty to respect those norms. Chapter IX is a reply to critics of attempts to ground the legitimacy of suprastate institutions in constitutionalism. Chapter X examines Joseph Raz’s perfectionist liberalism. Chapter XI attempts to bring some order to debates about the legitimacy of international courts.

Movie Envy

2019 ◽  
pp. 70-80
Author(s):  
Olivier Asselin
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
Digital Revolution ◽  
The Past ◽  
Current State ◽  
Movie Theatre ◽  
The Relationship

“Canadian cinema.” The term may appear self-evident but is problematic. First, one may question the value of national approaches to culture, especially here, in Quebec and Canada, where the debates over the Nation seem interminable, and especially now, in an era of globalization. Next, one may question the value of media-centered approaches to culture, especially when the successive waves of the “digital revolution” have blurred the boundaries between technologies and among artistic practices. Rather than try to survey “important” fiction films for theatres in Quebec or Canada, this essay adopts another point of view to examine the presence of cinema in Montreal museums over the past few years by focusing on three singular exhibitions. It may well be symptomatic of the current state of film in Quebec and Canada—but also, paradoxically, everywhere else—and says much about the relationship between medium and nation, the expansion of cinema beyond the movie theatre, and the internationalization of culture.

scholarly journals A Farewell to the Encephalization Quotient: A New Brain Size Measure for Comparative Primate Cognition

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Carel P. van Schaik ◽  
Zegni Triki ◽  
Redouan Bshary ◽  
Sandra A. Heldstab
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Estimation Error ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Encephalization Quotient ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Size Measure

Both absolute and relative brain sizes vary greatly among and within the major vertebrate lineages. Scientists have long debated how larger brains in primates and hominins translate into greater cognitive performance, and in particular how to control for the relationship between the noncognitive functions of the brain and body size. One solution to this problem is to establish the slope of cognitive equivalence, i.e., the line connecting organisms with an identical bauplan but different body sizes. The original approach to estimate this slope through intraspecific regressions was abandoned after it became clear that it generated slopes that were too low by an unknown margin due to estimation error. Here, we revisit this method. We control for the error problem by focusing on highly dimorphic primate species with large sample sizes and fitting a line through the mean values for adult females and males. We obtain the best estimate for the slope of circa 0.27, a value much lower than those constructed using all mammal species and close to the value expected based on the genetic correlation between brain size and body size. We also find that the estimate of cognitive brain size based on cognitive equivalence fits empirical cognitive studies better than the encephalization quotient, which should therefore be avoided in future studies on primates and presumably mammals and birds in general. The use of residuals from the line of cognitive equivalence may change conclusions concerning the cognitive abilities of extant and extinct primate species, including hominins.

scholarly journals Fluid Cognitive Abilities Are Important for Learning and Retention of a New, Explicitly Learned Walking Pattern in Individuals After Stroke

2021 ◽  
pp. 154596832110010
Author(s):  
Margaret A. French ◽  
Matthew L. Cohen ◽  
Ryan T. Pohlig ◽  
Darcy S. Reisman
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Step Length ◽  
Cognitive Measures ◽  
Retention Models ◽  
Wechsler Memory Scale ◽  
Walking Pattern ◽  
Learning Principles ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Sequential Regression ◽  
Neurologically Intact

Background There is significant variability in poststroke locomotor learning that is poorly understood and affects individual responses to rehabilitation interventions. Cognitive abilities relate to upper extremity motor learning in neurologically intact adults, but have not been studied in poststroke locomotor learning. Objective To understand the relationship between locomotor learning and retention and cognition after stroke. Methods Participants with chronic (>6 months) stroke participated in 3 testing sessions. During the first session, participants walked on a treadmill and learned a new walking pattern through visual feedback about their step length. During the second session, participants walked on a treadmill and 24-hour retention was assessed. Physical and cognitive tests, including the Fugl-Meyer-Lower Extremity (FM-LE), Fluid Cognition Composite Score (FCCS) from the NIH Toolbox -Cognition Battery, and Spatial Addition from the Wechsler Memory Scale-IV, were completed in the third session. Two sequential regression models were completed: one with learning and one with retention as the dependent variables. Age, physical impairment (ie, FM-LE), and cognitive measures (ie, FCCS and Spatial Addition) were the independent variables. Results Forty-nine and 34 participants were included in the learning and retention models, respectively. After accounting for age and FM-LE, cognitive measures explained a significant portion of variability in learning ( R2 = 0.17, P = .008; overall model R2 = 0.31, P = .002) and retention (Δ R2 = 0.17, P = .023; overall model R2 = 0.44, P = .002). Conclusions Cognitive abilities appear to be an important factor for understanding locomotor learning and retention after stroke. This has significant implications for incorporating locomotor learning principles into the development of personalized rehabilitation interventions after stroke.

Antenatal corticosteroid therapy and blood pressure at 14 years of age in preterm children

2000 ◽  
Vol 98 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. W. DOYLE ◽  
G. W. FORD ◽  
N. M. DAVIS ◽  
C. CALLANAN
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Corticosteroid Therapy ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Antenatal Corticosteroid ◽  
Antenatal Corticosteroids ◽  
Preterm Children ◽  
Clinical Hypertension ◽  
Blood Pressures ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Mercury Sphygmomanometer

Antenatal corticosteroid therapy substantially improves the survival rate of preterm infants, with few side effects. Higher blood pressure in adulthood has been described in several animal species after exposure to antenatal corticosteroids, but there are no similar reports in humans. The objective of the present study was to determine the relationship between exposure to antenatal corticosteroid therapy and blood pressure at 14 years of age. This was a cohort study of 210 preterm survivors with birthweights of < 1501 g born in the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, between 1 January 1977 and 31 March 1982. Blood pressure was measured in 177 subjects (84.3%) at 14 years of age with a standard mercury sphygmomanometer. Children exposed to antenatal corticosteroids (n = 89) had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressures than those not exposed to corticosteroids (n = 88) [mean difference (95% confidence interval) (mmHg): systolic, 4.1 (0.1–8.0); diastolic, 2.8 (0.05–5.6)]. However, few had blood pressure in the hypertensive range. It is concluded that antenatal corticosteroid therapy is associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressures in adolescence, and might lead to clinical hypertension in survivors well beyond birth.

Effects of pollution and climate change on the ecosystem components

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuriy Lykholat
Keyword(s):  
Endocrine System ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Current State ◽  
Herbaceous Communities ◽  
Active Chemical ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Ecological Patterns ◽  
The Relationship

The book contains the study results of the environmental and soil conditions of the transformed territories, the ecological patterns of woody plants natural communities’ formation as well as the features of the herbaceous communities’ succession in flooded areas. The current state of forest areas is highlighted, the problems of forest management and their exploitation in Ukraine are outlined. Aspects of anthropogenic impact on natural aquatic ecosystems are shown and various biotesting methods of negative effects are characterized. The relationship between the presence of exogenous biologically active chemical compounds in the environment and damage to the endocrine system of animals has been revealed. The scientific manuscript is intended for ecologists, specialists interested in environmental management and environmental protection. The book may be useful for graduate students and scientific researchers.

Abstract P014: Lower eGFR and Proteinuria Were Independently Associated With Lower Cognitive Abilities in Community-dwelling Men in Japan: SESSA study

Circulation ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 135 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Fujiyoshi ◽  
Takayoshi Ohkubo ◽  
Katsuyuki Miura ◽  
Akihiko Shiino ◽  
Naoko Miyagawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate ◽  
Subclinical Atherosclerosis ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Lower Egfr ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Relationship

Introduction: The relationship between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cognitive function remains to be determined. Existing studies focused primarily on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) but not proteinuria in relation to cognitive function. Hypothesis: In a community-based sample, lower eGFR and presence of proteinuria are cross-sectionally independently associated with lower cognition. Methods: The Shiga Epidemiological Study of Subclinical Atherosclerosis (SESSA) randomly recruited and examined participants from Shiga, Japan in 2006-08 at baseline. Among 824 male participants in the follow-up exam (2010-12), we restricted our analyses to those who underwent the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI), age ≥65 years-old, free of stroke, with no missing pertinent covariates. We calculated eGFR (creatinine-based) according to the 2012-guideline by the Japanese Society of Nephrology. We then divided the participants into three groups by eGFR of ≥60, 59-40, and <40 (mL/min/1.73m 2 ), and separately divided into three groups according to proteinuria using urine dipstick: (-), (-/+), and ≥(1+). We defined CKD as either eGFR <60 or proteinuria ≥ (-/+). In linear regression with CASI score being a dependent variable, we computed the score adjusted for age, highest education attained, smoking, drinking, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. Results: We analyzed 541 men. The mean [standard deviation] of age and unadjusted score were 72.6 [4.3] years and 89.7 [6.0]. Prevalence of CKD was 56%. The score was significantly lower in participants with CKD than those without it (P=0.03). eGFR and proteinuria categories were separately and jointly associated with lower CASI score in a graded fashion (Ps for trend <0.05 in all the models tested. Table 1 ). Conclusions: Lower eGFR and higher degree of proteinuria were independently associated with lower cognitive function in the community-based men. CKD even in its early phase may predispose to lower cognitive function.

scholarly journals Developmental Fractionation of Working Memory and Response Inhibition During Childhood

2007 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Tsujimoto ◽  
Mariko Kuwajima ◽  
Toshiyuki Sawaguchi
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Efficient Processing ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. The lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) plays a major role in both working memory (WM) and response inhibition (RI), which are fundamental for various cognitive abilities. We explored the relationship between these LPFC functions during childhood development by examining the performance of two groups of children in visuospatial and auditory WM tasks and a go/no-go RI task. In the younger children (59 5- and 6-year-olds), performance on the visuospatial WM task correlated significantly with that in the auditory WM task. Furthermore, accuracy in these tasks correlated significantly with performance on the RI task, particularly in the no-go trials. In contrast, there were no significant correlations among those tasks in older children (92 8- and 9-year-olds). These results suggest that functional neural systems for visuospatial WM, auditory WM, and RI, especially those in the LPFC, become fractionated during childhood, thereby enabling more efficient processing of these critical cognitive functions.

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