Structured Behavior Research Articles

Strictures in Crohn's Disease: From Pathophysiology to Treatment.

Despite recent advances aimed to treat transmural inflammation in Crohn's disease (CD) patients, the progression to a structuring behavior still represents an issue for clinicians. As inflammation becomes chronic and severe, the attempt to repair damaged tissue can result in an excessive production of extracellular matrix components and deposition of connective tissue, thus favoring the formation of strictures. No specific and accurate clinical predictors or diagnostic tools for intestinal fibrosis exist, and to date, no genetic or serological marker is in routine clinical use. Therefore, intestinal fibrosis is usually diagnosed when it becomes clinically evident and strictures have already occurred. Anti-fibrotic agents such as tranilast, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonists, rho kinase inhibitors, and especially mesenchymal stem cell therapy have provided interesting results, but most of the evidence has been derived from studies performed in vitro. Therefore, current therapy of fibrotic strictures relies mainly on endoscopic and surgical procedures. Although its long-term outcomes may be debated, endoscopic balloon dilation appears to be the safest and most effective approach to treat appropriately selected strictures. The use of endoscopic stricturotomy is currently limited by the expertise needed to perform it and by the few data available in the literature. Some good results have been achieved by the positioning of self-expandable metal stents (SEMS). However, there is no concordance regarding the type of stent to use and for how long it should be left in place. The development of new specific SEMS may lead to better outcomes and to an increased use of this alternative in CD-related strictures.

High-velocity impact investigation on thermoplastic polyurethane/CFRP T-stiffened panel

In this work, an experimental and numerical study of the High Velocity Impact (HVI) behaviour for hybrid structures was presented. HVI at different velocities were carried out on the structures, evaluating failure phenomena and impact damage using high-speed camera and ultrasound techniques (C-scan). In order to predict the complex impact response and damage extension in the structure, a 3D explicit Finite Element Model (FEM) was developed for each structure using a commercial LS-DYNA software. Experimental and numerical results were then presented showing a good correlation with an error between the 6% and 17% in terms of absorbed energy and damage extension. Afterwards, an optimisation analysis was carried out on the numerical model in order to identify the best design parameters when a TPU layer is introduced in the lamination sequence of the material for damage mitigation purposes. Results were presented reporting a reduction of at least 54% in absorbed energy, damage extension and maximum indentation respectively when 1 mm thick Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) layer is applied on the Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) impact surface.

Examining the role of mother-child interactions and DNA methylation of the oxytocin receptor gene in understanding child controlling attachment behaviors

ABSTRACT This study examined mother-child interactions and DNA methylation of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene in the child, in relation with controlling-attachment behaviors at early preschool age. Maternal interactive behaviors were coded using the Emotional Availability Scales, and child attachment behaviors were assessed with the Separation-Reunion procedure and coded with the Preschool Attachment Rating Scales. DNA methylation data were captured from exon 3 of the OXTR. Results indicated that lower maternal sensitivity was associated with more controlling-caregiving behaviors, and that less maternal structuring was associated with more controlling-punitive behaviors. Hypomethylation of the OXTR gene was associated with greater maternal structuring behaviors, and with more child controlling-caregiving behaviors. The moderating role of the OXTR gene was examined in the association between interactive behaviors and child controlling behaviors, but no interaction effect was found. These results suggest that maternal interactive behaviors and OXTR methylation are independently associated with child controlling attachment.

Assessing the feasibility and acceptability of Changing Health for the management of prediabetes: protocol for a pilot study of a digital behavioural intervention

BackgroundThe prevalence of prediabetes is rapidly rising in the UK, largely associated with an increase in obesity. Lifestyle programmes that provide support to make and sustain dietary and physical activity behavioural changes are necessary to initiate and maintain weight loss. However, these programmes are often intensive and time consuming. Given the magnitude of the problem, there is a need for behavioural interventions that can be delivered at scale. Digital interventions can address some of the aforementioned issues. The primary aim of the present study is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a digital intervention called Changing Health that provides structured education and lifestyle behaviour change support to adults with prediabetes.MethodsA single-group pilot study will be undertaken. We aim to recruit 40 participants with prediabetes defined by HbA1c or fasting plasma glucose (FPG), aged between 18 and 75 years with a BMI ≥ 25. Participants will receive the digital intervention (a mobile phone app incorporating structured education and behavioural tools to support lifestyle behaviour change) with the aim of losing and maintaining 5–6% of their baseline body weight. Each participant will receive 100 min of lifestyle coaching over the 9-month intervention period and will have continued access to the digital intervention. Clinical outcome measures will be collected during four visits to our clinical research facility: two visits at baseline, one visit at month 3, and one visit at month 9. These secondary outcome measures will include diet, physical activity, sleep, metabolic control, body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and cardiovascular function. To measure primary outcomes, an embedded qualitative study will be conducted to obtain data on feasibility and acceptability of the intervention.DiscussionThis pilot study will establish whether Changing Health is feasible and acceptable to adults with prediabetes. Clinical outcome measures will provide estimates of variability to inform sample size calculations, and qualitative data generated will inform any necessary refinements to the intervention. This will provide a platform for a larger evaluation to assess the effectiveness of Changing Health for changing diet and physical activity to initiate and maintain weight loss in adults with prediabetes.Trial registrationISRCTN Registry: ISRCTN69270299.

Hand washing behavior change effect of community-based hygiene and sanitation intervention in low resource setting.

Lack of hygiene and sanitation causes significant disease, disability and death. Majority of diarrheal diseases are related to hygiene and drinking water. Hand washing with soap after toilet use and before eating reduces these risks significantly. This report is based on a behavior change project in the rural community setting (union council Nahqi), Peshawar, Pakistan aimed to improve hygiene- and sanitation-related behavior. A pre-intervention survey was conducted at household level (n=958), followed by a structured behavior change communication program with motivational and educational material and key health messages for three months. Lastly, an end-line survey was conducted measuring change in practice domains. All the domains of hygiene and sanitation showed statistically significant improvement (11-59% P<0.001), including handwashing before meals (28.2%), before cooking (54.1%), before child feeding (21.2%), after defecation (30.6%); tooth brushing twice daily (7.3%); nail clipping at least weekly (16.3%); bathing daily (11.3%); change of clothing twice weekly (24.7%); covering the water containers (59.3%) and house orderliness (30.6%). The findings conclude that a behavior change communication program that is in accord with community needs, level of their understanding, beliefs and sociocultural norms is well received for positive behavior change.

Thermal Textile Pixels: The Characterisation of Temporal and Spatial Thermal Development.

This study introduces the concept of a thermal textile pixel, a spatially and temporally defined textile structure that shows spatial and temporal thermal contrast and can be used in the context of thermal communication. A study was performed investigating (a) in-plane and (b) out-of-plane thermal signal behaviour for knitted structures made of three different fibre types; namely, polyamide, wool, and metal containing Shieldex yarn, and two different knitting structures: plain knit and terry knit. The model thermal source was a Peltier element. For (a), a thermography set-up was used to monitor the spatial development of thermal contrast, and for (b), an arrangement with thermocouple measuring temperature development over time. Results show that the use of conductive materials such as Shieldex is unnecessary for the plain knit if only heating is required, whereas such use significantly improves performance for the terry knit structures. The findings demonstrate that the textile pixel is able to spatially and temporally focus thermal signals, thereby making it viable for use as an interface for thermal communication devices. Having well-defined thermal textile pixels opens up potential for the development of matrices for more complex information conveyance.

How maternal pre- and postnatal symptoms of depression and anxiety affect early mother-infant interaction?

BackgroundMaternal pre- and postnatal psychological distress, such as anxiety and depression, may negatively affect mother-infant interaction quality. However, more information is needed on the role of specific types and timings of pre- and postnatal distress symptoms on mother-infant interaction. Research on the role of maternal anxiety is especially scarce. MethodsWe examined whether maternal pregnancy- related anxiety (gestational weeks 24 and 34), general anxiety or depressive symptoms (gw 14, 24 and 34 and at the infant age of 3 and 6 months) associate with the quality of mother-infant interaction when the child is eight months old. Maternal symptoms (N = 190) were measured with EPDS, SCL-90 anxiety subscale and PRAQ-R2. Mother-infant interaction was measured with the Emotional Availability Scales (EAS). ResultsAfter controlling for background factors, general anxiety at the 3rd pregnancy trimester was associated with higher maternal intrusiveness in EAS. Depressive symptoms at 6 months postpartum associated with lower maternal structuring behavior and with the child's lower involvement of the mother. LimitationsA very small number of mothers with severe symptoms of depression and anxiety. ConclusionsPrenatal anxiety and postnatal depressive symptoms may each have unique effects on the different areas of mother-infant interaction, suggesting the need to develop more targeted interventions for mothers with different symptom profiles and timings. Prenatally anxious mothers could potentially benefit from early interventions decreasing stress and anxiety symptoms and specifically promoting their ability to read infant cues appropriately. Infants of postnatally depressed mothers may need interventions where both members of the dyad receive help.

P070 Stricturing Crohn's disease: Can we predict need for surgery at first hospitalization?

BACKGROUND: Patients with stricturing Crohn’s disease (CD) are frequently hospitalized and a significant percentage requires surgery in the course of the disease. We aimed to assess if there are any predictors of surgical management by the time of the first admission to hospital with obstructed bowel symptoms. METHODS: Retrospective unicentric study. Patients over 18 years old, with structuring ileal or ileocolonic involvement, with at least one hospitalization and a minimum follow up of 1 year were included. Excluded patients with penetrating disease, those who had their first hospitalization before anti-TNF agents became available in our center and those without appropriate records. Several clinical, analytical and radiological variables were assessed. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v23.0. RESULTS: Included 43 patients of which 53.5% underwent surgery to treat structuring disease. Patients had a mean age of 43.3 ± 10.8 years, 53.5% were females and the median follow up time was 11.0 ± 7.0 years. Comparing patients with and without need for surgery, no significant differences were found between groups regarding age at diagnosis, presence of perianal disease, family history and smoking habits, however females were more frequently submitted to surgery (73.9% vs 30.0%, P = 0.004) as well as patients who already had a structuring behavior at diagnosis when compared with those with inflammatory behavior at diagnosis (65.6% vs 18.2%, P = 0.006). At the first hospitalization, patients with need for surgery were less frequently under anti-TNF (0.0% vs 20.0%, P = 0.039), presented with longer-standing obstructed bowel symptoms (3.0 ± 1.5 days vs 1.0 ± 1.0 days, P = 0.010), higher leukocytes count (12.0 ± 5.3 × 103/μL vs 9.2 ± 6.9 × 103/μL, P = 0.037) and admission computerized tomography (CT) more frequently showed proximal small bowel dilation (86.4% vs 40.0%, P = 0.002) and longer extent of small bowel involved (8.0 ± 12.0 cm vs 5.0 ± 7.0 cm, P = 0.016). Also, patients that were diagnosed by the time of the first hospitalization were more frequently submitted to surgery than those who already had a CD diagnosis (60.9% vs 39.1%, P = 0.043). CONCLUSION(S): Females, patients with structuring behavior from diagnosis and those diagnosed in the first hospitalization were more frequently submitted to surgery. Small bowel dilation and extent of small bowel involved in admission CT, leukocyte count and duration of obstructed bowel symptoms at the first admission were also predictors of need for surgery. Anti-TNF therapy before the first admission seems to reduce need for surgery in this group of patients.

Extending the metatheoretical framework of social/political influence to leadership: Political skill effects on situational appraisals, responses, and evaluations by others

AbstractBuilding off and extending the metatheoretical framework of political skill, we examined the cognitive and behavioral mechanisms through which the intrapsychic effects of political skill inform its interpersonal effects, and how these interpersonal effects ultimately are transmitted into desirable outcomes. Specifically, we argue that politically skilled leaders demonstrate better situational appraisals (i.e., understanding), and thus, more appropriate situational responses (e.g., consideration and initiating structure behaviors); the demonstration of appropriate situational responses is argued to positively affect subordinates’ evaluations of their leaders (i.e., instrumentality) and subordinates’ concomitant attitudes (e.g., job satisfaction) and behaviors (e.g., performance). Results provided mixed support for the hypothesized relationships. Specifically, leader understanding mediated the relationship between political skill and consideration but not the relationship between political skill and structuring behaviors. Moreover, consideration was positively related to subordinates’ group‐level instrumentality perceptions, whereas initiating structure was not. Finally, subordinates’ individual (within‐level) perceptions of leader instrumentality were positively related to job satisfaction and performance. The implications of these findings as they relate to theory and practice are discussed along with this investigation's strengths, limitations, and directions for future research.

The interaction between oxytocin receptor gene methylation and maternal behavior on children's early theory of mind abilities.

Theory of mind, the ability to represent the mental states of others, is an important social cognitive process, which contributes to the development of social competence. Recent research suggests that interactions between gene and environmental factors, such as oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) polymorphisms and maternal parenting behavior, may underlie individual differences in children's theory of mind. However, the potential influence of DNA methylation of OXTR remains unclear. The current study investigated the roles of OXTR methylation, maternal behavior, and their statistical interaction on toddlers' early emerging theory of mind abilities. Participants included a community sample of 189 dyads of mothers and their 2- to 3-year-old children, whose salivary DNA was analyzed. Results indicated that more maternal structuring behavior was associated with better performance, on a battery of three theory of mind tasks, while higher OXTR methylation within exon 3 was associated with poorer performance. A significant interaction also emerged, such that OXTR methylation was related to theory of mind among children whose mothers displayed less structuring, when controlling for children's age, sex, ethnicity, number of child-aged siblings, verbal ability, and maternal education. Maternal structuring behavior may buffer the potential negative impact of hypermethylation on OXTR gene expression and function.

Spouse and Patient Beliefs and Perceptions About Chronic Pain: Effects on Couple Interactions and Patient Pain Behavior

Patient beliefs and perceptions about the causes and meaning of their chronic pain are related to their psychosocial functioning. Beliefs and perceptions about chronic pain held by spouses may also be related to patient functioning. We used a laboratory procedure to evaluate whether spouse beliefs about and perceptions of chronic pain were related to spouse negative responses toward patients with chronic low back pain during a conflictual discussion and to their attributions about patient pain behavior during a subsequent pain-induction task. Patients (n = 71) and their spouses (n = 71) participated in a 10-minute discussion followed by the patient undergoing a 10-minute structured pain behavior task. Findings were that a) spouse perceptions that patient's pain was a mystery were significantly related to greater patient perceived spouse critical/invalidating responses toward the patient during the discussion; and b) spouse perceptions that patient's pain was a mystery were related to internal and negative attributions spouses made while observing patients display pain behaviors during the structured pain behavior task. Inasmuch as both spouse critical/invalidating speech toward patients and negative attributions regarding the cause of patient behavior are related to poor patient functioning, spouse uncertainty about the source and potential legitimacy of their partner's pain may play crucial roles in affecting patient well-being. PerspectiveSpouse beliefs about and perceptions of patient chronic pain were related to spouse behavior toward patients during a discussion and to attributions explaining patient pain during physical activity. If spouse confusion and doubt about patient pain is related to negative behavior and attributions, then modifying these perceptions may be a fundamental intervention target.

Structured behaviour prediction of on‐road vehicles via deep forest

Vision-based vehicle behaviour analysis has drawn increasing research efforts as an interesting and challenging issue in recent years. Although a variety of approaches have been taken to characterise on-road behaviour, there still lacks a general model for interpreting the behaviour of vehicles on the road. In this Letter, the authors propose a new method that effectively predicts the vehicle behaviour based on structured deep forest modelling. Inspired by structured learning, the structure information of vehicle behaviour is extracted from the detected vehicle, and then the corresponding structured label is constructed. Especially, the structured label visually expresses the vehicle behaviour as contrast to the discrete numerical label. With the structured label, a structured deep forest model is proposed to predict the vehicle behaviour. Experimental results illustrate that the proposed method successfully obtains the implication of semantic interpretation of vehicle behaviour by the predicted structured labels, and meanwhile it achieves comparable performance with traditional methods.

Stressful life events, insomnia and suicidality in a large sample of Chinese adolescents

AimsThis study aimed to examine the associations between stressful life events, insomnia, and suicidality including suicidal ideation (SI), suicide plan (SP) and suicide attempt (SA) in a large sample of Chinese adolescents. MethodsA total of 11,831 adolescents who participated in the baseline survey of Shandong Adolescent Behavior and Health Cohort were included for the analysis. Participants were sampled from 8 middle/high schools in 3 counties of Shandong, China. Participants completed a structured behavior and health questionnaire, including suicidality, demographics, depression/anxiety, stressful life events (SLEs), and insomnia in November-December 2015. A series of logistic regression models and mediation analyses were performed to examine the associations between SLEs, insomnia and suicidality. ResultsThe prevalence rates of overall suicidality, SI, SP and SA in the last year were 13.1%, 12.5%, 3.3%, and 1.5%, respectively. SLEs were significantly associated with overall suicidality, SI, and SP. Insomnia was an independent risk factor of suicidality and a mediator of the association between SLEs and suicidality. The total effect of SLEs on overall suicidality was 0.597 (95%CI: 0.534–0.661), including 0.457 (95%CI: 0.391–0.523) for direct effect and 0.158 (95%CI: 0.138–0.178) for indirect effect. Insomnia also mediated the associations of SLEs with SI, SP and SA, respectively. LimitationsCausal relationship could not be concluded because this study is cross-sectional. ConclusionsStressful life events and insomnia are directly associated with suicidality in adolescents. The association between SLEs and suicidality is partially mediated by insomnia.

Eyetracking measures of social attention in young children: How gaze patterns translate to real‐life social behaviors

AbstractThe aim of this study was to evaluate to what degree eyetracking paradigms of social attention, in combination with synchronous measurements of affective arousal, were associated with real‐life social behavior of children aged 3–7 years. Several eyetracking paradigms were used, involving social interactions, single/multiple faces, and emotional faces. Arousal was measured using electrocardiography. Real‐life social behavior was measured using structured behavior observations, parent questionnaires, and developmental interviews. Time spent looking at social stimuli was significantly associated with real‐life social behaviors, and independent of age, IQ, or gender. Paradigms involving social interactions and looking time to the eyes showed the most consistent relations with social behaviors. Stronger affective arousal responses were associated with shorter looking times toward eyes, which in turn were associated with less social awareness in real life. Eyetracking and arousal measures allow for sensitive and objective assessment of social abilities that have great relevance for real‐life social behaviors, with the potential to use in a broad and diverse population. These measures may help gain insight into the underpinnings of social behavior and may serve as a valuable marker or outcome measure in understanding, monitoring, and stimulating social‐emotional development early in life.

Nurses\u2019 perceptions towards the delivery and feasibility of a behaviour change intervention to enhance physical activity in patients at risk for cardiovascular disease in primary care: a qualitative study

BackgroundSelf-management support is widely accepted for the management of chronic conditions. Self-management often requires behaviour change in patients, in which primary care nurses play a pivotal role. To support patients in changing their behaviour, the structured behaviour change Activate intervention was developed. This intervention aims to enhance physical activity in patients at risk for cardiovascular disease in primary care as well as to enhance nurses’ role in supporting these patients. This study aimed to evaluate nurses’ perceptions towards the delivery and feasibility of the Activate intervention.MethodsA qualitative study nested within a cluster-randomised controlled trial using semistructured interviews was conducted and thematically analysed. Fourteen nurses who delivered the Activate intervention participated.ResultsThree key themes emerged concerning nurses’ perceptions of delivering the intervention: nurses’ engagement towards delivering the intervention; acquiring knowledge and skills; and dealing with adherence to the consultation structure. Three key themes were identified concerning the feasibility of the intervention: expectations towards the use of the intervention in routine practice; perceptions towards the feasibility of the training programme; and enabling personal development.ConclusionsDelivering a behaviour change intervention is challenged by the complexity of changing nurses’ consultation style, including acquiring corresponding knowledge and skills. The findings have increased the understanding of the effectiveness of the Activate trial and will guide the development and evaluation of future behaviour change interventions delivered by nurses in primary care.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02725203.

Analysing Structured Learning Behaviour in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): An Approach Based on Process Mining and Clustering

The increasing use of digital systems to support learning leads to a growth in data regarding both learning processes and related contexts. Learning Analytics offers critical insights from these data, through an innovative combination of tools and techniques. In this paper, we explore students’ activities in a MOOC from the perspective of personal constructivism, which we operationalized as a combination of learning behaviour and learning progress. This study considers students’ data analyzed as per the MOOC Process Mining: Data Science in Action. We explore the relation between learning behaviour and learning progress in MOOCs, with the purpose to gain insight into how passing and failing students distribute their activities differently along the course weeks, rather than predict students' grades from their activities. Commonly-studied aggregated counts of activities, specific course item counts, and order of activities were examined with cluster analyses, means analyses, and process mining techniques. We found four meaningful clusters of students, each representing specific behaviour ranging from only starting to fully completing the course. Process mining techniques show that successful students exhibit a more steady learning behaviour. However, this behaviour is much more related to actually watching videos than to the timing of activities. The results offer guidance for teachers.

Assessment of Ionospheric Activity Tolerances for Epoch of Reionization Science with the Murchison Widefield Array

Abstract Structure imprinted in foreground extragalactic point sources by ionospheric refraction has the potential to contaminate Epoch of Reionization (EoR) power spectra of the 21 cm emission line of neutral hydrogen. The alteration of the spatial and spectral structure of foreground measurements due to total electron content gradients in the ionosphere creates a departure from the expected sky signal. We present a general framework for understanding the signatures of ionospheric behavior in the 2D neutral hydrogen power spectrum measured by a low-frequency radio interferometer. Two primary classes of ionospheric behavior are considered, corresponding to dominant modes observed in Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) EoR data, namely, anisotropic structured wave behavior and isotropic turbulence. Analytic predictions for power spectrum bias due to this contamination are computed and compared with simulations. We then apply the ionospheric metric described in Jordan et al. to study the impact of ionospheric structure on MWA data, by dividing MWA EoR data sets into classes with good and poor ionospheric conditions, using sets of matched 30-minute observations from 2014 September. The results are compared with the analytic and simulated predictions, demonstrating the observed bias in the power spectrum when the ionosphere is active (displays coherent structures or isotropic turbulence). The analysis demonstrates that unless ionospheric activity can be quantified and corrected, active data should not be included in EoR analysis in order to avoid systematic biases in cosmological power spectra. When data are corrected with a model formed from the calibration information, bias reduces below the expected 21 cm signal level. Data are considered “quiet” when the median measured source position offsets are less than 10.″–15.″.

Chemo-mineralogical evolution and microstructural modifications of a lime treated pyroclastic soil

An extensive experimental multi-scale analysis was developed on a pyroclastic soil, coming from Central Italy, to investigate the link between the mineralogical and microstructural evolution of the system and the mechanical improvements induced by lime treatment. Chemo-mineralogical and microstructural evolution of the hydrated lime-soil system was monitored by means of Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis, 29Si Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, X-Ray Diffraction, Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Rietvield analysis of X-Ray Diffraction results allowed a quantitative evaluation of amorphous phase and mineralogical components over time. Compressibility properties were measured by means of oedometer tests on raw and treated specimens. Amorphous phase plays a fundamental role in the development of pozzolanic reactions and in the formation of new cementitious compounds, whereas the contribution of zeolites, abundant in the raw soil, and other minerals is negligible. Formation of new phases induces microstructural modifications of the system, mainly detected within 28 days of curing. Chemo-mineralogical evolution of the system and the microstructural modifications affect the macroscopic behaviour of lime treated samples towards a structured behaviour, with a decrease of compressibility and an increase of yield stress.

Which Melodic Universals Emerge from Repeated Signaling Games? A Note on Lumaca and Baggio (2017) ‡.

Music is a peculiar human behavior, yet we still know little as to why and how music emerged. For centuries, the study of music has been the sole prerogative of the humanities. Lately, however, music is being increasingly investigated by psychologists, neuroscientists, biologists, and computer scientists. One approach to studying the origins of music is to empirically test hypotheses about the mechanisms behind this structured behavior. Recent lab experiments show how musical rhythm and melody can emerge via the process of cultural transmission. In particular, Lumaca and Baggio (2017) tested the emergence of a sound system at the boundary between music and language. In this study, participants were given random pairs of signal-meanings; when participants negotiated their meaning and played a "game of telephone" with them, these pairs became more structured and systematic. Over time, the small biases introduced in each artificial transmission step accumulated, displaying quantitative trends, including the emergence, over the course of artificial human generations, of features resembling properties of language and music. In this Note, we highlight the importance of Lumaca and Baggio's experiment, place it in the broader literature on the evolution of language and music, and suggest refinements for future experiments. We conclude that, while psychological evidence for the emergence of proto-musical features is accumulating, complementary work is needed: Mathematical modeling and computer simulations should be used to test the internal consistency of experimentally generated hypotheses and to make new predictions.

Theory of mind as a link between oxytocin and maternal behavior

BackgroundOxytocin is a neuropeptide associated with maternal behavior. However the mechanisms underlying this link remain unclear. In a previous study we observed an indirect effect of increased plasma oxytocin during late pregnancy on early postpartum maternal interactive behavior via theory of mind, as assessed by the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). The current study aimed to extend these findings by testing whether this indirect effect would hold longitudinally for maternal behavior at 2–3 years postpartum, as well as for an additional observational measure of maternal mind-mindedness. MethodThe original sample of 316 pregnant women (Mage = 31.92 years) was assessed at 12–14 weeks gestation (T1), 32–34 weeks gestation (T2), and 7–9 weeks postpartum (T3). Follow-up measures were taken at 2–3 years postpartum (T4). ResultsMothers’ RMET performance (T3) was associated with more structuring and less intrusive maternal behavior at 2–3 years (T4), while their tendency to use mind-related comments (T3) was associated with greater sensitivity (T4). Bootstrap estimates also revealed a significant indirect effect of plasma oxytocin levels during late pregnancy (T2) on maternal structuring and non-intrusive behavior at 2–3 years postpartum (T4) through RMET performance (T3). ConclusionsResults: of the current study confirm and extend the previous findings, demonstrating that theory of mind may represent a social cognitive mechanism linking endogenous oxytocin and maternal behavior. Important changes in the oxytocinergic system during late pregnancy may help prepare for motherhood by promoting the awareness of social cues, which in turn promote maternal behavior from the early postpartum to the early childhood years.