ABSTRACT
The chronotype refers to the individual differences related to the preference to perform activities or to rest during the wake or in the preferences for a certain period of the day. In this study, we evaluated how the chronotype can be considered a variable of interest for individual personality differences. Still, it was verified how the positive and negative effects and self-esteem interact with the quality of sleep and the circadian personality according to the Big Five personality factors. This study included 150 volunteers of both sexes (41 men and 109 women) aged between 16 and 44 years old (M=22.08; SD=3.8 in age). The analysis of variance showed significant differences for Horne and Ostberg [F(2.148) = 401.69; η2=0.85] usual sleep efficiency [F(2.148) = 4.83; η2=0.6] and the sleep quality index [F(2.148) = 3.25; η2=13.0]. Morning subjects had better behavioral indexes of sleep quality when compared to evening subjects. Regarding positive affects [F(2.147) = 3.54; η2=0.53], morning subjects had a higher score than afternoon subjects (p=0.34) and consequently had higher scores in kindness traits [F(2,148) = 6.81; η2=0.95] and emotional stability [F(2.188) = 6.58; η2=0.91]. The chronotype is associated with personality factors and sleep behavior (efficiency and sleep latency as basic requirements for good quality of sleep) and variables such as sleep efficiency and quality of sleep can be moderators of this behavior.
ABSTRACT
The predominance of visual content in dreams raises a fundamental issue in the formation of images and for the construction of ideas based on the activity of the visual cortex in people with visual impairments. The central question for students of the visual system and for dream connoisseurs is: to what extent the absence or loss of vision will affect the sensory sensitivity for dream construction. Sensory modalities other than vision (tactile and auditory) can inï¬uence the functional development of the occipitotemporal visual system in the absence of visual stimulation early in life. What I mean is that blind individuals have signiï¬cantly less visual capacity, but they also have an increase in the number of auditory, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory sound impressions.
ABSTRACT
Organic solvents can change CNS sensory and motor function. Eye-movement analyses can be important tools when investigating the neurotoxic changes that result from chronic organic solvent exposure. The current research measured the eye-movement patterns of men and women with and without histories of chronic organic solvent exposure. A total of 44 volunteers between 18 and 41 years old participated in this study; 22 were men (11 exposed and 11 controls), and 22 were women (11 exposed and 11 controls). Eye movement was evaluated using a 250-Hz High-Speed Video Eye Tracker Toolbox (Cambridge Research Systems) via an image of a maze. Specific body indices of exposed and non-exposed men and women were measured with an Inbody 720 to determine whether the differences in eye-movement patterns were associated with body composition. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 20.0.0. The results indicated that exposed adults showed significantly more fixations (t = 3.82; p = 0.001; r = 0.51) and longer fixations (t = 4.27; p = 0.001, r = 0.54) than their non-exposed counterparts. Comparisons within men (e.g., exposed and non-exposed) showed significant differences in the number of fixations (t = 2.21; p = 0.04; r = 0.20) and duration of fixations (t = 3.29; p = 0.001; r = 0.35). The same was true for exposed vs. non-exposed women, who showed significant differences in the number of fixations (t = 3.10; p = 0.001; r = 0.32) and fixation durations (t = 2.76; p = 0.01; r = 0.28). However, the results did not show significant differences between exposed women and men in the number and duration of fixations. No correlations were found between eye-movement pattern and body composition measures (p > 0.05). These results suggest that chronic organic solvent exposure affects eye movements, regardless of sex and body composition, and that eye tracking contributes to the investigation of the visual information processing disorders acquired by workers exposed to organic solvents.
