Perceived ward climate and treatment outcome.

3 ward climate scales were derived from 2 independent studies linking treatment environments as perceived by patients and staff to treatment outcome as assessed by ward dropout, release, and community tenure rates. Patients and staff from 7 large and 8 small Veterans Administration hospital wards completed the Ward Atmosphere Scales. Patients and staff agreed in perceiving wards with high dropout rates as low in involvement, support, order and organization, and program clarity, whereas wards with high release rates were perceived as strongly emphasizing practical orientation, but as relatively "unexpressive." Wards that kept patients out of the hospital longest were seen as emphasizing autonomy and independence, practical orientation, order and organization, and the open expression of feelings, particularly angry feelings. It is concluded that some relatively consistent findings are emerging from studies in this area. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The structure of depression among elderly institution residents: affective and somatic correlates of physical frailty

BACKGROUND: Confounding of depression with somatic illness and anxiety, a problem in any age group, may be especially troublesome in frail older persons. This paper examined this problem in a factor analytic study of the structure of depressive symptomatology, identifying affective and somatic symptom clusters and relating those clusters to health and functional variables cross-sectionally and prospectively over a 1-year interval. METHODS: The factor structure of a DSM-IV symptom checklist was examined among 1,245 elderly long-term care residents. Regression analyses examined the association of resulting factors with cognition, functional disability, self- and physician-rated health, and pain at baseline and a year later. One-year mortality was also examined. RESULTS: Factor analysis revealed three unique symptom clusters: depressed mood, somatic symptoms, and psychic anxiety. Depressed mood and somatic symptoms were associated cross-sectionally with all functional health variables, but psychic anxiety was associated only with pain. Longitudinally, depressed mood was the only independent predictor of decline in cognition, functional ability, physician-rated health, and mortality; the last effect, however, did not withstand control for baseline health and functioning. Somatic symptoms at baseline predicted decrement in self-rated health a year later. Effects varied as a function of cognitive status. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that concerns about the confounding role of somatic symptoms in the association of depression with physical health are unfounded. Although somatic symptoms of depression and anxiety were associated with health and functional status cross-sectionally, depressed mood was by far the stronger predictor of health declines over time.     

Participative goal-setting: Social, motivational, and cognitive factors.

Examined 3 explanations of why participation in goal setting may lead to increased performance—the social factor of group discussion, the motivational factor of involvement in goal setting, and the cognitive factor of information. A 2?×?2?×?2 experimental design (low and high levels of group discussion, involvement, and information) was used to study 96 predominantly male white collar employees (aged 23–58 yrs) who worked on a simulated personnel selection task. Results indicate that the social and motivational factors of participation increased performance quantity, incidental learning, goal acceptance, group commitment, and satisfaction. The motivational and cognitive factors significantly contributed to performance quality but the cognitive factor did not significantly affect performance quantity and work attitudes. It is suggested that a combination of the 3 factors leads to the highest level of performance. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trajectories of affective states in adolescent hockey players: Turning point and motivational antecedents.

This study examined longitudinal trajectories of positive and negative affective states with a sample of 265 adolescent elite hockey players followed across 3 measurement points during the 1st 11 weeks of a season. Latent class growth modeling, incorporating a time-varying covariate and a series of predictors assessed at the onset of the season, was used to chart out distinct longitudinal trajectories of affective states. Results provided evidence for 3 trajectories of positive affect and 3 trajectories of negative affect. Two of these trajectories were deflected by team selection, a seasonal turning point occurring after the 1st measurement point. Furthermore, the trajectories of positive and negative affective states were predicted by theoretically driven predictors assessed at the start of the season (i.e., self-determination, need satisfaction, athletic identity, and school identity). These results contribute to a better understanding of the motivational, social, and identity-related processes associated with the distinct affective trajectories of athletes participating in elite sport during adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Climate perceptions matter: A meta-analytic path analysis relating molar climate, cognitive and affective states, and individual level work outcomes.

Although workplace climate has been extensively studied, the research has not led to firm conclusions as to its relationship with individual level work outcomes. The authors used C. Ostroffs (1993) taxonomy to organize dimensions labeled as workplace climate and then used meta-analytic techniques to test a path analytic model. The model posited that climate affects individual level outcomes through its impact on underlying cognitive and affective states. An extensive literature search yielded 51 empirical studies with 70 samples. The results suggest that the 3 higher order facets of climate (affective, cognitive, and instrumental) affected individual level outcomes of job performance, psychological well-being, and withdrawal through their impact on organizational commitment and job satisfaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Generality and behavioral correlates of cognitive styles.

Factorial confirmation of 2 cognitive styles, defined as relationships between abilities within individuals, was sought in the within-individual variations of task performances. The cognitive styles, 1 termed "Conceptual versus Perceptual-motor Dominance," the other, "Strong versus Weak Automatization," were factorially isolated in each of 2 samples of adult normal males, and in 1 sample of adolescent male and female twins. The results are similar to those obtained by British factor analysts using hierarchical group factor method. Examination of the relationships of the factors to education and occupational levels in the adult normals revealed that the Strong Automatizers had higher occupational levels than the Weak Automatizers although the 2 groups of Ss did not differ in general intelligence or education. (35 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Eating disorders among athletes. Research and recommendations

Research indicates that certain athletes, particularly those in sports that emphasize leanness to enhance performance or appearance (e.g., gymnastics, wrestling, figure skating, diving, and ballet), are at risk for eating disorders. Little is known about the risk for eating disorder symptoms in weight and strength training. It is concluded that, even when mild variants of eating disorders are observed in athletes, they should be given immediate attention because they may severely compromise health and performance. Practical recommendations are made for coaches and trainers to identify the physical, psychological, and behavioral symptoms of eating disorders. Finally, suggestions are made for addressing eating disorders in athletes.     

Cross-cultural aging in cognitive and affective components of subjective well-being.

The present study examined age and cultural differences in cognitive and affective components of subjective well-being. A sample of 188 American and Chinese young and older adults completed surveys measuring self-life satisfaction, perceived family's life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect. Across cultures, older adults reported lower negative affect than did young adults. Americans reported higher self-life satisfaction, perceived family's life satisfaction, and positive affect than did Chinese. In addition, perceived family's life satisfaction was more related to self-life satisfaction for Chinese than for Americans. Findings are discussed in light of socioemotional selectivity theory and theories on culture and self-construal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Academic achievement and future time perspective as a cognitive–motivational concept.

251 male high school students made valence and instrumentality measurements of 23 general motivational goals (e.g., status, altruism, knowledge) classified in 3 time zones: near future, distant future, and open present. Ss with high GPAs and high study persistence attached significantly higher valence to goals in the distant future and perceived studying hard as more instrumental for reaching goals in the distant future and open present than Ss with low GPAs and low study persistence. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The cognitive and neural correlates of tactile memory.

Tactile memory systems are involved in the storage and retrieval of information about stimuli that impinge on the body surface and objects that people explore haptically. Here, the authors review the behavioral, neuropsychological, neurophysiological, and neuroimaging research on tactile memory. This body of research reveals that tactile memory can be subdivided into a number of functionally distinct neurocognitive subsystems, just as is the case with auditory and visual memory. Some of these subsystems are peripheral and short lasting and others are more central and long lasting. The authors highlight evidence showing that the representation of tactile information interacts with information about other sensory attributes (e.g., visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic) of objects/events that people perceive. This fact suggests that at least part of the neural network involved in the memory for touch might be shared among different sensory modalities. In particular, multisensory/amodal information-processing networks seem to play a leading role in the storage of tactile information in the brain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived self-efficacy in coping with cognitive stressors and opioid activation.

This experiment tested the hypothesis that perceived self-inefficacy in exercising control over cognitive stressors activates endogenous opioid systems. Subjects performed mathematical operations under conditions in which they could exercise full control over the cognitive task demands or in which the cognitive demands strained or exceeded their cognitive capabilities. Subjects with induced high perceived self-efficacy exhibited little stress, whereas those with induced low perceived self-efficacy experienced a high level of stress and autonomic arousal. Subjects were then administered either an inert saline solution or naloxone, an opiate antagonist that blocks the analgesic effects of endogenous opiates, whereupon their level of pain tolerance was measured. The self-efficacious nonstressed subjects gave no evidence of opioid activation. The self-inefficacious stressed subjects were able to withstand increasing amounts of pain stimulation under saline conditions. However, when endogenous opioid mechanisms that control pain were blocked by naloxone, the subjects were unable to bear much pain stimulation. This pattern of changes suggests that the stress-induced analgesia found under the saline condition was mediated by endogenous opioid mechanisms and counteracted by the opiate antagonist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Functional and dysfunctional impulsivity: Personality and cognitive correlates.

The 3 studies reported here were designed to clarify the nature of the personality trait of impulsivity. Two types of impulsivity were distinguished. Dysfunctional impulsivity is the tendency to act with less forethought than most people of equal ability when this tendency is a source of difficulty; most previous work on impulsivity appears to have focused on this trait. Functional impulsivity, in contrast, is the tendency to act with relatively little forethought when such a style is optimal. The present work indicates that these two tendencies are not highly correlated and that they bear different relations both to other personality traits and to the manner in which certain basic cognitive processes are executed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrating cognitive and motivational factors in depression: initial tests of a goal-orientation approach

Attempts to predict depression from a strictly cognitive perspective have met with limited success. A goal-orientation model is proposed that integrates motivational and cognitive factors in attempting to explain and predict depression. The model proposes that people differ in their goal orientation, with some people being more validation seeking (VS) and others being more growth seeking (GS). The model predicts that compared with GS persons, VS persons will show greater anxiety in anticipation of a stressful event and greater self-esteem loss, task disengagement, and depression after a negative event. A goal-orientation measure was developed (Study 1), and the predictive validity of the model was tested (Studies 2-5). Findings suggest that the explanatory and predictive power of the cognitive theories can be enhanced, and the arsenal of the cognitive therapist enlarged, by integrating motivational and cognitive approaches to depression.     

Impact of motivational climate on students' behaviors and perceptions in a physical education setting.

Goal theory asserts that a task-involved climate is associated with adaptive behavior patterns such as persisting in practice. Conversely, individuals in an ego-oriented climate are deemed at risk for maladapdve behaviors when they experience failure or encounter difficulty performing a task. Results of previous research have relied primarily on self-report data rather than analysis of overt behavior. This study investigated differences in students' practice behaviors and perceptions of the motivational climate in physical education classes manipulated to be task or ego involved. Results based on 109 seventh- and eighth-grade students indicated that students perceived the conditions differently. Student behavior was assessed by coding practice trials from videotapes of the classes. Individuals in the task-involved condition completed a greater number of practice trials at a difficult level than those in the ego-involved condition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Positive classroom motivational environments: Convergence between mastery goal structure and classroom social climate.

In a series of 4 studies we investigated the relations of mastery goal structure and 4 dimensions of the classroom social climate (teacher academic support, teacher emotional support, classroom mutual respect, task-related interaction). We conducted multidimensional scaling with separate adolescent samples that differed considerably (i.e., by racial and demographic characteristics, grade level, and educational contexts). Studies 1, 2, and 3 (Ns = 537, 537, and 736, respectively) showed that mastery goal structure items occupied a central space among the climate items and overlapped partially with the areas formed by the respect and academic and emotional support items. In Study 4 (N = 789) we investigated the structural relations of mastery goal structure and the 4 social climate scales with another adolescent sample. Using confirmatory factor analysis we compared these 2 models: (a) all 5 measures at the same level and (b) mastery goal structure as a 2nd-order factor, with the 4 social climate measures as its indicators. The fit for both models was good, although the 1st-order model fit was better. Nevertheless, in the 2nd-order model mastery goal structure accounted for between 92% and 67% of the variance in the climate measures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Surgical treatment for partial epilepsy among Norwegian children and adolescents

We conducted a retrospective longitudinal self-controlled study of 64 patients aged 4-19 years treated with resective surgery for partial epilepsy from 1952 to 1988. Approximately 60% of patients experienced > 95% reduction in seizure frequency, and 70% had worthwhile improvement of at least 75% reduction. Seizure relief was more frequent among patients who underwent operation after 1978, and significant differences by time period of operation were noted for those with temporal lobe excisions and patients with normal tissue histology. The region of resection and the age at treatment did not provide significant information with respect to seizure outcome. Postresection electrocorticography (ECoG) and EEG of the first postoperative year predicted later seizure outcome. Small neurologic deficits were more common among patients resected in the temporal lobe than in patients resected in the frontal lobe. Half of the patients with preoperative unilateral focal activity and a third of those with bilateral focal activity had normal EEG postoperatively. One fourth had discontinued antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy. As expected, long-term mortality was significantly higher than the mortality of the general population. Seven patients died during follow-up. Two male patients committed suicide.     

Construct accessibility and depression: An examination of cognitive and affective factors.

Two experiments with undergraduates examined the parameters of construct accessibility in depression. In Exp I, 30 depressed and nondepressed (the Beck Depression Inventory) Ss were required to name the colors of tachistiscopically presented depressed-content, neutral-content, and manic-content words. Because of the predicted accessibility and interference effects of the depressed-content words, depressed Ss were predicted to demonstrate longer response latencies to these words than to the non-depressed-content words. Results support the prediction: Nondepressed Ss did not demonstrate differential response latencies. In Exp II (30 Ss), a mood-induction paradigm was used to investigate whether the interference effects obtained in Exp I were due to temporary mood differences between depressed and nondepressed Ss or were a function of more stable depression-associated patterns of information processing. Although predicted group differences were obtained on a mood adjective checklist, no effects were found for task performance. Findings suggest that transient mood is not a sufficient explanation for the results obtained in Exp I. Implications for the understanding of both construct accessibility and depression are discussed. (68 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of cognitive and affective factors in learning and retaining attitudinal materials.

The interaction effects between belief and attitude and their effect on retention are investigated. The attitudes toward Russia of a group of S's was measured by a questionnaire, then learning material about Russia was presented and retention measured at intervals after the last learning session. The conclusions are drawn that (1) belief helps retention, but disbelief does not inhibit it; (2) favorable attitudes only slightly enhance retention, (3) positive mutual reinforcement of belief and attitude facilitate retention but negative reinforcement inhibits retention, (4) the attitude appears to dominate when belief and attitude conflict. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)