Social mindfulness predicts concern for nature and immigrants across 36 nations.

People cooperate every day in ways that range from largescale contributions that mitigate climate change to simple actions such as leaving another individual with choice - known as social mindfulness. It is not yet clear whether and how these complex and more simple forms of cooperation relate. Prior work has found that countries with individuals who made more socially mindful choices were linked to a higher country environmental performance - a proxy for complex cooperation. Here we replicated this initial finding in 41 samples around the world, demonstrating the robustness of the association between social mindfulness and environmental performance, and substantially built on it to show this relationship extended to a wide range of complex cooperative indices, tied closely to many current societal issues. We found that greater social mindfulness expressed by an individual was related to living in countries with more social capital, more community participation and reduced prejudice towards immigrants. Our findings speak to the symbiotic relationship between simple and more complex forms of cooperation in societies.

Comparación del rendimiento de pruebas cognitivas en pacientes con Enfermedad de Parkinson con y sin estimulación cerebral profunda / Comparison of the performance of cognitive tests in Parkinson Disease patients with and without Deep Brain Stimulation

Resumen Los pacientes diagnosticados con Enfermedad de Parkinson (EP) presentan alteraciones motoras concomitantes a otras alteraciones de tipo cognitivo, conductual o emocional. Una de las alternativas al tratamiento farmacológico es la estimulación cerebral profunda (ECP). Existen reportes de alteraciones en el rendimiento de tareas cognitivas tras procedimiento de ECP, lo que podría sugerir que el procedimiento es responsable de estos cambios cognitivos. El objetivo del estudio fue comparar los resultados del rendimiento en pruebas cognitivas de pacientes con EP de dos grupos (con ECP y sin ECP). Se recolectaron los resultados de 47 pacientes (n = 16 ECP; n = 31 sin ECP) durante los años de 2011 hasta 2015. Dentro de las funciones y variables evaluadas se encuentran: categorización visual, flexibilidad cognitiva, solución de problemas, atención selectiva, velocidad de procesamiento, inhibición conductual y calidad de vida. En general, no se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los grupos en las funciones evaluadas. En el grupo de participantes con ECP, se encontró mayor cantidad de correlaciones entre las pruebas de semejanzas y las de dígitos inversos, listas de palabras, búsqueda de símbolos y las subpruebas del Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Así mismo, en los pacientes con ECP se presentó una percepción menor de calidad de vida asociada al tiempo de la enfermedad en comparación con el grupo sin ECP. En conclusión, estos resultados son congruentes con estudios similares de evaluación neuropsicológica y se discute el papel del tratamiento de estimulación en los pacientes, los cuales no siempre tienen un impacto positivo sobre la calidad de vida percibida.

Abstract Patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease show motor alterations together to cognitive, behavioral, and emotional disturbances. An alternative treatment to the exclusive pharmacological medication is the Deep Brain Stimulation procedure (DBS). Some studies have shown altered behavioral patterns after DBS device implantation, suggesting a relationship between a particular performance in cognitive tests derived from the DBS procedure. Our study aimed to compare the performance of cognitive tests in Parkinson's disease patients with and without DBS. Results were analyzed from 47 patients (n = 16 DBS; n = 31 without DBS) in a range since 2011 to 2015. Functions tested were visual categorization, cognitive flexibility, problem solutions, selective attention, cognitive processing speed, behavioral inhibition, and quality of life. In general, there are non-significative differences between groups in functions tested. However, correlations were found depending on the group (DBS or without DBS patients), with more positive correlations inside the DBS group between the similarity test and inversed digits, list of words, symbol search and the sub-test of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. In addition, the DBS group showed a low perception of the quality of life associated with the disorder´s time compared to the without DBS group. In conclusion, these results are congruent with similar studies of neuropsychological evaluation, and the role of treatment is discussed below the perception of the quality of life.

Análisis de la producción y redes de colaboración en los programas de doctorado en psicología en Colombia / Analysis of production and collaboration networks in doctoral programs in psychology in Colombia

Resumen El objetivo de la formación doctoral es la generación y difusión de nuevo conocimiento, sin embargo, no es claro cómo los programas de doctorado en Colombia se relacionan con este tipo de producción académica. A partir de ello, en el presente estudio se presenta el panorama general de la producción académica a través de las instituciones de educación superior colombianas que ofertan programas de formación doctoral en psicología. La producción académica se obtuvo de la base de datos Scopus en una muestra de 13 universidades. Tras una búsqueda inicial, se encontraron 1345 documentos, con los cuales se realizó un análisis de los indicadores de productividad y de las redes de colaboración al interior de la disciplina en el país. Posteriormente, esta información se contrastó con la información nacional registrada en el sistema de Curriculum Vitae Latinoamericano y del Caribe (CvLAC) de 193 profesores asociados a las universidades que ofertan los programas de doctorado. Al comparar la producción académica nacional e internacional, se encontró una mayor correlación entre la dirección de tesis de posgrado y la publicación en revistas nacionales. Por lo tanto, se puede afirmar que el impacto de la formación doctoral en la generación de nuevo conocimiento es relativo y tiene un alcance limitado, siendo principalmente las revistas nacionales el medio de difusión de este conocimiento. Se recomienda evaluar el impacto de los productos asociados a la formación posgradual y la visibilidad internacional, con énfasis en las revistas indexadas en bases de datos internacionales.

Abstract The objective of doctoral training is the generation and dissemination of new knowledge; however, it is not clear how doctoral programs in Colombia relate to this type of production. Based on this, this study presents the general panorama of academic production across Colombian higher education institutions that offer doctoral training programs in psychology. The academic production was obtained from the Scopus database in a sample of 13 universities. After this search, 1345 documents were found with which an analysis was made regarding productivity indicators and the collaboration networks within the discipline in the country were identified. Subsequently, this information was contrasted with the national information registered in the Latin American and Caribbean Curriculum Vitae system (CvLAC) of 193 professors associated with the universities offering doctoral programs. As a result, when comparing national and international academic production, a greater correlation is found between the supervision of graduate theses and publication in national journals. In this sense, it is found that the impact of doctoral training on the generation of new knowledge is relative and has a limited scope, being mainly national journals the means of dissemination of this knowledge. It is recommended to evaluate the impact of products associated with postgraduate training and international visibility, with emphasis on indexed journals in international databases.

Comparación del desempeño de jóvenes en pruebas neuropsicológicas en formato lápiz y papel e informatizadas / Comparison of the Performance of Young Adults in Neuropsychological Tests in Paper-and-Pencil and Computerized Formats

Resumen Los campos de la aplicación de pruebas psicológicas y neuropsicológicas se han visto impactos por la tecnología específicamente con las pruebas informatizados. Una de las preguntas frecuentes en versiones papel y lápiz comparadas con una versión informatizada de la misma prueba, es si éstas son equivalentes. El objetivo de este estudio fue comparar el desempeño de pruebas neuropsicológicas en formato lápiz y papel y formato computarizado. Participaron 41 estudiantes en dos aplicaciones de las mismas pruebas en las dos versiones. Se encontró que los desempeños fueron equivalentes en la mayoría de las pruebas. Sin embargo, existen variaciones en las modalidades dependiendo de la ejecución de la prueba y con alta variabilidad entre sujetos. Esto sugiere que la diferencia en las puntuaciones podría deberse a la diferencia en los procesos cognitivos subyacentes a la ejecución de las dos modalidades.

Abstract The application of psychological and neuropsychological tests has been impacted by technology, specifically by computerized testing. One of the frequently asked questions is whether the version in pencil and paper and the computerized one can be considered equivalent tests. This study aimed to compare the performance on neuropsychological tests in pencil-and-paper and in computerized format. Forty-one students participated in two applications of the same tests in the two versions. It was found that the performances were equivalent in most of the tests. However, there are variations in the modalities depending on the execution of the test, and high intersubject variability. Results suggest that the difference in scores may be due to the difference in the underlying cognitive processes during the performance of the two modalities.

Fear Incubation Using an Extended Fear-Conditioning Protocol for Rats.

Emotional memory has been primarily studied with fear-conditioning paradigms. Fear conditioning is a form of learning through which individuals learn the relationships between aversive events and otherwise neutral stimuli. The most-widely utilized procedures for studying emotional memories entail fear conditioning in rats. In these tasks, the unconditioned stimulus (US) is a footshock presented once or several times across single or several sessions, and the conditioned response (CR) is freezing. In a version of these procedures, called cued fear conditioning, a tone (conditioned stimulus, CS) is paired with footshocks (US) during the training phase. During the first test, animals are exposed to the same context in which training took place, and freezing responses are tested in the absence of footshocks and tones (i.e., a context test). During the second test, freezing is measured when the context is changed (e.g., by manipulating the smell and walls of the experimental chamber) and the tone is presented in the absence of footshocks (i.e., a cue test). Most cued fear conditioning procedures entail few tone-shock pairings (e.g., 1-3 trials in a single session). There is a growing interest in less common versions involving an extensive number of pairings (i.e., overtraining) related to the long-lasting effect called fear incubation (i.e., fear responses increase over time without further exposure to aversive events or conditioned stimuli). Extended fear-conditioning tasks have been key to the understanding of fear incubation's behavioral and neurobiological aspects, including its relationship with other psychological phenomena (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder). Here, we describe an extended fear-conditioning protocol that produces overtraining and fear incubation in rats. This protocol entails a single training session with 25 tone-shock pairings (i.e., overtraining) and a comparison of conditioned freezing responses during context and cue tests 48 h (short-term) and 6 weeks (long-term) after training.

Parkinson disease patients performance in Theory of Mind (ToM) and decision-making tasks with and without Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) / Desempeño de pacientes con Parkinson con y sin estimulación cerebral profunda (ECP) en Teoría de la Mente (ToM) y toma de decisiones

Abstract: Background: Patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) show non-motor symptoms, such as cognitive impairment, disrupting executive functions, and mood alterations. Two processes currently researched in these areas are the Theory of Mind (ToM) and the decision-making in PD patients. The ToM is the ability to identify mental states (affective or cognitive) in others, and it is a necessary skill for successful communication in social situations. The decision-making process is researched in PD patients due to alterations in dopaminergic pathways involved in cortico-striatal circuits. These pathways have been linked to cognitive functions. Both processes could be altered in PD patients after the deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy. Objective: To compare the performance of PD patients (with and without DBS) and healthy controls (HC) in the Theory of Mind and decision-making tasks. Methods: We applied to three groups of patients (PD, n = 4; PD-DBS, n = 5 and HC, n = 5) the Yoni task to identify affective and cognitive features in ToM and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) in decision-making. Results: There were no differences across the PD groups in ToM both in the affective and cognitive features. Regarding the decision-making, we obtained results consistent with previous findings, with PD patients showing impairments in this process. Conclusions: Some results suggest that DBS therapy affected PD patients' performance in decision-making when compared to the healthy control group. Our results describe some non-motor changes due to DBS often seen in PD patients.

Resumen: Los pacientes con enfermedad de Parkinson (EP) muestran síntomas no motores, como deterioro cognitivo, alteración de las funciones ejecutivas y alteraciones del estado de ánimo. Dos procesos que se investigan actualmente en este tipo de pacientes son la Teoría de la Mente (ToM) y la toma de decisiones. La Teoría de la Mente es la capacidad de identificar los estados mentales (afectivos o cognitivos) en los demás, y es una habilidad necesaria para la comunicación exitosa en situaciones sociales. El proceso de toma de decisiones se investiga en los pacientes con EP debido a las alteraciones en las vías dopaminérgicas implicadas en los circuitos corticoestriatales, las cuales se han vinculado a las funciones cognitivas. Ambos procesos podrían estar alterados en los pacientes con EP después de la terapia de estimulación cerebral profunda (ECP). Con el objetivo de comparar el rendimiento de pacientes con EP (con y sin ECP) y controles sanos (HC) en teoría de la mente y tareas de toma de decisiones, aplicamos a tres grupos de pacientes (PD, n = 4; PD-DBS, n = 5 y HC, n = 5) la tarea de Yoni para identificar las características afectivas y cognitivas en TM y la Tarea de Juego de Iowa (IGT) en la toma de decisiones. No hubo diferencias entre los grupos de EP en TM tanto en las características afectivas como en las cognitivas. En cuanto a la toma de decisiones, obtuvimos resultados consistentes con los hallazgos anteriores, con pacientes con EP que mostraron impedimentos en este proceso. Algunos resultados sugieren que la terapia de ECP afectó el desempeño de los pacientes con EP en la toma de decisiones cuando se comparó con el grupo de control sano. Nuestros hallazgos describen algunos cambios no motores debidos a la ECP que se observan a menudo en los pacientes con EP.

Effect of fine and gross motor training or motor imagery, delivered via novel or routine modes, on cognitive function.

There is extensive literature linking motor activity to cognitive effects at various stages in life, promoting both development and the reduction of aging associated pathologies. It is unclear whether the benefits of this activity on the cognitive level are associated with brain functions that are necessary for their performance or recurrence of activity or type of activity itself. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the type of motor activity (fine, gross, and motor imagery) in two modes (novel and routine) can affect cognitive functions such as attention, executive functions, and praxis in college students. A 2 × 3 factorial design with repeated measures was used without a control group and pre- and post-training evaluation. Fifty-three young people (14 men and 39 women) participated, with mean age of 18.94 years (SD = 1.61 years) and were divided into six groups. Each of the groups performed relevant training 20 minutes per day for five days depending on the group. Measures were taken pre and post-training for attention tests, attention span, working memory, visual constructive skills, procedural memory, and motor skills. The results show a "learning effect" from the exposure to the tests in measurements after training. It was also found that between groups, there is a difference in some of the variables of procedural memory (number of errors) and working memory. More extensive training could better reflect the effects of the training, and longitudinal evaluation could show the rate of change of functions. The main clinical implication could be the evaluation of training programs for recovery and motor training in cerebral plasticity having effect on the cognitive aspects.

"Swimming against the current": Behavioral data of B etta splendens during an escape and avoidance task with water flows as the aversive stimulus.

This paper describes the behavioral data of an experiment in which water flows (WFs) were first used as replacement of the traditional electric shocks to test free-operant avoidance in Betta splendens (Hurtado-Parrado et al. 2019 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2018.10.021). WFs with a duration of 10 s each were delivered with 30-s flow-flow (F-F) and response-flow (R-F) intervals in a custom-made shuttle tank. Fish escaped or avoided the WFs by changing compartments. Crossings during the WFs, interrupted the flows, were automatically scored as escape (Esc), and initiated a new R-F interval. Crossings that occurred during R-F or F-F intervals were scored as avoidance responses and also reset the R-F interval. We compared the effect of adding a warning stimulus - curtains of air bubbles - to the last 5 s of the R-F interval; i.e., signaled versus unsignaled avoidance. A unique development of the WFs procedure, and thus the data here described, is that crossings were further differentiated into subcategories; namely, early avoidance (EA) if a crossing occurred during the first 25 s of the R-F interval; late avoidance (LA) if a crossing occurred during the last 5 s of the R-F interval; and Flow-Flow avoidance (FF) if a crossing occurred anytime during the F-F interval. Here we present the data of six bettas across the different phases of the experiment; namely, baseline (BL - no WFs programmed), signaled avoidance (SA - warning stimulus scheduled), and unsignaled avoidance (UA - no warning stimulus scheduled). The dataset available at the Open Science Framework (OSF) repository (http://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/FMHXD (Hurtado-Parrado et al., 2019)) includes for each fish and per 20-min daily session the total number of crossings; frequency of each type of crossing (Esc, EA, LA, FF); total WF frequency and duration, the total time spent in each compartment, and an index of preference for each compartment based on the proportion of time spent in the tank's compartments.

Diferencias en las decisiones utilitarias y morales entre hombres y mujeres / Differences on Utilitarian and Moral Decision Between Male and Female / Diferencias nas decisões utilitárias e morais entre homens e mulheres

Resumen Objetivo. Los juicios morales se basan en decisiones que toman en cuenta la representación de las normas y la ley, los valores, la funcionalidad y la situación en sí. La moral se ha estudiado con "dilemas morales hipotéticos" para identificar el tipo de resultado y el proceso detrás del razonamiento moral. No obstante, los juicios en sí mismos no son suficientes para establecer diferencias en el tipo de resolución o la relación con otros procesos cognitivos. Por lo anterior, el presente estudio buscó comparar el desempeño en tareas de maximización de la utilidad, control cognitivo y juicios morales, teniendo en cuenta el sexo y otras variables sociodemográficas. Método. Participaron 73 estudiantes universitarios (50 mujeres, 20 hombres y 3 con sexo no reportado, la edad promedio fue 19.53 años (DE = 1.68 años). El Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) se utilizó para identificar comportamientos de maximización de la utilidad. Además, el estudio empleó la prueba de cambios de tarea y la aplicación web Máquina Moral. Resultados. Se encontró una diferencia entre las variables de IGT, sin observar diferencias en la prueba de cambios de tarea. Conclusión. En cuanto al juicio moral, los hombres dieron más valor al cumplimiento de normas que las mujeres. Algunas variables de la tarea IGT apoyan las diferencias entre los sexos. Los resultados son congruentes con las diferencias mostradas por la literatura.

Abstract Objective. Moral judgments are based on decisions that take into account the representation of norms and law, values, functionality and situations themselves. Morality has been studied with "hypothetic moral dilemmas", in order to identify the type of outcome and the process behind moral reasoning. But judgments by themselves are not enough to establish differences in the type of resolution or the relationship with other cognitive processes. The present paper aimed to compare performance in tasks of utility maximization, cognitive control, and moral judgments, taking into account sex and other sociodemographic variables. Method. Seventy-three university students participated (50 women, 20 men and 3 with unreported gender, the average age was 19.53 years (SD = 1.68 years). The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) was used to identify behaviors of utility maximization. In addition, we used the switch costs and the web application of moral machine tasks. Results. A difference between variables of the IGT, but no differences in the switch costs task were found. Conclusion. Regarding moral judgment, males gave more value to respect norms than females. Some variables of the IGT task support outcomes related to differences between sexes. Results are congruent with differences shown in existing literature.

Resumo Escopo. Os juízos morais estão baseados em decisões que levam em conta a representação das normas e a lei, os valores, a funcionalidade e a situação concreta. A moral tem se estudado com "dilemas morais hipotéticos" para identificar o tipo de resultado e o processo detrás do razoamento moral. Mas os juízos em si não são suficientes para estabelecer diferencias no tipo de resolução ou a relação com outros processos cognitivos. Por tanto, o escopo de este estudo foi comparar o desempenho em tarefas de maximização da utilidade, controle cognitivo e juízos morais, levando em conta o sexo e outras variáveis sócio demográficas. Metodologia. Participaram 73 estudantes universitários (50 mulheres, 20 homens e 3 com sexo não reportado, a idade de média foi de19.3 anos, (DE = 1.68 anos). O Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) foi utilizado para identificar comportamentos de maximização da utilidade. Além, o estudo empregou a prova de mudança de tarefa e a aplicação web Máquina Moral. Resultados. Foi achada uma diferencia entre as variáveis de IGT, mas não há diferencias na prova de mudança de tarefa. Em quanto ao juízo moral, os homens deram mais valor ao cumprimento de normas que as mulheres. Algumas variáveis da tarefa IGT apoiam as diferencias entre os sexos. Conclusão. Os resultados são congruentes com as diferencias mostradas na literatura.

Aversive control of Betta splendens behavior using water disturbances: Effects of signaled and unsignaled free-operant avoidance and escape contingencies.

The vast majority of research on aversive control of behavior using animal models employs electric-shock based procedures with avian and mammalian species. Notwithstanding that pragmatic aspects explain this prominence in the field, there is still a need for testing well-established facts about shock-based aversive control using other, perhaps more ecologically valid or biologically relevant, forms of stimulation with other species. Following up on an observation that water disturbances appear to be aversive to Betta splendens (bettas), we developed a preparation for studying free-operant avoidance with this species in which water flows (WFs) replaced electric shocks. Fish changed compartments in a shuttle tank to escape or avoid 10-s WFs, which were delivered with 30-s flow-flow and response-flow intervals. We tested the effect of adding a warning stimulus (curtains of air bubbles) to the last 5 s of the response-flow interval (i.e., signaled avoidance) on the bettas' temporal distribution of crossings and swimming patterns. Escape was the predominant response, which importantly reduced the exposure to the WFs. Avoidance responses rarely exceeded the frequency of escape. The warning stimulus did not produce the expected postponement of responses to the last segment of the response-flow interval. Distinctive swimming patterns emerged, dissipated, and reappeared during baseline and treatment conditions. These findings confirm the aversive function of WFs for bettas and expand the generality of negative reinforcement phenomena using non-shock-based procedures with a less-frequently studied species. Further developments of the WFs paradigm show promise for replicating other aversive control phenomena (e.g., punishment), and analyzing spatiotemporal patterns produced by aversive contingencies.

Análisis de la productividad e impacto de las revistas de psicología colombianas entre 2000 y 2016 / Productivity Analysis and Impact of Colombian Psychology Journals between 2000 and 2016

Resumen La creciente producción de las revistas de psicología colombianas en las últimas décadas lleva a preguntas sobre la relevancia e impacto regional e internacional de su productividad. Considerando la falta de esfuerzos recientes para evaluar el resultado de estas revistas en diferentes fuentes de información, el presente estudio analizó la producción, colaboración e impacto de las revistas de psicología colombianas entre 2000 y 2016 utilizando información de las siguientes bases de datos: Scopus, Scielo, Redalyc, y Journal Scholar Metrics. Analizamos 3915 artículos publicados en 13 revistas. Se incluyeron las revistas que estaban indexadas en varias de estas bases de datos al tiempo durante el tiempo de observación, lo que permitió realizar comparaciones. Observamos la diversificación y el crecimiento de las revistas en todos los indicadores propuestos, con diferentes grados de visibilidad y calidad según los criterios utilizados. Aunque todas las revistas en general mostraron resultados regionales e internacionales similares, algunas se destacaron en todos los indicadores, lo que a su vez invita a otras revistas a mejorar sus indicadores. Concluimos que la producción colombiana en psicología es visible a nivel regional. Además, las revistas deben aumentar algunos de los indicadores para poder compararlos con otros puntos de referencia de acceso abierto regionales e internacionales, ya que es el modelo bajo el cual se concibieron originalmente.

Abstract The growing output of Colombian psychology journals over past decades leads to questions regarding the regional and international relevance and impact of their productivity. Considering the lack of recent efforts to assess the output of these journals across different information sources, the present study analyzed the production, collaboration, and impact of Colombian psychology journals between 2000 and 2016 using information from the following databases: Scopus, Scielo, Redalyc, and Journal Scholar Metrics. We analyzed 3915 articles published across 13 journals. A journal was included in the analysis if it was indexed in several of these databases, which allowed for multiple comparisons. We observed journals' diversification and growth across all the proposed indicators, with different degrees of visibility and quality depending on the criteria used. Although all the journals generally showed similar regional and international results, some excelled across indicators, which in turn challenges other journals to improve their scores. We conclude that Colombian production in psychology is visible on a regional level. Moreover, journals need to increase some of the indicators so they can be compared with other regional and international open-access benchmarks, which is the model in which they were originally conceived.

Assessing Mongolian gerbil emotional behavior: effects of two shock intensities and response-independent shocks during an extended inhibitory-avoidance task.

Despite step-down inhibitory avoidance procedures that have been widely implemented in rats and mice to study learning and emotion phenomena, performance of other species in these tasks has received less attention. The case of the Mongolian gerbil is of relevance considering the discrepancies in the parameters of the step-down protocols implemented, especially the wide range of foot-shock intensities (i.e., 0.4-4.0 mA), and the lack of information on long-term performance, extinction effects, and behavioral patterning during these tasks. Experiment 1 aimed to (a) characterize gerbils' acquisition, extinction, and steady-state performance during a multisession (i.e., extended) step-down protocol adapted for implementation in a commercially-available behavioral package (Video Fear Conditioning System-MED Associates Fairfax, VT, USA), and (b) compare gerbils' performance in this task with two shock intensities - 0.5 vs. 1.0 mA-considered in the low-to-mid range. Results indicated that the 1.0 mA protocol produced more reliable and clear evidence of avoidance learning, extinction, and reacquisition in terms of increments in freezing and on-platform time as well as suppression of platform descent. Experiment 2 aimed to (a) assess whether an alternate protocol consisting of a random delivery of foot shocks could replicate the effects of Experiment 1 and (b) characterize gerbils' exploratory behavior during the step-down task (jumping, digging, rearing, and probing). Random shocks did not reproduce the effects observed with the first protocol. The data also indicated that a change from random to response-dependent shocks affects (a) the length of each visit to the platform, but not the frequency of platform descends or freezing time, and (b) the patterns of exploratory behavior, namely, suppression of digging and rearing, as well as increments in probing and jumping. Overall, the study demonstrated the feasibility of the extended step-down protocol for studying steady performance, extinction, and reacquisition of avoidance behavior in gerbils, which could be easily implemented in a commercially available system. The observation that 1.0 mA shocks produced a clear and consistent avoidance behavior suggests that implementation of higher intensities is unnecessary for reproducing aversive-conditioning effects in this species. The observed patterning of freezing, platform descents, and exploratory responses produced by the change from random to periodic shocks may relate to the active defensive system of the gerbil. Of special interest is the probing behavior, which could be interpreted as risk assessment and has not been reported in other rodent species exposed to step-down and similar tasks.

Running wheel training does not change neurogenesis levels or alter working memory tasks in adult rats.

BACKGROUND: Exercise can change cellular structure and connectivity (neurogenesis or synaptogenesis), causing alterations in both behavior and working memory. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of exercise on working memory and hippocampal neurogenesis in adult male Wistar rats using a T-maze test. METHODS: An experimental design with two groups was developed: the experimental group (n = 12) was subject to a forced exercise program for five days, whereas the control group (n = 9) stayed in the home cage. Six to eight weeks after training, the rats' working memory was evaluated in a T-maze test and four choice days were analyzed, taking into account alternation as a working memory indicator. Hippocampal neurogenesis was evaluated by means of immunohistochemistry of BrdU positive cells. RESULTS: No differences between groups were found in the behavioral variables (alternation, preference index, time of response, time of trial or feeding), or in the levels of BrdU positive cells. DISCUSSION: Results suggest that although exercise may have effects on brain structure, a construct such as working memory may require more complex changes in networks or connections to demonstrate a change at behavioral level.

Cooperation in Latin America: the scientific psychology network / Cooperación en Latinoamérica: red científica de psicología

Abstract This study investigated some aspects of a cooperative network aimed at Latin American Psychology. The study was based on documental data available to the public. The network included 262 researchers from Latin America and 38 from other countries, since the network supports researchers from other continents interested in cooperation. The data investigated were the country of origin, educational level and the professional occupation, general interests in cooperation and modalities of cooperation sought. Altogether, members came from 23 countries, including 12 Latin American and 11 countries from other continents. The countries with the largest number of participants were Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Peru. Regarding educational level, were identified from undergraduates to PhDs. The majority (n = 199) had a doctorate or master degree and the majority (n = 203) served as professor/researcher at the college level. The general interests of cooperation were divided into four groups and health and mental health and Social Psychology were the most cited topics. The form of cooperation cited more frequently was participation in Latin American research group. The data are compared with the literature and possibilities for advancing cooperation are discussed.

Resumen Este estudio investigó algunos aspectos de una red cooperativa dirigida a la Psicología Latinoamericana. El estudio se basó en datos documentales disponibles para el público. La red incluyó 262 investigadores latinoamericanos y 38 de otros países, puesto que la red apoya investigadores de otros continentes interesados en cooperar. Los datos investigados fueron el país de origen, el nivel educativo, la ocupación profesional, los intereses generales en cooperar y las modalidades de cooperación buscadas. En total, los miembros procedían de 23 países, incluyendo 12 de Latinoamérica y 11 de otros continentes. Los países con el mayor número de participantes fueron Colombia, Brasil, Argentina, Chile y Perú. En términos del nivel educativo se identificaron miembros desde pregrado hasta PhD. La mayoría (n = 199) reportó tener nivel de doctorado o maestría y la mayoría (n = 203) son profesores o investigadores en el nivel universitarios. Los intereses generales de cooperación se dividieron en cuatro grupos, de los cuales los temas más citados fueron salud, salud mental y psicología social. La forma de cooperación más frecuentemente señalada fue la participación en grupos de investigación latinoamericanos. Los datos se compararon con la literatura y se discutieron las posibilidades para avanzar en la cooperación.

Cooperation in the Latin American behavioral sciences: Motivation, evaluation and difficulties / Cooperación en las ciencias del comportamiento latinoamericanas: Motivación, evaluación y dificultades

This study investigated the motivation for establishing partnerships, how these partnerships are evaluated, and the difficulties encountered in the partnerships among Latin-Americanresearchersin behavioral sciences. A hundred Latin-American researchers who had published scientific work indexed in Psycinfo in which another author from the continent participated. The participants answer0ed a questionnaire on theabove-mentioned topics. The results indicated that the main reasons for establishing partnerships with other Latin-Americans were to seek broader and more significant results and increased productivity or the visibility and recognition of production. As regards the evaluation of the results of the partnership, most participants indicated that the partnership has resulted in an increase in publications and publications of higher scientific level and greater visibility. Several difficulties were recognized, whichin general, were access and communicationin order to maintain the partnership. The main difficulties in conduct in gresearch were related to the final writing of the paper, as an article, chapter or other, as well as data collection. In terms of work infrastructure, the main barriers were financial constraints and lack of time to devote to the partnership. It can be concluded that the main reasons to cooperate are qualitative and quantitative advances, and that the difficulties in the partnerships are secondary.

Este estudio investigó la motivación para el establecimiento de asociaciones para cooperación, cómo se evalúan estas asociaciones y las dificultades encontradas entre los investigadores latinoamericanos en ciencias de la conducta. Participaron un centenar de investigadores latinoamericanos que habían publicado trabajos científicos indexados en Psycinfo con otro autor del continente. Los participantes respondieron a un cuestionario sobre los temas antes mencionados. Los Resultados indicaron que las principales razones para el establecimiento de asociaciones para cooperar con otros latinoamericanos fueron: buscar resultados más amplios y significativos y aumento de la productividad o de la visibilidad y el reconocimiento de la producción. En cuanto a la evaluación de los resultados de la asociación, la mayoría indicó que la asociación se ha traducido en aumento de las publicaciones, en publicaciones de mayor nivel científico y en una mayor visibilidad. Se reconocieron varias dificultades. En general, las principales dificultades fueron el acceso y la comunicación para mantener la asociación. Las principales dificultades para llevar a cabo la investigación se relacionan con la redacción final del documento, como un artículo, capítulo u otro, y la recopilación de datos. En cuanto a la infraestructura de trabajo, las principales barreras fueron las limitaciones financieras y la falta de tiempo para dedicar a la asociación. Se puede concluir que las principales razones para cooperar son los avances cualitativos y cuantitativos, y que las dificultades en las asociaciones son secundarias.

Relación entre el fenómeno de la ilusión de la mano falsa y variables personales / Relationship between the rubber hand illusion phenomenon and personal variables

El fenómeno de la ilusión de la mano falsa (IMF) se ha propuesto como un diseño que permite discriminar procesos perceptuales a partir de entradas sensoriales multimodales. Se han reportado varias modificaciones y variables que podrían afectar la generación del fenómeno. Este estudio se planteó bajo un diseño descriptivo-correlacional del fenómeno. Se realizó el procedimiento en jóvenes (16-48 años M = 20.86 años, DE = 4.4) colombianos para replicar el fenómeno de IMF. Los sujetos se dividieron al azar en dos grupos que diferían en el tipo de estimulación (sincrónica y desincronizada). La identificación de la IMF se realizó mediante la escala reportada en múltiples estudios, mostrando que en algunas variables como la estimulación se presentaba una diferencia en el reporte de IMF (P2. X² = 5.856: p < 0.05; P3. X² = 6.655: p <0.01 y P7(X² = 4.764: p < 0.05). Otras variables como sexo y dominancia manual mostraron algunas diferencias. La escala presenta una consistencia interna aceptable (α = 0.8). Los resultados de la IMF son similares a algunos estudios pero con puntuaciones menores que en los estudios iniciales, la diferencia en cuanto al género en tareas perceptuales podría explicar gran parte de los resultados.

The Rubber Hand Illusion (RHI) has been proposed as a design which allows to discriminate perceptual processes based on multimodal sensory inputs. Several modifications and variables have been reported that could affect the generation of the phenomenon. This study was conducted using a descriptive correlational design of this phenomenon. The procedure was conducted with young Colombian individuals (16-48 years-M = 20.86 years, SD = 4.4), seeking to replicate the RHI. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups that differed in type of stimulation (synchronised and unsynchronised). Identification of the RHI was performed using the scale reported in multiple studies, showing that the RHI report had differences in some variables such as stimulation (P2. X² = 5.856: p <.05; P3. X² = 6.655: p <.01 y P7 (X² = 4.764: p <.05). Other variables, such as gender and handedness, also showed some differences. The scale has an acceptable internal consistency ( X= 0.8). The results of the RHI are similar to some studies, but with lower scores than in the initial studies. The difference in gender in perceptual tasks could explain most of the results.

Psychological research collaboration and visibility in iberoamerica / A visibilidade e cooperação da pesquisa em psicologia na Ibero-América

The phenomenon of collaboration is an increasing trend in many fields of science, including that of psychology. In Iberoamerican psychology, collaboration occurs on a local and international level. The aim of the study was to evaluate the levels of collaboration in Iberoamerica, using as a baseline the level of worldwide collaboration in psychology in 2012. We collected data from the Scopus database and analyzed it by cluster distribution. Analysis of the sample found within-country collaboration prominent among Iberoamerican psychologists. Findings indicated that in Iberoamerica there is significantly less global collaboration than in other regions, although Iberoamerican scientists are receptive to the idea and acknowledge its potential. (AU)

ResumoO fenômeno da colaboração é uma tendência em crescimento em muitos campos da ciência, incluindo a psicologia. Na psicologia ibero-americana a colaboração vem ocorrendo em nível regional e internacional. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar níveis de colaboração em Ibero-América, usando como linha de base o nível de colaboração mundial em psicologia nos anos de 2012. Os dados foram coletados da base Scopus e analisado pela distribuição de dados segundo seu grau de agrupamento (cluster). A análise mostrou que a colaboração entre ibero-americanos é maior dentro dos respectivos países e menor em nível global. Mesmo assim, destaque-se que cientistas ibero-americanos são receptivos a ideia de internacionalização e reconheçam seu potencial. (AU)

Efectos del estrés sobre los procesos de plasticidad y neurogénesis: una revisión / Effects of Stress on Plasticity and Neurogenesis: A Review

Grandes esfuerzos han sido llevados a cabo para entender los componentes psicobiológicos del estrés y de algunas de las psicopatologías relacionadas con él, tales como los trastornos de ansiedad (ansiedad generalizada o crisis de pánico) e incluso la depresión. Existen evidencias de que procesos como la neurogénesis y la plasticidad se ven enormemente afectados por muchos factores, entre ellos el estrés. En esta revisión se presentan algunos de los principales conceptos sobre la relación entre estrés, plasticidad y neurogénesis, a los que se ha llegado a partir de investigaciones realizadas -principalmente en modelos animales-, desde hace algunas décadas. Se realizará una diferenciación entre los efectos ocasionados por estrés crónico y agudo, tratando de establecer las interacciones que sobre estos efectos ejercen algunas variables tales como el género o el rango de edad, se enfatizarán los efectos comportamentales para finalmente revisar algunas de las formas de intervención actualmente más usadas para el tratamiento del estrés.

There is a growing interest in the comprehension of psychobiological mechanisms underlying stress and its relationships with many psychopathologies such as anxiety (i.e. generalized anxiety and panic attacks) or depression. There are several reports on the effects of stress on neurogenesis and plasticity. This review will discuss some of the core concepts on the relation between stress, plasticity and neurogenesis obtained during the last decades from research - mainly based in the use of animal models. The distinguishable effects between acute and chronic stress will also be discussed in relation to other factors as genre and age with an emphasis on behavioral effects. Some current therapeutic approaches will be reviewed as well.

Cooperación en las ciencias del comportamiento latinoamericanas: una investigación documental / Cooperation in the Latin American behavioral sciences: a documentary study

Una investigación basada en el Psycinfo, desde 2001 hasta 2010, sobre la cooperación científica entre al menos dos países latinoamericanos, en Ciencias del Comportamiento, resultó en 528 publicaciones. Los países con mayor participación fueron Brasil, México, Argentina, Colombia, Chile y Perú. Las publicaciones incluyen 281producciones exclusivamente latinoamericanas y 247 publicaciones con la participación de uno o más países de otros continentes. Las tres áreas con el mayor número de publicaciones han sido Trastornos de la Salud y Salud Mental psicológica y física: Tratamiento y Prevención, Psicología Fisiológica y Neurociencia, mientras que 95 habían publicado dos o más artículos. La principal revista había publicado 62 artículos. En tanto, 459 artículos indicaban la metodología empleada, 435 eran estudios empíricos y 24 eran revisiones de la literatura o meta-análisis. Los datos son analizados y discutidos con miras a ampliar la cooperación y tratar de cuantificar la cooperación entre investigadores.

A survey based on Psycinfo, from 2001 to 2010, about scientific cooperation among of at least two countries in Latin America, in Behavioral Sciences, resulted in 528 publications. The countries with the highest participation were Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Peru. Publications included 281 productions exclusively Latin American and 247 publications with the participation of one or more countries from other continents. The three areas that showed the largest number of publications were Psychological Disorders and Physical Health; Mental Health: Treatment and Prevention, and Physiological Psychology and Neuroscience. 157 journals published only one article while 95 published two or more items. The main journal has published 62 papers in cooperation. 459 articles indicated the methodology employed, and 435 were empirical studies and 24 were literature reviewsor meta-analyzes. The data are analyzed and discussed in view of possible ways to expand cooperation and attempted to quantify the cooperation between researchers.