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Current methods of measuring cognitive abilities
Bílková, Kateřina ; Flegr, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Binter, Jakub (referee)
The aim of this thesis is to present a selection of cognitive ability measurement methods for adults, especially those that can be administered online. These methods are presented in the context of cognitive ability composition concepts on which they are based. The chosen methods include several IQ tests and various online cognitive performance measurement methods. IQ tests represent measures of general intelligence. The IQ tests mentioned in this study are administered individually or in group settings. The online methods have a narrower focus and are mentioned in conjunction with the platforms that offer these methods. The selection of online methods was based on their prevalence in the literature, with an emphasis on the more common ones, in order to collectively cover a broader range of cognitive abilities. The reliability and validity of the methods are discussed.
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Whoever has will be given more: child endowment and human capital investment
Borga, Liyousew Gebremedhin ; Pidkuyko, M.
Using a unique longitudinal survey from Ethiopia, we investigate whether resource constrained\nparents reinforce or attenuate differences in early abilities between their children. We propose a simple model that allows for sibling interactions. To overcome the endogeneity associated with measures of endowment, we construct a measure of human capital at birth that is plausibly net of prenatal investment. We estimate a sibling fixed-effect model to account for bias due to unobserved family-specific heterogeneity. We find that parents reinforce educational inequality: inherently healthy children are more likely to attend preschool, be enrolled in elementary school, and have more expenses incurred towards their education. Health inputs are allocated in a compensatory manner.\n
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Cognitive and aggressive behaviours in the annual killifish, Nothobranchius orthonotus
Kubická, Lucie ; Reichard, Martin (advisor) ; Horký, Pavel (referee)
I used annual killifish Nothobranchius orthonotus to investigate two separate questions related to behavioural aspects of their life history. The first study focused on spatial cognitive ability of two N. orthonotus populations that originated from temporary pools that varied in their expected duration due to differences in annual precipitation patterns (dry and humid region). Test of cognition was based on the ability to learn to find food in a dichotomous test. It was assumed that learning ability differs between populations when tested in young and old age along with their difference in captive lifespan. Additionally, association between cognitive ability and other life history traits was tested. It was found that: (1) there was no difference in the ability to learn spatial task between populations; (2) both populations had similar lifespan with no cognitive decay in older age, and older fish from dry region population had committed even less errors in the learning task than they did as young fish; (3) fish were able to effectively learn the task but (4) solitary fish had lower learning ability than group-reared fish; (5) longer- living fish were quicker learners; (6) high resting metabolic rate was associated with more effective learning; (7) hesitant fish found the food reward in learning task...
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Episodic like memory in nonhuman animals
Gálik, Michal ; Landová, Eva (advisor) ; Vlček, Kamil (referee)
Episodic memory refers to an ability that allows a person to mentally re-enact past events from his own life. This capacity was long considered to be uniquely human. The best evidence of this ability in humans is subjective consciousness, which accompanies episodic recollection. For this reason, it is particularly difficult to study such cognitive ability in other animal species. However, there is some indirect evidence showing that animals could possess the ability of episodic memory to some degree. This bachelor thesis summarizes recent knowledge about episodic memory, provides an overview of specific studies in different animal taxons and compares the methodologies used by various authors to demonstrate episodic memory in animals. It focuses mainly on birds, rodents and primates. KEYWORDS : Episodic memory, Episodic-like memory, Hippocampus, Cognitive ability, Animal model
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