scholarly journals An adult face bias in infants that is modulated by face race

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 581-587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Heron-Delaney ◽  
Fabrice Damon ◽  
Paul C. Quinn ◽  
David Méary ◽  
Naiqi G. Xiao ◽  
...  

The visual preferences of infants for adult versus infant faces were investigated. Caucasian 3.5- and 6-month-olds were presented with Caucasian adult vs. infant face pairs and Asian adult vs. infant face pairs, in both upright and inverted orientations. Both age groups showed a visual preference for upright adult over infant faces when the faces were Caucasian, but not when they were Asian. The preference is unlikely to have arisen because of low-level perceptual features because: (1) no preference was observed for the inverted stimuli, (2) no differences were observed in adult similarity ratings of the upright infant–adult face pairs from the two races, and (3) no differences between the infant and adult faces were observed across races in an image-based analysis of salience. The findings are discussed in terms of the social attributes of faces that are learned from experience and what this implies for developmental accounts of a recognition advantage for adult faces in particular and models of face processing more generally.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Di Giorgio ◽  
Orsola Rosa-Salva ◽  
Elisa Frasnelli ◽  
Antonio Calcagnì ◽  
Marco Lunghi ◽  
...  

AbstractDespite an increasing interest in detecting early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), the pathogenesis of the social impairments characterizing ASD is still largely unknown. Atypical visual attention to social stimuli is a potential early marker of the social and communicative deficits of ASD. Some authors hypothesized that such impairments are present from birth, leading to a decline in the subsequent typical functioning of the learning-mechanisms. Others suggested that these early deficits emerge during the transition from subcortically to cortically mediated mechanisms, happening around 2–3 months of age. The present study aimed to provide additional evidence on the origin of the early visual attention disturbance that seems to characterize infants at high risk (HR) for ASD. Four visual preference tasks were used to investigate social attention in 4-month-old HR, compared to low-risk (LR) infants of the same age. Visual attention differences between HR and LR infants emerged only for stimuli depicting a direct eye-gaze, compared to an adverted eye-gaze. Specifically, HR infants showed a significant visual preference for the direct eye-gaze stimulus compared to LR infants, which may indicate a delayed development of the visual preferences normally observed at birth in typically developing infants. No other differences were found between groups. Results are discussed in the light of the hypotheses on the origins of early social visual attention impairments in infants at risk for ASD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 101-102
Author(s):  
Sheng-Chin Hsu

Abstract As an aging society, Taiwanese is facing the low birthrate and low death rate, and many policies and social systems are facing difficulties. According to the social atmosphere, young and senior groups have many conflicts in between. Finding an alternative approach to reveal the social value of aged people becomes an important mission. The Taiwanese’ movie “Yi-Yi”(A one and a two, 2000) is the final masterpiece of Director Edward Yang, and he won the best director in Festival de Cannes. The story is taken place in a traditional Taiwanese wedding party, and there is a grandma who was invited to this party before her pass out. The grandma did not weak up until the end of this story. The director Yang filmed this sick character in the story and he showed the family members were gathering around their grandma. This study adopts the narrative analysis on elders in “Yi Yi”. There are three findings. First, the elder character is speechless but her sickness drives family members coming home. Second, the long term care is a heavy duty for family, but it reflects the preparations of individual physically and emotionally. Third, the meaning of image of elders is not image itself but family solidarity and social connection. The narrative theory and gerontology build a perspective to understand the social values and narrative functions of elderly people in “Yi-Yi”. It shows the conflict between different age groups and enlarges the spectrum of understanding elders in both Taiwanese’ movie and Taiwanese society.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
N.I. Fisher ◽  
D.J. Trewin

Given the high level of global mobility, pandemics are likely to be more frequent, and with potentially devastating consequences for our way of life. With COVID-19, Australia is in relatively better shape than most other countries and is generally regarded as having managed the pandemic well. That said, we believe there is a critical need to start the process of learning from this pandemic to improve the quantitative information and related advice provided to policy makers. A dispassionate assessment of Australia’s health and economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic reveals some important inadequacies in the data, statistical analysis and interpretation used to guide Australia’s preparations and actions. For example, one key shortcoming has been the lack of data to obtain an early understanding of the extent of asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic cases or the differences across age groups, occupations or ethnic groups. Minimising the combined health, social and economic impacts of a novel virus depends critically on ongoing acquisition, integration, analysis, interpretation and presentation of a variety of data streams to inform the development, execution and monitoring of appropriate strategies. The article captures the essential quantitative components of such an approach for each of the four basic phases, from initial detection to post-pandemic. It also outlines the critical steps in each stage to enable policy makers to deal more efficiently and effectively with future such events, thus enhancing both the social and the economic welfare of its people. Although written in an Australian context, we believe most elements would apply to other countries as well.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 67-79
Author(s):  
L. A. Davletshina ◽  
N. A. Sadovnikova ◽  
A. V. Bezrukov ◽  
O. G. Lebedinskaya

The article present results of the authors’ study of the social well-being of the Russian population – an assessment of the population’s health and attitudes towards a healthy lifestyle amid viral pandemic, based on materials of the Rosstat sample surveys of 2019 and 2020 and data from the All-Russian survey conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) on 27 September 2020. The authors described the transformation of living conditions in the light of the complex epidemiological situation and the increase in coronavirus cases among the population. Changes in the health status of the Russian population were analyzed by individual age groups.The article assesses the strength of the relationship between the social well-being of the population by selected socio-demographic groups and the period of self-isolation, quarantine, or other restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. To solve this problem, demographic and socio-economic characteristics of respondents are presented, the distribution of responses according to the survey results is estimated, and the most signifcant factor characteristics are selected. Respondent replies were grouped according to the selected questions, including in the territorial context (by federal districts). To determine the strength of the relationship between the respondents' answers to the question and their gender or age distribution, the coefcients of mutual conjugacy and rank correlation coefcients were calculated and analyzed.Analysis of the changes in the social well-being of population for 2019–2020 and the assessment of the strength of the relationship between the discussed indicators (gender, wealth, territory of residence) revealed the parameters that form the differences. After comparing the health status of the Russian population as a whole and by age groups in 2019 and 2020 based on data of sample survey on population health status, the following points were identifed. With the expected assessment of the population health status in the age distribution (deterioration in the older ages and better health in the younger ones), it also remains unchanged that more than half of the respondents characterize their health status as «very good» and «good». Noteworthy is the fact that the assessment of the health status of the Russian population has improved during the year. It is evidenced from changes in the structure of respondent replies, even though population health status survey of 2020 was conducted in the middle of lockdown amid the continuing negative trends in coronavirus morbidity and mortality.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeyu Lyu ◽  
Hiroki Takikawa

BACKGROUND The availability of large-scale and fine-grained aggregated mobility data has allowed researchers to observe the dynamic of social distancing behaviors at high spatial and temporal resolutions. Despite the increasing attentions paid to this research agenda, limited studies have focused on the demographic factors related to mobility and the dynamics of social distancing behaviors has not been fully investigated. OBJECTIVE This study aims to assist in the design and implementation of public health policies by exploring the social distancing behaviors among various demographic groups over time. METHODS We combined several data sources, including mobile tracking data and geographical statistics, to estimate visiting population of entertainment venues across demographic groups, which can be considered as the proxy of social distancing behaviors. Then, we employed time series analyze methods to investigate how voluntary and policy-induced social distancing behaviors shift over time across demographic groups. RESULTS Our findings demonstrate distinct patterns of social distancing behaviors and their dynamics across age groups. The population in the entertainment venues comprised mainly of individuals aged 20–40 years, while according to the dynamics of the mobility index and the policy-induced behavior, among the age groups, the extent of reduction of the frequency of visiting entertainment venues during the pandemic was generally the highest among younger individuals. Also, our results indicate the importance of implementing the social distancing policy promptly to limit the spread of the COVID-19 infection. However, it should be noticed that although the policy intervention during the second wave in Japan appeared to increase the awareness of the severity of the pandemic and concerns regarding COVID-19, its direct impact has been largely decreased could only last for a short time. CONCLUSIONS At the time we wrote this paper, in Japan, the number of daily confirmed cases was continuously increasing. Thus, this study provides a timely reference for decision makers about the current situation of policy-induced compliance behaviors. On the one hand, age-dependent disparity requires target mitigation strategies to increase the intention of elderly individuals to adopt mobility restriction behaviors. On the other hand, considering the decreasing impact of self-restriction recommendations, the government should employ policy interventions that limit the resurgence of cases, especially by imposing stronger, stricter social distancing interventions, as they are necessary to promote social distancing behaviors and mitigate the transmission of COVID-19. CLINICALTRIAL None


Author(s):  
I. I. Dmitrik ◽  
G. V. Zavgorodnyaya ◽  
M. I. Pavlova ◽  
N. A. Podkorytov

A large number of works are devoted to the development of the skin and hair cover of sheep, depending on their breed affiliation, age, feeding conditions and housing. The authors point out that along with other conditions the quality of wool and wool clip is greatly influenced by the conditions of the feeding of animals. A high level of feeding increases the wool clip and improves the quality of the wool and vice versa a low level reduces, causes thinning and worsens other physical properties of the wool. As is known, one of the significant factors that determine the increase in wool clip is the size of the animal and, consequently, the total area of the skin. The purpose of the research was to investigate the morphological traits of the development of the skin and wool cover in sheep of Prikatunsky meat and wool type. The research material was wool samples from four topographic areas of the animal’s body (side/thigh/back/belly) and skin (side) of different sex and age groups, selected from the animals of the studied groups. In the course of research, the quality of wool and indicators of the histostructure of the skin of Prikatunsky meat and wool type of sheep have been investigated. In terms of thick-haired of wool, replacement rams and gimbers of Prikatunsky meat and wool type of sheep were superior by 4,82 pcs. per mm² or 19,0 % and 4,41 pcs. per mm² or 15,8 % of adult animals, respectively. Balance secondary follicles/primary follicles in young animals were higher by 10,3 and 17,3 % compared to breeding rams and ewes. The wool of the replacement young animals was thinner by 7,28 and 4,78 microns and they were more thick-haired. The obtained data will be used in the mating campaign when mating program rams in order to improve the sheep of Prikatunsky meat and wool type.


Author(s):  
Matthew C. Hocking ◽  
Robert T. Schultz ◽  
Jane E. Minturn ◽  
Cole Brodsky ◽  
May Albee ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: The neural mechanisms contributing to the social problems of pediatric brain tumor survivors (PBTS) are unknown. Face processing is important to social communication, social behavior, and peer acceptance. Research with other populations with social difficulties, namely autism spectrum disorder, suggests atypical brain activation in areas important for face processing. This case-controlled functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study compared brain activation during face processing in PBTS and typically developing (TD) youth. Methods: Participants included 36 age-, gender-, and IQ-matched youth (N = 18 per group). PBTS were at least 5 years from diagnosis and 2 years from the completion of tumor therapy. fMRI data were acquired during a face identity task and a control condition. Groups were compared on activation magnitude within the fusiform gyrus for the faces condition compared to the control condition. Correlational analyses evaluated associations between neuroimaging metrics and indices of social behavior for PBTS participants. Results: Both groups demonstrated face-specific activation within the social brain for the faces condition compared to the control condition. PBTS showed significantly decreased activation for faces in the medial portions of the fusiform gyrus bilaterally compared to TD youth, ps ≤ .004. Higher peak activity in the left fusiform gyrus was associated with better socialization (r = .53, p < .05). Conclusions: This study offers initial evidence of atypical activation in a key face processing area in PBTS. Such atypical activation may underlie some of the social difficulties of PBTS. Social cognitive neuroscience methodologies may elucidate the neurobiological bases for PBTS social behavior.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.J. Anankware ◽  
E.A. Osekre ◽  
D. Obeng-Ofori ◽  
C.M. Khamala

This study evaluated the social and ecological factors that affect entomophagy in Ghana with a view to instigate the initiation of programmes for the use of insects for human and poultry nutrition in Africa. Two thousand questionnaires were administered to randomly selected respondents in all the ten regions of Ghana. With regards to social factors, entomophagy was found to be influenced by age, gender, education and occupation. Entomophagy is practiced across all age groups and gender in Ghana. Proportionally, 90, 78 and 74% of the aged (60+), middle aged (31-50) and the youth (18-30), respectively, were observed to consume various insect species. Ecologically, entomophagy was more pronounced in rural than urban areas. Over 87% of respondents who consume edible insects acquire them through harvesting/trapping. Four insect species were identified as feed for animals. The majority (81.6%) of the respondents consume insects as a source of protein, 9.6% for cultural reasons, 5.6% for medicinal values and 3.0 and 0.2%, respectively, for recreational and religious reasons. Gender has the least influence on entomophagy. Considering the economic, ecological and nutritional importance of edible insects in traditional Ghanaian foods, attention should be given to sustainable environmental harvesting practices.


2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Hashemi Shahraki ◽  
Abbass Eslami Rasekh

Slang usage in modern age Iran is a popular phenomenon among most male and female teenagers. How pervasive this variation of language use is among various age and sex groups in Iran has been a question of debate given the significance of religion in a theological system of social structure. The work presented in this study aims to investigate the effect of age and sex on variability of slang usage. Sixty Iranian participants were selected, and then were divided into three age groups (i.e. primary school, high school, and senior university students) each group consisting of ten males and ten females. A self-made questionnaire in the form of Discourse Completion Test (DCT) describing nine situations of friendly conversations was given to the participants. They were asked to make their choice on the responses, which ranged from formal to very informal style (common teenage slang expressions), or to write down what they wish to say under each circumstance. The results of the chi–square tests indicated that slang usage among high school students is more frequent as compared with other age groups. Unlike the popular belief suggesting that slang is used by boys rather than girls, the findings suggested that young Iranians both male and female use slang as a badge of identity showing their attachment to the social group they wish to be identified with.


i-Perception ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 204166951775017
Author(s):  
Séamas Weech ◽  
Nikolaus F. Troje

Depth-ambiguous point-light walkers are most frequently seen as facing-the-viewer (FTV). It has been argued that the FTV bias depends on recognising the stimulus as a person. Accordingly, reducing the social relevance of biological motion by presenting stimuli upside down has been shown to reduce FTV bias. Here, we replicated the experiment that reported this finding and added stick figure walkers to the task in order to assess the effect of explicit shape information on facing bias for inverted figures. We measured the FTV bias for upright and inverted stick figure walkers and point-light walkers presented in different azimuth orientations. Inversion of the stimuli did not reduce facing direction judgements to chance levels. In fact, we observed a significant facing away bias in the inverted stimulus conditions. In addition, we found no difference in the pattern of data between stick figure and point-light walkers. Although the results are broadly consistent with previous findings, we do not conclude that inverting biological motion simply negates the FTV bias; rather, inversion causes stimuli to be seen facing away from the viewer more often than not. The results support the interpretation that primarily low-level visual processes are responsible for the biases produced by both upright and inverted stimuli.


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