Browsing by Author "Escobar, Josefina"

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    Gesture influences the processing of figurative language in non-native speakers: ERP evidence
    (2010) Ibanez, Agustin; Manes, Facundo; Escobar, Josefina; Trujillo, Natalia; Andreucci, Paola; Hurtado, Esteban
    Gestures should play a role in second language comprehension, given their importance in conveying contextual information. In this study, the N400 and the LPC were evaluated in a task involving the observation of videos showing utterances accompanied by gestures. Students studying advanced (G-High participants) and basic German (G-Low participants) as a second language were investigated. The utterance-gesture congruence and metaphoric meaning of content were manipulated during the task. As in previous ERP reports with native speakers, metaphorical expressions were sensitive to gestures. In G-Low participants, no modulation in the 300-500 ms window was observed, and only a modest effect was observed for the 500-700 ms window. More subtle differences of verbal expression were not processed in this group. Consistent with previous reports of the same paradigm with native speakers, the N400 from G-High group discriminated both congruent and incongruent gestures as well as literal and metaphorical sentences. Our results suggest that semantic processing is robust in the learning of a second language, although the amplitude modulation and latency of ERPs might depend on the speaker's proficiency level. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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    Parental burnout and coparental cooperation in Chile during lockdown for COVID-19
    (2024) Araya-Rojas, Paulina; Santelices, Maria Pia; Oyarce, Daniela; Escobar, Josefina; Van Bakel, Hedwig
    Under usual circumstances, without a global pandemic, numerous parents might encounter stress associated with their roles as caregivers. However, with the added impact of the health crisis and the widespread adoption of lockdown measures, family routines were disrupted as many parents found themselves spending more time at home. Most caregivers had to juggle remote work while simultaneously providing care for their children. This situation has raised concerns about the potential for parental burnout. The objective of this study was to describe parental burnout in mothers and fathers during the COVID-19 lockdowns in Chile and analyze its relationship with possible risk factors such as days in quarantine, perceived impact of COVID-19 on parenting, hours dedicated to weekly paid work, and caregivers' perception of the need for care of their children. Furthermore, we sought to describe the relationship between parental burnout and coparental cooperation, evaluating the latter as a possible protective factor. An online cross-sectional survey design was used. The sample consisted of 599 people (78.5% mothers) over 18 years old who live in Chile with at least one child. Through a quantitative methodology and using R, multiple regression models were performed with predictive modeling to contrast the hypotheses. The results indicate that the variables related to lockdown, such as days in quarantine and level of involvement of fathers and mothers in parenting due to the pandemic, predict parental burnout. Caregivers' perception of the need for care of their children also has a significant impact on this phenomenon. In addition, mothers have higher levels of exhaustion than fathers. The number of hours of paid work does not predict parental burnout. Coparenting cooperation in this context can represent a protective factor against chronic stress.
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    Potential consequences of abandonment in preschool-age: Neuropsychological findings in institutionalized children
    (HINDAWI LTD, 2012) Cardona, Juan F.; Manes, Facundo; Escobar, Josefina; Lopez, Jessica; Ibanez, Agustin
    Objective: Several longitudinal studies had shown that early deprivation and institutionalization during the first six months of life affects the emotional, cognitive, social and neurophysiologic development. Nevertheless, our understanding of possible similar effects of delayed institutionalization, in preschool-age remains unclear to this day. The goal of this study is to evaluate the cognitive performance of institutionalized children with history of preschool-age physical abandonment.
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    Subliminal presentation of other faces (but not own face) primes behavioral and evoked cortical processing of empathy for pain
    (ELSEVIER, 2011) Ibanez, Agustin; Hurtado, Esteban; Lobos, Alejandro; Escobar, Josefina; Trujillo, Natalia; Baez, Sandra; Huepe, David; Manes, Facundo; Decety, Jean
    Current research on empathy for pain emphasizes the overlap in the neural response between the first-hand experience of pain and its perception in others. However, recent studies suggest that the perception of the pain of others may reflect the processing of a threat or negative arousal rather than an automatic pro-social response. It can thus be suggested that pain processing of other-related, but not self-related, information could imply danger rather than empathy, due to the possible threat represented in the expressions of others (especially if associated with pain stimuli). To test this hypothesis, two experiments considering subliminal stimuli were designed. In Experiment 1, neutral and semantic pain expressions previously primed with own or other faces were presented to participants. When other-face priming was used, only the detection of semantic pain expressions was facilitated. In Experiment 2, pictures with pain and neutral scenarios previously used in ERP and fMRI research were used in a categorization task. Those pictures were primed with own or other faces following the same procedure as in Experiment 1 while ERPs were recorded. Early (N1) and late (P3) cortical responses between pain and no-pain were modulated only in the other-face priming condition. These results support the threat value of pain hypothesis and suggest the necessity for the inclusion of own-versus other-related information in future empathy for pain research. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.