Obstacles to Personal Creativity between Brazilian and Mexican University Students: A Comparative Study

The study focused on personal obstacles to creativity between 385 Brazilian and 305 Mexican university students. The Obstacles to Personal Creativity Inventory, designed and validated by Alencar (1999b), was administered to these students. The results indicated that Lack of Time/Opportunity was the most frequent obstacle. Significant differences were observed between Brazilian and Mexican students in the cluster of obstacles named Lack of Motivation, and between male and female students in the cluster of obstacles named Inhibition/Shyness. The results point to several obstacles to personal creativity which are common among university students. These obstacles should be known by those involved in education in order for them to help students to be less susceptible to obstacles that hinder their creativity.     

Locomotor Patterns of the Leading and the Trailing Limbs as Solid and Fragile Obstacles Are Stepped Over: Some Insights Into the Role of Vision During Locomotion

The issues explored in this article are the role of exproprioceptive input and the nature of exteroceptive input provided by the visual system in the control of limb elevation as obstacles are stepped over during locomotion. In the first experiment, the differences in limb trajectory of movements over solid and fragile obstacles of similar dimensions were examined. Subjects increased their toe clearance, vertical position of the hip, and the hip vertical velocity when going over a fragile obstacle with the leading limb. This suggests that in addition to visually observable properties of obstacles such as height or width, other properties, such as rigidity or fragility, which may be classified as visually inferred, also influence the limb trajectory. Part of the first and the second experiment was focused on understanding differences in leading limb and trailing limb trajectory over obstacles. The toe clearance of the trailing limb was lower for smaller obstacles. There was no consistent correlation between the toe clearance values of the leading and trailing limbs. The variability in toe clearance was higher for the trailing limb, which is attributable to lack of visual exproprioceptive input about trailing limb movements and to the shorter time available following toe-off to fine-tune the trailing limb trajectory. Because the body center of mass is moving toward the supporting foot when the trailing limb goes over obstacles and the trailing limb foot is moving up, the chances of a trip are minimized and recovery from an unexpected trip are more likely. These results highlight the role of exproprioceptive input provided by the visual system and possible cognitive influences on the limb trajectory as one travels over uneven terrains.     

“组织学习障碍”研究

组织要进行真正的学习 ,就必须克服“组织学习障碍”。“组织学习障碍”分为“单环学习障碍”和“双环学习障碍”两大类。为了克服“组织学习障碍”,首先必须消除组织的习惯性防御机制 ,然后进行“学习型组织”的各项修炼。     

The effect of social support on prenatal care.

This article examines the effects of social support on the receipt of adequate prenatal care. A study was conducted to test the hypotheses that social support helps women overcome obstacles to obtaining such care, and that social support has greater effects on women facing the most obstacles. Survey data were gathered for more than 90% of the women who gave birth in Oklahoma hospitals during specific periods in the summer of 1986. The authors found only weak support for the first hypothesis, and for the second hypothesis found only support that must be qualified according to the measure of social support. Strong evidence indicates, however, that difficulty in paying for prenatal care, personal inconveniences, and unwanted pregnancies are obstacles to obtaining such care. The findings account for some of the frequently observed demographic differences associated with receipt of adequate prenatal care, although such differences persisted even after the obstacles were considered. The authors present implications for policy makers seeking to improve women's receipt of adequate prenatal care.     

The Effect of Self-awareness on the Identification of Goal-related Obstacles

When individuals strive towards personal goals, they may encounter obstacles that could compromise their goal progress and pose a challenge to self-regulation. Coping with obstacles first requires those obstacles to be identified. The purpose of the present studies was to apply an inter-individual approach to this important, but insufficiently studied self-regulatory aspect of goal striving. We therefore examined the role of self-awareness, that is, paying attention to one's own feelings, thoughts, and behaviours, for the identification of goal-related obstacles. We measured and manipulated self-awareness in two correlational and two experimental studies (one of them preregistered) and asked participants to identify obstacles to their goals. All studies confirmed the hypothesis that individuals with higher levels of dispositional and situational self-awareness identify more obstacles, both with regard to their idiosyncratic personal goals (Studies 1 and 2) and with regard to a goal in an assigned task during an experiment (Studies 3 and 4). The results indicate that self-awareness plays a crucial role for identifying obstacles. We discuss the implications of our findings for personality and self-regulation research.     

Reach/Grasp Times with Lateral Reach Obstructions

When moving to grasp an object having adjacent obstacles that limit the space available for placing the fingers, the time for the reach/grasp is dependent on the distance of reaching and the space available for finger placement. Here we model the time taken in terms of these variables and develop mathematical models for the reach and grasp phases of the task and the location of obstacles. Data show that the movement to the target may be made under visual control and that, when the obstacles are close to the target object, a visually-controlled movement is made that is modeled by a modified form of Fitts' law. The time for the two components of the reach/grasp appear to be independent and linearly additive.     

Studying the Outcomes of Community-Based Coalitions

Community-based coalitions are popular structures for creating community benefits. But desired effects have been reported only for single cases, the overall documented evidence to date for positive coalition outcomes being weak. Methodological obstacles may account for much of the missing evidence, and research possibilities for addressing these obstacles are suggested. Alternative interpretations include the positions that coalitions in general are not effective intervention mechanisms, that traditional scientific methodology is poorly suited for capturing fine-grained coalition outcomes, and that coalitions and similar collaborative organizations are too complex to be adequately evaluated by the methodology that is now available.     

Obstacles to Appointment Keeping in a Child Behavior Management Clinic

This study investigated obstacles to appointment keeping reported by parents who were scheduled for either an initial evaluation (n=31) or a subsequent parent training (n=69) session in an outpatient child behavior management clinic. Following their first appointment-keeping failure, parents in the two groups participated in a brief, semistructured phone interview in which appointment-keeping obstacles were solicited. Although some differences between the two groups of parents were noted, both groups reported obstacles involving poor health status of the parent or child, inadequate transportation, competing home and work responsibilities, and sudden crises. The implications of these findings for the development of behavioral interventions designed to boost attendance compliance are discussed.     

Stepping back to see the big picture: when obstacles elicit global processing

Can obstacles prompt people to look at the "big picture" and open up their minds? Do the cognitive effects of obstacles extend beyond the tasks with which they interfere? These questions were addressed in 6 studies involving both physical and nonphysical obstacles and different measures of global versus local processing styles. Perceptual scope increased after participants solved anagrams in the presence, rather than the absence, of an auditory obstacle (random words played in the background; Study 1), particularly among individuals low in volatility (i.e., those who are inclined to stay engaged and finish what they do; Study 4). It also increased immediately after participants encountered a physical obstacle while navigating a maze (Study 3A) and when compared with doing nothing (Study 3B). Conceptual scope increased after participants solved anagrams while hearing random numbers framed as an "obstacle to overcome" rather than a "distraction to ignore" (Study 2) and after participants navigated a maze with a physical obstacle, compared with a maze without a physical obstacle, but only when trait (Study 5) or state (Study 6) volatility was low. Results suggest that obstacles trigger an "if obstacle, then start global processing" response, primarily when people are inclined to stay engaged and finish ongoing activities. Implications for dealing with life's obstacles and related research are discussed.     

Obstacles to research in residential juvenile justice facilities: recommendations for researchers

Federal, state, and local initiatives to improve the treatment and outcomes for young people in the juvenile justice system prompt the need for additional research. Despite the call for empirical data, researchers encounter numerous obstacles when initiating and conducting studies in detention and post-adjudication facilities. These obstacles are often only briefly mentioned in publications, but they can interfere with researchers' desires and abilities to conduct studies in these settings. This paper reviews legal, ethical, and methodological challenges to successfully conducting research in detention and residential post-adjudication placements, including selecting and accessing appropriate facilities, obtaining institutional review board approval, seeking parental permission and youth assent, reporting child abuse and neglect, responding to participants' threats to harm self or others, working effectively with facilities, juvenile justice system-related attrition, and the dissemination of research findings. Recommendations are presented to help investigators anticipate obstacles when designing and executing research protocols to prevent interference and to encourage ethical responses and successful study completion.     

Mental contrasting instigates goal pursuit by linking obstacles of reality with instrumental behavior

The self-regulatory strategy of mental contrasting a desired future with obstacles of reality instigates goal-directed behavior when expectations of success are high and curbs goal-directed behavior when expectations are low (Oettingen, 2000). Two studies show that mental contrasting paired with high expectations of success creates strong associations between obstacles of reality and behavior instrumental to overcome these obstacles; mental contrasting paired with low expectations of success leads to weak associations. Reverse contrasting and irrelevant content control conditions did not produce expectancy-dependent associations between obstacle and instrumental behavior. Importantly, the strength of these associations mediated mental contrasting effects on goal-directed behavior (Study 2).     

Serious mental illness and capitation financing

Traditional organization and financing of mental health care has not adequately served the needs of persons with serious mental illness. Capitation financing is being tested in several localities, but little experimental data has been yielded to date, and it is mixed. The results from the Rochester experiment were positive but limited, and some other pilots also reported positive experiences with capitation. Others have ended prematurely or confronted obstacles. Experimental findings are also anticipated from the Philadelphia and California pilots, and others are just beginning. Existing financing mechanisms, cost-shifting efforts, and professional cultures represent powerful obstacles to successfully implementing capitation financing for care of persons with long-term mental illnesses, and potential incentives to underserve enrollees require adequate accountability structures. In spite of obstacles, the goodness of fit between the needs of persons with serious mental illness and capitation flexibility warrant further exploration of this financing modality.     

Obstacles and advocacy in children's mental health services: managing the Medicaid maze

Of federal programs available, Medicaid offers the greatest potential for serving children's mental health needs. Obstacles to children receiving services through Medicaid are largely determined by a state's policy of regulating services. State policies affect the delivery of mental health services for children in two ways: first, by determining which services to make available, and second, by specifying the conditions of access to those services. Accordingly, this article focuses on obstacles within states' policies that prevent effective utilization of services by children. Specifically, states' choices of eligibility criteria, services, and the procedural obstacles present within payment options are examined. Suggestions for future research are made.     

Actions Pour l’intégration Socioprofessionnelle Des Travailleurs Issus De L’immigration: La Valorisation Identitaire Comme Mode d’Accompagnement Spécifique

In industrialized countries, economic problems linked to the changing world and working habits potentially impact all workers; however, immigrant workers experience additional difficulties owing to their status as foreigners or as people of foreign origin. While these employment obstacles are varied, the problems are not absolute and do not affect all foreign job seekers with the same intensity. Moreover, various attitudes can be effective when faced with certain obstacles. We call them “bypassing strategies”: the behaviour of foreign job seekers trying to negotiate these obstacles. This article presents and discusses several cases of adult training and job seeker support initiatives from French-speaking Belgium; within a specific context, these experiences are based on the concept of “professional and identity development” of immigrant workers.     

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain: Strategies for the Successful Use of Homework Assignments

Presents an overview of the research findings to date, and practical guidelines for the use of homework in psychosocial treatments for patients with chronic pain. Generally, psychosocial treatments incorporating homework assignments help patients to improve more than when treatment is comprised entirely of in-session work. The article outlines common obstacles experienced when using homework with pain patients and strategies to combat these obstacles. The types of homework assignments that may be most helpful, as well as interventions that can be used to promote homework compliance and successful treatment outcome are discussed.     

Overcoming Obstacles to Empathy: The Use of Experiential Learning in Addictions Counseling Courses

Empathy is associated with positive outcomes in addictions counseling. The moral model of addiction and unresolved countertransference issues may hinder counseling students’ development of empathic understanding for clients with substance use disorders. Counselor educators must structure courses in such a way as to help students overcome obstacles to empathy. We provide examples of several experiential activities framed within the context of Kolb’s experiential-learning cycle that are designed to deconstruct obstacles to student empathy development.     

Overcoming Obstacles to the Growth and Development of Guidance and Counseling in Thailand

Suggestions are presented for overcoming traditional customs and governmental problems that are currently obstacles to the growth and development of guidance and counseling in Thailand.     

Evidence-based assessment of anxiety disorders in adults

This article discusses issues related to the development and dissemination of evidence-based assessment strategies for anxiety disorders and associated problems. It begins with a review of the criteria that should be considered when determining whether particular assessment procedures are evidence-based. These include such factors as reliability, validity, cost-effectiveness, consumer acceptability, utility across different populations, and ease of dissemination. The importance of considering the purpose of the assessment process when deciding whether a procedure is evidence-based is emphasized. Next, the major assessment domains that are particularly important in the area of anxiety disorders (e.g., triggers for anxiety symptoms, avoidance behaviors) are reviewed. Finally, some potential obstacles to the dissemination of evidence-based assessment procedures are discussed along with suggestions for managing these obstacles.     

The Influence of Predeployment Training on Coordination in Multinational Headquarters: The Moderating Role of Organizational Obstacles to Information Sharing

Coordination is critical to the success of multinational military operations and may be fostered by predeployment training. We argue that whether such training is related to a high degree of perceived coordination at the individual level is likely to depend on whether individuals experience a low degree of organizational obstacles to information sharing. We examined this using data from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Kosovo Force headquarters (survey: n = 131). We controlled for whether it was the participants’ first deployment, the participants’ background (military or civilian), the amount of time spent in the headquarters by participants, whether differences pertaining to culture and opinions were valued by the organization, the quality of supervisor/subordinate relationships, and the degree of national cultural obstacles to information sharing. The results showed no significant direct effects on coordination from 3 different training configurations: national training, multinational training, and a combination of national and multinational training. However, we found a negative direct effect from organizational obstacles to information sharing on coordination, and support for organizational obstacles to information sharing as negatively moderating the multinational predeployment training and coordination relationship. Qualitative interviews (n = 14) indicated that informal information sharing, and the problems exchanging information from tactical to operational levels could hinder coordination. Interventions to foster coordination could benefit from a focus on multinational training and lowering organizational obstacles to information sharing. Our findings contribute to more precisely pinpointing the types of training that are useful in multinational operations, as well as the factors upon which training transfer is contingent.     

Getting stuck or stepping back: Effects of obstacles and construal level in the negotiation of creative solutions

Difficult issues in negotiation act as interfering forces but their effects on negotiation processes and outcomes are unclear. Perhaps facing such obstacles leads individuals to take a step back, attend to the big picture and, therefore, to be able to craft creative, mutually beneficial solutions. Alternatively, facing obstacles may lead negotiators to focus narrowly on the obstacle issue, so that they no longer consider issues simultaneously, and forego the possibility to reach high quality, integrative agreements. Three experiments involving face-to-face negotiation support the “getting stuck” hypothesis, but only when negotiators are in a local processing mode and not when they are in a global processing mode. Implications for the art and science of negotiation, and for construal level theory, are discussed.