Repositório RCAAP

Although designers aim at ofering the best possible user experience, products are designed for a general audience with a common pool of characteristics. Since intrinsic psychological characteristics model the human interaction, ignoring that each individual has diferent experiences may lead to a failed product. From these constructs, personality has shown strong results by shaping how users process and act on the world, and how individuals perceive and accept technology. In this work, we focus on conscientiousness, a personality trait that models one’s organization, persistence, and motivation for goal-oriented behavior. In particular, we study (N = 40) whether conscientiousness afects the design preferences for graphical elements in a user interface. Additionally, we assess (N = 60) if designing graphical user interfaces based on the design preferences of individuals with diferent conscientiousness scores afects perceived usability and ease-of-use. Results show that designing interfaces for conscientiousness-based personality profles infuences user preference but has no signifcant efect on perceived usability and ease-of-use. Our fndings support the incorporation of conscientiousness in the design process to develop graphic user interfaces that focus on goal-oriented behavior for the correct audience.

A emergência e disseminação global de Enterobacteriaceae resistentes aos carbapenemos é uma ameaça à saúde pública, pois estão associadas a altas taxas de morbilidade e mortalidade. Estirpes produtoras de carbapenemases são caracterizadas por resistência a todos os antibióticos β-lactâmicos, fluoroquinolonas e aminoglicosídeos. Este estudo tem como objectivo identificar e caracterizar mecanismos de resistência aos carbapenemos. Vinte e seis isolados clínicos de Klebsiella pneumoniae, K. oxytoca, Enterobacter aerogenes, Escherichia coli e Citrobacter freundii, com resistência ou reduzida susceptibilidade aos carbapenemos, identificados em 2010 de dezoito doentes do Hospital de Santa Maria, foram estudados em termos de perfil genético, genes de resistência e do ambiente genético em que se inserem, presença/ausência de porinas na membrana externa, plasmídeos transportados e factores de virulência. Entre os vinte e seis isolados clínicos em estudo, dezoito foram positivos para a presença da carbapenemase KPC-3. Associada a esta carbapenemase foram detectados as β-lactamases TEM-1 e SHV-1, as ESBLs SHV-12 e SHV-35 e a cefalosporinase DHA-1. A ausência das porinas OmpK35 e OmpK36 da membrana externa aumentam a resistência dos isolados para os carbapenemos e cefalosporinas. A resistência às quinolonas em alguns isolados deve-se há presença dos genes aac(6’)-Ib-cr e qnr, à perda da porina OmpK36 e/ou a mutações na DNA topoisomerase. O gene blaKPC-3 destes isolados está associado ao transposão Tn4401-like com capacidade de transposição replicativa que foi detectado no plasmídeo do grupo de incompatibilidade IncF. Os isolados de K. pneumoniae estudados são predominantemente do serótipo K2 e possuem os genes fimH e/ou mrkD, conferindo a capacidade de aderir às células do hospedeiro.

The alternative model for the classification of personality disorders presented in the DSM-5 is based on the hypothesis of continuity between normal personality and personality disorders. The main objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between depressive symptomatology and the domains and facets of the PID-5, especially the Depressivity facet. A convenience sample of the general population (N = 453) was used. Participants responded to the PID-5 and the CES-D. In a multiple regression model including all the PID-5 facets, only Depressivity and Anhedonia had a significant individual effect on predicting the CES-D score. Correlation analysis suggested that Depressivity and Anhedonia could be considered as defining the depressive traits of personality disorders and supported the continuity between these disorders and depressive symptomatology. A Taxometric Analysis with the Depressivity facet and CES-D score as indicators supported the dimensional nature of depressivity in a broad sense (depressive traits/ depressive symptomatology).

Errorful learning suggests that, when perfect learning has not yet been attained, errors can enhance future learning if followed by corrective feedback. Research on memory updating has shown that after retrieval, memory becomes more malleable and prone to change. Thus, retrieval of a wrong answer might provide a good context for the incorporation of feedback. Here, we tested this hypothesis using sentences including pragmatic sentence implications, commonly used for the study of false memories. Across two experiments with young adults, we hypothesized that corrective feedback would be more efficient at reducing false memories if provided immediately after retrieval, when memory is more malleable than after being exposed to the material. Participants’ memory was assessed as a function of the type of learning task (Experiment 1: retrieval vs. restudy; and Experiment 2: active vs. passive recognition); and whether participants received corrective feedback or not. In both experiments, we observed that retrieval not only improved correct recall (replicating the testing effect) but also promoted the correction of false memories. Notably, corrective feedback was more effective when given after errors that were committed during retrieval rather than after restudy (Experiment 1) or after passive recognition (Experiment 2). Our results suggest that the benefits of retrieval go beyond the testing effect since it also facilitates false memories correction. Retrieval seems to enhance memory malleability, thus improving the incorporation of feedback, compared to the mere presentation of the information. Our results support the use of learning strategies that engage in active and explicit retrieval because, even if the retrieved information is wrong—when immediate feedback is provided—memory updating is promoted and errors are more likely to be corrected.

Memories acquired incidentally from exposure to food information in the environment may often become active to later afect food preferences. Because conscious use of these memories is not requested or required, these inciden‑ tal learning efects constitute a form of indirect memory. In an experiment using a novel food preference paradigm (n=617), we found that brief incidental exposure to hedonic versus healthy food features indirectly afected food preferences a day later, explaining approximately 10% of the variance in preferences for tasty versus healthy foods. It follows that brief incidental exposure to food information can afect food preferences indirectly for at least a day. When hedonic and health exposure were each compared to a no-exposure baseline, a general efect of hedonic exposure emerged across individuals, whereas health exposure only afected food preferences for high-BMI individu‑ als. This pattern suggests that focusing attention on hedonic food features engages common afective processes across the general population, whereas focusing attention on healthy food features engages eating restraint goals associated with high BMI. Additionally, incidental exposure to food features primarily changed preferences for infre‑ quently consumed foods, having less impact on habitually consumed foods. These fndings ofer insight into how hedonic information in the obesogenic food environment contributes to unhealthy eating behavior that leads to overweight and obesity. These fndings further motivate the development of interventions that counteract the efects of exposure to hedonic food information and that broaden the efects of exposure to healthy food information.

This article analyzes the beliefs and behaviors regarding gender roles of eight Portuguese youngsters and seven seniors. Our aim is to understand how individuals from different generations and sexes perceive gender roles and well-being, and how they manifest themselves. After semi-structured individual interviews, we used thematic analysis method, applying N-Vivo 12 software. Findings emphasize that, despite an expressed gender equality ideal, women tend to feel overloaded at home in trying to balance work and family tasks. Men seem to have greater domestic and labor power than women. Women express greater well-being when domestic duties are shared and when they perceive they are receiving support. Men simultaneously associate the experiences of sharing domestic duties and contributing less with well-being. Hardships of work-family balance were identified by diverse participants, from different sexes and ages, as a sign of lack of well-being.

Europe is experiencing the greatest humanitarian crisis since the Second World War, which is reflected in an unprecedented influx of refugees into Europe. Against this backdrop, the effective strategies and challenges faced by the programs designed to facilitate the integration of refugees need to be understood. Portugal, together with other countries, has opened its doors to refugees. In this study, qualitative methods are used to understand how the refugee reception and integration are being conducted in Portugal. The perspectives of both refugees and professionals involved in programs aimed at promoting the integration of refugees are taken into consideration. The results suggest that, despite the existence of best practices in the various types of programs, there is significant room for improvement. Thus, specific changes to these programs are proposed with a view to boosting their efficacy and facilitating the integration of refugees in Portugal.

Every human being has the capacity to contribute to collective well-being. The purpose of this article is to understand the dispositions and perceptions of a group of Portuguese citizens, regarding their relationships with others and their satisfaction with life, having into consideration the differences according to the socio-economic level and sex. This article presents a quantitative study involving an analysis of the 1187 Portuguese citizens’ responses to an online questionnaire aimed at analyzing their satisfaction with life (SLS), sense of community (BSCS), perceived social support (SPS), social comparison (SCS), competition (SAIS), external shame (OASS) and willingness to contribute (WCS) of members of the Portuguese society, whilst understanding the influence of sociodemographic characteristics such as sex and socio-economic situation. Crossing the values assigned to Competition and socio-economic situation (Resources) four groups were created. The results showed that both the highest values for SLP, SPS, BSCS, and the lowest values for OASS, were predominantly concentrated in the Low Competition-High Resources Group. By contrast, the lowest values for SLS, SPS, and the highest values in OASS were predominantly concentrated in the High Competition-Low Resources Group. In respect to WCS, the lowest values were concentrated at the High Competition groups and the highest values at the Low Competition groups. No statistical differences were found for SCS between groups. These results suggest that the focus on collective values of mutual trust are associated with greatest satisfaction with life, social support and willingness to contribute, involving less need for competition and defensiveness.

Background: The relationships between axis II personality disorders and the normative personality traits were explored in the context of current and pre-morbid personality assessment in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: The study was conducted with four groups who were administered the NEOFFI and the PDQ-4+, in the form of individual interview sessions. Current personality measure: consisting of 44 female participants (AD group) and, the control group, consisting of 80 female participants from the population at large. Pre-morbid personality measure: AD group informants (n = 40); control group informants (n = 42). Results: The results are in line with the literature review and provide new research data. By factorial discriminant analysis, the current and pre-morbid personality variables that differentiate AD from control groups are identified. The personality traits variables are the best discriminators such as low agreeableness, low openness to experience, and high neuroticism, suggesting that the maladaptive personality functioning can be described extending the range of psychopathology to a dimensional approach. Conclusions: The study of personality variables seems to suggest, in their inclusion, the possibility to increase sensitivity toward an assessment in AD.

Topics of societal concern such as mental health and poverty reduction increasingly require action programs which operate within broad psycho-social and social justice perspectives. Models of practice centered in individual needs, although important, are not powerful enough to bring about social change when they operate in isolation. In this article we present the findings resulting from the observation of programs engaged in collaborating with socio-economically disadvantaged individuals, families and communities. The programs selected for study were nationally or internationally recognized for the quality and innovation of their methodologies or for having been subjected to scientific attention; some met both criteria. Altogether, 15 programs were visited, in North and South America and Europe. Through a grounded theory methodology, the processes of data collection and analysis led to the development of a theoretical framework which identifies a continuum of programs aimed at supporting the development of individuals, families and communities and which has at its core the central process of building reciprocity. This article presents and describes the continuum of programs and how each type relates to the process of building reciprocity and establishes links with other relevant and significant concepts in the framework. Finally, implications for further research are explored.

This article presents the results of a deepened study of the best practices and outcomes of 15 programs (across 9 countries) that work with socioeconomically disadvantagedd communities. Using thematic analysis, we identified best practices that participants, community leaders, and professionals recognized as key. Data collection involved in loco observation and semistructured interviews with participants and professionals, and focus groups with professionals. Associated with best practices, programs adopted two central perspectives on approaching participants: approaching participants as users and approaching participants as contributors. Such approaches were crossed with best practices and outcomes identified througout the analysis. For programs that approached participants as users, the best practices were valuing, facilitating the access to resources, showing availability, and promoting competencies and openness, and the main outcome was participants’ improved selfconfidence. For programs that approached participants as contributors, the best practices were contributing, encouraging participation, valuing participants, becoming masters, and reciprocity, and the main outcome was participants having an impact.

We reflect on and illustrate with concrete examples the various systematic and creative steps taken along the process of grounded theory (GT). This process led to the emergence of a theoretical framework centered on building reciprocity as a way of collaborating with socio-economically disadvantaged communities and a means for facilitating poverty-reduction initiatives. This article aims to present the systematic processes of analysis that lie behind the theoretical framework and to reflect on the lessons learned along the path to creating a GT. In this way, the emergence of the theoretical framework is examined along the different inductive and analytic steps, and the interrelation between concepts is discussed. Theoretical sensitivity, pacing, sampling, coding, memoing, and sorting in this research are illustrated and brought to light.

É por demais conhecida a importância que o vinho tem, desde longa data, na agricultura, na gastronomia, na economia e na sociedade. Assim, nos últimos séculos, a produção de vinho tem sofrido significativos progressos tornando-se, desta forma, objecto de interesse científico que visa o conhecimento das inúmeras variáveis que alteram o processo de vinificação.Leveduras e bactérias são responsáveis pelas fermentações alcoólica e maloláctica mas desempenham também um papel central na deterioração de alimentos e bebidas. Deste modo, demonstra-se essencial ter um melhor conhecimento da microbiota das uvas e do ambiente microbiológico da adega, para estabelecer a origem das leveduras de deterioração dos vinhos, as suas rotas de contaminação, os seus pontos críticos, e, claro, do seu controlo.Nesta dissertação, procedeu-se à avaliação microbiológica dos procedimentos de higiene em diversas áreas críticas de contaminação de uma adega (Quinta Monte d‟Oiro), enquadradas nos pré-requisitos de um sistema de HACCP. Em dois períodos do mesmo ano, após os procedimentos de higiene, fez-se a análise de microrganismos existentes nos equipamentos. Para uma melhor compreensão da flora microbiana, e na tentativa de conhecer as vias/fontes de contaminação, foram utilizados métodos fenotípicos e técnicas moleculares que permitiram, deste modo, identificar e/ou diferenciar as espécies ou estirpes responsáveis pela contaminação/degradação do produto final.Este trabalho foi dividido em três fases, procedendo-se inicialmente à recolha e inoculação das amostras, e purificação e caracterização morfológica e bioquímica dos isolados; permitindo agrupar os isolados com base nas suas características fenotípicas. Numa segunda etapa, identificaram-se 14 espécies diferentes de leveduras através da técnica de RFLP-PCR e da sequenciação da região D1/D2 do rDNA 26S. As espécies que mais se evidenciam foram Hanseniaspora uvarum, Pichia menbranifaciens, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa e Candida ishiwadae, por terem capacidade de causar maus paladares e por algumas delas se encontrarem em concentrações elevadas nos respectivos locais de amostragem. Finalmente, procedeu-se à identificação das bactérias, utilizando-se o método do csM13-PCR. Numa análise global, consideraram-se as estirpes de cada „cluster‟ (ao nível de 77%) formados pelos perfis de csM13-PCR „fingerprinting‟. Após análise conjunta dos resultados obtidos pela abordagem polifásica permitida pelos perfis de csM13-PCR, sequenciação de rDNA 16S a partir de alguns isolados de cada „cluster‟ e tipificação morfológica foi possível a identificação de isolados revelando 18 espécies diferentes.De acordo com o objectivo principal desta dissertação, e na sequência da estratégia adoptada, foi exequível retirar ilações sobre o nível de higiene dos equipamentos, matérias e outros elementos existentes na adega e quais os principais pontos críticos que se deve ter em conta para evitar contaminações enológicas e recomendações ao melhoramento do plano de HACCP implementado nesta adega. The importance of the wine in agriculture, food, economy and society it is well known for a long time. In the last centuries, the wine production has progress significantly and becoming the subject of scientific interest in order to understand the many variables that affect the winemaking process. Yeasts and bacteria are responsible for the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations but also play a central role in the deterioration of foods and drinks. Thus, it is essential to have a better knowledge of the microbiota of the grapes and of the microbial environment of the wine cellar to establish the origin of the wine deterioration microorganisms, their routes of contamination, critical points, and of course it´s control.

The importance of cultivating connection to enhance individual, relational and collective wellbeing is gaining attention in the current literature on building community. Although these goals are being increasingly considered, the concept of reciprocity has been less prominent than may be warranted in the field of psychology. This article presents a theoretical framework on the dynamics of reciprocity which resulted from grounded theory (GT) research involving 2 complementary studies. The first study involved 22 participants from different socioeconomic backgrounds engaged in “reflecting-team with appreciative audiences” sessions (Madsen, 2007) in Portugal. The second study involved participant observation of 15 community programs recognized as good-practices in collaboration with socioeconomically disadvantaged participants, at national and international levels, across 9 countries. The theoretical framework emphasizes the centrality of building reciprocity for the development of individuals, families, communities, and programs. It integrates the trajectories of reciprocity; quadrants reflecting the standpoints assumed according to socioeconomic and cultural positions; basic socialpsychological processes inherent to the process of building reciprocity; and characterizes different types of programs. The resulting framework is analyzed in relation to prior literature for a broader understanding of synergies and challenges, and the article concludes by suggesting implications for further research and practice.

Leaders are crucial to ensuring the well-being of their subordinates. This study aims to understand the effects of two leadership styles (empowering vs. directive) on subordinates’ well-being in an emergency situation (i.e., rural fire). A simulation study was conducted with two experimental conditions (empowering vs. directive leadership), and the subordinates’ stress levels were measured before and after the simulated episode. Contrary to expectations, empowering leadership had no significant effect on subordinates’ stress levels, while directive leadership contributed to reducing them. As expected, this effect was stronger for the subordinates with higher levels of stress prior to the simulated episode.

We build on Nonlinear Dynamic Systems (NDS) theory to examine if team performance change across a complete performance cycle is nonlinear, and if such change is related with team processes change over time. Participants were 214 teams enrolled in one management competition. The hypotheses were tested using nonlinear regressions and catastrophe modeling. The results of the nonlinear regression model support the hypothesis that change in team performance over time follows a cusp catastrophe distribution, R2 Cusp = .93, F (5, 1065) = 16889.82, p < .001); and that team processes do function as asymmetry (transition and action processes) and bifurcation (interpersonal processes) factors. The results also suggest that the cusp catastrophe model (R2 = .68) explains team performance better than the linear (R2 = .05) and logistic models (R2 = .07). This study reiterates the importance of incorporating the NDS perspective within the teamwork literature to leverage our knowledge about the way teams perform over time.

Although the effects of openness to experience (OTE) on individual creativity are well-established, research on how such effects unfold in a team context is scarce. Drawing on theories of group norms and uncertainty reduction, we argue that team mean OTE leads to a climate of team psychological safety which, in turn, facilitates team creativity. We test our hypothesis over three independent studies, the first comprising 35 business student project teams, the second based on 28 professional teams from the automotive industry, both conducted in the United Kingdom, and the third comprising 24 healthcare teams in Portugal. As predicted, across all three studies, team mean OTE was positively associated with team creativity via the affective emergent state of team psychological safety. Furthermore, the mediating role of team psychological safety remained significant even when accounting for team OTE variance, alternative motivational and cognitive emergent states, namely team promotion focus (studies 1 and 2) and team exploration climate (study 3), as well as empowering leadership (study 3). Finally, in study 3, we examined the differential impact of the two major facets of OTE, intellect, and openness, and found that intellect, but not openness, was responsible for driving the indirect effects. Further analysis did not support alternative perspectives concerning team OTE variance or the interaction between mean and variance. Our findings not only contribute to theoretical understanding regarding the relationship between team personality composition, specifically OTE, and team creativity but also provide much-needed insight into how such effects unfold. We delineate several practical implications for team design and development.

Na última década em Portugal assistimos à explosão do número de estudos acerca dos fatores psicológicos e contextuais que antecedem a eficácia das equipas em ambientes de trabalho complexos e extremos. Esta investigação tem-se centrado em torno dos aspetos comportamentais (e.g. coordenação, liderança), cognitivos (e.g. modelos mentais partilhados, sistemas de memória transitiva) e afetivos (e.g. coesão, team work engagement) que nos ajudam a explicar por que razão algumas equipas têm um desempenho melhor, estão mais satisfeitas com o seu trabalho e acreditam que são mais viáveis (mesmo as que trabalham em condições adversas). Ao longo deste artigo, fazemos não só uma revisão da investigação feita sobre o tema do trabalho em equipa nos últimos dez anos em Portugal, como estabelecemos pontes com outros trabalhos internacionais e apresentamos algumas sugestões para o futuro da investigação desta área na próxima década.

This study examines teams as complex adaptive systems (tCAS) and uses latent growth curve modeling to test team cohesion as an initial condition conducive to team performance over time and the mediational effect of team coordination on this relationship. After analyzing 158 teams enrolled in a business game simulation over five consecutive weeks, we found that change in team coordination was best described by a continuous linear change model, while change in team performance was best described by a continuous nonlinear change model; and the mediation latent growth curve model revealed a negative indirect effect of team cohesion on the level of change in team performance over time, through the level of change in team coordination. This study contributes to the science of teams by combining the notions of initial conditions with co-evolving team dynamics, hence creating a more refined temporal approach to understanding team functioning.

Transactive memory systems promote the effective exchange of diverse information, and may therefore contribute to healthcare teams innovation. Prior research on performance outcomes, however, suggests that transactive memory systems might be most useful for repetitive, rather than novel tasks. We reconcile these conflicting predictions by arguing that the information processing efficiencies of a transactive memory system will benefit innovation because transactive memory systems will help team members also reflecting on their processes and goals. We tested our hypotheses in a sample of 256 healthcare nurses (Nteams=54). Our findings support prior research showing that reflexivity is positively related to team innovation in teams. Furthermore, we found that reflexivity fully mediates the relationship between transactive memory systems and team innovation. This study contributes to the literature by addressing how team cognitive structures and processes combine to affect innovation. This study makes practical contributions by offering ideas for organizing in healthcare settings.