scholarly journals Appraisal of unimodal cues during agonistic interactions in Maylandia zebra

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Chabrolles ◽  
Imen Ben Ammar ◽  
Marie S.A. Fernandez ◽  
Nicolas Boyer ◽  
Joël Attia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Visual Modality ◽  
Video Playback ◽  
Agonistic Interactions ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Experimental Protocols ◽  
Unimodal Cues

Communication is essential during social interactions including animal conflicts and it is often a complex process involving multiple sensory channels or modalities. To better understand how different modalities interact during communication, it is fundamental to study the behavioural responses to both the composite multimodal signal and each unimodal component with adequate experimental protocols. Here we test how an African cichlid, which communicates with multiple senses, responds to different sensory stimuli in a social relevant scenario. We tested Maylandia zebra males with isolated chemical (urine or holding water coming both from dominant males), visual (real opponent or video playback) and acoustic (agonistic sounds) cues during agonistic interactions. We showed that (1) these fish relied mostly on the visual modality, showing increased aggressiveness in response to the sight of a real contestant but no responses to urine or agonistic sounds presented separately, (2) video playback in our study did not appear appropriate to test the visual modality and needs more technical prospecting, (3) holding water provoked territorial behaviours and seems to be promising for the investigation into the role of the chemical channel in this species. Our findings suggest that unimodal signals are non-redundant but how different sensory modalities interplay during communication remains largely unknown in fish.

scholarly journals Proprioception Has Limited Influence on Tactile Reference Frame Selection

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Or Yizhar ◽  
Galit Buchs ◽  
Benedetta Heimler ◽  
Doron Friedman ◽  
Amir Amedi
Keyword(s):  
Reference Frame ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Spatial Location ◽  
Sensory Substitution ◽  
Visual Modality ◽  
Localization Task ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Reference Frame Selection ◽  
Proprioceptive Inputs

ABSTRACTPerceiving the spatial location and physical dimensions of objects that we touch is crucial for goal-directed actions. To achieve this, our brain transforms skin-based coordinates into a reference frame by integrating visual and proprioceptive cues, a process known as tactile remapping. In the current study, we examine the role of proprioception in the remapping process when information from the more dominant visual modality is withheld. We developed a new visual-to-touch sensory substitution device and asked participants to perform a spatial localization task in three different arm postures that included posture switches between blocks of trials. We observed that in the absence of visual information novel proprioceptive inputs can be overridden after switching postures. This behavior demonstrates effective top-down modulations of proprioception and points to the unequal contribution of different sensory modalities to tactile remapping.

THE ROLE OF YOUTUBE AND FACEBOOK IN CO-BUILDING AND SHARING MULTIDIMENSIONAL IDENTITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION VS. NATIONALIST POLITICS: THE CASE OF ROMANIAN TEENAGERS

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Razvan-Andrei DOBREA ◽  
Annamaria Silvana DE ROSA
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Identity Negotiation ◽  
National Identities ◽  
European Identity ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
The Social ◽  
Youtube Videos

Identity negotiation is a complex process determined by different social interactions and relationships from various environments. One of these environments is also represented by social media, where people are more and more present, and where everyone can express their opinions as freely as possible. Thus, in our research we used the content analysis of YouTube videos and Facebook posts, to follow the co-building and sharing of the supranational and national identities. The case discussed is that of Romanian teenagers, for whom it turned out that the European identity is much stronger than the Romanian national identity. Moreover, we discovered that the strengthening of the European identity can be achieved effectively through social media, even at a time when Romania was affected by nationalist politics. The period considered is 2016-2019, and data were collected from 274 teenagers on Facebook and 115 teenagers on YouTube. As a research framework, we chose the approach of the Social Representations Theory, using both quantitative and qualitative techniques for data analysis.

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.

Social Cohesion, Breaks, and Transformations in Italy, 535–600

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter Pohl
Keyword(s):  
The Political ◽  
Late Antique ◽  
Religious Context ◽  
Ancient Society ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Term Change ◽  
Two Generations ◽  
Classical Culture

When the Gothic War began in Italy in 535, the country still conserved many features of classical culture and late antique administration. Much of that was lost in the political upheavals of the following decades. Building on Chris Wickham’s work, this contribution sketches an integrated perspective of these changes, attempting to relate the contingency of events to the logic of long-term change, discussing political options in relation to military and economic means, and asking in what ways the erosion of consensus may be understood in a cultural and religious context. What was the role of military entrepreneurs of more or less barbarian or Roman extraction in the distribution or destruction of resources? How did Christianity contribute to the transformation of ancient society? The old model of barbarian invasions can contribute little to understanding this complex process. It is remarkable that for two generations, all political strategies in Italy ultimately failed.

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.

scholarly journals Rheological Characterization of a Concentrated Phosphate Slurry

Fluids ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 178
Author(s):  
Souhail Maazioui ◽  
Abderrahim Maazouz ◽  
Fayssal Benkhaldoun ◽  
Driss Ouazar ◽  
Khalid Lamnawar
Keyword(s):  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Continuous Phase ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Rheological Characterization ◽  
Phosphate Ore ◽  
Insoluble Particles ◽  
Experimental Protocols ◽  
Solid Liquid

Phosphate ore slurry is a suspension of insoluble particles of phosphate rock, the primary raw material for fertilizer and phosphoric acid, in a continuous phase of water. This suspension has a non-Newtonian flow behavior and exhibits yield stress as the shear rate tends toward zero. The suspended particles in the present study were assumed to be noncolloidal. Various grades and phosphate ore concentrations were chosen for this rheological investigation. We created some experimental protocols to determine the main characteristics of these complex fluids and established relevant rheological models with a view to simulate the numerical flow in a cylindrical pipeline. Rheograms of these slurries were obtained using a rotational rheometer and were accurately modeled with commonly used yield-pseudoplastic models. The results show that the concentration of solids in a solid–liquid mixture could be increased while maintaining a desired apparent viscosity. Finally, the design equations for the laminar pipe flow of yield pseudoplastics were investigated to highlight the role of rheological studies in this context.

scholarly journals In the Ear of the Listener: The Role of Foreign Accent in Interethnic Friendships and Partnerships

2021 ◽  
pp. 019791832098883
Author(s):  
Irena Kogan ◽  
Jörg Dollmann ◽  
Markus Weißmann
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
Children Of Immigrants ◽  
Longitudinal Survey ◽  
Foreign Accent ◽  
Interethnic Relations ◽  
Accented Speech ◽  
Interethnic Friendships ◽  
Communicative Power

This article examines the association between accented speech and the formation of friendships and partnerships among immigrants and native-born majority residents in Germany. Drawing on the sixth wave of the German extension of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Survey in Four European Countries, we analyze a neglected aspect of language — pronunciation — and find that speaking with a foreign accent is a more important correlate of the incidence of interethnic partnerships than of interethnic friendships. We argue that beyond its primary function of understandability, accented speech possesses socially communicative power. Accent transmits signals of an individual’s foreignness and cultural differences and, thus, becomes an additional marker of social distance. Such signals serve as a greater obstacle to more consequential intimate interethnic relations such as partnerships. Our findings extend the scholarly debate on the role of symbolic boundaries in social interactions between ethnic groups by yet another important boundary maker — accent.

scholarly journals Consciousness, decision making, and volition: freedom beyond chance and necessity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Liljenström
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Free Will ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Neural Information ◽  
Neural Information Processing ◽  
Stochastic Population Model ◽  
The Brain

AbstractWhat is the role of consciousness in volition and decision-making? Are our actions fully determined by brain activity preceding our decisions to act, or can consciousness instead affect the brain activity leading to action? This has been much debated in philosophy, but also in science since the famous experiments by Libet in the 1980s, where the current most common interpretation is that conscious free will is an illusion. It seems that the brain knows, up to several seconds in advance what “you” decide to do. These studies have, however, been criticized, and alternative interpretations of the experiments can be given, some of which are discussed in this paper. In an attempt to elucidate the processes involved in decision-making (DM), as an essential part of volition, we have developed a computational model of relevant brain structures and their neurodynamics. While DM is a complex process, we have particularly focused on the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) for its emotional, and the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) for its cognitive aspects. In this paper, we present a stochastic population model representing the neural information processing of DM. Simulation results seem to confirm the notion that if decisions have to be made fast, emotional processes and aspects dominate, while rational processes are more time consuming and may result in a delayed decision. Finally, some limitations of current science and computational modeling will be discussed, hinting at a future development of science, where consciousness and free will may add to chance and necessity as explanation for what happens in the world.

scholarly journals The Role of Employee Relations in Shaping Job Satisfaction as an Element Promoting Positive Mental Health at Work in the Era of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1903
Author(s):  
Helena Bulińska-Stangrecka ◽  
Anna Bagieńska
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Interpersonal Trust ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Employee Relations ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
Mediating Role

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the mental health of employees. Deterioration of the well-being of workers is also caused by changes in the working environment. Remote working can affect both social interactions and job satisfaction. The purpose of the study is to examine what factors influence job satisfaction in the context of remote work caused by a pandemic. The study analyses whether employee relations and interpersonal trust are related to the level of perceived job satisfaction. The investigation started with a literature review and then research hypotheses have been formulated. Based on an empirical study, carried out on a sample of 220 IT employees during the pandemic, an analysis of the mediating role of trust in links between employee relations and perceived job satisfaction was conducted. The current study found that positive employee relations contribute to the level of job satisfaction. Additionally, trust is an important factor that mediates these relationships. Based on the results of the research, it was possible to describe the mechanism of shaping a supportive work environment during a pandemic.

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