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Testing of Recognizing Spatial Intelligence
Malý, Tomáš ; Škutková, Helena (referee) ; Sekora, Jiří (advisor)
This thesis deals with measurement issues in psychology, specifically online diagnostics of spatial abilities. It gives a brief look on psychological construct of intelligence and methods of measuring it, currently in the context of the most spread theory of intelligence C-H-C (Cattell- Horn-Carroll). This thesis focuses on ability called „Visualization“, that is understood as the ability to process visual perceptions and manipulate them in our imagination. The thesis includes functional software, which is made for online computer testing of spatial abilities in children of preschool, or school age.
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Evolution of brain complexity and processing and cognitive capacity in selected vertebrates
Kverková, Kristina ; Němec, Pavel (advisor) ; Stuchlík, Aleš (referee) ; Iwaniuk, Andrew N. (referee)
Brain processing capacity has traditionally been inferred from data on brain size. However, recent studies have shown that similarly sized brains of distantly related species can differ markedly in the number and distribution of neurons, their basic computational units. There- fore, a finer-grained approach is needed to reveal the evolutionary paths to increased cogniti- ve capacity. This quantitative approach to the evolution of brain processing capacity at the cellular level is relatively new, since quick and reliable estimation of the number of neurons in whole brains or large brain regions has only become possible in the past 15 years or so with the introduction of the isotropic fractionator. This method of determining brain cellular com- position is applicable to a wide range of questions. We can assess intraspecific variation, both at the individual and population level, examine the effect of sex and age, and the study se- lection at the intraspecific level. At the other side of the spectrum, we can study large macro- evolutionary trends or try to isolate the effect of specific selective pressures by comparing more closely related and ecologically similar species. In this thesis, I explored variation in brain size and brain cellular composition across vertebrates at both intraspecies and...
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The relationship between physical activity and memory in older adults with or without diabetes
Votroubková, Eliška ; Šteffl, Michal (advisor) ; Kinkorová, Ivana (referee)
Title: The relationship between physical activity and memory in older adults with or without diabetes. Objectives: The main goal of my diploma thesis was to determine the effect of physical activity on memory in people over 65 with and without diabetes. Another goal was to find out how much influence the level of education has on the results of memory tests. Methods: This diploma thesis is designed as a cross-sectional study that processes data from the sixth wave of the international project Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The Mann-Whitney U test was used for hypothesis testing in two-category tests. For testing hypotheses with more than two categories, the Kruskal-Wallis test with subsequent post hoc analysis by Mann-Whitney U test with Bonfferoni correction was used. The tested files are described by basic statistical indicators. Population histograms and error bar graphs were used to graphically represent the test results. The data were processed in the statistical program SPSS from IBM and in Microsoft Excel. Results: The results showed a statistically significant positive effect, either for "sports or activities that are vigorous" or for "activities requiring a moderate level of energy" for results in the test of immediate and delayed memory of 10 words. All tests...
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The relationship between physical fitness and selected tests of cognitive functions in pupils of elementary schools
Šula, Marek ; Šteffl, Michal (advisor) ; Větrovský, Tomáš (referee)
Title: The relationship between physical fitness and selected tests of cognitive functions in pupils of elementary schools Objectives: The main aim of the thesis was to estimate the relationship between physical fitness and cognitive abilities among pupils of elementary schools Methods: The thesis was carried out as a cross-sectional study. Pupils aged 8 to 12 years (n = 66; age 9.8 ± 0.8) participated in the study. The cognitive abilities were determined using standardized online tests on the portal www.proskoly.cz, and the physical fitness levels was determined using the test battery Unifittest (6-60) Results: The girls did not differ from the boys in any of the tests. In the overall group, the relationships between cognitive abilities and physical fitness were very weak and statistically not significant. However, in girls, we found indirectly proportional statistically significant (p <0.05) relationships between the Visual Memory test and all the physical fitness tests as well as between the Perception test and Standing Long Jump test, Shuttle Run Agility test, Endurance test, and overall Unifittest (6-60) score. No statistically significant relationship was found in the boys; however, the correlation indicated that the relationships were directly proportional Key words: cognitive abilities,...
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Investigation of Nestor Kea Parrots by Matching and Addity Learning
Černošková, Jarmila ; Vančata, Václav (advisor) ; Řezníček, Jan (referee)
This work presents study of parrot nestor kea. It is divided into two parts - theoretical and experimental part. Two chapters are dedicated to the theoretical part. This kind of parrot is connected to culture and relationship of local people. The first capture applies to enviroment in New Zealand, its inhabitants and their relationship between each other. The second chapter operates with detailed information about nestors. It's summary of available information about nestors from Czech and also foreign authors. The purpose of experimental part was to find out the possibilities of testing of cognitive abilities in conditions of zoo. We also passed the testing of cognitive abilities. We tried to define the factors that can involve the results of the testing. At the time we also suggested and proved a new system of experimental facility that can be used in our suggested future research. In the end we managed experimental testing of cognitive abilities of this kind of parrot that took place in zoo in Liberec. Key Words: nestor kea, research, cognitive abilities, zoo
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Psychological testing in personnel psychology: competency-based selection of hospitality leaders
Šafr, Martin ; Wagnerová, Irena (advisor) ; Štikar, Jiří (referee)
This thesis deals with one of the most debated topics of the Personnel Psychology - the personnel selection. The aim of the thesis is to provide an exhaustive overview of the designing process of the selection procedures with special attention being paid to the various methods of selecting employees. Attention was primarily paid to the effort that the knowledge of the otherwise common methods of selecting employees be put in the new framework and the latest ways of their application. Particular emphasis has been put upon the new approaches to the method of interview, cognitive abilities testing, detection of individual personality at work and new methods in designing assessment centers. An interesting chapter is the use of emotional factors as selection criteria and the application of the attachment theory to work. Considerable extent of the thesis is also devoted to the methods of job analysis and competency modeling, their comparison and applications. Based on the previous theoretical treatise the empirical part attempts at creating a competency model for senior executives in the hotel industry and proposes possible ways of its practical use.
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Manipulation of physical environment and cognition in primates: Ontogenetic development
Kolářová, Anna ; Nekovářová, Tereza (advisor) ; Hradec, Michal (referee)
Cognition is a crucial factor for primates as it allows properly perceive and respond to the surrounding environment. This thesis is devoted to cognitive phenomena, which are often associated with understanding the physical environment and object manipulation. Much attention is focused on causal reasoning, object permanence and tool using. Particular emphasis is placed on the ontogenesis of these cognitive abilities. One of the main questions is how development differs between humans and non-human primates. Despite the fact that non- human primates, just like humans, have a very complex knowledge of the laws of the physical environment, causal reasoning and object permanence develops in a very similar way for these related species, but far from the same way. A large disparity is observed mainly in the area of the pace of development. Tool use in humans and non-human primates is strongly influenced by social learning and traditions. Key words: primates, physical environment, cognitive abilities, causal reasoning, object permanence, object manipulation, tool using, ontogeny
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The effect of incubation temperature on cognition and brain cellular composition in geckos Paroedura picta
Polonyiová, Alexandra ; Němec, Pavel (advisor) ; Sedláček, František (referee)
The effect of incubation temperature on different morphological, physiological, cognitive and behavioral characteristics in reptiles is a well-studied topic, although the underlying mechanism leading to the differences between individuals incubated at different temperatures remains largely unknown. In this thesis I studied the effect of incubation temperature on cognitive abilities and the number of neurons and non-neuronal cells in the gecko Paroedura picta incubated at two different temperatures, 24řC and 30řC. The geckos were tested in two cognitive tasks with simulated predatory attack. 14-day-old hatchlings were tested in a Y-maze, while 6-months-old geckos were tested in an arena with shelters of different colors. After testing, the number of neurons and non- neuronal cells in several parts of the brain were estimated using the isotropic fractionator in selected individuals. Although incubation temperature did not affect the success in the cognitive task in hatchlings, it did affect the total time needed to find the shelter. This difference remained significant also in adult geckos. The number of neurons, which was used as a proxy for the information processing capacity of the brain, did not affect success in the cognitive tasks. However, absolute brain size correlated with success in the...
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Cognitive abilities in reptiles and relevant research methodology
Polonyiová, Alexandra ; Němec, Pavel (advisor) ; Landová, Eva (referee)
Reptiles are a neglected group in the study of cognitive abilities of Amniota. Due to their phylogenetic relationship with birds and mammals, knowledge about reptile brains and cognition is important to understanding their evolution in other amniote groups. In this thesis, I summarized the literature on cognitive abilities in reptiles, which focuses on spatial orientation, such as orientation based on visual cues or compass navigation, associative learning, mainly visual discrimination and operant conditioning, and social learning. It has been shown that some reptilian species are capable of flexible behaviour and, given the right methodology, can successfully solve a number of cognitive tasks. I also briefly treated the size and structure of reptile brains, providing the neural substrate for these abilities. Keywords: reptile, cognitive abilities, brain size, brain structure, spatial orientation, associative learning, social learning
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