scholarly journals The role of self–other distinction in understanding others' mental and emotional states: neurocognitive mechanisms in children and adults

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1686) ◽  
pp. 20150074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolaus Steinbeis
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Fundamental Problem ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Neural Circuitry ◽  
Developmental Changes ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Affective Domains

Social interactions come with the fundamental problem of trying to understand others' mental and affective states while under the overpowering influence of one's own concurrent thoughts and feelings. The ability to distinguish between simultaneous representations of others' current experiences as well as our own is crucial to navigate our complex social environments successfully. The developmental building blocks of this ability and how this is given rise to by functional and structural brain development remains poorly understood. In this review, I outline some of the key findings on the role of self–other distinction in understanding others' mental as well as emotional states in children and adults. I will begin by clarifying the crucial role for self–other distinction in avoiding egocentric attributions of one's own cognitive as well as affective states to others in adults and outline the underlying neural circuitry in overcoming such egocentricity. This will provide the basis for a discussion of the emergence of self–other distinction in early childhood as well as developmental changes therein throughout childhood and into adulthood. I will demonstrate that self–other distinction of cognitive and emotional states is already dissociable early in development. Concomitantly, I will show that processes of self–other distinction in cognitive and affective domains rely on adjacent but distinct neural circuitry each with unique connectivity profiles, presumably related to the nature of the distinction that needs to be made.

Towards Protolanguage

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-111
Author(s):  
Dmitry V. Zaitsev ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Language Evolution ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Language Of Thought ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Evolution Of Language ◽  
General Outline ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Verbal Language ◽  
Theories Of Emotions

In this paper, I attempt to offer a general outline of my views on the origin and evolution of language. I do not pretend in any way to a completely new conception of language evolution. It seems to me that all the most important and productive hypotheses about the origin of language have already been made before, and it is only a matter of putting the pieces of the puzzle together correctly. As far as I can see it, the evolution of language is directly related to the embedded and embodied emotional types, which served as the basis for the subsequent categorization of perceived objects, and thus laid the ground for the formation of first an internal language (of thought), and then an external verbal language. Consistent with this, the paper is organized as follows. In the Introduction I briefly describe the problem I am facing in this article and outline a plan for solving it. Next section comprises a survey of relevant empirical findings related primarily to the processing and understanding of abstract terms and concepts. In my view, it supports the idea of the close connection of abstract terms proceeding, and thus language comprehension, with emotional states. The third section provides relevant theoretical considerations of the relationship between emotions, cognition, and language. Consistently considering various theories of emotions and concepts of language formation, I pay attention to the connection between affective states and language as a sign system. In the fourth section, my views are presented directly. In so doing, I illustrate my approach with a telling example that shows how, in the course of evolution, embedded and embodied emotional responses and reactions could become the building blocks first for the internal language of thought, and then for the external natural language.

A mood moderation of the Extrinsic Affective Simon Task

2007 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Vermeulen ◽  
Olivier Corneille ◽  
Olivier Luminet
Keyword(s):  
Simon Task ◽  
Depressive Mood ◽  
Implicit Attitude ◽  
Automatic Evaluation ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Positive Affectivity ◽  
Processing Style ◽  
Systematic Information Processing

Using an Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (EAST), we provide the first‐ever systematic examination of the role of affective states (negative and positive affectivity, depression, anxiety) and personality traits (alexithymia, optimism) in automatic evaluation effects. Results revealed that the EAST effect was negatively associated with depressive mood even if others affective states and traits were simultaneously entered in a regression model. These findings could reflect a preference for a systematic information processing style elicited during sadness. More generally, the present findings suggest that implicit attitudes measures that capitalise on automatic evaluation effects may lack validity when measuring attitudes of individuals who have negative emotional states. Individual measures relating to affective differences may thus contribute to better predicting the implicit attitude‐behaviour link. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

scholarly journals Effects of Affective State on Episodic Memory Retrieval

2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Asheek Mohammad Shimul ◽  
Md Rakibuil Hasan
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Affective State ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Immediate Recall ◽  
Neutral Mood ◽  
Healthy Participants

Attention Readers and Researchers "PDF version of this article has been modified two to three times due to problems with one figure and with missing words in the title. The final version of the PDF was last updated on September 27, 2014. We apologise for the inconvenience this might cause."AbstractThe role of emotion in memory recollection has been an arguable issue for a decade. Episodic memory is very triggering in our day to day life and so as our affective states. Present study was conducted to see whether positive, negative and neutral emotional states (affective states) have any effect in recollecting emotion congruent or incongruent episodic memory. Words of positive, negative, or neutral were presented to the participants either in positive, negative, or neutral mood and immediate recall was used in this present experiment. It was hypothesized that congruent mood would enhance better episodic memory recollection than incongruent mood. A total of 36 adult healthy participants were selected for this experiment following an incidental sampling techniques and they were divided into two contrasting groups namely, congruent and incongruent following purely on the basis of chance. Phases of stimulus presentations were counterbalanced. Different images were used to manipulate affective states of the respondents, and different positive (18 words), negative (18 words) and neutral (18 words) words were used as stimulus. Results were analyzed using paired t test. Results revealed that negative mood enhance negative word retrieval (t = 2.159, p <0.05) but not positive words. Findings were discussed in the light of current theories of episodic memory recollection. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbayr.v2i1.20536 Journal of the Bangladesh Association of Young Researchers (JBAYR): Vol.2(1), 2012 & 2013: 1-8

scholarly journals “Anyway, I don't think I’ll ever be prepared”: Letters students’ beliefs and affective states

2013 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Silvério De Lima ◽  
Douglas Candido Ribeiro ◽  
Maria da Conceição Aparecida Pereira Zolnier
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
English Teacher ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Consistent Relationship ◽  
Affective Domains

Some studies in contemporary Applied Linguistics have considered the role of beliefs and affective domains in initial and continuing English Teacher Education. In this paper we present the results of a case study (BROWN; RODGERS, 2002), carried out with two Letters undergraduates, in which we aimed to investigate the beliefs and affective states that emerged in the classes of an English course in which the students were enrolled. The data, collected mainly by means of written accounts which resulted from open questionnaires, suggest a consistent relationship between beliefs and affective states, i. e., the students do not feel prepared for the teaching profession, pointing out some limitations that are justified by their beliefs and strengthened by factors of the affective domains, such as insecurity and anxiety. 

Value-driven issues throughout the development of sociological theory

2020 ◽  
pp. 147-160
Author(s):  
Gulbarshyn Chepurko ◽  
Valerii Pylypenko
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social System ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Social Sphere ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Different Levels

The paper examines and compares how the major sociological theories treat axiological issues. Value-driven topics are analysed in view of their relevance to society in times of crisis, when both societal life and the very structure of society undergo dramatic change. Nowadays, social scientists around the world are also witnessing such a change due to the emergence of alternative schools of sociological thought (non-classical, interpretive, postmodern, etc.) and, subsequently, the necessity to revise the paradigms that have been existed in sociology so far. Since the above-mentioned approaches are often used to address value-related issues, building a solid theoretical framework for these studies takes on considerable significance. Furthermore, the paradigm revision has been prompted by technological advances changing all areas of people’s lives, especially social interactions. The global human community, integral in nature, is being formed, and production of human values now matters more than production of things; hence the “expansion” of value-focused perspectives in contemporary sociology. The authors give special attention to collectivities which are higher-order units of the social system. These units are described as well-organised action systems where each individual performs his/her specific role. Just as the role of an individual is distinct from that of the collectivity (because the individual and the collectivity are different as units), so too a distinction is drawn between the value and the norm — because they represent different levels of social relationships. Values are the main connecting element between the society’s cultural system and the social sphere while norms, for the most part, belong to the social system. Values serve primarily to maintain the pattern according to which the society is functioning at a given time; norms are essential to social integration. Apart from being the means of regulating social processes and relationships, norms embody the “principles” that can be applied beyond a particular social system. The authors underline that it is important for Ukrainian sociology to keep abreast of the latest developments in the field of axiology and make good use of those ideas because this is a prerequisite for its successful integration into the global sociological community.

SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD THROUGH SKILL DEVELOPMENT AMONG RURAL YOUTH: ROLE OF MICRO-FINANCE IN THE DEVELOPMENTAL PARADIGM

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 156-173
Author(s):  
Vikram Singh
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Skill Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Rural Youth ◽  
Inclusive Development ◽  
Sustainable Livelihood ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Societal Structure ◽  
Policy Shifts

This  article  attempts to  analyse  the  process  of  sustainable  livelihood  through skill development and its conceptual and theoretical understanding in India with reference to rural youth. In India skill development is demanded for economic growth and inclusive development; hence the rural population cannot be overlooked. Employable skills alone have not been able to generate sufficient employment among rural youth or address/promote well-being and sustainable livelihood. Various frameworks associated with skill development leave scope for reforms to strengthen the implementation of various policy shifts in respect of rural development and government/non-government organisations. The process of skill development for rural youth through the establishment of institutions, launch of policy/programmes and their linkages with micro-finance are considered, as the distinctive nature and features of micro-finance in relation to the forces of societal structure, social relationships, and social interactions leading towards collective interests and norms that shape the lives of rural youth. Lastly, analysis is done and conclusions drawn on the basis of discussion.

A Phenomenology of Rhythm

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lexi Eikelboom
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Henri Lefebvre ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
The Social ◽  
Analytical Importance ◽  
Jazz Performance

This chapter proposes a framework for approaching the theological significance of rhythm through phenomenology, prosody, and the social sciences. In accordance with the general categories of phenomenology established by Merleau-Ponty and the “rhythmanalysis” of Henri Lefebvre, the chapter investigates two experiences of rhythm: approaches to analysing the human encounter with rhythm in the reading of poetry and the role of rhythm in social interactions introduced through commonalities between rhythm in conversation and in jazz performance. These explorations establish two features of rhythm that are of analytical importance for the chapters that follow: (1) the synchronic and the diachronic as two necessary but distinct theoretical perspectives on rhythm, each of which emphasizes different features of rhythm and (2) the importance of interruption for understanding rhythm’s significance.

The Role of the City in Merovingian Francia

2020 ◽  
pp. 581-610
Author(s):  
S. T. Loseby
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Urban Communities ◽  
Late Antiquity ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Urban Network ◽  
City Councils ◽  
Royal Courts ◽  
Range Of Functions ◽  
Fierce Competition

The Merovingians inherited an urban network from the Roman Empire that remained substantially intact. Although Gallic cities had long been declining in extent and sophistication, during late antiquity their landscapes were adapted to contemporary priorities through the provision of walls and churches, and their politics was transformed by the emergence of bishops as leaders of urban communities. When the upper tiers of imperial administration disappeared, this equipped the vast majority of cities to survive as the basic building blocks of Merovingian kingdoms that were initially conceived as aggregations of city–territories. In ruling through their cities, the Merovingians expanded upon existing mechanisms for the extraction of taxes and services, while relying on centrally appointed bishops and counts rather than city councils for the projection of their authority. This generated fierce competition between kings for control of cities and among local elites for positions of power within them. In the later Merovingian period, however, the significance of cities diminished as stable territorial kingdoms emerged, political practice was centralized around the royal courts, and the Roman administrative legacy finally disintegrated. But the cities remained preeminent religious centers, and, with the beginnings of economic revival, continued to perform a range of functions unmatched by other categories of settlement.

Hormones and Behavior

2019 ◽  
pp. 11-26
Author(s):  
Maren N. Vitousek ◽  
Laura A. Schoenle
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Developmental Plasticity ◽  
Endocrine System ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
And Behavior

Hormones mediate the expression of life history traits—phenotypic traits that contribute to lifetime fitness (i.e., reproductive timing, growth rate, number and size of offspring). The endocrine system shapes phenotype by organizing tissues during developmental periods and by activating changes in behavior, physiology, and morphology in response to varying physical and social environments. Because hormones can simultaneously regulate many traits (hormonal pleiotropy), they are important mediators of life history trade-offs among growth, reproduction, and survival. This chapter reviews the role of hormones in shaping life histories with an emphasis on developmental plasticity and reversible flexibility in endocrine and life history traits. It also discusses the advantages of studying hormone–behavior interactions from an evolutionary perspective. Recent research in evolutionary endocrinology has provided insight into the heritability of endocrine traits, how selection on hormone systems may influence the evolution of life histories, and the role of hormonal pleiotropy in driving or constraining evolution.

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