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Object permanence as a method to study higher cognitive functions of primates
Englerová, Kateřina ; Nekovářová, Tereza (advisor) ; Sedláček, František (referee)
Object permanence is a cognitive ability, which allows individual to realize the existence of an object even it is not directly accessible to its senses. This ability is essential for successful using of complex cognitive operations. Object permanence is qualitatively and gradually change throughout the development of a child. Congruently, it is not developed to the same level in various species of animals. The aim of this study is to study object permanence in naive rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), because there is still some uncertainty about the development of this ability in macaques. Our results show that the naive subjects do not have the highest stage of object permanence (and they do not use representative strategy to solve the tasks), however, other results of our team suggest that more experienced individuals are able to achieve the highest stage under certain circumstances. We show that experimental design used to test object permanence can be modified and used also for studying of other cognitive abilities. We test the preferences of macaque monkeys toward novel non-food stimuli. The reactions of different species of animals can vary. The reactions depend on the type of stimuli (food or non-food), but also on the ecology and ethology of the species. Age, sex and personality of the...
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Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment Program from the Point of View of Primary School Teachers
Lipská, Ludmila
FEUERSTEIN'S INSTRUMENTAL ENRICHMENT PROGRAM FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS The presented doctoral work covers the programme of cognitive stimulation created by Reuven Feuerstein. It aims to describe the effects that the teachers are triggered with by this programme. The work presents Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment (FIE) in context of all the Feuerstein's work. It explains its theoretical grounds in detail, and connects them with broader questions from educational psychology field, that are related to the teaching of thinking skills. There is compared the Feuerstein's theory of Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) with L. S. Vygotsky's theory of mediation in the work. It also refers to the work of J. Piaget in many passages. The research part of the work is based on interviews and two small semantic- differential scales. The research group contained 9 experimental and 6 control teachers from primary schools. The main aim of the carried research was to map what form gain the influences that FIE has on the teachers. We also worked on the teachers' opinions regarding the implementation of this programme at mainstream schools. Besides the description of effects, we were also describing and comparing opinions of both groups on teaching thinking. The closing part of the work is...
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Cognitive sequelae from methanol poisoning
Bernášková, Lucie ; Kulišťák, Petr (advisor) ; Šivicová, Gabriela (referee)
This thesis focuses on cognitive functions in patients after methanol poisoning. The theoretical part consists of a description of methanol, characteristics of methanol poisoning and its neurological sequelae. Methanol poisoning affects the basal ganglia, therefore we describe them and their role in cognitive processes. The theoretical part also describes a case of mass methanol poisoning in the Czech Republic in 2012-2013. The practical part compares results of a control group and a group of patients poisoned with methanol in cognitive assessment. Results show that the patients after methanol poisoning have significantly lower scores in tasks testing memory and executive functions than the control group.
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The relationship between subjective perception of cognitive impairment and objective neuropsychological performance
Marková, Hana ; Kulišťák, Petr (advisor) ; Stehlík, Luděk (referee)
This diploma thesis deals with the topic of Subjective memory complaints (SMC) in elderly population in relation to early diagnostics of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The term of SMC describes patients with subjective perception of cognitive impairment which is not objectivized during a complex neuropsychological assessment. The character of their subjective complaints has not been thoroughly examined, despite their increased risk to develop cognitive impairment, most likely due to AD (Reisberg, et al., 2008). The aim of this cross-sectional study was to verify the clinical significance of the concept of SMC and to characterize subjective complaints in SMC in comparison to patients with cognitive deficit at the stage of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and in comparison to cognitively healthy elderly (HE). SMC and aMCI patients did not differ in the amount of subjective complaints, but SMC patients reported significantly more complaints compared to HE. The difference in the amount of complaints reported by the patients themselves and by their informants was found neither in aMCI, nor in SMC patients. There were identified questions which may distinguish between SMC and aMCI patients, and questions which may distinguish between SMC patients and HE; that means questions able to distinguish...
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The influence of thyroid hormones and adrenal glands on mental function
Augustinová, Jana ; Šivicová, Gabriela (advisor) ; Špinka, Marek (referee)
This thesis focuses on effects of thyroid and adrenal hormones on mental functions, especially on cognitive functions and emotions. In the case of adrenal hormones it will also focus on stress and burnout syndrome, which are not considered as mental functions, but are connected to both psyche and the above mentioned hormones. The text is divided into two parts. The first, theoretical part deals with the anatomy and histology of these two organs, hormones that they produce and their influence on overall physical condition and pathology. The main section of this theoretical part deals with the description of influence of thyroid hormones and adrenal glands on the above mentioned mental functions. This work is based on both earlier and contemporary research, but predominantly on foreign research. In the second, empirical part, a proposal for longitudinal study of cortisol and thyroxine levels during depression treatment is presented. Klíčová slova: Hormones, thyroid glang, adrenal gland, mental functions, cognitive functions, emotions, stress, cortisol, thyroxine
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Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Disease
Bezdíček, Ondřej ; Růžička, Evžen (advisor) ; Papežová, Hana (referee) ; Hort, Jakub (referee)
Cognitive impairment is considered as essential feature of non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). It is a result of underlying pathological processes in the brain of PD patients and it leads to decreased quality of life. In this thesis an analysis of the structure and profile of cognitive impairment is presented with special emphasis on executive functions and memory. We take diagnostic entities developed for the description of PD cognitive spectrum such as mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) and dementia (PD-D) as examples of heterogeneity and different severity of cognitive impairment in PD. However, neuropsychological methods in Czech version that would measure these diagnotic units were not adequatly validated. In the experimental part we test a hypothesis, if gait disorder with falls in PD is interconnected with cognitive impairment, and if PD-fallers have more severe cognitive deficit than PD-non-fallers. On the basis of nine validity or normative data studies we show psychometric properties and clinical utility of several basic neuropsychological methods in the Czech population for memory (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, California Verbal Learning Test, Second Edition, Memory For Intentions Screening Test and Enhanced Cued Recall Test), sustained attention and executive functions...
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The impact of working memory training on fluid intelligence in young-old adults
Štěpánková, Hana ; Niederlová, Markéta (advisor) ; Holmerová, Iva (referee) ; Smolík, Filip (referee)
Description and explanation of a natural decline of cognitive functions during ontogenetic aging laid in a century of its history grounds for various experiments trying to find wals to slow down or revoke theis process of decline. One of the cognitive domains that has been gaining ever stronger attention among neuroscientists is working memory, which is interconnected with other functions, especially with attention, executive function and fluid intelligence. So far, there has not been reached a consensus regarding a model of working memory. Nevertheless, there are many efforts to describe it, to explain its role within cognitive processes, and to enhance performance. They resulted in various complex and also specialized interventions that are used also in studies focused on older persons. This study adds to the body of literature on transfer effects of working memory training in young-old persons (age 65-75 years; N=65). It is a randomized controlled study with 2 intervened and 1 passive control groups. The goal was to find about an effect of different numbers of training lessons (10 or 20 in 5 weeks) with a computer-based adaptive visually presented verbal n-back, on latent variables of working memory and fluid intelligence. The results showed an ability of older people to significantly improve their...
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Test of object permanence in primates
Gálik, Michal ; Nekovářová, Tereza (advisor) ; Špinka, Marek (referee)
5 ABSTRACT Object permanence is a cognitive ability to perceive the continuous existence of objects, even if they cannot be directly observed, respectively perceived by other senses (Piaget 1954). In humans object permanence develops in 6 qualitatively different stages. By using a comparative approach, it was found that the last stage 6 of this ability also occurs in great apes, gibbons and some New World monkeys (capuchin, marmoset and tamarin). In this study, we conducted a study with a series of invisible displacements of an object, in which we investigated whether two rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) have fully developed the ability of object permanence and don't rely on simple alternative cognitive strategies, while solving the different tasks. With one test subject, we confirmed that he solved the tasks with stage 6 object permanence abilities. Although the second individual reached significant performance in some sessions, the overall results are ambiguous, because during the testing he had a tendency to use simple alternative strategies. Our study concludes that under certain circumstances macaques have the cognitive capacity for a fully developed ability of object permanence. Key words: Object permanence, rhesus macaque, invisible displacement, cognitive functions
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Behavioral expression of pain in rats
Zámečník, Jakub ; Vaculín, Šimon (advisor) ; Boukalová, Štěpána (referee)
The aim of this work is to summarize the current knowledge regarding the behavioral expressions of pain in rat. The work is focused on rats, because they are one of the most used laboratory animals, and may experience pain in some experiments. Behavioral expressions of pain were selected, because they are quite easily recognizable and measurable. The reader will be first acquainted with the necessary basics associated with the phenomenon of pain, with its conception in animals, with classification, physiology and for example with the ways in which are in rats experimentally induced pain. Then in the second part, there are shown individual behavioral expressions with examples in which cases were these manifestations observed. So everyone who is interested can learn something about pain in connection with the avoidance reaction, pose, appearance, specific movements of rat, vocalization, changes in eating and drinking, changes in activity, anxiety, cognitive functions and many other expressions. The work can be valuable contribution for all workers with animals and with its character can contribute to animal welfare. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
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