An Episodic Process Model of Affective Influences on Performance.

In this article, the authors present a model linking immediate affective experiences to within-person performance. First, the authors define a time structure for performance (the performance episode) that is commensurate with the dynamic nature of affect. Next, the authors examine the core cognitive and regulatory processes that determine performance for 1 person during any particular episode. Third, the authors describe how various emotions and moods influence the intermediary performance processes, thereby affecting performance. In the final section of the article, the authors discuss limitations, future research directions, and practical implications for their episodic process model of affect and performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A first examination of the relationships between primed subconscious goals, assigned conscious goals, and task performance.

The authors conducted 2 studies of subconscious goal motivation. First, the authors ran a pilot study to establish the effects of priming of subconscious goals on a performance task frequently used in goal setting research. Second, the authors conducted the main study in which the authors examined the effects of both priming of subconscious goals and assigned conscious goals on the same performance task. The authors found significant main effects of both manipulations and a significant interaction between subconscious and conscious goals. The effects of conscious difficult and do-best goals were enhanced by subconscious goals, although conscious easy goals were not affected. All effects from the main study still held after 1 day. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Optimal learning in optimal contexts: The role of self-determination in education.

This literature review provides an overview of education studies that have been guided by self-determination theory (SDT). First, the authors examine studies that have assessed motivation based on SDT. Second, the authors detail research that has focussed on the linkages between motivation types and students' behavioural, affective, and cognitive outcomes. Third, the authors present studies on how learning contexts (parents, teachers) contribute to students' motivational resources. The authors conclude that the motivation types proposed by SDT are important for understanding how students thrive and succeed at school. The authors also highlight the significant role played by teachers and parents in the development of student motivation. The authors conclude with a summary of the benefits of self-motivation for learning and offer some recommendations for the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some characteristics of journals and authors.

Some characteristics of authors in 10 American Psychological Association journals and 9 other selected psychological journals are presented in a table. The "number of authors who are not affiliated with the APA is rather surprising although many of these may be students. The total proportion of non-APA members for the APA journals is .23 and for the others .28." Approximately "one-quarter to one-third of the authors throughout have no divisional affiliation… . All of the journals studied contained authors who were members of the Psychonomic Society. The APA journal with the highest proportion in this group was Psychological Review," and the next highest was the Journal of Experimental Psychology. Slightly more than ? of the articles are by individual authors and about ? are by 2 authors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Endless opportunities for psychologists in public service: The army, the peace corps, and beyond.

The authors have written this paper at the encouragement of a senior public sector psychologist, who thought that many junior psychologists are unaware of the variety of opportunities and roles that are available for psychologists. While the opportunities in the future are likely to vary from those that the authors have enjoyed, the authors are confident that some similar, and some new, opportunities will arise in the future. One only had to keep an open mind and seize the moment. The authors have written this paper at the encouragement of a senior public sector psychologist, who thought that many junior psychologists are unaware of the variety of opportunities and roles that are available for psychologists. While the opportunities in the future are likely to vary from those that the authors have enjoyed, the authors are confident that some similar, and some new, opportunities will arise in the future. One only had to keep an open mind and seize the moment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Heuristics made easy: An effort-reduction framework.

In this article, the authors propose a new framework for understanding and studying heuristics. The authors posit that heuristics primarily serve the purpose of reducing the effort associated with a task. As such, the authors propose that heuristics can be classified according to a small set of effort-reduction principles. The authors use this framework to build upon current models of heuristics, examine existing heuristics in terms of effort-reduction, and outline how current research methods can be used to extend this effort-reduction framework. This framework reduces the redundancy in the field and helps to explicate the domain-general principles underlying heuristics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Language as a saboteur: The case of "case management."

The authors examine how the term case management—and, more generally, language—may function as a saboteur of psychotherapeutic meaning and foster the objectification of the clinical process and participant. The authors hope to foster awareness of the implications of word choices and thereby reduce the negative side effects accompanying the unintended meanings of these choices. More generally, the authors argue that curiosity, creativity, and the clinical process are deadened when language is allowed to function as a saboteur. The authors suggest an approach to clinical work that brings a heightened awareness of the power and ambiguity of words. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Comment on Sampling Error in the Standardized Mean Difference With Unequal Sample Sizes: Avoiding Potential Errors in Meta-Analytic and Primary Research.

The authors discuss potential confusion in conducting primary studies and meta-analyses on the basis of differences between groups. First, the authors show that a formula for the sampling error of the standardized mean difference (d) that is based on equal group sample sizes can produce substantially biased results if applied with markedly unequal group sizes. Second, the authors show that the same concerns are present when primary analyses or meta-analyses are conducted with point-biserial correlations, as the point-biserial correlation (r) is a transformation of d. Third, the authors examine the practice of correcting a point-biserial r for unequal sample sizes and note that such correction would also increase the sampling error of the corrected r. Correcting rs for unequal sample sizes, but using the standard formula for sampling error in uncorrected r, can result in bias. The authors offer a set of recommendations for conducting meta-analyses of group differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

What breaks a leader: The curvilinear relation between assertiveness and leadership.

The authors propose that individual differences in assertiveness play a critical role in perceptions about leaders. In contrast to prior work that focused on linear effects, the authors argue that individuals seen either as markedly low in assertiveness or as high in assertiveness are generally appraised as less effective leaders. Moreover, the authors claim that observers' perceptions of leaders as having too much or too little assertiveness are widespread. The authors linked the curvilinear effects of assertiveness to underlying tradeoffs between social outcomes (a high level of assertiveness worsens relationships) and instrumental outcomes (a low level of assertiveness limits goal achievement). In 3 studies, the authors used qualitative and quantitative approaches and found support for their account. The results suggest that assertiveness (and other constructs with nonlinear effects) might have been overlooked in research that has been focused on identifying what makes a leader rather than on identifying what breaks a leader. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comprehending envy.

The authors reviewed the psychological research on envy. The authors examined definitional challenges associated with studying envy, such as the important distinction between envy proper (which contains hostile feelings) and benign envy (which is free of hostile feelings). The authors concluded that envy is reasonably defined as an unpleasant, often painful emotion characterized by feelings of inferiority, hostility, and resentment caused by an awareness of a desired attribute enjoyed by another person or group of persons. The authors examined questions such as why people envy, why envy contains hostile feelings, and why it has a tendency to transmute itself. Finally, the authors considered the role of envy in helping understand other research domains and discussed ways in which people cope with the emotion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Paper and plastic in daily diary research: Comment on Green, Rafaeli, Bolger, Shrout, and Reis (2006).

The authors applaud A. S. Green, E. Rafaeli, N. Bolger, P. E. Shrout, and H. T. Reis's (2006) response to one-sided comparisons of paper versus electronic (plastic) diary methods (see record 2006-03820-006) and hope that it will stimulate more balanced considerations of the issues involved. The authors begin by highlighting areas of agreement and disagreement with Green et al. The authors review briefly the broader literature that has compared paper and plastic diaries, noting how recent comparisons have relied on study designs and methods that favor investigators' allegiances. The authors note some sorely needed data for the evaluation of the implications of paper versus plastic for the internal and external validity of research. To facilitate evaluation of the existing literature and assist in the design of future studies, the authors offer a balanced comparison of paper and electronic diary methods across a range of applications. Finally, the authors propose 2 study designs that offer fair comparisons of paper and plastic diary methods. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Challenges for delivering healthcare education through telematics

Within the context of the education of professional healthcare providers, the authors give an overview of the challenges faced by those wishing to introduce telematics as both a mechanism for content delivery and as subject content itself. After presenting a brief overview of the current state of telematics applications to healthcare education, focusing on the European sphere, the authors outline the challenges before discussing the collaborative and communicative issues in detail. The authors conclude by suggesting that, while the authors believe that telematics is a necessary direction for the future development of healthcare education for professionals, the collaboration and communication challenges are of greater importance than the technical and policy challenges and that there is a need to educate the majority of educators, based in the experiences of the enthusiasts.     

Conceptualization and measurement of ethnic identity: Current status and future directions.

In this article, the authors examine the conceptualization and measurement of ethnic identity as a multidimensional, dynamic construct that develops over time through a process of exploration and commitment. The authors discuss the components of ethnic identity that have been studied and the theoretical background for a developmental model of ethnic identity. The authors review research on the measurement of ethnic identity using the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (J. Phinney, 1992) and present a revised version of the measure. The authors conclude with a consideration of the measurement issues raised by J. E. Helms (2007) and K. Cokley (2007) and suggestions for future research on ethnic identity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work-life balance for early career Canadian psychologists in professional programs.

The authors examine work-life balance issues that apply to all Canadian academics and then focus on issues faced in the early stages of academic careers in professional psychology programs. In addition, the authors discuss the “family track including” timing of pregnancy. The authors identify psychological tasks such as establishing priorities, setting goals and willingness to 'say no.' In the final section, the authors offer suggestions about ways to gather information that will inform career choices, as well as strategies to help achieve work-life balance. Although the majority of psychology graduate students are women and a great deal of the literature on work-life balance is based on women, many of the issues the authors examine are applicable to both women and men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The fructosamine monitoring of the effect on glycemic control of hypocaloric parenteral nutritional support with glycerol

The authors report 4 patients with complicated persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous. The complications observed are cataract (2 eyes) and retinal detachment (2 eyes). The affection is bilateral in two cases and unilateral in the two other cases. After a short embryologic vitreous recall, the authors present clinical and paraclinical aspects of the condition. The authors focus on the importance of echographic data.     

Some principles for ethics education: Implementing the acculturation model.

In 2005, the authors (Handelsman, Gottlieb, & Knapp, 2005) proposed that ethics education be conducted based on a model of ethics acculturation. Here, the authors extend that work by offering some principles that support implementation of an ethics acculturation model (EAM) over the full course of professional preparation. The authors argue that ethics education should be life-long and provide students and trainees with positive, ongoing, experiential, and supportive educational environments and activities. After presenting and explaining each principle, the authors offer a detailed example showing how various exercises from the existing literature may be employed to facilitate students' ethical development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Are they really that happy? Exploring scale recalibration in estimates of well-being.

Objective: The authors addressed a lingering concern in research on hedonic adaptation to adverse circumstances. This research typically relies on self-report measures of well-being, which are subjective and depend on the standards that people use in making judgments. The authors employed a novel method to test for, and rule out, such scale recalibration in self-reports of well-being. Design: The authors asked patients with chronic illness (either lung disease or diabetes) and nonpatients to evaluate quality of life (QoL) for the patients' disease. In addition, the authors also asked them to rank and rate the aversiveness of a diverse set of adverse circumstances, allowing examination of both the numerical ratings and ordering among items. Main Outcome Measures: The authors compared patients' and nonpatients' ratings and rankings for the patients' disease and other conditions. Results and Conclusion: The authors found that patients not only assigned higher numerical QoL ratings to their own disease than did nonpatients but also ranked it higher among the broad set of conditions. These results suggest that scale recalibration cannot account for discrepant QoL ratings between patients and nonpatients. More generally, this study presents a new approach for measuring well-being that is not subject to the problem of scale recalibration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In vitro study of enzymatic degradation of biological tissues fixed by glutaraldehyde or epoxy compound

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The authors performed this study to clarify and systematize the large number of variances and correlations observable with variance-component models of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) index estimates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors present a variance-component model for ROC index estimates (and for differences between estimates) and show correspondences between the method of experimental replication and the random components in the model. The authors introduce a notation that identifies both the method of replication and, when examining estimate differences, the estimate pairing scheme. RESULTS: For models with three factors (modality, reader, case sample), the authors delineated four methods of replication and eight pairing schemes for generating estimate differences. For each of the resulting 32 replication-pairing combinations, the authors gave expressions for the variance of the difference and for the correlation between the two ROC index estimates. CONCLUSION: The variance-component approach is a useful statistical tool for modeling different sources of variation that contribute to the overall variance of ROC data and index estimates derived from those data.     

Bicycle helmet use among American children, 1994

The authors tested preoperatively and postoperatively for binocularity in a series of 29 adults who underwent surgery for long-standing concomitant strabismus. The authors used Bagolini lenses, troposcope and Worth's lights as the tests for binocularity. The patients in whom the postoperative deviation was greater than 10 prism diopters from orthotropia were excluded. Binocularity was not find at any patient before surgery. The authors made a finding of binocularity after strabismus surgery in 14% of patients, in spite of satisfactory parallel ocular alignment in 52% of patients. The results of development of binocularity after strabismus surgery in adults were not as good in this series as the other authors found.     

Planning in human children (Homo sapiens) assessed by maze problems on the touch screen.

The authors examined how human children perform on maze tasks on the touch screen and whether the children plan the solution of the mazes. In Experiment 1, the authors exposed children around 3 years of age to a maze having an L-shaped line as a barrier that can be solved by moving an illustration of a dog (the target) to that of a bone (the goal) with their fingers. The participants successfully solved the maze by taking efficient routes more frequently than chance, although the authors found no evidence that a preview of the maze before starting to solve the task facilitated their performance. In Experiment 2, using a plus-shaped maze, the authors found that 3- and 4-year-old children plan and adjust their moves while solving the maze, with 4-year-olds showing more advanced and higher-level planning than 3-year-olds. Similarity of these results to what the authors previously found in pigeons tested in the same tasks may suggest an analogy for planning capacity in the behavioral level across taxa and developmental stages. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)