Publications

Articles scientifiques

Publications du LECD sur son site HAL

  • [hal-01704549] Les premiers pas dans la langue
    8 février 2018
    L’enfant qui ne produit pas de mot à la naissance porte néanmoins en lui un savoir implicite concernant le langage, qui va s’actualiser progressivement grâce à des capacités perceptives fonctionnelles dès son arrivée au monde. Sans les mots, l’enfant a donc déjà le pouvoir de communiquer, de se faire entendre et d’analyser le discours qu’on lui adresse. Il commence par identifier le système phonologique de sa langue puis tente presque immédiatement de structurer ses productions vocales dès qu’il a le pouvoir d’émettre des sons. Ces premières émissions sonores témoignent tout simplement de l’humanité qui le caractérise. Si les chercheurs s’interrogent toujours à propos des processus à l’origine de l’acquisition du langage, tous reconnaissent cependant que les enfants acquièrent leur langue maternelle en un temps record et que cette acquisition repose sur des capacités perceptives présentes dès la naissance. <b>Plan</b> Du bain utérin au bain linguistique Le babillage, la langue de bébé Les premiers mots Conclusion
  • [hal-01704543] Les prémices de la communication précoce
    8 février 2018
    Lorsqu’il naît, le bébé est déjà doué de compétences sensorielles, notamment auditives, qui lui permettront d’entrer en communication. Celle-ci ne peut cependant s’opérer sans une rencontre avec les personnes phares de son environnement social et au moment où ce tout-petit sera en phase d’alerte. Le nouveau-né n’est plus comme on l’a longtemps pensé une <i>tabula rasa</i> dépourvu de compétences. Le nouveau-né est « vieux de sa vie intra-utérine » : tous ses sens fonctionnent déjà à des degrés divers depuis la 28 e semaine de gestation. Ainsi, le dernier trimestre de la grossesse est riche d’expériences sensorielles qui ont commencé à façonner son cerveau et font de lui un petit être déjà compétent pour entrer en relation avec ses parents. <b>Plan</b> L’éveil des sens La rencontre Conclusion
  • [hal-02474536] Maternal presence influences vocal development in the Japanese quail ( Coturnix c. japonica )
    19 octobre 2020
    Social influences on vocal development of young birds have been widely studied in oscine songbirds who learn to sing by vocal imitation of conspecifics, mainly male adults. In contrast, vocal development of non-vocal learners such as Galliformes is considered as being under strong genetic influence and independent of the social environment. In this study, we investigated the role of the mother on the vocal development of young Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). We compared the vocal development of mothered and non-mothered chicks during the first 21 days of life. We analysed the structural changes of two vocalisations: a) the rally call, emitted during long-distance communication and in stressful situations, b) the contact call, emitted during short-distance communication when chicks are in visual and/or auditory contact with congeners. We showed that temporal and spectral structures of the two types of calls changed during development and differed between mothered and nonmothered chicks. These results demonstrate that maternal presence influences the vocal development of the young in the Japanese quail. Even if the adaptive value of such changes was not assessed, these results highlight that plasticity of vocalisations in species considered as non-vocal learners has been underestimated.
  • [hal-04498355] Social patterning of childhood overweight in the French national ELFE cohort
    11 mars 2024
    Abstract An inverse social gradient in early childhood overweight has been consistently described in high-income countries; however, less is known about the role of migration status. We studied the social patterning of overweight in preschool children according to the mother’s socio-economic and migration background. For 9250 children of the French ELFE birth cohort with body mass index collected at age 3.5 years, we used nested logistic regression to investigate the association of overweight status in children with maternal educational level, occupation, household income and migration status. Overall, 8.3% (95%CI [7.7–9.0]) of children were classified as overweight. The odds of overweight was increased for children from immigrant mothers (OR 2.22 [95% CI 1.75–2.78]) and descendants of immigrant mothers (OR 1.35 [1.04–2.78]) versus non-immigrant mothers. The highest odds of overweight was also observed in children whose mothers had low education, were unemployed or students, or were from households in the lowest income quintile. Our findings confirm that socio-economic disadvantage and migration status are risk factors for childhood overweight. However, the social patterning of overweight did not apply uniformly to all variables. These new and comprehensive insights should inform future public health interventions aimed at tackling social inequalities in childhood overweight.
  • [hal-01478447] Ce demi-siècle d'éthologie
    5 décembre 2017
    L'éthologie, au-delà du strict domaine de l'étude du comportement, s'étend aujourd'hui aux travaux sur la cognition, les émotions et les affects. Durant les cinquante dernières années, des approches aussi abondantes que variées ont ainsi permis d'aborder le déterminisme de la vie de relation des animaux. Cette histoire a été émaillée par maintes controverses sur les continuités et discontinuités entre l'homme et l'animal. La conception toute récente d'un animal hédonique permet de reconsidérer la vie subjective des animaux.
  • [hal-01478457] L'éthique animale au croisement des perspectives de recherche entre éthologie et philosophie
    28 février 2017
    Des recherches conduites récemment en éthologie tendent à considérer les animaux comme des agents moraux. Ils ne concernent que peu d’espèces, primates surtout, et étudient essentiellement les comportements liés à l’empathie et le sentiment d’injustice. Ces deux thématiques coïncident avec certains travaux menés en psychologie et en philosophie morales qui suggèrent que notre capacité morale s’appuie sur au moins deux principales sous-capacités consacrées respectivement à un sens du juste et à un sens du bon. Ces recherches influencent notre manière de concevoir la morale et notre relation avec les animaux.
  • [hal-03636219] Comment les adolescents perçoivent-ils la relation avec leur camarade préféré(e) ?
    9 avril 2022
    Le premier objectif de cette recherche était d’apporter un soutien empirique à un modèle tridimensionnel de la perception qu’ont les adolescents de la relation avec leur camarade de classe préféré. Les trois dimensions étaient : l’attachement émotionnel au camarade, le sentiment qu’il serait prêt à apporter son aide pour réussir une activité scolaire, et le fait de s’attendre à ce qu’il offre son soutien en cas d’agression par d’autres élèves. Le deuxième objectif était de tester des hypothèses concernant les facteurs de variation de cette perception. Dans le cadre d’une enquête nationale, un échantillon représentatif des élèves français en classe de 3ème, âgés en moyenne de 15 ans et 4 mois, a répondu à un questionnaire destiné à évaluer cette perception. Une analyse factorielle confirmatoire (AFC) indique que le modèle tridimensionnel est bien ajusté aux réponses des élèves. Les trois sous-échelles sont positivement mais modérément inter-corrélées. Une analyse multivariée de la variance a révélé que la relation avec le camarade de classe préféré est mieux perçue par les filles que par les garçons, qu’elle est évaluée à un niveau plus élevé lorsque ce camarade est le meilleur ami en dehors du collège et aussi lorsque cette préférence n’est pas trop récente.
  • [hal-02326354] Comment le bébé accède-t-il à la notion d’outil ?
    22 octobre 2019
    L’utilisation d’un outil permet de dépasser les limites de son propre corps pour interagir avec l’environnement. Après avoir appris à contrôler sa main pour prendre des objets, le bébé découvre peu à peu qu’un objet peut permettre d’agir sur un autre objet. Dans cet article nous nous intéressons à la fonction particulière de l’outil qui permet de rapprocher un objet présenté hors de portée. Nous passons d’abord en revue les comportements précurseurs de cette habileté, comme l’utilisation de moyens intermédiaires pour atteindre un but secondaire (means-end), ainsi que les premières études consacrées à l’utilisation d’outil pour rapprocher un objet. Dans un deuxième temps nous posons la question des mécanismes sous-jacents à la découverte de cette utilisation de l’outil à partir des résultats d’une étude où nous avons suivi quatre bébés pendant près d’un an à partir de 12 mois en leur présentant un jouet hors de portée et un râteau à portée de main. Nos résultats montrent que les bébés mettent plusieurs séances avant de comprendre l’utilité du râteau, séances pendant lesquelles soit ils explorent le râteau, soit ils quémandent le jouet, soit ils associent le râteau et le jouet mais pas pour essayer de rapprocher le jouet. Ce n’est que vers 18 mois, relativement soudainement, que les bébés ont semblé comprendre que le râteau pouvait leur permettre de rapprocher le jouet. Au vu des résultats, nous concluons que les mécanismes « essai-erreur » et apprentissage par observation nécessitent un certain niveau d’intuition de la solution pour être efficaces, mais que l’intuition elle-même nécessite une longue phase d’exploration qui permet dans un premier temps à la fois d’améliorer la manipulation du râteau (qui devient un prolongement de la main ?) et d’en découvrir les affordances.
  • [hal-04035239] La coopération dyadique entre enfants de 5-6 ans : effets de la complexité cognitive et de l'activité motrice sollicitées par les situations de résolution de problème
    17 mars 2023
    The present study investigated the role of cognitive complexity and motor activity created by the problem-solving tasks on preschoolers' dyadic cooperative play. Fifteen 5-6 years old dyads were video-observed in three problem-solving tasks designed to contrast different levels of cognitive complexity and motor difficulties. Cooperation was defined by dyadic joint actions and emotional exchanges during problem-solving tasks as well as children's interactions outside the tasks. A micro-analysis of children's behaviors was realized on 3 minutes of video-observation in each condition. Results showed that the more the problem-solving task created motor activities, the more the children produced dyadic joint actions and had longer emotional exchanges. They also interacted more frequently outside the task. No differences were found when the cognitive complexity of tasks were compared. These results were discussed within Walton's framework (1945) suggesting a link between motor expressivity and cognitive development.
  • [hal-02949928] Le DLPF : un nouvel outil pour l'évaluation du développement du langage de production en français
    26 septembre 2020
    Nous présentons ici un instrument, dénommé DLPF, qui est destiné à permettre une évaluation du développement du langage de production chez les enfants français entre le début de la deuxième année et la fin de la quatrième année. C’est un instrument d’évaluation indirecte – il s’agit d’un questionnaire à faire remplir par les parents – que nous avons souhaité rendre le plus complet possible, couvrant les principales acquisitions dans les trois dimensions lexicale, grammaticale et pragmatique. Des extraits des annexes complètent la présentation. La version complète de ces annexes est disponible directement auprès des auteurs.
  • [hal-02952596] Le tempo, fondement des compétences musicales et support du développement sociocognitif
    5 octobre 2020
    La musique est un objet sonore complexe mais qui repose sur une organisation temporelle très régulière. Cette caractéristique forte permet, lorsqu’elle est maîtrisée, d’anticiper les événements et de s’y synchroniser. La littérature scientifique souligne que l’être humain a une capacité à traiter ces régularités sur la base d’un tempo interne qui caractérise chaque individu. Bon nombre d’études chez l’adulte, l’enfant et le bébé montrent que le tempo interne oriente efficacement l’attention vers les objets ou événements importants. Au cours des premières années, pendant lesquelles cette compétence temporelle se développe, le jeune enfant baigne déjà dans un milieu riche en régularités temporelles multimodales, en produit de nombreuses et est soutenu dans son développement par ses partenaires sociaux privilégiés. Ces derniers lui proposent des interactions aux régularités temporelles saillantes qui lui permettent d’orienter son attention pour développer ses compétences cognitives et sociales.
  • [hal-04531861] LA MUSICALITÉ EST-ELLE UN HÉRITAGE DE NOTRE HISTOIRE BIOLOGIQUE ? Une approche comparative et multidisciplinaire
    4 avril 2024
    La musicalité ( i.e. l’ensemble des capacités associées à la perception, à l’appréciation et la production musicale) est largement répandue chez notre espèce. Selon certains chercheurs, elle aurait évolué car elle favoriserait la survie et/ou la reproduction. Ainsi, les origines biologiques de la musicalité ont été étudiées dans la littérature, chez l’espèce humaine mais aussi chez d’autres espèces. Les études suggèrent des fonctions adaptatives, dont l’attractivité en tant que partenaire de reproduction, la communication mère-bébé, ou encore la cohésion des groupes sociaux. Dans cette revue comparative, nous présenterons les données existantes sur la musicalité chez les espèces humaine et non-humaines pour chacune des fonctions évoquées ci-dessus. Nous discuterons ensuite la convergence évolutive de la musicalité chez certaines espèces ainsi que son origine biologique.
  • [hal-03114162] Combinatory sound object play in cockatiels: a forerunner of music?
    17 septembre 2024
    An interest in producing sounds during play behaviour might be a forerunner for music. Thus, we explored object play behaviour involving sounds in cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus). We provided them with several objects producing sounds and recorded sound production, spontaneous warbles and drumming during breeding, pre-and post-breeding. Birds manipulated the objects in a playful way. They manipulated them less during breeding than during pre-and post-breeding, but the proportion of manipulations producing sounds were higher during post-breeding and breeding than during pre-breeding. Males manipulated the objects more frequently and produced more sounds than females. Youngsters manipulated the objects more than adults. One bird repeatedly put a bell on a xylophone; we discuss several possible explanations for the behaviour, including tool use. Only males warbled and drummed, and during breeding only. Our results suggest an enriching effect of the objects on the birds. Many aspects of musicality remain to be studied.
  • [hal-04931960] Adolescents' sociosexual orientation is related to attachment to their same-sex parent
    6 février 2025
    We set out to show that sociosexual orientation (SSO) and erotophilia are two different traits that can be evidenced as early as middle adolescence, and to examine their associations with attachment to parents. Self-report scales measuring SSO, erotophilia, and attachment to the mother and the father were administered to 289 12- to 17-year-olds. Based on an exploratory factor analysis, SSO and erotophilia are two different, consistent dimensions in this age range. A six-month test-retest revealed a moderate-to-high rank-order stability of the two traits, which were positively and moderately correlated. Boys scored higher than girls on both traits. During the six-month interval between T1 and T2, erotophilia increased whereas SSO did not change. Regression analyses showed that a positive perception of attachment to the same-sex parent among boys accounted for SSO, regardless of perceived attachment to the other-sex parent. This held true for girls also, but to a lesser extent. In the discussion, we emphasize the differences between boys' and girls' mating behavior, and the differences between attachment to same-sex vs other-sex parents as possible influences on SSO.
  • [hal-01478446] Do Tonkean Macaques (Macaca Tonkeana) Tailor Their Gestural and Visual Signals to Fit the Attentional States of a Human Partner?
    28 février 2017
    Pourquoi les femmes sont-elles sujettes à la ménopause ? Cette question reste en grande partie mystérieuse. Logiquement, les mécanismes biologiques de l'évolution font en sorte que les invididus ne vivent guère longtemps au-delà de leur période de procréation. La ménopause est ainsi rarissime, et ne se produit que dans l'espèce humaine, ainsi que chez deux cétacés : l'orque et le globicéphale. Ce qui a poussé les biologistes à s'intéresser aux orques, dans le but de comprendre pourquoi leurs femelles sont ménopausées. Des observations nouvelles viennent ainsi d'être réalisées et publiées par une équipe de chercheurs de l'Université d'Exeter en Grande-Bretagne associée à des spécialistes des baleines de l'État de Washington, aux États-Unis. Ces observations pourraient expliquer pourquoi les femelles de rares espèces (dont la nôtre) ont une durée de vie largement supérieure à leur période de reproduction. Les orques vivent en troupes d'une quinzaine d'individus unis par des liens sociaux riches et complexes. Remarquablement intelligentes, parfois qualifiées de « baleines tueuses », les femelles âgées tiennent une place particulière que l'on peut observer dans des scènes typiques de la vie de ces animaux, où une orque conduit par exemple ses fils et ses filles, déjà d'âge adulte, vers un banc de saumons. Les jeunes adultes, parfaitement capables de chasser, se laissent mener sur la trajectoire du banc de poissons, dont ils semblent ignorer l'emplacement exact.
  • [hal-01478451] Intentional Gestural Communication and Discrimination of Human Attentional States in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta)
    28 février 2017
    Pourquoi les femmes sont-elles sujettes à la ménopause ? Cette question reste en grande partie mystérieuse. Logiquement, les mécanismes biologiques de l'évolution font en sorte que les invididus ne vivent guère longtemps au-delà de leur période de procréation. La ménopause est ainsi rarissime, et ne se produit que dans l'espèce humaine, ainsi que chez deux cétacés : l'orque et le globicéphale. Ce qui a poussé les biologistes à s'intéresser aux orques, dans le but de comprendre pourquoi leurs femelles sont ménopausées. Des observations nouvelles viennent ainsi d'être réalisées et publiées par une équipe de chercheurs de l'Université d'Exeter en Grande-Bretagne associée à des spécialistes des baleines de l'État de Washington, aux États-Unis. Ces observations pourraient expliquer pourquoi les femelles de rares espèces (dont la nôtre) ont une durée de vie largement supérieure à leur période de reproduction. Les orques vivent en troupes d'une quinzaine d'individus unis par des liens sociaux riches et complexes. Remarquablement intelligentes, parfois qualifiées de « baleines tueuses », les femelles âgées tiennent une place particulière que l'on peut observer dans des scènes typiques de la vie de ces animaux, où une orque conduit par exemple ses fils et ses filles, déjà d'âge adulte, vers un banc de saumons. Les jeunes adultes, parfaitement capables de chasser, se laissent mener sur la trajectoire du banc de poissons, dont ils semblent ignorer l'emplacement exact. Tout se passe comme si la...
  • [hal-04500856] Toward a multimodal and continuous approach of infant-adult interactions
    12 mars 2024
    Abstract Adult-infant early dyadic interactions have been extensively explored by developmental psychologists. Around the age of 2 months, infants already demonstrate complex, delicate and very sensitive behaviors that seem to express their ability to interact and share emotions with their caregivers. This paper presents 3 pilot studies of parent-infant dyadic interaction in various set-ups. The first two present longitudinal data collected on two infants aged between 1 and 6 months and their mothers. We analyzed the development of coordination between them, at the motor and at the vocal level. The 3rd pilot study aims to explore interpersonal coordination in both vocal behavior and motor activity for one infant and his mother at 2, 4 and 6 months. These pilot studies however leave a number of questions open concerning developmental changes and infants’ progressive mastery of interaction. We identify areas worth examining and try to tease out specific issues that may help develop new methodological pathways for the study of early naturalistic social interaction. We assume that a continuous, rather than discrete, approach would better capture the changes taking place in the various communicative modalities, while also displaying each dyad’s specificity and the narrative dimension of social engagement between infants and caregivers.
  • [hal-04035290] The Development of Gender Schemata About Heterosexual and Homosexual Others During Adolescence
    17 mars 2023
    Perceptions of heterosexual and homosexual individuals were investigated among 55 male and 60 female French 11.0–22.1 yr olds, divided into 3 mean age groups of 12-, 16-, and 20 yr olds. Participants described heterosexual and homosexual males and females with typical masculine and feminine personality traits. Overall, they perceived heterosexual males as having more masculine traits than homosexual males. The 16- and 20-yr-olds perceived homosexual males as more feminine than heterosexual males, whereas the reverse was observed in 12-yr-olds. Furthermore, the 1 2-yr-olds perceived heterosexual females as more feminine than homosexual females, a difference that disappeared in the older age groups. Results support the view of early adolescence as a crucial period in the development of gender schemata about sexually significant others.
  • [hal-03919211] Premises of social cognition: Newborns are sensitive to a direct versus a faraway gaze
    2 janvier 2023
    Previous studies evidenced that already from birth, newborns can perceive differences between a direct versus an averted gaze in faces both presented in static and interactive situations. It has been hypothesized that this early sensitivity would rely on modifications of the location of the iris (i.e. the darker part of the eye) in the sclera (i.e. the white part), or that it would be an outcome of newborns’ preference for configurations of faces with the eye region being more contrasted. One question still remains: What happens when the position of the iris is not modified in the sclera, but the look is ‘faraway’, that is when the gaze is toward the newborns’ face but above his or her own eyes? In the present study, we tested the influence of a direct versus a faraway gaze (i.e., two gazes that only differed slightly in the position of the iris on the vertical axis and not on the horizontal axis) on newborns’ face recognition. The procedure was identical to that used in previous studies: using a familiarization-test procedure, we familiarized two groups of newborns (N = 32) with videos of different talking faces that were presented with either a direct or a faraway gaze. Newborns were then tested with photographs of the face seen previously and of a new one. Results evidenced that newborns looked longer at the familiar face, but only in the direct gaze condition. These results suggest that, already from birth, infants can perceive slight differences of gazes when someone is addressing to them.
  • [hal-04045804] Adolescents’ Attachment to Parents and Peers: Links to Young Adulthood Friendship Quality
    25 mars 2023
    Few studies have been carried out on emerging adults' friendships and on their developmental roots. Research suggests that in adolescence, both attachment to parents and attachment to peers play a role in future socio-emotional development. The aim of the present study was to compare attachment in these two types of relationships in adolescence according to gender and test whether they respectively predicted the perception of best friendship in early adulthood. A sample of 83 participants (49 girls) was seen in early adolescence (M = 13.66 years, SD = 0.64) and 7 years later (mean age = 21.15 years, SD = 0.83). At T1, participants completed the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, which measures attachment using three subscales (communication, alienation and trust) and one global security score. At T2, they completed the McGill Friendship Questionnaire. Results show that in adolescence, boys report higher security with parents compared to peers (mainly due to better communication), unlike girls who obtain higher scores with peers. Longitudinal findings reveal that alienation in the relation with parents is what best predicts friendship quality in early adulthood. These findings underline the specific internal working models at play in socio-emotional development and the way gender differences evolve from adolescence to early adulthood. Highlights: Contrary to female adolescents, males reported higher security with parents compared to peers (mainly due to better communication). Female adolescents reported better communication with peers than males. No gender difference in friendship quality in emerging adulthood was found. Results suggest that the progressive broadening of attachment from parents to peers occurs earlier for girls than for boys. Alienation in the relation with parents in early adolescence predicts friendship quality in early adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
  • [hal-01478448] Male Song Quality Modulates c-Fos Expression in the Auditory Forebrain of the Female Canary
    28 février 2017
    In canaries, specific phrases of male song (sexy songs, SS) that are difficult to produce are especially attractive for females. Females exposed to SS produce more copulation displays and deposit more testosterone into their eggs than females exposed to non-sexy songs (NS). Increased expression of the immediate early genes c-Fos or zenk (a.k.a. egr-1) has been observed in the auditory forebrain of female songbirds hearing attractive songs. C-Fos immunoreactive (Fos-ir) cell numbers were quantified here in the brain of female canaries that had been collected 30min after they had been exposed for 60min to the playback of SS or NS or control white noise. Fos-ir cell numbers increased in the caudomedial mesopallium (CMM) and caudomedial nidopallium (NCM) of SS birds as compared to controls. Song playback (pooled SS and NS) also tended to increase average Fos-ir cell numbers in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) but this effect did not reach full statistical significance. At the individual level, Fos expression in CMM was correlated with its expression in NCM and in MBH but also with the frequency of calls that females produced in response to the playbacks. These data thus indicate that male songs of different qualities induce a differential metabolic activation of NCM and CMM. The correlation between activation of auditory regions and of the MBH might reflect the link between auditory stimulation and changes in behavior and reproductive physiology.
  • [hal-03484132] French handlers’ perspectives on Animal-Assisted Interventions
    24 mai 2023
    BackgroundAnimal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) are well implemented in human healthcare, in France as elsewhere; yet there are still difficulties in characterizing these practices and misconceptions about their mechanisms - little is known about the French practice of AAI and about the human-animal team.ObjectivesThis study aims to characterize AAI by exploring their specificities through French handlers’ perspectives.Material and methodAn online survey addressed to French handlers working in AAI with mainly one dog was carried out. This research included questions about their practice in AAI (registration status, beneficiaries, and animals) and their background (training in AAI, training in the medico-social field, training in animal behavior). We then examined a phenomenological understanding of handlers’ definitions of their practice in AAI, their motivations to work with these approaches, and the expectations of the human-animal team. We used an open coding strategy and created major themes from their answers.Results111 handlers participated in this study. The quantitative data highlighted a heterogeneity of handlers' profiles and professional backgrounds, although most profiles had previous training in healthcare. Five themes characterizing AAI emerged from the qualitative analysis: (1) AAI as additional approaches to care settings, (2) AAI as person-centered approaches, (3) the complementarity between handlers and their animal(s), (4) the shared role of mediator, and (5) handlers’ beliefs about the human-animal relationship related to their personal experiences. This survey allowed us to understand how the French use AAI and its role in the care system.ConclusionThe benefits of AAI are numerous both for care settings and for the caregivers mainly by making the care more humane. AAI seem to put the wellbeing of beneficiaries and the relationship with the caregiver at the center of the care. The complementarity of the human-animal team is the common feature of these practices and is critical to their success. Future interdisciplinary studies are required to explore the particularities of these interspecific approaches and the differences between countries.
  • [hal-03484139] The State of Animal-Assisted Interventions in France: Is the IAHAIO Model Relevant?
    26 mars 2024
    Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) became more generalized in health care settings and their development in Europe is increasing. In France, the practice has grown in the absence of official recognition and regulation. In this context, we aim to identify the main characteristics of the French practice of AAI that can influence the establishment of a local regulation. Second, we aim to question the relevance of the model proposed by the International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO) distinguishing animal-assisted therapies (AAT) and (AAA) animal-assisted activities from the French practice of AAI. We interviewed 111 French handlers in AAI that work with at least one dog through an online questionnaire about their professional backgrounds and the main features of their practices of AAI (characteristics, beneficiaries, and animals). Our results indicated that AAI are at an important moment of expansion and are currently under autonomous regulation. Practices and handlers' backgrounds are heterogeneous, as well as training centers in AAI, which reflect the fragmentation of the field. This snapshot of the French practice of AAI underlined that regulations should focus first on a mandatory training, a common standard for each training center, and specific guidelines for each pathology and animal species involved. In addition, the influence of handlers' backgrounds on the type of AAI they practice must be taken into account in regulations. As animals are central in AAI, regulations should focus on their welfare and the certification of dogs to ensure both their safety and the safety of beneficiaries during sessions. Finally, the initial training in the medico-social field seems to influence the practices. Therefore, the common model distinguishing AAT and AAA could be a basis to regulate AAI in France, as in Italy. Indeed, our results underlined that a first categorization between AAI as a professional specialization or an independent profession could be useful. Still, whatever the type of practices, animal and beneficiary welfare should be at the center of regulations in a One Health perspective. As a result, the French government needs to support AAI development such as in other European countries (Sweden, Austria, and Italy) and should collaborate with handlers, organizations, health care facilities, animal professions, and scientists.
  • [hal-02890126] Diversity of romantic experiences in late adolescence and their contribution to identity formation
    11 février 2025
    Romance constitutes a central experience in adolescence, which can take several forms including (a) serious romance with a steady partner, (b) casual and short-lived dating, and (c) pending experiences of romantic thoughts and attempts. Using a three-way longitudinal design, the present study examined the gender differences and developmental changes of these romantic experiences, and their cross-lagged associations with identity processes, throughout one year in late adolescence. 389 students (63% girls) filled out questionnaires about their romantic experiences and identity processes. Girls reported more serious romance than did boys, who reported more casual dating and pending experiences. Serious romance increased over the year for both genders, whereas casual dating and pending experiences continued to rise only for boys. The cross-lagged model highlighted that serious romantic experience positively predicted identity commitments and exploration in depth, whereas identity exploration in breadth positively predicted casual dating. This pattern was stable over the three time-points and across gender and age groups. Overall, this study invites consideration of more diverse romantic experiences than those associated with tangible involvement. We discuss the contribution of romantic experiences to the identity dynamic
  • [hal-01704319] Mate preferences in female canaries (Serinus canaria) within a breeding season
    8 février 2018
    Divorce and remating in birds can be described as strategies used to enhance reproductive success. Mate switching often occurs because pairs failed to brood at least one chick during the previous breeding season. In the present study, we evaluated the influence of reproductive success on female preferences in domesticated canaries (Serinus canaria). For that purpose, females previously paired and having reared young were placed in a choice test situation: They were allowed to choose between their previous mate and a familiar male (a male neighbor during the breeding period). During these choice tests, females tended to stay near their previous mate longer than near a male neighbor when their reproductive success was " good " (at least two chicks). On the other hand, females with " poor " reproductive success (one chick) did not show a preference for their previous mate. Furthermore, in the present study, we observed that during choice tests males reacted to the presence of their previous mate in a particular way, by gathering nest material. This behavior was more scarcely observed in neighbor males which, on the contrary, sang significantly more than previous mates did.
  • [hal-04931213] Ségrégation de sexe et socialisation entre élèves de collège au Cameroun. Filles et garçons à part mais en accord sur la répartition des rôles sexués.
    5 février 2025
    Le premier objectif était de savoir si à l’adolescence les relations entre élèves camerounais étaient marquées par la ségrégation de sexe. Le deuxième consistait à analyser dans quelle mesure les réputations de dominance et de prosocialité rendaient compte de l’acceptation sociale. 358 élèves de collège ont répondu à un questionnaire. Devant citer leurs préférés, ils ont choisi majoritairement des condisciples de leur sexe. Chez les filles les réputations de prosocialité et de dominance contribuent à l’acceptation sociale, chez les garçons seule leur réputation de prosocialité y contribue. On obtient les mêmes résultats en se centrant sur les citations provenant des pairs de même sexe. Ces résultats sont interprétés dans le contexte des rôles sexués au Cameroun.
  • [hal-01244841] Sex Differences in Language Across Early Childhood: Family Socioeconomic Status does not Impact Boys and Girls Equally
    17 décembre 2015
    Child sex and family socioeconomic status (SES) have been repeatedly identified as a source of inter-individual variation in language development; yet their interactions have rarely been explored. While sex differences are the focus of a renewed interest concerning emerging language skills, data remain scarce and are not consistent across preschool years. The questions of whether family SES impacts boys and girls equally, as well as of the consistency of these differences throughout early childhood, remain open. We evaluated consistency of sex differences across SES and age by focusing on how children (N = 262), from 2;6 to 6;4 years old, from two contrasting social backgrounds, acquire a frequent phonological alternation in French – the liaison. By using a picture naming task eliciting the production of obligatory liaisons, we found evidence of sex differences over the preschool years in low-SES children, but not between high-SES boys and girls whose performances were very similar. Low-SES boys' performances were the poorest whereas low-SES girls' performances were intermediate, that is, lower than those of high-SES children of both sexes but higher than those of low-SES boys. Although all children's mastery of obligatory liaisons progressed with age, our findings showed a significant impeding effect of low-SES, especially for boys.
  • [hal-04952306] Decreased risk-proneness with increasing age in equally raised and kept wolves and dogs
    17 février 2025
    A basic mechanism of domestication is the selection for fearlessness and acceptance of humans as social partners, which may affect risk-taking behavior and the ability to use humans as social support, both at the behavioural and physiological levels. We combined behavioural observations with heart rate parameters (i.e., HR and heart rate variability, HRV) in equally raised and housed wolves and dogs to assess the responses to food offered in the vicinity of a potential stressor (an unknown spinning object) with and without social support from a familiar human. Based on previous studies on neophobia in wolves and dogs, we expected dogs to be less scared of the object, approach more quickly, show less ambivalent behaviour, lower HR, and higher HRV, than wolves, especially at the presence of a human partner. However, we found that mainly age and the presence of a familiar human affected the behaviour of our subjects: older wolves and dogs were generally bolder and faster to approach the food and the familiar human’s presence increased the likelihood of taking it. HR rate parameters were affected by age and the stage of the test. Wolves and dogs showed particularly high HRs at the beginning and end of the test sessions. We conclude that in our paradigm, wolves’ and dogs’ risk-proneness varied with age, rather than species. Additionally, the presence of a familiar human increased the motivation of both, dogs and wolves to take the food.
  • [hal-04952642] Context-Specific Arousal During Resting in Wolves and Dogs: Effects of Domestication?
    17 février 2025
    <div><p>Due to domestication, dogs differ from wolves in the way they respond to their environment, including to humans. Selection for tameness and the associated changes to the autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulation have been proposed as the primary mechanisms of domestication. To test this idea, we compared two low-arousal states in equally raised and kept wolves and dogs: resting, a state close to being asleep, and inactive wakefulness, which together take up an important part in the time budgets of wolves and dogs. We measured arousal via cardiac output in three conditions: alone, with a familiar human partner, or with pack members (i.e., conspecifics). Specifically, we compared heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) of six wolves and seven dogs. As patterns of resting can vary adaptively, even between closely related species, we predicted that dogs would be generally more aroused than wolves, because living with humans may come with less predictable contexts than living with conspecifics; hence, dogs would need to be responsive at all times. Furthermore, we predicted that due to the effects of domestication, emotional social support by familiar people would reduce arousal more in dogs than in equally human-socialized wolves, leading to more relaxed dogs than wolves when away from the pack. Overall, we found a clear effect of the interactions between species (i.e., wolf versus dog), arousal state (i.e., resting or awake inactive) and test conditions, on both HR and HRV. Wolves and dogs were more aroused when alone (i.e., higher HR and lower HRV) than when in the presence of conspecifics or a familiar human partner. Dogs were more relaxed than wolves when at rest and close to a familiar human but this difference disappeared when awake. In conclusion, instead of the expected distinct overall differences between wolves and dogs in ANS regulation, we rather found subtle context-specific responses, suggesting that such details are important in understanding the domestication process.</p></div>
  • [hal-04687928] Young children's difficulties in switching from rhythm production to temporal interval production (>1 s)
    4 septembre 2024
    In order to efficiently perform audio-motor coordination children must process event duration. It has recently been shown that duration processing in adults involves two distinct, or at least hierarchically interrelated, processes. The processing of durations ranging from a hundred milliseconds to around one second is well accounted for by the Scalar Timing Theory. For duration above one second, temporal processing in adults appears to be task-dependent. Performances in the range of a hundred millisecond durations are usually studied with auditory tempo tasks. In this study, we examine timing performance in children for a large range of durations, from 400 ms to 4 seconds, using the same experimental design. The procedure consists in a motor synchronization task. Overall, our results show that 5 year olds perform better than 3 year olds. However, durations greater than, 1500 ms are difficult to process, leading to increasing variability in produced intervals. Moreover, only a few children are able to produce very long duration intervals. The main finding of this study confirms the existence of a break in the region of 1500 ms when a repeated synchronization task is tested. Consistently with the adult literature, this finding suggests the existence of two duration-dependent timing processes when children have to coordinate their motor behavior to external events
  • [hal-01480085] Psychological Disorders and Ecological Factors Affect the Development of Executive Functions: Some Perspectives
    3 février 2021
    The links between deficits in executive functions (EFs) (e.g., mental flexibility, inhibition capacities, etc.) and some psychological disorders (e.g., anxiety and depressive disorders) have been investigated in the past decades or so.
  • [hal-04133300] Young children’s difficulties in switching from rhythm production to temporal interval production (>1 s)
    19 juin 2023
    This study examined the young children's abilities to switch from rhythm production, with short inter-tap intervals (ITIs), to temporal interval production, with long ITI (>1 s), in a sensorimotor synchronization task. Children aged 3-and 5-year-olds were given six sessions of synchronization. In a control group, they had to synchronize their ITI to an inter-stimulus interval (ISI) of 4 s. In the experimental group, they must progressively increase their ITI for one session to the next (from 0.4 to 4.0-s ISI). Our results showed that the 5-yearolds produced longer ITI that the 3-year-olds in synchronization. However, the value of ITI in the 5-year-olds never exceeded 1.5 s, with more variable ITI in the control than in the experimental group. In addition, at 5 years, boys had more difficulties than girls in changing their tapping rhythm. These results suggest a temporal window in sensorimotor synchronization, beyond which the rhythm is lost and the synchronization becomes difficult.
  • [hal-02887830] Tempo Discrimination in 3-and 4-year-old children: performances and threshold
    2 juillet 2020
    Durations of less than one second are involved in all kinds of activities, such as music perception or rhythmical production tasks. It is therefore important to know how short durations are processed at a young age. This study aims to define discrimination performance between 3-and 4-year-olds (tempo discrimination). The first 4 years of life are essential for cognitive development and there is little data concerning those years due to the extreme difficulty of finding methods to assess children's timing performances. Moreover, the results yielded by previous experiments are controversial. Our data revealed that discrimination performances improve significantly within only a few months. The discrimination data from 3 and 4 year-olds are compared to those from older children. The overall results are discussed in a developmental model context.
  • [hal-02887838] Régulation rythmique avant 4 ans : effet d'un tempo auditif sur le tempo moteur
    2 juillet 2020
    L'objectif de cette étude est d'analyser les capacités de l'enfant âgé de 1 ½ à 3 ½ ans à modifier son tempo moteur spontané (TMS) en fonction de tempi auditifs. Les résultats montrent que le TMS reste constant entre 1 ½ et 3 ½ ans et que, parallèlement, il devient plus régulier. Les enfants les plus âgés modifient leurs rythmes de frappes si le tempo auditif diffère d'au moins 20 % de leurs propres rythmes. La capacité des enfants à ralentir leurs rythmes de frappes se met en place plus tardivement que leur accéléra-tion. Enfin, les modifications du rythme de frappes induisent une modification équivalente du TMS mais transitoire.
  • [hal-04307298] Skin-to-skin SDF positioning: The key to intersubjective intimacy between mother and very preterm newborn—A pilot matched-pair case-control study
    21 mai 2024
    Background Skin-to-skin contact (SSC) has been widely studied in NICU and several meta-analyses have looked at its benefits, for both the baby and the parent. However, very few studies have investigated SSC’ benefits for communication, in particular in the very-preterm newborn immediately after birth. Aims To investigate the immediate benefits of Supported Diagonal Flexion (SDF) positioning during SSC on the quality of mother—very-preterm newborn communication and to examine the coordination of the timing of communicative behaviors, just a few days after birth. Subjects and study design Monocentric prospective matched-pair case-control study. Thirty-four mothers and their very preterm infants (27 to 31 + 6 weeks GA, mean age at birth: 30 weeks GA) were assigned to one of the two SSC positioning, either the Vertical Control positioning ( n = 17) or the SDF Intervention positioning ( n = 17). Mother and newborn were filmed during the first 5 min of their first SSC. Outcome measures Infants’ states of consciousness according to the Assessment of Preterm Infants’ Behavior scale (APIB). Onset and duration of newborns’ and mothers’ vocalizations and their temporal proximity within a 1-s time-window. Results In comparison with the Vertical group, very preterm newborns in the SDF Intervention Group spent less time in a drowsy state and more in deep sleep. At 3.5 days of life, newborns’ vocal production in SSC did not differ significantly between the two groups. Mothers offered a denser vocal envelope in the SDF group than in the Vertical group and their vocalizations were on average significantly longer. Moreover, in a one-second time-frame, temporal proximity of mother-very preterm newborn behaviors was greater in the SDF Intervention Group. Conclusion Although conducted on a limited number of dyads, our study shows that SDF positioning fosters mother-very preterm newborn intimate encounter during the very first skin to skin contact after delivery. Our pioneer data sheds light on the way a mother and her very preterm vocally meet, and constitutes a pilot step in the exploration of innate intersubjectivity in the context of very preterm birth.
  • [hal-04589873] Object play and problem solving in infancy: Insights into tool use
    27 mai 2024
    Tool use is primarily, but not exclusively, present in species with otherwise advanced cognitive traits. However, the interaction between such traits and conspecific inter-individual variation in the presence, complexity, or intensity of tool use is far from being established. We addressed this matter among human infants, seeking factors that relate to differences in tool use. We examined, both correlationally and experimentally, whether the propensity to engage in object combinations predicts performance in means–end problem-solving tasks involving or not involving the use of a tool. We tested 71 infants aged 15, 18, 21, and 24 months, dividing them into two subgroups: one exposed to an adult demonstrating object–object combinations (i.e., “prompting” infants to combine objects together) and another with comparable social exposure but where the adult demonstrated single-object manipulations. We found a correlation between the combined level of spontaneous and prompted object combinations and problem-solving performance regardless of the involvement of tools in the problem. However, we did not find differences in tool-use performance between the two demonstration subgroups. The correlational analysis suggests that complexity of play, as measured by the frequency of combining objects, is linked to infants’ problem-solving skills rather than being specifically associated with tool use, as previously suggested in the literature.
  • [hal-03817593] Cross-species parallels in babbling: animals and algorithms
    17 octobre 2022
    One contribution of 21 to a theme issue 'Vocal learning in animals and humans'.
  • [hal-04953402] L’écran est-il bon ou mauvais pour le jeune enfant ?
    18 février 2025
    Le taux d’exposition des enfants à l’écran augmente et devient de plus en plus précoce. Aujourd’hui, selon plusieurs enquêtes américaines, 90% des enfants de moins de deux ans regardent l’écran pendant en moyenne deux heures par jour, et ce malgré les recommandations contraires de l’Académie Américaine de Pédiatrie et du Ministère de la Santé Français. L’objectif de cette revue est double : (1) comprendre les corrélats et les facteurs démographiques déterminant l’exposition à la télévision et (2) étudier les effets de la télévision sur le développement cognitif du jeune enfant. La littérature scientifique montre que l’effet de l’écran dépend moins de la durée de visionnage hebdomadaire que de l’âge et des contextes dans lesquels les enfants regardent l’écran (accompagnés ou non) ainsi que des contenus regardés (éducatifs ou non). Prises dans leur ensemble, les études montrent que l’exposition aux écrans a un impact négatif sur le développement, particulièrement quand l’exposition concerne des enfants âgés de moins de trois ans.
  • [hal-04953374] Design of a robotic zebra finch for experimental studies on developmental song learning
    18 février 2025
    ABSTRACT Birdsong learning has been consolidated as the model system of choice for exploring the biological substrates of vocal learning. In the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), only males sing and they develop their song during a sensitive period in early life. Different experimental procedures have been used in the laboratory to train a young finch to learn a song. So far, the best method to achieve a faithful imitation is to keep a young bird singly with an adult male. Here, we present the different characteristics of a robotic zebra finch that was developed with the goal to be used as a song tutor. The robot is morphologically similar to a life-sized finch: it can produce movements and sounds contingently to the behaviours of a live bird. We present preliminary results on song imitation, and other possible applications beyond the scope of developmental song learning.

Médias

ACTUALITES

2023/06/30 - Articles de Johana Ryšavá


2022/04/07 - Michel Kreutzer, sur France Culture (du 04/04/2022 au 07/04/2022 - disponible en podcast en intégralité dès le lundi après la diffusion du premier épisode), dans l'émission LSD -  Série documentaire "L'intelligence du vivant", de Franck Bessière, réalisée par Anne Fleury
1er épisode - "Définir le vivant" « Depuis pas mal d'années, on se rend compte que les êtres vivants, les organismes, notamment les vertébrés supérieurs, les oiseaux, les mammifères, recherchent également ce qui est source de plaisir. Un vivant, c'est donc aussi un être qui recherche des plaisirs et qui essaie d'éviter les déplaisirs. C'est une des raisons sans doute pour laquelle aujourd'hui, on donne tant d'importance à la souffrance animale et qu'on estime que l'on doit se donner des règles éthiques dans nos relations avec les animaux. »
2ème épisode - "L'humain un vivant d'exception"
3ème épisode - "Dans la tête des animaux" « Les émotions entrent pleinement dans les études éthologiques, qui ne se limitent donc plus seulement aux comportements. »
4ème épisode - "Le génie du vivant"

2022/03/30 - Michel Kreutzer, au Musée du Quai Branly - Université populaire 2021/2022, Thème 2 : Le corps - "L'"apprendre animal" : comment le savoir se transmet et s'apprend chez les animaux" 
2021/12/07 - Rana Esseily, Carla Aimé, Dalila Bovet et Maya Gratier, à la Philharmonie de Paris - Colloque "Pédagogie du chant choral" - "Résultats de l'étude scientifique -  impacts sur les capacités psychosociales, les apprentissages scolaires et le bien-être des enfants" (10h20)
https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/fr/activite/colloque/23002-pedagogie-du-chant-choral
2021/10/26 - Michel Kreutzer, sur France Inter, dans l’émission "Grand bien vous fasse" - "Autour des ‘Folies animales'"
2021/10/13 - Michel Kreutzer interviewé par Caroline Lachowski, sur RFI , dans l'émission "Autour de la question" - "La folie est-elle le propre de l’homme ?"
2021/10/11 - Rana Esseily sur France Culture, dans l'émission "La méthode scientifique" - "Rire : c’est du sérieux!"
2021/03/28 - Michel Kreutzer, interviewé par Octave Larmagnac-Matheron, dans Philosophie magazine - "Zoopsychiatrie : À la découverte des folies animales"
2021/03/25 - Michel Kreutzer, invité de l’association CVA (Connaissance et Vie d’Aujourd’hui) de Lille - Conférence "Éthologie : sommes-nous tous des bêtes ?"


ARCHIVES TELE / RADIO
2017/10/26 : France Infos junior - "Que se passe-t-il dans la tête des bébés ?"
2017/03/26 : France Inter - "Les Savanturiers" - en direct du salon du livre (à partir de 40 min 20) pour la promotion de La science à Contrepied paru aux éditions Belin.
2017/04/12 : France 3 - Le monde de Jamy : "Ces animaux si proches de nous"
2015/01/02 : France 5 - C dans l'air : "Mon chat est-il une personne ?"
2014/07/07 : France culture - Les matins d'été, 2ème partie : Les invités culture/Idées. "Malin comme un corbeau", avec deux éthologues Agatha Lievin-Bazin et Valérie Dufour (à partir de la 98ème minute).
2013/06 : NBC News - "Finches sing like birds and their dad taught them how"
2014/04 : France Culture - "L'intelligence du perroquet"
2013/10 : France Culture - Emission Continent Science : "L’homosexualité animale" (audio 54').
Cité des sciences et de l'industrie - Cycle de conférences Universciences "Corps et esprit : indissociables" : "Accéder à la vie subjective des animaux" - Michel Kreutzer.
2012/12 : The Telegraph "Parrot listens to Scissor Sisters' music".
2012/12 : France 5 - Emission "On n'est pas que des cobayes" : "Les éléphants ont-ils peur des souris".
2011/05 : France Inter - Emission "Vivre avec les bêtes", 29 mai :  http://www.franceinter.fr/em/vivre-avec-les-betes/105163 (05/2011)

ARCHIVES PRESSE ECRITE
2019/11/30 : The Economist - Male nightingales spend the winter practising.
2019/11/26 : New Scientist - Nightingales practise new songs in winter to impress mates in spring.
2017/03 :  Sciences Psy - Le tempo de notre quotidien - Et si nous prenions le temps ?, pp.30.
2014/12 : Santé magazine, n°469 sur l'empathie.
2014/09/03 : BMC - The unheard message of larksong.
2014/06 : JDD - L'intelligence des corbeaux
2013/11 : JDD - Comment les oiseaux apprennent-ils à chanter ?
2012/03&04 : Cerveau&Psycho - Le perroquet mentaliste.
2011 : Le Pigeon en Ville - La vie sociale du pigeon Bizet.
2011/12 : Le Républicain Lorrain - Les pigeons sont physionomistes.
2011/08 : Futura Sciences Les canaris font leur show... et s'adaptent à leur public !
2011/08 : Les Echos - Le perroquet, une langue et un cerveau.
2011/05 : BBC News - Parrots choose to work together.
2011/05 : Maxisciences - Intelligence du perroquet gris : collaboration et personnalité.
2011/05 : PhysOrg - Parrots display teamwork and decision-making skills.
2009/04 : Science Actualité, Universciences - Des piafs malins comme des singes.
2005/02 : BBC News - Sleep helps birds sing better.
A good night's sleep helps young birds master the art of singing, but only after a rather groggy start, Nature magazine has reported.
Savoirs Essonne - Masculin/féminin : le genre existe-t-il chez les animaux ?

Ouvrages

Michel Kreutzer (2021), Folies Animales, Le Pommier, Paris.

Bernard Thierry & Michel Kreutzer (dir, 2021), Témoignages sur la naissance d’une science, Les développements de l’éthologie en France (1956-1990), ouvrage collectif, Presses Universitaires de Paris Nanterre.


Franck Péron (2011), L'intelligence des perroquets: l'hypothèse du cerveau social: Compétition et coopération chez les psittacidés, Editions universitaires européennes.



 

Mis à jour le 23 novembre 2023