The evolution of olfactory sensitivity, preferences, and behavioral responses in Mexican cavefish is influenced by fish personality.

Animals are adapted to their natural habitats and lifestyles. Their brains perceive the external world via their sensory systems, compute information together with that of internal states and autonomous activity, and generate appropriate behavioral outputs. However, how do these processes evolve across evolution? Here, focusing on the sense of olfaction, we have studied the evolution in olfactory sensitivity, preferences, and behavioral responses to six different food-related amino acid odors in the two eco-morphs of the fish Astyanax mexicanus. To this end, we have developed a high-throughput behavioral setup and pipeline of quantitative and qualitative behavior analysis, and we have tested 489 six-week-old Astyanax larvae. The blind, dark-adapted morphs of the species showed markedly distinct basal swimming patterns and behavioral responses to odors, higher olfactory sensitivity, and a strong preference for alanine, as compared to their river-dwelling eyed conspecifics. In addition, we discovered that fish have an individual 'swimming personality', and that this personality influences their capability to respond efficiently to odors and find the source. Importantly, the personality traits that favored significant responses to odors were different in surface fish and cavefish. Moreover, the responses displayed by second-generation cave × surface F2 hybrids suggested that olfactory-driven behavior and olfactory sensitivity is a quantitative genetic trait. Our findings show that olfactory processing has rapidly evolved in cavefish at several levels: detection threshold, odor preference, and foraging behavior strategy. Cavefish is therefore an outstanding model to understand the genetic, molecular, and neurophysiological basis of sensory specialization in response to environmental change.

Self-organized division of cognitive labor.

Often members of a group benefit from dividing the group's task into separate components, where each member specializes their role so as to accomplish only one of the components. While this division of labor phenomenon has been observed with respect to both manual and cognitive labor, there is no clear understanding of the cognitive mechanisms allowing for its emergence, especially when there are multiple divisions possible and communication is limited. Indeed, maximization of expected utility often does not differentiate between alternative ways in which individuals could divide labor. We developed an iterative two-person game in which there are multiple ways of dividing labor, but in which it is not possible to explicitly negotiate a division. We implemented the game both as a human experimental task and as a computational model. Our results show that the majority of human dyads can finish the game with an efficient division of labor. Moreover, we fitted our computational model to the behavioral data, which allowed us to explain how the perceived similarity between a player's actions and the task's focal points guided the players' choices from one round to the other, thus bridging the group dynamics and its underlying cognitive process. Potential applications of this model outside cognitive science include the improvement of cooperation in human groups, multi-agent systems, as well as human-robot collaboration.

Is there a bias in spatial maze judgment bias tests? Individual differences in subjects' novelty response can affect test results.

Judgment bias tests have become an important tool in the assessment of animals' affective states. Subjects are first trained to discriminate between two cues associated with a positive and a less-positive outcome. After successful training, they are confronted with an ambiguous cue, and responses are used for judgment bias assessment. In spatial settings, ambiguous cue presentation is typically linked with novelty, i.e. to yet unexplored areas or areas to which the animal has a low degree of habituation. We hypothesized that in such settings, responses to ambiguity might be biased by the animals' perception of novelty. We conducted judgment bias tests in mound-building mice phenotyped for their exploration tendency. After subjects had learned to distinguish between the positively and less-positively rewarded arms of a maze, a new ambiguous middle-arm was introduced. During the first test trial, more exploratory, less neophobic individuals displayed higher bidirectional locomotion in the ambiguous arm, indicating intensive exploration. Although this resulted in longer latencies to the reward in more exploratory animals, we conclude that this did not reflect a 'more pessimistic judgment of ambiguity'. Indeed, during the following two trials, with increasing habituation to the ambiguous arm, the direction of the association was inversed compared to the first trial, as more exploratory individuals showed relatively shorter approach latencies. We suggest that in spatial test settings associating the ambiguous cue to novel areas, results can be confounded by subjects' personality-dependent motivational conflict between exploration and reaching the reward. Findings obtained under such conditions should be interpreted with care.

Big five personality traits and common mental disorders within a hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology: A longitudinal study of Mexican-origin youth.

The present study (a) tested whether a structure of common mental disorders within the hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology was invariant from late childhood to adolescence in a sample of Mexican-origin youth, (b) examined the developmental course of psychopathology at different levels of the hierarchy, and (c) tested the degree to which changes in psychopathology were associated with changes in the Big Five personality domains. Results were consistent with the longitudinal hierarchical invariance of common mental disorders from age 12 to 17 (n = 674). Further, initial levels of conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability were positively associated with lower initial levels of a higher order factor of psychopathology, and increases in extraversion and decreases in neuroticism were associated with decreases in a higher order factor of psychopathology, which captured the general tendency for externalizing, internalizing, and attention-hyperactivity-related dimensions of psychopathology to correlate. Results of the present study indicate that a hierarchical model of common mental disorders extends to Mexican-origin youth and that developmental change in Big Five personality are related to developmental change in psychopathology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Modulatory effects of ayahuasca on personality structure in a traditional framework.

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive plant brew containing dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). It originates from the Amazon basin, where it is used primarily for ceremonial purposes. Ayahuasca tourists are now entering certain communities seeking alternative physical or psychological healing, as well as spiritual growth. RATIONALE: Recent evidence has shown that the similar acting psychedelic compound, psilocybin, facilitated long-term increases in trait openness following a single administration. OBJECTIVES: This paper assesses the impact of ayahuasca on personality in a traditional framework catering for ayahuasca tourists. METHOD: Within a mixed design, we examined the effect of ayahuasca on participants' personality (measured by the NEO Personality Inventory 3 questionnaire) across time (pre- to post-ayahuasca administration, and 6-month follow-up), relative to a comparison group (who did not ingest ayahuasca). RESULTS: The results demonstrated significant increases in agreeableness pre- and post-ayahuasca administration and significant reductions in neuroticism in 24 participants, relative to the comparison group. Both of these changes were sustained at 6-month follow-up, and trait level increases were also observed in openness at this stage. Additionally, greater perceived mystical experience (measured using the Mystical Experience Questionnaire 30) was associated with increased reductions in neuroticism. CONCLUSIONS: These findings, which indicate a positive mediating effect of ayahuasca on personality, support the growing literature suggesting potential therapeutic avenues for serotonergic psychedelics.

Uso de los tatuajes y piercings como factores influyentes en la personalidad / Use of tattoos and piercings as influential factors in personality

INTRODUCCIÓN: para hablar de personalidad se toma en cuenta un conjunto de respuestas específicas y permanentes en diferentes tipos de contextos que resultan del aprendizaje influenciados por la inteligencia emocional frente a la adversidad, cuando no se puede superar los conflictos o perdidas, ciertas personas buscan perennizar esos eventos en su piel, a través de grabaciones. OBJETIVO: determinar la prevalencia de personas que usan tatuajes, determinar el tipo de personalidad del usuario de tatuajes y piercings, analizar los factores causales y las vivencias relacionadas con su uso, métodos, se utiliza una técnica bibliográfica, de corte transversal, descriptiva, retrospectiva, esta investigación es parte de un proyecto general realizado en Ecuador, este resultado se usará como base bibliográfica. RESULTADOS: las personas que usan tatuajes se ubican en un 75%, de la población total, la según los datos encontrados, existe una tendencia al uso de tatuajes en personas con rasgos de personalidad dependiente, seguidas de conductas limites o borde line, en un 47 % usan tatuajes por modismo. CONCLUSIONES: se determinar el tipo de personalidad de los usuarios porque existen falencias en su comportamiento y en la capacidad de enfrentar los diferentes conflictos emocionales, la mayor incidencia se da en la adolescencia, se determina como causa la moda, pérdidas afectivas no superadas, inseguridad e inestabilidad, baja capacidad de resiliencia; el uso de accesorios para compensar estas falencias en la estructura mental, buscan una manera de reconocimiento personal y social hasta convertirse en necesidad.

INTRODUCTION: to talk about personality, a set of specific and permanent responses is taken into account in different types of contexts that resultfrom learning influenced by emotional intelligence in the face of adversity, when conflicts or losses cannot be overcome, certain people seek to perpetuate those events on your skin, through recordings. OBJECTIVE: to determine the prevalence of people whouse tattoos, to determine the type of personality of the user of tattoos and piercings, to analyze the causal factors and the experiences related to their use, methods, a bibliographic technique is used, cross-sectional, descriptive, retrospective, this Research is part of a general project carried out in Ecuador. This result will be used as a bibliographic basis. RESULTS: people who use tattoos are located in 75% of the total population, according to the data found, there is a tendency to use tattoos in people with dependent personality traits, followed by borderline or borderline behaviors, 47% use tattoos by idiom. CONCLUSIONS: the type of personality of the users is determined because there are flaws in their behavior and in the ability to face different emotional conflicts, the highest incidence occurs in adolescence, fashion is determined as cause, emotional losses not exceeded, insecurity and instability, low resilience; The use of accessories to compensate for these shortcomings in the mental structure and their lack of resilience, seek a way of personal and social recognition until it becomes necessary.

Personality and anxiety are related to health-related quality of life in unruptured intracranial aneurysm patients selected for non-intervention: A cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Personality traits and mental health problems have been previously reported in unruptured intracranial aneurysm (UIA) patients; however, few studies have clarified the relations between these variables and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study was designed to characterize the personality traits, HRQoL and mental health of patients with UIA and to evaluate whether personality has an influence on HRQoL and whether this is mediated by the patients' emotional symptoms. METHODS: Sixty-three patients with UIAs (mean age 62.6 years, 83.9% women) answered questionnaires for depression, anxiety, HRQoL and personality traits between June 2016 and May 2019. RESULTS: Eight percent of the sample had depression, and 27.4% had anxiety. Participants showed high levels of responsibility, kindness and neuroticism and low levels of extraversion and openness. HRQoL scores were normal compared with the Colombian population. Structural equation analysis showed that patients' HRQoL was negatively affected by anxiety levels and that the latter are associated with the patient's personality, where neuroticism is directly associated with symptomatology and inversely associated with extraversion. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed the importance of personality and emotional symptoms in the HRQoL of UIA patients. These results are important for developing strategies for psychological counseling in patients with UIAs.

Mood variations and personality traits in patients with epilepsy over the course of their menstrual cycle.

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of mood disorders and psychopathology is more frequent in patients with epilepsy (PWE) than in the general population. Also, it has been reported that PWE suffer more seizures during certain phases of their menstrual cycle (MC). Still, limited information exists regarding the relationship between the physical and emotional changes during the MC in PWE. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the mood and personality traits of PWE during their MC and to compare them with controls. METHODS: A cohort of 22 PWE and nine controls was gathered. All the participants underwent psychiatric, electroencephalographic, and gynecological evaluations. RESULTS: Overall, PWE scored higher in depression compared with controls (p < 0.05), PWE also obtained higher scores for the personality traits of neuroticism and self-isolation (p < 0.05). During the evaluation of the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), PWE were more symptomatic during the early follicular (EF) phase in comparison with the rest of the phases of their MC, whereas the control group showed the known premenstrual pattern of symptoms during the late luteal (LL) phase. The frequency of seizures (40.6%) and electroencephalographic abnormalities (34.8%) was also higher during the EF phase of the MC when compared with the other phases of the MC (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that unlike the PMS present in women without epilepsy, PWE appear to show a "menstrual syndrome" that consists of similar mood changes and physical symptoms. This arrangement of symptoms seems to have an impact on the increase in seizure activity.

Sex, personality and conspecific density influence natal dispersal with lifetime fitness consequences in urban and rural burrowing owls.

There is a growing need to understand how species respond to habitat changes and the potential key role played by natal dispersal in population dynamics, structure and gene flow. However, few studies have explored differences in this process between conspecifics living in natural habitats and those inhabiting landscapes highly transformed by humans, such as cities. Here, we investigate how individual traits and social characteristics can influence the natal dispersal decisions of burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) living in urban and rural areas, as well as the consequences in terms of reproductive success and apparent survival. We found short dispersal movements among individuals, with differences between urban and rural birds (i.e., the former covering shorter distances than the latter), maybe because of the higher conspecific density of urban compared to rural areas. Moreover, we found that urban and rural females as well as bold individuals (i.e., individuals with shorter flight initiation distance) exhibited longer dispersal distances than their counterparts. These dispersal decisions have effects on individual fitness. Individuals traveling longer distances increased their reproductive prospects (productivity during the first breeding attempt, and long term productivity). However, the apparent survival of females decreased when they dispersed farther from their natal territory. Although further research is needed to properly understand the ecological and evolutionary consequences of dispersal patterns in transformed habitats, our results provide information about the drivers and the consequences of the restricted natal movements of this species, which may explain its population structuring through restricted gene flow between and within urban and rural areas.

Gambling disorder and comorbid behavioral addictions: Demographic, clinical, and personality correlates.

Gambling disorder (GD) frequently co-occurs with substance use disorders. However, the extent to which GD co-occurs with behavioral addictions (BAs) and the demographic, clinical, and personality correlates of comorbid GD and BA is largely unknown. The aims of the present research were to address this gap among people seeking treatment for GD (N = 458) in São Paulo, Brazil. Structured clinical interviews diagnosed individuals with GD and other psychiatric disorders. The Shorter PROMIS questionnaire was used to identify BAs (work, exercise, food bingeing, sex, and shopping). Questionnaires assessed demographic characteristics, gambling behavior, and personality. Of the total sample, 206 (45.0%) participants met the criteria of having at least one behavioral addiction (GD+BA). The most common comorbid BA was food bingeing (8.1%) with the least common being exercise (3.6%). In a multivariate logistic regression, individuals with GD+BA tended to be younger, and had greater rates of comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder and bulimia nervosa compared to participants who did not present with a comorbid BA. Taken together, individuals with GD+BA present with increased psychopathology. These results may have important implications for the assessment and treatment of individuals with GD and comorbid BAs.

Childhood trauma and adolescent psychotic experiences in a community-based cohort: The potential role of positive attributes as a protective factor.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate how a set of positive social and personality characteristics called 'positive attributes' affects the emergence and persistence of Psychotic Experiences (PE) in adolescence. METHOD: We used data from a community-based Brazilian High-Risk Cohort (HRC). 2511 6-12 year-old children were evaluated at baseline, and 80.05% completed a 3-year follow-up interview. At baseline, childhood trauma was assessed using parent- and self-report, and positive attributes were assessed by parent-report. Trained psychologists rated self-reported PE at both time points. Linear models evaluated the effect of childhood trauma and positive attributes on PE at follow-up. Mediation models tested i.) the indirect effect of positive attributes on the association between childhood trauma and follow-up PE and, ii.) the indirect effect of childhood trauma and positive attributes on the relationship between PE at baseline and follow-up. RESULTS: Higher levels of baseline PE (B = 0.157, p < .001) and higher childhood trauma (B = 0.110, p < .001) were associated with increased follow-up PE. Higher positive attributes predicted lower PE after 3 years, adjusting for the prevalence of baseline PE and childhood trauma (B = -0.042, p < .022). Positive attributes partially mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and follow-up PE. The indirect pathway of childhood trauma and positive attributes mediated the association between baseline and follow-up PE. CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of positive social and behavioral traits in childhood may diminish the subsequent emergence of PE. As these attributes can be promoted, our findings suggest that positive attributes may represent a novel target for preventive interventions in children at risk of developing PE.

Evaluation of DSM-5 and ICD-11 personality traits using the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) in a Brazilian sample of psychiatric inpatients.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to test if the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) is an adequate instrument to evaluate psychiatric inpatients' pathological personality traits. METHODS: Inpatients (n = 130; mean age: 38.5 years; 62.3% female; 63.9% single) answered the PID-5 after clinical improvement of their psychiatric symptoms. The mean scores of the DSM-5 personality domains, facets and profiles, and ICD-11 domain traits were compared with the mean scores of a Brazilian normative sample (n = 656). We investigated the diagnostic performance of the scales to identify individuals with and without psychopathology. RESULTS: The final sample included mainly diagnoses of mood disorders. Except for Antagonism and Disinhibition, all DSM-5 personality domains and most facets as well as almost all DSM-5 personality disorder profiles (except Narcissist) and ICD-11 trait domains (except Detachment and Dissociality) of the inpatients presented high differences compared with the normative sample. In general, the PID-5 scales presented a high negative predictive value and a low positive predictive value to identify individuals with severe psychopathology. DISCUSSION: This study found high scores of pathological personality traits in a sample of Brazilian psychiatric inpatients. The PID-5 may be a promising instrument to measure pathological personality traits among psychiatric inpatients. Methodological and sample size limitations may have influenced the results. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cross-cultural examination of different personality pathways to alcohol use and misuse in emerging adulthood.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has identified different, but not mutually exclusive, etiological pathways (i.e., the positive affect regulation pathway, the negative affect regulation pathway and the deviance proneness pathway) to alcohol use and misuse in which personality characteristics play a key role. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to simultaneously and cross-culturally examine all these personality pathways to alcohol use in a large sample of young adult drinkers (N = 1280) from the US, Argentina, and Spain. METHOD: Structural equation modeling was conducted to test the models. Multi-group models were conducted to test model invariance across countries and gender groups. RESULTS: In the whole sample, low conscientiousness and extraversion were related to alcohol outcomes through enhancement drinking motives (i.e., positive affect regulation pathway), low emotional stability was related through coping drinking motives (i.e., negative affect regulation pathway), and low conscientiousness and low agreeableness were related through antisocial behavior (i.e., deviance proneness pathway). The model was invariant between gender groups. Some minor, yet significant, differences across countries arose. Specifically, antisocial behavior was a significant mediator of the association between agreeableness and alcohol use, but only in the US subsample. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that risky-personality pathways for alcohol use and alcohol-related problems may be generalized across gender groups and cultures in young adults.

Personality traits associated with eating disorders and obesity in young Argentineans.

PURPOSE: Few studies have been conducted on Latin American population to explore how facets of personality, eating disorders, and obesity are related. The main purpose of this study was to explore the personality traits among patients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (n = 23), bulimia nervosa (n = 32), and obesity (n = 16), in comparison to control group (n = 82). METHODS: A total of 153 individuals participated in the study, 125 were female (81.7%) and 28 were male (18.3%). Participants' ages ranged between 18 and 37 years (mean 24.21, SD 4.84) and they were all native Spanish speakers, living in the city of Córdoba, Argentina. Participants completed the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 and the IPIP-NEO Personality Inventory. RESULTS: In this study, the subjects diagnosed with anorexia in comparison to control group showed high and significant scores in neuroticism and openness to experience and low scores on agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion. For their part, the subjects diagnosed with bulimia, in comparison to the control group, had higher and significant scores on neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness. Lastly, the patients with obesity in comparison to the control group presented high and significant scores on neuroticism and low and significant scores on agreeableness, extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness to experience. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained from this study support previous research devoted to the study of eating disorders and obesity. This situation favors the valid and relevant nature of the study of personality traits as factors that contribute to explaining behavior disorders associated with eating pathologies. This is a preliminary and necessary step for future research to examine the risky combination of personality traits and anorexia, bulimia, and obesity in the local context using a larger and more generalized sample.

Psychometric Properties of Dispositional Hope Scale for Brazilian Sport Context.

This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Dispositional Hope Scale (DHS) for the Brazilian sport context. The sample for construct validity consisted of 474 athletes; internal validity was assessed with 101 athletes; and external validity was tested in 81 athletes, from which, were 55 had further participated in the temporal stability assessment. Data analysis was conducted through the following tests: Cronbach's alpha, Composite Reliability (CR), Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Spearman Correlation Coefficient and intraclass correlation. Results had shown that the DHS presents satisfactory internal consistency (.79 ≤ α ≤ .83; .58 ≤ r ≤ .75). The EFA model revealed a two-factor solution to be the most adequate, while CFA confirmed such model (χ2= 59.88; p .50). Temporal stability was achieved (ICC > .70). It was concluded that the DHS is a valid measure for the assessment of hope in Brazilian sports context; this instrument has potential practical applications for professionals working with Sport Psychology.

A comparison of personality in the common and Bolivian squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus and Saimiri boliviensis).

Personality has been studied in all of the great apes, many Old World monkey species, but only a handful of New World monkey species. Because understanding the personalities of New World monkeys is crucial to understanding personality evolution in primates, we used the Hominoid Personality Questionnaire to assess personality in 55 common squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) and 40 Bolivian squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis). We found 4 personality components in each species, and labeled them Openness, Neuroticism, Assertiveness, and Agreeableness. We then, in a genus-level analysis, found 5 components, which we labeled Neuroticism, Openness, Assertiveness, Agreeableness, and Decisiveness. Comparisons of the genus- and species-level structures revealed that common squirrel monkeys had a personality structure that more closely resembled the genus-level structure than did Bolivian squirrel monkeys. We then compared the personality structures of common and Bolivian squirrel monkeys with that of brown capuchin monkeys, Sapajus apella. The personality structure of Bolivian squirrel monkeys more closely resembled that of brown capuchins. These findings suggest that the Bolivian squirrel monkey personality structure is ancestral and that Assertiveness and Openness are ancestral to both the Saimiri genus and brown capuchins; Agreeableness and Neuroticism seem to be derived in Saimiri. We discuss these findings in relation to differences in the social structures and ecologies of these species. (PsycINFO Database Record

Role of Personality Functioning in the Quality of Life of Patients with Depression.

Depression is associated with reduced quality of life (QoL), and personality pathology is associated with higher impairment and poorer treatment outcomes in patients with depression. This study aims to analyze the effects of personality functioning on the QoL of patients with depression. Severity of depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory), level of personality functioning (Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis Structure Questionnaire), and QoL (Medical Outcome Study 36-item Short-Form) were assessed in a sample of 84 depressive outpatients. Personality functioning showed main effects on both the mental and physical components of QoL. A moderating effect of personality functioning on the relationship between depressive symptoms and QoL was tested but not confirmed. Severity of depressive symptoms was found to mediate the effect of personality functioning on the mental component of QoL. These results suggest that the effect of personality functioning on the QoL of patients with depression may be related to the higher severity of depressive symptoms found in patients with lower levels of personality functioning.

Percepción de la claridad de los ítems: comparación del juicio de estudiantes y jueces expertos / Perception of item clarity: comparison of judgments between students and expert judges / Percepção de clareza de itens: comparação do julgamento de estudantes e juízes especialistas

El presente reporte de investigación preliminar tiene por objetivo evaluar la percepción de la dificultad de los ítems de un cuestionario de personalidad, en dos grupos de evaluadores: estudiantes universitarios y profesores (jueces expertos). La muestra fueron dos grupos: estudiantes y profesores identificados como jueces expertos. Independientemente, para ambos grupos se administró un formulario de opinión sobre la dificultad de lectura o claridad de los ítems del EPQR (Eysenk Personality Questionnaire-Revised). Se hallaron diferencias en los porcentajes de ítems identificados como poco claros, y el acuerdo entre ambos grupos fue mayormente bajo. Estos resultados ponen en relevancia la inclusión del examinado en la evaluación de la dificultad de los ítems usando formularios estandarizados.

The aim of this preliminary study is to assess the perceived difficulty of the items of a personality questionnaire in two groups of participants: university students and teachers (expert-judges). As part of content validity, it examines the degree of readability of the items, usually evaluated by expert judges; however, contributions from the potential examinees have not been previously examined. The sample consisted of two groups: students and teachers identified as expert judges. Independently, both groups were asked their opinions on the readability or clarity of the items in an EPQR test (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised). The results demonstrated a significant difference in the percentage of items identified as unreadable and agreement between the two groups was mostly low. These results point to the inclusion of examinees in assessing the readability of items contained in standardized forms, and the potential increase in the construction of irrelevant variance if the process does not include the active participation of those filling out the form or taking the test.

Esta pesquisa preliminar consiste em avaliar a percepção da dificuldade dos itens de um questionário de personalidade, em dois grupos de avaliadores: estudantes universitários e professores (juízes especialistas tematicamente). A amostragem é composta de dois grupos: estudantes e professores identificados como juízes especialistas. Independentemente disso, para ambos os grupos foi aplicado um formulário de avaliação sobre a dificuldade de leitura e clareza dos itens de EPQR (Eysenk Personality Questionnaire-Revised). Foram encontradas diferenças nos percentuais de itens identificados como incertos, e o acordo entre os dois grupos foi baixo, em sua maioria. Estes resultados colocam em relevância a inclusão da pessoa examinada na avaliação da dificuldade de compreensão dos itens utilizados em formulários padronizados.

Aportes sobre el correlato neuroanatómico de la personalidad / Contributions on neuroanatomical correlate of personality

Concept of personality is refers to stable and relevant attributes of a person, that explain consistent behavior patterns. Many researchers have different brain areas involved in controlling personality. Several highlighted the role of the orbitofrontal cortex in the ability to reverse the association between stimulus and reinforcement, others associated it later with the prediction ofsensory events subsequent results. The medial frontal cortex has been involved with functions as the control of actions, monitoring results as punishments and rewards, personal perception of stimuli and social cognition. Others include the lateral prefrontal cortex in complex issues of valuation. Finally, the anterior temporal region is considered to be related with facial recognition and social knowledge. In this paper we review evidence available in today’s literature about the neuroanatomical substrate ofpersonality, and its application to the study of two disorders: psychopathy and borderline personality disorder. Understanding this substrate could mean a contribution for treatment.

La personalidad corresponde a aquellos atributos estables y relevantes de una persona, que explican patrones consistentes de comportamiento. Muchos investigadores han implicado distintas áreas cerebrales en el control de la personalidad. Varios destacaron el papel de la corteza orbitofrontal en la capacidad de revertir la asociación estímulo refuerzo y posteriormente en la predicción de resultados posteriores a eventos sensoriales. Se ha involucrado a la corteza medial frontal en funciones como el control de las acciones, el monitoreo de resultados como castigos y recompensas, la percepción personal de estímulos y la cognición social. Otros incluyen a la corteza prefrontal lateral en aspectos complejos de la valoración. Por último, se considera a la región temporal anterior en el reconocimiento facial y también en el conocimiento social. En la presente revisión se expone parte de la evidencia disponible en la actualidad en la literatura, acerca del sustrato neuroanatómico de la personalidad y su aplicación al estudio de dos patologías: la psicopatía y el trastorno limítrofe. La comprensión de este sustrato puede significar un aporte para el tratamiento.

Digit ratio (2D:4D), testosterone, cortisol, aggression, personality and hand-grip strength: Evidence for prenatal effects on strength.

BACKGROUND: Digit ratio (2D:4D) is a putative marker for prenatal testosterone and is correlated with performance in many sports. Low 2D:4D has been linked to strength but the evidence is mixed and strength is also influenced by mass, testosterone, and behavioural factors. It has been hypothesised that the 2D:4D-strength correlation may be strongest in challenge conditions when short-term changes occur in steroid hormones. AIMS: We tested this suggestion in men. STUDY DESIGN: We used a cross-over study design with a challenge (an aggressive video of rugby tackles) and control (a blank screen) condition. SUBJECTS: 89 healthy men. OUTCOME MEASURES: Finger lengths (2nd and 4th for both hands), hand-grip strength (HGS), testosterone (T), cortisol (C), aggression (Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire) and personality type (Ten Item Personality Measure). In both conditions participants provided saliva samples (for hormone assays). RESULTS: In the challenge condition there was a highly significant increase in HGS, and modest changes in T, physical aggression and emotional stability. HGS correlated negatively with left hand 2D:4D. In a multiple regression, left hand 2D:4D was negatively related to HGS and emotional stability was positively related to HGS. In the control condition HGS was not correlated with 2D:4D. In a multiple regression, BMI, physical aggression, and emotional stability were significantly related to HGS. CONCLUSIONS: 2D:4D is a negative correlate of strength in challenge situations. This finding may in part explain associations between 2D:4D and sports performance.