The role of stressful life events on the cortisol reactivity patterns of breast cancer survivors

Objective: Atypical patterns of cortisol secretion following an acute stressor have been commonly reported in breast cancer survivors. Stressful life events have been associated with blunted acute cortisol levels in other populations. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of stressful life events on cortisol secretion patterns of breast cancer survivors following an acute stressor.

Design: The Trier Social Stress (TSST) was used to elicit a moderate stress response in breast cancer survivors (n = 19) and a control group (n = 17). Saliva samples were collected before, during and after the TSST to provide cortisol concentrations. During recovery, we recorded the frequency and subjective impact of stressful life events in the past year using the Life Experience Survey.

Results: Simple regressions analyses were performed; results suggest no group differences between the total number of stressful life events and their subjective impact. However, the total number of stressful life events as well as their subjective impact correlated negatively with the peak cortisol concentration in breast cancer survivors.

Conclusions: The cumulative effect of stressful life events, positive and negative, may impact the endocrine stress system of breast cancer survivors more so than that of women with no history of cancer.     

Academic and social self-concept: effects of teaching styles and gender in English as a foreign language setting

This study examined the relationship between academic and social self-concept and teachers’ teaching styles (authoritative, authoritarian and permissive). The participants included 511 school students (53.2% females). They completed the Self-Definition Questionnaire (SDQ-I) and the Teacher Authority Questionnaire. Data were analysed to predict self-concept from teaching styles. On the one hand, females’ academic self-concept was positively predicted by authoritative and permissive teaching. However, their social self-concept was only predicted by permissive teaching. On the other hand, males’ academic and social self-concepts were not predicted by any of the teaching styles. Teaching styles seem to support learning self-concept in female students more strongly than in male students. The findings contribute to social cognitive theories when applied to cross-cultural settings.     

学业自我概念及其与学业成绩关系的研究述评

自1976年Shavelson将自我概念区分为学业自我概念和非学业自我概念以来,教育心理学家对学业自我概念的结构及学业自我概念与学业成绩的关系进行了广泛研究。本文在阐述学业自我概念的多侧面结构和等级结构模型的基础上,着重探讨了学业自我概念与学业成绩的关系,并对学业自我概念的研究进行了展望。     

Stress experience and performance during an oral exam: the role of self-efficacy,threat appraisals,anxiety, and cortisol

Background and Objectives: High self-efficacy may reduce emotional and physiological stress responses in the context of an examination. The present study investigated how these stress responses develop on an exam day, and sequential indirect effects between self-efficacy, threat appraisals, stress responses and performance.

Design and Methods: The sample comprised 92 students (46 women). Self-efficacy, threat appraisals and state anxiety were assessed on a control day one week before an oral exam. Additionally, anxiety was assessed three times on the exam day. Salivary cortisol samples were collected at all time points.

Results: Pre-exam anxiety and cortisol decreased until grades were announced. For both responses, greater levels were related to a steeper decline. However, changes in anxiety and cortisol were unrelated. Self-efficacy was negatively related to threat appraisals and anxiety on the control day. Greater threat appraisals were associated with higher pre-exam anxiety and a steeper anxiety decrease on the exam day, which in turn, was related to better performance.

Conclusions: High levels of self-efficacy may reduce threat appraisals and anxiety in the lead up to an exam, which are related to the intensity and decline of anxiety on the exam day. A steeper decline of anxiety may be beneficial to performance.     

竞争合作与学业成绩的关系：学业自我概念的中介作用

该研究旨在探讨学业自我概念对竞争合作与学业成就关系的影响。研究采用合作竞争态度量表、学业自我描述问卷对397名初中生进行调查。结果发现：1）竞争与学业成就间存在显著的正相关,竞争意识强者学业成绩越好;2）合作与学业成绩间不存在显著相关关系;3）学业自我概念在竞争与学业成绩之间起着完全中介作用。     

儿童学业自我概念在父母教养风格与学业成就间的中介效应

运用问卷法,对612名北京市中小学生及其父母分别进行了自我概念和教养风格的测试。结果表明,父母民主型教养风格通过儿童学业自我概念这一中介变量,对儿童学业成就产生明显的正向促进作用,而父母专制型教养风格,则以直接的途径对儿童的学业成就产生负面效应。     

大学生主动性人格对学业成绩的影响:学业自我效能感和学习适应的中介作用

以388名大学生为研究对象,考察大学生主动性人格对学业成绩的影响,以及学业自我效能感和学习适应在其中的中介作用。结果发现：（1）主动性人格、学业自我效能感、学习适应与学业成绩四个变量相互之间存在显著正相关。（2）学业自我效能感在主动性人格对学业成绩的影响中起完全中介作用,但学习适应并不在主动性人格与学业成绩之间起显著的中介作用;学业自我效能感在主动性人格对学习适应的影响中起部分中介作用。     

中学生自我概念的特点及其与学业成绩的关系

本研究采用问卷法,针对随机取样的428名中学生,考察了自我概念的年级与性别特点及其与学业成绩的关系。结果表明:(1)在自我概念总量表和分量表上,中学生存在显著的年级和性别差异;(2)在自我概念子量表上,年级和性别的交互作用显著;(3)在言语自我、数学自我、一般学校、体能自我、父母关系、诚实可信、一般自我等子量表,以及学业、非学业分量表和总量表上,不同学业水平的学生有显著差异;(4)除体能自我、与异性关系和与同性关系子量表外,学业成绩与自我概念有显著正相关,而且学业成绩对自我概念有显著预测性,一般学校自我对学业成绩有显著的预测性。     

Socio-economic status,executive functions,and theory of mind ability in adolescents: Relationships with language ability and cortisol

Socio-economic status (SES) is linked to the development of cognitive abilities, particularly language and executive processes. It is unclear whether these represent a single or independent correlates. We studied 110 Ecuadorian youths aged 12–17 with measures of SES, language, executive function, and theory of mind (ToM), a.k.a. mentalizing. A subsample gave hair samples to estimate recent cortisol levels. Restricting analyses to reliable measures, SES was highly associated with language skill, and to a lesser extent with executive function and ToM performance. However, those latter associations were attenuated and non-significant when language ability was controlled for statistically. Systemic cortisol levels were not associated with SES, but were significantly and negatively correlated with ToM, independent of variation in language skills. We conclude that language development underlies most of the impact of SES on executive function and ToM ability of adolescents, but that stress-related cortisol may have an independent, direct effect on mentalizing.     

中学生个性因素及其与学业成就关系的探讨

研究者基于个性对个体成功具有重要影响的观点,假设中学生的个性对其学业成就具有预测性。采用儿童14种人格因素问卷对145名初中生进行测试,并对14种人格变量进行因素分析,得到了自我控制能力因素、精神状态因素、合作与创新精神因素、社会能力因素和智力性因素等5个因子。再利用这5个因子与学生的期末成绩(语、数、外总成绩)进行全纳回归分析,结果发现:与非智力的个性因素相比,智力性因素对中学生的学业成就可以进行更为有效的预测。     

中小学生学业自我概念与学业成绩的交叉滞后分析:符合交互影响模型,还是发展观?

以小学五年级、初二年级和高二年级共357名学生为研究对象,采用10个月的追踪设计,运用交叉滞后回归分析,旨在揭示中小学生学业自我概念与学业成绩的相互影响,检验交互影响模型和发展观。结果发现,在前、后测中,小五学生学业自我概念得分呈现发展性差异,且均显著高于初二和高二学生;中小学生样本总体T1时间学业自我概念能显著正向预测T2时间学业成绩,T1时间学业成绩能显著正向预测T2时间学业自我概念,符合交互影响模型;小学五年级T1时间学业自我概念能显著正向预测T2时间学业成绩,符合自我增强模型;初二和高二学生T1时间学业成绩能显著正向预测T2时间学业自我概念,符合技能发展模型。结果表明随着年龄的变化,中小学生学业自我概念与学业成绩的因果关系顺序也在发生变化,支持发展观。     

Perceived stress,recurrent pain,and aggregate salivary cortisol measures in mid‐adolescent girls and boys

Measures of perceived stress have been criticized for theoretical inconsistency. However, the validated pressure activation stress scale has been suggested as a theoretically sound alternative. But it is unclear how pressure and activation stress relate to objective and subjective measures including commonly used aggregate cortisol measures and health complaints respectively. Specifically, this study aimed at investigating how pressure and activation stress were related to aggregate salivary cortisol measures and recurrent pain in mid‐adolescent girls and boys. Mid‐adolescents (119 girls and 56 boys) provided self‐reports in questionnaires on activation and pressure stress and recurrent pain (headache, stomach ache, neck/shoulder and back pain). Additionally, adolescents sampled saliva during an ordinary school day: (1) immediately at awakening; (2) 30 minutes after waking up; (3) 60 minutes after waking up, and (4) at 8 p.m. These samples were analyzed for cortisol. Hierarchical regressions showed no statistically significant associations between activation and pressure stress and cortisol, neither for girls nor for boys. However, activation and pressure stress were significantly associated with recurrent pain but only for girls. The findings may relate to subjective and objective measures reflecting distinct aspects of stress‐related functioning. However, the study participants included mid‐adolescents whose bodily systems are flexible and still relatively unaffected by the strain of their daily stress perceptions. To conclude, the non‐significant relationships between activation and pressure stress and commonly used aggregate measures of cortisol adds to the understanding of how perceived stress may relate to physiological functioning in the daily life of adolescents when using such aggregate measures.     

Mathematics ability and related skills in preschoolers born very preterm

Children born very preterm (VPT) are at risk for academic, behavioral, and/or emotional problems. Mathematics is a particular weakness and better understanding of the relationship between preterm birth and early mathematics ability is needed, particularly as early as possible to aid in early intervention. Preschoolers born VPT (n = 58) and those born full term (FT; n = 29) were administered a large battery of measures within 6 months of beginning kindergarten. A multiple-mediation model was utilized to characterize the difference in skills underlying mathematics ability between groups. Children born VPT performed significantly worse than FT-born children on a measure of mathematics ability as well as full-scale IQ, verbal skills, visual–motor integration, phonological awareness, phonological working memory, motor skills, and executive functioning. Mathematics was significantly correlated with verbal skills, visual–motor integration, phonological processing, and motor skills across both groups. When entered into the mediation model, verbal skills, visual–motor integration, and phonological awareness were significant mediators of the group differences. This analysis provides insights into the pre-academic skills that are weak in preschoolers born VPT and their relationship to mathematics. It is important to identify children who will have difficulties as early as possible, particularly for VPT children who are at higher risk for academic difficulties. Therefore, this model may be used in evaluating VPT children for emerging difficulties as well as an indicator that if other weaknesses are found, an assessment of mathematics should be conducted.     

初中生数学成绩、数学学业能力自我概念与数学学业情绪的关系

采用学业情绪问卷、数学学业自我概念问卷调查了370名初中学生,以探讨初中生数学学业情绪特点及其与数学成绩、数学学业能力自我概念间的关系。结果发现：（1）除积极高唤醒情绪外的其它数学学业情绪在性别上差异显著,除消极高唤醒外的其它情绪在年级上差异显著。（2）数学成绩通过数学学业能力自我概念间接预测四类数学学业情绪。结论是,初中男生数学积极情绪多于女生,女生数学消极情绪多于男生,积极情绪随年级下降,消极情绪随年级上升;初中生数学学业能力自我概念在数学成绩和数学学业情绪间起完全中介作用。     

自我概念在父母情感关爱与儿童发展间的完全中介效应

运用问卷法,对北京612名中小学生及其父母分别进行了儿童孤独退缩行为、自我概念及父母情感关爱行为测试,运用LISEREL软件对数据的分析结果表明:父母情感关爱行为通过儿童自我概念的完全中介作用,对儿童的孤独退缩行为起到明显的抑制作用;在父母情感关爱行为和儿童学业成就之间,儿童的学业自我概念也起到了明显的完全中介效果.从而支持了儿童自我概念在父母情感关爱与儿童发展间的完全中介地位.     

医科大学生优秀学业表现的人格心理学分析及相关性研究

目的:探讨医科大学生优秀学业表现的特征人格以及学业成绩性别差异的人格心理学原因。方法:以卡特尔16PF个性测验为测试工具,应用Spearman相关系数对医科大学生人格特质与学业成绩综合得分进行相关分析。结果:医科大学男女生的开放性分别为5.80±0.89和4.47±1.41,差别有统计学显著性(p0.001)。大学生学业成绩的高低和大学生的自律性和稳定性的相关系数分别为0.271和0.263。结论:医科男女大学生学业成绩差异主要与其开放性大小有关,大学生在校期间学业成绩分值的高低与人格特质中的自律性和稳定性大小成正比,提示加强大学生自律性和稳定性的训练有助于塑造大学生良好的人格特质。