Regulation Of Social Interactions Research Articles

Salivary oxytocin in autistic patients and in patients with intellectual disability.

Assessing the role of oxytocin (OT) in the regulation of social interaction is a promising area that opens up new opportunities for studying the mechanisms of developing autism spectrum disorders (ASD). To assess the correlation between the salivary OT level and age-related and psychopathological symptoms of children with intellectual disability (ID) and ASD. We used the clinical and psychopathological method to assess the signs of ASD based on International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), the severity of ASD was specified by the selected Russian type version "Childhood Autism Rating Scale" (CARS). Patients of both groups had an IQ score below 70 points. The median and interquartile range of salivary OT levels in patients with ID and ASD were 23.897 [14.260-59.643] pg/mL, and in the group ID without ASD - Me = 50.896 [33.502-83.774] pg/mL (p = 0.001). The severity of ASD on the CARS scale Me = 51.5 [40.75-56.0] score in the group ID with ASD, and in the group ID without ASD-at the level of Me = 32 [27.0-38.0] points (p < 0.001). According to the results of correlation-regression analysis in the main group, a direct correlation was established between salivary OT level and a high degree of severity of ASD Rho = 0.435 (p = 0.005). There was no correlation between the salivary OT level and intellectual development in the group ID with ASD, Rho = 0.013 (p = 0.941) and we have found a relationship between oxytocin and intellectual development in the group ID without ASD, Rho = 0.297 (p = 0.005). There was no correlation between salivary OT and age, ASD and age. The results of this study indicate that patients in the group ID with ASD demonstrated a lower level of salivary OT concentration and a direct relationship between the maximum values of this indicator and the severity of autistic disorders, in contrast to patients in the group ID without ASD.

Peculiarities of the relationship between social intelligence and cardiorhythm variability parameters of first year students during cognitive load

It is known that the mechanisms of cardioregulation provided by the frontal cortex are also involved in the regulation of social interaction, the success of which is related to social intelligence (SI). At the same time, there are no data on the relationship between cardiohemodynamic indicators of students and the level of social intelligence, as well as insufficient data on the features of cardio-regulation at rest and under cognitive load in students with certain features of SI. In this regard, the purpose of this study was to investigate the variability of cardiorhythm variability in students and describe their relationship with the level of development of social intelligence and its components. Social intelligence was studied using the Guilford Social Intelligence test (E.S. Mikhailova (Aleshina)). Specific features of cardio-regulation were studied by the "OMEGA-M" hardware-software complex in two stages: at rest and when performing a cognitive task (while performing the test "counting in mind"). The results showed that the highest values of heart rate (108,7±12,9 bpm), as well as tension index (TI = 277,5±265,9 units) (according to Baevsky R.M.) are observed in the students, who also have the highest level of social intelligence. At the same time, students with a low level of social intelligence did not have the situation of cognitive strain causing strain of adaptive mechanisms (TI=69.8±70.5 c.u.). An analysis of the relationship between the parameters studied showed that the level of social intelligence is associated with integral measures of cardiorhythm (TI = 0.424, at a significance level of p≤0.05, Pearson correlation coefficient), and measures of spectral power density of cardiorhythm frequencies (VLF = -0.373, at a significance level of p≤0.05, Pearson correlation coefficient). The results obtained indicate that the low level of social intelligence, contributes to the tension of adaptive mechanisms, as students experience psycho-emotional stress associated with low levels of arbitrariness in situations relating to the ability to understand, accept and solve emerging situations in interpersonal interaction. At the same time it is revealed that in response to cognitive load depending on the level of social intelligence there is an activation of both parasympathetic and sympathetic type of response of cardiohemodynamic indicators, the most optimal of which is parasympathetic.

Context-dependent and seasonal fluctuation in bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) vocalizations.

A fundamental question in animal behaviour is the role of vocal communication in the regulation of social interactions in species that organise themselves into social groups. Context dependence and seasonality in vocalizations are present in the communication of many species, although very little research has addressed this dependence in marine mammals. The study presented here examined variations in the rate at which free-ranging dyads of bottlenose dolphins emit social-signals in an effort to better understand the relationship between vocal communication and social context. The results demonstrate that changes in the social-signal production in bottlenose dolphins are related to the sex of the partner, mating season and social affiliation between the components of the dyad. In a context of foraging behaviour on the same feeding ground, mixed (male-female) dyads were found to emit more pulsed burst sounds during the mating season. Another relevant aspect of the study seems to be the greater production of agonistic social-signals in the dyads formed by individuals with a lower degree of social affiliation. Overall, this study confirms a clear relationship between dyad composition and context-specific social-signals that could reflect the motivational state of individuals linked to seasonal changes in vocal behaviour.

Модели коммуникации органов местного самоуправления как субъекта современной российской политики (на примере органов местного самоуправления Республики Татарстан)

Introduction. The article presents the results of a study of communication in the system of local self-government of the Republic of Tatarstan as a subject of the Russian Federation conducted by the authors in November – December 2019. The study included a survey of representatives of regional media and press services of local authorities of the Republic of Tatarstan in order to determine the model of communication in the local government system and the role of PR-activities in the regulation of social interaction in the region. Methods and materials. The main method of studying was the method of expert survey. The authors developed a questionnaire, which was used during an interview with experts. When choosing an expert – a media representative for the interview – the authors took into account three factors: the rating of the represented media, the experience of the respondent in the regional media (at least five years) and the authority to make a key decision on the publication of the material. In order to identify the experts who are representatives of local self-government bodies, the authors of the article determined the following criteria: implementation of information and analytical activities in the structure of local self-government bodies, at least 5 years of experience as a head of a structural unit (public relations / media relations department) of local self-government bodies. Analysis. The analysis showed that the development of social media accelerates the process of establishing a two-way model of communication between the government and the public. Social media have become a full-fledged source of information both for the journalistic community and for the press services of local governments. Moreover, with the help of the content posted in posts on official accounts on social networks, local governments can attract residents of the municipal territory to participate in solving local issues. Constant monitoring, responding to comments, tracking negative content on social media are becoming everyday practices in the work of press services. Results. The results of the study indicate that over the past decade in the Russian Federation the necessary prerequisites have been formed for the formation of a bilateral symmetrical model of communication between local authorities and the population. This model is aimed at providing effective feedback that allows the local government to quickly respond to the aspirations and needs of the population, monitor their dynamics, constantly monitor the attitude and assessments of citizens of decisions made on the development of the city or region.

Culture as a normative social behavior

The article shows that in culture as a social system, a special role is played by normative social behavior, which regulates social interaction and communication between people, and mores, with the help of which the regulation of social interactions is carried out.

CAUSES, FORMS, CONSEQUENCES PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS OF THE BULLYING MODEL IMPLEMENTATION AS A DESTRUCTIVE FORM OF INTERACTION IN THE SOCIOCULTURAL ENVIRONMENT

The specificity of the individuals and groups interaction in society affects the social structure and dynamics of social mechanisms, necessitates studying the reasons for changing the behavior of the parties involved. In recent years, under the influence of various factors that cause an increase in tension in the society life, such as differentiation according to several criteria, expansion of the sphere of interaction between the individual and society, there has been a significant increase in deviations in the personal development and younger generations, behavior which is most often reflected in the strong desire manifestation dominance over the weak. One of the most complex and poorly studied forms of social behavior is bullying, manifested by both individuals and entire groups of people. It becomes necessary to analyze the data analysis patterns and methods, concentrating on the causes predicting, forms that determine the consequences specificity of the bullying model implementation as a destructive form of the socio-cultural environment interaction. The processes digitalization implies the digitalization of data collection and the improvement of analytics for unstable systems associated with the human factor. As a result of the study, there was determined the need for the cultural environment formation in conditions of a certain nature, namely, the creation of a system that would carry out cultural regulation of social interactions and communications. The cultural environment reacts to changes in society, social consciousness changes, ensures the individuals collective life by regulating their social behavior. Separately, it should be noted the importance of changes in this area at the legislative level, which will increase the importance of this aspect and make adjustments at a subconscious level.

Понятия «орудие», «психологическое орудие», «знак» и их соотношение

The article focuses on a number of key concepts for cultural-historical psychology — ‘tool’, ‘psychological tool’, ‘sign’ — and their relationship, both in the past and modern researches. It analyses different approaches to the interpretation of the concept of ‘tool’ and proposes an alternative version of its understanding. Notably, L.S. Vygotsky moved away from the concept of ‘psychological too’ to the concept of ‘sign’, and this transition is discussed in terms of Vygotsky’s understanding of the latter. The paper presents a comparative analysis of tools and signs in their plain, historically original forms. It is suggested that the main difference between tools and signs is that the function of tools is to replace the individual as a participant of collective activity in its various specific operations, while the function of signs is to replace the individual in just one aspect — in the regulation of social interaction in joint activities. Such understanding is consistent with the idea of the social nature of signs as well as with the idea of the possibility of forming self-regulation on this basis.

Calling rhythm as a predictor of the outcome of vocal interactions: flight departure in pale-winged starling pairs.

Vocal communication plays an important role in the regulation of social interactions and the coordination of activities in many animal species. Synchrony is an essential part of the establishment and maintenance of pair bonds, but few reports have investigated decision-making at the pair level. We investigated temporal characteristics of call exchanges in pale-winged starlings (Onychognathus nabouroup) that could predict whether one, two, or neither members of a pair would take off. Our analysis of these interactions revealed that the overall rhythm of a call exchange, as well as the acceleration towards the end of an interaction, were significantly associated with the type of behavioural outcome. Faster rhythms were associated with higher probabilities that both birds would fly away. Our results confirm the findings of previous studies showing that higher rates of alarm calls indicate imminent departure and highlight the relationship between temporal features of vocal interactions and their outcome.

The dynamics of grooming interactions: maintenance of partner choice and the consequences of demographic variation for female mandrills.

A large body of evidence suggests that female Old World monkeys maintain selective long-term grooming interactions with fitness benefits. The last two decades have produced evidence that the regulation of social interactions among primates can be, in part, explained by the Biological Markets theory, with grooming behaviour as the focus of these studies. Grooming facilitates bonding between individuals, constituting an essential part of the regulation of social relationships among female cercopithecids. In contrast to the well-studied baboons (Papio spp), knowledge about the nature of grooming interactions and their regulation is generally lacking for the large, terrestrial species of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx). We used a combination of social network analysis tools and well-established methods for assessing partner diversity and reciprocity to characterise grooming networks, partner choice and patterns of trade (be groomed, give grooming) among females in a captive group of mandrills, both within and across two separate observation periods. Our results suggest that, even though the relatively stable conditions of captivity allowed the studied females to maintain selective grooming interactions across time, small scale demographic changes affected the grooming dynamics of the group in accordance with the expectations of the Biological Markets theory. In particular, the maturation and consequent integration of a high ranking female into the group’s grooming network from one period to the next resulted in a more pronounced effect of rank on the regulation of grooming interactions. In addition, the influence of the maturation of a dependent infant on the grooming interactions of his mother were evident between periods. Our results also demonstrate that grooming networks are dynamic and that high ranking individuals are not necessarily the most central in grooming networks. Finally, we discuss the potential of social network analysis to identify cases of social exclusion and its consequences for captive management.

СТАТУС ЭТИЧЕСКОЙ ЭКСПЕРТИЗЫ В ПРОСТРАНСТВЕ ОБЩЕСТВЕННОЙ МОРАЛИ

Social transformations in modern society such as a change in the character of a moral subject, social dynamics and value pluralism, etc. require development of institutions of moral regulation, which would respond to the needs of society in ensuring social solidarity. The mechanism of the correlation of individual and collective intentionality, contributing to social solidarity, is public morality. Institutionalism and the social nature of morality stand out as the essential features of the public morality. The authors show that the above characteristics are also attributes of ethical expertise, which makes it possible to consider ethical expertise as an institution of public morality. In the definition of the ontological essence of social institutions, including ethical expertise, in distinguishing regulatory and constitutive institutions, the authors rely on the work of J. Searl. Ethical review as an institution (or a “social fact” in E. Durkheim’s terminology) is the first research vector in determining the status of ethical expertise. The second vector in determining the status of ethical expertise is the understanding of expertise as an unfolding process, as a social action in the context of the theories proposed by M. Weber and J. Habermas, implying the principle of ‘targeting the other’ and achieving some consensus of experts during the discourse. Following J. Habermas and J. Serl, the authors pay special attention to the role of language in building both communicative actions and social facts. Another problem is the problem of conceptual apparatus, within the framework of which the subject content of ethical expertise is fixed and analyzed. Value judgments are formed in the process of moral reflection both on the ordinary and on the theoretical level. At the theoretical level, the phenomena of morality are fixed by their universal internal connections and regularities, which allow combining, with the help of rational procedures, all the diversity of the phenomena under study in a single conceptual field. It is important to note that at this level, the concept of moral consciousness, with the need to meet the requirements of certainty, universal recognition within the boundaries of theoretical knowledge, unambiguous language expression, permanence, stability. Theoretical knowledge with the help of formalization procedures is able to translate the relational, dynamic, unstable everyday concepts of morality into a relatively stable state, which allows identifying and analyzing the subject field of ethical expertise and setting the initial data for expert judgment. The authors found a correlation between the status of ethical expertise and conflict-resolution technologies. Thus, ethical expertise in the status of an institution of public morality (this is primarily about regulatory institutions — rules rather than constitutive ones) can act as a coercive technology in resolving value conflicts; ethical expertise in the status of social actions can be used as a voluntary technology in conflict resolution. In the context of the controversy that has arisen in Russian ethical thought about the admissibility / inadmissibility of coerciveness in the moral regulation of social interaction, this observation is promising for modern applied ethical research. The authors come to the conclusion that in the space of public morality, ethical examination can act both as a social fact (institution) and as a social action. Ethical expertise has a conflict-resolving potential with respect to ideological contradictions because of its focus on identifying the value foundations of public morality and, thus, on the consolidation and value unity of society.

Vocal contagion of emotions in non-human animals.

Communicating emotions to conspecifics (emotion expression) allows the regulation of social interactions (e.g. approach and avoidance). Moreover, when emotions are transmitted from one individual to the next, leading to state matching (emotional contagion), information transfer and coordination between group members are facilitated. Despite the high potential for vocalizations to influence the affective state of surrounding individuals, vocal contagion of emotions has been largely unexplored in non-human animals. In this paper, I review the evidence for discrimination of vocal expression of emotions, which is a necessary step for emotional contagion to occur. I then describe possible proximate mechanisms underlying vocal contagion of emotions, propose criteria to assess this phenomenon and review the existing evidence. The literature so far shows that non-human animals are able to discriminate and be affected by conspecific and also potentially heterospecific (e.g. human) vocal expression of emotions. Since humans heavily rely on vocalizations to communicate (speech), I suggest that studying vocal contagion of emotions in non-human animals can lead to a better understanding of the evolution of emotional contagion and empathy.

Compensating Victims of Personal Injuries in Tort: The Nigerian Experience in Fifty Years

Compensation for personal injuries has become a critical part of legal regulation of social interaction because personal injuries impacts on the life and limb of victims, with implications on political stability. The question arises as to the significance of tort liability for personal injuries in Nigeria in the midst of the available systems of compensation. Traditional tort theory of no liability without fault has continued to play a significant role in compensation of personal injuries in Nigeria. Minor changes have been recorded significantly in the in the area of employment injuries. Therefore, personal injuries actions arising from accidental acts are based essentially on the tort of negligence, but are overlaid by some statutes depending on the factual context of the claims. This has ensured that the law has had little impact in its goal as there are challenges in this framework. There is need for tort to meet the socio-economic needs of citizens in Nigeria by rising up to the standards of other countries in terms of creating other liability regimes for personal injuries outside of the tort traditional theory.

11C]PF-3274167 as a PET radiotracer of oxytocin receptors: Radiosynthesis and evaluation in rat brain

IntroductionOxytocin plays a major role in the regulation of social interactions in mammals by interacting with the oxytocin receptor (OTR) expressed in the brain. Furthermore, the oxytocin system appears as a possible therapeutic target in autism spectrum disorders and other psychiatric troubles, justifying current pharmacological researches. Since no specific PET radioligand is currently available to image OTR in the brain, the aim of this study was to radiolabel the specific OTR antagonist PF-3274167 and to evaluate [11C]PF-3274167 as a potential PET tracer for OTR in rat brains. Methods[11C]PF-3274167 was prepared via the O-methylation of its desmethyl precursor with [11C]methyl iodide. The lipophilicity of the radioactive compound was evaluated by measuring the n-octanol-buffer partition coefficient (logD). Autoradiography experiments were performed on rat brain tissue to evaluate the in vitro distribution of the [11C]PF-3274167. MicroPET experiments were conducted with and without pre-injection of ciclosporin in order to evaluate the influence of the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) on the brain uptake. Results[11C]PF-3274167 was synthesized with high radiochemical and chemical purities (>95%) and good specific activity. The measured logD was 1.93. In vitro, [11C]PF-3274167 did not show any evidence of specific binding to OTR. PET imaging showed that [11C]PF-3274167 uptake in rat brain was very low in basal conditions but increased significantly after the administration of ciclosporin, suggesting that it is a substrate of the P-gp. In the ciclosporin-pre-injected rat, however, [11C]PF-3274167 distribution did not match with the known distribution of OTR in rats. Conclusion[11C]PF-3274167 is not a suitable tracer for imaging of OTR in rat brain, probably because of a too low affinity for this receptor in addition to a poor brain penetration.

Onset of fights and mutual assessment in ant founding queens.

In animals, the progress and outcome of contests can be influenced by an individual's own condition, their opponent's condition or a combination of the two. The use of chemical information to assess the quality of rivals has been underestimated despite its central role in the regulation of social interactions in many taxa. Here, we studied pairwise contests between founding queens of the ant Lasius niger to investigate whether the decision to engage in agonistic interactions relies on self-assessment or mutual assessment. Queens modulated their aggressive behaviours depending on both their own status and their opponent's status. We found no influence of lipid stores or size on the onset of fights. However, differences in cuticular chemical signatures linked to fertility status accurately predicted the probability of behaving aggressively in pairs. Our study thus suggests that ant queens could rely on mutual assessment via chemical cues to make informed decisions about fight initiation.

Provoking Disorder: The Politics of Speech in Protectorate Middlesex

AbstractThis article explores the impact of the 1654 ordinance against challenges, duels, and provocations. Despite the Council of State's original intentions, this legislation offered non-elites the opportunity to prosecute threatening and abusive language as “provocations,” recasting interpersonal conflicts as dangerous to society rather than to an individual's “common fame.” Indeed, many of the cases prosecuted at the Middlesex sessions centered on “provocative” behavior that questioned normative social and gender relations, revealing how the Protectorate's anti-dueling legislation provided a new weapon in contests over social power. Comparing the creation and implementation of the 1654 ordinance, this article argues that the Protectorate's legislation exposed the connections between the regulation of social interactions and the preservation of the social and political order.

Гендерные особенности ольфакторной самопрезентации личности в социальном взаимодействии

The article discusses the role of natural and artificial smells in regulation of social interaction. It is pointed out that olfactory self-representation is not only cultural, but socio-psychological phenomenon as well. The article presents results of the empirical study of gender socio-psychological characteristics of olfactory self-presentation of a personality that has been carried out on a sample of 170 persons (90 men and 80 women aged 18–55 years old). It has been pointed out that smell can act as a marker of gender identity, carry information about character, personal trains, and act as a symbol of situation and well-being. The author comes to the conclusion that there are gender differences in characteristics of olfactory self-presentation of a personality that are conditioned by individual and socio-psychological peculiarities of a personality. The applied aspect of the problem under study can be realized in imagology and advertising.

Early interactions with mother and peers independently build adult social skills and shape BDNF and oxytocin receptor brain levels

The early social environment has a profound impact on developmental trajectories. Although an impoverished early environment can undermine the acquisition of appropriate social skills, the specific role played by the different components of an individual's early environment in building social competencies has not been fully elucidated. Here we setup an asynchronous communal nesting paradigm in mice to disentangle the influence of maternal care and early peer interactions on adult social behavior and neural systems reportedly involved in the regulation of social interactions. The asynchronous communal nesting consists of three mothers giving birth three days apart, generating three groups of pups - the Old, the Middle and the Young - all raised in a single nest from birth to weaning. We scored the amount of maternal and peer interactions received by these mice and by a fourth group reared under standard conditions. At adulthood, the four experimental groups have been investigated for social behavior in a social interaction test, i.e. facing an unfamiliar conspecific during five 20-min daily encounters, and for oxytocin receptor and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels. Results show that only individuals exposed to high levels of both maternal and peer interactions demonstrated elaborate adult agonistic competencies, i.e. the ability to promptly display a social status, and high BDNF levels in the hippocampus, frontal cortex and hypothalamus. By contrast, only individuals exposed to high levels of peer interactions showed enhanced adult affiliative behavior and enhanced oxytocin receptor levels in selected nuclei of the amygdala. Overall these findings indicate that early interactions with mother and peers independently shape specific facets of adult social behavior and neural systems involved in social interaction.

Low CSF oxytocin reflects high intent in suicide attempters

Data from animal studies suggest that oxytocin is an important modulating neuropeptide in regulation of social interaction. One human study has reported a negative correlation between CSF oxytocin levels, life history of aggression and suicidal behaviour. We hypothesized that CSF oxytocin levels would be related to suicidal behaviour, suicide intent, lifetime interpersonal violence and suicide risk. 28 medication free suicide attempters and 19 healthy volunteers participated in this cross sectional and longitudinal study. CSF and plasma morning basal levels of oxytocin were assessed with specific radio-immunoassays. The Beck Suicide Intent Scale (SIS), the Freeman scale and the Karolinska Interpersonal Violence Scale (KIVS) were used to assess suicide intent and lifetime violent behaviour. All patients were followed up for cause of death. The mean follow-up was 21 years. Suicide attempters had lower CSF oxytocin levels compared to healthy volunteers p=0.077. In suicide attempters CSF oxytocin showed a significant negative correlation with the planning subscale of SIS. CSF oxytocin showed a significant negative correlation with suicide intent, the planning subscale of SIS and Freeman interruption probability in male suicide attempters. Correlations between plasma oxytocin levels and the planning subscale of SIS and Freeman interruption probability were significant in male suicide attempters. Lifetime violent behaviour showed a trend to negative correlation with CSF oxytocin. In the regression analysis suicide intent remained a significant predictor of CSF oxytocin corrected for age and gender whereas lifetime violent behaviour showed a trend to be a predictor of CSF oxytocin. Oxytocin levels did not differ significantly in suicide victims compared to survivors. CSF oxytocin may be an important modulator of suicide intent and interpersonal violence in suicide attempters.

Social interaction regulation in virtual web environments using the Social Theatres model

At the present time virtual communities are overspread in the web, providing users a cyber-place to share common purposes and interact with other users around the world. Interaction in these environments grapple with new challenges concerning to provide their users better tools to interact and fulfil their goals. In this context we propose a model to create regulated interaction environments based on the theatre metaphor: the Social Theatres. A dynamic multi-layer software architecture (ASTeaS) was developed to support this web-based interaction model, allowing easy construction of such social interaction spaces and adaptation to users' devices requirements. In this paper we discuss the usage of interaction regulation in virtual environments supported by the Social Theatres model and evaluate some aspects of the users interaction in two different case study scenarios.

Emotional modulation of visual and motor areas by dynamic body expressions of anger

The ability to detect emotional meaning in others’ behavior constitutes a central component of social competence. Expressions of anger in particular present salient signals that play a major role in the regulation of social interactions. Investigations of human anger signals have to date used still pictures of facial expressions but so far the neurobiological basis of bodily communication of anger remains largely unknown. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the present study investigated the neural bases involved in perceiving anger signals emanating from the whole body. Our study also investigates what the presence of dynamic information adds to the perception of body expressions of anger. Participants were scanned while viewing stimuli (stills or videos) of angry and neutral whole-body expressions. Whole-body expressions of anger elicit activity in regions including the amygdala and the lateral orbitofrontal cortex, which play a role in the affective evaluation of the stimuli. Importantly, the perception of dynamic body expressions of anger additionally engages the hypothalamus, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, the temporal pole and the premotor cortex, brain regions that are coupled with autonomic reactions and motor responses related to defensive behaviors.